By request...

You ask.  I deliver. 

It is apparent from this photo that I need to have them adjusted. They sit a little crooked on my face.  But all my glasses do.  I think one of my ears is a little higher than the other.

"Hornet gun... check. Hornet sting... check. Let's roll, Kato!" 

Does anyone remember the Green Hornet? All I need is a black hat!  Don't worry if you don't because next summer, a new Green Hornet film is going to be released starring Seth Rogan...wonder if he wants to borrow my glasses?

I'm sure they'll grow on me. I figure in 8-12 years anything's possible.

I got a new pair of glasses this week.  I usually wear contacts but at night after I take them out I put on glasses to give my eyes a rest.

The glasses I have been wearing are at least 8 years old.  I think I've had them for more than 10 years but my husband told me I was crazy.

But I remember when I got them.  I even remember what I was wearing.  And I remember they eye doctor's office I got them from so I am almost 99.9% certain they are over 10 years old.  Crazy?!  I think not!

I did get another pair about 5 years ago but the part that hooks over your eye (I'm sure there is a technical name for this but I don't know what it is - perhaps I should ask my husband) was oddly shaped and every time I tried to remove the glasses they were stuck to my head. 

And to make matters worse, the two little pieces that rest on each side of the nose got stuck in my hair every time I tried to remove them.  I lost a lot of hair with those glasses.  Eventually I got frustrated and went back to the 10 year old glasses.

It has always seemed like a waste to spend money on something that I only wear around the house for a couple of hours a night but the prescription was outdated so I finally decided it was time.

They arrived last week and when I put them on for the first time I was shocked at how large they looked on my face.  They didn't look that large in the store. 

And I was shocked at how dark they were.  They didn't look that dark in the store.

I suppose it was the dim lighting and the magical mirrors that made these glasses look wonderful at my eye doctor's office- much like the lighting and the mirrors in the department stores when I'm trying on jeans. 

Hmmmm...my rear didn't look that big in the department store...

When Sarah saw them on me for the first time, she laughed and pointed and said, "Those look funny on you!"  But I expected that from her.  She loves to laugh at me.  I often get "You aren't wearing that are you?" from her as I'm heading out the door.  (I don't remember being that frank or rude when I was 6.  Maybe I was. If so, Mom - I'm sorry.)

My husband keeps telling me that they look good.  Or his exact words are, "They look good.  Waaaaaay better than your old ones."

"Way better than my old ones?"  So does that mean that for the last 8-12 years whenever he saw me in my glasses he thought I looked...bad?

And then there's my dear sweet son Peter.  He hasn't even realized that I have new glasses yet.  I love that about him. He gets that cute little non-noticing gene from his dad yet somehow I find it less endearing on my husband.


I decided that due to their rectangular shape and dark frames, I look like a masked superhero. 

So if there's trouble in Gotham City tonight - have no fear.  Batmom will be there!

There they go!

It's the first day of school and the kids hopped out of bed, put on their clothes, ate breakfast and brushed their teeth - all with no complaining.  I expect that to end tomorrow morning when the realization hits that they still have 179 days to go!

Both kids told me at bedtime last night that they were nervous.  And this morning as we were waiting for the bus they both said they had butterflies so I have been doing lots of extra praying for them! 

Aren't they cute - butterflies and all?

Sarah - First Grade

Peter - Second Grade

                                                                  
                                   

And they're off!  

Can't wait to hear all about at 2:38!

Happy School Year 2010-2011 Ya'll!

Summer vacation is drawing to a close and none to soon.  The excitement of summer and all that comes with it seems to be fading.

The thrill of the pool is gone.  As Peter told his teacher last night at Meet the Teacher Night - "I've gone to the pool so much I'm tired of it!"

The thrill of playing outside is gone.  It has been so hot this summer that there wasn't much bike riding, swinging, ball playing or general outdoor frolicking happening. 

The thrill of watching TV and playing on the computer is gone.  Yes.  I will admit it.  I let my kids do a lot of both of these activities this summer.   You don't have to email me about it.  I already know I'm a bad mom.

But the one thrill that will never be gone for my kids is playing with Jennifer's kids.  We played with them every day.  And I'm not exaggerating. Every. Day.  Jennifer - thanks for putting up with us.  Every. Day.

I'm ready for school too.  I'm ready to get down to business on my to-do list which has been on hold since June 11th - because I learned several summers ago that the to-do list does not get done on summer vacation.  I can't get anything done when the kids are home.  Apparently I need silence and no extra help when I'm cleaning out closets, cabinets and toilets.

I think Peter and Sarah are a little nervous but I think they are ready to get back on a schedule, get back to their friends and get back to some reading, writing and arithmetic!

So long Summer 2010!  We've had fun but it's time to move forward. Onward and upward and away we go!

Oh - we went to the beach this weekend for one final fling.  We had a grand time playing in the water and being lazy.  But don't worry.  You won't have to look at any beach pictures.  They all turned out blurry for some reason.  Every single one of them. 

Never fear though.  I've adjusted the camera settings so if you come back tomorrow there should be a picture of two adorable kids waiting for the bus with their mother. And everyone knows...it would be the first day of school without pictures at the bus stop.

Party Hats make every activity a party!

I am growing weary of playing Dead Man and Hide and Seek with Sarah. 

Peter can entertain himself for hours on end but Sarah needs a playmate. A constant playmate.  And Baby Kitty just isn't cutting it.

Today she's upped the ante on Hide and Seek.  We are playing it while wearing party hats.  That's right.  Party hats.  Because in Sarah's world wearing a party hat makes every activity a party.

But in my world, it's only a party if there's cake.

A ring! Just want I did not want!

Baby Kitty gave me a present! A ring!

But don't get excited, it wasn't a diamond ring which is what I would have preferred - it was Ringworm!  (I don't think Ringworm is supposed to be capitalized but I'm doing it anyway, just for effect.)

We were at our final swim team party for the year (County Champs! Go Ducks!) and Jennifer's husband (who is a veterinarian - a very good one, I might add!) looked at my arm and knowingly said, "What is that?"

And there it was.  Ring Worm!!

So he got me some shampoo for Baby Kitty (who is most likely the fungus carrier) and told me to get some Miconazole cream for the Ringworm on my arm.

I headed to the drugstore and went straight to the first aid/skin ointment section.  I searched and searched and searched and still couldn't find the Miconazole cream. 

I went to the pharmacy to ask on which aisle I might find it.  The pharmacist and the two assistants who were working with her that day all pointed me to aisle three on the other side of the store.

Aisle three, I thought, on the other side of the store?  Why would the Miconazole cream be way over there so far from the pharmacy where the other skin ointments are kept?

As I got closer to aisle three, I realized that Miconazole cream was not just any skin ointment.  Aisle three contained feminine hygiene products. 

Miconazole is the generic name for Monistat and Vagasil!

I wanted to run back to the pharmacy and explain, "I don't have a yeast infection!  I don't!  Really! All I've got is Ringworm!"

I didn't do this of course.  Instead I paid for my cream and left the store embarrassed that all of the pharmacy staff thought I had a yeast infection when in fact, I merely have a little case of the Ringworm.

Because everyone knows that Ringworm is way better than a yeast infection.  At least that's what I thought until my brother saw my Ringworm and started gagging.  He was certain that there was a round worm living underneath my skin.

He didn't believe me when I explained that it was just a fungus and there wasn't an actual worm burrowed into my flesh.  He continued to gag and shiver.  I finally had to walk away.

At least you can "hide" a yeast infection - as long as you don't quiz the pharmacy staff on the location of Miconazole.

Seven days later, thanks to the constant application of Monistat 7, my Ring Worm is gone.  Thank you Quinn! 

And Baby Kitty, it's time for another bath.

I think it's time for our summer to end.

Because I just heard "Mooooooooooooooooooooommmmmmmm!  She's doing it again!"  I wish there was a whiny font because italics just don't quite convey the annoying sound that the kids have perfected this summer.

I don't even know what "it" is and with less than a week and a half of summer vacation left, I really don't even care.  

So now we are off to the bowling alley because I promised the kids at the beginning of summer we would go.

Right now it's all about survival.  And I'm hoping that I can keep them busy enough that I don't hear, "Moooooooommmmmmmmmmmmmm!  Make him apologize!" again.  Because if I've heard it once...

If this is the way green sounds, then give me brown instead!

I was at the grocery store this weekend stocking up on snacks to take to the pool.  I reached for the Sun Chips bag and heard that annoying crinkle and stopped in my tracks.

We like Sun Chips.  We like them a lot.  But I just can't deal with that annoying sounding bag. 

I got a bag a couple of weeks ago and cringed every time we reached for a handful of chips.

The makers of Sun Chips have designed the worlds first fully biodegradable snack bag.  It is supposed to break down in 13 weeks. (I think that's the claim they make on the bag.)  But whatever they have done to the bag to make this breakdown possible has created the world's most annoying crinkling sound. 

I just couldn't bring myself to listen to that sound again so I grabbed some pretzels instead.  I hope they come up with a different bag soon because Sun Chips are waaaaaay better than pretzels!

And if you don't believe me about the sound, try picking one up the next time you are at the store. Everyone in the store will stop and turn around and stare in your direction to see what is causing that horrible noise. 

I really do but I love that he thinks I don't.

My son was up early this morning.  I had already showered but I had not put on my make-up or fixed my hair.

He was on the floor playing with his Legos when I told him I was going back upstairs to finish getting ready.

"What do you have left to do?" he inquired.

"I still need to put on my make-up and dry my hair," I replied. 

"You don't need any make-up Momma," was his response.

I love that kid!

Alpha and Omega? No, I think this is just the end!

Ok, I have to admit it.  I enjoyed Alvin and the Chipmunks, The Squeakuel.  It was cute.  Very cute.  No profanity, no sexual innuendos, no crude jokes.  It was just cute.

Not so cute was the trailer we had to sit through for the upcoming movie Alpha and Omega. This is a 3D animated movie about two wolves (one is the alpha female of the pack and the other is the omega male) who are taken from their pack in the wilds of Canada and dropped off on a farm in Idaho.

The reason they are dropped off on the farm in Idaho?  So they can procreate.  In just 30 seconds on the trailer, there were a couple of sex jokes and a couple of other totally appropriate jokes. 

I do not consider myself prude.  And I wouldn't consider my children to be sheltered.  But do we have to watch a trailer that makes me - a grown woman-  uncomfortable right before watching sweet, cute, PG-rated Alvin and the Chipmunks?

Perhaps I am prude.  Any comments from anyone else who saw the trailer?

To me it sounds just like fingernails down a chalkboard. Only maybe worse.

Today the kids and I are going to see Alvin and the Chipmunks at the dollar movies with a bunch of other familes we know.

When I told the kids we were going they were thrilled.  (Apparently I don't take them to enough movies.  But at least when we do go, they appreciate it!)

Sarah said, "Ooooooh!  Is it the Squeakuel?"

Yes, unfortunately it is the Squeakuel.  But in my opinion, anything with those chipmunks is a Squeakquel. A Squeakfest.  A veritable Squeaksmorgasborg.

Let's just say, I'm not looking forward to hearing those annoying little squeaky voices for an hour and twenty minutes.  I have always been annoyed by those little chipmunks.  But at the end of summer when the kids are bored of our normal routine, the dollar movies is just what we need.

I'm just hoping for a really good storyline.

Perhaps I should just take earplugs.

Blueberries. We've got lots of blueberries!

How can it be possible that I only posted SEVEN times in July! Seven.  That's pretty weak.  My only excuse is that it's summer vacation and since the kids and I are spending all of our time together, nothing they do seems very postworthy. 

We've been going to the pool.  A lot.

And while I don't mind it, the kids are getting a little bored with it.

We've been playing with Jennifer's kids.  A lot.

My kids will never bore of that.  It amazes me that the first thing out of their mouths in the morning is usually, "Are we playing with them today Mom?  Are we?  Are we?  When?  When, Mom?"  I think I might need to do an intervention or something.

Last week we took the kids blueberry picking.  It was hot and we got sweaty.  Very sweaty.  But we also got lots of these...

That's a large mixing bowl full of the good stuff!  This weekend I tried a new receipe (compliments of my friend Mary.) 

It's for Blueberry Buckle which we love.  It was my first time making it and it turned out great.

Blueberry Buckle Coffee Cake

Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Grease a square (9x9x2) pan or a round (9x1 1/2 or 2) pan.

Cake ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar

2 1/2 tsp baking powder

3/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup shortening

3/4 cup milk

1 egg

2 cups blueberries

Blend all of the above ingredients except the berries. Beat for 30 seconds. Stir in blueberries. Spread in the pan and sprinkle with crumb topping.

Crumb topping:

1/2 cup sugar

1/3 cup flour

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened

Mix the crumb topping ingredients until they are clumpy.  (I use my fingers.)

Bake 45-50 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.  (I used an 8 inch round pound and ended up baking this an extra 15 minutes.)

Drizzle with glaze and serve warm.

Glaze:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

1/4 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 - 2 tsp hot water

We ate this for breakfast on Saturday morning. And with all the antioxidants from the blueberries, it's easy to overlook the fact that essentially we had cake for breakfast!

Today I'm going to make a blueberry pie.  Remember this from last year?   Can't wait for dessert tonight!  More antioxidants and no guilt.

(If anyone has any really good blueberry recipes, let me know.  Otherwise, I'm gonna flash freeze these and make lots of buckle and pie in the winter.)