Having a moment

I got a text today from one of Stephie’s friends today that said, “come get Steph and Meg now!” That was it. I had no idea who it was from and it was only 2:45 in the afternoon (they don’t get out until 3:30). Me being the totally rational person that I am started having a melt down in the video store. I mean you want to talk about adrenaline…I could have moved a freaking truck if I had to. I have never gotten at text like that and after that NY thing today, I was thinking guns, killing, my daughter is in trouble! I tried calling the number back but it just rang and rang. My heart was about to beat out of my chest. My legs were feeling weak, I was ready to start crying and shaking. I mean seriously. I finally called the school front office and every time it rang, I was like, PICK UP, PICK UP, PICK UP!!! Someone FINALLY answered. I asked if everything was okay and told her what had happened. She sort of laughed and said the kids were having free time and my daughter was probably bored! Yeah, I am the dorky freak mom! DUH!
Next my phone rang and it was one of Stephie’s friends saying that Steph was bored and wanted to come home. I told her Steph would have to wait and hung up the phone. I literally had to breath in and out to get my heart back to normal! Dang kids!

Then we had a movie and video picked out. We brought the case up instead of the game so the kids went and got the game. But, Nicholas still has the case and set it down on the candy thing. The girl behind the counter kept asking for it and was like, “don’t leave it there.” Lexi grabbed it to take it back but the girl came around the front of the counter looking for the damn case. I looked at her and said, we got it taken care of. She was like, “well I saw him set it down and I didn’t want it left there” HELLO! Do I look like a mom who doesn’t care, go back on your side of the counter and take care of ME, I will handle my kids. Then my neighbor called asking if I could get her son after school today. I’m trying to tell her that Steph has a ride already and so I hand the lady behind the counter my debit card since it has my name on it so she can look up my account. She then procedes to ask for an ID! What? I just gave you my debit card with my name on it, it matches the account there and you need an ID too?! I got mad and said forget it and just left! Ugh!

Lions and Tigers and.....LIZARDS?! Oh my!

Tuesday night was pretty un-eventful up until 9pm. The younger three had gone off to bed and Stephie and I were up chatting. Finally 9pm hit and I told her to go get into bed. I kissed her goodnight and sent her off to bed. It was only about 2 minutes later when I heard the scream! This was not a normal, my brother scared me scream, this was an all out fearful scream! Stephie ran to her bedroom door, turned the light on and was laughing/shaking/unsure....I went down the hall and asked her what was wrong. Her reply?
Steph: "There is a lizard in my bed!"
Doutbing mama said, "there is no lizard in your bed, what are you talking about?"
Steph: "I got into bed, felt something cold by my feet, went to move it, and it ran away!! Waaaa!"
Mama: "Okay, where is it now?"
Steph: "I think it is under my blankets"
Mama then VERY cautionsly pulls back the covers and gosh darn it....a little blue tailed skink goes running to the end of her bed! YIKES!
So now what?!
I like the little lizards that run around our yard. They are cute, green, blue tailed, and sometimes brick colored. They don't bother me and I actually enjoy watching them sometimes. I know they are more scared of me than I am of them so we live in harmony outside my house. But, in MY house a lizard is no longer cute, it is a pest that moves way to fast and I am the one scared of him!
My boys have never been ones to care much about the lizards and have never been interested in tormenting or catching these outside creatures. GREAT! So, my husband wasn't home, Steph and Lexi had QUICKLY migrated to my room and Ethan and Nicholas just wanted to see...but not touch! Now what?! I am not going to bed knowing there is a lizard in the house. So, I call the neighbor. :-)
Long story short....after emptying out from under Stephie's bed, and the whole floor of their closet, my neighbor got the little guy into a shoe box. She promptly placed the lid on top and we took him outside! After chasing him for what seemed like HOURS(probably more like 20min) we got him outside to run free and then the little thing didn't even scurry away! Oh sure, now he is tired!
What an adventure! I mean really, how did that thing get in there, and under her covers of all places? The fun thought is, how long had he been there. Hehehe! :-) But the best part of this to me is. When we lived in Little Rock a lizard got into our house one day and I found it in the girls room. My husband wasn't home, lizards were new to us and I had to get it out! What did I do that day? Called my trusty neighbor! On that day, we cleaned out from under the girls bed and their closet and finally caught and released that lizard too!
So to sum up....where ever I move next, if you are my neighbor...be prepared because obviously, one day there will be a lizard in my girls room, my husband won't be home, and I will need your help to come capture and release it! And to my trusty neighbors, Misty and Julie...YOU ROCK!

Nicholas

Nicholas made this in school and brought it home today:

Nicholas
Funny, smart, cool, fast
Son of Bekah and Jason
Lover of Alexis, house, candy
Who feels special, happy, important
Who needs sleep, tree, God
Who fears the planet Pluto, strangers, under my bed
Who wonders when God was born
Resident of Georgia
Granstrom

Productive...but now I'm tired

Here is what this stay at home got done today:
Woke up got shower
Woke kids up, got them fed dressed and out the door to school
Went to the Post Office
Made spaghetti sauce for dinner Saturday
Made Meatballs for dinner on Saturday
Found Ad Valorum tax stuff online
Finished taxes and filed! Yippee!
Ran out to middle school to take middle schooler forgotten lunch
Ate leftover steak and potatoes for lunch. Yummy!
Cleaned up boys room
Did one load of laundry
Cleaned up girls room
Took out the trash
Picked up kids from school
Did homework with them, listened to their reading and got them into play clothes.
Tonight I still have to:
Pick up middle schooler from school
Bring home middle schooler and pick up 2 kids to go to gymnastics
Pray that older 2 get vacuuming and mopping done while I'm at gymnastics
Come home and feed everyone dinner
Get them into pajamas
Tuck them into bed
Get dishes into dish washer clean up for the day
Put self into bed and sleep!
What a productive day but man I am feeling tired! :-)

One spoiled lady

So Jason is home for the weekend and he is making sure to spoil me! After being together for over 14 years, who really wants to go out on Valentines and fight the crowds of people trying to go out for Valentines dinner too? NOT ME!
So, last night as Jason was waiting for his flight in Charleston he walked by a wine store and decided to bring me home 3 bottles of wine! YUMMY! (score number 1 for hubby)
Then today on Valentines day, while I took Lexi to gymnastics, Jason ran to the store and brought me home a basket full of flowers (score number 2 for hubby)
Then tonight, since we are not going out, we are doing fondue at home, his idea. The reason he thought to do fondue is because our very first Valentines together I had him over to my parents house and made him fondue in the living room. Awwww, what a great guy huh? (score number 3 for hubby)
So, here's hoping your Valentines is as great as my hubby made mine! I am one spoiled lady!
And oh yeah.....all these things will make sure Jason is one spoiled man in return! (score number 4 for hubby) :-)

Teenage Daughter

I love having a teenager in the house, I really do. With Jason out of town a lot, she can be a great source of conversation. I can actually talk to her about things other than cartoons.

In fact, this weekend as Stephanie was doing chores, Jason said to her:
Jason: Keep up the good work Stephanie, this just ups your stock in the family
Stephanie: Okay, as long as I don't have a Black Tuesday any time soon.
Hahaha! That was a quick little remark on her part. I don't think I even would have said that one! She admitted that she had just learned about stocks but still, shows her growing up and understanding more than the little kid stuff.

All that said, there is one thing I do not like about having a teenager in the house, it's called shopping! I remember the day when if Stephanie needed a dress, I could go into the store, pick out the cutest little pink dress I could find. Put it on her and ta-da, cute as a button and EASY PEASY! Just look! Cute little girl, cute little pink dress, looks adorable, EASY!

Fast forward 9 years and dress shopping just got a lot more complicated. Stepanie is going to be in a play in 2 weeks, she needs a dress for the play PLUS her spring concert is coming up so she needs a dress for that. I have already seen swim suits everywhere so I figure it won't be hard to find a Spring/Easter dress. Yeah, well I thought wrong! First of all we have to follow school dress code which says no sleevless or spaghetti straps. Then we have to make sure it is Spring dress which means no black, brown, or red. Then add to the fact that Stephanie hates all florals, most prints, and just about anything that isn't a plane color. Can you see what I'm up against?! We just knocked out 99% of the dresses in any store! Oh my word!

Dress shopping yesterday was not fun! We found one dress, it was like a limey forest green color. Looked very cute on her but it was a spaghetti strap. Thought we would do some looking and see if we could find a little shrug to wear with it. Simple right? Wrong! Oh we found some shrugs but they were $25 or MORE! The dress was $99 and if you add the shrug.....are you kidding me? I love my daughter but $130 for a dress she will probably wear twice! NO!

I finally ordered a dress online and if that one doesn't work....I'm ready to tell the school that if they want a dress with sleaves and in a spring color by tomorrow...they can take Stephanie shopping because I am done! Grrrr! When did shopping get to be so difficult? I have obviously fallen off the fashion wagon because anything I like, she doesn't. Or the comment is, "that would be fine for you mom but not for me." Thanks! I try to tell her that I was just her age a short 19 years ago and that a lot of her friends moms are more like 30 years from remembering being 13 and that she is lucky......ok, who am I kidding....I'm still old and 13 was a long time ago and even when I was 13, my mom knew nothing about fashion. I guess this is one time I am inclined to believe in Kharma! What goes around comes around, huh? Sorry mom!

When and IF we find a dress, I will be sure to post a lovely photo here, until then...say a prayer for me and if you happen to be going out shopping with your teenage daughter anytime soon....I'm sorry!

Boys

Friday nights are always pizza and a movie night. It is my night not to worry about cooking and the one night we eat in the living room watching TV. The other little treat that goes along with movie night is that we let the kids have some pop with their pizza.
Tonight when I told the kids to get ready for bed and brush their teeth Nicholas asked if he could quick finish his can of pop. He said there wasn't much left so I said ok. After he was done drinking his pop, he said, "Mom, listen to this" and then started shaking his belly all around. Much to my surprise I could really hear all the pop sloshing around in his belly. (I know that you can hear liquid in your belly when you drink a lot but I was surprised how loud it sounded)
So because I have a blog and haven't posted in a while, I decided to record it for all of you to hear too. Turn up your volume and listen closely. Sorry if the video is a little shakey, I was laughing the whole time I was recording!
Ahhhhh boys! Gotta love 'em!