Life in 2012

Nov 7, 2010 was my last post. Since no one reads this anyway, it doesnt really matter. So lets just say my last post was last week, k?

So now I have no kids at home, no ailing parent to comfort, I am aimlessly wondering what am I to do now? Could I finally finish moving into my house? Could I finally finish those nagging projects I started oh so long ago? Can I finally focus on taking care of myself? Hmmmm. Interesting thoughts.

On that thought, I have been stalking pinterest.com lately. Wow, talk about crack for the soul. I literally spent 3 hours on that site yesterday looking for ideas on making a valentines wreath (I blame my mother in law - back to that in a minute), and I found those and many many more cool things that me, a relatively well educated woman in my (ahem) mid thirties could easily do. I have a few crafty skills. I can do this.... I already made a few cookies from that site. Mostly they were good.

Anyway, back to my mother in law. She is very sweet. In fact, that is why she is to blame for the wreath thing. While she was at my house last fall watching my kids while I was taking care of my Dad, she bought a fall wreath. It was really pretty and looked really nice on my door. So, when Christmas came, I actually made a wreath. No, it wasnt my idea, I totally plagerized it, but it turned out really nice. Made one for my mom and one of her friends too. So now that I have taken my decorations down, I am in need of the next door hanger. I have my standard, no holiday, boring, blah one. But I don't want that one. I am finally feeling not blah, so I believe my front door should reflect that. Strange logic, I know, but that is how I roll.

I found some really cute ideas. Some fabric that look easy to one with felt that looks like it would take a long time... don't know if I am into that. I am still a short attention span kind of girl.

I finally finished a quilt for my mom for Christmas. I thought it was really pretty. I wanted to keep it for myself, but that would be wrong. I have found a pattern for the next one. I have to decide if this one I will keep, or if I will give it to my brother for his wedding. That would be nice of me... wonder if I will be nice. I have like 11 months to be naughty before I have to be nice again.... at least that is how I think it works... Noel may agree... he he.

So, carry on. Maybe I will do this regularly now. I think that it would be cool to give a copy of this blog to my kids one day so that they have proof to give the doctors when they want me committed... he he.

The Move

Moving stinks. Moving twice stinks more. We just completed our move into our new house. It is really a beautiful house. Way more than I ever thought was possible for us to achieve. But for the Grace of God, we did. I am still excited to see what all He has in store for us here. Should be a wild ride. Has been so far!

But I digress. Like I said, moving stinks. But, it provides you with the age old, irrefutable excuse... " We lost it in the move".

So far we have lost a camera and a Brownie vest that I can think of right now. The rough part is that we don't know we are missing them until we need them. So, it may be years before I know I lost something. The good side is that I can clean my kids rooms... mwah ha ha! Goodwill and NAM are the beneficiaries of all our "losses".

Lauren has been living out of boxes for 6 weeks now. I finally had a sit down with her and explained that if she didn't do it, I was. She replied to me "I don't like it when you clean my room". SUCCESS! So what did she do all day long today???

Yep. 5 empty cardboard boxes down for the count!

The Salvation Army is coming on Tuesday. We have 2 refrigerators, a bookshelf, a dresser, a bike and numerous small items to give them. YAY! We may actually be able to park in our garage soon . SHHH

With all the moving, the hardest part for me is the loss of the neighbors as friends. I am not saying that they are no longer my friends, it is just that you establish a different kind of friendship with your neighbors. It is one of convenience, not necessarily shared interest or something. We will see how they survive. I am confident in one... not so much in many others.

But with the loss of old comes the entry of new. Several neat ladies are my new neighbors. The one next door openly decries Christianity, so we will see what happens there. They no longer scoff when we say we are going to church... so that is good. Lifestyle evangelism will be essential with these folks... it is like they are just waiting for us to fail... too bad they wont understand we all fail.

I digress again.

Looking forward to seeing what my life becomes now. Unemployed, stay at home mom to 2 kids in school. Hm. We shall see. maybe I will take up skydiving. Maybe not.

June 22, 2009

Yep, that was the last time I posted a blog entry. It is my passion, i guess.. hm.

I have had loads of things to write about, but I forgot every one of them. Oh well. Will try to do better.

The final days of Tyler being at home with me are here. We have exactly 10 more days of preschool. YIKES. Then a long summer and he starts Kinder. I thought that I would be excited about this, but in truth, I believe I will cry like a baby and wander around wondering what I am supposed to do now. So, I am trying to figure that out now. Do I work? Full time? Part time? Volunteer a bunch? ugh.

It is also the final days of the Kersh family living at 14331. We have been here 11 years and the stuff is astronomical. Along with the stuff are memories though. Some good, some bad but all memories. I know we will make new ones in the new house and the kids will barely remember this place when they are old, but this house with all its pimples and rashes will stay in my heart forever. I really really pray that the new owners will love this home as much as we have and will find happiness here. UGH, oh well. We start moving in another week, and close in 2 1/2. HOPEFULLY all the folks we have moved over the past 11 years will lend a helping hand. he he.

What else... pray for me next year. I will be in a new house, without a job, without a kid and not knowing my neighbors. My life will be unrecognizable from the life I lead right now. I am excited to see what God has in store for me. He has to have a grand task, this move has really been way too perfect for Him not to have orchestrated it from the beginning. We shall see, huh?

Facial

So, my sweet husband bought me a gift card for a massage last year for Mother's Day. Very nice, right? Well it seems as though I had a terrible time finding a good time to go and use it. It expired on May 31, 2009 so on May 29th I went.

Just in the nick of time.

I did decide to have a facial instead of the massage though. So off I went.

Very relaxing. A little bit of pain during the "extractions" but overall very nice and my skin felt oh so smooth afterward.

Now in the meantime, my husband was home alone with the kids. 9 times out of 10 this is no good for the green team (that is me... I am the only one with green eyes, so the blue team - everyone else - tend to team up against me.)

I walk in the door and I was talking to a friend on the phone.. I wander into my room and my daughter follows me in... "Mommy" (note the disregard that I am talking to someone else) "Mommy - your face looks nice!"

"Thank you sweetheart" then she leaves...

Not five steps out the door - "OK Dad. I told her!"


Nice



Later that day Noel and I were going to finish our fence project we had started the weekend before. I kept telling him to go to the store (read "gently reminding him to go to the store") to get the lumber we needed for the project.

Before he goes, we decide to play a little family style picture Bingo.

I win the first game and Daddy wins the next 4. Sonshine is getting frustrated and simply states "Dad. It is time for you to go to the store."

A family history of poor losers perhaps?

Summer Pool

So, it is crazy hot this summer, right? Just officially the start of summer yesterday and I am already paying over $200 for electricity... Goodness knows what it will be in Aug... yikes..

So, I was looking at the Sunday paper and saw that Target had their blow up pools on sale... so I got one. Went to Target, got the pool, brought it home.

Little man decided that I was not able to swim in it. I didn't think much about this... just thought he was just talking... you know... cause that is what he does now...

Anyway, when Noel gets home, little man lets him in on the plan... "After dinner, you, me and sister are going to blow up the pool and go swimming."

Noel doesn't really think about it and goes "OK"

I inform him that I was not included in the pool group.

He asked why

"Because she isn't on the box."

(Duh!)

Apparently on the box, there is a girl, a boy and the dad. Thus I was not able to swim in the pool.

Noels thoughts were that the mom was the one taking the picture.

I told him "No.... Mom blew the thing up, so she is over passed out on the grass!"

I love 4 year old logic.

"Pona"

So my daughter has been playing on the computer alot, right? I have been doing the "proper parenting" thing and checking what she is doing and all that. So, the other day she asks me ...
"Mom. Do we have Microsoft Word?"
Me: "Yes."
Her: "Where is it?"
Me: "Let me show you."

(note the absence of my questioning her about why she wants it - I can figure that out later - gotta love auto save)

A little while later I am reading and I hear her voice from the computer room :

Her: "Mom"
Me: "Yes?"
Her: "How do you spell 'pona'"
Me: "Huh?"
Her: "How do you spell 'pona'?"
(surely I have misheard her. Years of vocabulary words float through my mind... Is she saying 'Pony'? No. 'Pawn'? No. hmmmm

Her: "MOM!"
Me: "Yes?"
Her: "How do you spell 'pona'?"
Me: (i give up) "P-O-N-A"
Her: "thanks!"

I forgot about it.

So today I am listening to her play on the computer.

Her: "Mom! I opened Microsoft Word."
Me: "OK"
Her: "Now I can type. I called it 'Lauren'"

(she actually saved her document and renamed it lauren. I don't know how she knew to do this)


Tonight I get on my computer and notice her document is open....
I read it and what do you suppose it says?


"Once a pona time......"


he he

It is all talk!

Little man, who isn't so little anymore, is really starting to talk. Except for the incredibly annoying mimics of his sister, he has really picked up some cute words. The other day he said both "Dangerous" and "Ridiculous" without his sister's help. Just out of no where. "Mommy, we cant go swimming in the deep end... that is dangerous"... "Mommy, don't put that on your head... that is ridiculous".

Wha?

Anyway, this is a long way from where he was at Christmastime.... He decided to put a "Y" sound at the end of most every word. "Sister-y... can I have some of your water-y?" I thought that it was cute..... Sister, not so much. Baby girl has actually asked me and darling dear not to call her by her name when little man is around. "Mom (I am mom to her now... not mommy anymore) ..actually more like 'Moooooooom' don't call me by my name. I don't want my brother to use my name (?). I want him to call me 'sister'." Of course, she does not call big man 'brother', so I don't get it. whatever.

Baby girl also picked up this annoying phrase at Christmas too. (gotta love grade school). "Big 'ole" has entered the house! "Mom... can you get me a 'big ole' drink... I am thirsty". Yowsers. Then again, a few months ago, husband and I were in bed on Sat morning fighting the sun from rising (it always seems to though) and baby girl wanted to know what we were going to do that day. "I dunno.. what do you want to do?"

"Let's go to the mall and loiter."

HUH? Really?

"So, darling daughter... what does loiter mean"

"You know... just hang out."

Wow. Chalk a positive up for grade school cause I am 98% certain that I don't use that word in my everyday conversations...

We do still have issues with some words though.

With both of them "ambulance" really gets them tongue tied. It usually ends up "aliens". As in "Mom - listen - can you hear the aliens?"

"No" (as I look to the sky for the UFO I am sure is hovering overhead with their sirens and bells blazing.)

Ever since my mom was in the hospital for a week or so this Spring, now they play "Aliens" and race to the hospital. whatever.

T still has an issue with the "L" sound. He finally got the "L" back in "please". But the "Fl" sound is really tripping him up. So, instead of, "Mommy, my flip flops are on the floor" it is "Mommy, my blip blops are on the bloor". Now, I know I am his mom, but that is WAY CUTE!

Shake it!

So, it is 3 years and 6 months since the birth of my son. He FINALLY decides that it is time to use the potty on a regular basis (and the angels sing "ALLELUIA")

So, we started tinkling on the potty. Then we started pooping on the potty. (This is nasty... we are using a small potty and what goes in there must be transferred to the big potty - nasty). Now my big boy needed to learn how to stand and use the potty. From the beginning, I told my husband that he would have to be the one to teach him how to do this as I just don't have those parts.

When I came home from school one day and casually mentioned that my son's preschool teachers had started to teach him, my husband was a little peeved. (Apparently this was a right of passage that had been violated) so I told him to get to work.

At a visit to Nana's house, we heard the familiar call " Mama, I need to go potty" which was answered with "NOEL - GO". As my husband chases my son into the bathroom he is trying to remember why this was so important for HIM to teach my son this....

Noel comes out of the restroom a few minutes later in tears. (laughing ones) He says that after my son went potty, he told him to "Shake it". Now, to older boys and men, this is common knowledge. To a three year old boy who is used to dancing around the house, this is an invitation to cut a rug, so he shakes it. (think "come on baby, lets do the twist").

Wowsers. That was funny.