Ramblings of a SAHM

Monday, July 25, 2005

Packing and moving... Will be back on August 1st. Have a lovely week!

Katie at 6:58 PM

Thursday, July 21, 2005

Week uh... (I forget) of Summer of Weight Loss

142.6

I give up. This really isn't a good time to be trying to lose weight I suppose. Yesterday we had McDonald's and Dominos Pizza. I haven't had time to go grocery shopping, let alone exercise. I am a bit depressed about this, I don't want to buy new clothes until I drop at least 10 pounds. So here I sit in a pair of old size 8 jeans with a hole in the knee because I'm too stubborn or egotistic or whatever to go buy a new pair of 10's. Someone just shoot me now...

The packing, *sigh*. The kids' rooms are finished down to packing their bedding and current clothing next Friday when the truck is here. The front room/scrapbook area is completed, the dining room is finished. Which leaves the kitchen, toy room, laundry room, computer closet, linen closet, hall closet, master bedroom, all 3 bathrooms (although those are "pack on Friday" rooms), and the garage. Greg keeps bugging me to pack the shelves in the garage. I haven't quite figured out why since all our important stuff is in the house and not on those stupid shelves in the garage. I suppose I could just ask his reason but it's easier to answer, "I know, I'll get to them" (and roll my eyes which he hates but we're talking on the phone so he can't see that). And now, back to packing. *sigh*

Katie at 8:52 AM

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Pictures!

Amusement park on July 3rd

Kyle, Zach, Ally, Emily

Kelly, Kyle

Camping at Shenandoah National Park July 15-16th

Piggy

The kids at Dark Hollow Falls

Zach's baseball game on July 20th

Zach and Greg

Kelly

Katie at 8:33 AM

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

Oh, I didn't mean to leave you all hanging on why we are moving to Maryland earlier than planned. I had always wanted the kids to start school there in August instead of doing another semester here but we weren't sure we could find a house and work out all the finances in time. Luck was on our side and we found a nice 4 bedroom, 2 1/2 bath with a fully finished walk out basement in an excellent school district. And when an opportunity opens up like that, you just jump and figure out the details later.

*trying to figure out the details...*

Katie at 11:12 AM

Monday, July 18, 2005

Well the time has come to announce, we're moving! Remember Greg's new position at work? The original plan was to wait until December but circumstances changed a bit so we're moving out earlier. Like August 1st earlier. Which is all of 13 days away. *tries not to panic* Did I mention I lose 3 of those days going over to my parent's house this upcoming weekend? *panics*

It really shouldn't be that bad. We don't have too much stuff, a few rooms like the dining room are just furniture and don't need any box packing done. Gathering all the paperwork (kids' doctor records, school transcripts, etc) may be a bit of a chore but I have a list. We can also go a few months without selling or renting out our current house so I'm putting off painting and a few oddball fixes here for a month or so. Greg's handling a lot of the new house stuff on his end but is it bad that the first call I'm making is to set up the cable internet installation appointment there? hehe

And not really an after thought but Happy Anniversary Greg! (Click here for our wedding picture)

Now to pack!

Katie at 7:58 AM

Saturday, July 16, 2005

How to buy Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince Katie Fleck style:
**NO SPOILERS**

1. Hire babysitters for 5pm to 12:30am.

2. Go to sister-in-law's nursing graduation with Greg and without kids. (Congratulations, you're going to be an awesome nurse!)

3. Go out to the after graduation celebration dinner at Buca di Beppo's Italian restaurant and drink way too much chianti (Italian red table wine).

4. Begin making the half hour drive home at 11:30pm. A 24 hour grocery store that will carry Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince is approximately 20 minutes into the drive. Hadn't planned to pick up the book at midnight but...

5. Pull into the grocery store parking at 11:53pm. Leave Greg sleeping in the van.

6. Pass 5 people hanging out by the previous Harry Potter books display on the left side of the store. Notice 50-75 people standing in the stationery/books/magazines aisles on the right side of the store. Join the line on the right side of the store while trying not to fall over drunk. Become frustrated to have to wait so long to pick up the book due to the long line of people. Maybe original plan of picking up the book sometime during Saturday day would be better.

7. Wonder about the 5 people hanging out by the other Harry Potter books. Walk towards the back of the store where the storage rooms are and out of sight of the 50-75 people standing in the stationary/books/magazines aisle. Notice two guys pushing a cart of what appear to be books towards the left side of the store. Figure the 5 people hanging out by the other Harry Potter books know something. Trying not to fall over drunk, attempt to inconspicuously follow the 2 guys. They stop mid-aisle. Pass them and go stand with the 5 people hanging out by the other Harry Potter books.

8. "A little bird told me they will bring the books over here" -older lady in her PJ's. "Oh yeah?" -me, trying not to fall over drunk. "A friend of mine works here" -older lady in her PJ's. "Cool" -me, trying not to fall over drunk. Giggle at the 50-75 idiots standing in the wrong side of the store.

9. 12:01, the 2 guys push the cart to the Harry Potter table. "Let me put the brake on this thing and then you can grab a book" -nice nerdy looking guy. "Awesome!" -me, trying not to fall over drunk.

10. Grab Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, make it to the first open check-out and have my credit card processing before the 50-75 idiots realize they've been duped. "Congrats, you're the first one to buy this book tonight" -tired looking clerk. "Thanks, good luck" -me, trying not to fall over drunk as 50-75 rush to the other end of the store. Receipt time? 12:02am

The book? AWESOME! Yeah, I finished it today. I stayed up until about 3am reading until the wine did me in and then I sneaked in pages as I could throughout our day. Which was as busy as can be: Zach's baseball game, Greg picking out new glasses, lunch out with the kids, a visit to Greg's parent's, me getting my hair cut, picking up Greg's new glasses... But so worth it!

Now the big question is: how long do I have to wait until Book 7? *groans*

Katie at 9:18 PM

Friday, July 15, 2005

I feel like I'm beating my head against a brick wall today.

"Kelly, go downstairs while I make breakfast." I turn my back to empty the dishwasher and she dumps the pancake batter on the stove top.

"Kyle, please get dressed now or I will get you dressed." Five minutes later, he's still in his PJ's and then screams when I help him dress.

"Emily, you need to stop screaming for no reason." (said after she had stood in the corner for 5 minutes due to screaming for no reason) 10 seconds out of the corner later and she's again screaming for no reason. (Seriously, she was standing in the middle of the family room and just screaming. No reason...)

"Please pick up the toys in front of the cabinet so I can bring your TV back downstairs to the toy room." (I lugged it up and down 3 flights of stairs in Maryland so they could have it at the apartment.) Zach throws a blanket down in front of said cabinet and the twins begin cleaning up the floor on the other side of the room. Ally deliberately throws a toy at Emily. "Pick up the toys by yourself, Ally. The ones in front of the cabinet." She starts cleaning up the toys from the family room...

One, two, three, ARGH!!!

Katie at 1:26 PM

Hey who forgot to remind me that it's Week 3 of the Summer of Weight Loss? Anyway this morning I'm 141.4 Yep the same as Week 1. I'd like to say I've just been on a plateau or maintaining or something like that but I went back up to 143-ish right after the 4th of July. 7 weeks for 13 pounds, hmmm... Honestly I'd be thrilled to hit 133 now.

Today's to do list is longer than a 6 year old's "Dear Santa" letter... But less than 24 hours until the new Harry Potter! TGIF!

Quote of the Day: "The total history of almost anyone would shock almost everyone." -Mignon McLaughlin

Katie at 7:49 AM

Thursday, July 14, 2005

"Open the arenas, break out the skates and fire up the Zamboni. The NHL is back."

Full Story

Woohoo!

Katie at 7:56 AM

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

So last night Greg pleaded and begged and got down on his knees asking us to stay another night. Because he misses us so much and loves having the kids here running around like a crazy herd of buffalo, spilling drinks on the carpeted dining area at every meal, and fighting over the mismatched sleeping bag at bedtime. Or maybe it went something more like this:

Me: "I don't want to drive back to Ohio tomorrow."
Greg: "Then stay another night."
Me: "Okay."

I mean how could any one say no to such a heartfelt request? hehe

Katie at 9:57 AM

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Evil evil Krispy Kreme doughnuts... I've never been a big fan until I realized that fresh and warm from the actual Krispy Kreme store are to die for yummy. Now I'm going to have to do an extra 50 crunches and a few push-ups. Or maybe just doing some at all will be helpful. hehe

Off to the pool with the kids! (The museum I had in mind yesterday is closed on Tuesdays, go figure...)

Quote of the Day: "As for me, I know of nothing else but miracles." -Walt Whitman

Katie at 12:37 PM

Monday, July 11, 2005

Camping and Sick Kids...

Friday started off well enough even though Kelly puked up breakfast (yippee, chewed up Cheerios). The drive was pretty easy until we reached the base of Shenandoah National Park. I must be really dense or something because I didn't realize beforehand that we were camping on the mountains. The road up was okay (very curvy) but then the main road that ran along the ridge was uh, 3000+ feet up in the air with just a little 3 foot stone wall keeping you from going over the edge. I am now officially scared of driving in high places. And Kelly slept through dinner and it was cold. On a good note, it was very pretty and scenic and we saw a dozen deer. I didn't hear any bears in camp that night although I dreamed about them all night and even meeting one silly old bear and his wife. hehe

Saturday it was warmer and nice to be outdoors. Although Kelly puked up her breakfast again (on me this time, joy!). The kids played a lot of frisbee ($.99 ones from Petsmart, hehe) and I really enjoyed just poking the fire. After lunch we took a little hike (a mile) to a waterfall. I think the kids are still a little too young for much hiking, this one involved going downhill and then the return trip was obviously uphill. I ended up carrying Kelly on my back and drill sergeanting Kyle up ("go! a few more steps! you have to go up the hill! go!"). So any more hiking at that point was pretty much out of the picture. This park doesn't really have much to do but hike (no playgrounds, pools, beaches, etc). Again duh, I should have realized this beforehand, it's a National Park, not one of those campy type places with lots of extra stuff. So the kids were all sort of miserable and me too so we were mean to Greg and made him pack up camp and head back to the apartment a day early (sorry dear, I'll plan more "busy work" camp activities next time). Oh and the guinea pig did wonderfully the whole time, I will post pictures after we return home (forgot my camera cable).

Sometime in the middle of the night Kyle came down with a fever and had nightmares. Ally also had a fever Sunday morning. Everyone felt a little better after lunch so we went to the apartment complex pool for a couple of hours. Then their fevers returned and Emily became sick too. I felt bad for the kids but I'm sure our downstairs neighbors were thrilled that the kids were all laying about instead of stomping around.

This morning Kyle seems better, Kelly is still sleeping and Emily and Ally both have low grade fevers and headaches. Zach's been fine all weekend, we'll see how long that lasts. I think we're going to stay here an extra day, driving home Wednesday instead of tomorrow. So if the kids all feel better, I need to line up a few activities tomorrow to get us out of the apartment. I want to find the local library and maybe visit a few little museums in the area. I think I'll be okay living here, it's not too terribly different from the Midwest in most aspects and everyone seems friendly. There's just that extremely annoying part of being 8-12 hours drive from all our family and friends...

Katie at 9:39 AM

Thursday, July 07, 2005

So we arrived in Maryland just to leave again. We're going camping in Shenandoah National Park for the next few days! Downsizing from our 2000 square foot home to a 1000 square foot apartment to a uh, tent. Genius!

Yesterday Greg printed out the camp site maps at work for me so last night I checked for decent tent only areas. Hmm, what's that little star mean? Bear poles? BEAR POLES!?!?!? What do you mean we're going to be camping with BEARS? A quick Google search and I found:

"Researchers believe the density of Shenandoah's black bear population may be among the highest recorded anywhere within the natural range of the species."

Oh dear... (Actually they have those too.) I'm trying very hard not to be freaked out by all this. Statistically I suppose camping with bears is safer than swimming with sharks. But then again I don't swim.

Anyway we're also bringing our own animal life (not just the kids). Piggy! The guinea pig traveled with us on the last trip to Maryland and he did so well that we brought him out again this time. I don't like to leave him for more than a night because he easily drinks an entire water bottle in a 24 hour period. Have you ever heard of a camping guinea pig? Me either. Should make for some fun pictures...

Have a safe (and bear-free) weekend, see ya Monday!

Katie at 2:04 PM

Wednesday, July 06, 2005

Please tell me I'm not the first parent to almost lose their voice after an 8 hour drive? *sigh* I think we need to install an intercom system in the van. And also? I really and truly and deeply apologize to the 2nd floor apartment dwellers here (we're on the 3rd floor). After all the yelling in the van I'm unable to tell the kids to stop running and jumping like a herd of psycho buffalos. *sigh* I just hope the pizza place can understand my delivery order later.

Katie at 5:04 PM

Tuesday, July 05, 2005

Happy 4th of July! Oops, always a day late and a dollar short...

The weekend got away from me I suppose. Saturday we hung out at the house and then went to the in-laws for dinner and saw fireworks afterwards. Sunday we went to an amusement park with a bunch of Greg's extended family. We arrived just as the rides started and left after the fireworks at 10. My calves still hurt from all the walking and standing in line. The kids had a fabulous time, I'll try to post a picture later.

Yesterday Steph and her family came over for the day. We didn't do much beyond eat and talk and the kids played well together. It was great to see her! (And I told you that scale is evil...)

Today... Well let's just say tomorrow I'm driving back out to Maryland with all the kids. Yippee, 7 1/2 hours in the van again! So today will be all about cleaning the house and packing in preparation. Oh and we dropped Greg off at the airport at 6 this morning, that's why I'm awake at this ungodly hour. Really the world shouldn't be allowed to start until 8am.

Katie at 6:49 AM

Friday, July 01, 2005

Severe thunderstorms swept through the area yesterday and ruined our sprinkler fun. And a bit of my sewing since the power kept going off. Also didn't do the laundry but that one was pure laziness. hehe But I paid the bills, woohoo!

Anyway to make up for the lack of actual work done yesterday, today looks something like this:

by 10am, drop off the dry cleaning for same day service
11-11:30, Kyle's soccer practice
noon, babysitter arrives!
1-2pm, therapist appointment
4pm, babysitter leaves (boo hiss)
after 5pm, pick up the dry cleaning

And during all this other stuff, I need to make a trip to the mall, the post office, the grocery store, and the library. The fun part is the dry cleaners is 10 minutes north, soccer practice is 15 minutes south, the babysitter's home is 5 minutes east, the therapist is 15 minutes west, the mall is 25 minutes northwest, and on and on. Should make for an interesting day, kinda like The Amazing Race, SAHM style.

Quote of the Day: "A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing, the birds are singing, and the lawn mower is broken." -James Dent

Katie at 8:51 AM

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