Really?!

There in moments in life when we see something take place, and our only reaction is to scratch our head and wonder what truly that one was thinking. 

We seldom ever enter the world of McDonald’s anymore.  I have to say that I truly don’t miss the place, but after swim practice, the girls begged and begged.  Dollar menu it was.  We met Dan at a local McD’s, and we planned to have an enjoyable meal.

We had begun eating our lunch when we watched a guy come to the counter with his empty fry box.  It was odd to me that his fry box was empty.  I know that there are free refills, but I thought that was limited to only drinks.  He spoke to an attendant, and she took the box.  I was quite intrigued.  Was she really going to give him more fries?  Then, the manager approached.  She asked the man again what was wrong with the fries.  He complained that the fries tasted funny and seemed to be burnt.  The manager smirked and told the man that she would like to help him, but since his fry box was empty, she couldn’t find anything wrong with the fries.  He huffed and started to complain but decided to just drop it.  I watched him walk back to his seat with his family of small children and wife (I assume).  The wife asked him, “How’d that go?”  He shrugged, and he began to eat the fries he had dumped out in an attempt to get more.  Based on the way he was shoving them in, I would see no reason to complain.

Really, to go to that extreme for free fries!  I mean we are talking fast food, drenched in grease, not really a potato fry!  That deserves a Monday Football, “C’MON MAN.”

I forgot…How horrible is that!

My kids absolutely love homeschool activities.  We have a great homeschool group that does skating, bowling, and swimming every month.  It has been a ton of fun.

My kids are always at the pool. My three are a part of a swimming team, and they practice two days a week. They are always begging to go to the pool to just swim for fun. I get tickled when they beg because I know that shortly after they enter the pool they will begin to challenge each other to races in the swimming lanes. I love it that they love it! They beg to go back for more!

Yesterday was our first homeschool swim.    So needless to say that when I announced we would be homeschool swimming, mass celebration erupted by all three. 

I left the dining room table feeling that wonderful feeling of awesomeness as a homeschool mom.  As I sat on the couch to talk to my husband, Sarah arrived at my side complete distraught and in mass tears.  I looked at her and asked her, “What is wrong?  What happened?”  In the most broken words, she said, “I can’t swim.” Without thinking I asked, “Why not?” All she did was hold up that little broken hand!!! Oh man, I felt so very horrible.  In that moment of excitement, we had all forgotten. 

Poor Sarah is such a trooper!  She got DSi privileges from her big sissy’s, and that seemed to alleviate all of the traumatic effect I had caused!  Daddy even let her put her feet in the water.  She asked me numerous times, and I was the bad guy who said no.  I just had this vision of her falling in with cast dripping.. UGH!  I had the perfect plan.  I would just have her text Daddy and let him agree with Mommy, right?  It would have worked if Daddy wouldn’t have said yes!  Oh what fun!  She did well, and after a little dip with the feet, she was perfectly content the rest of the afternoon.  December 6th cannot get here fast enough.

Skateland USA

My kids and I love homeschool event days.  This week we chose to go roller skating.  The kids love to skate, and due to the cost, we definitely do not go often.  This was a great deal.  For five bucks we all got to skate, eat as many hot dogs or pizza slices we wanted, and drink as much soda as we wanted for three hours! Wow!

As I took to the floor, I was quickly reminded why I do not skate often, and it is for this reason that no cell phone or camera pictures were allowed.  I was thankful that Dan could not join us for this trip as it took me a while to get my skating legs.

It was so much fun.  The kids are all great and daring skaters, but me... I like to cling to the wall a little bit more.  I did eventually get the hang of it, and I was able to be in the throes of everyone and feel confident.

My girls were quick to see that I had ventured from the wall and came right over to express their pride at my feat.  I was feeling good.  In the whole time, we were there I had not fallen.  We only had twenty minutes left of skating.  Sarah and I were zooming around the rink, and it happened.  I managed to hit a small piece of plastic that some one had dropped.  It stopped my front skate dead! I struggled to get my center of balance, and then plop, right on my bottom I went.  I must say I was very careful to not place any hands out to break my fall.  We already have one broken bone in the family at the moment.  The nice staffer who patrols the kids skating came to my aid.  I was even glad when he believed me that I had run over something.  My kids had all rushed to my aid.  "Mom, are you ok?" "Mom, you scared me!" "Mom, is anything broken?"  I assured them I was fine, and the nice gentlement helped me up.  Off we went skating again.  My kids barrage of questions simply reminded me that I was thirty -five and no longer able to bounce as well as I once used to!  UGH! 

I was so pleased when the staff man who assisted me found me to let me know he too had rolled over the plastic, and it had removed.  It was so very apologetic.  I felt like asking, "Do I look that old?"

I was truly thankful that all that working out paid off, and I am not even the least bit sore today.  I just have a little wounded pride, but there were only a handful of us parents out there.  Celebrate the little victories.

Homeschool skating was a success, and we are all looking forward to next month!

Oh the Joy!

Here we go again. This morning Sarah Joy and I made a visit to the ER. She had a major bike wreck Friday night. It was one of those crashes one witnesses and then is afraid to go see the damage. I was scared to look. I am not squeamish when it comes to many things, but when it is one of my own, I tend to get sick.

As I assisted Sarah to her feet, I noticed the way she manuevered her left hand. We were all getting ready to meet Dan at church. I think my words were, "Get in the car. We are going to ER." Well, after having Dan check her out, she seemed ok. We let it go and thought to watch her. When she didn't use it much yesterday and she couldn't do simple things like pick up a brush, it was time.

So here is my bundle of joy, she is not enjoying the life of a broken bone. Thankfully we got in and out of the ER without incident. The doctor was so nice. Since he only used the word fracture as he splinted her, Sarah had no clue. After we were discharged, Sarah says to me on way to car, "See it wasn't a broken arm just a splinted one!"

We go tomorrow to see the orthopedist. The nurse made her day when she told her that she could get a cast in any color. We shall see. She is such a cutie pie.

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Our Not So New Family Member

For the past few years, Abby has begged, pleaded, cried, and begged some more for a cat.  Shockingly to me, my dear hubby didn’t seem to mind having a cat in the house.  It was four on one.  For many many months I was able to hold out.  The kids did research and asked questions of so many others who had cats to help change my mind, but I WAS NOT budging…. UNTIL..Abby’s dear friend got a cat.
Oh the drama!  Here was my daughter all broken up over her friend’s ability to have a cat.  It was earth shattering news, and Abby was really struggling.  She had been praying for a cat for forever.  It was all she talked about, and now one of her closest friends had one. 
Hence this spawned much conversation between me and the hubby.  You see I just hated cats.  I have never gotten along with a cat period!  So my hubby came up with an idea, let’s visit the local humane society and just look at cats.  No problem for the non cat lover!!!
We prepared the girls that we were going to visit the pound, ask questions, and look at the different types of kittens available.  You know, the explore all our options and see if one would work for mean old mommy who was holding the family back.  The girls were so excited.  I think we held all the kittens in the place, and we even got the right idea of the one for our family…I mean if somehow one should melt my cold heart and I relent.
It was pretty much decided after we left that day that we were going to get a cat.  We even told the kids.  Camp was the following week, and so we promised them that upon their return from camp we would kitten hunt.  They were so excited, and now, I became the hero!
Dan and I decided we better go survey the options before they came home from camp.  Somehow we even decided that if we found one we liked we should go ahead and get her.  You know, that way she could be adjusted to life in our home before the kids bombarded her with hugs and kisses and loads of attention!  As we looked through all the kittens, I began to grow discouraged.  I just couldn’t find one I really wanted us to have.  Then, we got to see the kittens that had just had their spaying surgeries.  There she was.  So cute..so lovable..so cuddly.
We brought her home, and we only got the necessary items.  We decided to surprise the girls.  We would tell them we needed to unload the car and do a few things at home before we went kitten shopping.  I will never forget the look on the kids face when we got home, and they began to realize there was a litter pan and bag of litter.  We told them that we were just getting ready to pick out our kitten. Then, out from behind the chair came the cat.  Rebekah and Sarah raced for her, and Abby, well my dear drama queen, just stood there in shock!
We just love our little Sophie!  She isn’t quite so little anymore!

My Favorite Gym Moments!

I proudly bear the title of “Gym Rat.” I love going to the gym.  I love the feeling of accomplishment I get, and I so love having negative calories when I am done.  I am so excited to have finally passed over the thirty pound hurdle.  Woo hoo!  I still have a long way to go, but it is so much fun to focus on small success. 

One of my favorite things has been meeting new people.  Gym rats are usually people of routine.  We all are consistently there together, and it is a neat accountability system too.  One of my favorite people is Bob.  He is a former Methodist pastor of 40 years, and he is currently filling in for a small church as interim.  He is really neat, and it is great to have someone to share spiritual blessings with as well. 

Throughout the months at the gym, I have seen and heard some interesting things.  It has been comical to watch different people as they work out.  So here are just a few of some of my favorite moments at the gym.

One of my favorites by far was with the hip adduction/abduction machine.  We have a real funny guy that is older, and he is always cutting up with people.  A lady was trying out the machine for the first time.  I was on a nearby machine, and Ralph was on the machine beside her.  She was asking me how the machine was supposed to work.  Before I could answer Ralph chimed in and asked if she wanted the automatic setting or manual.  She looked puzzled.  Ralph told her to stand up a sec and he would show her.  I was rolling!!!!  She was actually thinking there was an automatic setting.  Ralph sat down and tapped the yellow weight insignia, and acted as though the machine was working for him.  Then he tapped the button again, and he acted as though the weights were some how heavier.  The lady looked at me, and she said, “Wow!”  I couldn’t let her believe him, and thankfully, Ralph quickly added that he was just having some fun.  We all had a great chuckle!

 

My next favorite moment comes from this same machine.  I was working on the machine beside the hip abduction/adduction machine, and a teen girl that works out regularly sat down to work out.  I was the only other person working out at that time.  As she went to adjust the machine to her desired weight, she looked at the setting and then at me, with eyes wide she asked, “Is this YOU?”.  I happily replied that yes it was.  She then responded with Wow!  Ha Ha.  I loved it.  It totally made my day!

My last favorite moment is a conglomeration of the many of the same comments I have gotten.  I work out with many of the same people on a daily basis.  Over  and over again, people have come up to me and said, “What kind of diet are you on?  You are really losing some weight.”  I have to scratch my head cause I am not really on a diet, but rather I am burning the calories that I consume.  So when I tell them I am counting my calories, many ask, “So, is the gym thing helping?” LOL!  No not at all it is just why I am here everyday!  When I respond with a yes, the next question is always how long do you work out.  Then it gets interesting when I respond with an hour and a half each weekday.  It is always varied, but usually along the lines of, “I could never do that much or boy, your dedicated or more power to you.”  Too funny!  I cannot imagine going to the gym everyday and not seeing results.