I have created a monster…

One just like me.

My  fifth grader is doing her science fair project on how many calories from fat are in a serving of many of the choices our kids have for lunch.

The problem? Now the lunch lady hates her. Seriously. Last Thursday, she said to my daughter, ” We are having doughnuts tomorrow, Emily, aren’t you excited?!” And one other time said, “What’s the matter Emily, too much health class for you?!”

 So my delimma is, when is it okay to stand up for your kid, and when do you let them handle things themselves?

I know that when I was her age, I was very confident, as she is, and okay with whatever anyone threw my way… but, as a parent, I have a hard time, when adults are poor examples.

Any ideas would be GREATLY appreciated.

Things I’ve learned today…

1. Mattresses are way overpriced.

2. When an entire bottle of thirty dollar conditioner is spilled all over the bathroom floor, it is just as slippery as the bottle of five dollar conditioner.

3. Getting spit-out fruit snack out of the carpet, is nearly impossible.

4. When the lunch lady says there is no money in the lunch account, she means business.

5. It costs fifteen dollars in gas to drive a beat up truck to Davenport.

6. The statement “I only peeed a little.” is generally a lie.

7. It takes roughly twelve hours to properly clean a straw from a sponge bob cup. The dishwasher only pretends to work.

8. There is nothing more adorable than watching two brothers become friends.

I hate to work out

Have I ever shared how much I hate to work out? Seriously. I go to the YMCA every Tuesday and Thursday, sweat like a pig, burn hundreds of calories, and where does that get me? NO WHERE!
Not to mention, why do they only make work out clothes in the sizes for people who DON’T need to work out?
On a positive note, I have taken up tanning. I figure if I can’t be skinny, I can at least be tan, and doesn’t darkness give the illusion of thin? I thought so.

To buy or not to buy…

Okay, so we have had this ongoing discussion in our house about whether we need a king size bed. Our current bed, a queen, is on it’s last leg, and with family visiting next month, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to upgrade, and move the old bed to the basement for the company!
Problem is, which bed to buy.
We went back and forth on which size, and have now decided on a king… that is where the problems begin.
We decided we would get the one that matched our other bedroom furniture, at IKEA, but they don’t ship that model, so guess who is making a trip to Chicago this weekend to pick up the dumb bed frame.
Then mattresses, don’t even get me started, this one I can’t even begin to figure out, firm or soft, pillow top or not, it just goes on and on.
Finally, bedding. We have to buy ALL new, since it is a new size, that includes curtains, since our current ones match our current bedding, which was all purchased at Marshall’s in Seattle, so no luck of finding the same stuff here.
I think we have decided on some Ty Pennington stuff at Sears, so I am off to the mall, yuck, to see if I even really like it.
All this with Brody and Micah, the day should be a lot of fun.

Home for lunch

My husband, who does have a name, it’s Steve, has just arrived home, to find me blogging…
Having never even read my blog before, he decided it was as good a time as any.
I would like to publicly say… in reference to my last post, I left out the part about Steve being incredibly good-looking, and the part about how AMAZING he is.
Thanks honey, for reminding me.

Miles traveled

Sunday was my husbands birthday. He turned thirty-five. THIRTY-FIVE. I remember, like it was yesterday, when we were the YOUNG couple. What happened?!
We took the family on a hike, since it was such a glorious day. A hike in which I believe at least one child was complaing the entire time. Came home, and Steve took a NAP before we went out to dinner. I told you he was old.
Dinner was Granite City, okay, but not great. Brody screamed the whole time, and Emily and Isaiah argued about why Emily was aloud to order off of the adult menu, and Isaiah was not. Hannah and Micah went to the bathroom three times…. we were only there an hour.
When did we become so old?

Grattitude

It is funny, this blog thing. A little self serving, but fulfilling none the less.
I wanted to say thanks for responding…
It has been a lonley year, as friendships take so much time, and with five blood sucking leaches living in my house, time is an indulgence I am only recently realizing I need.
But, God is good, and He has shown me, in a humbling way, how there really is NO ONE like Him.
My quote for the day (not that there will be one everyday, get real, I don’t have THAT much time):

“True relating is born in solitude.”
-Sue Monk Kidd

Ode to Seattle

Our trip was a success. We saw all we wanted to see, visited those we wanted to visit, and left happy, fed, and tired.
Seattle is such a beautiful city, but clearly, more beautiful in my memories. It seemed dirty, small, busy, and full of self-absorbed, self-seeking people.
I remain so thankful for our move to Iowa. Wide open spaces are hard to come by in the Pacific Northwest, and I relish them here.
Of course there are things I will continue to miss…
Espresso stands on every street corner
Real beer
My best friend ever
Family (something i completely took for granted before)
History – with people that is
The water, and mountains
Good campgrounds
No Smoking anywhere
Trader Joe’s (our favorite store ever)
But all in all, I love Iowa. I love being able to send my kids outside, and not check on them every two seconds. I love sunsets, and a sky that is bigger than any I have ever known. I love the simplicity we have. I love that it has brought our family closer together.
That’s all I got for now.

First Light

Well, here we go. Some amazing women I would one day like to call friends, informed me that it was indeed necessary to have a blog to be considered cool. And although I rarely bow to peer pressure, it appears in this case, I have conceded.

I had a great time in Seattle last weekend, didn’t miss the kids. Realized to my surprise, that I really enjoy living in Iowa. I know it may be hard to believe.

Jody, I got you a gift there…. I will give it to you Saturday night at church. Something related to your efforts to kill your family by poisoning, bleached flour, chemicals, etc.. all in the name of saving a buck!