Stupid tent...

I have not felt good since Sunday, woman trouble...

Yesterday at about 4pm, poof migraine. Took my imitrix, and it remained. Went ahead and had a coke, no relief. Took 800 mg motrin, no relief. At midnight I broke down and took some Pamprin with caffeine in it. That did the trick but I was up until 3am....

Really how disruptive can one thing be....

Raising of the flag in my hometown...

Every time the flag is raised, I cry...

This Fourth was my Favorite!

I had such a good time, and laughed a lot...more later, but here are some photos! The Collective had a good memory making Holiday!!

what in the heck happened to my energy....?

I am up at midnight making a chocolate cream pie for my dinner guest tomorrow!

Today we had errands to run, and the DMV to visit (always a joy and efficient here! Even with a long line of 50 people, it took 20 minutes). I entertained myself by watching SR sit by two 15 year old girls for 10 minutes non-stop. They were sort of irritated, but he was in the mood for socializing today. He has much to say. We had to grocery shop too, and during this time SR started telling rabbit jokes. I have no idea what started it, but the kids had 3 hours of jokes to tell me. 3 hours of non-stop talking, I am sure they come by it naturally, but WOW. I suppose I know how my Husband feels.

Deb was right in the last comment, when she said, this learning to ride a bike this week means FREEDOM. when you are 5 and 7, and can ride a bike, it is HUGE. No one can tell you how fast to go, there is no holding on to hands. It is you and the open sidewalk, as far as the property line. Tonight I let them test their wings, by letting them go around the block, the the going back and forth is getting on SR last nerve. I of course followed them on foot. They did terrific. (I did happen to witness an argument between some teens lighting fireworks, and their neighbor across the road, it was not good....) SR and PN did well. However it will be no surprise to anyone, that I too will need a bike now. Just to keep up with them. In good news, there are bike TRAILS all over the city. I have never see so many bike trails. You can get from one end of the city to the other. So for my birthday which is around the corner I was asking for an ice cream maker, or an inexpensive food processor from DH and the kids, I have scratched those, and am asking for a bike. Nothing fancy for now, (I have not ridden in a long long time) but I would love to get this next year. I want a basket for it too, and a matching scarf! I mean really if I am going to ride, I may as well look insane right? I used to want the very elegant black and brown Amsterdam, but I changed my mind...



So the Collective are feeling free, and independent, and confident. Amazing what a couple of days on a bike can do......

One of the best things about parenting? Getting to do things twice, and seeing things from entirely different perspective, you get to see tiny people learn to walk, talk, run, swim, ride bikes, you get to jump on a trampoline, and shoot your kids high in the air, and laugh until you cry...

and you get 3 hours of rabbit jokes...most of them bad

Better...

Very hard to take photos, while preventing death...

I cannot seem to get them off of the bikes now, although they get grumpy when they need a break.

While they are taking a break, I must do some housework, as I am expecting company. I hope I can some things straightened up before the arrival tomorrow.

Since the wash machine is still working, there is no excuse for a pile of wash! (Yes, it is still working, knock on wood, and Praise Jesus)

On the list today: PAY BILLS! Ughhh, maybe I should save it for after 5pm, so I can have a beer while doing it.

Grammie, pack your running shoes!

The Collective can ride bikes, sans training wheels!

Grammie is set to visit soon, and misses these children sooo much. Grammie, you would have loved this!

Note, pack tennis shoes! I am going to have to get bike, as I can no longer walk or jog to keep up with them.

SR had his first big crash last night, went butt over shoulders. Scrapped his knee, and thought he would die...

He outgrew his bike as well, so last night helmets, and pads were bought, as well as a new bike. Hoping it does not take him long to figure it out...

There are magnets in everything

The Collective spent most of the day yesterday, trying to learn how to ride bikes.

The Collective are 7 and 5, so yes I have heard the criticism from some who think I should have done this prior to now. (This is strange to me, be nice)

They have both been riding with training wheels. PN actually doing better than SR. WE have gone through a lot of training wheels. 2-3 sets per child. SR was not interested in learning to ride. He did not think it sounded fun, and would only get on the bike if we had a destination. He did not see bike riding as a fun activity, but more as a mode of transport. PN just wanted to ride and smile. However, he caught on, and seemed to be enjoying it.

So as with all new things, I had to make an announcement in the morning, that we would be taking off training wheels, and practicing in the back yard sans wheel. PN, was ready, Rockstar ready. SR on the other hand thought "if it ain't broke why fix it". We gathered tools, and the tire pump and headed to the back. They helped take the training wheels off.

I pushed them both off in the yard, and they did OK, we did this for about 30 minutes. (Going from pushing and running behind one child to the next is for 24 year old Moms). The grass seemed hard to pedal in, so we moved up front out the sidewalk. I have a lot of sidewalk, and when it needs to be scooped I curse it, but today it proved to be a good thing.

First thing I note is heat and humidity, ick....The Collective seem to get the hang of it. The biggest problem as with all things is confidence level. The will ride, and when they over think they steer into the grass. I also note there must be a bike magnet in trees, each other, and any object in the line of sight. If there is something to avoid, The collective seem to want to run directly into it.

The most comical part of the day had to be SR. He was nervous. He has only required a bandaide once. One time. He was 2 and dropped a can of pork and beans on his foot, and sliced his toe open...he flipped out. He is not my risk taker. He should be an actuarian for Insurance companies, because he calculates risk all day. If it appears to be unsafe, he steers clear. PN on the other hand, well she is my gambler. (Hence her 2 broken arms, prior to the age of 3) She is my climber, my camper, my hiker, my fisher, my curious monkey child. SR did fine despite all of this. Although he kept telling me "we are defeating gravity here you know, a feat that should me impossible, we need inertia, and centripetal force"...Oye. So when he would crash or fail, or pull into the grass, he would shake his fist and say "I curse you inertia!", or I curse you gravity!"

We took frequent breaks yesterday as the temps and humidity made it uncomfortable for me. I spent the day all yucked with sweat. Ick...

We are going to try it again today. PN can go about 50 feet, and then she gets nervous. SR about 30. I am unsure how long this will take. DH is saying his guess is 7 days...I contend it might take 3 days...

It is a confidence issue right now, neither of them trust themselves. Wish me luck...

Mulberry hands

We spent Saturday evening, at a pot luck for DH's work in the country. It was so lovely to hear nothing, but laughter.

The Collective had a great time. PN of course wanted to adopt every animal on the place. I will have to break down soon and add another mammal to our tribe. As she just would sit, and pet, and hug, and follow anything with fur.

We found a mulberry tree while taking a walking adventure, and although I am sure the other Moms wanted to kill me by the end of the night, the kids had such fun picking, and eating mulberries. All of them were covered in dark purple stains...

SR picked an extra cup home, and we made mulberry pancakes. They were much better than even blueberry pancakes.

We have the day off, other than my normal housewifery. I am trying to help SR ride his bike sans training wheels. He really has no interest, so wish me luck.


all of the childrens hands were stained!

Its fixed, it is not, it is fixed, it is not, it is FIXED for now...

This is how I spent my entire day yesterday...

summer time...

taken in 2006, my how they have grown...



I love summer.

I love the smell of chlorine, sunscreen, grilled burgers, fireworks...

It has been a treat to be at home, although we seem to get little done. So far I have done none of what was on my traveling list. It is too darn hot now to be toting the kids all over the place.

We have been content to spend a few days at the pool. Last year the water felt so freezing to us, but this year, it is already lukewarm, but still a relief after weeks of 60 degree temps.

I was worried about down time, luck would have it, there is none. We have been quite busy. And RELAXED. That is the good part.

This week the kids are at VBS, at a different church than ours. Our VBS was from 6p-9p, and PN was not eligible. so I found a different church for VBS, so far the Collective have been loving it. Yes, even SR, who does not always fall in love with those types of things. They have actually had fun. So I thank the church for having such an engaging VBS. The kids have loved everything about it.

When I am at Yoga, they have been attending the YMCA kids quest, which they have also enjoyed.

The swimming, has been good for both of them. It has built confidence. Both children learned to swim last summer because we spent most of our time living in hotels, and at my Fathers home. The first day back to the pool, they were nervous, but by day 3 (and after we found goggles) They were both swimming under water. I will be enrolling them in the next swim class at the YMCA, as they have not had any formal lessons.

Dh continues to be busy lots of weekends working, lots of long hours. We try to squeeze every moment where we can, as the children are growing so fast. Both kids will be in school next year PN in kindergarten, SR in second grade. I have a second grader....Time has flown. When I started this blog, PN was barely walking, and SR was a little over 2....

When people tell you life happens fast, they are not kidding. There are moments like today, where it hits me hard. I look at the children, and it seems to happen with boom new eyes...where are my babies? Where are they? Who took them ad brought these children? They have changed, even though I have spent almost every single day with them.....

Progress

This is a post on the garden less than 20 days ago. Look how teeny everything was.

And now after rains, and storms, and several days where there have been heat advisories..

cucumbers, which I decided to throw a tomato trellis around, hoping that helps save spacem and aid in finding cucumbers. If the blossoms tell me anything, they tell me, BE prepared for a lot of cucumbers. There is also a cantelope, an acorn squash, a zuchinni, and a spinich in there. But frankly that cucumber vine is so massive, you cannot see the rest. The leaves are HUGE.


Various tomato plants, pepper plants, and green beans. The onions did not fair well. I think SR ate them.
WE have something blooming at all times, something to thank the previous owners for.
I cannot believe we went from what looked empty weeks ago, to so many flowers.

Horrifying news coming out of Iran ...

As I drive my car through our quiet city to take my children to the library...I cannot imagine the stories I hear. I cannot imagine seeing women thrown from bridges, elderly men beaten, and people hacked with axes in front of my eyes...

nightmarish.

Steve Schippert has been doing a wonderful job of reporting what he is aware of, I suggest you go over if you have the time. It will certainly break your heart to hear the woman calling in to CNN, begging someone to help free them...

Ouch, is that where I put those things..

I am skipping morning yoga, and will go tonight, as my abs are so sore. However I am thrilled I worked hard enough to find the darn things.

I found out the other day when entering the class, it is a "power yoga" class...which is different from regular ashtanga, which I have done. It is a class run by a former runner. So the class is different than I am used to.

I will stick with it, as the alternative is spin, zoomba, boot camp. Yeah no thanks. The music is loud in those classes, they say things like "come on!" No thanks. I do not like being yelled at while exercising. Some folks like it, I do not. I want quiet.

I hurt my shoulder the other day while doing push up #20, which made me feel like a wuss. They were weird pushups though. Butt in the air, arms close to sides no wide for triceps. I did not have my left arm lined up....ouch.

OK, anywho I am going to the 5pm yoga tonight instead of this morning. If I am going I do not want to fake it through class, and this morning I would not be FULL, and might as well not go.

summertime chicken...

I think I have posted this before, but will again.

It is summer, and since I am not working, we seem to be on the go, it is also HOT out.

I do not like running the oven in the summer, as it heats the house.

Last evening we returned from the pool, and the kids were STARVED. I grilled burgers, and we ate them up. However quick and easy meals that the kids will LOVE to eat, well sometimes I am not in the mood to figure it out.

Tonight I am making them their FAVORITE.

crockpot chicken

1 cup brown sugar
1 can Coca-Cola
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tbs. soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
2-3 lbs. of chicken wings or ribs
In a large bowl, combine the brown sugar, Coca-Cola, onions, garlic, soy
sauce, salt and pepper. Stir until mixed. Place chicken wings or ribs in sauce mixture.
Throw in your crockpot on high for 6 hours. To thicken sauce, mix in a cornstarch mixture.

Throw in your chicken, any parts..I am using drumsticks because I am FRUGAL, and the kids love them. I will pair this with baked potatoes, and broccoli or asparagus.

I would rather be playing with the kids than cooking...

bwah

See more funny videos and funny pictures at CollegeHumor.

ready, set, draw!

You all know how much I LOVE the series Deadwood. I have blogged about it ad naseum..

When I was traveling from Utah, I happened to have bit of difficulty returning home, our pilot was sick or something and we had to wait for a pilot, which of course meant we sat on the tarmac forever, and then of course I missed my connecting flight.

However when I sat down, I noted the passenger next to me holding his passport, along with his ticket, and other forms of ID. Of course I looked, and I determined he was from China. I then assumed he spoke Mandarin, so I proceeded to tell him hello in his native tongue. (DH minored in Asian Studies, and took Mandarin, I know 4 words, after lestening to Mandarin for 2 years)

Anywho his English was much better than my Mandarin. I learned that he and 2 of his business associates were headed to Nebraska for some business dealings, they were looking to buy some air conditioning coils from a company here...

I also learned this man, had never been to the United States, this was his first visit. Which I thought was uber cool. But I thought again and felt bad. Nebraska is pretty boring. He had a list of things his wife wanted him to buy while he was here, and frankly he was headed to a town with a population of less than 20,000. There is no mall. I tried to explain to him that he was headed to a farming town.

Like I said his English was better than my Mandarin, however we had to communicate with one another by drawing photos. He wanted to know what sort of souvineer he should take home, what sorts of food to try.

Out of the few words I know in Mandarin; I know thank you, horse, Mother, and hello. So I had to try and draw pictures of pigs, so he would try bacon. I looked through magazines for pictures of fruit. I learned he did not care for fruit, or sweets.

all of a sudden I felt like Al Swearingen from Deadwood



I hope he and his associates had a good trip out WEST. I am also doubting if he found the Gucci sunglasses his wife wanted out there.

GIFT FAIL again...

Oye, so today was Fathers day, so I had bought DH what I thought he requested, but sadly bought the wrong thing..ouch.

DH spent the day doing lawn work, and finished putting the enclosure around the trampoline! I managed to test it out tonight. It was quite fun!

Tomorrow the kids start VBS, and I have YOGA bright and early EVERY morning this week!

DH had a great weekend, he said perfect, he got some alone time with the kids. He bought me a new yoga mat, he managed to get chores done. the collective enjoyed their time with him immensely. PN even helped with the enclosure. They went on Safari yesterday as well....

More company!

I know a SURPRISE.

Last night after SSM, and my Boyfriend left, I checked my email...

One of my friends was actually in the state of Nebraska! Usually this means folks are passing through. There are no mountains, or beach here...

WE met for breakfast! I had invited my friend here, but he was PCS-ing and pinched for time...so we agreed on a meeting place. Forgetting all about Father's Day and the havoc it produces on breakfast places! Oye!

However, we managed to have a breakfast and COFFEE, and fuel up for the day.

Thanks for stopping by! What a thrilling weekend FULL of friends!

I love my friends!

SSM, and her Husband stopped by today!

It was a wonderful visit! SSM, is one of the most thoughtful people I know, and of course she came bearing gifts, for entire family! I have fancy new Zuni earrings!

It was nice finally introducing them to my family, as I have spent some time with both of them, at conferences over the past few years.

It was so nice spending time with them, as a really adore them both. SSM continues to be a good resource for PTSD/TBI, and how the VA and benefits work. One never really knows until they have a dog in the fight....

THE BEST part of blogging has to be the friends I have made. The people in my life, I can count on when I need them.

SSM also talked them through some AWESOME new tricks on the trampoline! Time to get up the encolsure!

The Collective were well behaved, I think plain wore out from an entire week of going non stop. PN was especially not her sunshiny self, she was pooped!

*Highlight funny of the night! My daughter was playing with a frog, SSM Husband and I were on the front porch, when the frog jumped right into my glass of wine!

Painting the town barbeque sauce color

I got about 4 inches cut off, to straighten out what has been a series of bad haircuts. You cannot see the hair here, but so far I like. Wager in humidty.

Consuming sesame donuts from a Vietnamese stand. I tasted part of this. I thought I would never say, a WASTE of fried dough. Not sweet enough for my blooming body!

The place was packed!






We walked into the International festival, and were greeted with this...I have no idea what band they were, the music was not bad, but the mask dancing was weird, and made me laugh my ass off. It weirded out PN. I guess masks="international?"





This band was very cool, some sort of Irish Rock, very cool. The Young Dubliners





Our state capitol, it is very beautiful inside and out.

Pink Ninja enjoying another night out on the town

The Collective decided to EAT RIBS as the international food of choice! BWAH!