crow for dinner

he fixed it! just to prove that he is semi-handy after all.

the ladies at gymnastics helped - you know who you are.

apparently there is a reset button on the bottom of the disposal. and a little tool that you can use to unclog the blades. of course we kept that little thing, because we keep everything. i'm serious, we have all of our manuals in a binder. the little tool was in the binder pocket.

so he did just what the gym moms said, and everything is right with the world.

crow for dinner.

engineer?

my hubby is an engineer. when i met him i thought, "hey an engineer, he can fix stuff, like my dad." wrong. he is an electrical engineer, which he once told me means he's not an electrician... (?)

this morning i heard the garbage disposal clank. i heard the switch flip a few times. silence. after a while i investigate.

the conversation went JUST like this... kidding.

"what happened, darling?"
"i thought i heard some money drop in the sink, so i turned on the disposal."
"why, sweetie?"
"so i wouldn't have to stick my hand in there."
"what, dear?"
"i didn't want to get my hands all mucky if there wasn't any money in there."
"so you heard the money fall in, but turned on the disposal anyway, love of my life?"
"yes."

wtf?

after he sticks his hand in the sink a few times, he decides to leave for work. on the way out he comes up with a solution. "you should stick your hand in there, it is smaller..."

no luck, but i will keep you posted on this one, folks.

going for the gold

she did it. m did a kip. the last "trick" needed to move up to the next level at gymnastics...

why aren't i using exclamation points? why am i not more enthusiastic? why didn't i jump around screaming like the other moms when their girls made their first kips?

while i am VERY excited, and even more excited for m, moving to the next level means...

more $$$!!! and not just a little more - almost double what we are paying now! it is already difficult to write that check, i can't even imagine more! (there are your exclamation points, people!) of course she has yet to be officially "invited" to move up, the "buzz" around the gym is that she is probably getting an invitation.

initially, we thought, great, she can DO this. she can get a scholarship and flip her way through harvard or where ever her heart desires. then - we starting adding it up. if we saved the monthly fee, invested it, she could pay for harvard. (in cash, probably!)

so - what's a parent to do? get a job?

anyone want to hire me? i want to work part-time, with lots of vacation, from home, i want time off if someone is sick, or has a party at school, or if i just feel like sleeping in... i want lots of money, lots of bonuses, and lots of free stuff. let me know if you are interested...

sometimes

although his birthday isn't technically until july, g had his birthday snack today at school. we called it his "almost" birthday. of course he was smart enough to inquire about the "almost" birthday presents...

the kid is definitely ready for kindergarten.

if you know me well, you probably know i'm not so much of what you could call a culinary expert. i am learning, though, and starting to enjoy being in the kitchen. having lots of gadgets helps.

last night i made these dirt cups for g's party. they were so simple and they turned out great. g's teacher said they were a big hit. one of g's friends said "this is the best snack i have ever had!"

paired with the yoda napkins - i think i did pretty good.

sometimes this mom stuff is a breeze...

bet you can't guess where we went saturday

one of my old college friends came in from florida to her hometown of clarksburg, wv. the great thing about being old friends is that she probably won't mind too much that i just called her old...

so we packed up the family and drove 2 hours to the scottish festival in bridgeport, wv. mostly to see my friend and her family. but when we got there we were amazed at the size of the festival. the world highland games were held there this year. all of the athletes were flinging giant cannonball things - and tossing giant poles - etc. they even had trading cards of the different professional contestants. highland dancers, bagpipe bands, celtic music, and tons of great food.

the kids got to try their hands at tossing heavy objects, what kid wouldn't love that? they all got little passports to be stamped by the different clans represented at the festival and were rewarded with a little lochness monster. there was a puppet show (put together by my friend's sister) and a booth with wooden swords and shields that g loved. crafts for m, including a crown and a kilt-wearing puppet!

http://www.scots-westvirginia.org/scottish_heritage_society-ScottishCelticFestival.htm

we all had a really great time! sometimes it is surprising how much fun it is to try something new.

turn, turn, turn

our beloved zima passed away yesterday.

my neighbor offered to watch the kids while i took her to the vet. the doctor was so nice, i felt really grateful that he knew just what to say. then i brought her home to let molson say goodbye.

we had decided to just tell the kids that she went to heaven. and leave it at that. however, she looked so peaceful and fluffy and beautiful, we changed our minds and let them have one last goodbye. we wrapped her in my favorite sabres t-shirt (the one with the holes from being washed so many times) and mm dug a hole in our flower bed. we said our goodbyes and the kids put many dandelions on the spot. they cried a lot more than i thought they would, which was not fun.

i did remarkably well for someone who doesn't like to make grown-up decisions or deal with grown-up issues. don't get me wrong, i cried my eyes out, but by the time i picked up the kids i was better.

ssh - don't tell - i think i caught mm a little misty-eyed himself.

zima was with us for almost 13 years, a first anniversary present, and while lately i've been excited to get some "new things" - towels, sheets, dishes, etc. she was one "thing" i really didn't want to ever have to let go. it's strange, i would describe myself as someone who welcomes change, but now i am not so sure...

on a lighter note, my resilient kids are already asking for a kitten...

memories

it's been a week since my mom left here after a 5 day visit. i have to say i got pretty spoiled. staying in bed a little longer in the mornings, having someone to run errands with, it was nice.

while she was here she offered to order a beach tote for my birthday. i immediately went to llbean.com and ordered the largest one with a zip top - hey, she offered!

beware! the extra large tote is indeed EXTRA large. seriously, i can fit in it. or all three kids... it will be great as a towel tote and also to freak my in-laws out when we come to visit for the weekend. i think i could fit a month's worth of clothes in it!

some other highlights of the trip, call it a top ten list if you will...

10. red lobster take-out, coconut shrimp!
9. going to the zoo with no lunch packed, $20 later, we all have corndogs.
8. k yelling, "welcome to moe's!" a lot.
7. usually known as grandmother, k decides she likes "binda" better.
6. finally getting out for a date, walking around sam's club by ourselves!
5. watching m at gymnastics.
4. grandmother punching out g in wii boxing. classic.
3. getting to send yet more "rummage" home to wv.
2. relaxing and watching lots of hgtv.
1. watching the magic wear off after a couple of days, and how she loves them anyway...

we are already packing for camp grandmother and papa as soon as school is out.