Lent

I remember several years of ash crosses on my BFF's head in junior high and high school on the Wednesday of Lent (Ash Wednesday). Lent are the 40 days before Easter. A time of praying and fasting starting tomorrow.

I've never actually looked into what "Lent" really means, (until now) but aways took it to mean something like this: you give something up (fast) and when you really want it you pray. It's supposed to bring you closer to God.

In past years I have given plenty of things up "for lent." Swearing (nearly every year!), drinking, candy, caffeine, you name it ... well, nearly everything. And this year is no exception. I'm giving up un-necessary shopping. If it isn't necessary for every day survival, it ain't necessary. Oh the TORTURE!! I want new socks, and new jeans, and new shoes, and anything that will fit off the clearance rack! But that's the key, WANT. What do I really NEED? Socks? Maybe, but I can make it 40 days. Shoes? Hardly! Jeans? Not so much. So the torture part is staying out of the stores. I won't shop at Fred Meyer, too much temptation. I can't go near the mall - are you kidding me??? All those stores! And I am planning a trip to Issaquah in a few weeks. Does beer count as necessary? They have a Rogue Brewery there and it would be nice to stock up again. Needs vs wants!

But of course, timing is everything. Just as I embark on this journey the garage door breaks (replacement cost: $1000) some medical bills come due (health enhancement cost: $250) and we have a big weekend full of expenses (date night, family night and thank goodness it was pay day: priceless!) So it all works out. Plus, it is teaching me and the kids to THINK ABOUT WHAT I/WE ARE SPENDING MY/OUR MONEY ON. (Well, me mostly, but its nice to think it might influence the kids too!)

Wiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiild!

Winner, winner chicken dinner!

The Wild won their 4th home game in a row. Royal Sweep!! What fun, and it only took about 7 minutes before the first fight broke out. Somewhere along the way in the 3rd period the visiting team was penalized and lost a player from the ice - I have no idea how that happened, but it did. What a game! Final score was 6 to 3. GO WILD!

We had a great time, Sunday night games are now number one for me. Small crowds, early start time and fun, fun, fun! We were able to get the kids' bells (I don't know why, but ringing cow bells is cool at games) autographed by the goalie (who did a great job tonight) so that was fun too! We should have brought McDonald's to the game though, it was expensive to feed the 4 of us from the concession stand!

DW did an awesome job with the kids' pictures! Isn't she the best? And that's just a few of the 35 she sent home with me. Now I need to pick and print some for my dad, myself and the other grandparents.

Fun, Fun, Fun

This weekend is full of stuff and I am so excited!

We are going to a concert tomorrow up at Mission Ridge and to a hockey game on Sunday. So far no plans for tonight, probably just a nice quiet night in (not to mention that I have been up since 2am so I will probably crash around 8.) And no plans yet for Saturday-day, we're leaving for the Ridge around 4, or Sunday-day since the game isn't until 5, but I am looking so forward to both things. The concert is just a me and My Honey (oh, and the other 100 people at the Lodge, but who's counting) and the game is a family deal so we get to spend some time together and some time with the kids.

This afternoon my girl DW is taking the kids' pictures. I wanted to do something around Christmas, but, well, the holidays got away from us.

DW is quite talented in the taking-pictures-of-people arena, I know she's nervous because she thinks I have talent too, but not for people, she's the people-person! Give me plants and stuff like that and I do alright. Fortunately, its nice outside today, so we might be able to get some outdoor shots that are good! I want to be able to take some to my Dad's house in a couple weeks so they can have nice updated pictures of the kids. And I would like some too!

It should be a fun weekend, if not exhausting!

Two in a row!

So far (knock on wood) the Big Girl Bed Experiment is working. Miss I went to bed without incident, didn't fall out of the bed all night and stayed in bed until I told her it was okay to get up.

Nap time she went down without incident, has stayed in bed although she is awake, and will hopefully remain there until I tell her it's alright to get up even though Bubba gets go be up already. The only issue we have run into is her asking to keep the door open. I told her no. She's never slept with the door open and I don't want to start now. Bubba on the other hand, for some reason I gave in when he was little and let him start to sleep with the door open. Silly me. We could have so much more privacy if he slept with the door closed.

We went to the play gym today. What fun! They have these bungee-jumping things that the kids tried today. I am trying to think of how to explain them, but suffice it to say they get hooked to elastic hooked to the rafters and they can jump around. Bubba tried first and had a lot of fun, we hooked him to two cords on each side so he could go REALLY high and he was a nervous wreck. Then Miss I did it and she was pretty nervous too. I am proud of both of them for trying something new.

It has snowed for the past few days. Nothing that's accumulating much, but still. So today it feels really cold to me even though its 40 degrees. I think its the 100% humidity that's doing it.

Wish me luck

I just finished re-arranging Miss I's room including a Big Girl Bed. I am a little scared about what the night holds, but she didn't get a nap today (and I don't think I will give her one tomorrow either) so we should be in pretty good shape.

I was a tad bit inspired (or wanted to be as cool as, or maybe I wanted my 3 year old to be keeping up with the 1 1/2 year old) by my gal DW. She already has her little one in a Big Girl Bed so I had to get on the ball. I swear if she got Cate potty trained this weekend I am calling out sick until Miss I uses the toilet ... get ready to work some OT GF!!!

No school tomorrow, so I had originally planned on doing Miss I's room then, but what kind of a way is that to spend the day off?? So I decided since I was off at 1:00 I would do it then and then we can go to the play gym tomorrow morning and work on cleaning Bubba's room and some of the rest of the house in the afternoon.

I just want to add that I disassembled the crib, carried it out to the garage, disassembled one of the bunk beds and reassembled it all by myself to get this job accomplished. Not to mention I mopped her floor and scrubbed the walls (they're red and were showing all the dust and stuff accumulated over the past year or so.) Yeah, stud, I know!

For Valentine's Day me and My Honey went out for a late lunch/early dinner and then to a movie. We saw "Taken". Very good flick unless you have a teenage girl headed overseas! We arrived during the previews, and the theater was packed so we ended up sitting in the SECOND ROW - right. Needless to say it was pretty close! I wondered several times how it would have been if I had had my glasses on. Sad isn't it to reach a ripe old age of wondering if I would have been able to see better if I was wearing glasses.

So there's the highlights of the past week - oh except for being called for jury duty. Yeah, they didn't want me. Whew! I wish I could say it was a beautiful day for a drive or that I was able to get some wonderful pictures in Waterville, but alas, it was foggy, cold and not the kind of day I wanted to be pulling over on the side of the road. Needless to say, it was an interesting experience getting to go through the process (sans the hard-ass bench I had to sit on for two long, drawn out hours) to hear the kinds of stuff the attorneys were asking the jury pool. Interestingly it was a criminal case so I am actually interested in the outcome and will be watching the "news of record" section of the paper to see what happened.

So that's it. For those of you off tomorrow, have a great holiday!

Another walk

I had a few free minutes yesterday and Porter's Pond called again. Its not THAT beautiful this time of year, but I kind of have a hankering to get year-round photos. You know a Spring, Winter, Fall and Summer set. We shall see.

I signed Bubba up for soccer, which should start sometime near Spring break, but I just heard today that there might be an instructional hockey league for K-2nd grade.... THAT would be fun!!! So, depending on what I find out, and if Bubba is interested, we may just drop karate and forfeit soccer money for hockey! (No pressure, Bubba. No pressure.)

We read a really cute book tonight called "Enemy Pie." A very cute story about treating everyone with kindness. Well, Bubba went to bed and promptly created his enemy list. Oh boy, now I have some 'splaining to do.

Miss I was so danged cute the other day.

We were just hanging out at home while Bubba was in school on Monday. I was pre-occupied by my laptop and she was doing something much less important so I asked her to get a diaper from her room for me.

She acknowledged me "okay mama" but didn't go get it. I asked her like 8 times to go get a diaper, finally using my "Mom" voice and she still didn't go (neither did I mind you, the computer was much too important.)

Finally, in a last ditch effort to get her to "obey" I used "The Mom Voice" combined with "The Look" to get compliance. She walked over to me, nose to nose, and says "Mama, don' talk to me 'ike 'at." What was I supposed to do? I laughed! She is so funny. It was like looking in a mirror and hearing a recording of ME. Scary!

Needless to say I told her off and she went to get the diaper. Little booger.