Ramblings of a SAHM

Saturday, January 31, 2004

Geezy petes! I had no clue I'd get so many comments for my post this morning. And I find it rather amusing that Greg finally came out of lurk mode to write a comment. :)

Anyway life is good although it's still cold outside (you Florida people have no idea how great you have it). I won a nice wool pea coat on eBay, crossing my fingers that it fits. Zach's spending the night with the in-laws. Greg's been playing with his new iPod all day. It's cute, if I thought I'd get any use out of it, I'd want one. Other than that, boring...

Katie at 6:32 PM

I don't usually complain about Greg because he is a really good guy. But after a week of being home alone with 5 kids (sounds like a title of a horror movie) and with more weeks ahead like this, I can't help but be a bit upset when he comes home and seems to gripe about everything.

< rant >

One, $100 for groceries per week is not unreasonable. In fact I've been telling him for months that I need more grocery money in the budget. Assuming Greg's not home, I'm feeding 6 people 3 meals and 1 snack a day. That averages out to $.50 a serving or $3 a meal. When was the last time Greg fed himself for $3 a meal let alone try to serve a delicious nutritious meal for 6 people for $3? But wait, it's actually more like $.35 a serving ($2.10 a meal) because I also have to buy dog food, diapers, household stuff (toilet paper, laundry detergent, light bulbs) and personal stuff (shampoo, razors, toothpaste) for $100 a week. Some weeks I can pull this off but it only works if the store sales are good and I have the right coupons. Other weeks, it's just not humanly possible unless we eat ramen noodles for half the meals. :(

Two, what is my biggest complaint when Greg's gone? Sleeping alone. So what's he do when he gets in bed? Complains about his pillows being messed up (I washed the sheets and put the pillows back in the wrong spot, cripes). And then how he sleeps so much better in a hotel room. Meanwhile jabbing me in side with his elbow (but those may have been partially accidental because he was stretching but hello! he knew I laying beside him). I was excited that he was there but all he could do was complain about having to share a bed again. *pouts*

Three, the dumb dog. Okay all you dog lovers and PETA people close your eyes through this. Ranger is Greg's dog. He bought him and said he'd do all the training and what not. Lovely except he's always gone. So I had to house train the dog and I feed and water the dog every day. The dog usually stays outside because he has a bad habit of chewing up the kids toys. Plus I'll admit, I hate dog hair and dog smell. I have enough crap to clean having 5 kids, I don't need a dog adding to the mess. Well it's negative whatever degrees outside last night so Greg brought him in. And then the dumb dog whined. And whined. For like an hour. I have really sensitive hearing because of the children so I couldn't go to sleep. Dog whining is worse than identical twin girls whining in stereo (and I should know). Long story short, we fight over the stupid dog, chased him around the house for a bit, dog ends up outside, and I slept on the bathroom floor for an hour in protest. Protesting what I'm not sure cause it was the middle of the freaking night and I was really tired and not thinking entirely straight.

< end rant >

Since I know Greg will eventually read this, all I want is for you to be nice to me. Sure it's stressful sleeping in hotel rooms (clean sheets, no kids waking you up in the middle of the night, must be tough), eating out every meal (no dishes to clean, eating food at the proper temperature, again the hard life), and all the time waiting in airports and dealing with delayed flights and crap (okay, that part sucks, I hate flying). But I have just spent the majority of the week with 5 children (your children!), shoveling snow, cleaning, sleeping alone, and cooking meals without a break. I'm not asking you to cook or clean or anything, all I need is for you to be nice to me. So no teasing or being sarcastic, just be nice. And bring home a box of chocolates next time...

Katie at 8:15 AM

Friday, January 30, 2004

You'd think after Wednesday, I'd have learned to check the school status before packing the kids all into the van. Sure it had snowed a few inches overnight but they wouldn't close for that, right? Wrong... *rolls eyes* Maybe all the Canadian bloggers are rubbing off on me.

Greg comes home today! Course he'll only be here for 3 days but I'm trying to look to the positive side of things.

Quote of the Day: "There's nothing to writing. All you do is sit down at a typewriter and open a vein." -Walter Smith

Katie at 10:04 AM

Thursday, January 29, 2004

I'm in a bit of a contemplative mood at the moment. Which can be conducive to writing if I could get my thoughts together, they are ping ponging around my brain too quickly to be put in any resemblance of order. Anyway borrowing an idea from Shelly, here's my current favorite song's lyrics. And the video with full song: Five For Fighting at VH1.

100 Years

I'm 15 for a moment
Caught in between 10 and 20
And I'm just dreaming
Counting the ways to where you are

I'm 22 for a moment
She feels better than ever
And we're on fire
Making our way back from Mars

15 there's still time for you
Time to buy and time to lose
15, there's never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live

I'm 33 for a moment
Still the man, but you see I'm a they
A kid on the way
A family on my mind

I'm 45 for a moment
The sea is high
And I'm heading into a crisis
Chasing the years of my life

15 there's still time for you
Time to buy, Time to lose yourself
Within a morning star

15 I'm all right with you
15, there's never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live

Half time goes by
Suddenly you're wise
Another blink of an eye
67 is gone
The sun is getting high
We're moving on...

I'm 99 for a moment
Dying for just another moment
And I'm just dreaming
Counting the ways to where you are

15 there's still time for you
22 I feel her too
33 you're on your way
Every day's a new day...

15 there's still time for you
Time to buy and time to choose
Hey 15, there's never a wish better than this
When you only got 100 years to live

Katie at 9:30 PM

Uh, just realized the comics mess up my spacing if you aren't viewing this in 1024x 768 pixels screen resolution or higher. So change damnit! lol

Katie at 3:59 PM

Note to self: Never ever brag about having a good day. Because the Fates will notice and immediately work out a plan to make one miserable.

At dinner last night, Em spiked a fever of 104 (Eek!) then complained about nausea and wouldn't eat a bite. So I gave her a dose of tylenol and had her lay down on the couch. At bedtime, she complained that her right side hurt and she looked so pitiful, my heart stopped. Oh God, oh God, please don't let it be her appendix. Calmly I put everyone to bed, called the ped's on call nurse (she'd have him call me back), called Greg (no answer on his cell or at the hotel), called my MIL (she'd watch the kids if I had to take Em in), and then checked the internet. The internet is not always a good thing, the first line I found when looking up appendicitis was "1 in 500 people die of a burst appendix." Ack! Long story short, the doctor called me back, her fever had dropped a bit and she was able to hop which meant it was probably not her appendix. Whew... It was a scary 2 hours though.

Fast forward to this morning, the doctor had scheduled to see Em at 9am just to make sure it wasn't something else. I woke up with a killer headache and sore throat, lovely. So we all got dressed, took Zach to school, and then went to the doctors. She was still running a slight fever but her stomach felt fine. So he thought it's probably a flu bug and to give her lots of liquids. And he wanted to check her urine to rule out a urinary tract infection. Kyle had to go potty anyway so I took him and Kelly into the restroom with Em. And then Em couldn't go. And couldn't go. For a good five minutes, I knelt beside the toilet with a cup between her legs, coaxing her to go peepee just a little bit. Kyle and Kelly were dancing around with the toilet paper (this seems to be a theme in my life) and my head hurt and I really didn't want to be doing any of this right now. Em was crying cause she couldn't go and I was getting frustrated so I finally gave up. The nurse gave me a little cup with lid for getting a sample at home. Which means another trip to the office later today (about a 10 minute drive one way on a 2 lane country road). Joy, joy.

I think if I ever have another nice day, you're never going to hear about it.

Katie at 10:00 AM

Wednesday, January 28, 2004

I'm in a good mood, no clue why... I think I've traced it back to either something in my Cheerios or the hair dye. But when one is happy, one should not question exactly why one is happy. *big cheesy smiles*

Even the no school fiasco didn't really bother me this morning although I think it might have read that way. It was more of a cheerful Pooh-type "Oh bother." And I didn't have to run back out to pick them up at 11-ish so it was actually a good thing in the end.

So I'm spreading my good cheer in the form of cleanliness. Yep, if there was ever a question of whether I had a shred of sanity left, that probably clenched it. I scrubbed the bathrooms thoroughly (you could eat off the floor although I still wouldn't suggest it, food & bathrooms should never mix), emptied trash cans, vacuumed (under furniture even!), dusted (including a dusty plant), swept and mopped the kitchen. There's something strangely thrilling about seeing dirt disappear with the swipe of a sponge. The kids were oddly quiet through all this, I wonder if they were afraid I'd demand to floss their teeth and scrub behind their ears next.

I am available to clean your house if you're wondering. I just ask for paid transportation, a nanny for 5 children, and Mountain Dew. *big cheesy smiles*

Katie at 4:36 PM

Um, so I got up early, took a shower, had all the kids dressed and fed, and was feeling quite good about how well we were doing today and then we arrived at school. The lot was empty. What the hell?!? I drove around the drop off circle and there's a sign out front: 2 hour delay, no AM kindergarten. Huh? The roads are fine, I had hopped into the minivan without a second thought. Fine, no school for Zach. I drove across the parking lot for the twin's preschool. After walking around for a few minutes, a janitor told me that they had cancel preschool too. One of the teachers showed up then and said she had tried to call. There were another couple of moms at the door so at least I wasn't the only idiot who had missed the message. Fine, no school for the twins. So much for my peaceful morning with Kyle and Kelly (although that's a bit of an oxymoron).

Quote of the Day: "If at first you don't succeed, do it like your mother told you." -Author Unknown

Katie at 9:15 AM

Tuesday, January 27, 2004

I'm bored. How does a mom of 5 have time to be bored? That's a damn good question. But I'm bored anyways. There's 10 minutes until bed time and the kitchen is clean, the laundry folded, the kids are happily playing with legos, and Greg is in Maryland. No one on my list has updated their blogs recently (*sticks tongue out*) so I'm updating mine just to keep myself from doing something silly like cleaning light fixtures.

After the kids go to bed, I plan to dye my hair, clean up my scrapbook area (I did finish and mail the paper piecing I mentioned earlier), relist a couple of paper piecings on eBay, and then write. I should write an article for my scrapbook forum. Maybe if I can't get into the flow of writing fiction, I'll switch to the non-fiction article.

There, I wasted my 10 minutes writing this (and taking Kyle to the bathroom once) so it's bedtime! Woohoo!

Katie at 7:50 PM

Zach has school today although most of the other schools in the area are on delays or closed. The roads weren't bad but there's a triple threat of snow, freezing rain, and sleet later today. There's even talk of thunder and lightening. Weird weather... But I'd trade it all for the 90 degree 100% humidity of August. I wonder if being born in Louisiana has anything to do with my preference for heat over cold.

I need to finish up a paper piecing, the lady has already paid me and I promised her I'd mail it today. My procrastinating side is acting up big time. I do have the laundry going. It's funny the things I'll do to proscratinate something else. I've been known to wash walls instead of making phone calls, sort the kids' clothes drawers instead of washing walls, organize the linen closet instead of sorting the kids' clothes drawers. No one ever said I make much sense.

Quote of the Day: "Procrastination is the art of keeping up with yesterday." -Don Marquis

Katie at 9:13 AM

Monday, January 26, 2004

Um, here's my new look! What do you think? :)

Katie at 9:00 PM

Wow, I think I need to eat some more calories. So many people around me are dieting that I feel bad saying that. But today's ~~workout~~ physical activities included shoveling 6 inches of snow off the driveway and sidewalk and then pushing 3 kids in a shopping cart (Em and Zach walked) through a large grocery store (and the cart became heavier as I went, talk about resistance training!) Plus the usual running up and down the steps, chasing kids, vacuuming, and sweeping. A long hot bubble bath is in order after the kids' bedtime. Ahhh...

Anyway I forgot to mention in my earlier post (I was pretty pissed about the snow if you hadn't notice), I'm going to enter a local newspaper's short story fiction contest. I did enter last year with a piece I had written back in college and never heard anything (if you want to read it, send me an email). I'm telling you all so that you'll keep me on track, kinda like my NaNoWriMo writing. The contest due date is March 12th so I have over a month to come up with something decent. I hope.

Quote of the Day: "It seems to me that the problem with diaries, and the reason that most of them are so boring, is that every day we vacillate between examining our hangnails and speculating on cosmic order." -Ann Beattie, Picturing Will, 1989

Katie at 6:21 PM

Snow day for the munchkins. I think we have about 4-6 inches out there, I haven't been dumb enough yet to go out and check. Just looking at the stuff gives me the chills, brrrr...

Course Greg thinks the roads are too slick so I shouldn't do my usual Monday morning errands including the weekly grocery shopping. And he leaves for the main office in Maryland today (if the flights are on schedule) through Friday so I either have to take all the kids with me later today or 4 tomorrow while Zach's in school (assuming he's in school) or wait until Wednesday so it's just Kelly, Kyle, and me again. I can't wait until Wednesday though, I'm out of Tide and the laundry is piling up.

Stupid snow, I need to live in Florida. I don't even want to think of the mess the kids are going to track into the house because they have to play in the snow or the fact that I will be the one shoveling the driveway and sidewalk. I'm such a Scrooge today, sorry. I hate being cold almost as much as I hate being alone. Brrr...

Katie at 10:18 AM

Sunday, January 25, 2004

If Aliens Landed in Our Front Yard (a work in progress)

If Aliens landed in our front yard, I hope their mommies remembered to dress them warmly and send their snow boots. Because it's currently COLD outside with at least 2 inches of the white stuff on the ground with more falling fast from the sky.

If Aliens landed in our front yard and they asked to be brought to our leader, I'd say "Oh bother, you don't want to meet him, he's silly and wouldn't be able to pencil you in until at least March. Plus the Secret Service guys would probably consider your space suits a threat and I'm sure you appreciate breathing as much as I do."

If Aliens landed in our front yard, I'd be polite like my mother taught me and invite them in for dinner. Which tonight would be pizza, a good typical American food staple. I hope they like the frozen kind with sausage and pepperoni.

If Aliens landed in our front yard, my husband's political career would sky rocket and I might be the First Lady in 8 years (cause dh is only 27 at the moment and therefore under the 35 year old minimum).

If Aliens landed in our front yard, the kids would be thrilled to have new playmates and Zach would pester them to play Tony Hawk Underground while the twins would show them their Barbie dolls in her latest outfits and Kyle would tell them that Dora the Explorer is the best TV show ever and Kelly would play peek-a-boo.

to be continued...

Katie at 4:51 PM

Saturday, January 24, 2004

I wish I knew who had written the following essay so I could properly give her credit. As for my day, I need to pack an overnight bag and then we are driving an hour to dh's old home town for his friend's son's birthday party. I will be in a house with 13 children age 7 years old all the way down to 1 month. So any "stay sane" thoughts you can send my way would be appreciated.

If you give a Mom a Muffin
(Author Unknown)

She'll want a cup of coffee to go with it.
She'll pour herself some.
The coffee will get spilled by her three year old.
She'll wipe it up.
Wiping the floor, she will find some dirty socks.
She'll remember she has to do some laundry.
When she puts the laundry in the washer,
She'll trip over some snow boots and bump into the freezer.
Bumping into the freezer will remind her she has to plan supper for tonight.
She will get out a pound of hamburger.
She'll look for her cookbook. (101 Things To Make With a Pound of Hamburger.)
The cookbook is sitting under a pile of mail.
She will see the phone bill which is due tomorrow.
She will look for the checkbook.
The checkbook is in her purse that is being dumped out by her two year old.
She'll smell something funny.
She'll change the two year old.
While she is changing the two year old the phone will ring. (Of course!)
Her five year old will answer it and hang up.
She remembers that she wants to phone a friend to come over for coffee on Friday.
Thinking of coffee will remind her that she was going to have a cup.
She will pour herself some.
And chances are,
If she has a cup of coffee,
Her kids will have eaten the muffin that went with it.

Katie at 10:13 AM

Friday, January 23, 2004

So... I guess I should write something. I'm trying to keep this a creative and upbeat blog but somedays I feel a little blah. It can be a struggle to accomplish both witty writing and a cheerful tone. I'm afraid you might get neither today.

I'm itching to update the template here but I know it's going to be a 3+ hour project. So I'm putting that off until Greg is out of town and I'll have nothing to do after 8pm. I need to remember to take a screenshot of the current look just for posterity.

I've been doing a lot of scrapbooking lately. An idea for the new blog template:a little scrapbook section to show off my latest and greatest layout and keep track of my goals. It'll probably be of no interest to most of you but hey, this is my little ego boost on the web and no one's holding a gun to your head to be here. Did I mention the obvious lack of upbeat and cheerful on my part today? Good, just checking.

Oh, some exciting news for any of you with time to waste, my brother in law's website is back up: 2lameguys.com My other sister (the one not married to above mentioned brother in law) says it's now more like 1 lame guy and a girl (my other sister, the one who is married to the above mentioned brother in law). I bantered back that the other lame guy (brother in law's best friend) is still in the picture, just not living with the 1st lame guy (brother in law) anymore due to marrying my sister (not the one to whom I was currently talking). And the 2nd lame guy's brother has a small page linked off there too. Confused yet? So the website is actually more like 3 lame guys and a girl but that domain name is probably taken because it's so cool... Um yeah, like my brother in law once wisely said "God can not give you back the part of your life that you waste on our site, and we can not either, so don't bother asking..." Right on, brother.

Katie at 12:20 PM

Thursday, January 22, 2004

"I do what the voices inside my head tell me to do."

(not to be read by The Men in White Coats, so if you are wearing a white coat, try Steph's Blog, she'd probably appreciate the vacation. *winks*)

While I do *think* I'm a pretty normal person, I often feel the influence of extra voices inside my head. Or talk to invisible people that tend to hang around me. Before you think I'm completely looney toons, let me introduce them.

My Scrapbooking Muse (no name yet): a slightly frantic messy near-sighted woman who adores paper. She tends to take fierce control of my mind, blocking out all other thought processes, and makes me obsess over the perfect shade of cardstock to match pictures of Kyle eating pureed peas. Will disappear for weeks on end (I secretly suspect she vacations in Europe during these absences) and will return if I offer bribes of chocolate and expensive Club Scrap paper.

My Writing Muse (again no name, one of these days I should really ask these questions): a plumb woman who likes to recline on fluffy pillows and relax while I slave over the best synonym for "small". She demands large quantities of Mountain Dew and pizza rolls while I write. Prefers the 11pm to 2am window for her best inspiration. Also will appear while I'm driving down interstate at 80mph and give me a wonderful plot line that I can't write down at that moment and then I mentally kick myself later when I can't remember it. Does not like the Scrapbooking Muse (who tends to be dominant) and will go into hiding when the Scrapbooking Muse is in town. (I think Writing Muse vacations in the Bahamas with lots of fruity drinks and cabana boys)

My Guardian Angel (I've forgotten his name, something Italian): this one actually started out as an assignment during my Confirmation class. He's an interesting fellow from the Renaissance period in Italy (he maintains that Michaelango was a slob) and died tragically when a sword was run through his heart. He won't go into more details and the romantic in me hopes that he was in a duel to defend his lady love. He's most often present when I'm driving down interstate at 80mph and that pesky Writing Muse shows up. Also hung around a lot during my college years.

The Ghost in the House: a 1800's era little girl with long brown wavy hair and wears a flowing white dress. I've only seen her once and that might have been the paint fumes. Besides giggling and whispering occasionally, her other notable appearance is the strong scent of a wild flower garden. Greg scoffs at this one and she will only be present when he's out of town.

My Invisible Friend (Fred): Fred was a joke between me and my high school best friend Shelly. When a teacher would ask who were talking to, we'd answer "Fred" to avoid getting each other in trouble. I'm not sure why they let us off with that answer, maybe they figured it was better not to get involved. Fred is a 5'8" tall dark haired, plain looking fellow that wears glasses and tends to dress in brown and plaids. He's that quiet guy that you never really notice and is never ever sexual. He divides his time between Shelly and me still and keeps me company when I'm in waiting rooms and long lines at the mall.

I have a few other characters in my head: the Nympho (hehe, sorry no more details *winks*) and a Martha Stewart-like-freak who makes me organize my kitchen cabinets and search all over town for the perfect shade of blue paper plates for Zach's Spiderman themed birthday. My other main hobby is sewing but there seems to be no muse attached to that, I'm all alone there. So that's the current cast inside my head. If you happen to see my Writing Muse in the Bahamas, tell her to put down the cabana boy and come back to Ohio, I have some deadlines to meet.

Katie at 10:06 AM

Wednesday, January 21, 2004

So it's been a pretty normal day here. Took the big 3 to school and then scrubbed the kitchen walls, baseboards, and cabinets. I hope to wash the rest of the walls and baseboards tomorrow. It's important to have lofty goals in life. :b

Um, I haven't blogged lately because there doesn't seem to be anything to blog about. I scrapbooked last night and this afternoon. After bedtime tonight I'll make a custom paper piecing ($10 closer to paying off my speeding ticket!). My scrapbooking muse has obviously kicked my writing muse to the curb. I wish they would all just get along. *sigh*

Hmm, trying to think of any good updates I should mention. Greg's currently home and doing well on the South Beach diet. Zach's suppose to bring home a report card any day now. Em and Ally have been playing a lot of NHL Hockey 2003 on the Playstation 2. Kyle is almost completely potty trained except that he can't get his pants on and off easily so about every hour, he yells for my help. Kelly is also on the potty kick, she loves to follow Kyle into the bathroom and tear toilet paper into tiny pieces. Yesterday she managed to unroll two full rolls of toilet paper in 30 seconds flat. Might be a helpful trick if she ever goes TP'ing in high school.

Maybe aliens will land in the yard tomorrow and I'll something more exciting to write. Or I'll clean up another excerpt from one of my novels to post just so y'all will have something to read. Suggestions are always welcomed!

Katie at 3:54 PM

Tuesday, January 20, 2004

Quote of the Day: "Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the little voice at the end of the day that says I'll try again tomorrow." -Mary Anne Radmacher

Katie at 9:32 AM

Monday, January 19, 2004

Ugh, what a day and it's only noon. The kids are off school for MLK Jr. Day which would have really messed up my usual Monday morning errands but Greg's a sweetie and let me leave them home with him. So Kyle, Kelly and I went to the dry cleaners, Meijers (grocery store), gas station, and post office. Except oops!, the post office is closed today. Guess we'll stop there again tomorrow.

Another oops!, I bumped a car in the parking lot of Meijers. *cringes* I am terrible in parking lots, the van is beat to hell as Greg likes to put it. So after a few curse words, I hopped out of the van to see how bad it was. The guy was nice about it, I had broken one of the side reflectors (a late 90's Grand Am or Prix or something). So I fast talked him into taking $20 to replace it himself and leave the insurance companies out. For the heck of it, I just looked up the replacement reflector cost online and it's a $12 part. I was planning to spend some of the $20 at Michaels craft store so dang, no new scrapbooking stuff. :(

Now I need to do laundry and make Greg's lunch. I should probably clean something while Kelly naps but I'll probably scrapbook instead. And be thankful that Meijers shoppers are a heck of a lot nicer than Wal-Mart ones.

Katie at 12:22 PM

Sunday, January 18, 2004

So what have I done today? Nothing really.

"Nothing really" meaning: changing diapers, making breakfast, feeding/watering the dog, cleaning up the kitchen, reading the Sunday paper while snuggling Kelly, unpacking the twin's stuff from their overnight trip, helping Kyle go potty more times that I want to count (no accidents for 3 days now, woohoo!), helping the kids with their Leap Pad toys, more snuggling with Kelly, reading books to Kyle, clipping coupons, making lunch, cleaning up the kitchen again, and just recently reading a bunch of blogs and my forums (during which I was interupted several times to fill sippy cups, help Kyle potty, and change books/cartridges in the Leap Pads).

One of the blogs that kept my attention for about an hour (with above mentioned distractions, hmm, read down further and see the irony) was this one: Why Your Wife Won't... While I don't *think* I have a problem in that department (and I refuse to turn this into a sex blog so you are out of luck on the details there), it was very interesting to read. An excerpt under "Distractions":

Women seem to have a tendency to subsume their libidos beneath their daily activities and mental lives, but this isn't a deliberate process. It was probably adaptive in early human societies, when the tribe relied on women's ability to maintain a an unwavering focus on a huge number of small daily details: caring for infants or watching young children; gathering, preparing and preserving food; creating and maintaining clothing and other possessions; and -- perhaps most important of all -- understanding and manipulating the society's structures and cultural mechanisms to ensure the best for themselves and their children.

This blog caught my attention because I like to know the pyschological and biological reasons for the ways we act the way we do. If I was more of a TV watcher, I'm sure a great deal of my TV time would be spent on the Discovery Channel. Back to the blog, I think it's an excellent read for all couples. Even if there aren't problems in that area, it alerts you to potential pitfalls and how to avoid them. It lets both men and women off the hook for some problems (which is always nice) but the writer is also very straightforward when telling you that your thinking is completely off and that you are wrong. hehe It's just something to think about, after all this wouldn't be a good "Ramblings of a SAHM" blog if I didn't ramble about what was on my mind. That and why my kids have decided that pillows belong on the floor instead of the sofa. *rolls eyes*

Katie at 2:41 PM

Saturday, January 17, 2004

Comments are back! Woohoo! I need to look around Halo Scan's website a little more to see if I can change the look of them. Although their basic scheme actually matches my current colors here. However I've had a request to change it *sticks tongue out* so I may need the ability to fuss with the comment colors in the future.

The other good news (and now he's going to make me feel bad for putting it second, haha) Greg's home! Thankfully he's home all week although he's been mumbling something about 12th story ocean view hotel rooms in Florida. And being gone the last week of January and two weeks in February. I may need to get out the duct tape. hehe

The twins spent last night at the in-laws. It's been strangely quiet here. Tonight MIL, SIL, the twins and I are going to see "Alice in Wonderland" by the dance company which SIL used to belong. While it's not the Russian Ballet, it should be a nice evening out. :)

Have a nice Saturday!

Katie at 9:53 AM

Thursday, January 15, 2004

Let me preface this with: It doesn't take much to make me happy. Thanks to a link at Melissa's site, my regular handwriting is now a computer font! Since I started scrapbooking, I fell in love with fonts and I'm so excited to have my own now! It's super easy, I made mine in under 3 minutes. Go to this site and follow the directions: www.fontifer.com

Katie at 10:16 PM

Ever notice how these silly posts from me are getting longer? I'll try to have a nice short one today.

Thursday: No Survivor. Need to make an eBay paper piecing (custom job, hehe). Missing Greg. Going to the padded room with the kids later today. Still need to wash those walls. Fish sticks, french fries, and fruit for lunch, homemade pizzas for dinner (no ideas for snack yet). General housework but no laundry. Looks like an exciting typical day, *yawn*.

Quote of the Day: "Keep smiling - it makes people wonder what you've been up to." -Author Unknown

Katie at 11:05 AM

Wednesday, January 14, 2004

I have to admit, it was a rough day. Starting with the kids dumping all the money out of one piggie bank to put into another. The jingling of $20+ in change is not a pleasant sound to wake up to unless you are Scrooge McDuck.

From there the day seemed to improve (see earlier post) but at about 4pm everything went downhill. There's something about the two hours between 4 and 6 that turns my children into wild, crazed whiney creatures.

The toy room was trashed and the twins had taken down some toys off the top shelf that are "permission first and only if the rest of the toy room is clean." They didn't ask and it wasn't clean so twentysome Mr. Potato Head parts, 50+ wooden blocks, and a gazillion Hot Wheel cars were mixed into the disaster. It kinda looked like a bomb had gone off inside a Toys R Us store.

While I was trying to make dinner and yelling "Clean up!" down to the toy room every few minutes, Zach developed a headache. These tend to happen when he doesn't want to do something or his sisters are bugging him, both scenarios probably qualified at the time. So he moaned about it constantly which in turn gave me a headache. Magically his headache disappeared after the toy room was clean and he had dinner. Mine however still isn't budging, I'm thinking about attacking it with Tylenol and vodka. (But as a rule I don't drink alone and the cat's at college.)

Let's see, what else? Oh the final straw this evening was when Kyle went potty by himself. He's been insisting on doing it alone lately and he's usually decent at it. However I forgot that after dinner, he goes number 2. So while I was cleaning up the kitchen, I heard a sort of scared, "Mommy!?!" and immediately thought, "Where's Kyle?" I found him upstairs with a handful of poop. To which I correctly responded "Shit!" very loudly and frightened him to tears. Oops, hope he doesn't repeat that one. On further investigation, he had stopped up my toilet with toilet paper and poop. And smeared a little on the floor and bath mat and my bedroom carpet. All of this happened in about 5 seconds, I swear kids don't follow the same time laws that the rest of us do. I couldn't find the plunger, Greg wasn't answering his cell phone, life was just getting better and better. Long story short: cleaned up Kyle, cleaned up floor and carpets, shed a few tears of my own, prayed to the toilet gods and the toilet fixed itself after a few flushes.

8pm bedtime is the only reason I'm still semi-sane. That and chocolate. A little bit of chocolate will fix any problem. You'll notice that Kelly wasn't mentioned at all in the above, she was almost a perfect angel except for a little grumbling this morning because of a tooth coming in. All she wanted was a snuggle then and snuggles are another good cure for bad days.

Good news: Comments should be back this weekend in some shape or form according to the Blog Speak guy. I also listed a couple of new eBay paper piecings (link in the right hand column) and made about $25 so far. About another $15 is guaranteed this week. Now I'll probably take a hot bubble bath and go to bed. I was planning to scrapbook but the day stressed me out too much to be creative. *sigh*

Katie at 9:13 PM

Lunch time!

So far today I have taken the kids to school, folded laundry, eBay stuff, talked to Steph on the phone, picked up the twins, went to the post office, picked up Zach, emptied the dishwasher, put away the clothes, sorted the mail, cleaned up lunch, and put the Kelly down for her nap. The kitchen floor still needs swept and the whole house could use a 15 minute straighten up sweep (Fly Lady style) but I'm starving so my lunch comes first.

Katie at 12:16 PM

Tuesday, January 13, 2004

I'm having issues with being boring. I'm afraid I've become boring and *gasp* normal. Let's look at the evidence:
lives in the Midwest: they should change the name to Boring Middle America and quit the pretenses. Anyone who is anyone lives on the coasts. Or Waco TX.
is a Mom: my mom is boring, I can't imagine how I'd be any different
drives a minivan: the ultimate symbol of a boring person

Even my hobbies are boring:
scrapbooking: too mainstream, even Hugh Hefner scrapbooks
writing: everything *thinks* they can write. After all it's just stringing words together? *rolls eyes*
sewing: I'm not sure I'm even old enough to be sewing, isn't this hobby reserved for Grandmas and interior designers?

Further proof that I am indeed a boring person, My To Do List Today:
laundry
fix a tear on the sofa
write a thank you note
keep the children alive and not screaming until my eardrums burst
deposit a check at the bank
wash walls and baseboards

Have you ever heard of any exciting person washing walls and baseboards? Their lists always include something like "Lunch with the Prime Minster of Luxemburg" and "Deep See Diving with Cousteau."

I actually had a similar post written out last night but then decided it was too dull and deleted it. haha So now that you are thoroughly bored out of your skull, go back to your thrilling life which I'm sure involves tea with the Queen and parasailing off the coast of New Zealand. I have laundry to sort and walls to wash.

Katie at 9:13 AM

Monday, January 12, 2004

Blah, what a blah day. The kind of day where you look at the clock and think, "man, isn't this day over already?" And it was only 1:16 pm. *sigh*

Katie at 9:07 PM

Sunday, January 11, 2004

**Warning: Pity Party Ahead**

My biggest fear: being alone.

That being said, Greg just left to fly to Fort Lauderdale for the week. *sigh* You'd think I'd be used to this since his job requires him to travel an average of 2 weeks a month. But I'm not. At 1:30 in the morning when I can't sleep, it's the simple fact that he's not here and I'm all alone. I hate it.

Sometimes I say I want to be alone (namely when Zach's complaining about his PS2, the twins are whining over a toy, Kyle wants his sippy cup filled, and Kelly's fussing for no apparent reason) but what I really mean is I would like some peace and quiet. Being truly alone scares the begeezes out of me. Death has never been one of my fears. Yeah, it would suck and I'd feel bad that my family would miss me but it doesn't scare me. The kids or Greg being hurt ranks up towards the top of the list and of course, losing any of them would be devastating. Which sort of explains my fear of being alone, it would mean I had lost all my loved ones. That Twilight Zone episode where the guy finds himself alone with a pile of books and broken glasses? I would have never moved from a curled up fetal position at the overwhelming knowledge that I was utterly alone in the world.

I'll muddle through, I always do. The kids will drive me crazy all day long and then I'll put them to bed at 8pm. And then be lonely. *sigh* It's depressing to think about. Sleeping is the hardest, I've never slept alone if I could avoid it. When I was little, my sister would often climb into bed with me. In college, having a roommate was enough although I was also rarely without a boyfriend. It's silly but one of the things I always looked forward to about being married was the guarantee that there would always be someone next to me at night.

In the whole scheme of things, it's not so bad really. I'm just being whiney because I've already spent a cold bleak week with the kids without Greg. It's not so much that I need a break, I just want another adult here to commiserate. And the thought of another week like the last one doesn't do much to improve my mood.

*sigh* Pity party over. If you've made it this far, have a cookie, you deserve it.

Katie at 10:18 AM

Saturday, January 10, 2004

58, 100 words! Oh wait, I don't need to update you any more, huh? Here's a little bit of my 2003 NaNo novel, not completely proof read so as usual ignore grammatical mistakes.

Ugh, she thought to herself as she stepped in the dark closet, why did I let Caiden talk me into this? Her mind refused to go over the act that happened right after the request. She bumped into a pile of fighting sticks, stirring up a cloud of dust. She sneezed and rubbed her free hand over her nose. The other hand held a candleholder with a lit candle. She had a notepad and pencil nub tucked into her breeches. Her plan was to list and count all the items in the closet and then send some men back to collect them later if Lord Gitter wanted the weapons moved. She had no idea that there would be so many weapons in the castle, it had taken her three days to go through the barracks alone. Caiden promised to help her in the armory later so for now she was wandering through the castle looking for misplaced swords.

She sent the holder down on a small wooden shelf, careful to make sure it wouldn't easily be knocked over. The closet was so dry, the whole quarter would go up in smoke quickly if she accidentally caught it on fire. She sniffed, the dusty stale air was irritating her nose.

Her eyes quickly adjusted to the dim light and mentally began tallying in the items in the closet. Half a dozen fighting sticks, some musty linens that had been forgotten, and more dust than she cared to think about. She absently ran her finger through the dirt, it was so covered she didn't even reach the wood of the shelf. She'd have to mention this closet to the cleaning maids.

A dark shadow caught her eye to the right of the shelves. She had assumed that the closet ended at the shelves that seemed to line the back of the closet. Without going back for the candle she stepped into the shadow. The shelves had only been a divider, she saw that the closet went on for another few feet. Blinking she waited for excellent wood elf vision to kick in so she could see what lie behind the shelves. Frowning when she could only see blackness after a few minutes, she took another step forward.

Kierana gasped as a chill suddenly settled into her bones. Her throat felt constricted, she put her hand to her neck as if she could pull away whatever seemed to be squeezing it closed. Her eyes flew open in panic as she couldn't bring in a full breath of air. She tried to step back away from the darkness but her muscles seemed frozen in place. The little hairs on the back of her neck stood on end as she felt a rush of cold air next to her. The movement unnerved her more than the lack of air, what was in the closet with her?

"Leave now and never return," came a low guttural command from the center of the blackness. Her throat was released and her muscles went slack. Without questioning what the voice meant by its cryptic message about leaving and not returning, she turned and fled out of the closet. And right into Jalask's broad chest.

"Oomph," he said, putting his large hands on her shoulders.

"There's, there's something in there!" Too frighten by what she had just experienced, she didn't even notice that Jalask hadn't pushed her away. Instead he let her lean against him.

"Oh Ernie," Jalask said with a chuckle. "Go away, Ernie!" he called into the open closet. Still huddling close to Jalask for comfort, Kierana turned slightly to look into the room. She watched the candle be blown out by an invisible force. With what seemed to be a grunt of reply, the door slammed shut. Kierana jumped at the sudden noise, falling against Jalask again.

Katie at 6:10 PM

Happy Saturday y'all!

I've really been sucked into this blog world. It's a strange phenomenon that I wish I had heard about sooner. I've done the rounds at online message boards and forums (still frequent a few but numerous ones have fallen to the wayside), did a few chats in the day, and downloaded all the messengers a few years back (all of which have been deleted except MSN which I rarely use).

But this blog thing is too cool. Every day I can read a concise (well sometimes) story about a perfect stranger's life. Their thoughts, what they are doing, what their cat did, what another stranger said to them on the subway. And bonus, I can read what blogs they are reading. I could happily click on links all day long and learn about Canada's weather, a fight with Significant Other, and the loss of 23 red Christmas ornaments (again cats...)

I always thought the web was pretty cool but now a whole new realm has opened up. Wanna read about a LEGO Master Builder candidate's interview? Melissa provided the link in her blog. And it's amusing to watch one blog be discussed in other blogs. Belle de Jour's "The New Black?" Come on, you know you've read it. *winks*

So keep writing all you bloggers, journalers, etc. We are reading and waiting impatiently for more about your tumor, your next chapter, or what the Village Clerk will have to do next. Silly how the littlest things are so entertaining to read. The most mundane events are the best because it makes the rest of the world seem a little more real. There are other people out there who have I Love Lucy moments and wish their husbands would get a clue (and sometimes they do!). It makes me feel a little more normal about my boring little life.

Oh and how could I forget the best part of blogging? As Freud said, it's all about the ego. :)

Katie at 10:04 AM

Friday, January 09, 2004

The Day in Numbers

Times I hit the snooze button: 4
Types of Cheerios served at breakfast: 3
Minutes spent in the parking lot waiting to drop off or pick up kids: 26
Band-aids applied: 1
Times I've said "no": 13
Times that were to Kyle: 7
Items received in the mail: 9
Items that were junk/credit card offers: 6
Times Kelly said "Ma!": 75+
Sucessful potty trips for Kyle: 10
Underwear changes for Kyle: 4
Money spent: $12.88 at Michael's Craft store, $14.21 at grocery
Ounces of Mountain Dew drank: 32
Ounces of water drank: 20
Hours spent cleaning: 1 3/4
Minutes spent snuggling Kelly after her nap: 8
Sippy cups filled: 9
Blogs read: 13
Inches of snow on the ground: <1
Times the kids have asked to play in it: 5
Containers of Play Doh brought out to distract the kids from the snow: 11
Containers of Play Doh that were dried up: 6
Times "Sponge Boy Me Bob" said: 2
Pairs of shorts for Greg that I picked up at JC Penney's: 4
Pairs of shorts that I'll probably be returning to JC Penney's next week: 3
Light bulbs changed: 3
Miles from Las Vegas to Home: 1966
Hours of TV watched by me: 0
Hours of TV watched by the kids: 2 1/2
Minutes until bedtime: 161

Katie at 5:19 PM

Started the day with Kelly singing "Hey Ya" by Outkast... Looks like we have a long weird day ahead of us.

Katie at 8:31 AM

Thursday, January 08, 2004

A nice normal day, I hope...

So far Kyle's gone through 5 pairs of underwear and 3 pairs of pants with this potty training business. The first few days are always the roughest.

It's snowing. Which means the kids are going to want to play outside in it. I hate the cold as much as I hate slow drivers on 2 lane roads with no passing zones. I've noticed I become more grumpy about the cold every year. I'm so going to be a "Snow Bird" when all the kids graduate school. I couldn't permantly move south all year long though, I like my spring bulbs and autumn leaves. And Ohio summers hit my heat tolerance threshold, I doubt I could deal with August in Florida.

I think I might have tapped out my scrapbook creativity again. eBay paper piecings have a bad habit of doing that. So I might write tonight instead. I miss Survivor. And Greg. *sigh*

Quote of the Day: When I stand before God at the end of my life, I would hope that I would not have a single bit of talent left, and could say, "I used everything you gave me." -Erma Bombeck

Katie at 12:55 PM

Wednesday, January 07, 2004

Headlines at the Fleck Household
Issue 7 Volume 4
Top Stories
Zach reads 73 books between Dec 2nd and Jan 6th. He hopes it's enough to make his kindergarten class the top readers and send Mrs. Franz up in a hot air balloon.
Kelly says "My" for the first time. Currently her other words are "Ma" and "No".
Emily and Ally hold their first afternoon tea. Guests: Kyle and 4 Care Bears. Refreshments: Water and imaginary cookies.

Local
Weather: High 26, Low 18, Mostly Cloudy
Man Wearing Chicken Suit Robs Krogers

Sports
Katie breaks personal record for loading kids in and out of the van. "The cold weather makes me work faster," she says about her triumph.

Life
Today's menu: Breakfast Honey Nut Cheerios with Milk. Lunch Chicken Noodle Soup. Snack Sugar Cookies with icing. Dinner Grilled Cheese, Strawberry Yogurt. No substitutions please.
Scheduled Activity: Crayons and coloring books.

Business
Katie spends $84.38 at Target when she was only suppose to spend $30 on kids' jeans. The Accounting Department will probably look into misuse of funds. "The dog needed food and treats. And it's impossible to buy 4 pairs of good jeans for only $30," she says in her defense.

Art and Entertainment
Zach beat Level 7 of Finding Nemo for Playstation 2.
Emily and Ally made pictures of Mommy and Daddy out of silver and gold stars. Currently showing on the refrigerator door.
Noggin will be airing from 8am to 6pm until further notice.

Travel
*Correction* Greg is not currently in Vegas. Instead he spent the night and day somewhere in Michigan. He will be flying to Las Vegas tonight and should arrive before midnight local time.

Classifieds
Scrapbook Paper Piecings by ~katiefleck~
Adorable hand crafted one of a kind sets for your scrapbooks!
Play Time
Dragon Tales
Frosty Friends
Three Wise Women
Quantities limited, selection updated weekly.
Thanks for looking!

Upcoming Articles
What ever happened to Kierana the Wood Elf and the NaNoWriMo novel? Exclusive excerpts coming soon!
Potty Training! Kyle will attempt wearing underwear tomorrow, Katie optimistic about results.
A new technique for Scrapbook Corner to be written soon. Will it be on Walnut Ink? Or Shakers? Or Digital Scrapbooking? Stay tuned!

Katie at 8:31 PM

Bloggie Awards! Hmmm, who should I nominate? :)

I'll be back later with a longer post after the kids are in bed and my newest eBay auctions are listed.

Katie at 5:20 PM

Tuesday, January 06, 2004

Gotta blog, gotta blog! *skips along, cheerfully humming off tune* And a partridge in a pear tree!

Um, yeah, where was I? I think I'm coming down with a head cold, I suspect Greg left me with his while he's in Vegas. Where it is warm! The North Pole is probably warmer than here, I hate being cold. And I have to be a good dog mommy and keep Ranger in the house. Cause if I can't stand stepping outside for the mail (which is probably bills anyways, why do I bother?) then I sure can't leave the puppy outside in this freezing weather. But the dog brings in dog hair and dog smell. Ick. He's Greg's dog, he should have gone to Vegas with him. *frowns*

I was going somewhere with this blog, I forgot where again. A tropical island would be nice. Part of the reason I'm so cold is that I made scrapbook paper piecings for eBay (go bid! I have a speeding ticket to pay and a $25 Club Scrap order to cover. Oops Greg, you didn't see that Club Scrap part...) and the window by my scrapbook desk is leaking freezing cold air inside. Which means our heating bill will probably be high next month because after I put on 2 shirts, my wool hiking socks and a quilt, I turned the thermostat up. Greg's gone so he can't bitch, ha! There's probably something I could do about the window (yes, it's closed, I checked) but I'd rather just whine about it.

So in summary (cause I don't think any of this blog is making sense and I should just go to bed):

Greg in Vegas=warm
Me in Ohio=cold
Cold=Dog inside and dog hair and dog smell. Ick.
Speeding Ticket= Scrapbook Paper Piecing Auctions
Rambling weird posts=Feverish tired Me who should be in bed but can't sleep because Greg's in Vegas

See it all ties together sort of. Give me some shoe string, duct tape and a battery and I'll MacGyver it into something better tomorrow. Or maybe some tylenol and vodka would work better. Too bad I can't reach the vodka, it would involved coming out of my quilt cocoon. Brrr...

Boa noite! Bonne nuit! Gute Nacht! Buona notte! Buonas noches! Good Night!

Katie at 10:48 PM

Monday, January 05, 2004

I totally forgot that the kids being in school is not easier than having all the kids at home. Yes, while the big 3 were out of the house for a few hours (2 for the twins and 3 for Zach), it took a ton of work to get everyone fed, dressed, and ready ("backpacks!" "gloves and hats!") and out the door this morning. Then all the time spent driving to school, dropping off and picking up plus the time sitting in the parking lot just waiting. They really should make the parking lot at school more interesting. I start wondering odd things while I sit in the warm minivan waiting for school to dismiss:

How old is that pine tree?
Why is that window open? It's 20 degrees outside.
What was I doing on Jan 5th of last year?
They still have Christmas decorations up, lazy people.
What's the superintendent's name again? (as I wave as he walks by on the sidewalk)
Why are the lines on this side of the lot yellow and they are white over there?
If it's 10:51 am here, what time is it in China?

I also forgot the madness that happens when we all are home again. Shoes, jackets, mittens, backpacks, homework, papers, and art projects everywhere! And today is only Monday... *sigh*

Katie at 2:22 PM

Saturday, January 03, 2004

I'm hoping to have a very productive day. So far I've cleaned out the kitchen cabinets and reorganized them. Oldest thing to be thrown away: Caladryl lotion (expired Oct 99). Oddest thing found: Wire drapery hangers for drapes that we never hung up and instead donated to Goodwill over a year ago (I pitched the hangers). While on the kitchen cleaning kick, I went through the fridge to pitch leftovers and organized it. I miss our second fridge in the garage (it died last summer). It's hard to cram 4 gallons of milk and a couple dozen pop cans along with all the other refridgerated foods into one. Course Greg got us a free deep freeze but it's not plugged in plus our regular freezer is nearly empty anyways. Go figure...

Now I need to do some regular house cleaning (vacuum, dust, a quick wipe-up of the bathrooms) because Greg invited friends over for the night. I feel like all I've done for the last few weeks is clean and cook. I'd rather be scrapbooking. *sigh*

Katie at 1:06 PM

Friday, January 02, 2004

I hate post-holiday let-down. We plan so much and do so much and see so many people and then all of a sudden it's over. Last night after Sarah, Steve, and Tommy left, Greg and I looked at each other and were like "Now what?" "Now what?" ended up including a nap for him and internet surfing for me. After the kids went to bed, we watched "Chicago" (good but not good enough for the Oscar in my opinion). Back to the same old, same old, I suppose.

Quote of the Day: "A habit is something you can do without thinking. Which is why most of us have so many of them." -Frank A. Clark

Katie at 11:45 AM

Thursday, January 01, 2004

Happy New Year!

Last night was fun, I got drunk for the first time in many years (usually pregnant or nursing, lol). Everyone else got drunk as well (drinking apple martini's and various shots that Greg mixed) so it was a hilarious night. We played Scene It (Greg won twice) and tried to play the dvd edition of Trivia Pursuit but everyone was kinda out of it by then. Greg played the movie Rad after the ball dropped but I fell asleep through most of it. I shouldn't start drinking at 6pm if I want to stay up much past midnight. haha

So of course the kids were awake at 8 this morning and I have 6 sleeping adults in the house. So far I've cleaned up the kitchen (what a mess!) and put away all the alcohol bottles. Now I'm waiting until about 11am to start brunch.

Kelly's currently yelling at me because I'm sitting at the computer and not nursing her. I nursed her for the last time on Sunday and she's not very happy with the change. We were down to one nursing a day (skipping a day occasionally) and selfish me wanted to be able to drink last night guilt free. Course now I have the guilt of not nursing my baby anymore. I've found motherhood is always full of guilt no matter what the choice.

Oh yeah, New Year Resolutions... I never make them although that takes the fun out of breaking them. Plus I'm pratically perfect in every way... hehehehehehe I do have some goals for the year, just little projects I want to do: catch up the kids' scrapbooks, make Greg's jean quilt, finish painting a few rooms in the house, learn to play the piano. Plant a vegetable garden, sew a pea coat for me, have fun with the kids and Greg. :)

Quote of the Day: "It is never to late to be what you might have been." -George Eliot

Katie at 10:08 AM

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