Laundry...
Bed making...
complete with hospital corners.
Sewing,
stuffing...
and the finished product.
Vacuuming...
Yep... Home Ec... at least that's what I'm calling it.
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Homeschool Lesson
Laundry...
Bed making...complete with hospital corners.Sewing,stuffing...and the finished product.Vacuuming...Yep... Home Ec... at least that's what I'm calling it.
Monday, January 28, 2008
Money, Money, Money!!
Tis the season to do taxes... fa la la la la la la la la
Ours are done... woohoo!
Are yours??
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Update and a New Dilemma
Thank you all for your advice and comments regarding KK's new affinity for all things not sleep. Fortunately, we had such great advice, we decided to try everything... and so far, it has worked.
L&L, thank you for the reminder of the music... that seems to be key. She listens to the bottom tune for naps and the top one for nighttime.
We also incorporated the crib/pack-n-play advice from ya'll. She takes a nap in her pack-n-play and sleeps in her big girl bed at night.
We also tried placing a gate at her door so she couldn't get out of her room... not a winner.
Bribery has played a key roll in this latest adventure. I made a 'Staying in Bed' chart, where the girls (e had to be involved too, of course) receive a special sticker every morning after they have stayed in their beds. After 5 stickers, they get to choose a special place to go or thing to do. So far, so good. We are on week two. e's task has been changed to 'No screaming or crying for Mom,' since that has been a frequent occurrence over the past couple of weeks. We will get past this... I swear.
Since you all have such great advice... let's throw a new dilemma your way.
As most of you know, e started Kindergarten when we were in California. She was young, but California has a late cut-off date, so we figured, 'what the heck?'. MD, on the other hand, does not have a late cut-off, so that makes her really, really young. We have been given these options:
1. Put her in Kindergarten now and she proceeds as normal.
2. Put her in Kindergarten now and re-start her in Kindergarten next fall.
3. Possibly put her in the public school pre-K program (if she gets in since it is tiered... those with most need get the spots).
4. Put her in a private preschool or Kindergarten program.
5. Don't put her in anything and do home schooling when KK sleeps.
And, to make matters worse... the school that is in our backyard is a Title 1 school which means that over 50% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch. It was named as a 'Distinguished School,' which means that they have dramatically increased their test scores. She will definitely learn about diversity and learn to appreciate what she has... but I am worried that she might get lost since she is really smart. There is a public charter school here that we have applied for (for Kindergarten in the fall) that works on a lottery system. So, we won't know if she got in for awhile, but I am not sure if that's the right place either.
Quite a dilemma, wouldn't you say? What do ya'll think?
L&L, thank you for the reminder of the music... that seems to be key. She listens to the bottom tune for naps and the top one for nighttime.
We also incorporated the crib/pack-n-play advice from ya'll. She takes a nap in her pack-n-play and sleeps in her big girl bed at night.
We also tried placing a gate at her door so she couldn't get out of her room... not a winner.
Bribery has played a key roll in this latest adventure. I made a 'Staying in Bed' chart, where the girls (e had to be involved too, of course) receive a special sticker every morning after they have stayed in their beds. After 5 stickers, they get to choose a special place to go or thing to do. So far, so good. We are on week two. e's task has been changed to 'No screaming or crying for Mom,' since that has been a frequent occurrence over the past couple of weeks. We will get past this... I swear.
Since you all have such great advice... let's throw a new dilemma your way.
As most of you know, e started Kindergarten when we were in California. She was young, but California has a late cut-off date, so we figured, 'what the heck?'. MD, on the other hand, does not have a late cut-off, so that makes her really, really young. We have been given these options:
1. Put her in Kindergarten now and she proceeds as normal.
2. Put her in Kindergarten now and re-start her in Kindergarten next fall.
3. Possibly put her in the public school pre-K program (if she gets in since it is tiered... those with most need get the spots).
4. Put her in a private preschool or Kindergarten program.
5. Don't put her in anything and do home schooling when KK sleeps.
And, to make matters worse... the school that is in our backyard is a Title 1 school which means that over 50% of the students qualify for free or reduced lunch. It was named as a 'Distinguished School,' which means that they have dramatically increased their test scores. She will definitely learn about diversity and learn to appreciate what she has... but I am worried that she might get lost since she is really smart. There is a public charter school here that we have applied for (for Kindergarten in the fall) that works on a lottery system. So, we won't know if she got in for awhile, but I am not sure if that's the right place either.
Quite a dilemma, wouldn't you say? What do ya'll think?
Sunday, January 20, 2008
It's Tricky
Yep, really random, but I couldn't get this song out of my head this morning and this is what was playing.
We miss you guys!
Friday, January 18, 2008
Uhmmm...
So, e picked up a coloring book that KK had been scribbling all over and asked me this:
'What's her name Mommy?' and I say (without looking), 'I don't know', and she says, 'But it says her name's right here.'
'Uhmmm, oh, yeah, that's not her name.'
'What's her name Mommy?' and I say (without looking), 'I don't know', and she says, 'But it says her name's right here.'
'Uhmmm, oh, yeah, that's not her name.'
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
'The Best Day Ever!'...
according to e.
We experienced our first MD snowfall today. And, as you may remember, e LOVES snow. We grabbed our coats and the dog and headed outside.
The snow was flying everywhere and came down really quickly. Our snowstorm lasted all of 30 minutes. But it left us this.
And we were able to make this.
And Isis discovered that she loves snow just as much.
We experienced our first MD snowfall today. And, as you may remember, e LOVES snow. We grabbed our coats and the dog and headed outside.
The snow was flying everywhere and came down really quickly. Our snowstorm lasted all of 30 minutes. But it left us this.
And we were able to make this.
And Isis discovered that she loves snow just as much.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Serenity Now!
I am almost positive that I have stolen this post title from my great friend, Amy, but I just can't seem to get it out of my head this morning.
Prior to this move, the girls' were in separate rooms, e with her bunk bed and KK with her crib. We decided that when we moved, the girls' would share a room. KK is now 2 years, 4 months old... so plenty old enough for a 'big girl bed'. She was so excited about it and did really well... she went to sleep the first night with no problem. But, the last week, she has decided that it would be fun to get out of her bed every 2 minutes after being put to bed. She also climbs into e's bed causing her to scream for us. The past few days, we have had huge fights over nap time and this morning, she was up at 4 AM. After about an hour of trying to get her back to sleep, including setting up the pack-n-play again, I gave up.
Since then, we have already had breakfast, I have taken the dog out twice, cleaned up dog throw up and watched The Wiggles Dance Party twice... ugh!
So, here's our dilemma:
1. Do we forget about the nap and completely lose our sanity?
2. Put her back in her crib in the girls' room?
3. Put her back in her crib in the guest room (we don't have guests all that often)?
4. Set up a big girl bed in the guest room?
5. Pack my bags and sneak out in the middle of the night?
This is such a strange experience... e was a completely different child, we never ran into these problems with her.
Prior to this move, the girls' were in separate rooms, e with her bunk bed and KK with her crib. We decided that when we moved, the girls' would share a room. KK is now 2 years, 4 months old... so plenty old enough for a 'big girl bed'. She was so excited about it and did really well... she went to sleep the first night with no problem. But, the last week, she has decided that it would be fun to get out of her bed every 2 minutes after being put to bed. She also climbs into e's bed causing her to scream for us. The past few days, we have had huge fights over nap time and this morning, she was up at 4 AM. After about an hour of trying to get her back to sleep, including setting up the pack-n-play again, I gave up.
Since then, we have already had breakfast, I have taken the dog out twice, cleaned up dog throw up and watched The Wiggles Dance Party twice... ugh!
So, here's our dilemma:
1. Do we forget about the nap and completely lose our sanity?
2. Put her back in her crib in the girls' room?
3. Put her back in her crib in the guest room (we don't have guests all that often)?
4. Set up a big girl bed in the guest room?
5. Pack my bags and sneak out in the middle of the night?
This is such a strange experience... e was a completely different child, we never ran into these problems with her.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Since We Have Nothing Better To Do...
and there is something completely wrong with us, we decided to get a puppy. You see E's parents never got him a dog which he has always wanted. He had been talking more and more about it over the past few years and I was able to successfully hold him off. But now, he has enlisted the help of two little girls to help plead his case. e has been asking since Monterey when we were going to get a dog. She actually decided that it would be OK for Buddy to die so that she could get a dog. KK even would ask, 'can me get a dog Mama?'. And now, we actually have a yard... I didn't stand a chance.
Meet Isis... a not so puppy puppy.
We had been looking everywhere over the past few days and just couldn't figure out how to find a darn dog. All of the breeders we found were hours away and we didn't really want to go to a shelter and get an animal with lots of baggage. We finally looked up the classifieds in the Washington Post and happened to find lots of ads for lab puppies and actually found a lady in our area... just 20 minutes away. She told us that she had 2 female yellow lab puppies that were 12 weeks old. The price was right and we headed out to look... cash in hand.
We pulled up to this beautiful house with horses and dogs... a hobby farm, I guess. It seemed like the perfect place. As soon as we pulled up, we saw the dogs in the 'play yard'... 2 English Bulldogs and 1 yellow lab. Bonnie descended from the porch to greet us, enrobed in soiled barn attire and front tooth protruding ever so nicely. She told us that we got there too quick... she was able to get one of the dogs in the house, but the other was still in the yard. We headed over to meet her. Dog #1 was extremely friendly and excited to see us. She was big, but cute. Bonnie told us that she was going to be 100 lbs. After playing, we headed in to see dog #2. We were warned that she was a little shy and would need to warm up a little bit. Shy might have been an understatement... the dog wouldn't even look at us. She sat there while we petted her and e fell in love with her. She wanted to get her 'because she was sad'. That's our girl... she's going to save the world some day. We somehow convinced her to head outside and take another look at the other dog... we were concerned that a 'nervous' dog would not do well with KK (those that know her will understand that decision). When we stopped petting dog #2, she got up and we noticed that she had soiled herself. Yep, good idea to go look at the other dog.
We decided that she was the one. I paid Bonnie our money, signed some sort of document that said she wasn't responsible for anything... including Parvo (see she was selling the dogs for a friend who was in the process of moving), and we were on our way. After further inspection of the document and the dog, we decided that we should call a vet since we had 48 hours to determine whether or not the dog had a life threatening genetic disorder in order to receive our money back. The people that we are renting from happened to leave all sorts of magnets on the fridge for us, one of which was a number for a wonderful vet. The news we received wasn't so wonderful. Instead of being 12 weeks old, our puppy is actually 4 1/2 months old. Although she was supposedly de-wormed a total of 4 times, she was riddled with round worms. She has juvenile cataracts in her right eye, probably due to blunt force trauma, and will probably lose vision in that eye... unless, of course, we opt to bring her to a doggie ophthalmologist. She also has a severe overbite and we have to keep an eye on the bottom teeth when they come in so that they don't puncture the roof of her mouth. If they don't correct themselves, then capping the teeth is an option.
Did I mention that she smelled? I don't think that she had ever had a bath and had spent her whole life outside in a play yard.
We have made great strides in potty training and stair walking... apparently she had never seen a set of stairs... ever.
With all that though, she is a great dog. We are happy to have her. We feel like we did the right thing... a really expensive pet rescue... and she is so happy to be here.
Meet Isis... a not so puppy puppy.
We had been looking everywhere over the past few days and just couldn't figure out how to find a darn dog. All of the breeders we found were hours away and we didn't really want to go to a shelter and get an animal with lots of baggage. We finally looked up the classifieds in the Washington Post and happened to find lots of ads for lab puppies and actually found a lady in our area... just 20 minutes away. She told us that she had 2 female yellow lab puppies that were 12 weeks old. The price was right and we headed out to look... cash in hand.
We pulled up to this beautiful house with horses and dogs... a hobby farm, I guess. It seemed like the perfect place. As soon as we pulled up, we saw the dogs in the 'play yard'... 2 English Bulldogs and 1 yellow lab. Bonnie descended from the porch to greet us, enrobed in soiled barn attire and front tooth protruding ever so nicely. She told us that we got there too quick... she was able to get one of the dogs in the house, but the other was still in the yard. We headed over to meet her. Dog #1 was extremely friendly and excited to see us. She was big, but cute. Bonnie told us that she was going to be 100 lbs. After playing, we headed in to see dog #2. We were warned that she was a little shy and would need to warm up a little bit. Shy might have been an understatement... the dog wouldn't even look at us. She sat there while we petted her and e fell in love with her. She wanted to get her 'because she was sad'. That's our girl... she's going to save the world some day. We somehow convinced her to head outside and take another look at the other dog... we were concerned that a 'nervous' dog would not do well with KK (those that know her will understand that decision). When we stopped petting dog #2, she got up and we noticed that she had soiled herself. Yep, good idea to go look at the other dog.
We decided that she was the one. I paid Bonnie our money, signed some sort of document that said she wasn't responsible for anything... including Parvo (see she was selling the dogs for a friend who was in the process of moving), and we were on our way. After further inspection of the document and the dog, we decided that we should call a vet since we had 48 hours to determine whether or not the dog had a life threatening genetic disorder in order to receive our money back. The people that we are renting from happened to leave all sorts of magnets on the fridge for us, one of which was a number for a wonderful vet. The news we received wasn't so wonderful. Instead of being 12 weeks old, our puppy is actually 4 1/2 months old. Although she was supposedly de-wormed a total of 4 times, she was riddled with round worms. She has juvenile cataracts in her right eye, probably due to blunt force trauma, and will probably lose vision in that eye... unless, of course, we opt to bring her to a doggie ophthalmologist. She also has a severe overbite and we have to keep an eye on the bottom teeth when they come in so that they don't puncture the roof of her mouth. If they don't correct themselves, then capping the teeth is an option. 
Did I mention that she smelled? I don't think that she had ever had a bath and had spent her whole life outside in a play yard.
We have made great strides in potty training and stair walking... apparently she had never seen a set of stairs... ever.With all that though, she is a great dog. We are happy to have her. We feel like we did the right thing... a really expensive pet rescue... and she is so happy to be here.
Tuesday, January 8, 2008
Moving... Stinks!!
Normally, we LOVE to move. I know, strange, but we do.
We actually spend weeks prior to our moves de-cluttering, purging and organizing. Before the movers actually come, we stage everything... all pictures are put together, all of our electronics are hand packed in their original boxes, things that shouldn't be packed are placed in a room labeled 'DO NOT PACK', etc., etc. We do that so that we can have an easy un-pack on the other end. And it usually works... until this move.
We thought that we had the greatest packers when we were in CA. We were so impressed with their speed and the supervisor came out to pack our plasma and he told us that we had his 'A team' packing us. We should have had an idea when one guy actually packed the cat litter box, food and water... and yes, they were all full. Common sense would tell you that if we wanted the litter box to be packed, we would have emptied the poop, but who are we to judge?
Anyway, so it is now 8 days since we have received our household goods and we are still not completely unpacked... mostly, but not completely. Some would say that's pretty good, but for us... not so much. Our last move, we unpacked in 2 days.
Enough rambling... lets take a look at what we unearthed, shall we?
Here is a wardrobe from KK's room.
Underneath the toys and books are E's uniforms, including his Choker Whites... nice.
What the... ?
If you can't tell, it's a box of laundry detergent packed with Woolite, stain spray, dryer sheets... all neatly taped inside the box. Problem is, they packed it in the same box with the turkey roaster and rack which punctured the boxes (yep, there were two of these babies) and powdered detergent was everywhere.
Oooh... another wardrobe. What's in this one? It doesn't seem very full.
Oh... OK... yep, two leather jackets DO provide the right amount of padding for a semi-precious stone globe that E so lovingly lugged around Hong Kong to bring it home to me.
And one last thing for the record books. This box was in our garage... empty. Why not use it to pack in? What should we pack in it?
Good, pack the glass fish tank in the All-Clad box. It is the right size. Make sure you write 'Fragile' on it somewhere so that it's OK.
Oops... you forgot to put any sort of packing material in with it to keep it safe. Did you really forget?
There are so many more things that are just not right but that's just part of military moving. We should be used to it by now, but I don't think you can ever get used to absolute disregard for your things.
Next move, I swear we are doing it ourselves.
We actually spend weeks prior to our moves de-cluttering, purging and organizing. Before the movers actually come, we stage everything... all pictures are put together, all of our electronics are hand packed in their original boxes, things that shouldn't be packed are placed in a room labeled 'DO NOT PACK', etc., etc. We do that so that we can have an easy un-pack on the other end. And it usually works... until this move.
We thought that we had the greatest packers when we were in CA. We were so impressed with their speed and the supervisor came out to pack our plasma and he told us that we had his 'A team' packing us. We should have had an idea when one guy actually packed the cat litter box, food and water... and yes, they were all full. Common sense would tell you that if we wanted the litter box to be packed, we would have emptied the poop, but who are we to judge?
Anyway, so it is now 8 days since we have received our household goods and we are still not completely unpacked... mostly, but not completely. Some would say that's pretty good, but for us... not so much. Our last move, we unpacked in 2 days.
Enough rambling... lets take a look at what we unearthed, shall we?
Here is a wardrobe from KK's room.
Underneath the toys and books are E's uniforms, including his Choker Whites... nice.What the... ?
If you can't tell, it's a box of laundry detergent packed with Woolite, stain spray, dryer sheets... all neatly taped inside the box. Problem is, they packed it in the same box with the turkey roaster and rack which punctured the boxes (yep, there were two of these babies) and powdered detergent was everywhere.Oooh... another wardrobe. What's in this one? It doesn't seem very full.
Oh... OK... yep, two leather jackets DO provide the right amount of padding for a semi-precious stone globe that E so lovingly lugged around Hong Kong to bring it home to me.
And one last thing for the record books. This box was in our garage... empty. Why not use it to pack in? What should we pack in it? 
Good, pack the glass fish tank in the All-Clad box. It is the right size. Make sure you write 'Fragile' on it somewhere so that it's OK.
Oops... you forgot to put any sort of packing material in with it to keep it safe. Did you really forget?There are so many more things that are just not right but that's just part of military moving. We should be used to it by now, but I don't think you can ever get used to absolute disregard for your things.
Next move, I swear we are doing it ourselves.
Monday, January 7, 2008
Friday, January 4, 2008
Introducing...
Hailey 'M' ... named for e's great friends from CA.
We also refer to her as 'Pinkie Pie' (KK has a great love for My Little Ponies and her eyes really are pink).
Why do we have another hamster you ask? Well, after 14 days, 14 states, 3 hotels, 5 relative/friend houses, 4219 miles & 74 hours in the car, our other hamster 'Hamsley/Snow Princess', decided to off herself. Apparently, adventure is the name of her game. Being sedentary just wasn't her thing. E found her the morning after we got to the East Coast, hind end outside of her cage... we have no idea how he did it, but it wasn't pretty.
e was beside herself with the news. We had a full funeral, complete with flowers and remembrances... and a morning full of tears and sorrow.
We headed to the nearest pet shop to find a suitable alternative. What we found was pretty cute... although she is a bit of a nibbler. One crisis averted.
We also lost our cat, again, and spent the last day and a half looking for him. We informed the neighbors, the pet microchip company, and area shelters. This morning he appeared in our bedroom at 2 AM... we couldn't have been happier. There was no way that we were ready to deal with two pet losses in one week.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)