Peanut and Chicken

Please Vote!!

2012-02-08T21:28:00.001-08:00

Still running. I'm just tired tonight.

I have a request:

If you could so graciously click on the link:

HERE

...and go vote for our Epic Love Story on ABC 30! Our video is "hlforcey."

If we win, we get an iPad2, dinner, jewelry and furniture! I would sooooooo love to win this prize. However, it was fun being creative and making the video!

It's easy to create a simple account and then vote. We would really appreciate your help!

Win!

2012-01-25T22:13:00.000-08:00

Evan's soccer team won their game tonight 21-0! The best part...besides the win...was listening to the parents of the other team!

Comments ranged from irritation to admiration. Made me chuckle.

Good game, Argentina!

Stuff

2012-01-24T21:56:00.000-08:00

*I like teaching algebra. I just picked up teaching the algebra and pre-algebra classes after Christmas break. I feel like the kids and I are in quite a groove. I keep telling the kids that math is my favorite to teach because there is always a right answer.

If you do the problem the right way, you get the right answer. I think some of them are starting to recognize my genius self!

*Evan is getting ready for First Reconciliation. He sang a song to me about being nice to his brother. I laughed on the inside, but it's a very sweet little song.

*Evan complains every time he has to write in cursive for homework, but he actually has rather nice handwriting.

*The Science Fair is in 7 weeks. Ugh.

*I'm going to be the Spelling Master on Saturday. That means I read all the spelling words to the kids. A little stressful.

*Hudson tries to give his toys to his teacher. He tells me almost every morning that he wants to give a car or a train to Mrs. Ortiz-Belcher. He even wanted to give her his running trophy that he earned a couple weeks ago. That little guy really has the sweetest heart.

Random enough? Mission accomplished.

Party

2012-01-23T20:22:00.001-08:00

We went to a birthday party yesterday for a girl in Hudson's class. It was held at a fun playroom where kids can run around and do all sorts of things including dressing up.

Hudson was channeling his inner Batman.

Not too long after this photo, he smacked his head pretty hard on the ground. He screamed. I kissed him. We left. Football made it all better.

Questions and Answers

2012-01-22T22:32:00.000-08:00

I like these, so here goes:

Mac or PC? PC

Do you paint your own nails? No. I get acrylics put on every 2-3 weeks. I love having nails that don't bend and break.

Beach or mountains? Beach

What’s the title of the book you’re currently reading? Farewell to Manzanar. It's a book for Academic Decathlon about a Japanese internment camp during WWII.

Do you dance? Sometimes...when no one else is around.

CNN or Fox News? I guess Fox. I usually stick to local ABC news.

Do you ride a bicycle? Yes, and I need to get training to ride 40 miles in May for the California Classic Weekend. Ride on Saturday and 1/2 marathon on Sunday.

Do you get a yearly flu shot? Every single year up until this year. The rest of the family got theirs, but I somehow failed to get it done.

Best movie you’ve seen in 2012? I haven't seen any yet this year. I loved The Help from last year, though.

Do you prefer to workout at home or at the gym? I don't belong to a gym. I want to so I can take classes. I really want to try a spin class.

Last airport you were in? I think it was Burbank when we came home from visiting friends on the East Coast right after Christmas 6 years ago.

Married or single? Married for almost 9 years.

iPhone or Android? Just got a brand new android, and I LOVE it.

Do you prefer to be in pictures or taking pictures? I like being in them if I look okay!

Favorite brand of sneakers? Asics

Do you like snow? I like to ski, and it's hard to do that without snow. Do I want to sit in it and be cold? No.

Do you have/want to have kids? Two boys ages 7 and 4.

Summer or Winter? Winter all the way. Hate hot summer sun. Hate hot weather. Hate being hot. You get the idea?!

Do you know how to swim? Yes. Used to be a lifeguard once upon a time.

Do you prefer to shop in store or online? In store, but I don't really like to shop.

*****************
What were we up to last week? More soccer. All the time soccer. I'm just trying to eat healthy, keep up with school work and grading, keep the house livable, run, and watch tv. Gotta watch tv!

What We Are Up To

2012-01-16T20:31:00.001-08:00

It's been a busy two weeks since school started back. Here is what we have been up to.

Soccer - and lots of it. Both of the outdoor teams (OLPH and Argentina) have moved to indoor. That means lots of practice and lots of games. Luckily, OLPH is not having practice because the coach (who also happens to own the indoor arena) knows that the two main players (Evan and Isaiah) are already practicing for Argentina. I'm not sure if that made any sense, but what it means in practical terms for us is only two practices a week for Argentina. There will be 18 games total from now until early March. One cool thing is that the OLPH coach told me that Hudson could play on the team! I even got him an OLPH uniform. Sorry, no pics. Bad mom. He did GREAT during his first game, and he is right there in the fray of things. Evan was excited to have his brother on his team as well. Evan is pretty proud of his little brother for having skills. I think Evan sees Hudson's abilities as a reflection of him because as he claims, "I taught Hudson everything he knows!" Hudson also takes a soccer class every Tuesday. Practice Monday and Wednesday, soccer class on Tuesday, games on Friday or Saturdays. Yep, that keeps us hopping.

Birthday Party - Where was it held? Where else...but at Indoor Soccer!

Running - I officially started training for my third half marathon on April 1. It's in Ventura, and I enlisted my cousin Michelle to run it with me. I am excited. I am feeling decently strong running-wise. Lately, Eric and the boys ride their bikes with me while I run. I like having them out there with me.

Math - I picked up teaching both math classes at school. I like teaching math. I'm still getting used to the extra time in the classroom. Running helps the stress levels I feel regarding this issue.

Meetings - Eric and I still go to Weight Watchers meetings every week. He also has City Council meetings that he has to attend every so often. I have School Board meetings once a month. I also have 50th Anniversary committee meetings twice a month. There is also going to be Academic Decathlon meetings coming up soon. Ugh. Meetings.

That's about it for now. Oh, and I got a new phone, and I love it.

Booster Seat Super Star

2012-01-08T09:43:00.000-08:00

On Friday, Evan had a neat opportunity to be a part of a news conference about booster seat safety. The law in CA changed on Jan. 1 and now requires children to be in a booster seat until they are age 8 or at least 4'9" tall.

When Evan turned 7 in October, we told him he could sit without a booster. However, after taking one look at the seat belt cutting into his neck and him not being able to see out the window, we forced him back into his booster. He just looked unsafe sitting like that. Then we found out the law was going to be changing, so it became a moot point anyhow.

The Trauma Coordinator at Children's Hospital is a dad at our school. He asked me earlier in the week if Evan would like to be part of the news conference.

Every channel was there: 24, 26, 30, 47, and The Fresno Bee. Pretty exciting stuff!

The news conference getting started.

A police officer from the Fresno Police Department demonstrated how the seat belt fit properly around Evan with him elevated in the booster seat.

After the initial news conference, each station wanted to get their "own" shots and interview clips. Evan stayed buckled up in that funny seat for about 30 minutes. He was a trooper with the sun in his eyes.

And again in the booster.

After school, we drove over to Channel 24's studio because they wanted to do yet another interview. It turned out to be quite a long day!

My little tv star had a lot of fun! His picture was also in the Fresno Bee yesterday.

On a side note, the surprising thing about this whole event is how controversial it apparently is. I was pretty surprised at how many comments there were on Facebook about people thinking this law is government interference and how stupid it is. Really?!!

That completely shocked me. A stupid idea? You pay $20 to buy your kid a booster from Target so that in the horrible event you are in a car accident, it gives your kid a 45% higher survival rate? That doesn't sound stupid to me. It sounds like common sense. I was saddened by the amount of complainers. And to the people who made idiotic comments such as this: "We rode around in the back of my dad's pickup and we are alive and well." Well, I am guessing they weren't involved in a car accident at the time. Maybe they would have a different opinion today. Such ignorant people.

In any case, if this law helps keep more kids safe in cars, it's a good idea.

P.S. We have four booster seats. Two in my car and two in Eric's car. Oh, and yes, that is my van in the news clip! Well used (dirty) booster seats and all!

Happy New Year - Happy Birthday

2012-01-01T18:37:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year! Happy Birthday to my mom!

We woke up late, cleaned the house, and waited for my family to come to our house to celebrate my mom's birthday.

Grandma got quality snuggle time with her 5th grandson.

Cousins had fun playing Wii.

Little dogs are learning to share lap space.

We keep our house pretty cold...65 degrees or cooler. When my family comes over, they freeze. Even though it was 64 degrees outside, we turned on the fireplace. Eric was in shorts and a t-shirt all day. At least the dogs liked the warmth!

Grandma opened her birthday presents. Hudson gave her a picture of himself dressed as a cowboy.

Grandma requested German Chocolate Cake. Making a wish!

It was a good day.

2011 in Review - Last Six Months

2011-12-31T18:59:00.000-08:00

JULY

I taught summer school.

Both boys wanted super short hair.

I renewed my interest in couponing.

AUGUST

School started. Hudson started preschool, Evan is in 2nd grade, and I teach junior high.

I ran my second marathon, but apparently did not take any photos. Bummer.

SEPTEMBER

My baby turned four, and we all got very sick.

OCTOBER

Evan turned seven.

A smurf and a puppy smurf. Don't ask.

NOVEMBER

I got to see Hudson at his Thanksgiving Feast.

Evan won several first trimester awards for academics and sport.

Outdoor soccer wrapped up. Now we move to indoor soccer.

Eric turned 43.

DECEMBER

I made bread.

Christmas was great.

We lost our beloved Mac T.

It's been a great year. I am excited to see what lies ahead in 2012.

2011 in Review - First Six Months

2011-12-31T10:56:00.001-08:00

2011 has been a pretty great year. There is only one year in my life that I can look back and say, "Thank goodness that year is over." That was the year my dad died and Eric got kidney cancer. So much other bad stuff happened that year as well, that I was happy to put it to rest.

For the most part, though, I can recognize that each year comes with ups and downs. This year was no exception. Good and bad. Up and down. Weak and strong. Here are some memories:

JANUARY

Hudson spent a good deal of time being treated for asthma.

The kids and I spent time participating in races.

We spent a lot of time as a family playing games and going on bike rides.

FEBRUARY

Evan and I had fun dressing up each day for Catholic Schools Week.

I turned 36, and my class threw me a surprise birthday party!

More bike riding. We spent a lot of time teaching the kids biking etiquette.

MARCH

We went to DISNEYLAND!!!

APRIL

Evan, the track star.

I actually placed in a few races this spring!

We spent a few days during Easter Vacation at Monterey. R&R...running and riding.

MAY

Eric, in red, finished his first bike event! We were so proud of him!

I completed my first half marathon. At the finish line with Sally, an awesome teacher at my school.

My mom enjoyed her retirement party.

We found a chicken living and laying eggs on our back patio.

I participated in my first bike ride. It was a memorial ride for a girl from Chowchilla who died during the California Classic when her bike crashed.

JUNE

My sister got married.

One of the best family shots we've ever taken.

Cowboy and Errands

2011-12-30T20:02:00.000-08:00

I made an appointment today for Hudson to have his picture taken in my mom's Hopalong Cassidy cowboy suit. My mom had her picture taken in the suit back in the late 40's or early 50's. Then me, then my sister, then my sister's oldest son, then her youngest son, then my oldest son, and now my youngest son.

I was terrified that I had waited too long to get this done, and the suit wouldn't fit. My mom might have disowned me if that had happened.

I even ironed the little suit! Gotta admit, clothes made back then are of high quality. The little suit still looks great.

The suit.

Hudson was excited about having his picture taken last night. Then he saw the suit and refused to wear it.

I had a little talk with him about how there was no room for negotiation in this matter. He totally understood and put on the suit. Hmmph. Yeah right! We had to bribe him with a smoothie. Don't judge.

Hudson did a great job having his photo taken. They came out great. And yes, we got him a smoothie.

We ran a few errands including buying replacement boards at Lowe's for our fence that runs along the canal. People are always kicking out the boards and crawling through our fence to get to the street. Super rude. I can't even tell you how many boards Eric has replaced.

Hudson liked riding on the blue cart with the boards.

We also bought new rugs for both bathrooms. That was a much needed purchase. Eric made a solo trip to Costco, because I couldn't bear to go there. I took the kids to get allergy shots. Then I dropped them off at home and headed to Vons. I think I bought out the store. We were slightly low on groceries.

This ought to get us through a week. I hope.

This little face was rather attached to me today. Lots of hugs from him at random times.

I also watched a movie on Netflix. No Strings Attached with Natalie Portman and Ashton Kutcher. I liked it. Fluffy chick flick.

Just a random kind of day.

Christmas Through the Years

2011-12-29T07:45:00.000-08:00

I was reminiscing last night about where we are as a family and how fast my boys have grown up. That led to looking at old photos. They make me laugh.

2011 ages 7 and 4

2010 ages 6 and 3

2009 ages 5 and 2

2008 ages 4 and 1

I can't upload 2007. I'll work on it and add it in later if possible.

Brothers

2011-12-28T20:35:00.000-08:00

If I had gotten my rear in gear and taken the time to create a Christmas card, here are some photos that would have been good to use. Granted...they were taken on Christmas Eve. They would have been a bit late for a Christmas card, but they are cute just the same.

Sometimes they actually like each other.

Sometimes they even love each other.

Close up hug.

Sometimes they are buddies...

..and best pals.

Ho Hum

2011-12-27T19:42:00.000-08:00

Nothing overly exciting to report today.

We are sad about Mac T. It's going to be hard to get used to not seeing his fluffy brown body roaming through the house. His name was the first one Evan called for when we got home this afternoon. It's habit.

I had to go to work for a bit this morning. I had the boys pack a bag with any and every toy they wanted to play with at school. Basketballs and remote control cars are fun on an empty blacktop.

I got my work done, we ate and played at McDonald's, and then came home.

I got dressed for running, and the boys grabbed their bikes. I ran. They rode. We went to a neighborhood over, and I let them play on a playground park. It's always fun to play on new playground sets. We need to scout various neighborhoods looking for more of them!

Hudson did okay riding while I ran. Evan was great. He's an old pro at slowing at small intersections, yelling "clear," and pedaling across. I know that Hudson is safe if he stays close behind his brother.

I took a break on a bench while the kids played. It's kind of nice to break a run into two parts! I think I ran faster on the trip home.

Evan packed a backpack with a soccer ball and a nerf football. Then his brother refused to play with him. Hudson was only interested in the playground equipment. Evan practiced some soccer footwork.

I tried to get a picture of Hudson. Then my phone died. It's not holding a charge like it used to. Not sure what to do about that. That meant I had no lifeline and no music on the way home. I did fine with no music, and we didn't have any incidents requiring me to dial 911. Phew.

We ran/rode home, ate dinner, and now the kids are in bed before 8 p.m. That's the first time that has happened in several days. They NEED a decent night's sleep. Evan's been okay, but Hudson has been a pain. He's been argumentative, nasty and sullen. Fun times. Hopefully sleep will help this problem.

See? Just a ho hum kind of day.

Mac T - You Will Be Missed

2011-12-27T09:09:00.000-08:00

Last night our beloved dog, Mac T, passed away. He was born on April 12, 1999 and passed away on Dec. 26, 2011.

He was Eric's first baby and has been with him longer than any of us. Bandit joined them shortly thereafter.

Mac T got his name because he literally rolled over anything in his way, like a Mack Truck. Hence...Mac T.

I called him Mackie Boo.

Mac was the dog that protected all of us. He spent his days patrolling his backyard, making sure anyone walking along the canal outside his fence knew not to mess with him! He would also check on the boys each night after they were safely asleep.

Mac has never been the snuggliest of dogs, but when Eric (or any of us) was sick, Mac was always right by his side. He was a big old fluff ball of love.

We are going to miss Mac so much.

I think it is a blessing that Harry (our new dachshund) is now in our lives. It gives Bandit someone to be with during the day when we are gone. I can only imagine how upset and confused Bandit would have been to lose his brother and be alone.

Mackie was such a brave little dog at the end. I know he is no longer hurting.

Merry Christmas - One Day After

2011-12-26T20:20:00.000-08:00

We had a great Christmas.

Take a look:

Santa came down the chimney at about 11:30. He leaves three presents...just like the three presents that Baby Jesus received. Except our kids usually don't get gold, frankincense or myrrh. Oh, and Santa doesn't wrap. He's got better things to do than deal with wrapping paper and tape.

This year Santa was practical. Hudson got a basketball, a blanket and a Cars race track/car holder thing.

Evan got a basketball, an Angry Birds pillow, and a DS game.

We bought them a variety of things from clothes to pj's to books to a few toys.

They seemed to enjoy Christmas morning:

What a mess.

Christmas Eve with my family. Christmas Day with Eric's family. Good times everywhere.

We relaxed this morning and then went to a late afternoon soccer practice for Evan. I ran laps around the soccer field. Hudson complained that no one would play with him. Eric played on Evan's DS.

We had yummy Five Guys hamburgers for dinner. Note to self: never settle again for anything less than a Five Guys or Habit hamburger. And don't forget to order Cajun Style fries. Tonight's dinner was awesome on a stick.

And finally, I can't claim to have had the utmost Christmas spirit this year, but I WON'T be taking my decorations down for at least a week. Not to get all religious, but Christmas just started! Gotta hang onto the feeling for a while longer.

The Bread

2011-12-23T18:03:00.000-08:00

I made my Christmas bread today. I didn't want to. I didn't want to AT ALL. It takes forever. It makes me grouchy. But I made it.

Here's a step by step (sort of) guide on how all this magic happens.

Let the yeast bubble and rise.

Mix sugar and eggs.

Add two cups of hot milk.

Add four cups of flour.

Add yeast.

Add melted shortening.

The spice that gives the bread it's amazing flavor. This spice is not cheap. Luckily you only use two teaspoons. One bottle lasts me a few years.

Dump in the spice. When I first started making this bread, I used to shell the actual seeds and grind the cardomom up into a powder. Um, yeah. That's not going to happen anymore. Besides, I haven't seen the actual seeds at the store in years.

My favorite part of the whole process: make pretty swirls.

Dump in four more cups of flour.

Ditch the spoon, and use your hand to mix the ingredients.

Keep mixing and kneading the dough until it doesn't stick to your hand anymore.

Put the dough in a warm oven to rise.

For 90 minutes.

Go get allergy shots. Clean the kitchen. Make some phone calls. Surf the web.

The phone died, so I failed to get a photo of Hudson "punching" the dough down after rising for 90 minutes. You put the dough back in the oven for 45 more minutes of rising. It will look like this.

Enlist two small people to punch the dough down yet again.

At this point, you need to relinquish the next hour or so of your life so you can roll the dough into strips. This part sucks.

Stupid strips.

I made 24 strips.

Stupid braids.

I have to admit, the braids are pretty.

Braids have to rise in a warm oven for 30 minutes. In the meantime, pretend to be a good mom by letting a small child make green cookies.

Green balls.

Paint on an egg wash.

Sprinkle on cinnamon and sugar.

Bake.

Eat.

Tell as many people as you can how you slaved away in the kitchen. Wait a year before doing it all over again.

Kill the Moment

2011-12-20T20:30:00.000-08:00

I may or may not have mentioned before that Hudson calls Evan "Brother." He rarely, if ever, uses Evan's name. When he says 'Brother,' it comes out sounding like one quickly run-together syllable: Bru-er.

Anyhow...last night we were driving home from a gift card dinner at Applebee's (thank you Secret Prayer Pal!) when Hudson called out, "Brother, press play." God forbid we should spend any time in the car without a movie playing. That would be torture for the small people. Again, I digress.

I made the comment to Eric about how I hope Hudson never stops calling Evan by Brother. It's just cute. It's sweet.

Evan piped up from the backseat, "I like being called Brother."

Eric and I exchanged that "awwwww" look. What a sweet older brother. What a great kid. He loves his little brother. He likes the special name that his little brother uses for him. What a great family moment.

Eric said, "Is it because it makes you feel special? It's a special name just for you?"

Evan said, "No, I just like it."

Annnnnnd, the sweet moment was shot down.

Why did we even go shopping?

2011-12-18T17:58:00.002-08:00

Eric and I went out into the Christmas crowds yesterday to get 99% of our Christmas shopping done. I am sick, but I drugged up and headed out. It needed to get done. All that is left is for the boys to get something for their dad and stocking stuffers. Those gifts will be bought on Monday and Tuesday. Eric took the boys this morning to buy stuff for me.

Each year I think, "This is the year we'll scale back. Three presents from us. Three presents from Santa. We'll save money. We'll focus on being spiritual. We'll save money. We'll have less to wrap. We'll save money."

And then I get in the stores. And I want to buy EVERYTHING for my adorable children who deserve none of it. I block aisles as I force Eric to count up the gifts with me, making sure each kid as an equal number. I designate Santa vs. Us gifts. I second guess. I put stuff back on the shelf. I put it back in the cart. Many times.

We came home with a trunk full of Christmas goodness. We are blessed to be able to spend money on our kids. I am excited for them to open stuff on Christmas morning. I really think we picked out things they'll like and actually play with for more then four minutes.

And now I sit here watching my children playing together on the family room floor. They are sitting approximately six feet apart. Each child has one of my Uggs boots in front of him. And they are taking turns throwing a small ball at each other trying to land it in the opposite boot. When the ball goes in the boot, much cheering and fist pumping ensues. When they miss, there are groans and "Aw dang it's."

This game has been going on for over 20 minutes. So I ask myself, why did we spend any money on Christmas presents? Why did I go out with sickness to dirty nasty crowded awful stores? Why did I obsess about choices?

My children are obviously content with their mother's boots and a 25 cent ball.

I'm taking it all back! Yeah, right.

Where do you keep your Legos?

2011-12-18T12:31:00.002-08:00

Moments ago, Hudson had his hand down his pants digging around for something.

Eric told him to get his hands out of his pants.

Hudson proceeded to pull his pants down. I asked him what the heck he was doing.

"There's something in here," he said.

"Yeah, your wiener," I rudely suggested. Keeping it real, people.

"Nooooooo," Hudson said.

"Your butt," I said.

"No," Hudson explained, "I think it's a Lego."

Of course. Because we all have Legos in our pants.

I'm telling you, I'm never bored. Scarred for life, sure, but never bored.

Will this week end?

2011-12-01T22:10:00.000-08:00

Not yet, anyhow.

In very cool news, I won a prize! Check THIS out!

Evan had a small meltdown after school because he had a lot of homework. The conversation went something like this:

Me: What's wrong? I can't understand you when you are crying.

Evan: Miihimekln nioeiningieo nioeihighihei.

Me: Um, okay. (Hug hug pat pat)

Me: Slow down. What happened? (I thought he was injured or someone stole his pencil. Who knows?)

Evan: We have to do four pages of cursive!!!!!!! (said in a major melodramatic way)

Me: Okay.

Evan: I can't do it.

Me: Okay, don't do it.

Evan: But I have to do it.

Me: So do it.

Evan: But I can't do it.

Me: We're going in circles, Evan. What do you want to do?

Evan: There's too much. I can't do it.

Me: So don't.

Evan: But I have to.

And you get the gist of the rest of the conversation. I finally got him to go do one more page while I finished up business in the office. By the time I picked him up to go, he'd finished a few more pages. Such drama in the life of a 7-year-old. He did spend quite a bit of time on homework tonight.

After leaving school we had to go to the allergist so Hudson could get his first set of shots monitored by the doctor. I forgot to post about this last week.

Hudson was scratch tested for allergies over the vacation last week.

He did a great job being still on the table while they injected him with bunches of stuff. Those are indeed the medical terms used for this procedure!

Yep, he's allergic. Poor little guy with a red back!

Then they had to do a more in depth test on his arm. It hurt him a bit, but Hudson was a little trooper.

Normally, they don't do these tests until age 5. However, with our family history of horrendous allergies, we knew it was inevitable. The doctor agreed that Hudson could handle this just fine.

Tonight he got his first set of shots. He did great. He said it didn't even hurt. Welcome to the "shot" club, Hudson!

More Soccer

2011-11-29T21:37:00.000-08:00

Hudson started in his very own soccer class today! This is in no way shape or form connected to Evan. In fact, Evan looked a little lost having to sit on the sidelines!

I failed to get a picture. Just imagine the cutest kid ever with the biggest eyes ever out on the field and holding his own with kids several years older than him. I'll try to get a photo of him next week.

At first Hudson was very excited. Then we got to the indoor soccer field, and he freaked out a little when he realized that Evan wouldn't be out there with him. I took his hand and led him to the field. Once he got out there, he was fine.

Our schedule this week is completely nuts.
Monday -Me staff meeting, Evan soccer
Tuesday - Me Christmas play practice, Hudson soccer
Wednesday - Me tutoring, Us WW weigh in, Evan soccer, Me 50th anniversary committee
Thursday - Me Christmas play practice, Us allergy shots, Us 2nd grade meeting for First Reconciliation
Friday - Us birthday party
Saturday - Soccer tournament, Christmas tree sale/boutique, electric parade
Sunday - Soccer tournament

I need Christmas to come just so we can slow down for a few weeks. Sheesh!

I did spend a few minutes last night cleaning off the notoriously messy counter.

Before

After. It's not perfect, but it's better.

Money and Santa

2011-11-28T20:55:00.001-08:00

Eric and I have been working on our family budget for a few months now. We don't share money details with the kids, but we also don't talk about it in secrecy.

Evan knows about money. He is getting better and better at understanding the true value of a dollar. He also knows that we can't buy everything we want any time we want. We work and save for the things we want.

Yesterday we were at the mall, and the line for Santa was empty. I am all about getting the Santa visit over with, so we walked over to talk with the jolly guy.

Hudson, surprisingly, had no interest whatsoever in speaking to Santa. He wasn't scared. He wasn't crying. Even with his brother sitting on Santa's lap, that didn't convince him to walk over to say hi. When I asked him why he didn't want to see Santa, he said, "That wasn't the real Santa."

Oh. Okay. I guess Hudson is holding out for the real deal!

Evan did see Santa. I asked him what he asked for. Books and DS video games.

Later on Evan asked me which cost more money, the books or the video games. I told him that video games are more expensive.

He said, "Okay, then I'll have Santa bring me the video games, and you and Dad can bring me the books because they don't cost as much!"

Awwww! A part of me thinks this is very sweet. He wants to save us money. A part of me wonders if he hears too much money talk.

In any case, I sure hope Santa got the message that Evan wants video games!

What I (You) Missed

2011-11-27T22:09:00.000-08:00

I'm not the most consistent blogger. I tend to be better about it when I'm on vacation. Coincidence? I think not.

Anyhow, I think there are a few events that happened over the past few months that I failed to document. I'll fill things in now.

Last spring, Evan caught a butterfly. Or maybe it was a moth.

Apparently, I thought I was a butterfly.

Evan helped put out flags at a local cemetery for Memorial Day.

Evan lost his first tooth, finally!

I ran a race on the Fourth of July. It was so hot and humid that I thought I was going to die!

That's enough for now. The next time I have nothing to say, I'll report on the past.

The Marker Won

2011-11-26T20:43:00.001-08:00

We should have known Hudson was up to no good when it was eerily quiet in the house.

He drew with blue marker on his face, his hands, the bathroom wall, the door jamb, the kleenex holder, and the hall wall.

He got put in a timeout on his bed. I tried to talk to him, but he was refusing to speak. I told him to come find me when he was ready to talk.

Five minutes later he was asleep.

Hudson, Hudson, Hudson.

Later on, he helped to decorate the Christmas tree.

He finally understands that Santa will only bring presents to good boys. I'm hoping that threat will help him make some better choices for the next month!

Turkey Day #1 and 2

2011-11-25T21:34:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was Turkey Day #1.

Brother in law cooked.

My mom is ready for dinner.

My plate.

The food was good, but I gotta be honest. Thanksgiving "dinner" is not my favorite meal. I can take it or leave it. I don't get all excited about turkey and cranberries, and I don't like stuffing.

Eric's prime rib and garlic mashed potatoes the night before? Oh yeah. That's what I'm all about.

My sister and my brother in law.

The cousins singing songs.

It was a low key day. We ate, and I slept. I was really tired.

Today was Turkey Day #2. We went to Bakersfield to see my husband's side of the family. Good day. Lots of food.

Now we are home and dressing up the dog.

Harry is cold all the time. Maybe the manly pink shirt will help.

We are going to attempt to eat healthy and put up Christmas tomorrow. We'll see.

Cinna-Bust

2011-11-24T11:57:00.000-08:00

So.....the cinnamon rolls I started yesterday for Eric's birthday didn't exactly turn out. At all.

First problem: I started them too late in the day.
Second problem: The oven was being used most of the day for better foods like prime rib and roasting garlic.
Third problem: I'm not a good baker.
Fourth problem: The dough wouldn't rise because it was cold in the house, and I didn't have access to the oven (see above).

Once Eric was done cooking his own birthday dinner (trust me, he doesn't want me anywhere near prime rib and homemade mashed potatoes), I put the dough in a glass bowl with a towel on top, hoping the dwindling heat of the oven would activate the yeast.

Then I left the bowl there. Overnight. And forgot about it.

Fast forward to this morning. Eric turned the oven on to preheat it for pies. I still didn't remember that there was a glass bowl and a TOWEL in there. Luckily, Eric discovered it a few minutes into the preheat process.

What do you do with half risen/half cooked dough?

Well, I'm glad you asked!

You combine it with this:

A half eaten container of vanilla frosting.

The two together were quite delicious. And this way I don't feel so guilty about just licking frosting off a spoon. The frosting now has a purpose.

Then things got crazy when I sprinkled on a dash of cinnamon. You'd never know these weren't proper looking cinnamon rolls!

And this is how I hope to spend the majority of my day. Hey, I ran a 5k Turkey Trot this morning. It's all good.

Happy Birthday!

2011-11-23T18:21:00.001-08:00

Happy Birthday to Eric. Happy Birthday to Eric. Happy Birthday to my husband. Happy Birthday to Eric.

If I had to sum up Eric in one word it would be "family." Following are a few photos showing how the majority of his days are spent with, for, and helping his family.

Amazing dad with a Magic Armpit. As in, any of us, including the dogs, can curl up into Dad's armpit and we are instantly asleep. Hence, the Magic Armpit.

He plays games with his kids.

He attends all family functions, including his mother-in-law's birthday lunch on New Year's Day.

He started a new sport this year - cycling.

He got honored at work.

He makes funny faces.

He comes to all of our races. He never complains about standing out in the freezing cold. He watches us run away, and he cheers as we run back.

He took us to Disneyland.

He took us to Monterey and hung out with the kids at the museum.

He took us on some pretty amazing bike rides.

He entered his first bike ride.

He tries his best to be patient with all of us!

He's there for all the milestones...like the first day of preschool.

He whisks me away for kid-free weekends and watches me run races.

He got me into cycling.

Today's birthday lunch at Japanese Kitchen.

I love this man more than words can ever express. He is everything to our family. Happy Birthday!

Why?

2011-11-22T11:45:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I walk around my house asking why? Why are various items in various spots? Why, why, why? Sometimes I can answer my own question. Sometimes I can't.

Here's a stream of "why's" from just today.

There is a toy gun in the bathroom sink. Why? I can't answer this one.

The gun in the sink is the sight that started my pondering for today. Obviously, the gun has something to do with my children. I'm guessing this was Hudson's work. Was he scared while pooping? Were there dangers in the bathroom requiring a weapon? Your guess is as good as mine.

I can add another why to the above photo. Why are there four toothbrushes for just two kids? Shrug.

Then I started looking around for other oddities and why's. They weren't hard to find.

At least this one I can answer. Hudson made this Valentine decoration last year when he went to a daycare for two days while our regular daycare provider was on vacation. I hung it over the fireplace and never took it down. I think it needs to go into Hudson's memory box. It's time.

Train tracks going from the family room and wrapping around the kitchen island. Why? It's vacation, and the boys are having fun and mostly getting along.

Another one I just can't answer. I don't know why this kid likes wearing things over his head. I just have no answer.

There are undoubtedly more why's than just these, but I'll stop here. We don't need people knowing just how strange we truly are!

End of Soccer...sort of

2011-11-20T17:55:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the last game for OLPH soccer. Evan's school team was 11-0. They did a great job playing, and it was a great season.

We take a small break over the holidays and will start indoor soccer in January. However, Evan still continues with his "travel" team, Argentina. We haven't traveled anywhere as of yet. In fact, every game has taken place at Clovis East High School, which just so happens to be less than two blocks away from our house. I can handle being on a travel team like this!

The three returning players from last year. In my humble mom opinion, they were the superstars of the team. Isaiah, Louis, and Evan.

The whole team with their end of season trophies. The team is made of 1st and 2nd graders. It was neat to see the little guys improve tremendously over the season.

The team party was held at the indoor soccer arena located across from Fresno State. One of the dad's on our team just happens to own the arena! Very cool! The kids got to play soccer just for the fun of it. All the parents got involved, and it soon became a fun game of adults vs. kids. I think the kids won!

Eric had fun out there! I didn't. I was sick. I woke up the night before with a fever and chills. Not nice at all.

The team enjoyed cake and pizza after playing hard for an hour. Both Evan and Hudson were soooooo dirty from playing hard. Can't beat that!

After the party, we jetted off to basketball practice. We ended up staying longer to watch the San Joaquin Memorial basketball players play in a scrimmage. Those high school kids move fast! I could never handle that.

I guess now that one team is done for the season, our weeknights might get a little less busy. I don't know. We'll see. There always seems to be something that pops up. The three weeks in between Thanksgiving and Christmas tend to be insanely busy.

Way To Go, Evan!

2011-11-18T19:04:00.000-08:00

Today was awards day at school. I knew what Evan would be getting, but I didn't tell him.

The best surprise was Eric was there!

I'll be honest. I didn't have the best day. I just got a bit overwhelmed, and a last minute issue sent me into tears. Ugh. Thank goodness for a week off for Thanksgiving Vacation.

It was great walking over to church with the kids for the awards and seeing Eric walk up in front of us!

Evan didn't know his Dad made it until he got an award, and I pointed out where he was sitting.

Evan received Gold Honor Roll, 3rd place point earner in Accelerated Reader for 2nd grade, and an award and medal for Cross Country.

I got teary all over again as I sat there watching the awards in the church. I feel so blessed to work at this amazing school. I am blessed that my kids are receiving a Catholic Education. At the end of the awards, our priest got up and gave a really nice closing prayer. How many schools have awards and end them with a prayer from the priest? Not many. It just makes me so happy to be raising my kids in this environment.

After the awards, I gathered all my stuff so we could leave.

Hudson was excited that Dad was there to pick him up from school. Everybody loves surprises from Dad!

One Little Indian

2011-11-16T20:40:00.000-08:00

Hudson had his Pre-K Thanksgiving Feast yesterday. I was very happy to be able to pop over to his classroom to enjoy songs and good food.

Hudson was line leader for today. He chose to wear his Indian head piece for the feast.

Singing about Tiny Tim the Turtle in the bathtub.

Hudson colored his turkey very nicely.

Hudson refused the cheese, meat, egg rolls and mac and cheese and opted for spaghetti, muffins (our contribution), and a cupcake. I enjoyed the first items mentioned. Good stuff.

I also took some video, but I'm having trouble uploading it to the blog. I'll work on it in a separate post.

I am very thankful for my Hudson.

Culture? What's that?

2011-11-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

My kids go to the same school where I work. I love it. I know what's going on, I don't miss out on all the little events, and I get to see them as much (or as little!) as I want.

One of my favorite things is unexpectedly running into Evan in the hall. I get a big hug, and it just makes my day.

I am very excited to be able to be with Hudson for the Pre-K Thanksgiving Cultural Feast today. It just so happens that Fr. Robert is going to be teaching my class at the very time I need to go to the party. Perfect!

Yesterday, I asked Hudson's teacher what to expect. She asked if I read the note that got sent home. Um, no. She said to bring Hudson's favorite cultural food.

Sure. Noodles or candy. Hard to choose.

I figured I'd make cupcakes or something fabulous.

Something fabulous turned into cutting Costco muffins into fourths this morning. Who doesn't love a culturally acceptable chocolate or blueberry muffin from Costco? It's a family staple...sort of...when we think about. Okay, it's not.

Here they are all wrapped up pretty. Plus, I saved one for myself for morning snack!

Blueberry and chocolate muffins...an ethnic favorite!

Crazy Kid

2011-11-15T20:22:00.001-08:00

Hudson is strange. And funny. But sometimes just strange.

He constantly wears his blanket over his head like this. I don't know why. He looks like a tiny, old grandma hobbling around with his head covered.

Hudson also does weird stuff like this:

He saw a spider on the floor, so he hovered over the toilet while screaming for me. It was too good not to take a picture!

Then he informed me that he has "circle babies" living in his weenie. Um, what? I asked for clarification. He was referring to his testicles. He called them "circles." I asked him if the babies were like when he when grew in my belly. He said yes.

Hmmmm.

I just told him he was misinformed.

See? A bit strange.

A Good Book

2011-11-14T19:40:00.000-08:00

I have been waiting for this...

I have always hoped that my kids will love to read books the way I do. Evan picked up on reading very quickly in kindergarten, but he was too busy playing outside and doing sports to really get "into" a book.

However, now that he is a little older, the world of chapter books has suddenly opened to him, and he can't get enough. Right now he is enamored with Magic Tree House books. I also had him check out an Encyclopedia Brown book. He seems to be enjoying it.

After coming home from the library yesterday, he was determined to 'read a whole chapter book in one day!' And he did it. He took the AR test today at school and got nine out of ten correct. Pretty good!

Evan has requested books for Christmas. Santa got busy today and ordered a bunch from Scholastic. I knew hanging onto bonus points from when I taught 3rd grade would come in handy someday!

Not Much Going On...

2011-11-13T14:15:00.000-08:00

...except regular everyday stuff such as laundry, cooking, cleaning, lesson planning, exercising, taking a trip to the library, watching tv, blogging, reading books, and playing. See? Nothing much going on here!

I guess I got a bug up my butt this morning because I went at the kitchen with Magic Erasers, vinegar spray, and finally Pine Sol. One corner of the kitchen is VERY clean. I could just stand there all day and admire the lack of grease.

So pretty. Smells very piney. Too much in fact. The scent is messing with allergies and giving me a headache.

The other side of the kitchen still needs major attention.

Ugh. This counter is our "fire spot." It's like a fire that grows out of control. It is so hard to keep this counter clean. It's the catch all for everything that has no home. I'll have to post another picture if I get it cleaned up today.

Evan has been requesting a trip to the library since Friday. He is very into Magic Tree House books right now. He thinks it's funny that most of the books on his bookshelves at school have my name on the inside front cover. I bought lots of books for my class when I taught 3rd grade.

The library was closed on Friday for Veteran's Day. We ran out of time to go yesterday. Today we made it there.

Evan found two MTH books. I found a Meg Cabot book. Hudson didn't want any books. He wanted to play with toys. I picked a book for him, and we just got done reading it. It was a cute story.

Hudson seemed to like it. Even Evan poked his head around the corner to listen to the story.

Garlic is roasting in the oven. Prime rib for dinner. Eric is folding laundry. Kids are playing soccer out back. I'm going to do lesson plans.

Maybe if I get stuff done early, I won't have that dreaded feeling of heading back to work only half ready. Being prepared is half the battle, I guess!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T21:48:00.001-07:00

Puppy Smurf and Regular Smurf.

Halloween is not my favorite holiday. I don't mind the holiday so much as all the prep work leading up to it. That's why Hudson is "Puppy Smurf." In my defense, however, Hudson wasn't easy to work with.

He refused all of our cute costumes that we pulled out of the closet. He wanted to be a puppy. This is the same costume his whole class used last Friday at the end of Red Ribbon Week. However, he also wanted a blue face to match his brother. Puppy Smurf was born.

Evan won 2nd place in his class and gets to enjoy a pizza party at school.

I was a bee part of the day. The wings started to hurt my arm pits.

Eric got sick and spent most of the day in bed with a fever. He missed trick or treating, and I know he hates that. The kids and I hit the neighborhood and brought in a huge haul.

Maybe I should start planning costumes for next year right now.

Little Bit of Random

2011-10-12T20:24:00.000-07:00

Here's our life for the past two days.

I teach the cooking class elective every Tuesday and Thursday. A few years ago, this fact would have been hilarious. However, now that I am a decent and sometimes even good cook, I feel marginally qualified to teach junior high kids basic kitchen skills!

Yesterday we made octopus hot dogs. Tomorrow we'll be making English Muffin pizzas. As long as the kids bring their ingredients each day, cooking is usually a success. I can't wait until the end of the trimester when I take the kids to Japanese Kitchen to let them cook lunch for us. Best part of teaching cooking class.

Who knew hot dogs will curl when boiled if they are cut into strips? I did!

Pretty full moon at the end of soccer practice yesterday.

I got all this for 40 cents!

-10 lb. bag of rice
-Softsoap - used a 35 cent off coupon
-cucumber
-Campbell's soup
-Airheads

The main reason I got my total down so low was because I had a $10 off coupon that I received in last week's shopping trip. I needed rice and a cucumber, so I made sure to buy a few more items to get my total to just over $10.

I paid with two quarters! I soooooo love my coupons!

Blast to the Past

2011-10-10T18:40:00.001-07:00

The boys and I went to visit my mom today. I was having fun going through my mom's closet and found these beauties:

I love them! Actually, I got two pairs of gold shoes! And a gorgeous gold clutch purse. I can't wait to have an occasion to use the purse.

Mom has two more clutch purses that she wouldn't give to me today. One is silver, and one is white. So pretty.

I wonder what other treasures Mom is hiding!

CVS 10/9

2011-10-09T20:23:00.000-07:00

Today's CVS trip was just okay. I was seriously unimpressed with the CVS sale ad, and I was also disappointed in the coupon selections in the paper. Oh well.

That being said, I wanted to use a $5 off of $25 coupon for CVS. I figured I'd somehow be able to buy enough merchandise to add up to $25!

Here's the haul:

I bought:
-3 greeting cards
-2 Sensodyne toothpastes - used two $1 coupons
-2 Purex laundry soap - BOGO free
-2 Right Guard body wash - used $1 coupon

Shelf price would have cost $40.51. Besides the manufacturer coupons, I also used the $5 off $25 coupon and $8 in Extra Care Bucks.

Subtotal was $11. That gave me a 73% savings. I also earned $10 in Extra Care Bucks for next week, and the sales look much better.

Like I said, not my best work. However, I'll take a 73% savings over no savings any day!

And here's a little tidbit I just looked up...CVS is a drug store and the acronym, at one point stood for "Consumer Value Store". Now the acronym is said to stand for "Convenience, Value and Service" according to the CVS corporation.

Oh Hudson

2011-10-09T20:16:00.000-07:00

Eric went to work today preparing for a new phone system install next week at work. It was the boys and me for the day.

After 9 a.m, I banned the kids from the family room and told them they either had to play outside or in their bedroom.

Hudson was pretty wiped out from playing all day.

Monkey could barely hold his head off the table.

The kid spends most of his time with his blanket on his head. I don't know why.

That's it for today.

Hitch a Ride

2011-10-08T13:31:00.000-07:00

Busy day already, and we still have two more events to go.

We were up early to run to Target to buy soccer snacks. No...I didn't take care of this ahead of time. Yes...I should have.

Apparently, Hudson was wiped out from the seven minutes we spent in Target. He decided to hitch a ride under the cart. Super parenting at work here.

Then it was off to a soccer game. We won. Evan scored three goals. Then we headed to soccer pictures.

We still have a second soccer game and a special Mass to go.

I also got a phone call from my brother-in-law saying that my sister might be in labor. Not good. She's only 30 weeks pregnant. I'm saying prayers that it is just dehydration from migraines and throwing up.

Fresno Fair Kids' Day

2011-10-07T18:54:00.001-07:00

Today was our annual school trip to the Fresno Fair. We had gorgeous weather and no worries!

I was originally supposed to drive four 7th grade girls along with Evan. At the last minute, another mom offered to drive the girls, and Evan and I were able to tag along with Stacey and five 7th grade boys. Stacey is our school secretary, but she's also my super great friend. Evan had fun sitting in the middle of the big boys in the back of the car.

Evan and the boys saying hi to Smokey the Bear.

Evan and Blake play a giant game of chess. We need a large chess set like this at school!

Making big bubbles in the Kid Zone.

Evan the Turtle.

Preschoolers didn't get to go to the fair, so we had to buy something for Hudson. I love buying the rocks in a bag. For $1 you get all sorts of pretty stones.

I let Evan get a mold of his hand. He wasn't crying in this picture, I swear. He was shielding his eyes from the sun. Sadly, Hudson got hold of the hand and pieces of the bottom have crumbled off. Ugh. We can't let Hudson touch anything.

I spent too much money, ate yummy fair food, and had a good day. I love getting the super creamy gyros each year. Once I get that, I'm good. I also bought the super sticky and sweet cinnamon rolls that we'll enjoy for breakfast tomorrow. So good. The food is half (or all) the fun at the fair.

Live With You

2011-10-06T20:01:00.000-07:00

Hudson just informed me that he is not going to get married because he has to stay and live with me!

Then he said, "After I go to college, I still have to live here to protect you!"

Awwwwww! It's moments like these that make me fall in love with this kid over and over! I sure do love my LoveBug.

Last Day of Six

2011-10-02T21:22:00.001-07:00

Today is the day before Evan's seventh birthday. It's his last day of being six. I say the same thing every year, but every year I mean it.

I can't believe that my baby is about to be 7. I can't believe I've been a mom for seven years. I can't believe how fast time has flown by.

I know there are days when I CANNOT wait for the boys to be older and more independent. However, I realize that this precious time is slipping through my fingers. My babies are growing up so quickly.

We had a fairly easy and relaxing day.

I promised Evan I would do some science with him. He got a few science kits for Christmas and wanted to work on one. He made water turn fizzy, and he made a crystal ball in a test tube.

Future scientist. That is what he tells us he wants to be when he grows up.

After the kids went to bed, I had to drive over to my friend's house to retrieve Evan's birthday present.

Eric was in the middle of switching the seat when I took this picture.

And while Eric was getting the bike ready, I was doing this...

...frosting birthday cupcakes to take to school.

And not to leave Hudson out, I caught him singing his ABC's.

We also had a super busy Saturday with two soccer games and a soccer match. Evan scored goals in both games and he came in fourth at cross country.

Good days.

Birthday Boy

2011-09-26T19:31:00.000-07:00

Today: I am still rash free. However, I can still feel twinges of the rude migraine. That kind of bites. It was a pretty ordinary Monday with packing school lunches, teaching, going over our standardized tests to get them mailed off, staff meeting, pizza dinner, packing lunches again, and snuggling on the couch. Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday get a little busy, so it was nice to enjoy a pizza groupon deal.

Birthday Boy

Hudson turned four on Sept. 13. He truly understood his birthday this year and was quite excited for his big day.

At our school, you get to wear free dress on your birthday. Hudson's teacher made him a birthday crown.

Close up of my monkey boy.

I bought birthday cookies for Hudson to share in class. I popped into his room at recess to be with him while he passed out his cookies, and the kids sang Happy Birthday to him. I LOVE it that I don't miss these moments, especially while the kids are small.

By the end of the day, I wasn't feeling very good. I just didn't have it in me to make dinner, much less a cake. We decided to go to Togo's for dinner and ice cream cake.

Of course, Hudson wanted the biggest (read: most expensive) Transformer cake in the display case. We talked him down to a little $20 number and had the girl write his name on the cake.

As luck would have it, or not have it, she dropped the cake on the floor! That, no pastrami, and Hudson's giant puppy dog eyes led to the man giving us a significant discount...and we ended up getting the Transformer cake after all!

Opening his presents. People were giving us funny looks. They were probably wondering why we chose Togo's for the four-year-old's birthday party.

We took the cake home, sang to our baby, finished opening presents, and called it good.

Just about to blow out the candles.

Then I got sick. Hudson spent late Saturday, Sunday and Monday sick. I caught it on Tuesday and stayed home from school on Wednesday. Eric got it on Thursday and Evan got it on Friday. Puke everywhere. It was fantastic. Trying to squeeze a birthday in among the sick germs was challenging.

Anyhow, it's hard to believe my baby is four. I'm not really sure when he went and got big on me. He's our sweet, caring, sharing, beat-to-his-own-drum kid. He still idolizes his brother, but he is not going to let Evan walk all over him. He's taking to school with gusto. He like to dance and sing. He never walks, he runs...or skips...or shimmies! His eyes and smile can light up a room (or get us discounts!).

Happy Birthday Chicken Little! We love you!

Rut and Shingles

2011-09-25T20:01:00.000-07:00

I am in a blogging rut. I convince myself that I have nothing interesting to report. That leads to being lazy even when I do have things to report. I need to report things frequently, whether they are interesting or not, or else life is going to zip on by.

All sorts of nifty things have happened since the FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL, but I'll have to slowly catch up. I can't back track an entire month.

Hudson had a birthday. He's now four. And very proud of it.

He got the crown at school. Poor kid had his birthday smack in the middle of all of us having the stomach flu...one after the other. But Hudson can't gripe too much because he GAVE it to us. I'll recap his birthday another day.

Let's start with this weekend.

On Friday I was dealing with a really bad headache in my left temple and eye socket. I figured I had a sinus infection. Hudson was coughing like a baby seal. At 3, I called the allergist to get us both seen. Love our allergist. They can almost always fit us in at the last minute.

Hudson is now on a preventative inhaler to get the upper hand on his winter asthma.

The doctor looked up my nose and declared my sinuses perfectly clear. Then he scared the pee out of me when he told me I was presenting with classic symptoms to develop shingles!! Good grief. Then he went and got a book and showed me horrifying pictures of people with disfiguring rashes on their faces. Oh sweet Jesus. I was terrified.

I thought shingles was always on your back. Um, apparently not. The way I was describing the type and location of pain (and the fact that I don't have migraines), the doctor said it could be shingles and the rash would show up in a few days. Then I'd be off work for two weeks, have a horribly painful rash, and need to stay away from old or pregnant people.

Needless to say, my hypochondriac self didn't take this news very well. I went home and put myself to bed and waited for the worst.

We had to wake up early Saturday morning to drive down to Moorpark for the wedding of the oldest cousin on Eric's side. Jason is 26. Hudson is the baby cousin at 4. It was a beautiful wedding. My face was still hurting pretty badly, but there was no rash. Ibuprofin wasn't helping.

Alcohol at the reception helped. Dancing helped. It took my mind off the stabbing pain in my temple.

It was pretty neat to be a part of such a happy family event.

We stayed at a hotel after the wedding. I woke up feeling better. No rash, and the pain had subsided. I am cautiously and optimistically calling this a migraine. Awful. Just awful. At least I won't be in hiding for two weeks.

I don't think I should see that particular doctor ever again!

We are home, laundry is laundering, suitcases are unpacked, and we are just relaxing and watching tv. Here's to the start of a new week.

First Day of School

2011-08-22T20:24:00.001-07:00

Today was the first day of school.

Evan is in second grade. It's his first time having a Sister for a teacher. He'll make his First Reconciliation and First Communion. He's lost a bunch of teeth. He has sports to be involved in. He'll learn cursive and multiplication. It's going to be a busy year.

Hudson is in Pre-K. He started school three weeks ago. He's doing great in school and can now spell "red." Hudson has quite the sense of humor and is shaping up to be the class clown.

I am starting my 12th year teaching. This is my 9th year at OLPH and my 3rd year in junior high. I'm looking forward to a fantastic year!

Tooth Number Three

2011-08-21T19:35:00.000-07:00

Evan lost his third tooth today. He now has a pretty large gap in his mouth making it tricky for him to eat! Plus, his last remaining front tooth is loose.

We are busy getting ready for the first day of school tomorrow morning. Dishes are done, kitchen is clean, lunches are packed, back packs are labeled and packed, laundry is done (and put away!), and now we are enjoying a few last moments of snuggling before bedtime.

CVS Run 7/31

2011-07-31T17:41:00.000-07:00

I just got back from my weekly CVS run. Even though I ended up with a lesser subtotal than last week, I didn't bring home as many ECB's as last week. I have tons of coupons, but not many that matched up with the ECB deals.

Here are the details:
-Shelf price $62.60
-Sale price $53.70
-CVS coupons/ECB's $43.99
-Manfacturer Coupons $9.74

Subtotal $-.03
Total with tax $2.71
ECB's printed $15.99

Today's shopping trip wasn't as smooth as last week. For one thing, I accidentally picked up the wrong razor for the ECB deal. When I realized it, I immediately needed to do an exchange. The razor I first picked out was 54 cents more, so I got that back in cash along with my ECB printout.

I also had to justify several of my coupons. I bought just over $15 worth of Maybelline makeup. I used a $5 off $15 CVS coupon that I printed out at the red box last week. The coupon also said Garnier, so that was what the cashier pointed out. I told her it said Maybelline OR Garnier. I pick Maybelline.

I handed her three coupons for my three boxes of Band Aids. She thought I only bought two boxes. The last thing that had me rattled was the cashier wanting to take my whole stack of coupons at once. I'm weird and I like to hand them over one by one so I can check them as they beep through. I was going to argue, but I didn't. Once she had my whole stack, she separated them all out to HER liking before scanning them. Grrrr.

Then after making the razor mistake, I was a bit frazzled.

Anyhow, I can't complain too much because I still got over $60 worth of products for no money out of pocket besides tax. Can't beat that.

5 Cents at CVS

2011-07-24T16:17:00.000-07:00

Today I had my best CVS shopping trip to date!

The stats-
Shelf price: $60.07
Sale price: $51.59
Coupons and ECB's: $51.54
Subtotal: $.05!!!!!
Price after taxes: $3.21
% Savings: 99.9%

Here's how I did it.

I bought the following items and used the following coupons.

-Edge shaving gel/used $.55 coupon
-(4) Skintimate shave gels/used (4) $1 coupons
-Playtex Tampons/used $1 coupon
-U Kotex pads/used $1 coupon
-Renu contact solution/used $2 couon
-Bengay/used $5 coupon
-Almay blush/used $3 coupon
-Pack of Papermate pens/no coupon

I had a $10/$50 CVS coupon as well as $24.99 in ECB's from last week.

I earned $25.99 in ECB's to be used next week.

Short Haircuts

2011-07-12T21:42:00.000-07:00

The boys now have VERY short hair. They wanted to be like their dad. I'm getting used to their new do's. I like rubbing their heads and calling them "Q-tip."

Hudson went with Evan and me to Summer School yesterday because his daycare provider was on vacation. He took his number writing quite seriously.

Q-Tip head.

With the boys having their hair so short and being so tan, it's harder to tell them apart. I took this picture of Evan and texted it to Eric this morning, and he thought it was Hudson!

More Savings

2011-07-12T21:05:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure what got into me, but I agreed to take Evan with me for my CVS run tonight. Then Hudson wanted to go. I said I'd only take Hudson if Eric went. So...the whole family headed off to CVS. Ugh.

My plan didn't work out the way I wanted it to because they were out of the contact solution that will give me back a certain amount of Extra Care Bucks (ECBs).

However, I still got some good deals.

I got all this plus four more Diet Cokes for $12.85. Plus I earned $12.69 in ECB's. The other four Diet Cokes didn't make it into the photo shoot. They got put away in the garage before I could get everyone lined up for the picture.

Here's what I got: 6 Diet Cokes, 2 Garnier Fructis conditioners, 1 Garnier Fructis shampoo, 1 Garnier Fructis face lotion, 2 boxes of Apple Jacks cereal, 1 Loreal face powder makeup, 1 Balance Bar, and 1 CVS brand Benadryl.

The only items not on sale were the Benadryl and the face makeup. However, I had a $2 off coupon for the makeup.

If I had bought all these items without sales or coupons, I would have paid $69.03. Sale prices brought the total down to $51.01. I had $41 in coupons and ECBs. That brought the subtotal down to $10.01. Taxes brought my total up to $12.85. I saved 85% off of retail price. If you factor in the $12.69 of ECBs that I earned, I only paid 16 cents for today's spree.

Yay me!

Oh, and I love my family, but they aren't allowed to come back with me. At least not the children.

Tooth Fairy

2011-07-10T10:09:00.000-07:00

Bad Mom: I didn't blog about Evan losing his first tooth when it happened. Now I can't even remember exactly when he lost it, and he has since lost a second tooth!

I know the first tooth came out when we were still in school. So the time frame is late May or early June.

Evan was one of the last kids in his class to lose his first tooth. Needless to say, he was extremely excited to have Dad pull that tooth out. As always, I was proud of how brave he was in letting his dad use a paper towel to pull the tooth. It was plenty loose, but still, I've seen kids refuse to let anyone touch a tooth even if when it is literally hanging by a thread.

Tooth is out! Stopping the blood with a paper towel.

Baby teeth are so little!

He is so proud of that hole in his mouth!

Evan was super excited for the Tooth Fairy to visit, but he also wanted to take his tooth to school to show his teacher. I suggested he write a note to the Tooth Fairy asking if it was possible for him to keep his tooth...just this once.

The Tooth Fairy must be very kind, because she not only gave Evan $5 and Trident bubblegum, but she let him keep his tooth. She wrote: I will leave your tooth this one time! Love, The Tooth Fairy.

I also told Evan that only first teeth are worth $5. All others are only worth $1. That first tooth is special, so it is worth more!

Evan and his haul for the first tooth.

Like I said, Evan has also lost his second tooth. He's got an even bigger gap on his bottom row of teeth. He likes to keep his teeth locked together and shove little corn kernels through the space! In fact, that's how the second tooth was ready to come out...Evan was trying to eat corn on the cob. The effort left the tooth bleeding and hanging. Once again, Dad yanked it out. True to form, the TF left a dollar and gum. (Luckily the TF had both items on hand without having to make an extra trip to the store!)

Now we are hoping that Evan will stop sucking his thumb so his teeth grow in straight.

More Coupon Savings

2011-07-04T18:51:00.001-07:00

I am really getting back into the swing of things with my coupons this summer. Here is this weekend's CVS trip.

I bought these items for $17.86. I saved 79% off my bill. The items originally totaled over $80! I also earned $12 in Extra Care Bucks. Hopefully there will be good deals next week.

I'm slowly building my stockpile up so we can shop in our own cabinets! Right now, I have enough conditioner and mouthwash to last me for months!

Extreme Couponing...sort of

2011-06-26T18:46:00.000-07:00

Today I made a grocery shopping trip to Vons. I bought $111.45 worth of groceries and only paid $31.47! That is a 72% savings!

And no, I didn't just buy frozen food junk. I bought real, normal food that will get us through the week.

Here's how I did it. Part luck, part timing, part planning.

My grocery store is having a grand reopening, so pretty much everything in the store is on sale right now. Eric went to the store yesterday to pick up just a few things for dinner and ended up winning a $25 gift card! Yay for luck!

I don't think I paid full price for anything. Wait...yes I did. I bought a packet of Lawry's Fajita Seasoning for the full price of $1.39. I also bought Welch's grape jam for Eric for his lunch.

Most everything else was either on sale or on sale with a coupon. I got free eggs, free peanut butter, and free soup. I got Kraft salad dressing for $1, a bag of ravioli for $2, and five Lunchable sandwich kits for $3.

While I don't think TLC's Extreme Couponing tv show will be calling me any time soon, I sure understand the rush and excitement of purchasing so much for so little. I'm not willing to cut 50 coupon inserts out each week, but I am willing to use the coupons in the Sunday paper to save a little money here and there.

I also love the idea of building a stockpile for future use. How cool would it be to know that you always have something on hand and that you never have to pay full price?

Love coupons!

Tiffy Got Married

2011-06-25T20:57:00.000-07:00

My sister, Tiffany, got married today. It was a very simple but pretty wedding in the park near a little waterfall and creek.

Me, my sister, and my mom taking photos before the ceremony.

I've been able to wear this dress several times now: graduation, last day of school, wedding shower and now in a wedding!

Tiffany and her husband, Thomas, with their kids.

Since we were all done up (re: hair combed), we took the opportunity to take a few family photos.

Hudson. Do you see why this kid gets away with murder? One look with those eyes, and he pretty much gets what he wants. Ugh.

My handsome boys.

Love this one of Eric and the boys.

My new favorite family shot. I think I want to blow this one up for a frame on the wall.

Pretty great day.

Spot the Tot

2011-06-17T13:00:00.000-07:00

Click HERE to see Evan and Hudson on the news this morning.

We were up and off to the Channel 26 KMPH Great Day studio by 8 this morning to join two other kids from OLPH to do a segment on child safety. I was so proud of Evan and Hudson. They stood right on their spot behind the car showing just how difficult it can be for drivers to spot kids in their rear view mirrors.

I didn't know if there would be enough kids, so I put Hudson in a uniform in case he was needed! He'll be in preschool in a matter of a month or so, and he looked so stinkin' cute in the shirt and shorts!

After doing such a great job being on tv, we celebrated with a smoothie, a session at Pump it Up, and lunch. Busy and fun day so far. Grocery shopping, allergy shots, and McDonald's cones yet to come! I love summer days like this.

Better

2011-05-29T21:36:00.000-07:00

The only thing that could make this three day weekend even better would be if I was here for the holiday doing this:

Biking by the ocean in Monterey. Doesn't get much better than that.

I'll have to settle for pleasant weather and good family time in Clovis. I'm okay with that option as well!

Memorial Ride

2011-05-28T15:25:00.000-07:00

Click HERE to go to Pokey Slow to read about us participating in the Crystel Stanford Memorial Ride.

What's For Dinner?

2011-05-27T20:16:00.000-07:00

There has been a stray chicken living in our yard for the past few weeks. I am not kidding.

The chicken does not always stay in our yard. Sometimes it flies over the fence to bug our neighbors as well. Hudson was quite afraid of the chicken at first. Now, she doesn't bother him.

For the most part, the chicken doesn't create a problem other than making Hudson nervous. Honestly, I'm surprised that Mac and Bandit haven't managed to eat it.

Apparently this chicken is quite clever, both at keeping from getting eaten and at finding a cozy spot to lay her eggs...which are on my back patio chair!

A few days ago Evan comes running in from the backyard all excited and shouting for me to "come see this." I informed him I was not moving my butt off the couch. Again, he squealed that I "had to see this." Finally, I asked him what was so exciting. (Usually Evan's excitement does not match up to whatever it is he wants to show me. The item in question is usually quite dull or uninteresting...to me at least!)

Evan then yelled, "There's a chicken on a chair!" Um, okay. That was enough to get me to go outside and look. And sure enough, there was a chicken sitting on one of our lawn chairs underneath the covered patio.

Went I went to the other side of the chair to get a better photo, I saw two eggs poking out from under her feathers!

Evan and Hudson were PETTING the chicken. I had a fit and made them wash their hands twice.

The chicken then proceeded to sit in our chair for the next three days barely moving. I was worried I was about to be the mother of two chicks. I have no desire to have chicks at this house. None.

Eric called Animal Control, and they were supposed to come out yesterday, but we weren't home. They came today and took the chicken away. Look at what they found:

Eleven eggs!!

And apparently she laid one more egg in the cage before the Animal Control guy got her to the truck!

I do feel bad that Dinner (what we affectionately named her) is probably going to meet her demise sooner rather than later. However, I don't have need of a live chicken at my house. We are not country dwellers. This isn't Chowchilla!

I am still amazed that neither dog seemed to notice or care that she took up roost in a chair in their backyard. Pretty crazy chicken week!

Congratulations Mom!

2011-05-26T20:30:00.000-07:00

The boys and I went to Chowchilla to enjoy my mom's retirement luncheon today. She has worked as a teacher's aide in first or second grade for 26 years! Wow! Next Thursday will be her last day of work. Crazy to think she won't be heading off to help kids each day next year.

Tons of pictures are ahead.

My mom and sister. The staff room at Mom's school was decorated in a red, white, and blue theme. It was very cute!

Cute shot of mom and sis.

I caught my future brother in law, Thomas, in a funny moment!

Evan and his grandma.

Susie said some nice things about my mom. I've known Susie since I was five-years-old. She is the mom of my best friend. Notice the cool poster behind her. The District Office has a huge printer that can print out these huge posters! They were all around the room with pictures of our family!

A gift from the staff.

A Margaret Hudson bear! Margaret Hudson is a local Fresno artist who is known for her sculptures. She did two large bear sculptures that sit in front my mom's school.

There was tons of food from spaghetti to garlic bread to meatballs to Mexican food. I had a hard time from overloading my plate! Yummy stuff.

This poster included family shots with my dad. I was sad that he wasn't here today.

Adorable mouse pad that one of Mom's friends created for her.

Someone else gave her a monkey!

This was such a cool gift! At first it looked like an ordinary kleenex box with a tissue poking out. Then when my mom pulled out a tissue, a WHOLE BUNCH of dollar bills followed! The dollars were all taped together and stretched around three quarters of the room! Evan and Hudson thought it was pretty cool to help Grandma stretch her dollars!

What's a party without cake?

After lunch I let the boys play on the school playground. Evan was impressed with all the different play structures. This school is MUCH bigger than his school. My mom's school only has first and second graders in attendance and many classes of each, while Evan's (and my) school is a K-8 with just under 200 kids and only one class per grade.

We also got to enjoy a Patriotic Show put on by three first grade classes. The rest of the afternoon was spent at my mom's house catching up and talking. It was a really nice way to spend the day.

Congratulations, Mom!

Half Marathon

2011-05-25T23:39:00.000-07:00

***Sorry to do this again, but I just copied the entire post from Pokey Slow to here. Nothing new to add over here!

It has been three days since I completed my first half marathon, and I am just now getting around to posting about it. I guess I had to let it all sink in!

It was an amazing experience. There were things that were perfect, things that I wish I had done better, and things that I'll never forget. I completed my goal of finishing in under three hours.

My official time was 2:45:31/12:38 pace. I finished 1505 out of 1958 overall, 819 out of 1191 women, and 132 out of 177 in my age group.

I didn't get to bed exceptionally early on Saturday night, but I knew excitement would carry me through...at least part of the way! After watching Eric in his races that morning and attending the farewell dinner for my principal, I was too wired to sleep. I finally drifted off around 11.

We were up bright and early at 5 a.m. for the second day in a row. We picked up Sally, who teaches 6th grade at my school. Her classroom is right next to mine. She was really anxious because this was her first race EVER. Not having to drive downtown was one less thing for her to worry about.

We got to the start, barely got a parking spot, got our gear ready, used the porta potties, and lined up to wait.

Sally and me right before the race. I am in the pink hat. (I have GOT to wash that hat!) Most of my pictures are pretty fuzzy. I think the lens on my iphone was smudged.

Sally is younger than me and faster than me. It's not fair! She did amazing, and I am so proud of her!

I was trying to show how crowded it was. It was easily the largest race I have ever done with close to 2,000 people running and walking.

Ugh. My pictures really do bite. Oh well. If you look closely, you can just barely make out the curve of the starting line balloon. It took us about two minutes to reach the start after the gun went off. This was my first race using timing mats. I was nervous about attaching the D-Tag to my shoe but managed to figure it out!

Sally stayed with me for about a half a mile (if that) and then took off. She ran like the wind! I was left with my music and my thoughts. Sometimes this was good. Sometimes it was bad.

We started the course running through downtown Fresno. We zipped up one street and down another. It lasted quite a long time through that area. It was neat running past the historic water tower and the Veteran's Memorial Theater where I went with my parents to see plays when I was little.

Then we headed across the railroad tracks and entered the zoo at around mile 6. I think I was starting to get tired and discouraged at this point. My pace may have been under 12 minute miles here, but I have no idea. I know I started taking more walk breaks, and I started texting Eric through this area.

Despite being tired, the zoo was amazing! I loved it! I have spent so much time in this zoo that it felt natural running through it!

Out of the three zoo shots I took, this was the only one with an animal in it! Apparently the zoo employees had been running through the zoo for a few weeks prior to the race to get the animals used to a bunch of people running through! I thought that was neat.

Unfortunately, we didn't spend too much time with the animals. After leaving the zoo, the race wound it's way through the park before heading back across the railroad tracks to the Tower District.

I was feeling a lot of pain at this point. My texts to Eric were getting shorter and shorter. "Pain." "Hurt." He was quite encouraging and just told me to keep going. I did. I knew I was going to finish no matter what, but I still wanted Eric's encouragement. His words mean everything to me.

My knees and feet were burning at this point. Not sure what was up with that. A few things I was surprised about: instead of sucking on my Gu Chomps, I chewed those puppies fast. I guess I was hungry. I also took water and Gatorade at every aid station and saved my own water for in between stops. I needed the chomps and the liquid something fierce.

This picture doesn't do this house justice. It was the brightest shade of lime green I have ever seen! Putting it on a house was quite a bold move!

The last few miles were pretty painful. I felt like I could only run for 30 seconds before giving up and walking.

Finally, the end was in sight. It was pretty neat to run down the back ramp of the Grizzlies (affiliate team for the Giants) baseball stadium and through the finish line. All I really remember is seeing the clock and realizing I was going to beat three hours.

I saw Sally first. She'd been lounging for about 40 minutes before I came crawling in! Youth. My knees and feet were hurting so bad I could barely get up the steps. I pretty much collapsed into a bleacher seat. I didn't see Eric or the boys, but I knew we'd meet up. They found me within five minutes or so. They saw me finish, but were at the very top of the stairs, so I didn't see them right away.

Success!

The thought of the free breakfast made me want to gag, so we headed out pretty quickly. We dropped Sally off at home, grabbed me a Diet Coke at a gas station, and headed to the house.

I feel like a real runner because I had bloody toes! For some silly reason, I am super proud of my bloody socks! I trained and sacrificed all the way to my toes! I also had some pretty bad chafing on my inner left thigh even though I used plenty of Body Glide. Painful! Besides aching knees, I didn't have any other "issues" besides those three things. The sore thigh muscles set in on Monday. Fun.

That explains some of the burning in my feet.

So proud of this medal! I took it to school to show my kids! They were properly impressed!

After a shower, some rest, and a giant chicken salad from Chipotle, we headed back to the baseball stadium to watch our complimentary game. I am normally not much of a baseball fan, but it was fun to chill out and watch the game.

Evan and me watching the Grizzlies lose. Oh well.

Things I am proud of:
-Finishing my first half marathon
-Doing it in less than three hours
-Not quitting
-Sticking to this plan for three months
-Doing something that is waaaaaaay out of my comfort zone
-Showing my kids I am trying to be a healthy mom

Things to work on for next time:
-Strive for less than 12 minute miles
-Quit texting through the whole race
-Finish the training strong (I fell apart the last two weeks)
-Strength training

Was it worth all the effort and training? Absolutely! I am so proud of myself! Wouldn't trade this feeling for the world!

And I have already mapped out my training for my next half marathon in Salinas on Aug. 6! I am running it with my cousin. I officially start training on Monday! I have been taking it easy for three days, and tomorrow I am going to do a short and easy two miles. I guess it's kind of like forgetting the pain of childbirth, because I am ready to do this again!

Mini Metric

2011-05-21T15:25:00.000-07:00

**This is the exact same post I put up on Pokey Slow, so if you read it over there, don't bother here!

My husband rode in his first ever bike ride this morning! I am so stinking proud of him that I can hardly put it into words!

Watching me train and run over the past few months motivated him to get active, but he wouldn't run unless something was chasing him. He decided to look into cycling as a way to be fit and have fun. He's been training for about six weeks and just finished his first mini metric this morning.

The bike race was day one of the California Classic Weekend which includes cycling today and my half marathon tomorrow. Eric wasn't going to sign up at first, but he figured, why not? He has made a great friend where he works who is very into cycling, and the friend rode with him the whole way. (That made me feel better knowing someone was out there with him!)

Quick breakfast before heading out the door at 5:45 this morning.

All geared up and waiting at the start line to get going.

Child #1 ready to cheer on Dad!

Child #2 and me. As usual, the little one clung to me like a monkey for most of the morning.

Eric's friend who rode with him the whole way. Eric looks like he's asking Greg, "Why? Why I am doing this?" Hee hee!

Still waiting. They had just played the National Anthem. Almost time to start.

There he goes.

Then I had to try to figure out what to do. Two little boys were tired, grumpy, hungry and not going to last several hours hanging out at the finish line. So, we got in the car, found a Jack in the Box, and then set out to find Eric along the course.

The cool thing about this race is that they closed down one of the freeways in order for the riders to ride! We zipped onto an overpass and saw Eric ride by underneath us! He saw us and heard us cheering! That was a lot of fun.

We jumped back in the car and zipped up to the next overpass and saw him again!

Then we headed out to a spot out in the country (Shaw and McCall for people who know the area). We waited there for quite a long time, cheering all the riders as they passed. I had to chuckle, because I had three separate cars of people ask me if I was okay and needed help! Good to know that a female with two small boys hanging out on a corner in the country will be looked after!

We cheered and yelled as Eric rode by. I think he liked being able to see us at various spots.

By that time, we were close to home, and I needed to pee. We made a quick pit stop to change clothes, update Facebook, and get a snack. Then we got in the car and headed out again. We passed Eric on the opposite side of the road, flipped around, and waited for him in the parking lot of a mini mart. He actually stopped to talk and rest for a bit. He was hanging in there just fine!

Finally, the boys and I headed back to the baseball field where the race started. We parked ourselves on a curb and waited for Eric to ride to the finish.

The boys waiting for Dad to finish.

Here he comes!

Victory! He finished in three hours and 44 minutes. Not bad for a first ride which included some pretty lengthy hills on the freeway!

So so so so so so proud of this man!

Recap

2011-04-20T19:59:00.000-07:00

Here are a few things we have been up to this week:

-Evan had a soccer game Friday night.

-I ran seven miles on Saturday morning.

-Evan had a track meet on Saturday morning. His relay team qualified to move on to the next level. That means another track meet the weekend after Easter.

-Evan had two soccer games on Saturday afternoon. They won both games. The second game was against a nasty foul-mouthed team. The parents were so trashy. I was afraid to go in the parking lot after it was over. Evan made two fantastic goals!

-Hudson is growing like a weed. I pulled out the 4T clothes for him to wear. I love putting him in Evan's old clothes and pj's. It brings back memories of when Evan was that little. It's just hard to believe that Hudson fits into these things already!

-We celebrated an early Easter with my family last Sunday. There were many jelly beans involved.

-Hudson got in big trouble last night because he wasn't listening or following directions. He got put in bed without snuggling. That is a big thing in this house. Snuggle time on the couch is practically mandatory.

-Hudson no longer wants to sit in his carseat. He wants to ride in the booster. Constant struggle.

-We decided to get out of town for a few days next week. I CAN'T WAIT.

-Today I participated in a Lenten retreat with the other teachers at school. Fr. Robert told us about many changes that are going to be happening in the Catholic Church. Some of the prayers we will be saying are going to be quite different come Advent. It's going to take some getting used to.

-Evan got to be a reader for today's presentation of the live Stations of the Cross. He did a great job reading Station #8. We are so proud of our first grader!

-Every day Hudson tells me that he wants to go to school. Come on preschool...open up!

That's about all that happened to us this week. Always busy. Always interesting.

Chapped

2011-04-13T22:09:00.001-07:00

This kid has chapped lips. He also is tired. He is a busy kid with track, soccer, homework, and antagonizing his brother.

He now is the proud owner of his own tube of Carmex.

First Places All The Way Around

2011-04-10T13:30:00.000-07:00

Evan, Hudson, and I all ran races this morning. We all won first place in our age bracket. It was a pretty productive Sunday morning!

My speedy boys!

Me with my race medal!

For the full race story and more photos, click on THIS link.

One pretty neat thing is that the race director (Ken - who directs 95% of the races in town) is starting to recognize us. He complimented Evan on his speediness, he liked the boys' tidy haircuts, and he told us we were "good parents!" That last part cracked me up!

Oh, and we won a raffle prize! We got some heavy duty gray socks. Not the prettiest things, but socks are socks!

Track

2011-04-05T08:25:00.000-07:00

The coach at school sent me this picture of Evan at his track meet in March. I think it's a great shot of him.

He has one more track meet unless he should happen to qualify to move on to the finals. In any case, there are plenty of local races around town that he can enter.

What ever will we do when soccer and track are done? Swimming? More soccer? Rest? Yeah, I like that last idea!

Questions

2011-04-05T06:28:00.000-07:00

We went to church on Sunday. Evan helped Grampy with ushering duties. He does such a great job being serious about the tasks. It's cute to watch.

Hudson, on the other hand, sits with us, and asks about 1001 questions. His questions range from everything to "What's Fr. Robert doing?" to "Why is Jesus up there?" to "Why does Jesus have a hurt tummy?" to "What time is it?" He must have asked me for the time every 45 seconds.

The problem with Hudson, and I'm guessing most 3-year-olds, is that they demand to be acknowledged. And if they aren't, they make themselves known. So with each question I did my best to whisper an answer in hopes of getting him to be quiet. Yeah, didn't really happen.

However, one of his questions was priceless.

Fr. Robert had just finished the Gospel reading and had walked around to the front of the altar preparing to begin his homily (sermon). Hudson looked at me and asked, "Mom, is it half time?"

I wanted to burst out laughing. I think I just nodded that yes, it was half time. Sports family much?

Are We There Yet?

2011-03-26T08:32:00.000-07:00

Final Disneyland Post

I showed you all the photos from Disneyland (from my camera anyhow). If Eric has more photos, I can always share those later, because drawing out the Disneyland experience is fun for everyone!! Right?

As I have mentioned in the last three posts, it was raining on and off all day. By about 4 in the afternoon, it started raining steadily. We got colder and colder. We stood in line to ride Space Mountain, and Hudson gave up. He fell asleep in my arms from exhaustion and being cold. Holding 35 pounds of little boy for 45 minutes made my arms soooooo sore.

It rained the entire time we were in line. Fun. We finally got on the ride, Hudson included, and then when it was over, we decided it was time to start heading for home. It was 6ish by this point.

We had a little last minute shopping to do, we caught the tram back to the car, changed in the car, found a McDonald's, and headed for the freeway.

That's when things got crazy and scary.

We called Eric's dad to let him know we were on the way home, and he informed us that the Grapevine (the big mountain pass) was probably going to close. Um, excuse me? How in the heck were we supposed to get home? We kept on driving through the heavy rain on the L.A. freeways until we were about 15 miles from entering the Grapevine and saw signs about the closure.

I was already in a panic because of the rain. I HATE driving or even riding in the rain. It just scares me. I was pressed up against my window taking deep breaths and whispering Hail Mary's.

We diverted to another freeway to the east. We stopped to get gas, soda, and candy. I needed something to keep from screaming. I was already crying enough silent tears as it was.

As we started driving on Hwy 58 over the Tehachapi Mountains, the rain suddenly turned to snow. It was so pretty, but so freaky. The thing that kept me semi-sane was constantly updating my facebook status. I figured if I died, at least people would know where I was! Okay, okay, I'm being a little dramatic, but I wasn't kidding about being scared.

We managed to keep driving...slowly. Then all traffic came to a halt. And we sat on a snowy, closed-down freeway for about 20-30 minutes. That didn't help my mental state.

Finally we started inching forward. We managed to make it to Bakersfield sometime after 11 p.m. The other side of the freeway had jack-knifed big rigs and stopped traffic for miles. We were lucky they opened our side up.

Once we got to Bakersfield, I was able to breathe a bit easier. We finally got home after 1 a.m, a far cry from getting home between 10 and 11 when we should have.

As frightened as I was, I was just happy to be home safe and sound. It was quite the ordeal that I am not anxious to repeat. Something fell on us the ENTIRE drive whether it was rain, hail, snow or sleet. Crazy California in March.

We got up to go to work on Monday morning, and that wasn't pretty at all! I'm amazed I didn't fall asleep teaching class!

And that is the conclusion of our Disneyland trip. Amazing family time. Horrible weather. God (and Eric!) got us home safely. For all the blessings, I am grateful!

Disneyland: Part 4

2011-03-24T21:04:00.000-07:00

I LOVED the Finding Nemo Submarine Ride! It was so relaxing and pretty.

Eric and Hudson gazing out their windows looking for Nemo.

Look how pretty these underwater shots are!

Pretty pretty!

Once again, I don't have the energy for any more story telling. I'll have to share our crazy ride home another day.

Disneyland: Part 3

2011-03-23T20:17:00.001-07:00

Next up was a little bit of shopping. We stopped by the Mad Hatter to purchase hats. The kids weren't interested in Mouse Ears. Instead they both decided on these adorable head pieces.

Evan.

Hudson.

Here is a little better view of the Chip and Dale hat.

Eric bought a hat with Grumpy on it that says, "This is my Grumpy Hat." At the end of the day I bought a super cute pink Minnie Mouse Hat.

Remember the Chip and Dale cartoon? My sister and I used to watch it ALL THE TIME! Now I can't remember whether it was Chip or Dale who had the red nose. I don't think my kids even know Chip and Dale. They just liked the hats! I need to find the cartoon on DVD for them.

Here is an accidental artsy shot. This is Hudson's silhouette while riding It's a Small World. Ahhh...another one of my favorite rides. It just never gets old.

Goofy was one of only two characters that we saw all day! We saw Peter Pan from a distance. I guess the rain keeps all the characters inside. That was a bit disappointing. We never even saw Mickey Mouse. I'm not sure if the kids understood that the whole park was Mickey Mouse land.

Evan having fun in Toon Town.

Hudson having fun in Toon Town.

I only have a few more photos left to show. I'll share those tomorrow. I also need to share our harrowing experience in getting home. That was a nightmare.

I've had Disneyland on the brain for three days now. I just want to be back there wrapped in the Disney Bubble of Magic.

Disneyland: Part 2

2011-03-22T20:28:00.000-07:00

Okay, where were we? Oh yes. Eric had gone back to the car to get our Disney Bucks while the kids and I waited by a cool fountain.

I'm not sure who was more impatient, me or the kids! I was so excited to get in the park! I just wanted to see the excitement on their faces as we walked inside.

Eric got back, we went inside and headed for the train. We took it one stop to New Orleans Square so we could hop off and get to Pirates of the Caribbean, which is one of my all time favorite rides.

The boys and me on the train. It was so much fun being with the kids!

Since we got to the park right as it opened, we were able to beat a lot of crowds for the first two hours. Also, it rained off and on all day. Not too bad, but just enough to keep the crowds light. It was great for us, even if we did get slightly wet.

We got to Pirates and literally walked onto a boat without waiting at all. In fact, we were the only ones on our particular boat! Hudson's little face was priceless all day long. He just took it all in with huge saucer eyes.

After Pirates, we headed over to Indiana Jones. This was the only ride Hudson couldn't go on because he was too short. While Eric and Evan rode on that ride, Hudson and I checked out the Jungle Book Treehouse. I didn't like it. It was nothing but stairs!!! Hudson practically raced up the stairs and then back down. I miss the tree being the Swiss Family Robinson Tree. Shows how old I am!

Little Joe Cool at the bottom of the treehouse.

Same shot, just closer.

Hudson and me waiting for E and E to get off their ride.

After we joined back up, we got on the Jungle Boat Cruise. Just as we settled down on our boat, something happened, because they made us all get off and told us that the ride was shutting down. Weird. We ended up going on that ride later in the day, so it worked out.

The boys waiting outside the Tiki Room while Dad was in the bathroom. No, we didn't actually go in the Tiki Room. I love it, but Eric is not such a fan.

Arriving at the castle.

I want to live in this castle! Actually, we saw a show where there are special tours where you can actually go into the castle. How cool would that be?

Tea Cups! All four of us fit in that little cup. Four months ago, it would have been an uncomfortable fit. However, with Eric and me both shrinking, sitting in the cup was manageable.

On a side note, it felt so good to walk around the park without any discomfort. We both had energy, we felt healthier, and there was little pain. Eric has a knee issue that flared up a bit, but it didn't slow him down like it might have in the past. Score for a healthier Mom and Dad! (It's a good thing I'm stronger, because by the end of the day, Hudson was refusing to walk. I carried him everywhere! My arms were pretty sore yesterday.)

We rode on the Dumbo ride. We took turns switching off riding with the kids. Eric and Evan were in the Dumbo ahead of us. Hudson was a crazy flyer, floating us up and down during the ride. It was fun!

I swear he's not stoned! Just a weird camera shot.

Apparently I like Dumbo! And Disneyland itself makes me sooooooo happy!

Okay. That's enough for tonight. I will continue with this tomorrow.

Disneyland!

2011-03-21T19:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Evan and Hudson's first ever trip to Disneyland! It was magical. It was perfect. It was raining!

I have a lot of photos and a lot of stories. I'm not sure if I have the energy to post it all tonight. The Disneyland post might have to come in installments.

Let's get started.

A little background on how the trip came to be on this precise weekend. Each year teachers at my school have an opportunity to go to a conference called the L.A. Religious Congress. We spend 2-3 days attending workshops and classes on teaching and/or faith. I think this was my third time to Congress.

The Congress just happens to be held at the Convention Center in Anaheim...which is directly across the street from Disneyland.

Knowing that I was planning to go to Congress this year, we decided to plan a day at Disney for the kids on Sunday. We didn't tell the kids about it, and it was HARD to keep it a secret! Evan knew I was riding down with another teacher on Thursday and that he, brother and dad would come get me on Saturday. He just thought it would be fun to stay in a hotel for a night!

The family arrived right as I finished my last class. Perfect timing! We decided to go to Tony Roma's for dinner. It was a treat for us because that restaurant shut down here in Fresno. The restaurant was right across the street from Disneyland, but Evan still didn't notice!

Kids came into the restaurant wearing mouse ears. Still nothing! Eric and I were dying from trying not to laugh at how oblivious Evan was!

Once we got back into the car after dinner, Evan finally made the statement, "Wow, there sure are a lot of buses in this city!" We absolutely lost it! We were laughing so hard at how unaware Evan can be. FINALLY he looked to the left and saw the Disneyland sign.

"Is that really Disneyland?" he asked in a normal voice.

"Yes," I said.

"Wow. I can't believe I'm at Disneyland."

(Now he was making these statements in a regular voice as if this were an everyday conversation. There was no excitement...yet.)

I told him that Disneyland just happened to be in the same city where my conference was held. He seemed to accept that. We finally got around to telling him that he would actually get to go in the park the next day. Then he was excited! It took a moment to get over the slight disappointment that we wouldn't be going into the park that very moment, but we appeased him with sitting in the spa at the hotel.

We also walked to Downtown Disney to burn off a bit of energy.

Oh the treasures! I splurged on a giant almond and chocolate covered strawberry.

The kids talked us into giant suckers! I think this thing is bigger than Hudson's head!

Yum!

We spent quite a bit of time in the Lego Store. Both boys had fun in there.

After walking back to the hotel and soaking in the hot tub, we tried to get a good night's sleep to be ready for the morning. Hudson, however, was not in much of a mood to sleep. Once we finally got him settled, we all slept.

Morning came, we packed up, and headed for the park. We got on the tram (which the boys thought was an awesome ride!) and got all the way to the entrance only to realize that Eric had forgotten all of our money (Disney Bucks) in the car! I hung out with the boys while Eric stayed on the tram to go get our money!

Waving bye to Dad as he heads back to the car!

While waiting for Dad, Evan enjoyed the fountain.

Hudson wasn't in the mood for photos, so I took a shot of the top of his head. The three boys wore their OLPH Cougar sweatshirts while I sported Fresno State. Have to represent!

Eric got back and in we went!

That is all the energy I have in me for tonight. But I just have to say that we rode on sooooooo many rides. I want to list them so I don't forget! Hudson was able to ride everything except Indiana Jones.

Disneyland Ride List
1. Pirates of the Caribbean
2. Train
3. Haunted Mansion
4. Indiana Jones
5. Jungle Book Treehouse
6. Jungle Cruise
7. Steamboat
8. Dumbo
9. Storybook Boats
10. Casey Jr. Train
11. Teacups
12. It's a Small World
13. Autopia
14. Monorail
15. Finding Nemo Submarine
16. Materhorn
17. Space Mountain
18. Thunder Railroad
19. Roger Rabbit
20. Some coaster in Toon Town

Due to the rain, the lines were pretty short all day! Even though it was wet and cold, we had an amazing time! More to come tomorrow.

Soon

2011-03-13T22:22:00.000-07:00

Evan had his first track meet on Saturday. I promise I will get the pictures and review posted soon. Like in the next two days soon. Eric just needs to upload photos off the camera. So it's not really my fault!

PROUD

2011-03-11T21:21:00.000-08:00

PROUD
I am so proud of my husband. He started a new blog about his desire to get into the world of cycling.

Check it out HERE!

There are good, healthy, and active days in our future!

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Once again, I haven't posted here lately. It's just that there were more interesting things going on in my world of Pokey Slow Runner than there were in the world of Peanut and Chicken! Sorry. The kids just weren't that interesting this past week!

Sick

2011-03-03T21:09:00.001-08:00

This kid was sick yesterday.

He started throwing up at 4 a.m. I stayed home with him.

This kid was sick today.

He went to school and wound up in the office at 10:30 with a 101 degree fever. Eric drove home and stayed with him this afternoon.

Hopefully we all get over the germs quickly. It seems like it's been a long week.

New shorts, shirt, and hat

2011-02-27T20:53:00.000-08:00

Here are some pictures of the new stuff I got yesterday.

The shorts did well on their first test run. If these work out, I just may have to go back and get many more pairs!!

My new hat. This is the shirt that Eric and the boys got me for my birthday. The hat did well soaking up the sweat. I was quite comfortable with my gear today.

We did a late in the afternoon family bike ride. I ran while the boys rode. Once again, I am loving our family time.

Woops

2011-02-26T13:42:00.000-08:00

We were up and out of the house be 9:30 this morning to get the kids to a doctor's appointment. Half way there on the drive across town I decided to call the office to see if we actually did have an appointment. (We didn't get a reminder phone call, so I just wondered.)

Hee hee. Turns out we did not have an appointment. Hmmmm. What to do? What to do? We ended up doing a little shopping.

Evan needed some new shoes. I mean, he's had his current pair for TWO WHOLE MONTHS. Sigh. This child goes through shoes faster than he goes through toilet paper. We also got him a pair of running shoes for track to be worn ONLY when running.

I got a new pair of running shorts, a shirt, a hat and a water bottle. Now I just need a new pair of sunglasses and some sunscreen. Although, I'm sure I can come up with a few more things to buy for my sport!!

Did I mention that Eric officially signed me up for the half marathon in May? Yup. It's real now. Guess I better keep on with my training.

And for the final note of this post, let's read all about me!

ABCs of Me

Age: 36
Bed size: king
Chore you hate: dusting
Dogs: two shi tzus
Essential start of your day: a hot shower
Fav colour: red
Gold or silver: gold
Height: 5'2"
Instruments I play: once upon a time I could play the flute and the piano
Job title: mom, wife, teacher, vice principal
Kids: two boys: Evan 6 and Hudson 3
Live: Clovis, CA
Mom’s name: Sharon
Nicknames: I don't really have any. My nephews still call me Aunt Pooh (as in Winnie)
Overnight hospital stays: tonsils out in 4th grade, giving birth two times
Pet peeve: people who tell lies when it isn't necessary (what they are lying about has no bearing on anything)
Quote from a movie: Smile and wave boys. Smile and wave. (the penguins in Madagascar)
Right or left handed: right
Siblings: 1 younger sister
Time you wake up: 5:45
Underwear: What is this question asking? Do I wear it? Yes. My mom just bought me new pairs for Christmas.
Veg you dislike: I don't care for any cooked vegetables. I eat salad.
What makes you run late: not wanting to get dressed
X-rays you have had done: dental, sinus, knee
Yummy food you make: pork chops
Zoo, favorite animal: swinging monkeys

Fancy Food

2011-02-24T19:36:00.000-08:00

We have been stuck in a slight food rut lately (chicken, pork, repeat), so tonight I tried two new Weight Watcher recipes. They were both delicious, and combined with a salad, we were eating in high style!

We started with Parmesan Crisps. These were soooooo tasty. Two crisps was worth only one point.

The main dish was Chicken Cordon Bleu. It was made with prosciutto and low fat Swiss cheese. Honestly, though, I could not tell that the Swiss cheese was low fat. The chicken was seven points.

The meal was so tasty, that it was hard to believe they were WW recipes. So rich and flavorful. I felt like we were cheating.

The prep work was a little more than I'm used to, but these are two recipes we'll definitely have again.

It's good to get out of a rut.

U.S. Constitution

2011-02-23T21:27:00.000-08:00

Today my 8th graders took their big 100 point Constitution Test. They did very well! I am very pleased!

For fun, let's do a short little quiz right here to see how much we all remember from 8th grade!

1. How old must you be in order to run for president?

2. When is Inauguration Day?

3. Where do all revenue bills start?

4. How many Supreme Court justices are there?

5. Who was the first female Supreme Court justice?

6. How many senators are there?

7. The number of Representatives a state gets to send to Congress depends on what?

8. What is the "supreme law of the land?"

9. How many amendments have been made to the Constitution?

10. What are the first 10 amendments called?

Answers:

1. 35

2. January 20

3. In the House of Representatives

4. 9

5. Sandra Day O'Connor

6. 100

7. Population

8. The Constitution

9. 27

10. Bill of Rights

How did you do? The kiddos had 100 questions to answer. I'm just happy that they are graded, posted to the parents, and done! Now we can move on. It feels like we have been studying this stuff forever.

On to the Civil War. Good stuff.

Want My Weekend Back

2011-02-22T21:53:00.000-08:00

I was talking to my mom on the phone tonight, and I realized just how much I am loving my family right now.

It's not that I didn't love them before, but I am loving where my family is at right now. Evan is six, Hudson is three, and Eric and I are working hard to be more active and healthy.

We have had some amazing weekends in the past few months. This past weekend was no exception.

Hudson and I had an evening together on Friday while the E's were at soccer practice. Then we all woke up early on Saturday morning to do the race. I LOVE that Hudson is now old enough to participate in these events with us.

Off to a basketball game, a soccer game, and dinner. I LOVE that we can go to restaurants without fear of meltdowns and tantrums.

I LOVE that the kids let Eric and me sleep in! Granted it's only until 7:30 or so, but still! That's better than 6 a.m. on a Saturday!

I'm just feeling a sense of such happiness at where we are right now. Long family bike rides, runs, ice cream treats, and snuggling. I want my weekend and that feeling back. Luckily, it should be back in three days. I have to think of it that way!

I am just content with us. And I LOVE that.

Six Miles

2011-02-21T22:50:00.000-08:00

I figured out how to get the kids to eat a good dinner and go to bed easily. Take them on a six mile bike ride!!

We set out on the same trail as the one where my race was held on Saturday. (We also went back there yesterday. The boys biked and I ran 3.5 miles. Today I was on my bike with the family.)

Eric and Evan zipped ahead of us, but would wait for us at intersections and tunnels. Hudson and I were a minute or two behind them, pedaling VERY SLOWLY! I have to give Hudson credit. He is a trooper and never quit. His little legs must turn over five times as much as ours.

The only problem riding with Hudson is that he is all over the place! He's either going very fast or really slow. He veers into the opposite lane or he's on the shoulder. He chatters the whole time, and he loves to turn his head around to see me instead of watching where he is going. However, he loves the ride, and it gave my legs a chance to recover from the runs of the past two days.

There was one moment when I thought he was going to take down two serious adult riders. Hudson heard them coming from behind us and turned his head to see what was happening. This caused his bike to swerve into their lane as they were trying to pass us. Oh dear Lord. My heart about stopped. Luckily they were able to avoid my little roadster. They were kind enough to be impressed with Hudson being able to ride at such a young age!

This was my view for three miles out and three miles back trying to make sure my front tire didn't hit his back tire.

Riding under Highway 168. You can just see Eric and Evan off in the distance. And this is where I would have been shouting to Hudson, "Get on your side of the line!"

Pretty trail that includes lots of trees, nice path, several tunnels, and emergency posts.

This is the park where we parked the car. I stopped to read the sign. I knew that the town of Clovis was named after Clovis Cole, who had given some of his land so that the railroad could come through. The entire reason the town is here is because of the railroad. The trail we were riding on used to be the railroad lines and was turned into a bike/walk path.

A close up of the dedication plaque. I'm guessing this site was a depot stop at some point in history. But I could be wrong.

While Eric loaded the bikes back into the van, the boys climbed the rock wall. At first Hudson couldn't do it, but soon he got the hang of it.

This was another one of those weekends that I didn't want to come to an end. Sleeping in, family bike rides and runs, good dinners, sports, ABC flashcards, double digit math with carrying, contractions, and lounging were quite appreciated this weekend.

Judicata Race

2011-02-20T10:11:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the boys and I ran the Judicata race at the law school in Clovis. The boys did great and both won first place! I finished the 3.1 miles with an average pace of 10:59/mile. I was pretty pleased!

Here are some video clips from the day.

We are probably going to run another race next Saturday. It will benefit Storyland. Love that place! And we'll get a free train ride and ticket into the park. Win win!

Happy Valentine's Day?

2011-02-14T19:37:00.000-08:00

Today was not what I would call a warm and fuzzy day.

Eric and I are both fighting colds and are exhausted and hurting.

The biggest child spilled a brand new GALLON of milk on the kitchen floor. I don't even know how he managed it.

The littlest child decided to poop on the playroom floor. I don't even know why.

Who cares if it is Valentine's Day? Not me. Not today.

Catch Up

2011-02-13T21:03:00.000-08:00

Before my mother reminds me AGAIN that I haven't updated the blog in over a week, I figured I'd do a big catch up post. Here goes.

Backing up to before last weekend. Thursday of Catholic Schools Week was Scrabble Day. We all wore letters on our shirts and made words with others. Evan was the letter "G" in Bulldog. I don't think I got a photo of him.

I was part of the teacher phrase, "We are the Cougars!"

I was the letter "E" in "We."

Later that night was the annual talent show.

Evan's class sang America the Beautiful. He's the blonde kid in bright blue.

I was in a special dance number put on by the 8th grade parents and teachers. It was a blast! We all wore our kid's names on our shirts.

The 8th graders put on a skit making fun of their teachers. Makayla did a great job playing me!

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Then Hudson and Evan got sick over the weekend. But Evan was worse. Hudson didn't get hit until later this week. All of our weekend plans were put on hold.

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Our daycare provider took Monday and Tuesday off, so we had to find somewhere for Hudson to be on those days. We were very fortunate to find a preschool through a friend who was willing to let him be there for two days.

Hudson ready for school on Monday morning. And that sucker is a throat lozenge. I swear.

Hudson loved school. Now he is back at Linda's, and he asks me every day to go to school. There are several reasons why that is not going to happen right now. I can say that I can't wait for the preschool to be open at my school. Prayers and fingers crossed that it will happen soon.

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Tuesday was a late night meeting for me. Then I woke up at 3 a.m. to hear Hudson crying and trying to breathe. He was having a serious asthma attack. I ran and woke up Eric who gave him inhaler puffs and a nebulizer treatment.

We finally got Hudson back to sleep at 4:30. Eric took him to the doctor on Wednesday and stayed home with him all day. Hudson is doing better, but now the cough and snot have settle in.

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Friday was my birthday! I'm 36. Sounds old. I took my 7th graders on a field trip to the ballet and then out to pizza.

While we were gone, they had secretly arranged for the 4th grade to decorate my classroom with streamers and balloons. They even brought food for a huge party! And they had tons of kids all over school sign a giant birthday card for me! So much fun!

I tried to eat the carrots, but those cupcakes from The Sugar Shack were calling my name!

My 7th graders even managed to get Evan out of class to join the party! And one kid brought steak because they know I like it! Great kids!

And how did I spend my birthday evening? At an indoor soccer game of course! We had Evan's friend with us, and the only thing not completely crowded for dinner was Carl's Jr! I told Eric I wanted a birthday meal "do over!"

The boys camped out in the family room for the night. Evan's first sleep over.

My birthday meal do over was at Buffalo Wild Wings. It's a new restaurant open across from Fresno State. Yummers!

Birthday lunch with my family in Chowchilla. Tiff got me a Willow Tree figurine. It's very pretty.

And Tiffany also announced she is engaged and getting married on April 30!!!! Thomas is very nice. I wish them all the happiness in the world. I need to shop for a blue dress.

Besides all this fun and hilarity, I also got my nails painted bright cotton candy pink, and I ran 3 miles yesterday and 3.32 miles today. Did I mention that I plan to run a half marathon on May 22? Well, I am. Gotta start building up my mileage.

Sick Boy

2011-02-05T19:37:00.000-08:00

Evan is sick. Poor little guy has a fever and a cough. Usually it is Hudson who is sick.

Luckily he's feeling better, and I'm sure with one more day of rest, he'll be good to go for school on Monday.

That's My "H"

2011-02-02T20:38:00.001-08:00

Hudson went with Evan and me to Reading Night at school this evening. He had a good time eating candy, playing hangman, listening to books on tape, and finding his "H."

Huh? Yes, that's right. He found his "H."

Hudson knows his name starts with an H. He also knows how to spell his whole name, but he is obsessed with H's. Whenever he sees one, he yells, "That's my H!"

Tonight's H was located on a sign on the wall. He also spots them on tv, in the car (we have a Honda), and in books. H's are very popular in this house!

Basketball Debut

2011-02-02T20:20:00.000-08:00

Evan has been working out and training with the JV basketball team since December. He is the only first grader (or second or third grader for that matter) in the school who was allowed to do this.

After school instead of going to daycare, Evan changes into practice clothes and runs the drills with the team. He is an honorary member who gets to work out with the team, but doesn't get to play in games. Evan has gone to many games, and he warms up with the team and cheers from the bench.

Today, however, was a little different.

Coach Dodd gave Evan a jersey at practice yesterday and told him he'd be playing in the game today!

Eric took off from work early to see Evan in his first basketball game, and it was awesome!

He got lots of play time, saved a ball from going out of bounds, and was a little demon on defense. Awesome stuff!

Suited up and ready to go. Evan told me he'd be playing against sixth graders. When I asked him if he was nervous, he said no, he was excited!

Evan is at the very left of the picture.

He's been working hard all season with his team and had a great game!

Pajama Day

2011-02-02T17:23:00.000-08:00

Today's installment of "What in the World Will Heather and Evan Wear to School?" comes at you with pajamas!

Evan and me before school.

Close up.

My 7th graders were allowed to bring blankets, pillows and food to enhance their reading experience for the day!

CSW: Dress like a teacher/Dress like a student Day

2011-02-01T08:14:00.001-08:00

Today is Dress Like a Teacher/Dress Like a Student Day. Evan is dressed like Mr. Dodd. I am dressed like every girl who goes to this school! The hair bow makes the outfit, don't you think?!

CSW: Red, White and Blue Day

2011-01-31T18:37:00.000-08:00

It's that time of year again...Catholic Schools Week or CSW! (Inside joke with myself because I love acronyms!)

We started today by wearing Red, White, and Blue. I had to get a picture of Evan before we headed off to school.

Blue jeans, red undershirt, red sweatshirt, blue scarf, red gloves, and mom's striped socks. Ready for the day!

Me and my baby. I like to get into the spirit of the days as well!

Stay tuned for tomorrow's theme. I don't want to spoil it ahead of time, but it's going to be pretty funny!

Fiber Anyone?

2011-01-31T18:28:00.001-08:00

This is what I usually eat for breakfast every morning. A Fiber Plus bar and an apple. I like the fiber bars because they contain nine grams of fiber, and they taste good.

Hudson had an upset tummy yesterday. He was pooping left and right, and his poop was not exactly solid. He just wasn't feeling so hot yesterday.

I was worried that he was coming down with a bug or ate something bad.

Well, the mystery was solved this morning when I went to get my Fiber Plus bar out of the cupboard. The box was ripped open and mostly empty.

I asked Evan if he had eaten one, and he said, "Yes. I ate some, and I gave two of them to Hudson yesterday."

AHHHHHH!

Little man had 18 grams of fiber running through his little system in a matter of 20 minutes. No wonder he literally couldn't hold his poop. That much fiber at once would knock anyone on their butt if they aren't used to it.

He's still feeling a bit uncomfortable today, but at least I know he's not sick. I think I need to buy the boys some kid friendly granola bars so they stay clear of mine!

What Weekend?

2011-01-30T22:11:00.000-08:00

This was not exactly a "recharge the batteries" type of weekend.

Friday night - Dinner in Hanford - gone from 5p.m. to 10 p.m.

Saturday - Spelling Bee - at school from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Sunday - 9:30 Mass to lead the children's choir, 11:00 Mass at Newman Center to give a talk about Catholic Schools Week, birthday lunch for nephew at 1:00, Costco, Save Mart, and Talent Show practice.

It was not a bad weekend. It just left me tired.

It is Catholic Schools Week at school starting tomorrow. Each day has its own theme. Lots of fun stuff. Lots of crazy stuff. Lots of activities. There is something going on each night this week. Wish me luck.

Appreciation

2011-01-29T07:14:00.001-08:00

Last night Eric and I went to the City of Hanford Employee Appreciation Dinner. We had a good dinner and a good time.

Eric was recognized as being one of eight new employees hired last year. He got to stand up, and I couldn't miss that opportunity to snap a photo!

He'll be at this new job for a year as of April 5. Congratulations, Honey!

Accomplishment

2011-01-27T23:41:00.000-08:00

I have moved my body over 39 miles so far this year (and that doesn't count elliptical movement).

I can run 2.5 miles at an 11:16 pace.

I lost 10% of my starting weight as of Dec. 2.

I am proud. I think I deserve to be proud. No, I KNOW I deserve to be proud.

I am liking myself in pictures again. That in and of itself is a huge accomplishment!

6-year-old reply

2011-01-24T20:58:00.000-08:00

We had to make a quick trip to CVS at 7:15 tonight for Pull-ups for the 3-year-old. Totally forgot that we ran out last night.

Ugh. So not what I wanted to do at 7:15. In the winter. When it's cold.

Anyhow, we loaded up and headed out. The movie Despicable Me is playing in the car right now. It got to the part where one guy is trying to capture the moon. (I guess this is what is happening. I haven't actually seen the whole movie all the way through, although I have heard it 90 times.)

Hudson said, "He's gonna take the moon."

I said, "That's pretty silly! How could anyone take the moon?"

Without missing a beat Evan replied, "By using a shrink ray."

Oh. Of course.

Stuff

2011-01-23T22:20:00.000-08:00

Here's a little of what we have been up to lately.

-Staff meeting and soccer practice on Tuesday.
-Weight Watcher meeting on Wednesday.
-Dinner with a friend on Thursday.
-Soccer game on Friday.
-Basketball game on Saturday.
-Football on Sunday.

I see a sports trend here.

Needless to say, with stuff going on every night, it was hard to find interesting and exciting things to blog about. I'll do my best to entertain you in this post.

I went for a 25 minute run today. Eric and the boys made it about five minutes with me before Evan's tire went flat. They went back to the house. I kept running. Then I came home and took a shower and got right back into my favorite pj's.

Eric made Broccoli Beef again tonight. Yum.

Double yum.

It's hard to tell, but this is a photo of the ceiling in my kitchen. That orange blob on the ceiling is a stupid "sticky foot" that one of my precious offspring got at the doctor's office. They flicked it up to the ceiling, and it has never fallen. Now it is making a greasy circle stain up there along with the attractive orange blob.

Hudson doesn't like having his picture taken. I feel less guilty about not taking him for portraits...since he was six weeks old.

Just smile, darn it. Or at least look at the camera.

At least I got a blurry shot of his face. He always looks so cute in the tub.

That would be an empty laundry basket! We were on a mission this weekend. Eric would load the washer, switch the clothes to the dryer, and bring them to me. I folded and put them away. It was a good system that worked out nicely. Just about every last article of clothing in this house is washed and put away...aside from what is currently on our bodies!

One Word

2011-01-23T20:19:00.001-08:00

Friend Makin' Mondays (from THIS blog)

Even though it is Sunday and this is called Friend Makin' MONDAY, I want to do this now!

Answer each question using only one word...

1. Where is your cell phone? charging

2. Your most significant other? Eric

3. Your hair? red

4. Your mother? friend

5. Your father? miss

6. Your favorite? candy

7. Your dream last night? strange

8. Your favorite drink? Pepsi

9. Your dream/goal? marathon

10. What room you are in? family room

11. Your hobby? running

12. Your fear? death

13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here

14. Where were you last night? home

15. Something that you aren't? fake

16. Muffins? blueberry

17. Wish list item? diamonds

18. Where you grew up? California

19. Last thing you did? laundry

20. What are you wearing? pajamas

21. Your TV? Kardashians

22. Your pets? ShiTzus

23. Friends? important

24. Your life? crazy

25. Your mood? relaxed

26. Missing someone? yes

27. One place that I go to over and over? school

28. Something you want: organization

29. Your favorite store? Kohl's

30. Your favorite color? red

Phew! It was hard to answer some of these with only one word. I physically had to stop myself from giving explanations on most of these!

Family Bike Ride

2011-01-17T20:23:00.000-08:00

Today we went on a family bike ride at Woodward Park. But before we did that, Eric and the boys took down Christmas lights outside while I cleaned out the van. Then we loaded up a picnic basket, four bikes, two helmets, two boys and lots of enthusiasm and headed to the park.

First order of business: eat lunch. We were hungry because it was noonish. We had sandwiches, watermelon, chips and juice. The boys played on the park in the background for a bit as well.

Then Hudson announced he had to poop. As any parent of a 3-year-old knows, when they have to poop, you drop what you are doing and find a bathroom. And that's what we did.

Had to feed the geese.

We headed out on the bikes and ended up riding 3 1/2 miles all over the park. It took us about 45 minutes. There were some pretty big hills that Hudson had to walk over. I love it that we are at a point in our family where we can all ride a bike as a family.

Sitting in the back of the van after riding.

Eric after the ride.

While Eric and I rested, the boys kept running up and down the big hill by the parking lot. Oh to have their energy.

The boys were really sweet to each other this afternoon, holding hands, playing together, and just being great brothers. I love it when they do that.

After the ride, we drove to another section of the park to play on yet another play structure and to throw the football around a bit.

It was colder out today than yesterday, but it was another great afternoon. I can't wait to bring the bikes back to the park another weekend.