It Was Snow Fun

When I went to visit my sister, I planned to be gone for eight school days.  Truth be told, I felt it was a little long. But I also knew that King would be there every morning to get the girls off to school safely, and that, minus two days, he'd be there when they got home.  Arrangements were made for those two days, and I felt pretty good about them being well taken care of.  They would be in school for around seventy-five hours of the time I was gone, leaving King plenty of time to work, and King could handle everything. (He's fabulous, in case you didn't know.)

Well, that is what I thought would happen.  Instead, they had six snow days and two delayed days, giving them ten hours in school and many hours of unsupervised Wii and TV time.  They thought it was great.  They missed me, but they also loved having the down time with technology they don't normally get, and absolutely loved their new dancing Wii game.  Cinderella is mad I didn't let her go with me on the trip.  She could have made up those two 1/2 school days in her sleep, she says.  It would have been great to have the girls with me, but no one can predict the future, so they were home.

Anyway, we all survived the days apart.  King had it the worst.  (He always does.) :(  It was stressful for him to deal with the delays and the changed activities because of weather, etc.  But, he is a trooper, and he did swimmingly.  We're all recovered (even me, after too much Excedrin use on my trip) and we're back to normal life as we know it.  Whatever normal is.

Some Shopping Advice

When my dad thought it was a great idea for me to fly to my sister's house for a week to help her with her new baby, I agreed.  When he thought it was a great idea to buy a cheaper ticket to Dallas where I could also see my friend and cousin, I heartily agreed.  And, narrowly missing the looming snowstorm, off I flew.

I landed in Dallas only an hour late, and got to be there for their biggest snowstorm of the decade.  (Lucky me.) But, before their snow blew in, I enjoyed a day of shopping and eating with my fabulous friend.  I needed jeans, a skirt, and a jacket.  I got Cinderella two dresses, and Sleeping Beauty and Snow White four shirts.  I always do that.  Sometimes I'm just not in the mood to buy stuff for me, you know?  The girls look so much cuter in their clothes than I do in mine anyway.  I did try on several pairs of jeans, but didn't find any that I liked.

Once I got to Oklahoma, I intended to help my sister out a little.  I forced helped her to make a shopping list, and we headed to Aldi and Sam's Club to purchase food for the month.  That is where I found my jeans.  And they really are cute. Our other sister called as we were leaving Sam's Club.  "What are you up to?" I asked.

"Just shopping," she said, "I need some clothes."

""You should totally go to Sam's Club.  I just got the cutest jeans."

Silence.  I think she was so stunned by my brilliance, she didn't have anything to say.  "What?" I asked, "They're really cute."

She laughed.  I'm sure she was laughing because she was so silly to not think of going there herself. 

And then she changed the subject.  Probably because there is no Sam's Club where she lives.  Poor girl.  She'll have to miss out on the coolest fashions.  Sad.

(Seriously--the jeans are cute.  And they were only 14 dollars.  Sweet.) 

I'm Coming Back

I am here.  And I will post more sometime, but I'm tired.  I spent the last ten days with this cute little thing:

And, even though I did a lot of this:

 

I also saw friends, a cousin, and a fabulous sister (doesn't she look great just two weeks after having that tiny baby?!), and we talked more than we slept, and laughed more than we rested.  So, I'll be back to real life soon.  Hopefully.

Also, I just love the Olympics, so I'm a bit distracted watching too much of that.  Do you think I'm too old to start snowboarding?  Or maybe that ski jumping thing?  Fun stuff.

Just Stop

My dear little Princesses,

Now that I have cuddled your tiny cousin, who is a whole seven pounds, teeny, and sweet as can be, I cannot believe you were once so small and fresh from heaven.  Now you are so big.  How did that happen so fast?  I love you too much, and you change so quickly.  Please stop growing immediately.  Thank you.

Love,
Mama

p.s.  You think bra shopping is horrible for yourself?  (Yes, it is, you're right.)  But wait until you have a daughter  to buy one for.  Bra shopping + how is she old enough for this? = totally freaked out horrid shopping experience.  Just wait.  (But, please wait a LONG time.)

Spelling Skills

I used to be an awesome speller.  I remember in 2nd grade I got an award at the end of the year because I never missed a spelling word.  In high school, I frequently passed the spelling test on the pre-test day, making it so I didn't have to do the spelling assignment and test that week.  That was awesome.  I love to tease King because he has a PhD, but always asks me how to spell words.   

But, I am losing my spelling skills.  The computer has made me lazy and I don't like it.  I rarely think about how to spell words anymore.  I type them, and if they get that little red line under them, I don't even try to figure out what I did wrong, I just click on it and let the computer tell me the right version.  Terrible.  It's really a shame.  My one good talent, and I am losing it.

A couple of weeks ago, Sleeping Beauty was chosen to be in the Spelling Bee.   She said she was sort of excited.  So she sort of studied a bit.  But not enough.  She kept skipping over the easy words--she said they were dumb.  Besides, she said, she didn't want to win.  She would hate to go to the regional meet.  That would be awful.  She just wanted to beat at least a couple of third graders.

So, with her sights set incredibly high (ha) and her practicing done to the utmost of her ability (ha), I was feeling great (ha) and was excited (ha) to go to the Spelling Bee on Friday.  Nothing like watching your fifth-grader try to get out of the Spelling Bee before she has to spell something too hard.  But, she was cute.  She spelled the first few words correctly, and even got a chuckle when the name in the sample question was her own.  'Sleeping Beauty's cat liked to entertain itself', or something like that.  (Not Sleeping Beauty--that would be weird.  Her real name.)  She got out on the word imagine, and was annoyed because it is an easy word that she knows how to spell, but she was too nervous to remember it in front of all those people.  (Perhaps she should have studied those easy words, like mom said, hmmmm?)

In the end, it was a good experience for her.  I should have pushed her to study more.  But, her heart really wasn't in it.  What I probably should have pushed her to do was let the alternate take a chance at it.  Her class as a whole did well, and the alternate probably would have enjoyed it.  The last five kids left were three of her classmates and two others, and the boy who finally won was from her class.  Everyone was excited for him and Sleeping Beauty was so glad it wasn't her.  Such a funny girl.

For the record, if I would have been in the Spelling Bee, I would have been the fifth to the last out on the word rutabaga.  Because I don't eat them and because I spent as much time studying as Sleeping Beauty did.  

Randomness

1.  Why is it impossible to buy a package of girls underwear that is only white?  When I was a kid, somehow my mom found some (much to my chagrin--I really wanted fancy undies) but now no one makes any.  Not even online.  Can't anyone be boring anymore?

2.  Why is it that when you finally drag your sorry butt to the grocery store, you must forget at least one important thing?!

3.  Does it seem strange to you that throughout the whole week, I am tripping over the girls' dress shoes, stepping on them when I hang something in their closets, or telling the girls to stop throwing them at each other, but on Sunday morning, the shoes are nowhere to be found?  Invisible.  Missing.  NOT HERE.  I swear it is the Devil's way of making us late to church, and me in a surly mood.  Ugh.

4.  Why don't I have one of those little mesh lingerie bag thingies my mom used to have?  I'm sure everyone has one.  Not me.  I just throw in those nylons with the rest of my laundry and then wonder why they got ruined when I pull them out of the washer velcro-ed to a jacket or ski glove.  What do those dumb mesh bags cost anyway?  Five dollars?  Add it to my grocery list--(but I am sure I will forget it.)

5.  I am running out of Peppermint Hot Chocolate and it is still only February 1st.  I do not think I will make it the three more months of winter. (Yes, three--I live in the frozen tundra of America where we all pretend it is Spring in March but really know it will keep on freezing until May.)

6.  Why does it cost an arm and five legs to fly across America.  My sister gives birth to a tiny new girl tomorrow, and I live in the freezing tundra of America, not near her, and will not meet said baby until she is in Kindergarten, or something.  Anyone have a private airplane they want to lend me?  Actually, I take that back.  I really am a scaredy cat when it comes to those tiny planes, so I would need to do the "drug me and put me in the luggage and wake me up when we get there" route, if you're game.  Let me know.  

7.  My babies turn eleven this week.  Eleven!!  Where did the time go?  How am I this old?  I mean, I certainly don't look it--my forehead doesn't even have any wrinkles. ;)