Total Slacker...

And now I am pissed...blogger just ate my post, and I really don't feel like retyping it. Here is an abridged version:

I have no pictures this Friday. I was at a Girl Scout meeting last night, and got home in time to watch College Football/DNC coverage and crash.

And yes, I am co-leading a Girl Scout troop this year with my friend. We are excited about it...I think it's going to be a great year. But first and foremost, we need to learn the Girl Scout Promise. Last night at the kick-off meeting we were standing right in front of the area leader when we were supposed to recite the promise. Ooops. I mumbled something not even remotely correct and sat down. I guess I have some memorizing to do.

This weekend is busy - we are going to clean the house from top to bottom, I am scrapbooking, a neighbor is having a cookout, and we are watching a friend's daughter.

And September is turning out to be even busier - Ashley's cheerleading will be in full swing with her cheering at football games on Saturdays, Ray is going on a guys trip to Myrtle Beach for golf, Audrey has her ultrasound for her urinary tract infection she had in July, and Ashley is tracked out of school for three weeks. One week she will be in a YMCA camp, one week she is going to visit Grandparents, and one week we are going to Disney.

Oh, and our Girl Scout Troop meetings start. I am thinking we will not be wearing this as a troop leader...

Family Rules

I like to steal ideas, and this one I saw online as well as at a neighbor's house. Using the all so helpful google search, I came up with appropriate rules for my family.


1. Use kind words with your family.
2. Always say please and thank you.
3. Gives hugs to all members of your family everyday.
4. Speak quietly inside the house.
5. No whining, arguing or teasing.
6. Be kind and gentle to Tootles (the dog).
7. Tell the truth.
8. No back talk with Mom and Dad.
9. Do what Mom and Dad say the first time.
10. Put things away that you take out.

Things in the evening get a little hairy. Ashley is exhausted from a full day at school, and she just gets louder and louder and more and more defiant and disobedient. I know it's because she's tired, but I need to get her to recognize she's tired and not react the way she does.

We will probably just point out these rules once in a while and make sure the girls are reminded of them. Anyone else have any success with Family Rules?

A Revisitation of the Potty Training Saga...

Potty training is not my most favorite parenting thing to do. It came so easy with Ashley, one day and we were done. Audrey started showing interest a few months ago, and I attempted to train her that last week in May to no avail.

So we didn't push it. We just let her be. We had some road trips planned and the thought of dealing with potty training during these trips gave me nightmares.

About a month ago, Audrey was strictly wearing only pull-ups. She was staying dry all day at school, and really only going in her pull-up when we would forget to have her go to the bathroom in the evenings. Once again, I stressed about having to add her and her potty training skills to an already tight morning routine of getting Ashley to the bus stop and her to school.

Then she started staying dry all night, despite the cup of milk she was having before bed. And then her teacher at school suggested we have her wear "big girl underwear" to school since she was doing so well. That was two weeks ago.

The only hold up in this whole process was the poop factor. She refused to poop in the bathroom, on the toilet. Until this weekend when miraculously she started doing that as well.

She went our whole trip to and from Tennessee for my brother's wedding in underwear without any accidents. That's nine to ten hours in the car. She started telling us when she had to go.

So the slacker version of potty training worked for us. If you need any more tips on how to be a slacker parent, inquire within.

My Favorite Pictures...

This week I will try and work on the 400 pictures I took at my brother's wedding and showcase a few of my favorites. The girls were really, really good and cooperated with being a flower girl and walking down the aisle. The wedding was small but elegant, and my brother couldn't have picked a better bride. Her family was sweet and nice and it was so good to meet all four of her brothers and their families.

But onto the pictures...Friday night was the rehearsal dinner at my brother's new wife's parents' house (her name is Jen, I am tired of writing my brother's wife so from now on it's Jen...who by the way looks just a lot like Misty May, the beach volleyball player. That and my neighbor looks just like Michael Phelps, but I digress...). This is Audrey and one of Jen's neices, Sadie. She and Audrey were being pushed by my Stepdad who is really good at entertaining children and then passing them off to their parents all wound up...

Next is Ashley and the unbelievable job the hairstylist did on her hair. She loved, I loved it, the bride loved it. She loved it so much in fact she didn't want to wash her hair until she was able to go back to NC and show all her friends. We all got ready in the hotel room before heading to the wedding...I don't know what else to say about this picture other than this is my little girl who must remain two years old FOREVER.My last favorite picture of the day is of 3 of the flower girls and one of the ring bearers. There was one little girl missing who eventually warmed up to my crazy kids and took part in the pictures. Notice how mine obviously don't know how to smile...

The missing tooth...

It fell out this weekend in the van while she was eating...no pain, a little blood, but she went right on eating her Oreo cookie...

Where we expected her to be

Yesterday was Ashley's first parent/teacher conference. Academically, she is exactly where I expected her to be. But as we all know, her behavior is less than stellar. Her teacher said if Ashley could just learn to whisper, she would get in trouble much less.

I talk loud, always have, always will. And unfortunately, so does Ashley. She gets in trouble at school for talking at lunch, talking in the bathroom, talking in class. Her teacher said there are plenty of other kids that talk to, but she always can pick out Ashley's voice because she talks the loudest.

We often joke with her we are going to take a vocal cord out. If we could only find a "Teach Your Child To Whisper" camp, we would. We signed her up for cheerleading with hopes that she would get all of her loudness out there. We will just have to continue to work with her at home to lower her voice and whisper.

Give me an "A"

We have tried gymnastics, ballet and tap, and soccer. All of them were not the right fit for Ashley. But I wanted her to do something this fall.

So we signed her up for cheerleading through our town's park and rec. She has practice twice a week and she will start cheering at the little kids' football games in September.

And this cheerleading thing? Is totally up her alley. Ashley is loud and in certain situations she is extremely outgoing. She loves cheerleading. They are teaching them some simple cheers and some tumbling. She is in the mascots for girls age 5. There are also minis who practice at the same time, and those girls are first and second graders.

Last Thursday at the end of practice, they got both groups together and formed a circle. They did some cheer where the girls would go in the circle and say their name and say they had spirit and would do a "spirit move", like a jump or cartwheel. It was completely by choice. Of course all the older girls went right in, and after a few of them went, Ashley moved right into the center of the circle and did her thing. She was the only mascot to do it, and I was so unbelievably proud of her. She had no fear of getting in front of 25 other girls and do a move she really didn't know how to do, but she did it without prompting. Her coach was proud of her too.

So far so good...

Friday Pictures - We have ABSOLUTELY no luck...

Remember this? When I took out the right side mirror of the van at a Sonic drive-thru? And it stayed that way until yesterday when we traded in the beat up van for a new one.

So we have a brand new van and Ray's blue Honda Civic. Which we all love.

Yesterday was crazy in the evening. Ashley had cheerleading (which is a whole post all by itself...) and it was also an open house at her school. So we took Audrey to a neighbor's house and I dropped off Ray at school, then went and dropped off Ashley at practice and went back to school for the open house. That ended, and I drove Ray back so he could get Audrey and then I would go for the end of Ashley's practice. We saw our wonderful neighbors on a walk with Audrey one street from our street. I pulled over, let Ray out and then went up a little bit and turned around in the parking lot for the new playground near our house.

Next thing I know, Ray is screaming at me, and something hits the car. And does this.

No freaking way. The DAY we get rid of the van with the missing mirror, and FREAKING DEER runs out of the woods smack into my car (really Ray's car, and he is not too happy at this point) and takes out the right hand side mirror on it. There are also some dents in the door. Oh, and lots of deer hair.

I never even saw the deer. Ray says it flipped over the car and got up and ran away. I had no clue what hit the car.

Our luck has to turn around, right?

Snippets from this week...

I saw Mama Mia with neighbors last night, cute movie, although Pierce Brosnan should never, ever, EVER sing.

Ashley has an early release today and Ray is taking her when she gets home to buy a new van. What are we going to get? I voted for the Odyssey, but Ray is going with which ever one gives him the better deal. He is so stubborn sometimes.

Audrey has decided she needs to fall asleep in our bed every night because the past two nights I have come up to bed to find the little one asleep there. We put her to bed in her room, and at some point she sneaks out to our room.

Tuesday Ashley came home from school and slept for over an hour. Exhaustion catches up to her every few days.

No, Ashley has not lost her tooth yet. She was told that if she loses it as school, she gets to wear a necklace to put her tooth in. I think that is what she is hoping for.

We are finally making it to the beach this weekend for the first time all summer. Normally we make the trip once a month, but with school and other various things, this is the first time we are going. I am in need of some sun and sand.

Another Milestone Almost Reached

Ashley woke up around 6:15 this morning and came into my room. She told me her tooth hurt, and I asked her which one. She pointed to the bottom front tooth, and I touched it.

It was loose.

Holy crap, she has her first loose tooth.

Ray made fun of me, and told me not to cry, but this is just one more thing that seems to be coming too quickly these days.

But of course this loose tooth is totally going to consume her. She would only eat on one side of her mouth at breakfast, and she asked me to brush her teeth, and to "be very, very careful please".

I asked her what she thought the tooth fairy would bring her when she loses it, and she said a coin. I guess we are going to get off cheap!

Which to Choose?

Our van is cooked. Between the gummy bears melting in the driver's side door, the crack in the windshield that has been there since Audrey was born (I am not exaggerating...), the missing side mirror from my little incident at Sonic, the van looks like it went to war. That and it needs four new tires and some other work.

So we have been looking at getting a new van. We love our Honda Odyssey, but we have owned Chrysler's in the past (Ray had a Jeep Wrangler and we had a Jeep Grand Cherokee) and have had good luck. So we test drove a Town and Country van and liked it as well. And the girls vote for that one since it has Sirius Satellite TV, and they can get their fix of the Disney Channel anytime.

The Honda? Reliable, I like how it looks.

The Chrysler? Lots of bells and whistles (seats that swivel, two tv screens, satellite TV), American made.

Which would you choose?

Don't Eat at the Panera Near My House...

I know I have mentioned it before about Ashley and her sensitivity to all things sugar. And honestly, we don't have it figured out. We limit her sugar, but then there seems to be some trigger foods that put her over the edge. And it seems Ray is in the same boat. Night before last he stopped by Chick-fil-a on his way home from showing houses for a milk shake and was sick to his stomach the rest of the night.

At her 5 year appointment, we discussed it again, and there doesn't seem to be a concern. So a couple of Sundays ago, I took the kids to church by myself as Ray was at his own personal church, the golf course. Afterwards, I decided to treat myself to Panera for lunch (and well, I guess the kids too). Ashley asked if she could have a chocolate milk with her lunch, and I stupidly said yes not taking into account what she had eaten that day as far as sugar and forgetting that chocolate milk seems to really put her over the edge.

So we order, get our drinks, get our food, and find the only table in the max capacity after church crowd. The table was near the front door, and right next to the line of people waiting to order. We saw a friend and her daughters and chatted with them. They left and Ashley decided to shotgun her chocolate milk. She sucked it dry, and then had that look. The I am going to be sick look.

I asked her if she was okay, because sometimes if she just sits still, she gets over her nausea. She said no, I am going to throw up. I quickly decided that running out the front door was a much better option than to drag her and Audrey through the line of people to the back of the restaurant to the bathrooms. We get out the front door and she immediately throws up in the grass - right next to the outdoor seating. Where people were eating. Oh, and she somehow managed to get some on my foot. Fabulous.

She stood up and announced to the horrified looking couple who was just walking into the door that she felt MUCH BETTER and wanted to go in and finish eating. I am sure the people sitting in the table next to us left because of what they witnessed, but honestly? If I saw some kid upchuck his lunch out of the blue, I would totally think it was a stomach bug which in all the years that I have had kids, I have managed to not get.

I have so just jinxed myself.

Disney Records

It is painfully obvious in our house we love all things Disney. Disney pictures, a Disney themed guest bedroom, Hannah Montana posters in the girls' rooms.

So when I was asked to review the new Disney Records, you know I signed up. I received Ralph's World, Imagination Movers, Choo Choo Soul, They Might Be Giants, all some of my favorites (especially Imagination Movers - LOVE THEM). I also received the Disney Music Block Party CD which includes Disney classics sung by some cool artists.

My kids fall asleep to music every night. Plus, alot of this music is stuff your kids can get up and move to. And anything that gets kids up and moving is a good thing. So go ahead, put the CD on and turn up the volume. And if you are looking for something to do with your kids this summer, check this site out to see if the Disney Block Party is coming close to you.

I am not going to talk politics

The phone calls have started. In the past week, we have received a few "surveys" from certain political groups. Like this one:

"If the election were today," the woman on the other end of the phone asked me Saturday afternoon, "who would you vote for?"

"McCain." Yes, I am a registered Republican. Yes, I think some of Obama's ideas are whacked out. No, I would not like to debate you as I believe you have your own opinions, great, please vote for your favorite, and I have my own opinions which I will use when I vote in November. I am not going to change your mind, and you are not going to change mine, so what's the point in debating? I respect the fact that everyone has a different opinion and a varying ideas on who should be our next president.

On with the rest of the phone call.

"What's the likelihood that you will change your mind and vote for Obama?" the caller asked.

"Um, none? Some? Who knows?" I answer. Because honestly, between now and then, anything could happen.

North Carolina seems to be in the hot seat as a state that could go either way. We have ads that are running on TV who are funded by someone or some group in DC, and no ones knows who exactly. They are trying to make the gubernatorial race important so that if voters come out for that vote, it may affect the results of the presidential race.

It's going to be fun between now and November.

And Ray and I had our own survey last night. We were reluctantly watching "Celebrity Family Feud" and one of the last questions was "name a body part that bends."

I said elbow (which was the number one answer by the way, obviously I think like the rest of America).

Ray argued that was dumb, that it is your arm that bends, not your elbow.

What say you? Your arm? Your elbow? Another body part altogether?

Tagging...

I was tagged by Jen at One Mom's World to post 6 random things about my life right now:

1. I have only one class to finish in my Master's Degree in Elementary Education and will only have student teaching left to do in the spring or next fall. Once that class is done, there will be much celebrating. I am tired of staying up late writing papers and dealing with passive agressive learning team members.
2. My twin brother is getting married this month in Tennessee. The girls and I are in the wedding.
3. I still have curtains that need sewing. Maybe when that last class is done, I can actually do them.
4. Between keeping track of things for Ashley for school (today she had to wear a pattern, last night she had a homework assignment to count the spoons in our house) and keeping track of things for Audrey for school (Thursday is water play day, the end of the month is spirit week where there is something she has to bring or wear everyday) I may very well lose my mind.
5. Ray literally stole the pillow out from underneath my head in the middle of the night. I guess he forgot I was in bed. He did apologize though.
6. It is going to be 100 degrees here today. I sweated just walking Ashley to the bus stop this morning.

I was also tagged by Our Moments for the embarrassing song tag. I have to list 5 songs I am embarrassed to say I like. Don't judge...

1. "Here I Am" by Jasmine Richards from the Camp Rock Soundtrack. And yes, I listen to that CD even when the kids are not in the van...
2. "Flying Rock Song" by the Backyardigans. I have no idea why.
3. "The Rose" by Bette Midler. I heard it on So You Think You Can Dance last week, and remembered how much I loved that song. I immediately went and downloaded it to my Ipod.
4. "One in a Million" by Hannah Montana. It is a cute song. She rocks.
5. "Leavin'" by Jesse McCartney. I know, I am really 32 years old, not 12.

Anyone who wants to play along, join in!

I'm Movin' On

I really jinxed myself a few posts ago.

Ashley ended up on "blue" one day last week. That means a phone call home from the teacher. That means she really wasn't listening. That means that I cried and was upset and didn't know what do to.

And I am glad I didn't write about it then, because it would have been one mess of a post. But now, after talking with the teacher and talking with Ashley and talking with her pediatrician (she happened to have her 5 year check up on Friday), we are good to go. I think. At least we have a plan for at home and a plan for at school.

And Friday she was on "green" all day. And the teacher gave her a treat from the treasure box.

So we move on. Ashley had a good checkup (95% for height, maybe she will like basketball?) on Friday, I got to see my favorite country band Rascal Flatts on Saturday night, and my Dad came to visit for the weekend. Sundays have been pretty rough these past weekends with Ashley being tired from the previous week and the weekend, but we had a good Sunday.

And now I can barely keep my eyes open...