Big Mistake

So this morning, Matt mentioned that we could take the kids to the pool this afternoon. So, I thought, I'll bust out my tankini I bought at the end of last summer and try it on. Um, big mistake. I don't look as good in it as I thought I did last summer. Which leaves me with two thoughts: 1-I may just send Matt with the kids to the pool. 2-I need to exercise every day so that even if I still don't look good in my suit, at least I'll feel better. Anyone else having swimsuit anxiety???

The definition of insanity.....

Is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.

I have two Tasmanian devils that follow in my wake. I clean a bathroom, the next morning, a pile of toothpaste is on the counter and the sink also has toothpaste in it. There is a toilet paper ball (Andrews favorite past time when I'm not paying attention) sitting on the counter. The towel that I put down for them to stand on out of the bath (and to give my knees a bit of cushion when I'm washing them) is soaking wet. I just keep thinking, maybe this time it will stay clean a little longer. Maybe this time, there won't be bright blue toothpaste smeared on things. Maybe. If I'm lucky. Yeah, I'm insane.

SO IRRITATING!!!!!!!

So, as I've mentioned, I've been having a hard time uploading photo's recently. I've had to upload by one or two on the last few posts. Well, it stopped working last night. I had Matt change our browser to firefox, and things are loading faster, but I am still not able to upload pictures!!!!!!! Everyone else seems to be able to. Not sure what the problem is. It might be the server, but if anyone has any ideas to help please let me know!!!!!!! And I'm kind of retarded when it comes to computer stuff.

I'm crazy

Last week a friend (who shall remain nameless because it took her TWO DAYS to remember to tell me about this) told me that the north PX just got a shipment of polish pottery and that they had MY PATTERN!!!!! I could hardly wait to get up there. When I got there, I went a bit crazy. I was so excited that they had so many different things in my pattern!! I got tiny little stirring spoons, a huge cookie jar (or whatever I want to put in it), a deep casserole dish, two pots to plant in (which I plan on using soon to grow some chives and something else, maybe cilantro?? in so that I don't have to buy them anymore), a spoon rest, scoops, and even two coasters!! (those are the two things that look like tiny little plates in the first picture). I won't tell you how much I spent. It was less than what I would spend online for the same stuff (if I could even find it) but more than what I would have spent in Poland. And since I RARELY find my pattern, I felt slightly justified in buying it. But to compensate for my HUGE indulgence, I am on a shopping fast. I'm not going to buy anything online, or at any store. Other than food. I might make an exception for some gifts I want to buy. But as those are for Christmas, I can wait to buy those until next month. So, until my sister gets here (at the end of next month) I am not buying anything. No books, clothes, pottery, nothing. I really hope that I can do it, and am hoping to convince Matt to do the same. Believe it or not, he's worse that I am. He trolls ebay in search of the next bike thing to buy. So, lots of plans to really use my pottery and to cut back and save some money.....wish me luck!!!

Memorial Day

We had a great Memorial Day today. But since I haven't downloaded the pictures yet, that post will have to wait. In the meantime, read this. This woman articulates things so much better than I ever could. Not a big fan of the imagery of the quilt (just my personal issues) but I loved this. I think Newsweek should put together a book or something of all the My Turns. They are some of the best things I read in the magazine. I almost buy it just for that. And this woman lives pretty darn close to where I live. Hope all of you had a nice weekend too!!!

Pics of the DZ

Here are some of the pictures I took yesterday. (it took me FOREVER to upload these.)

Andrew found a friend from his school and they were looking for grasshoppers and caterpillars.

kinda caught matt with a funny look on his face

every one of those parachutes has a soldier at the bottom of it. I heard later they dropped 400 soldiers.

Andrew, Lucy and Jilly eating popsicles that Jillys dad had bought for them.

ever seen a plane poop????

this apache flew right past us. we could see into the cockpit and could see the pilots they were so close.

once the soldiers have landed they let off smoke flare things.

Going to the DZ

I got a phone call early this morning (which isn't that unusual as my friend has called me even earlier than she called this morning) from my friend who told us there would a huge drop today. What is a drop you might ask? That's when soldiers jump out of ginormous airplanes. But today was going to be different because they were dropping Humvee and other equipment. They also had four or five different helicopters sitting out for us to go into, sit in, and get to smell the lovely army smell. So, we got out to the Drop Zone (hence DZ) and Andrew was more interested in catching tiny grasshoppers and caterpillars. Some Apache's flew down really really close and then sat down on the other side of the field and sent off some blanks as the soldiers got themselves together in their combat groups (I think that's what their called, correct me if I'm wrong) and we saw them go and "secure" the "buildings" that they had on the field. The kids had a great time, and I really liked it too. I took a TON of pictures. At the moment I am uploading pics to our family blog. And they are taking a really really long time for whatever reason, so I will post pictures either tomorrow morning or right after I post this if the other ones are done.:)

What would you do?

There is a park we like that is a very quick walk from our house. There are many houses who have a backyard that is almost the small park. But some are pretty far away, yet still are in the same grassy area. There is a little boy that keeps showing up. He is four. He lives at one of the houses described, but his is almost the furthest away. I've seen this little boy many times. Yet, we've seen his mom maybe twice. There are rules here on post about how old a kid can be to be unsupervised. Obviously, four years old is still a bit young (note the sarcasm) to be unsupervised. I've told him that his mom needs to be out there. His older seven year old sister informed us that her dad is deployed (which means nothing to me. whether or not her husband is deployed does not inhibit or take away from her responsibility to her child), and that their baby sister was sick. So, if you as a parent cannot go out, don't send out your kids. She could sit outside her house and listen and watch, which isn't ideal, but I can live with that. The other day, their back door was shut, and I watched the house for a while looking for movement of any kind in the windows. There was none. Today, she was standing at the back screen door one or twice, but that door is made mostly of glass and she wouldn't be able to hear anything unless she opened the door. Last time I saw them, I had told them that their mom needs to be out there. Today, that little boy came up to us (I was with a friend) and told us to mind our own business. Well, I don't think so. It is completely my business when her son is throwing sand at our children, and coming up to us to ask for snacks and drinks. The next time I go to the park, and that little boy comes out, I'm going to go to her back door and ask very nicely for her to come out and watch her four year old. The seven year old, as much as she still needs to be supervised, knows enough (I hope) to not go in the road (which is right next to this park) and to be more or less well behaved. But I've had to correct both of their behaviors at one time or another. I have a feeling that this woman might give me a problem when I ask her to come out. I have a notice that housing sent out with the rules about kids, and how old they can be to be left alone. So, I'm not making it up. This keeps happening to me when we go to parks on post. I'm tired of it. So, would you do the same? And what would you say? I don't want to allow it to get angry, and I want to stay calm (which can be really hard for me to do!). I'm all ears for your advice.......

Tests for Inlaws

Someone out there needs to make a test for all future inlaws. With questions regarding family mental history, their personality, and personal habits. Also regarding whether or not they are still stuck in the past, or if they are living in the present. Perhaps a question about how much they are wanting and/or willing to be involved with their grandkids. Cause let me tell you, that would have saved me a lot of trouble. Sigh........

BEARS!!!

I was at a friends house Tuesday night doing a stamping thing, and someone mentioned a bear. There was a bear on post in the last few days!!! Yesterday, I got this email.

CAUTION - Bear Sighting:A bear was sighted within Fort Bragg's main cantonment area over the weekend. The first sighting was in the vicinity of the Airborne PX on Ardennes St, near the PT track. A second sighting was caught on closed circuit television at the Longstreet and Lamont Road Access Control Point, with the bear heading toward the Fort Bragg Landfill.
The bear is believed to be a Black Bear, which are indigenous to North Carolina. Black Bears are very tolerant of humans and rarely attack. If unprovoked they will usually go on their way. Black Bears, like many other bears, will scavenge in search of an easy meal. Once easy food is found the animal is more likely to remain in that area.
Attempts are being made by Fort Bragg Wild Life to catch the animal safely. In the meanwhile, please ensure you take the following steps:
1. Immediately report any sightings to the Provost Marshal Office.
2. If sighted, do not attempt to approach the bear or to track its movements, other than to note the direction of travel.
3. Do not attempt to pet, feed, chase off, scare off, or other wise get close to the bear.
4. Talk to your children about the possibility and dangers of contact with wild animals, including bears, and actions they should take if they encounter wild life.
5. Keep pets indoors or inside fenced areas.

So, who of you that read this would go up to a bear and try to feed it??? Sure wouldn't be me. One year at girls camp for church we had some major bears. (Heidi, do you remember that??) I remember standing on the beach of a small lake (really a pond I thought) and looking up the mountain, and a BEAR walked by. I was speechless. Then that night while all of us (I'm talking at least 100 girls) were around the campfire we heard the big trash bins slam and a huge roar/growl and ALL the girls went crazy. We ended up having to sleep in the big lodge place because everyone had food in their tents. You should have heard the crazy things they were saying. Anyway, haven't seen a bear yet. You can be sure I would let you know if I saw one......

I forgot

I have been neglecting my Dancing with the Stars.....

Marisa was finally voted off!! Yay!! Very excited for next weeks shows, yet sad that it is all done. But Army Wives starts June 8, and Burn Notice comes on soon. It might sound like I watch a ton of TV, but I don't. I set my DVR to record it and I watch it at night when the kids are sleeping. And sometimes I don't always get to them. Ok, I'm done for the night. Promise.....

I did it

So, first of all, my dad is out of the hospital!! Yay! But I'm sure he won't be able to do much for a while. Yay for antibiotics.

In thinking about the issue with Andrews friend, I decided that I wouldn't bring anything up until he gets invited over again. If it is soon, then we will have to say no. If it isn't for a while, then I'll have to think about it, and evaluate how they have been interacting. For all I know, she might have told him that he can't have friends over until he can treat them nicer. So, we'll wait.

Now, the other fun fabulous phone call I had to make.....sigh, I'm such a scaredycat. I didn't do it on Monday!!! I know, I should have, but I was nervous!!! I finally did it today, and it ended up OK. I kept it to "I" statements, addressed all of the issues that I had, got things clarified, and even though I absolutely do NOT agree with how she is dealing with the kids in Primary, I am not the President (thank goodness) and I have to respect that. I made a few other phone calls today, and found out, that like half the people at church, they will be moving this summer, so there will be changes!! It is hard to move around a lot, but the blessing of that is if there are people that you don't get along with, can't stand, or any of those things, one of you is bound to move!!

So, I'm glad I did it. I feel better now. Only problem is that my voice is sounding like a man's voice today. And it hasn't gotten better with time. I hope I have a voice to sing with on Sunday! It will be my last one. So many people I've talked to who have been the primary chorister say how fun it is, how it is the best job in my church. Hmm. It might be the people, the kids, my stinky attitude, or all of it together, but I just don't feel that way. I have yet to find the "best" job. I'll let you know when I do. :)

So.....

....my dad is in the hospital. He has pneumonia, and it looks like he'll be there for a few more days. This is the only time that I don't like living far away. Cause calling him several times a day just doesn't seem like enough. We should be there going to see him every day with the kids, and bringing him treats.

.....I have an issue with a friend of Andrews. He was over at his friends house the other day, and his friend bit him. For some reason, this friend of his only acts like this when Andrew is at his house. In every other place (our house, school, park) they play very well, and there aren't any of these issues. His mom is just as surprised, and there were a few incidents before of Andrews' friend being too physical with him before. Each time he gets into trouble, so it's not like his mom just blows it off. Here is my problem: Matt knows, and doesn't want him going over again. Which I understand. I also have a standing offer (and her for me) to pick this friend up from school, or drop him off. I've watched both of her kids before, and she has watched mine. So, I'm not quite sure how to tell her this without it causing a problem. We can still pick him up and take him to school as well as have him here and play at the park. Just not at their house until he learns not to treat Andrew that way. So, if any of you have any great ideas, please share. I like this friends mom, and am looking forward to getting to know her better.

.....I got released as Primary chorister. I am now the Primary pianist. Which suits me quite well as I play the piano. Unfortunately, today there were some pretty major changes with primary, that were not announced from the pulpit so that the parents could direct their children, nor was I told or my former pianist. And they looked at us like we were supposed to know about the change. There have already been a few issues with some of these people that are not communicating to me. And luckily, as the pianist, I won't have to deal with them directly any more. But I still feel that the issues need to be addressed as the person that is replacing me will also have to deal with it and that there need to be changes made so that there is better communication. One specific person hates confrontation. And I would have talked to this person today, but I was really irritated that they couldn't send a simple email letting us know about the change. If this were the only thing, I would have no problems. It's in combination with the other things that make it a problem.

....I have two yucky phone calls to make tomorrow. One to Andrew's friends mom, and one to this other person in primary. The fact that I'm even willing to make these phone calls means that I'm doing better. Because at a different time I just would avoid the issue at all costs. Yet, here I am, willing to face it head on. One thing in my favor is that we move again in December, so if things get really yucky, I won't have to see these people forever. One bad thing is that 7 months is still a long time....sigh.......

I'm going to sleep on it and hopefully I will have some inspiration tomorrow morning so that I can make both phone calls the best they can possibly be. You know, sometimes this adult thing is just not fun.

Mothers Day

I do not like Mothers Day. I hate the obligation that I felt all my life to do something for my mother because I have to, not because I want to. I honestly wish that we did not have these type of days. I just read this post on Feminist Mormon Housewives. Now, that title of a blog might turn some of you off. But this specific post was amazing. Me, the woman of little tears, had tears in her eyes by the time she finished reading it. I wish I could be friends with the woman that wrote it. I would encourage anyone who has issues with their mother that they need to read this post. And even if you don't, I think you'll like it. You can leave comments there or here. Whichever you'd like. Just read it!!!

Coyote's and Marriage

This article is just crazy!!! The scary part is, I know where these places are. I am so glad the kids are OK.

And this one just made me laugh. Especially when it talked about the time of marriage when they are the most unhappy. What do you think about this one???

My new wallet

I was going to load a picture of my new beautiful wallet, but blogger won't let me for some reason. And rather than spend too much time trying to do it, I'll just give you a link to a picture of it. I couldn't find it on the Fossil website, but I did find it on ebay. I LOVE this wallet. It is SO pretty and fits everything that I need it to fit. My other wallet I've had for four years, and worked very well when I had to have more than one kind of money in my wallet. But now that I'm back in the states, I don't need all that room. The auction is cheaper by a few dollars than what I spent on it at the PX. But that's Ok. I wish they had a matching purse, but I have looked and looked and there is not one to be found. I love having pretty things be so useful.

Writers block

So, I've been experiencing a bit of writers block. Not sure if it is anyway related to the lack of sun around here (we've had a good chunk of rain in the last week or so) but even though I think about things to write, I sit down, and nothing but lame stuff comes out. So, I'll be working on this. It's not for lack of things to say that's for sure. Just, well, I don't know. I think partly there are things I want to write about, but don't feel that my blog is the right place to write about them. And some that are very very personal. So, I probably won't be around much. We'll see how it goes this week. And, just because I haven't talked about it much this season, tonight's Dancing with the Stars was a bit blah. I enjoyed it, but some of the dances were just boring. I am very excited about tomorrow nights show because I love Mel B and Maks dancing, and I'm sure the others will be good too. We'll see what I have to say this week.....hopefully something. I miss typing like a mad woman on the computer.....

Slow down!!!!

As most of you know, we live on a military post. And on a military post, speed limits are much different than out in the civilian world. And since post is usually smaller than a city, the MP's are usually around pretty often. On post here, in the family housing areas, the speed limit is 15 mph. Which is pretty freaking slow. Sometimes I go 17 or 18, but I do that because I don't have a digital speedometer, so sometimes it's kind of hard to stay right on 15, especially when I'm in a hurry. And we have 3 elementary schools down the street and around the corner. We also have single soldier barracks near here. And they don't quite get the speed limit. The other day, as we were walking Andrew to school, I yelled at a car to slow down. (their window was open). Today, we walked to the track that is down the street, meeting a friend to do some exercising. We have to cross the street at one point, and when we got there, there was a car coming. They were doing at least double what the speed limit was. They did not show any signs of slowing down, but I stepped into the crosswalk anyway. It's not like they couldn't see me. And my double jogger with my kids. As I walked across the street, I turned and looked at them (a four door with four soldiers in it) and said very loudly, YOU NEED TO SLOW DOWN!!! As I walked past, I did see that the passenger window was open. Andrew asked if they were going to fast, and I very loudly said yes. I really wanted to walk up to the car and remind them what the speed limit is. Tomorrow I'm going to get the MP's phone number and give them a call. I rarely see them out. And if I see them, it is after school, which is good, but there are still people flying down the road all day. Maybe I'm getting feisty in my old age, or maybe the fact that I have small children that potentially could walk into the street, but it really bothers me that these people choose not to adhere to the speed limit. I wish my camera would good enough for me to sit out there and take pictures of every one speeding. And one of those cool gun things that tell you how fast they are going. And the next time someone rides my rear because I'm going the speed limit, I'm going to slow way down. And drive in the middle of the road so they can't pass. Or some of those spiky strips that police men have, but only come up when you're going more than 5 miles over the speed limit. I bet next time they would stick to the speed limit if they had to pay for four new tires.....