NaBoPloMo

Ok, this is my second year and my second attempt at making it through November's blog challenge to BLOG EVERYDAY. Can I do it? I am going to try.

Today's post -- Monday Monday Monday

Last night, I faced my inner fear and forced myself to restart Quicken and try to get a true handle on our budgeting. I have been very lazy these past few months. And to be honest, everytime I think about money I want to barf. This has to stop. I have to force myself to be informed, pro-active and to take charge! So November 1st marks the start of the new fiscal me, ahem, actually the start of the new fiscal family. Get ready boys....

This morning was wonderful. The first day of the end of Daylight savings and it was so nice to be able to see Daniel get on the bus. I think the sunshine this morning also helped me start the day with a little brighter attitude too.

This morning the local CBS station came to our school to film for its "Cool Schools" program. This will air on Friday morning and the kids in CBI were so excited. To be fair the whole school is highlighted, but our in-school coffee shop is one of the highlights- that and the peer-facilitation program that pairs gen. ed. kids with special needs kids as mentors. Pretty cool. Stay tuned for a link!

Boston

Remember my post a year or so ago about Sean and sports? Well,I think he made a good decision. Despite a very weird fall rowing season, our club was able to send 3 boats to compete in the Head of the Charles in Boston. Below are the highlights...


Grandma always said, "A poor workman blames his tools..." However, these kids spent most of the fall season behind the eight-ball. They were flooded out of the boathouse, TWICE!
They could not get on the water due to raw sewage leakage in the Chattahoochee. They drove over an hour north to try and get some time on the water. They got up and tried to work out at 5:30 am (still dark) despite it being the rainiest fall ever.

I am proud of them.

This was a weekend of firsts for my first boy.

• First national competition (38 out of 79 teams from 5 different countries)
  
• first plane trip (I know...)
  
• his first visit to New England

AND, the Saints are still ahead....:)

Sunday afternoon

It is a lazy and cold Sunday afternoon. The sound of Saints football (thank you FOX for finally showing a game....) can be heard from NO LESS THAN 3 tv's in the house as well as the required war-whoops and yells.

Daniel walked by on his way outside-- (apparently he did not get the NFL gene) -- and said to me

"Do you think Dad is on drugs?"
"No," I replied, "he just loves his Saints football."

Attitude

I woke up this morning, early. Sean had rowing practice at 5:30. I admire his determination and am proud that he has qualified for the Head of the Charles. However, there are family wide repercussions, because extra practices come at the expense of parental sleep. This morning Rhett drove him and napped in the car. I have the unfortunate malady of not being able to fall back asleep after waking-- so I had a nice slow start to my day. E-mail and FB were checked, lunches made, umbrellas found. Thought things were going great.

After walking Daniel out to the bus, I noticed a huge lake right in front of the front stoop. Knowing the flooding and leaking issues we have had, I spent the next 10 minutes under my umbrella digging a trench with my bare feet so that the water would drain away.

Then came inside to see that Daniel forgot his lunch... crap, not enough time to drive it to him at school-- hope they let him charge....

Then Ryan was just behind the 8-ball, and needed a ride into school. Got him in the car and while waiting at the middle school for the prima donnas of middle school to be dropped off RIGHT AT THE FRONT DOOR, I heard squeaks and saw smoke coming from my exhaust pipe-- lots of it (at least it looked that way on a dark, rainy morning at 7:30). Then I noticed I did not have my cell phone. I opted to drive home and check out the car from the driveway.

Back at home, Sean, freshly showered, making his breakfast, confirmed smoke. Big help.

I parked the car outside-- in case it caught fire (remember my worries?) and got out in the rain and checked the oil level, the coolant level, and the belts... looked good to me-- but....

I pulled out my handy car manual and GOOGLE.

Bad idea.

Within minutes I had called 3 garages and had self-diagnosed a bad catalytic converter. A Google search instantly let me know that the typical repair cost for this on a piece of crap '99 Windstar is between $700-1400. On a car worth about $2400!

Panic... worry... diarrhea ... you name it.

For what ever reason I got in the car and drove. Hoping it would be just emissions. Been there done that before on this baby. No smoke, no squeaks... good so far. The blinking engine light became steady....

For whatever reason, I stopped at the local emission inspection station (the guy there is really nice) and he said he would run a FREE diagnostic on my car.

Final decision? Misfire on a cylindar-- which I had had repaired over the summer, which should be covered by warantee.

I finally made it into school, just in time for adaptive music. I got to sit on the sofa and dance leaves on the parachute with the kids and sing "Don't worry, Be Happy". What a lesson to learn on this dreary morning.

When am I ever going to get it?

When am I ever going to learn to LET GO, LET GOD?

Will I ever learn Don't worry, be happy ???

Brothers and 9.11.01

First and foremost I would like to take a moment to remember those who died 8 years ago today in NY, in the air and working at their desks in the Pentagon. To those who rushed in to help and became victims themselves. May God's light shine perpetually on them.

Last week at school we were discussing a documentary one of my co-workers had seen about WWII. She mentioned that the film-makers had interviewed several young Japanese citizens on the streets of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The majority of them could not tell the film-maker what had happened on these streets to end the war.

This lead us to ask the question, "Will we all remember 9.11.01?"

Oddly enough, that weekend I happened to find a VHS tape while de-cluttering the basement. It was a 9.11.01 documentary filmed from the point of view of 2 french brothers. They had begun filming the life of a newbie NY Fireman. Their assigned station was 7 blocks from the Twin Towers. They began filming in July, never expecting that they would have a bird's eye view to such a disaster come September. On that fated day, these two young men bravely filmed everything as they followed the firefighters into danger and became separated in the chaos of the morning.

When the tragedy of the terrorist attacks were fresh, most of us tried to shelter our children from the trauma. But, in retrospect, maybe that was wrong.

I don't want them to forget.

In watching the documentary, my 10 year old was full of questions and my introspective 16 year old was mostly silent.

I am ashamed to say that the moment that touched me the most was watching both of my sons cry as the reunited brothers held each other and cried tears of joy at finding each other alive.

It's a brother thing.

Something I hope my boys will always hold dear.

Each other.

Seven Quick Takes Friday

-1-

I woke this morning to learn that John Hughes had passed away suddenly. What a sad day. There is no better reflection on American teens than that seen through the eyes of Mr. Hughes.

My favorite JH film has to be Sixteen Candles. Pushy grandmothers, forgotten birthdays, wild parties, geek heaven. It had it all. Except for that fantasy ending. This would never happen in real life. But, that's why we loved this film. For its possibilities.

"That's why they call them crushes. If they were easy, they'd call them something else."

Pretty much sums up MY high school life.


My second favorite JH film is She's Having a Baby. To this day, I can NOT watch this movie without crying...

"It's breaded smelt, it's grouper. I try to make you happy and you mock me!"

This pretty much sums up my early 20's, early marriage and parenthood.

I learned today that not only did JH only direct 8 films, all classics, but that he also wrote the screenplays for the rest of the decent 80's films-- including NL's Vacation and Christmas Vacation

-2-

Today is officially the last day of summer break. Ugh, totally not ready for the chaos of the school year. NOT ready to go back to work. I am happy that I am back working with the same teacher with the same kids + a few new ones (thanks budget crisis for that increased student/teacher ratio!).

-3-

I still have not see Harry Potter and the HBP, despite the fact that my children have seen the movie at least 3 times EACH! Maybe tonight will be date night.

-4-

I am happy that my brother-in-law Rob is back stateside after a YEAR spent in Bagdhad.
That's his office overlooking the Colbert Report's USO tour!!!




I am happy that he is home safe and sound. Especially now that he doesn't have to kick rats out of his way walking through Sadam's palace; that he is no longer covered in sand and that he can hang out and play with his kids like Gumby...

-5-

While, the fact that Rob is home truly does make me happy...it also makes me sad, because that means that now they have to MOVE to Virginia. It has been a lot of fun having them here in the ATL. I am glad that the cousins have really had a chance to get to know each other-- I just wish I had more time when they were here. In a perfect world, I would have been playing Sally Homemaker and doing all kinds of crafts and home improvement projects with my sister, Shmartha. But, we don't live in a perfect world, and I will take what I got.

And now, we get another beach to visit!

-6-

Good news... PSYCH is back on! Tonight. Premier!

-7-

I think I am going to spend the rest of my day watching JH films-- if I can avoid my 10 year old who is chomping at the bit to buy school supplies...

Seven Quick Takes Friday

It's Friday!

-1-

Family vacations CAN be fun. Even when you cram lots of people in one house. It helps to have the distraction of a pool, a beach, lots of games and lots of cousins. For the grown-ups I suggest a few cocktails, can't hurt right? Cheap wine makes great sangria, and Bud Light with lime is a pretty good beach drink. And sisters really are the best when it comes to laying it on the line and whining.... who me??

-2-

Thanks to the Pioneer Woman for her awesome recipe for Jalapeno poppers. They truly are amazing. I have to say, I also love her wisdom. Let's just say I learned this lesson the hard way. We enjoyed them immensely. Until my sister scrolled through my pictures and said, "Who would take a picture of the poppers?" (She doesn't blog...)

-3-

Today's big debates? Where to take the family picture-- this is always a discussion for this family. Too many photographers in the bunch. Everyone has the perfect idea. Funny, despite all the fussing that comes before we still manage to take a pretty good picture. The second debate? Shrimp or pizza for dinner... we don't even entertain taking this huge brood to a restaurant to eat!

-4-

Today's beach find? "Ouchless" jelly fish! They can be used to decorate sand castles, chuck at your brother or introduce yourself to pretty girls on the beach --this only works if you are 4 1/2 and are cuter than a button like my nephew Aidan.

BTW, it works.

-5-

My son Ryan re-discovered reading Harry Potter this week. I have to say I am happy about that-- so much so that I let him stay in and read instead of guilting him into going to the beach "because we drove all this way and spent all this money". A lifelong love of reading is much more valuable than getting pelted in the back with an "ouchless" jellyfish by your brother.

-6-

This week made me realize how I miss my college friends. None of them read here, so it is not a shameless plug for some lovin'. I just realized that Rhett and I have spent most of the week telling stories of various beach escapades we survived with the Loy-yo-yo crew. I need a fix. Nothing can compare to day-long tournaments of UNO on a rainy beach day, or trying to explain to your kids why "Uncle" Frank is swinging his bathing suit around in the surf (let me just say that he was thankfully and mostly UNDER water at the time).

-7-

Finally, surf lessons + 6'4" frame+ ouchless bandaids = weird tan lines
Now, hop on over to Jen for some more 7 Quick Takes!

Day 5 at the beach

Today was another surf day...from 47 to3 everyone was surfing.

I love the look of sheer joy on my honey's face --nothing is sweeter

Things I have come to appreciate these days...

• Spray sunscreen. This was invented for the mothers of pre-teen boys who DO NOT want their mothers touching them. Guarantees sunburn-free boys who have more time to spend at the beach and get tired.
• Solo suntan lotion. I love that I am almost to the point where I do not have to "lube up" anyone but myself-- minus a little spray here and there. This morning I had flashbacks to applying lotion to myself and 4 kids-- don't know how Kate Gosselin does it alone.
• the miracle of "peek-a-boo" when trying to calm a crying 5 month old -- and the look of surprise everytime I reappear. I rarely get that look of admiration from my own children.
• beach chairs can make amazing babysitters when needed. Necessity is the mother of invention!
  

I love the fact that this family can embrace nature...

from baby blue crabs....

to starfish...

to tidal pools...

to...what the hell is this creature???

Rainy day

AH, life at the the beach. You wake up in the morning and see grey skies....what do you do? There are 9 children in the house...

So, you decide, let's go to the beach any way. A little rain can't hurt!

When you take 9 children to the beach and leave some people home-- this is what they get to do on a rainy day...

take a well deserved nap...

read a good book

or, read that nasty summer reading that you have been avoiding...

Day 4 at the Beach

Today is day four of our family vacation. Eighteen people in one house. It is a house amazingly filled with happy sounds-- giggles, farts, screetches, numerous sound effects and robot voices. I am constantly amazed at the ability of the average boy to mimic their favorite sound.

So far it has been a fun filled week. Full of ice cold watermelon after a day at the beach..

Starfish hunting....

and then covering your cousin in starfish...

Rocking a baby to sleep to the sound of the beach wind and waves...

Learning to surf from your aunt and uncle that are really just 12 year old boys trapped in an adult's body...

And FINALLY being relaxed enough that you are willing to post a picture of yourself (in a bathing suit) on the beach-- lost in a good book.