Overthinking things, anyone?

I've always been guilty of overthinking things (to death) - just ask my sleep-deprived husband.  It doesn't matter what it is, I think about it too much and make whatever it is MUCH bigger than it actually is. It's a gift and a curse.  8)

I've been kind of dodging blogging lately because of the overthinking thing.  I want everyone to like me and I don't want to upset anyone in anyway. Well, the reality of it is, I'm not a mild-mannered, regular person. If you read here at all, it's pretty obvious that I have strong opinions about many things.  That does not preclude me from liking people who have different opinions. But, I am a wuss deep-down. 

I am very lucky that many of my regular readers know me in the "real world" and they know I'm not mean; I'm not a total loon and they know I'm not a zealot about anything (maybe sunscreen, but that's a whole new debate.) .  And, for those of you who do not know me in real life, I'm telling the truth!

I spent some time reading my archives the past few days (I really need to go back and find the pictures that go with old posts).  Those posts are me, then.  The older boys were 12-ish when I started this blog and our life was that funny and crazy.  Now, Dan is on the verge of turning 18, Ian and Tim are 16 and even Andy has reached the un-cute age of 10. So much of the really funny stuff is not post-able.  (My goal is to have my adult sons actually visit me sometimes.)  Too much of it strikes me as a violation of their right to just live here.

But, now I'm faced with being me, just me without the kids, as a blogger. That's a bit tricky - I haven't been "just me" for about 18 years. What in the world do I have to say?  The older boys are finishing things up and don't need much more from me than nagging these days.  For now, we will continue to homeschool Andy because he likes it and it's still working for us.  But, my once full, full, full days are remarkably easy now.  I'm sore confused.

What do I blog about? I love homeschooling and I"m happy to help anyone that wants it, but I've been off of that evangelical homeschool wagon for a few years now. If that's you're choice, go for it.  If that's not your choice, I'm not going to try to talk you into it.   I love home projects - gardening, refinishing furniture, painting, moving furniture, you name it ... but I don't love them enough and I'm not nearly good enough to blog about them full time.  See where I'm going with this?

Part of me feels like I'm short-changing Andy because I've lost a lot of my gung-ho-ed-ness about homeschooling (I know it works, I know he'll be fine and he'll go to college and be socialized without subjecting him to the crazy shit I subjected his brothers to.  In fact, I think Andy will one day thank me!  Or not - I have to think about it)  and even some of the crazy things that used to make me climb the walls when the older boys were 10 - I recall making charts -  Gah!  We're not a chart family.  Andy is not lacking love or attention, he's just got a different set of parents than his brothers did.  For good or bad.

So, after all of these years of using the boys and our adventures as a crutch, I don't know what I have to blog about these days.  I'm thinking on it, but I just don't know . . . I have nothing to say about fashion or movies or really anything that comes to mind right now.  Sure, I have opinions, but I"m not seeking to write a blog to convert people to my way of thinking.

And, there is my problem . . . WHAT am I writing about these days?

Thanks for sharing my angst ...

It's a . . .

baby tomato!  The garden is really growing now.  There are about  10 wee tomatoes growing now.  The zucchini, eggplants and cucumbers are coming along nicely too.  The watermelon and corn are doing fine, but I'm concerned about their futures as the weather stars getting really hot.  It's not much to look at but I'm excited anyway. 

The herb garden (no pictures tonight) is also coming along nicely.  I put some flowers in near the front of the house this afternoon.  The nice nursery man assured me these flowers really can withstand full Florida sun all summer.  We shall see - I've never had any luck with flowers here.  Cross your fingers.

And, last but not least, here is 2010's laundry toad - Jerome XII.  I name them all Jerome.  He comes out and keeps me company when I do laundry at night.  Isn't he adorable?

Insert cliche here

They're all true ... time flies, honey is better than vinegar, the grass IS greener, little pitchers?  well, you know.   The busier you are - the more people will ask you  to do,  and on and on and on ... feel free to add your own favorite true cliche to the comments!

Busy here.  Nothing terribly interesting (aside from the BABY tomatoes in the garden!) ... but  I rarely go so long without putting something up.  If I keep this up I'll lose my lucrative blogging salary and have to change my life.  In the meantime, stick with me, guys, things here are due to slow down soon and then you'll be really sick of us.

Goodwill Hunting

A couple of weeks ago my dad invited Andy and I to join him on a road trip in the beginning of May.  My niece is making her First Communion in North Carolina and my mom already had plans to be in Arizona.  I wanted to attend the event but with the older boys' work and school schedules, there was no way for me to take the car.  Perfect solution!  Andy and I are both really excited. 

Andy's looking forward to having the entire backseat of a car to himself not to mention that much time with my dad.  He's beyond excited to spend time with his cousins (11, 9, 7).  And, then there's the break from his brothers to take into account.  It's not easy being Andy sometimes. 

I'm looking forward to spending time with my dad.  Also, I've never been to my sister's house in NC.  I can't wait to get there and rearrange her kitchen after she goes to bed.  It's what I do.  She might say differently, but my sister is always secretly relieved when I come put her house in "the right" order.  ;)  Additionally, I get to see my nephews and niece which I don't get to do often enough. 

The only downside is the necessity of grown up clothes.  In Florida, grown-up clothes basically means you are wearing a bra.  That's it.  Shoes are still optional.  I knew I would be expected to step it up for this event.  I currently have NOTHING in my closet that fits or that suits the occasion - I have a LOT of black.  So, I've been looking for something to wear.  Up until now, it's been pretty disheartening.  Is it just me or are there a LOT of ugly dresses out there right now? 

Today, during Ian's driving time, we stopped by Goodwill.  Ian and Tim were looking for books and Andy was diving for interesting VHS tapes - he's really into the VCR.  I started looking through dresses - too many sequins and I'm thinking a race of 8' tall women are donating to this store.  Some of the dresses (in my size) were actually as tall as me.  Freaky.  I moved to the skirts.  I'd almost given up when something caught my eye.  Woot!  It was my size and spring-y and $3! 

The boys were still wandering around the store so I moved to blouses.  Totally cute Talbot's blouse with a peplum to give me the illusion of a waist while still allowing me the freedom to breathe and eat AND it was my size, again - what are the odds?  $4.  As we stood in line, I noticed an adorable purse AND a necklace with orangeish-red beads the same color as in the skirt.  The purse was a spendy $8 and the necklace was $3.  The skirt was tagged 1/2 price, so the grand total was just under $17!  Go ahead, bask in the excitement.  The boys were not the least bit impressed, but they're just dumb boys. 

So, now I have money for fun shoes.  I'm thinking blue, green or red sandals.  Fun, fun, fun. 

Other things that made this a great week? 

My friend Ann came by, unexpectedly this morning. She was working on this side of town and had some free time. We never get to see each other without a bunch of kids (mine were here but they were doing schoolwork or working or just waking up).  It was fun.

The garden is growing!  I think we might get actual stuff out of it.  Keep your fingers crossed.  Our wonderful neighbor (the one expecting twins) gave us a very cool watering system for the garden that Mike and I are hoping to put in this weekend.  Long story, but she had it and had not plans for it.

My other neighbor called this morning.  She sounded awful, but it's just allergies. She said this month's chemo and radiation treatments are going much better.  Another week and she's done and with any luck all the misery will have paid off.  Keep her in your thoughts. 

Finally, we're on track to finish school on time!  Whew!  I'd been putting off checking my plans because I was sure we were way behind.  With a little extra effort, we'll finish up 11th, 10th, 10th and 4th grades just fine.  Ahhhh . . . Only eight more years to go.  ;)

Sears? Really?

THIS is not the same Sears where I buy appliances and power tools, is it?  Who made this thing?  How sad do you have to be to buy one?  And, what industrial accident befell the original model for this pillow?  I've never met a person actually shaped like this. 

But, in case you have $10.00 burning a hole in your pocket, or if you are looking for a gift for the pathetic lonely person in your life, here's an option.

Lost day . . . sort of.

Andy woke up early, early, early this morning with stomach troubles. Poor guy. I hate stomach stuff, there's simply not much you can do as a mom to alleviate the misery short of wiping off their faces and using that "nice mom" voice we all have deep inside. Honestly, though, what's to do but wait it out? Sorry kid.

Oddly enough, on Sunday night, as I finished painting Andy and Dan's room and we were all moving furniture back and forth. I love this kind of thing. Mike hates it. Mike would be happy if everything just sank into the ground where it is, but he was a trooper.

We moved an armoire from our bedroom to Andy and Dan's bedroom. It made more sense for them to have it. Before moving it, we unloaded a GIANT stack of VHS tapes. The boys were so funny! "I haven't seen this since I was 8."  lol  Of course we didn't have a working VCR and the boys had mostly outgrown (or so I thought) our VHS tapes.

We stopped at Goodwill in search of a lampshade on Monday evening and Andy was excited to find a VCR for $6. We bought it. Lo and behold it worked. Today, while Andy was sick he watched for the first time since he was about three A Bug's Life, Babe and Toy Story. And, to be honest, we all stopped and watched too. $6 well-spent. 

It's nearly 3:30 am now and Andy has not been up in the last 90 minutes - I think the bug has run it's course. Added bonus, no one else seems sick! Night everyone.

Latin is still funny sometimes . . .

Ian and Tim are finishing up their last year of Latin. They've been studying Latin since the fourth grade and opted to use an additional two years of Latin as their high school language requirement. To be completely honest, it's been a painful past two years (Dan finished up last year). I've had to study way more than I would have liked. We've gone far enough to be in pretty obscure territory. But we trudge on.

Today, though, as Ian and Tim were working through their lesson, I heard them laughing and laughing more and then Andy joined in and it became ridiculous laughing. (I guess I should be glad Dan was not home to contribute; it could have been much worse.)

The source? A picture from their Latin book. We're using Henle Latin II this year. The picture is above.

Pretend you're 16 and look at that picture. Ian and Tim were rolling on the floor at a boy with a knife, a bat and two snakes in a jar. They named him Fox "News Alert" Smith. (So much for my news break, huh?) Anyway, they and Andy agreed that this boy would have been tackled, smothered in a tarp and possibly tasered for carrying all that gear in 2010.

Poor Father Henle was probably rolling in his grave. We live in a strange world, don't we?

What do you remember about your prom?

Here are Dan and "the-girl-that-is-a-friend" at the prom. I think they are beautiful and glorious. But, I know them and love them. Still, though, aren't they just so young and perfect?

There are a million pictures, but I really love the goofy one best of all. Gorgeous as they are, they don't take themselves too seriously. (But, don't you just love her dress?)

They worked hard to have the evening and they had a really wonderful time and I'm glad.

Me? What do I remember about my prom? I remember getting my hair done for the prom. (This was the 80's big hair though I'd spent my whole life trying to have Marcia Brady hair) I remember walking home with hair that made me 5' 11" at a minimum (my license has me covered at 5'6" lol) and crying and crying - it was a long walk up hill all the way, but no snow ... I was WAY too invested in the prom ... my mom fixed my hair and I went on to have a really great night - a wholesome, fun night. LOL Despite living in the state of Bruce Springsteen . . .

Whew!

The break was a good thing. Really good. I kept up with email and my online Scrabble pursuits and that's it and it appears that the world did just fine without me (sorry about the volcano in Iceland, though - I'm sure I could have done something about that had I known).

We got a lot of school worked out and finished last week ahead of schedule - when does that ever happen? Dan and I visited a local little tuxedo shop (yes,very last minute!) and were greeted by none other than the owner, Don Corleone. Seriously! He was the nicest man but there was NO question HE was in charge. (And, I'm serious, he was dressed in the most immaculate suit I've ever seen, he had a gorgeous Italian accent and he was not to be messed with.) He saw Dan looking at one of the tuxes and all but slapped him on the head and said "You're too pale and skinny for that one." *snort* It was awesome. Dan is many good things but he's also pale and skinny. The Don found a tux that fit Dan perfectly (short of buying one and having it tailored). We were in and out of the store in 15 minutes. This store has my business for life.

Next to the tuxedo store was a florist. The owners of this store were equally commanding and helpful. The woman at the counter asked Dan about his girl-that-is-a-friend's dress. He suggested HIS idea of a good corsage. Yet again, Dan narrowly missed being slapped on the head for his stupidity. The woman showed Dan what he needed and WHY he needed it - and she was right. Like the tux store, this shop has our business for life. It's so awesome to run into people who care about what they're doing and know how to do it well. They did not prey on Dan's inexperience or uncertainty, they really taught him some valuable lessons.

Garden is weeded and growing. I think. We had some great soft, steady rain yesterday and today and I think that will help.

I did get bored without the computer. I ended up painting Dan and Andy's room - honestly, audiobooks and the IPod are the best inventions ever! About four years ago I let Dan pick a color to paint his room. Lesson learned - add a few caveats to such offers. He picked the single most hideous shade of green and I have been cringing ever since. This time, we worked together. I can't say I would have chosen the color Dan and Andy picked, but it looks pretty cool - it's a cross between Campbell's tomato soup and a chili pepper.

Added bonus, after clearing out their room, Dan and Andy voluntarily were tossing things. We ended up moving some of the furniture from Mike's and my bedroom to their room and moving some old stuff out. End result, two bedrooms that are seriously clean and clutter free. Ian and Tim's room is our next target!

While clearing out the boys room, I was inspired to clean/clear our screened in porch - my favorite place this time of year. The effect was so nice we had some neighbors over for snacks and drinks and a general celebration of my picking up 80000 lego pieces and finding them homes. As the neighbors all live with their own collections of 1000s of Legos, I was able to bask in the glory of short-lived triumph!

So, I'm back and ready to face the world again (just please everyone be nice to each other, ok?). Menus are planned, garden is good, the house is as clean as it gets and I've got a good fresh perspective.

Prom pictures tomorrow, I promise. They looked so young and perfect. You know, in the way you can only look young and perfect when you're 17-18. Stay tuned!

Overload?

Maybe too much of me combined with too much of the rest of the world, but it seems that no matter where I travel on the internet lately people are angry and fighting and wah! On news sites and those kinds of places it's easy to balance it out. When it starts penetrating message boards and Facebook and places I go for "fun" I have to think. I've thought. It's time to take a break. So, I'm going to take a break. One week. My life is stressful enough without adding online stress. And, really, this is just as as vague as you're reading it. I don't feel/have not been personally attacked. There's nothing here that is stressful, it's just a general tone. I'm just tired of being on edge for no good reason. Talk amongst yourselves if you like.

I'll be puttering in the garden and teaching Andy all kind of good things about 1950-1975 (how to choose from the exciting, happy projects from those years I'll never figure out)It might be interesting to place bets on whether I paint anything during the upcoming week. Could be a good pool - especially if you factor in color choices.

Yay Beach!

We had plans to head to Melbourne this morning, but the rainy start of the day deterred us. Still, we were packed up for the beach . . . we headed to our local beach Our local pollen-free beach. We arrived around 9:45 and it was rainy and cold. The kids didn't care. As you can see by the picture, I cared. I had my book, my hooded sweatshirt, a towel and a book. (And, snacks - lots 'o snacks - to keep me warm - chips can do that, you know.)

By noon, the sun was up and the clouds were gone. Even though I was at the beach with four snarky teens + Andy, they were absolutely happy digging holes and tunnels and catching crabs. I'll just share some pictures. Glorious day, this was (like I'd say if I was Yoda!)

College Exam Angst

Ugh!

Part of the reason we opted to homeschool our kids was the emphasis on standardized tests in grammar school and beyond. I'm not opposed to the tests, but I am opposed to the pressures put on the teachers and the administrations of each school to come up with results. Given those pressures, which kids do you think they are teaching to? And, should teachers/schools be competing each other for scores? And, God help the kids who do not take tests well. Buh, buh, buh, that's not what I'm angsting about tonight . . .

Dan went to bed SERIOUSLY stressed out tonight over taking the ACT tomorrow. I'm not sure where the stress is coming from (but I get it as a person who generates tons of personal stress each and every day). He's done very, very well on the practice tests. But, he was a mess tonight. I feel bad for him. I hope the test goes well in the morning. It kills me I can't sneak over to the test site to give him a little box of raisins and a juice box half-way through (lol can you imagine the look on Dan's face if I did this? *snort*)

I know it's all going to work out in the end, but I hate the weight placed on the SAT and ACT in 2010. It's not like when I was applying to colleges - they had nothing else besides my SAT scores and a sadly typed (on an actual typewriter) application. Today, there are so many ways to help administrators find students suited to their school. I find it frustrating.

But, what do I know? In the meantime, I'll be spending time with Ian and Tim teaching them to take the tests. Because that is how the game is played.

Update time

Amanda continues to do well and her family is thriving. Check the link to see for yourselves. What an ordeal and what a strong, wonderful family. I just love them, in case you hadn't guessed. Keep them all in your prayers if you are inclined. Otherwise, just check the link from time to time to see this beautiful family move forward.

I mentioned in January that we were struggling with our neighbor. She was unhappy with the kids and us and it was a complete surprise. We had another run-in in early February and it was ugly. Since then, I've been very careful about boundaries and keeping the kids far away from her comfort zone.

Still, it was nagging at me. I like our neighborhood so much. I don't want to be on ugly terms with any of our neighbors if it can be helped. As you've read, ad nausaem, I have been working on our garden. The garden happens to be on the neighbor's side of the house. Things just didn't seem right. Our "angry" neighbor and another neighbor share lawn guys. The lawn guy told our other neighbors that he thought our neighbor was sick. I noticed a strange car a few times - our neighborhood is pretty predictable. One afternoon, I caught a glimpse of our "angry" neighbor. Her really beautiful (dark, swingy, Mary Tyler Moore-ish) hair was gone. She didn't see me huddled in my mud field.

It bothered me for about a week. Finally, I found a card and wrote our neighbor a note. My note just read that I hoped she was happier with the kids playing farther away from her house and that I'd noticed she was home a lot more and it was a small neighborhood and I'd heard she was sick. I told her if that was the case, that she should know that I'm here all day everyday and we are all willing to help her if she needs it. I did this because I mean it - I hate to think of someone living right next door to me in need of something. I also did it because I don't like living with anger if I can help it. So, mostly, I wrote the note for myself.

I saw my neighbor yesterday, briefly as she went into her house (I was in the garden again). We gave each other a little wave and said nothing. I thought this was progress and went on with my weeding. This afternoon, I received a phone call from the "angry" neighbor. She was so kind and to the point. She's been a direct woman since I first met her. She told me what was going on and said she was relieved to know she could call here after all she's been through. She actually apologized for talking to me like I was the mother of all the children who had been driving her so crazy.

She's been through a lot lately. A LOT. Her husband died young and unexpectedly and they never had kids and she never remarried. She's really almost entirely alone. As I talked to her, I realized, I will never be that alone should I get really sick. It might not make my family happy to care for me, but I know they will. (In return, I will not haunt them.)

I'm SO glad she accepted my note and the offers wherein in the spirit I intended them. Colon cancer, caught early, treated aggressively. If you are the praying sort please keep Andrea in your prayers.

I'm happy it's all worked out amicably, but I'm sad that it took something so serious to make it work. I've always been a note-writer and this experience will serve as an example. Most notes get no response, but sometimes, that 10 minutes spent on nice handwriting and sincere thoughts pays off. I feel peace and I think she feels it too.

I believe our neighbor will come through this just fine and I'll bet in two years I'll be complaining about her complaining about us. I am looking forward to it! How crazy is that?

More prom

I'm sore and tired from replanting half of the garden today - the day after I last planted we had a FULL day of torrential rain that was just too much for the smaller seeds. Sadly, I'm just as sore and old as I was the first time I planted. Happily, though, little things are sprouting. I saw a couple of wee green beans, black beans and zucchinis today. I replanted the egg plant, some of the beans and peas, lettuce, and corn. The tomatoes and peppers seem to have held up quite well, whew! And, my favorites, the sunflowers are poking up quite nicely.

As I dawdled in the garden listening to an excellent audio version of Agatha Christie's Crooked House, Dan approached me with "documents." How I dread dance documents! These were the papers I had to sign for him to attend the prom. The first page involved me giving his and my driver's license numbers (???) and signing something affirming he was a student in good standing.

REALLY? Do the prom police think the kids who are not in good standing are going to say, "Oh, never mind, I'll just skip it?" No, the kids who are not in good standing (who often tend to be very bright kids just very unmotivated or bored or immature) are going to forge those signatures and attend anyway if that's what they want to do, right? That's how it was a million years ago when I went to the prom. But, whatever, I filled out the paper work and gave it back to Danny.

What intrigued me more, however, was the list of "RULES" for the prom. They intrigued me enough that I washed my hands and typed them into my computer so I could share them with you now. I'll add my comments in italics.

Females:
Dresses/skirts must be mid thigh in lenghth or longer. This seems fair enough to me.

Dresses/skirts must modestly and completely cover all private parts. OK - did we not cover this above? There are girls showing up at their proms with their naughty bits hanging out all over the place? It's the prom. Parents take pictures and stuff.

Dresses with plunging necklines or bare midriffs are not appropriate.Again, I think we covered this in the above two rules. I do, however, take a bit of exception to the bare midriff rule. If anyone should ever have a bare midriff it's a fit teenage girl.

Low cut fronts and backs are prohibited. My only question here is are the girls' dresses measured by someone as they come into the dance? Who decides what's low? What's low for me looks awesome and tasteful on my full-busted friend.

Males:

No canes. Sadly, this rule alone has ruined the whole prom for Danny. He was building his outfit around his cane. @@ Really, have there been cane fights in Orange County, Florida lately?

Dress shirts must be worn at all times. Undershirts alone will not be tolerated.I'm not too worried about this. Since he's been about three, Danny has understood the societal correctness of keeping his clothing on in public spaces. Plus, we live in Florida, no one wears undershirts here.

No jeans. Well, if you're going to pay $75 per ticket, I think you might want to dress up a bit.

Tie or jacket required.I like that they give the option of one or the other, not necessarily both.

Dancing:

Students must remain in a standing position while dancing. I guess I'm old. Anyone else? Has this ever been an issue in your life? Mike and I are old but we still go dancing from time to time. If he ever suggested that we dance while not standing (in public), even after 20++ years, I'd punch him in the face! Prom girl: "Are you sure we're really dancing? My dress is getting icky from the punch? Prom boy: "Oh yeah, THIS is dancing." Isn't this why God made chaperones?

Dancing may not be sexual in nature. Feet must remain on the floor and hands must stay off the floor. Shoes must be worn at all times. We might suggest bringing sandals, flip flops or a change of shoes. Well, I dunno. Dancing IS sexual by nature, isn't it? That's why it's fun. But it doesn't have to be icky and explicit or even age-inappropriate, does it? I'm not sure unless the prom is "Twister"-themed about the feet and hands off the floor thing. I get the no bare feet and think the suggestion for comfy shoes to dance in is an excellent one.

No standing or dancing on tables or chairs. Now, here is where the waiver about the student being in good standing might come into play. If said student works as a stripper part-time (and has, say, fallen behind in their study of calculus) they might need some counseling to separate work from wholesome-prom-fun. And, if they can't separate them, maybe a helmet requirement would make everyone safe and happy?

No MOSHINGS or MOSH PITS. Well, sure. But, if you're having a $75 per kid prom, you might have a really awesome band and the mosh pit will just break out because, you know, the band is so awesome and there's no real food and certainly no open bar. Moshings (why the face?)? I'm pretty sure I'm against those.

And there you have it. The Prom Rules of 2010. It's a brave new world, I think.

Ah to be 17 and supremely confident again!

We went to my parents' house for dinner this evening. It was the first time we did not go as an intact family, Danny had to work. It was weird, but we managed to scarf down the amazing ham and cheesy scalloped potatoes and fruit salad and asparagus (go figure, Andy ate about 1/2 lb of asparagus!) followed by pound cake with strawberries and/or gooey brownies. Danny was supposed to work until 7 but the store was slow and they let him go early, so he came to my folks' house as well.

After Danny had eaten and eaten and eaten he settled down to talking with the adults on my parents' screened in deck while we watched the sunset (yes, life in Florida sucks sometimes but we do what we can . . .) Tim, Ian and Andy were outside hitting golf balls (did I mention how horrible our lives are?). I wandered into the house in search of more food and came back to the porch to see my dad and Danny engaged in a serious conversation. I was busy eating so didn't ask about it.

When we got home tonight, Dan told me he'd asked my dad if he could borrow his car for prom night. Gah! Like our beautiful 12-year old tank isn't enough? I can't remember what kind of car my dad drives, it's a Toyota with working brakes and is super cool (I got to drive it once). My dad, I guess, said yes without hesitation! Dan is beyond excited. After hearing this, I made him promise to drive in the slow lane and to call me at every stop. I'm torn. I love that my dad trusts Dan so much and I fear parking accidents and other mishaps. Waaahhh. It's gonna be a long prom.

Don't you all remember being 17 and thinking it was all about you and sometimes it worked out? That's where Danny is tonight. I hope that feeling lasts a LONG time for him - sort of.

If anyone reading works in the bubble-wrap business let me know. I'm in the market to cover a Toyota for one night.

Happy Easter!

I've been really lax about posting lately. Sorry. The pollen in the air this time of year makes me kind of mean and grumpy and it doesn't seem fair to subject you all to it in addition to my family. That and it feels like things are so busy lately - I think it's more of a pollen lag than anything. It takes me forever to get through the schooling and just keeping up with the regular house stuff lately. Thankfully, the horrific pollen (our navy and black cars actually look green every morning) doesn't usually last too long and life will go back to normal.

In the meantime, we've been making the most of our spring break (which started Friday). One of the neighbors opened their pool yesterday and the kids were ecstatic to get back into the water. I was cold just watching them, but I'm a wimp. I swear Andy is already looking tanner and blonder after just two days.

Late in the afternoon, I recruited Ian to drive me all over town on errands. His driving is really improving, I don't think I shrieked even once, despite the monster traffic. We were both proud. I loved having a free weekday! We managed to hit my favorite thrift shop. It seems I never have time to get over there lately. I'd really like to find canning stuff and an old coffee percolator thing but, it appears it's going to take more work than I thought. I did find two pair of overalls (I love overalls for the garden and for my messy projects), 7 cute summery t-shirts (the messy thing again, all of my t-shirts from last summer are stained beyond repair - I'm a slob), a very cute pair of capri pants (green with little pink and white stripes sewn in under the hem), a beautiful, all-purpose white blouse and something I'm forgetting. Ian found two pair of shorts, with tags no less, and a fun t-shirt. I think that's a pretty good haul for $40!

Next we hit the grocery outlet. HUGE candy score for Easter baskets. We also picked up a couple of boxes of the most amazing bakery Italian lemon cookies. I can't remember what they're called, but I've never had anything like them. I wish I had picked up a few more boxes - they seem to freeze well.

From there we went to Target in search of a new pogo stick for Andy's Easter basket. No luck on the pogo stick, but I went a little nuts and bought a skirt. It was the only one on the rack and it was my size and I LOVED it. I never do that. It was when I started squealing over the skirt that Ian stopped acknowledging me. Oh well. Here's a picture if you're interested - it's a short-ish madras skirt and it goes great with one of my thrift store t-shirts!

Last night, the boys, one of their friends and I tackled the Peep Sushi project. I'm cheap so initially I set out to make my own Rice Krispie treats. Ummm ... they were delicious, but they do not work for Peep Sushi. By the time I'd made and cooled the RK treats, I was committed 100% to the project. When I realized they weren't going to work, I sent Dan to the grocery store to buy RK treats - I really love having a driving son. I'm sure whatever extra is in the store-bought RK treats is not good for you, but man!, they are sure stretchy and easy to manipulate. I made little "sushi boxes" while the boys (too) gleefully decapitated peeps and started stuffing the sushi. This isn't a great picture, but they were really cute when they were done. I couldn't bring myself to eat one - too gooey and sweet - but the kids loved them! I'm thinking I can sell these to my dentist next Easter.

This morning we went strawberry picking. I haven't done this for years. The older boys used to love it, but Andy hates strawberries. He went this year mainly because his friends were going and I promised him whipped cream with a spoon. It was fun to stomp around the mounds of strawberry and to check out the newly growing blueberries as well. Andy and I picked two quarts and they're gone. They were absolutely perfect.

This afternoon we did the neighborhood egg hunt. The kids are all older now, I think we may have to rethink this whole thing for next year. Egg hunts should not be a contact sport. Maybe a scavenger hunt or something for 2011? And once again I found myself floored at how long six kids can spend trading candy and negotiating plastic eggs. Crazy, but it all worked out in the end.

This evening we waited for Danny to finish his shift at the grocery store before dying eggs. He worked until nine and it was a definite stretch for Mike to stay up and participate, but he managed! I really love that everyone still likes doing this stuff every year. I'm surprised, but pleasantly so. It kills me to watch them all dye eggs - but I pace and try to keep busy and ignore my twitching eye. Once again we have a funky, unique batch of eggs.

And, now, you know more about us than you wanted and everyone is finally asleep. Andy was up WAY late wiggling out another nasty old tooth. 10-year-old molars are NOT cute. Blech. Finally his mouth stopped bleeding and I think he's really asleep. Let the Easter basket making and hiding begin!