Charlyn’s Web

It’s finally here!  I’ve been saying “Ah April!” for months now and it’s hard to believe that it’s here!

Last fall my friend Boo Boo and I talked of our long friendship and realized that we have known each other for 20 years!  We thought that was something to celebrate.  She offered to buy me a plane ticket for my birthday and Christmas.  I hemmed and hawed, couldn’t make up my mind (really unusual that, I am such a decisive person. )  Did I really want to leave the kids and Big Guy for that long?  I wasn’t sure how the Big Guy would feel about being left for that long too.  One day he came home with a bunch of boxes of Hamburger Helper.  I was thinking that was rather strange as I hardly ever use those anymore and they get old sitting in the cupboard.  He announced that they would be good for him to make while I was gone!  Yipee!

Then came the hard part- finding a “good” time.  I decided that the fall was not good as there were many events happening- between birthdays and holidays.  So we decided on March- which is closer to Boo Boo’s birthday.  So we could celebrate my birthday, hers, and 20 years of each other. But we forgot about Spring Break and what it would do for ticket prices so it got pushed past that time and it was set for April.

Whenever we are feeling low, which it has been a long haul for my good Friend, we would tell each other- April!  And we would smile and things would look better.   Just hang in there, April is almost here.

And now it is here!  I leave on Saturday.  It hardly seems possible.

The hardest part will be the actual LEAVING of my dear family.  Parting is hard.  BUT once that is over, I am sure they will be fine… and so will I.

My Dear Friend has a hair appointment set up for me.  I have been under strict instructions to not mess with my hair until then.  I have been good and not snipped my bangs.  Brownie points for me!  Also set up is a pedicure and a manicure.  I’ve not had the pleasure of either one so I am excited.

And Shopping.  I am NOT a shopper.  For clothes especially.  I like looking at things, like kitchen gadgets and books.  But finding fun in clothes shopping has always eluded me.  Probably because I am supposed to actually PART with money.   Saying that, I am inexplicably excited about going clothes shopping on this trip.  Probably because of the company.  Probably because she will boss me around and I will have limited decision making to do (another thing I am SO good at).  I will wear comfy shoes and make sure I am well fed before we start out.  That always makes things more bearable.

Coffee.  I plan on having morning coffee with her like we did when we were young (er).  Relax.  Do some cooking.

I will not have to share the bathroom stall with two other bums.  I will not have to remind those said Bums to stay off the floor, that it is not polite to try to see under the wall into the next stall.  I will not have six hands to wash.  I can eat whatever  I want without sharing.   Maybe, just maybe I can have a complete thought without interruptions.   I will not have to count heads every five minutes.  I doubt there will be anyone who looks at the food I just worked hard to make and say  “EWWWW! What is it!?!”  but I could be wrong about that.  I can sleep in.  (Down side- no Big Guy waking me up.)  There will not be anyone climbing the walls (literally) or screaming “There’s a Monster!” as they run through the house.  No whining, no squabbling, no fighting over seats at the table, no having to remind people to get dressed (well, I don’t think most of these things will be issues).

I will not know what to do with myself.

The Public Schools are on Spring Break this week.

Therefore, the weather is terrible.  Rainy, windy, cold.

But, we homeschool.  We are trudging along with school, although at an easier pace.  HP isn’t happy with this development but we remind him that there are days he has off when the other kids have to go to school.  Maybe when the weather gets nice again we’ll play hooky and do something fun.

Bahhhahaha!  Evil laugh.  But then again, maybe not.  😉

As I sit here, mind void of higher brain activity being made number by repeated games of Spider Solitaire, I wonder why I have a blog.

I have been reading other’s prose on the Web and am definitely in awe of what some people produce.   Some people have things to say and say it well.  Some produce tons of stuff- posting multiple times a day- even when they don’t have anything to say.   And here I sit- being watched by multiple “camera traps” that my son has positioned all around the house (not to worry if you are concerned about your next visit being “caught” on camera- they are made out of Legos.)  and nothing of import has come to mind.  Maybe I am too worried about “importance”.    Maybe the Camera Traps are inhibiting my creativity.   Having a blog and feeling the need to “produce” for my phantom readers is stressful.  Yooo Hooo! Anyone out there?

Then I remind myself why I wanted to do this trendy thing.  I wanted to record what was happening in our family and comment on things of interest to me (rather narcissistic, isn’t it?)  Also to let other people, mostly family and friends, keep caught up on our lives.  Mainly, the kids.  They change so fast.  So with that in mind, I don’t have to be Shakespeare (or is it Shackspar?) or to be the best speller (I even confuse spell check) or grammatically correct (I know, too many commas and dashes) but just honest.

Even with Camera Traps watching my every move.

The girls had been outside and came in with dirty hands. While they were being washed up, Kirsten noticed that there were some dark smudges on the Barbie toothpaste tube. She immediately accused Talia of getting dirt on it.

“Kirsten do it!” Was Talia’s reply.

It was starting to degenerate into one of those deep and provocative conversations. “She did it!” “Did not, she did it!” When I pointed out that it was just the price sticker residue that was left when Gramma took it off before giving it to them for Christmas.

They busily told Papa when he came in all about it. Kirsten mentioned it at the breakfast table the next day and when Talia enters Black Ear, she points a chubby finger and proclaims:

“Gramma do it! Gramma fault!”

All settled.

I decided that I should forgo cream (the real thing, “heavy” even) in my coffee.  I thought it might be hindering any weight loss efforts.  Yesterday I drank BLACK coffee.  No milk either.  I survived, but just barely.  (It wasn’t too bad actually.  Don’t tell.)

I mentioned this to The Big Guy and his first reaction was of concern for my well being.  Snort!  Fooled you!  His first thought was that HE would have to do without (he likes it on occasion) or drink a whole lot more of it so that what we did buy didn’t go bad.  So with my well being and happiness in mind he convinced me that the small amount I have in my (most of the time) one mug of coffee wouldn’t derail my health.

So I am creamless no more.  It’s in the coffee this morning.  Yum.

I spent some time yesterday looking around at other blogs.  Some people actually have people who leave comments, amazing that.  But I digress.  One of the things that struck me was the long list of other blogs they have listed at their sites.  Does that mean they take the time to seriously, daily,  read all 20-4o blogs listed?  Or do they check in every so often to see what is happening?   How much time do these people have anyway?

The ones I looked at were mostly women with kids, some home schooling families, and they post quite often to their own blogs- at least daily.  I know this takes quite a bit of time in it’s own right but maybe I am a slow writer.  But then to check out other people’s work takes quite a while too.  How do people do it?

I must be time challenged.

There has been a lot of talk about the Government listening in to phone calls, snooping through emails and maintaining a gigantic database with lots of information about YOU.  Many feel this is an invasion of personal privacy.

In my dictionary privacy is defined this way:  “the quality or state of being hidden from, or undisturbed by, the observation or activities of other persons.  Freedom from undesirable intrusions.”

I am not concerned about a big database with bits of potentially embarrassing personal items about me, maybe this is naivety on my part but I am  concerned with another invasion of personal privacy.

I would like to go to the bathroom, by myself, without screams wafting through the house (and two closed doors), and without fingers or toes wiggling at me from under the door.   I don’t think this should be too much to ask but apparently, to my children, it is an unheard of thing.

Yesterday, I needed to make a quick run to Henry, and told KJ and HP that I would be right back.  KJ followed me, whined something outside the door and then stuck her toes under it to “peek” at me.  She decided that it was imperative that her cold tea be warmed up just at that time that I choose to leave the area.  Silly me.

Privacy and young children do not mix.  Ask any Mother.   The Government doesn’t need to listen to my phone calls;  my 6 year old does that.  They don’t need a data base of my embarrassing moments; my kids see every one and they’d tell you all about it.

Finally! Hans’ front tooth came out! It was hanging there by a thread when it was knocked out while playing this morning. He wasn’t sure if it was the Brute or KJ who did the final deed but it’s done! No more loose teeth for the moment.

Our thanks to Rachel and Devin for getting him to work on it so much on Friday night. The adult tooth looks to be about half way in and the baby tooth just didn’t seem to be getting any loser until then. Hans tends to be a weanie (did I say that?) and didn’t want us to pull it.

Only 18 more to go.

What is it with the time change and kid’s internal clocks?

One would expect that kids that normally get up about 6:45 AM would sleep until 7:45 with day light savings time.  Especially, when they went to bed late- or was it the normal time?   But that would be false thinking because we are dealing with children and that mysterious internal clock that goes off anytime there is a threat of sleeping in.  Or of letting the parents sleep in.  They continue to get up at what the clock says is the “normal” time- as in 6:45.  Which by my not-yet-adjusted belly clock is 5:45.

Then the whining and crying starts because of sleep deprivation.  I know, an adult should have more self control.  Maybe the kids should send me to my room.

Please.

We had friends over for dinner last night. Mind you, I don’t do the Martha Stewart Style of entertaining! I try to get the house reasonably clean, good food (I hope) and conversation. I don’t garnish things but put them in serving dishes instead of leaving them in their pots. My main goal is to get together with people and enjoy them and try not to get caught up in how “perfect” things “should” be.

We had everything picked up and vacuumed on Thursday. Friday became the challenge to keep everything looking decent. The Girls have become especially messy lately. They will have a picnic on a blanket in the living room, the books spread all over every place, and the stuffed animals all over the family room in no time flat. KJ is good about picking up but TG is still in avoidance. The mess was really threatening to get out of hand Friday afternoon. The Girls didn’t nap and were up with lots of time on their hands. KJ ended up getting sent to her room for sassing me when I told them to pick up the blankets that were being made into a fort. She stomped her little indignant foot and shouted “NO!”. She was to stay in her room until her Father got home, which did end up being longer than I thought. When we opened the door to let her out she was asleep on the floot. Which was not a bad thing.

We had Arroz con Pollo (it was left in it’s pan because there was so much of it),beans, salad, homemade salsa and guacamole. Turned out yummy, if I may say so. I made a “Gypsy’s Arm” for dessert. Very good. I used the strawberry jam instead of the guava.

Rachel, who wants to be a dental assistant, helped Hans get the last loose tooth to loosen up even more but didn’t get it out. She kept encouraging him to move it around. There was talk of pulling it but Hans wasn’t the one doing the talking. He did say that his Papa could pull it today. We’ll see.

Lots of talk. Thanks for listening Dawn!

Stayed up late, even the kids. TG went to bed at a reasonable time because she hadn’t napped but the other two stayed up very late. All the kids woke up at their normal time, why is that? So I am up trying to keep things quiet while Brett gets a little more sleep. Naps sound real good right now.

Icing on the cake? Phone call from Boo Boo. Good to hear your voice. Four more weeks!