With my hours and hours of free time this year, I have done a lot more volunteering for the PTA. This has been all fine and dandy, fairly low-key, just a little extra time up at school. Until now.
I said I would be in charge of the art show.
It's coming up in two weeks. And today I was told (in so many words) that we were way behind in the preparation. (And why wasn't this pointed out to me earlier during the several meetings I have had with the art teacher and other PTAers who have done the art show previously?) So any free time I may have had during the next few school days has now been filled with art show work sessions.
But there is one bright spot in the middle of all these ravaging storms. Between the hurricane of one-a-day work sessions and the all-day tornado set up in two weeks, Melissa and I are heading to Washington D.C.
I will not think of the art show. Mounting art work on butcher paper. The logistics of hanging said butcher paper from the ceilings in the school. The enthusiastic art teacher who keeps trying to change things and wants to spend hundreds of dollars on food. Other moms who profess to be so willing to help yet just "can't commit" when asked to come in on a specific date.
None of it.
I will think of attending the temple. Navigating the Metro to get downtown. Maybe catching the tail end of the cherry blossoms. The Lincoln Memorial. The Jefferson Memorial. The Washington Memorial. More memorials. And maybe some museums. Finding tasty restaurants to eat at. Stopping at the Pittsburgh IKEA on the way home (is that OK, Miss?).
It will be a passing oasis, a fleeting haven, a momentary escape. But just what I need to recover from one set of storms before tackling the next round of downpours.
I can't wait.
carpet cleaners come early barely out of shower phones not working need to have someone come out send out PTA email send out Porter's Supporters email figure out a time to look at apartments for Jill phone guy coming between 12 and 2 quick trip to drug store stop by preschool to hand out flyers after noon already hope I didn't miss the phone guy nope he doesn't show up till after 2 kitchen and family room are too crowded with junk from living room and dining room when will the carpets dry phone wasn't working because it was unplugged (duh!) kids home quick snack brooke off to baby-sit more kids come home what are we going to have for dinner i need these dining room chairs out of the kitchen Andrew won't do his homework I need to go to the bathroom but I forgot (yeah it's THAT crazy of a day) have to listen to messages left all day while phone was unplugged how do I order a t-shirt for the Great Strides walk I still need to register for that all of us are crammed into this small space since the carpets are still wet Andrew can't play basketball because of all the plants and chairs he's bouncing off the walls and can't focus on anything time to start dinner hey I actually pulled off something yummy and nutritious is it time for sweats yet it is taking Andrew way too long to get the table cleared need to help Brooke wash her hair my feet are killing me want to lay down and veg out why has Andrew not finished making his lunch yet it's time for bed oh wait it's only 7:00 oh well i am laying down on my bed sorry Glenn I'm not watching 24 in HD tonight I'm going to lay down right here on my bed and not move the rest of the night so...glad...this...day...is...finally...over...
And her first night out alone with Mom and Dad!
Happy Birthday, Emma!
...a little gift-opening...
With a week's worth of free days ahead of us, and too much free time leading to nothing but trouble, the kids and I headed downtown for some activities where the price was right--FREE! That's right, folks, we had a great morning and (besides the cost of gas) didn't spend a dime.
Striking a pose in front of The Thinker
John D. Rockefeller monument
Andrew (that morbid little guy) wanted to find a grave from 2009, but the most recent we found was 2006. He was satisfied with that, thank goodness, or we would have been there all day. That place is enormous! In fact, I got turned around trying to find my way out...but this is a good thing. Because I exited onto Mayfield Road, which happens to be the main drag of Little Italy. I would have totally stopped at one of the bakeries for some cannoli, but there were no parking spots and this was a FREE day, right? But now that I know it's not too far away...well, that can be an adventure for another time. Because the freedom of summer vacation is just around the corner....Grandma Brooks just couldn't let six months pass between visits to Ohio. And oh yeah, 7/8ths of her grandchildren. She was able to swing a quick trip for Easter weekend. Key word? Quick. It went by much too fast, but we made good use of our time together.
There were games, gifts, shopping, and Grandma's award-winning storytelling.
We took advantage of free Mondays at the zoo and saw lots of animals putting on some good shows.
Grandma treated Emma and Leah to a trip to a real beauty salon for their birthday.
And the girls decided that when they are grown, they are going to give their kids hot dogs for dinner, put them to bed early and go get Brown Bag Burgers and Mitchell's. I wonder where they got that idea?
Bellies full of ice cream, hearts full of Grandma's love!Last week Emma and Leah had more laser surgery on their cheeks and noses. And this time, the doctor really turned up the heat, leaving them with bright red dots on their faces. Kind of like Pippi Longstocking freckles. So I, being sensitive to being in that kind of situation, offered to let the girls stay home from school the next day. They took me up on that.
I called Melissa later that afternoon to give her the report. Once she caught wind of the fact that Emma and Leah were going to be home from school the next day, she immediately snatched them up to "babysit" Porter. She had a bathroom that needed some major attention--difficult with an energetic, attention-hungry 3 year old. It was a win-win situation. Melissa could get something done, and Emma and Leah had something to do.
The girls, I hear, were very helpful. Not once did Melissa have to come downstairs to put out any fires (both figurative and literal), and Emma and Leah even made lunch for Porter and Macey after Macey got home from school. And in the end, there was even a little monetary reward. All in a day's work.
The rest of the afternoon was filled with Dancing with the Stars, a trip to Walmart for some fabric, and working on the assignments their teacher had emailed me. By the end of the day, they were both ready to go back to school.
***Side bar*** Andrew's comment when finding out that Emma and Leah to play with Porter all morning? "That's not fair! I want to play with Porter!" Do you also want to have painful laser surgery that leaves embarrassing marks all over your face? Way to overlook the negative and accentuate the positive, Andrew!
The next morning, the spots still hadn't faded, but armed with some quick answers to anyone who might try to make fun, Emma and Leah left for school with smiles on their faces. And they survived. There were several comments, but they rolled right off their backs. What a pair of troopers.
photo courtesy of Leah
I did a bad, bad thing.
I bought this...
...something I never have in the house. We don't drink much soda at all, let alone caffeinated ones. I know it is not a commandment for Mormons to abstain from all things cola, but just that's the way this Mormon family happens to roll.
But I saw a recipe for Cafe Rio Pork Salad that I really wanted to try. And it called for a Coke.
When I walked through the door with the bottle of illegal liquid, bought covertly as I skulked into the corner gas station, there was a collective gasp. Emma flat-out refused to eat whatever I was planning on making with it. But with some reassurances that lots of Church members drink Coke (c'mon, everybody's doing it) and that it was only for this one recipe (just once won't hurt), everyone was ready to give in to peer pressure.
And when this is the end result....
...how can you not give yourself fully to the addiction? The end result had everyone hooked.
We might need ourselves an intervention.
{Not knowing what kind of chemical reactions take place when you cook with Coke (Does it cook off like alcohol?) Glenn and I briefly wondered if the caffeine would have some sort of "energizing" effect on the kids. We couldn't see a difference. Because I think their bodies produce the stuff naturally.}
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