A Rant...

So, it's been awhile since I've really gone on a rant about something. Well, TODAY'S THE DAY!!!

I am so fed up with these customer loyalty cards.

You know the ones I mean. The plastic credit-card thing they give you to not only take up space in your wallet, but also to hang on your already too-bulky keychain. I HATE them. Everytime I go into a store, someone is handing me a new card, and EVERY time I feel like screaming...or pulling out my wallet and showing them that there is no room for any more cards. Now, keep in mind, I am making a stand, so these are just the few I have left...and it is still enough. I know people who have 3 times this many, easily...


Now, because I am a reasonably smart individual, I DO understand the general idea behind these. They use them to collect data about the types of items you buy...demographics and all that crap. I'm sure it's all very useful and makes sense to the marketing-types. But from my point of view, it stinks. When is it enough? Did anyone ever think to wonder how many stores the average family frequents? It's ridiculous. And heaven help you if you end up at one of the stores without your card! It's either a long drawn-out process to get your info , or they just tell you that you can't get the sale price. WHATEVER. That's the s*** that makes me NOT want to shop at their store anymore.

I just want to write one of these executives and ask,

"Isn't it enough that I'm here shopping? Obviously, I like your store, or I wouldn't be here. Why can't we just go back to the days of a sales flyer that everyone could take advantage of just by showing up...not just the people who have their card??? "

And you know what really works my nerve? The ads that show this great sales price in huge red letters, and then in small white or black print, "With card". SO. ANNOYING.

Anyone with me on this?

Build A Bear...Wait! I mean BUNNY!

This weekend we were busy, busy, BUSY!!!!

On Saturday, Kendall's school had their Fine Arts Festival, in which all of the kindergarteners sang a few of their favorite songs and also had artwork on display. I didn't take pictures of that! Sorry! But I prefer video of those moments! I must say, we were really impressed with the artwork...not just Kendall's, of course, but the entire school district. There was some really great and creative stuff!

Then we came home and started to get ready for Jessie's graduation party. We had a really good turnout, and from what Jess says, everyone had a good time. And obviously I was slacking all around this weekend, because I don't have any pictures of the party either! Just too busy chasing Noah and socializing, I guess. So, congrats to Jess!!!



Well, if nothing else, I redeemed myself on Sunday. Kendall had 3 gift cards to Build-A-Bear, so we thought it would be the perfect time to go, since Grandma Cindy was here. Kendall was soooo excited. She picked out a soft bunny and decided to name her Daisy. They stuffed her, fluffed her, put a heart in her, and made Kendall follow along to a little chant to make sure the bunny would have all the best qualities. Then she was to put her hand on Daisy's heart, close her eyes, and make a wish before they sewed her up! Too cute.

Then it was off to give her a "bath", and take her to the "dressing room" to get all gussied up in the clothes that she and Grandma picked out. We headed over to print off her birth certificate, and then Grandma busted out the big news...

She was going to buy a silver pair of flipflops for Daisy...complete with rhinestones to match her sundress. OMG. Kendall was all smiles...ear to ear, baby! And let me tell you, the experience was priceless...the entire ride home she sat in the back of the van singing to Daisy, cuddling her, and making plans for the rest of the day. I'm so glad we did it finally!

Then after we got Barry and the kids home, I got a special treat! Mom suggested we go back in to town and do a little shopping...for ME!! I had some gift cards I've been needing to use at Old Navy, and we were in luck! I was able to find two pairs of capri pants and a shirt. And that is a miracle, because I can NEVER find pants that fit well! So anyway, a successful weekend all around! Hope yours was too!

Two New Obsessions

Noah has two new obsessions.

The first is his Superman shoes that Grandma Cindy bought him. Aren't they cute? He brings them to me every morning and says, "Shoes. On?" So of course, I put them on for him. He then proceeds to run around the house, looking at his shoes. I swear, that kid keeps me in stitches!

The second obsession is his nose. Yep, you guessed it...he can't keep his finger out of it. See, we've been working on parts of the body...nose, eyes, hair, mouth, belly, toes, etc. Well, that is going along just great. He's really got it!
Especially the nose.
I guess the nose is the most fun, because his finger magically found its way inside and has been residing there ever since. And all the while, he's saying "Nose! Nose!" in a very nasally voice. YUCK. Lucky for you I don't have a picture of that!

This, of course, is leading to quite a few bloody noses. And let me tell you what...being a boy, that does not gross him out at all. In fact, it just makes it cooler! Ahhhhh, the beauty of little boys!

Are we done yet???

Well, for those of you who don't already know, we have had quite a bit of sickness around here the last few months. Noah had stomach flu 3 times, and Kendall had it twice. Now, Kendall is going on her third week of extreme fatigue...and I'm not talkin' just a bit of drowsiness here. I'm talking about sleeping 16-18 hours a day! And not doing much in between, either. Poor kid. She's got a cough, sore throat, stuffy nose, tired legs, headache, and no appetite. UGH. I feel so badly for her! So today we went to have her tested for mono, and thankfully, that came back negative. The doc thinks she just has a nasty viral infection, and as we all know by now, there's nothing to be done for a viral infection but time and rest. So we are waiting and resting....

I think it goes without saying that I will welcome spring with open arms! Bring on the warmer weather!

Nothing else too grand and exciting going on. I wrapped up the Auto Show this week, and was glad to be done with it. I'm always glad it's coming, and always glad it's done for the year. It's quite a bit of work added on to my regular schedule. But hey, the check always comes right about the time my quarterly taxes are due, so that alone makes it worth it.

One more big thing for the day...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESSIE!


Today is my sister's 33rd birthday, and this is HER year! The year where everything turns around and things start happening...so you GO, girl!

Remember when...

So do you all remember the pouty picture of Noah about a year and a half ago...from when we were at the beach on vacation? Well, this is the 2007 version.

He wanted off the horse and when I told him "just a minute", this is what I got. Seriously, how can ANYBODY resist this kid?????

Bring on Spring!

This change in the weather has me PUMPED!

I have been so motivated the last couple of days! I've been cleaning, cooking, and making lists of things I want to get accomplished. We got outside and let the kids play...and Noah was wild! He was so mad when he had to come in for dinner!

Kendall got a kit to make gummy bugs for her birthday last year, and we found it in the pantry and decided to finish it up! She made some very interesting lemon gummies...check them out. She was so proud of them...and she thought it was just hilarious to "gross" me out by eating them in front of me. (Of course, I played right along!)

Noah has just been talking up a storm. He adds 5-10 words a day now. And you know what? I think he is going to be just as much of a talker as Kendall. Lord help me.

Here are a couple of pictures of Noah being busy this weekend. The first one is him riding his scooter (and badly needing a haircut!).And this one is of him, right after his haircut, riding his spring horse. When he gets on, he says "Go go GO!!!!" Doesn't he look ornery???? And let me tell you something else...I don't like this haircut. It's cute and everything, but my goodness, doesn't it make him look like a big boy? It makes me a bit sad...

And here's one last shot of my sweet little boy. Here, he is "counting" his money. He asks for his "Piggy" and then he opens it up, dumps out all of the change, and puts it back it again, one coin at a time. Aren't we proud...
And last but not least, Kendall, Queen of the Bubbles. There's nothing better at the end of a day outside than a nice warm bubble bath!

Hope you've enjoyed the photos.

Get out there and enjoy spring, everyone!

New Words

Noah has been talking up a storm lately...and trying out quite a few new words. His new vocabulary now includes words such as:

duck
cat
kitty
dog
mama
dad
Bug (for Kendall-bug)
car
shoes
socks
truck
ball
bird
yogurt (of course, his favorite food)
coat
book
night-night
bed
bye-bye
Jessie
Amy
juice
kiss
nose
eyes
welcome
bath
fish
cracker
cheese
uh-huh (used while nodding vigorously)

So you see, there is quite a bit of talking going on around here. AND, when one of these words doesn't fit, he can always resort to his old standby: Pointing and yelling, "UNHHHHHHH!!!"
Because, ladies and gentlemen, THAT is what I hear in my sleep, when I am able to catch some!

3 weeks...?

I can't believe it's been 3 weeks since my last post! My, does time move along quickly. I guess it's time for some updates!

THE Y
We finally decided to join the Hilliard YMCA. Very exciting for us, since there is NO place to work out in our town. We went in a week ago and got the paperwork going and then
I took the kiddos swimming while Barry worked out...very fun. Kendall of course, is a little fish. Noah just wasn't sure about this whole pool thing. He just wrapped his legs around me and held on as I walked up and down the length of the pool, inching him down a little more into the water on each trip. By the end of the hour, he was in up to his shoulders and "jumping" off the side of the pool. Then Barry came in and I went to sit in the sauna while he played with the kiddos. Of course, we went on Monday too. We registered the kids for childcare so we could work out together...and let me just say for one moment that going back to working out is not easy! It's been, say, 6 years or so since I've worked out seriously...and it SHOWED. I felt lost as soon as we walked in. My aerobic capacity was underwhelming, to say the least. And I am WEAK. Yep, that's weak with all capitals... W E A K !!!! It will get better, I know. But hell, it's going to be a rough road to get to that better place.

SOPHIE
Two weeks ago we adopted a dog. A very sweet beagle/lab mix. She was everything the shelter said she was....and more.

Let's just talk a minute about severe separation anxiety. It's not pretty. In the 20 minutes I was gone to take Kendall to school the first day, she destroyed the baby gate, knocked everything off the kitchen counters and scratched up my wood door. The next day I crated her and somehow she got out. Lord knows how...the crate door is still closed and latched!

Then there was the male aggression. Every man that got within 25 feet of her was subject to lunging and crazy barking and teeth baring. One man even put out his hand in an attempt to calm her, and she tried to bite him. Not good.

After much deliberation and conversations with a dog trainer, we decided she had to go back to the shelter. She needed much more time and help than we could reasonably provide. Enter Janet.

Janet wanted to take Sophie. This would be her third rescue dog, and she fell in love with her immediately. Great. I took her to Janet's house on Tuesday night, and cried the whole way home, feeling as if I gave up on her. Then on Tuesday, Janet called and said she didn't think it was going to work out. OMG. What happened, you ask??? Well, it seems that when Janet went to work, she put Sophie in her basement (finished, of course) just because she wasn't sure how she'd do having the run of the house. Anyway, when she got home, Sophie has completely DESTROYED her basement, tearing up woodwork, carpeting, etc. So needless to say, Sophie went back to the Humane Society. She will make a great dog for someone who works from home, or can be with her CONSTANTLY. The Humane Society is going to put a requirement on her that she can only be adopted into homes with another dog so she won't be alone. I feel better about it now, knowing that it was the right thing to do, but it still hurt. The right dog is out there, I just know it!

GET YOUR SCRAP ON!
I went away this weekend for a scrapbooking retreat with my friend Beth. It was a lot of fun! And I did some really nice work, I am happy to report! The food was great, the bunking was, well...interesting. The people were really nice, and it was great to spend some one-on-one time with Beth. We stayed up Friday night working until 4:30 a.m...and breakfast was served at 8:30...UGH! But we went on and worked a bit on Saturday before heading out. The event went until 5:30, but I was done at 3. Just couldn't squeeze one more ounce of creativity out of me! Check out what I accomplished!


And that's about it for my updates! Hope you've all been keeping busy as well!