Saturday, May 30, 2009

At Oh Cho's House....

.....We look all over the yard for dog poop for Oh Cho to pick up, play outside in the sprinkler, litter the patio (and the dogs) with peanut shells, have Happy Meals for dinner with ice cream sandwiches for dessert, watch Oh Cho's favorite Disney movies, make a little bed for J on the floor next to Oh Cho's bed, pull the playpen over as close to the little bed as possible for M (so close that Uncle E doesn't have a way to get into bed on his side!), read five bed time stories while we all (even Sarah Beagle) sit on Oh Cho's bed,take pillows and blankets out to the "boat", fix a wooden chair and work on a motorcycle, buy the biggest bag of Swedish Fish we've ever seen, and have so much fun, Oh Cho misses the boys desperately when they leave!


Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Whats Grosser Than Gross?

We had a blast at Seaside, it might be one of my favorite trips!

On the way home, at a rest stop, I raced into the bathroom, put that protective cover down and sat down on total wetness. Like, it totally could be water splash up from flushing the toilet, but then again, it could be pee. Most likely it is pee. GROSS.

But is it grosser than us eating lunch outside at a picnic table when a ill crow decides to perch in the branches above our table and cover one end of the table with diarrhea? It got into an open bag of chips, splattered all over the table including a chip clip and a little guy's lunch. It was gag inducing, literally. I am proud to say I threw a smallish rock at the bird and made it fly off.

But it was too late. We drew an invisible line on the table. One side was safe. One side was contaminated and every thing at to go. And that was the end of lunch. Barely begun, but totally done. We practically bathed in hand sanitizer after we cleaned up the mess.

That actually was grosser than possibly sitting in a strangers pee.

Friday, May 22, 2009

Missing Husbands

This weekend we, the girls and our kids, are headed to Seaside. I think it's pretty obvious that we are excited! I mean, we start talking about it in September, when we still have like 9 months until we go again.

It's our thing. It's something we do just for us girls. Some people have said we should leave the kids at home, and get away and relax. Well, believe it or not, the kids help make Seaside perfect. I love hanging out at the beach with the kids, or going to the pool several times a day. If I didn't have any kids there, I probably wouldn't have any one to swim with!

But it is our husband-less thing. We started it when two of our husbands were working second jobs and we needed to have something that gave us happiness outside of those guys. I know, the husbands all miss us when we go. I sometimes picture them with wee little tears on their cheeks...or is that sweat? They often tackle big work projects while we are gone!

I can only speak for myself, but I'm sure my sisters and Mom would agree, we miss those missing husbands when we are gone! Getting a phone call from one of them is cause for celebration and mutual agreement that the non phone call havers will watch all the kids so the phone call can have a moment of uninterrupted husband time.

So, to all the husbands, but especially to mine, whose arrival home after a business trip will be after I have left this morning, we miss you. We store up all these funny little things that happen, that we can't wait to tell you about, or the stories of OMG can you believe our kid did that, all because we miss you.

Love you E. Have a good weekend, work hard, play less, and feed the dogs!

Thursday, May 14, 2009

It's That Time Of Year Again

Time for spring cleaning? Planting seeds in your garden? Go crazy with some remodeling?

Nope. It's that time of year again when the spiders come out to play.

In the last two days I have found one giant daddy long leg smashed on the bathroom wall, right below our hand towel (gross!), one little dime size one sitting on the edge of the tub with a scary sense of where I was, but last nights takes the prize as being the first big and hairy one of the year.

And what's better is that it was either in my daughters rubber boot the whole time she was wearing it, or it was on her rubber boot as she came in. Regardless, it was on her person somehow when she was next to me.

We had seven middle school kids here after church, and I was reading gossip on the computer (my favorite source of news) when my daughter took her boots off as she stood next to me. The next thing I know she's jumping back and screaming, I look down and start screaming, one of her friends is running up the stairs screaming, and I will admit to it here, I was standing on my chair.

My husband, meanwhile, is washing dishes in the kitchen and ignoring the screams because, in his words, how was that different than any other Wednesday night? Um, how about your wife was screaming your name?

That spider was huge, like 50 cent piece huge. And it just kind of sat there, like, cool, glad to be free of that sweaty boot.

My daughter's other friend, the one who wasn't at the top of the stairs screaming, took up one of those dreadful boots and gave the beast a couple of whacks.

It was dead. Now that the screaming is over, my son and his friends wander in to see it, and step on it to make sure it's dead, and my husband wanders in with a paper towel to wipe it up. Girls do not need guys to kill spiders. We might need them if we are feeling generous and want to let it go, alive and unharmed, outside. There is no way I'm catching a monster spider. But other wise, after the screaming, we can get the job done.

Three spiders in two days. Got to wonder about all the others that you can't see.

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Top Ten Things To Do At Seaside

10. Eat giant cones of Tillamook ice cream from the Candyman. My favorite flavor is Mudslide and that's all I order...it's chocolate icecream with melt in your mouth chocolate chunks, you can't go wrong with that much chocolate!

9. Buy lots and lots Salt Water Taffy; the best kind is found at the Candyman where there are hundreds of flavors. I buy enough to share with my hubby, so that's my excuse why my bag is so heavy!

8. Walking on the beach bare foot. I love to wiggle my toes in sand. Hot weather sand, cold and wet sand, it doesn't matter, I take off my shoes first thing and dig my toes in.

7. Spend time with my sisters, whether on the beach or lounging in the living room, talking and laughing and sharing and just having fun.

6. Swim several times a day in a heated pool. My preferred swimming stroke is the doggy paddle, and that simple move is how I can survive swimming for HOURS!

5. Read a book....or to be quite honest, try to read a book! There's always something to talk about or a kid to catch or a piece of taffy to eat, which get in the way (in a good way!) of finishing a book.

4. Take an early morning walk on the Prom, hopefully with my two kids. I love having that quiet time with just them.

3. Dig in the sand with the kids, making sandcastles or just digging a giant hole!

2. Fish and chips at Norma's. And if you've ever tasted these bits of fish perfection, you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's so hard to order the half size order when I really, desperately want more!

1. And the number one thing to do is spend more time at the beach! Because I have more walking to do, more beach combing, more sitting in my beach chair reading, or on my beach towel talking, more playing with my nephews and my son and daughter, more enjoying the heck out of the best part of Seaside.

Did I mention it's only ten days away? Time to start making lists of what to pack!

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Never Too Old To Need Mom

I love this commercial. It makes me cry a little every time I see it. This year I've been looking at it from the point of view as the 'mom'....hearing my son or daughter say my name through the years....


Then I had a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day yesterday, of which I will not go into because my philosophy in life is to ask myself is it worth hanging onto and being hurt/mad about? and usually my answer is no, let it go.

So I drop my kids off for Wednesday night church, and it's just going to be me alone for dinner, and my Mom asked what my dinner plans were....and I started crying.

And my Mom did what all good moms do. She shut down her work and took me out to dinner, just the two of us. I had a great time, came home feeling renewed and ready to tackle the laundry and the 7 kids arriving home all hopped up on energy and excitement.

I was reminded that one is never too old to need Mom. I've been ill and wanted to be laying on her couch, with the piano bench pulled up next to it to for me to use as a table. I've come out of surgery, both as a kid and adult, and wanted to cry her name until I could feel her next to me. I've had furniture and a piano and no logical way to put them all back together in my living room, until she came over and fixed it. I've had a washing machine stop washing, full of water and clothes, and I didn't know who else to call but Mom. So many things, big and little, and sometimes, there's just no one else who will do.

Today I look at the commercial differently. I am the kid, calling Mom's name, in joy and happiness and sometimes in tears and panic.

Mom. She really can make it better.


Thanks, Mom!!

Monday, May 4, 2009

I Make A Mean Cup Of Joe

And by mean, I mean it will grab your taste by the buds and squeeze the life out of them. It's so mean, it's going to beat up your mouth, sear your throat on the way down, and land in your tummy to make a terrible sloshing feeling.

And I love it. I will drink any kind of coffee, but the stronger it is, the more legs it has to stand on, the more I like it. A disclaimer: it does take me a few sips to get used to it if it's really harsh! But I persevere and by my third cup, I'm totally digging it.

After making a pot of my special coffee (the secret is to not measure it, just pour the grounds in until it looks good) at Easter, I'm pretty sure my sisters are not going to let me make coffee again anytime soon.

Actually, that's a pretty good idea for all those folks who like a softer cup of coffee, a sissy cup of coffee if you will....if you are over and there is a chance of coffee being made, ask E to do it. He makes nice coffee.

I also like strong tea, super dark, with a lovely bitter after taste. Tea drinkers should also beware of me.