There's a Storm Front Coming....

Another sing along. Billy Joel this time. I wish my keyboard had a musical notes key.

Big time thunder storms last night. We had the usual crew in our room. Me, Marshall and the Dog! He is such a big wimp! I swear he would crawl into bed with us if I let him. Normally he's not even allowed our room.

Hockey Mom II

My campaign for Hockey Mom of the Year has really gone off track!
Getting Trent in his gear is a production. Shin Guards, Tape, Socks, Tape, Breezers (shorts), Shoulder Pads, Elbow Pads, Jersey, Mouth Guard, Helmet, Gloves, Stick. Check, check....check. Wow! that wasn't so bad this time.
I told him I had to run to the store and would be back before practice was over to watch him. I watched him walk to the ice, fall and then come running back out.
I was glad I had waited for him to go out, and then I realized why he was coming back.
I forgot to put his skates on! Brilliant Jen!

After practice his job is to take the tape off.
My Son the philanthropist. He saves it to make tape balls for "the children who don't have any toys." He asked me how many poor people there were in the world and when I told him there were millions he said, "I'll have to own a store AND play hockey so I can keep making these for them."

(Sing it!) Holiday...Celebrate....

A little Madonna for you.

What a fantastic holiday weekend. The weather was perfect. We typically have yucky, rainy Memorial Day's. The rain came over night, so it watered my plants and gave us a great day.


We kicked it off Friday by taking the kids to Trent's "Special Place". The name goes back a couple of years. Trent calls it that. Mini golfing!

I took 34 pictures in rapid succession to bring you this one! Urg!

We spent all day Saturday and Sunday working in the yard. Spreading a yard of topsoil onto the back area, mulching the front landscaping and bordering them in with bricks. Marshall did such a great job on that one. Somehow I managed to not lift a pound! He figured he moved about 3500lb of bricks.

Today was spent enjoying breakfast at Marshall's parents. Then getting our first taste of summer at the lake. The kids spent all day on or in the water. It's still a bit cold, but that didn't stop them.

Tomorrow I play tennis with the ladies group. I'm just sub-ing, but that's how it started at the end of last summer and I got in 6 straight weeks!

4 more days of school and then the time is ours!

Buckthorn Battle

Down with the buckthorn! I have been battling these tree/weeds for 2 years now! I cut off the branches. I chain-sawed them down to stumps. I dug up the roots. I scored the trunks. They just kept growing! My neighbor said poision them, but I didn't like the thought of chemicals around the kids.

Marshall finally rented the stumpgrinder and my back area is free! It was a project he was dreading and it did suck, as he reminded me of every 5 minutes, but it is finally done! Callie looks like she is such a helper doesn't she!

We still have a long way to go, but I have visions of grandeur.
Next steps: Sod, Hostas around the trees, water feature and lots of perennials.

Mr. Safety with all his P.P.E. (Personal Protective Equipment)

Brake Awake

When I was little I contantly fell asleep in the car. To this day I enjoy a good car nap (of course not when I'm driving!)
Trent usually falls asleep on the way home from school. For some reason I was reminded of how my Dad used to wake us up. He would pull into the driveway and pump the brakes about 5 times, lurching the car forward!
I was tempted to try it out on Trent but I'll leave that special fun for Grampy.

Sing-a-long

We took Callie to get her hair cut today, which she loves to do. The ladies there can never stop talking about how white her hair is. It's actually getting a little annoying, everywhere we go it's the same thing. I guess they can't help themselves!
Then we took Great Grandma out for lunch. She was in a nursing home 30 minutes away and was recently moved to one 10 minutes from my Mom's. It makes it a lot easier for my Mom to visit her or just take her out. She goes everyother day, but my grandma doesn't remember that and feels like its been ages! She loves visitors. 94 years old and still so with it! As the saying goes, her memory is great! It's just short!
Of course in the car Callie had to listen to "her songs". She knows them all before they even start and sings at the top of her lungs. Lately she asks us to join in. "Sing with me now." Picture 4 generations of women belting out, "Old McDonald." There are certain moments with my Grandma I will never forget. That is one of them.

Happy Mother's Day Super Mitz

Growing up, my friends called my Mom Super Mitz.
She truely is a Super Mom.
I can never thank her enough for all she does for me. I couldn't even begin to name it, from meals, to cleaning, to organizing, to painting, to babysitting and car emergencies. She always calls at just the right moment.
She loves us and we know it. The kids can't get enough!
I know I can never repay her, the only thing I can do is pass it on and be as good of a Mom for my kids.

Thanks Mom. I Love You. Happy Mother's Day.

Toasted Marshmallows

I have successfully passed on the B.T.S. Marshmallow legacy. Trent makes a mean toasted marshmallow. A mother couldn't be prouder!

First Comes Love - Part 3

I was talking with the ladies after school and decided to bring up the boy/girl sleepover thing. I told the story about Trent asking and how the conversation went. It turns out Trent has some competition. One of the other boys in his class has been asking the same thing.
The girl's Mom said she was fine with sleepovers, her older brother had a co-ed sleepover when he was Trent's age, but now (9yrs old) says he wants nothing to do with girls. So I guess I don't have to worry about drawing the line at some point. It sounds like the "girl germs" effect kicks in and takes care of that for me!
This whole episode has me feeling a little uneasy! I am sad to see I am losing ground in my son's heart. Two days ago he told me he learned how to crochet in school and was making me a necklace. Yesterday he told me he gave it to the girl!

First Comes Love - Part 2

Here is today's after school converstion:

"Mom, can I have a play date with (Girl he likes)?"
"Yeah, I guess so." I'm thinking she wouldn't even want to and hoping he would just forget about it.
"Can she sleep over?"
"No. You can't have sleep overs with girls."
"Why not?"
Why not? Good question.
"It's just a rule of life."
"Why?"
No good reason at this point in your life. What can I say? Sure she can sleep over, her Mom would never allow it. Sure she can sleep over, now.... What about 10 years from now? A teenager! Yikes! How in the heck do I answer these questions then!
"You just can't until you are much older."

No News....

We were supposed to have a family camp out at school. The weather wasn't looking so good, so they re-scheduled it which was a relief because we had a couple other things going on too. Is 4 things in one day too much? It turns out the evening was beautiful, but the morning was a down pour.
In our house we have 2 TV's. The only TV that has cable (BASIC cable) is in our room, so needless to say we don't watch much. The kids crave it at the grandparents. I could watch it, but choose not to. I might be interested in some shows if I had TIVO or even a VCR to watch shows later when I had actually had the time. I don't even watch the news, which presents a problem when it comes to the ever changing WI weather. My Mom always razzes me because the kids are never dressed right! I think a LaCrosse weather station is in my future.
It seems the weather man was wrong again. Who needs the news!