Ramblings of a SAHM

Saturday, April 30, 2005

I was tagged for this MeMe by Marie over at PractiGal. The idea is to pick 5 of the following and then complete the sentences. Then pass this little meme on to 3 more of your blog friends. So here we go!

If I could be a scientist...
If I could be a farmer...
If I could be a musician...
If I could be a doctor...
If I could be a painter...
If I could be a gardener...
If I could be a missionary...
If I could be a chef...
If I could be an architect...
If I could be a linguist...
If I could be a psychologist...
If I could be a librarian...
If I could be an athlete...
If I could be a lawyer...
If I could be an inn-keeper...
If I could be a professor...
If I could be a writer...
If I could be a llama-rider...
If I could be a bonnie pirate...
If I could be an astronaut...
If I could be a world famous blogger...
If I could be a justice on any one court in the world...
If I could be married to any current famous political figure...

If I could be a scientist... I would invent a self cleaning house. And discover a new fungus that grows on lollipops left on the floor of mini-vans.
If I could be a gardener... I'd have 2 acres of beautiful perennial and rose gardens with lots of lush trees on the edges.
If I could be a professor... I'd wear weird clothing and teach something obscure and useless like Socrates philosophy while he was ages 10-14.
If I could be a writer... I'd publish witty articles on parenting, write steamy romance novels (under a pen name of course!), and dabble in fantasy/sci-fi whenever the mood struck.
If I could be a bonnie pirate... I'd sail the Caribbean, stopping at ports to drink and party. Oh and say "Arrr!" a lot.

I tag: Steph at Zookeeping at its Best!, Ben at Hey You!, and Kym at Extraordinary Mundane.

Whew, that wasn't so bad. *winks*

Katie at 11:57 AM

Friday, April 29, 2005

Friday Randomness...

www.katiefleck.com is a working domain! (not just a redirect anymore) Right now the main page is just my blog but I plan to do more pages once I figure out how to use the file manager... (I have Marlin's line running through my head: "You think you can do these things but you just can't Nemo!") I signed up with bluehost.com and not just because they have "blue" in their name. (Really! I swear!) Their customer service over the phone was friendly and quick (less than 2 minutes wait time) and after comparing a lot of plans, theirs offered the most for a decent price. I'm still trying to figure out all the options in the control panel, it's not for the novice web designer that's for sure. My one issue with them? Their Help pages currently suck. Guess you can't have everything.

I will try to post directions to make the ruffled jean skirt in the next few days. I still need to make Kelly's so I'll take pictures along the way. It's not hard and yes, I just winged it like I usually do. lol

I had another therapist appointment yesterday morning. I'm not sure I'm going to write anything extensive about it though. She thinks that I feel I'm "unimportant" and don't stand up for myself and express opinions, etc. And therefore I build about resentment about the lack of control and "act out" in unhealthy ways. Maybe...

I have big news about a new position for Greg at work but it deserves a post of its own. He also needs to sign the paperwork to make it all official. More later!

TGIF!

Quote of the Day: "A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows." -Doug Larson

Katie at 9:36 AM

Thursday, April 28, 2005

Kyle: one hand holding a lollipop, one hand holding a white puffed dandelion. Guess which one he put in his mouth? hehe

Katie at 2:16 PM

Wednesday, April 27, 2005

Today's project:

The twins often wear holes in the knees of their jeans before outgrowing them (heck, I still do!) so I thought it would be cute to turn the old jeans into skirts. I'm almost finished with the second skirt and I have extra fabric so I'll probably make Kelly one as well. After school we're going shopping to buy shirts to match!

Katie at 1:44 PM

Tuesday, April 26, 2005

Stay at home mom excitement Part 2!

Okay so yesterday I didn't get to the carpet spot cleaning or the laundry or going to the mall. Add those items to today's To Do list. I also need to go back to the Home Depot because I bought the wrong size mini-blinds (I had a 50/50 chance, our windows are all 35" or 43" wide. *sigh*). This morning I mopped the kitchen floor. I'm not sure what that has to do with anything else but it's done and clean and the kids will probably try eating off it at lunch time. *rolls eyes* Oh and am I in a writing slump? You betcha...

Quote of the Day: "It sometimes happens, even in the best of families, that a baby is born. This is not necessarily cause for alarm. The important thing is to keep your wits about you and borrow some money." -Elinor Goulding Smith

Katie at 10:21 AM

Monday, April 25, 2005

Stay at home mom excitement!

Today's To Do list includes: take out the trash, exercise, shower, laundry, clean a couple of carpet stains, grocery shopping, Target shopping, Home Depot for replacement mini-blind (see last Thursday's post), pay bills, watermelon for snack (long story), and *maybe* a quick trip to the mall.

Has anyone perfected that 25 hour day yet?

Katie at 9:29 AM

Saturday, April 23, 2005

I'm totally ignoring the forecast of 1-3 inches of snow accumulation overnight. *sticks fingers in ears* "Lalala, I can't hear you!" And all you people in warmer climates? Zip it right now or your bloglink will die a slow and miserable death...

Anyway, looney weather aside we're heading up to Sherry's for her oldest son's First Communion this evening. You all have a lovely weekend!

Quote of the Day: "Weather forecast for tonight: dark." -George Carlin

Katie at 1:56 PM

Friday, April 22, 2005

Feeling rather crabby and under the weather today. Speaking of the weather, anyone else pissed off at Mother Nature right now? We had two weeks of gorgeous sunny warm weather and tomorrow the low will be 32. Freezing temperatures. Course being in the rotten mood I am at the moment, I'm laughing my ass off at all the idiot people who already went to the garden centers and planted all their annuals. Laziness pays off sometimes.

Katie at 11:12 AM

Thursday, April 21, 2005

7:10am- Kyle wakes me up, "Mom, I kept the bed dry last night, see!" "Kyle, you're wearing a pull-up." Kelly wakes up. Close eyes and ignore Kelly poking my face and petting my hair.

7:40- Hear Kyle and Kelly playing in the bathroom. "Mom, Kyle and Kelly are putting toothpaste on themselves!" (Emily) Switch off alarm clock due to go off in 10 minutes and get out of bed. Clean toothpaste off Kyle and Kelly. Go to my bathroom and get dressed and ready for the day. Then clean toothpaste off the kids' bathroom door.

8:00- Make mini-chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast (bought yesterday at Market Day). Set the table and spill milk on the floor while pouring it for the kids. Accidentally clean it up with my sock (Ew!). Butter and syrup 30 pancakes the size of half dollars. Dribble syrup on the floor. Kyle spills his milk. Clean up both. Make tea for myself and check the weather report on the computer. 45 degrees? Wasn't it 80 just yesterday? Set out clothes for the kids (no shorts today!). Butter and syrup 20 more pancakes as seconds. Eat the remaining 2 as to not cause fights. Gross! Kelly spills her milk. *roll eyes*

8:20- Kids go upstairs to get dressed and do bathroom stuff. I help Kyle and Kelly dress. I check backpacks to make sure homework and snacks are still inside. Pull jackets out of the closet and help Kyle and Kelly into their shoes. "Let's go!" Send Emily back inside for her backpack.

8:35- Drop Zach and Emily off at school. Return home. Open windows. Notice the garage/kitchen door is open. "Kyle! Bring me the Fruit Loop box!" Turn on the TV for the kids and go clean up in the kitchen. Unload the dishwasher, reload the dishwasher with breakfast dishes. Upstairs to sort laundry. Start a load of jeans.

9:00- Sit down at the computer to finish my now cold tea. Write a little, check email, read a few blogs. Figure out today's To Do list.

9:30- Change Kelly's stinky diaper (potty training is so not happening at the moment). Set the kids up with crayons and paper to color at the dining room table. Feed squeaky guinea pig. Move jeans into dryer, start darks. Thursdays are my make-shift FlyLady Home Blessing days. Start by cleaning bathrooms (master bath, kids' bath, half bath). Consider making the kids brush their teeth with baking soda from now on.

9:55- Doorbell rings. FedEx Lady! The kids crowd around the door as I sign for a package from Greg's work. Finish cleaning the bathrooms and take out the trash. Shoe the kids out of the garage.

10:20- Take a break. Heat up leftover spaetzle for breakfast for me (with a Mountain Dew, shush!). Help Ally sound out a few words in a book.

10:30- Water plants. Tell kids to put their toys back in the toy room so I can vacuum family room. Fold jeans, put darks in the dryer, start whites/lights. Notice garage/kitchen door open again ($@^&! kids know how to unlock doors...) "KYLE!" Take Fruit Loops away from Kyle. Clean glass, mirrors, TV screens, computer monitors, etc with Windex. Vacuum the family room. Notice Kelly running around without her diaper. And she's chewing gum. GUM?!?! Pin her down, dig the gum out of her mouth, and put diaper and pants back on her. "Where did you get the gum?" (We have no gum in the house.) "Birdies at the window!" "Kelly, show mommy where you got the gum." "Birdies!" Whatever...

11:10- Go back to vacuuming. Let the kids set the dining room chairs into a "train" so I can sweep the dining room. Vacuum front room, stairs, and upstairs. Upset the kids when I move all the chairs back into the dining room. Decide to be a slacker and not dust/polish wood furniture. Put away the coloring supplies and have the kids go downstairs. Take a break (aka Club Pogo time!).

12:10pm- Pull a naked Kelly out from under the dining room table and redress her. Dish out lunch: fruit and lunch meat sandwiches. Kyle wants PB&J, promise that for lunch tomorrow. Outside to get the mail, it's raining. All junk mail too. Go out back to feed the dog. Stupid rain. Back inside, Kyle spills his water. *sigh*

12:35- Take Ally to school. Stop by the gas station for a Mountain Dew (I said shush!). Win a free iTunes song! Back home, clean up lunch dishes. Take darks out of the dryer, put white/lights in, and start the towels in the wash. Help Kyle find his Thomas the Tank Engine tracks and trains. Make the tracks into a circle. Snuggle with Kelly while playing on the computer.

1:30- Tell Kyle to leave mini-blinds alone. Crash! *grumbles* The fall snapped the top bracket. Fix with clear duct tape just so I don't have a big open window until I can get to Home Depot. Greg calls, he's traveling from Philadephia to New Jersey. Talk to him for awhile. Hang up and shoe Kyle out of the Fruit Loops.

2:00- Take lights/whites out of the dryer, put towels in. Fold clothes while Kyle and Kelly watch Little Bear on Noggin.

2:30- "Is it time to pick the kids up yet?" (Kyle) "No and get out of the fridge!" On the internet, look up Google Ads, PayPal button, Amazon.com referral plan, etc. hehe Also look up web hosting options so I can get away from Blogger!

3:00- Check stack of library books. According to the printout, we have 17(!) checked out. Due April 13th. *rolls eyes* 10 are in the "library book place" (end of buffet in dining room). Look in the boys' room. Find 3. Look in the family room. Find 1. Look in the toy room. Find the last 3. Change Kelly's diaper, put shoes on her and Kyle, out to the van.

3:30- Arrive at school. Zach's out first as usual. Reach school front door and Emily's in tears. Hop out of the van to find out why. Ally broke Emily's new bead necklace. Now Ally's in tears too. Calm down both girls and chit chat with their teachers for a minute.

3:40- Arrive at library. Herd kids into the children's section. Follow Kyle and Kelly around replacing books they pull off the shelves while telling Emily and Ally to hurry up. (They always take forever.) Help Zach look up a book on the computer. Tell Kyle only 2 books, he wants 3 because he's 3 years old. Tell Emily and Ally to hurry up again. Finally everyone has 2 books and we check out. $5.95 in late fees... Exit the library without incident, whew.

4:00- Home! Kids throw backpacks, books, jackets, shoes everywhere as they go to the kitchen for snack. Order them back to pick up backpacks, books, jackets, shoes and put them away properly. Snack: applesauce. Go through backpacks while the kids eat. No homework, no papers to sign so I (sentimental people look away for a second) throw the papers in the trash. Exception: Zach asks to keep his marshmallow/toothpick cube he made studying geometry.

4:15- Try to help Zach with the PlayStation 2. I think it's dead. He insists it's not and resets for 5 minutes before giving up. Try to get the DVR to play an episode of Little Bear for Kyle. It resets itself and still won't pull up the recorded list. Mentally curse all electronics. Talk to Greg for a few minutes. Try cable box again, it works. Watch Little Bear with Kyle and Kelly. Then referee squabbles between Kyle and Emily while watching an episode of Good Eats. Which reminds me...

5:45- Start dinner. Spaghetti & meatballs and salad. I'm not in the mood for that so I make a couple of quick quesadillas with leftover grilled chicken and shredded cheese for myself. Set the table and begin dishing out the food when Kelly dumps 3 cups full of water over the kitchen table. Clean up the mess while wondering if it would be bad to put all 5 children back on sippy cups.

6:10- Dinner time! I escape to the computer desk while the kids uh, eat (kinda sounds like a cage full of monkeys in there). Dang rainy weather, the kids didn't get the chance to run off excess energy outside today. Serve seconds. Share my quesadillas with Kelly. Serve thirds.

7:00- Order kids to clean up toy room (it's a disaster!) while I clean up the kitchen. Pile chair covers, tablecloths, and wet towels to be washed. Check on the kids' progress. Nada. Yell.A.Lot. Go to computer and try to read through blogroll while 1. putting Kelly's diaper back on her, 2. finding Stitch for Kyle, 3. yelling at the kids to pick up the toy room, 4. putting Kelly's diaper back on her.

7:40- Check on toy room again. Not much better. Yell some more and sneeze. A.Lot. Stupid allergies. I'd rip my nose off but then I'd have nothing to hold my glasses up. Feel very tired and cranky and just want the toy room cleaned up. Yell some more and sneeze.

8:10- Toy room finally clean so it's bedtime. Put toothpaste on the brushes, oversee Kyle and Kelly's brushing. PJ's, potty, etc... Tuck the boys into bed. Tuck the girls into bed. Sit in the girls' room until Kelly falls asleep (she's still getting used to being in a toddler bed and will get out of bed continually otherwise).

8:40- Kelly's asleep. Check on the boys, Kyle's asleep, Zach's messing around in his bed. Change into PJ's. Make a cup of tea. Yell at the twins to be quiet and go to sleep. Try to relax.

Tonight I'll probably do nothing. I still need to fold the towels and then replace the chair covers and tablecloths when they are dry. Greg's not home so I get bored easily and usually go to bed early (10:30-ish). Sometimes I'll scrapbook at this time or play computer games. But sleep is sounding awfully good at the moment.

Katie at 9:41 PM

So today I'm updating the "Day in the Life of" post. Nothing big planned for the day except a possible trip to the library after school. I'll write everything down as the day goes on (mostly because my memory is iffy) and then post the whole thing after bedtime (8:30ish EST). See ya then!

Quote of the Day: "It's never safe to be nostalgic about something until you're absolutely certain there's no chance of its coming back." -Bill Vaughn

Katie at 9:01 AM

Wednesday, April 20, 2005

Okay who in their right mind spends an additional $250 on their cell phone bill in one month?

*meekly raises hand*

It's killing me too. I honestly had no clue that I had been talking on the phone that much. (It should be noted here that Greg and I only have cell phones, we dropped the land line a few years ago because it was an extra bill that we weren't really using.)

And then the ironic part... I hate phones! I hate making phone calls. With the exception being to close friends and family. And if you've read here for very long, it's been a bit of a stressful month for me. So I talked to my close friends and family members. A lot. Add in the fact that Steph has unlimited long distance and a houseful of munchkins that can't string together 4 words into a sentence (unless "WA WA WA WA!!!" counts) and um, I guess the minutes add up. And yes, I'm an idiot, I totally forgot that incoming calls count towards my overall minutes. I can't be brilliant in everything.

So $250... *cringes* Yeah the blog whoring is going to start sooner than I thought. I've heard Google Ads are color customizable. There's something about an Amazon.com referral program too. Or maybe I could be completely tacky and add a PayPal button. And I'll cut you a deal to advertise on my site. Heck I'll even photoshop the banner and buttons for you. But don't call me! And I won't call you! That's what Al Gore invented emails for. *winks*

Katie at 9:23 AM

Tuesday, April 19, 2005

I'm scrapbooking! Woohoo! (results posted later)

Update: Here we go, my first attempt at scrapbooking in 6 months! This is a gift page for a friend of the family's 60th birthday. The party hostess asked all the guests to make a page of their favorite memory of Judy to put in a scrapbook for her. Since we mostly only see her at Thanksgiving, that's what I did. The blur under the picture is our last name I photoshop'ed out. It's also not crooked, I used my digital camera instead of the scanner cause I still don't have the proper software loaded for it. I kept the design simple because I didn't want to go all lumpy and CK'ish to upstage all the non-scrapbooking family and friends' pages. hehe

It felt really good to complete a page. I see a lot more happy scrapbooking in my future!

Katie at 3:19 PM

Monday, April 18, 2005

Mondays... Way too freakin' busy.

Quote of the Day: "I don't answer the phone. I get the feeling whenever I do that there will be someone on the other end." -Fred Couples

Katie at 3:06 PM

Sunday, April 17, 2005

I need to update the "A Day in the Life of" feature here (the last one was Dec 10, 2003). This week seems like it will be a pretty normal one but to keep me from picking a totally easy day (to show it's not too rough) or a really hard day (to prove how difficult it is), you all get to pick the day. Comment with your vote of Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Not Monday just cause I forgot to post this earlier and now need that day to give everyone a chance to comment. I'm also going to try to update some of the pictures and maybe write another installment of my "katiefleck's Unofficial Guide to Surviving 3 or more children under the age of 6." Any requests?

Katie at 4:15 PM

Saturday, April 16, 2005

The New Do!

I love it! The color is perfect and at first I thought it was too short (I lost 8+ inches!) but now I really like the length too.

Course with this cool new hair style, I need a cool new wardrobe. *winks*

Katie at 12:50 PM

Friday, April 15, 2005

Time to wrap up the week with a post of random thoughts.

It's finally green outside. For which I am very thankful. I'm looking forward to the shade of leafy trees and walking barefoot across the lush grass lawn. Just driving down the road makes me happy, green, green, GREEN! (Needless to say winter is not my favorite season.)

Thank you Erin for the spaetzle maker! Although now I don't know why we'd ever invite you over again. *winks*

I wanna knit this, Knit Lace Poncho, but I'm a novice knitter at best. Knit, Purl? Got it. *K 2, yo, ssk, k 2; repeat from *? Not so much. That and I'm a tight knitter. My basket weaving instructer used to say I weaved too tightly as well. Help?

I hung my hummingbird feeder out yesterday. It may be a bit early to expect them back but I'll be ready. Check out your state's hummingbirds at Birds-n-garden.com

Tomorrow morning, bright and early at 8am, I'm going to have my hair highlighted (first time!) and a new style. Something a bit like this but not exactly (I have a magazine picture to bring and that's the best example I could find online). Which means if all goes well, I'll need to update my "About Me" picture.

Today I need to do a bunch of random things. Clean the fridge, wipe down shelves in the garage, change light bulbs, mail a package at the post office, clean a couple of spots on the carpet, take out the trash, etc. Each task will only take 5-10 minutes, it's just a matter of keeping my momentum up to finish everything.

No plans for the weekend and Greg flies out sometime on Sunday. The weather is suppose to be gorgeous so two days of laying around outside while the kids play sounds perfect.

Quote of the Day: "Be wary of strong drink. It can make you shoot at tax collectors... and miss." -Robert Heinlein

Katie at 9:57 AM

Thursday, April 14, 2005

Awhile back The Zero Boss mentioned this online tea store, Adagio Teas, that had jipped him out of his free tea set due to a technicality of an archived page's Google Page Rank. (He eventually received the set and an apology.) But it got me thinking, free tea for putting a link on my blog page? Sign me up! Hmm, I didn't know I could be so easily bought...

Somehow the Google Gods like me and my pitiful little site has a rank of 5/10. Which is high enough for the deluxe set according to the link rewards page. And I got it! And in case you haven't gone to the page yet, go now and check out how the nifty ingenuiTEA teapot works. You know what they say about simple minds...

Anyway this is also the first time I've ever tried loose leaf tea. Yeah, yeah all you purist tea fanatics can throw your empty loose leaf tea tins at me, I've been a Lipton bag girl since I was old enough to drink out of a mug. So this morning, I nuked some water, dumped in a tablespoon of loose tea (I received a black variety, yunnan jig) into the teapot, waited (at which point Zach asked me what the heck I was doing, "making tea!" and then he gave me one of those looks like "my mom has gone off the deep end"), and then um, emptied the liquid into my mug. The action kinda reminds me of those dolls I had as a kid that you held over the toilet and squeezed their bellies to make them "pee". But back to the teapot, it worked perfectly! No spills at all, I'm impressed. I mean hey, it was free, I really wasn't expecting too much.

So loose leaf tea. Not much different than bagged tea... Okay maybe it is but my allergies have stuffed up my head again. The yunnan jig was like a very, very good breakfast blend. I'm not sure I'm completely convinced to switch to loose leaf (those little bags are pretty darn convenient) but there's a good chance I'll order a sampler set from Adagio Teas in the near future.

But all this has got me thinking, what else can I whore out my site for in exchange for free goodies and money? *winks*

Katie at 9:17 AM

Wednesday, April 13, 2005

I'm giving myself a busy day so I don't think too much. I need to run a few errands, clean up some stuff in the garage and then meet with Emily's teacher after school to discuss her progress. Greg will be home late tonight so I should probably play Merry Maid around the house for a bit too. Now if only I can keep myself from clicking over to Club Pogo. hehe

Katie at 10:46 AM

Tuesday, April 12, 2005

Pity Party over. Yes, I'm probably on the edge of depression, that realization hit me like a ton of bricks after I published this morning's post. Thank you all for the uplifting comments, it means a lot to me that you read and think and care enough about me to make them. I left a message with my therapist for another appointment as soon as possible. This whole "facing reality" thing sucks sometimes.

A friend of mine once joked, "Over achieve much?" I like being busy, I like being good at the things I do. Both of which are pretty normal except maybe I do take it to extremes at times. I see myself as a juggler, keeping all these balls up in the air. Lately it seems I've been dropping and losing my favorite ones (scrapbooking, writing, crafty things, etc) while picking up anvils (depression, stress). Which makes the regular balls (being a mom, housework) that much harder to juggle. I'm awesome at this analogy thing if I do say so myself. *winks*

I do need to slow down, I do need to take time and work through all this instead of expecting results overnight. It's taken years to get here and it'll probably take awhile to fix it. I'll admit I'm not a terribly patient person and what little I do have, I spend it all on the kids. So I'm going to work on doing the basics well again. And also remember to breath and take my allergy medicine.

Thanks again and if you want to email me, it's katiefleck AT hotmail.com

Katie at 4:51 PM

I feel a bit lost. I thought all this introspection crap was suppose to make life more clear and easier to understand. Instead, I just feel... lost.

I've been going through the motions: wake up, dress and feed the kids, school, clean the house, laundry, bedtime, etc. Lather, rinse, repeat. The spark is there occasionally. Like when I pushed Kelly on the swing the other day and pure innocent giggles of joy bubbled up out of her. That was nice but oh, so fleeting.

One of the worst parts of feeling like I'm only half living life is that I know what I'm missing. The hours I spend sitting on the couch watching mindless TV or playing silly card games on the computer seem so wasted. I could, should be scrapbooking. Or writing to finish one of half a dozen incomplete novels. Sewing, quilting, reading, none of my hobbies seem to catch my interest at the moment. I have fabric washed and dried, waiting weeks to be cut for my next sewing project. I have enough scrapbook supplies to open a small store and even sketches for my next layouts. The sketches were drawn last September. I know I'm spinning my wheels but I can't seem to get out of the muck.

Some say I need to get out of the house alone more. Some say I need to get help with the kids and the house. Some say I smell like chicken. (nevermind...) I say I never needed any of that before. I completed National Novel Writing Month while nursing a baby. I scrapbooked hundreds of pages while mommy'ing 5 kids 5 years and younger. I sewed an entire wedding party's worth of dresses during my last pregnancy. I could do it then, why can't I do it now?

I've lost that... something. I don't know what it was to even begin looking for it again. Reading back through my archives doesn't help, if anything it makes me more confused. I can't remember the person who wrote those words, it's almost as if a stranger did it. And yet, that's me. Where along the line did I lose that connection?

I can't figure it out. Should I keep looking through the confusing past to try to understand who I am today? Or should I move on and try to decide what the future should be like regardless of the past? And when can I say, enough is enough, I'm not thinking about any of this any more? When does the motivation to just be me come back? What if I don't even know who me is anymore? Which brings me careening back full circle to feeling lost.

If any of you all see a gas station, let me know so I can pull over for directions.

Katie at 9:56 AM

Monday, April 11, 2005

I was that mom who forgot to give the kids book fair money this morning and had to drop off envelopes of cash at the school office later.

I was that mom who let Kyle wear long pants and a long sleeve shirt while Kelly wore her Disney Princesses ballerina outfit to the grocery store. (Weather: 75 degrees and sunny)

I was that mom who let Kyle and Kelly have a free cookie and a bag of M&M's after grocery shopping.

I was that mom who let the kids play Barbies and Tony Hawk Underground after school instead of doing homework.

I was that mom who still hasn't unbagged and put away all the groceries.

I was that mom who let the kids use all my plastic storage containers (cause I'm too cheap to buy Tupperware so I can't just say "Tupperware") as drums until the dog started howling.

I was that mom who will be making a dinner of either chicken nuggets & fries or frozen pizza.

I was that mom who cares but doesn't give a &^@!%^#@ of what others think of that mom today.

Quote of the Day: "How many cares one loses when one decides not to be something but to be someone." -Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel

Katie at 6:06 PM

Saturday, April 09, 2005

I'm taking the weekend off from the computer (wish me luck!) and I really have nothing to say anyways. (Other than Kyle is now puking. *sighs*) So I'm sharing a few little pieces Zach wrote. These are in his original format. Enjoy!

MARRIED A...
I married a CD. But she was to shines to much.
So I married computer. She typed to much.
I married a game boy. But it was a boy.
I married a car but she drove to much.
Now I've decided not to get married.

SCHOOL.
Oh no! It's time for school and I am late! I've missed
The bus. I haven't eaten breakfast. Now I got to walk to
School. Can this day get any worse. And don't make it rain.

SMELLY
What is that smell! OH! It's my little sister.

Katie at 10:19 AM

Friday, April 08, 2005

One of my favorite mommy moments: Cute chubby little hands and fingers slipping and wiggling between mine as I suds them up to wash their hands.

Quote of the Day: "Spend the afternoon. You can't take it with you." -Annie Dillard

Katie at 2:16 PM

Thursday, April 07, 2005

Note to self: Do not do a weight workout targeting shoulders the day after doing a weight workout targeting arms.

Just call me Quasimodo...

Katie at 4:32 PM

Kelly puked last night. And this morning my stomach is in knots. It's either because I'm coming down with the flu or I've been thinking too much. It's probably a bit of both. So I'm sipping my morning tea and hoping it and my allergy medicine doesn't show up again later.

The weather has changed. We were graced with 3 days of sunshine and high 60's and 70 degree weather. So beautiful that we've spent several hours after school outdoors each day (Em and Ally have the rosy cheeks and arms to show for it). Today it's bleak. Cloudy, gray, spitting rain, windy and 50's. Ah well, matches my mood.

Alright can we go back to "fluffy" now? I'm even depressing myself. *winks*

Katie at 8:56 AM

Wednesday, April 06, 2005

I'm not in the mood to type out fluffy stuff to cover up the crappy stuff I should be writing about. Not that I really want to write about it. I hate it when bloggers go all underground about huge chunks of their lives but I guess that's what I need to do too. So I suppose I understand their need for privacy about some matters. And even if I did want to share, I can't because of the readership here and the parties involved in the crappy stuff. Don't feel lost, I'm not sure that all makes sense to me at the moment either.

Things aren't always as they seem. And of course you only get one side of the story and even then only the part the blogger feels willing to share with you. I'm not saying I've ever lied here (I have too many close friends and family readers who would call me out on that) but I don't mention a lot of things and I'm probably the best pretender in the world. Fake it til you make it! Course my therapist points out that's not a great way to go through life.

Ah, the therapy. I've only had one session with two different people (I'm going with door number 2) but they both caught on right away to this bad habit of mine. Pretend it doesn't matter, pretend things are better, pretend it won't hurt my feelings, pretend I don't have feelings at all. One even gave me a book to read about how women deceive themselves. So the blinders are off. And oh geez... I feel like I just realized my house was built out of straw and the big bad wolf is coming down the lane.

But things are okay. Doh, I'm not allowed to pretend anymore. Things are mostly okay. I'm trying to think through everything a little at a time so "reality" isn't so overwhelming. Am I really happy? Is this relationship what I thought it was? Did I have the normal boring childhood I thought I did? (I'm pretty sure the answers are "sometimes, not really, and even if I didn't, I'm not dealing with it now"). I'm trying very hard not to chicken out on this process. I've never been a big fan of change or drama and now I'll have to deal with both. It's enough to make me want to hide in the bathroom of my straw house and ignore the wolf huffing and puffing at the front door.

And of course, there's other stuff. But since this is a blog by me, I'll keep it to my issues only for the time being. And just because I post fluff for a few days in a row doesn't necessarily mean I'm hiding anything, I'm usually a fluff type blogger anyways.

So I suppose that's all right now from "katiefleck's mini mental health crisis of 2005." We'll be returning shortly to your regular schedule of cute kid pictures and crafty project ideas.

Quote of the Day: "Illusions commend themselves to us because they save us pain and allow us to enjoy pleasure instead. We must therefore accept it without complaint when they sometimes collide with a bit of reality against which they are dashed to pieces." -Sigmund Freud

Katie at 10:24 AM

Tuesday, April 05, 2005

Weird Dreams

Last night the first one involved running around with Alton Brown trying to solve a mystery at a train station. Elementary, my dear Waston. Although I woke up before we figured it out.

The second was sci-fi. Some evil doers had programmed the sun to emit rays that controlled everyone's minds. So the cast of Nip/Tuck and I were trying to reach their lair by using underground brick tunnels. What type of criminal mastermind builds underground tunnels to their secret hide-out anyways? I woke up as we were entering the castle and they struck down Ava Moore.

I think I need to stop watching TV. lol What's your weirdest dream you've had recently?

Katie at 8:58 AM

Monday, April 04, 2005

Double Whammy: returning to school after 10 days off while adjusting to Daylight Savings Time.

How many days until summer vacation?

Quote of the Day: "Doust thou love life? Then do not squander time, for that's the stuff life is made of." -Benjamin Franklin

Katie at 8:51 AM

Sunday, April 03, 2005

Yesterday we were terrible slackers and didn't do anything due to the cold miserable rainy weather. Today the sun is up and I'm motivated! Although it's Sunday. And I hate running errands on a weekend because that's when everyone else is out running their errands. I'm very tempted to wait until tomorrow again because then it'll just me and the other stay at home parents and old retired people. One of the perks of being a stay at home mom, better less crowded shopping hours.

The kids' clothes have been sorted and they seem to have enough spring/summer stuff for a little while. I know Zach is going to shoot up any minute now and outgrow all his clothes. The twins are borderline on several pieces so I'll probably go ahead and buy the next size up when they're on sale. Kyle and Kelly both have so many hand-me-downs that they are fine. Although they'll probably end up with one or two new things just because. The main needs are sandals and swimsuits for everyone. I love it when I get off so easily. hehe

My other big projects of the month (I keep saying I can't believe it's already April!) are organizing all my sewing supplies, clipping out articles from my scrapbook magazines, getting a hair cut (lol), repainting the kitchen cabinets, planning the flower gardens, and sewing jean skirts for the twins. I also need to take the kids to the bank to open savings accounts and then figure out a time when we can go without the van for a day or two so the TV screen for the dvd player can be fixed. The Big 3 need to decide on sports to play for the summer by mid-month so I can sign them up at the Y (Emily is a solid soccer, still talking to Ally and Zach).

After a full week plus of guests, we have no plans for the entire month. Kinda nice in a way.

So there's my upcoming month in a nut shell. Is it bad that I'm most excited about organizing my sewing supplies? lol

Katie at 10:09 AM

Saturday, April 02, 2005

Pope John Paul II dies

Hail Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee...

Katie at 4:23 PM

Friday, April 01, 2005

Back to your regularly scheduled blog...

My parents left early this afternoon although my cousin is staying through tomorrow. I feel like a rotten host if I sit at the computer for longer than 5 minutes. And even now I really should be finishing up the lunch dishes...

I am so excited that spring seems to be here. (Finally!) I have big plans for the flower gardens, big plans for hobby organization, and big plans to exercise more. It's also time to sort through the kids' spring/summer clothes from last year and buy new (a task I enjoy). We're starting to set tentative plans for the summer and just in general, there's a lot to look forward to. I won't go so far to say it'll be a Good Month (we all know how my Good Week ™ turned out) but I'm excited.

Quote of the Day: "April prepares her green traffic light and the world thinks Go." -Christopher Morley

Katie at 2:08 PM

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