The One Upper...

Sorry friends it has taken me over a week to update...I have been a little under the weather with a nasty sinus infection, but I think we are over it now and back to normal...well as normal as it gets around here!

The first week of school, Mitch and I decided we would start a Friday lunch date with Kasey. Whoever was off would take her something special, ie not a packed lunch. So, the first week, Dillon and I were up...and had asked Kasey what she wanted to eat. All she wanted to eat cafeteria food. If you will recall, she lost her first tooth that week, and wanted nothing more than to spend her precious $1 on school lunch. Reluctantly, I agreed, we would have school lunch for our first official lunch date.

As we got there and were waiting, I started noticing all these other moms and dads walking in with cheeseburgers, Fazolis, Subway, and Sonic, I started to doubt my parenting, but I knew what was going on. I have been in plenty of business meetings where someone else was more prepared than I, but it only happens a handful of times before you learn. We were lining up in line for school lunch while other moms and dads paraded in with "the good stuff." I will give the schools major credit for trying, I saw some great options. They had grapes, yogurt, BAKED chips, and 3 different kinds of milk. We gathered our Styrofoam trays and enjoyed our Salisbury Steak (aka hamburger patty with gravy) and green beans...after all it was all about spending time with Kasey. That day was an educational one.

Since that first day we have done the Subway, Sonic, and Fazolis. Last week, at Kasey's request, as always, we stopped in to Pei Wei. Pei Wei is the the kids favorite! Its always the destination of choice when asked where to go. We don't see Pei Wei as fancy or pretentious at all, in fact, our three meals was about the same price of 3 meals at McDonald's. So no thoughts about it...

When we walked in with our Pei Wei, we were the cool kids, in the cafeteria...the teachers wanted to share, even the principal wanted to share.

Today, was dad's turn to lunch with Kasey...the request today was Chick-fil-a. So about 5 minutes into the lunch hour, I get a text from Mitch. Here is how it read:
"Some Mom is here trying to one up everyone by bringing Logan's Roadhouse!'


I had to laugh, we had been one upped. By the way, who even knew there were such cafeteria politics? Ah, well, we live and learn. Next week, I guess I'll have to call in the private chef to cook in front of the whole cafeteria.

Reminiscing...

Once upon a time in the not so distant past, I was a full time working mom.

Working 8-5 at the office, working 5-10 on the homefront. Nothing that ever "needed" to get done, got done. Oh sure, I vaccummed when I could tell I HAD to, the laundry got done about every 3 weeks or so, and about once a month I had time to mop. I can promise you the fan blades NEVER got dusted, and base boards (who knew!) didn't get wiped down.

I know some of you are reading this right now in disgust,but it is simple fact my friends, not enough hours in the day of a working mom's life to get it all done...if you want to sleep.

It was not so long ago that my husband had graciously agreed to get me some help. I had a once a month cleaning crew come in to help us get out of the bio-hazard zone. It was wonderful, glorious, words can't describe. Those days of coming home were some of the best...no stress of dirty fan blades!

Today, as I am going to tackle cleaning my own nasty cabintes and floors...I am going to think about how wonderful, and how blessed I am, that I get to have the time to do all this fabulous cleaning myself, and try not to gag...wish me luck.

And Custom Maids...I MISS YOU!!

P.S How great, really, are the Magic Erasers? Do I need several...thousand?

To Tell the Truth

Saturday morning was a rare instance in this house. My loving husband took the kids off to a sporting event for a couple hours, this left the quiet house and my coffee cup all to myself.

I wondered if he expected me to clean. I didn't. I watched a "Say Yes to the Dress" marathon. Productive, I know.

Soon, my sweet children and husband returned with lunch in hand. And this truthful story began to unfold over cold fries, and rubbery nuggets.
I had noticed that my lil punkin Dillon had a red "Kool-Aid" smile, so of course the question was asked if he had Gatorade to drink. Below is the transcription of the conversation that ensued:

Me: Did you have a red Gatorade Dillon?

Dillon: Yep, and I drank it all (he was very proud, we have been talking a lot about wasting food, etc)

Kasey: It was someone else's...I told him not to do it.

At this point in time, I am focused on Mitch's face, who I assumed was watching them like a hawk...he had NO idea about the Gatorade. This was disgusting, I wanted to scrub his little lips and mouth with a toothbrush...who KNEW what cooties he had caught from a stranger's drink. But I knew there wasn't a thing to be done. So we dropped it and continued with lunch.

A couple minutes later, I couldn't help myself, I needed details of the event. So as to instruct the children on what NOT to do next time.

Me: So, Dillon, you just picked up the bottle off the table and drank it?

Kasey: No! It was on top of the drink machine.
Dillon: (nods head agreeing)

SHOCK AND DISBELIEF I can't believe what I am hearing.

Dillon: We climbed up a stack of chairs and got it. It was fun!
Kasey: I told him not to do it...

Me (staring at Dad who is dying...): So you saw a drink on top of the machine, climbed up a stack of chairs and got it?

Dillon and Kasey : Yep, well Shane Hays (his buddy) got it, and Dillon drank it.

Me: Kasey, this would have been a good time to go and tattle tale to Dad. Since he had no idea what was going on.

Mitch is trying hard not to laugh, I am trying hard not to kill him and die laughing myself. They were so pure and innocent in the telling of the story...no idea of the "What Could Have Happened." I said a little prayer of thanks that my son's ever faithful Guardian Angel was working overtime.

Kids...they never lie, and my husband learned his lesson to never trust his kids alone!

Under Siege..isn't that a movie?

Our house is under attack.

And no I don't mean from kids or dust balls or terrorists for that matter. Our house is under attack from CRICKETTS!Black ones, brown ones, dead ones, loud ones, they are everywhere. I hear them in the corners, in the walls, and under the sink. Or maybe I am just going crazy, which is highly possible.

Everyday I wake up to this battle. There is one in every room, I clean it up only for the next day, to wake up to another stinkin' crickett in the same spot. Sometimes, it is not even a whole crickett. Did you know those things can move with only 3 legs...trust me I know! I think it's a conspiracy to take over my house. And I might surrender and let them.

Usually, you crack the bedroom window to go to bed with nature's lullaby far off in the distance, in this case, it's right in our very own bedroom. As the huz and I were settling into bed the other night, I was telling our tale of this loosing battle, and begging, pleading, for a manly solution when I heard it first. I hopped out of bed as fast as my preggo belly would let me and started my hunt. I could hear him taunting me. Was he under my bedside table? NO! Was he under my bed? NO! He was in my sheets!!!! Oh yes, my friends, I died. I made Mitch get out of bed and hunt that sucker down...did not stop my restless night of dreaming endlessly of cricketts taking over my house.

I spent sometime online yesterday planning my battle strategy only to find out there is really no way to get completely rid of them. So my friends, the battle wages on. I with my Dyson and broom...them with their ceaseless crrrrrrrrp, crrrrrrrp and three legged wonder-moves.

I will not back down! We will fight til' the end!!!