All in a days work for a Mom:

I finally have a chance to sit down and spend a few minutes updating my blog. It has been a crazy couple of days.

My weekend started off having a sick kid! Mark was running a fever and coughing. It's one of those deals when you would give him Motrin, the fever would go down and when it would wear off, the fever would spike back up. So, Saturday was a pretty long day.

Saturday night I took Elizabeth (my 15 year old) to see the Broadway show "Wicked". What a show! It was awesome. If anyone has a chance to see it, I highly recommend it. It was her first show and she had a great time.

Sunday, Mark was still under the weather but then Elizabeth came down with whatever Mark had. She was running a fever, headache, chills, etc. Gave her some Tylenol and sent her back to her bed. Unfortunately, neither of them was feeling better so they both stayed home from school yesterday. She went back to school today, but Mark still stayed home. He woke up with a fever again and was just laying around. I gave him some Motrin which has now kicked in and he is fine. The doctor's office opens at 10 so I am going to put a call in to them. He should be feeling better by now.

So, I am now two days behind in my "to do" list. I haven't been able to get up to the school and finish my PTSA stuff but that's okay. My kids are sick and need me here at home. As you can see, I still haven't worked on putting pictures in my blog. That's on my "to do" list. Greg (my almost 14 year old) signed up to take Web Design in school. So, maybe he will eventually be able to teach me all the tricks of the internet besides just the basics.

Today I get to spend the day working on my mountain of laundry that has piled up again. I have been pretty good keeping the clutter in tact but I still have some to sort through. I have definately been doing better. I figure baby steps!

Well, that's all I have for now. Mark wants me to play Play Doh so I am off. As much as I don't like cleaning up all the dried up pieces, it sure is fun to play with though! Until next time....................

Wow. I can't believe I have gotton so far behind in my blog. I have been extremely busy since the kids went back to school. So much to tell.

First, I have spent a lot of time at the middle school selling PE uniforms to the 6th graders. That's my PTSA job and with a new semester starting, a lot of kids took PE. Of course, we have run out of uniforms twice so as soon as the order comes in, I will have to go back up. I don't mind doing it but it just stinks that out of 1500 kids in a school, parent volunteers are hard to come by.

I took a tour of the new middle school that was just built. I am really unhappy with Mark's school so I am looking at alternatives for him. I met the principal and she was so kind. I have a good feeling about this school and even though, I will have do drive him, it will be in his best interest. As for the middle school which I have been very involved with, the school board unanimously voted to rezone us from our neighborhood school to another school. It really stinks. Emily will be the only one affected. But, I know the new school will be good. I just feel so bad because I really enjoyed that school.

Since Lisa moved away, I have been pretty bored. I have really been sorting through stuff since I have no one to run around with. But, boy does it feel good to throw stuff out!

Tonight, we have nowhere to go! I love these kind of nights. We are going to order pizza and I am shutting myself in my scrapbook room and working. As soon as Steve walks through the door, I am officially off duty. Until next time................

TGIF!!!!! Even though this was just a 4 day school week, it seemed like it went on forever. Tomorrow is just as busy so I guess I am a bit premature being so happy. It's not like I get to sleep in.

What a busy week! I thought with the kids going back to school, I would actually get something accomplished. WRONG. The Xmas stuff is still up. The house still needs to be cleaned. What happend to my "Just say no" attitude. I spent Wednesday at the Elementary school coping and stapling 1000 11 page newsletters. Now I normally wouldn't have done it but the person who asked me is a friend and she really needed help. Now out of all the 3 schools that my kids attend, it's that one I just cringe when I walk onto the campus. I can literally feel my blood pressure rise. But, it's done. Then yesterday I went over to the middle school and did some PTSA stuff. I don't mind going over there because everyone is so nice. Here's my reason why everyone is different at the middle school. When their kids are in Elementary school, everyone thinks their kids are the best at everything and are the smartest. Moms can't wait to jump right in and do everything. By the time their kids are in middle school, people know their kid(s) aren't the smartest so they (the parent) now keeps quiet and don't get involved. I know it probably doesn't make sense but it does to me. Next year, I will probably get more involved at the High School level since Liz and Greg will be at that school.

Today I am going to lunch up in Dade City. We are goingt to this little cafe type restaurant where the waitresses all wear their crisp white uniforms and shoes. There are no menus and they bring a blackboard with the selections. I am going with my neighbor since it's her day off of work. I really should stay home but she put it together.

I have been really good and cooked dinner every night this week. I even stayed on top of Elizabeth doing the dishes. She actually did good! Next week is Greg's week. I might take tonight off and order a pizza.

Last night I sat and watched "Dancing with the Stars". I love that show. There were a couple of stars that I just cracked up with when I watched them. Poor Master P. My favorites are Drew Lachey and I just love that Lisa Rinna. I think she is so cute. She has great hair!!!

Well, Emily is on one of her rampages so I guess that's my sign to say goodbye. Only 30 more minutes and she is off to school for the next 8 hours. She is nuts. She gets so upset about the dumbest of things. Her temper is getting worse and her mouth and talking back is going to really get her in trouble. I just took the computer away from her all weekend so now I have to go and change her password. I gave her a warning and she just kept on so now she blew it. I am not going to let her get me so riled up this early in the morning though. Until next time............

Happy New Year!!! It's hard to believe that 2006 is here! Where has the time gone? As a kid, time seemed to go by so slowly. Now that I am grown up, it's going way to fast!

I spent my New Year's Eve in my bed watching a movie. I just don't get into the whole New Year's Eve scene. I was very content watching "Murphy's Romance" until I couldn't keep my eyes open anymore. I did make it until midnight though.

I have decided that 2006 is all about me! I am taking "me" back. For so long, I have done everything for everyone else that I have neglected "me". I look at my kids (except Mark because he is only 5) and I realize how lazy they have become. Greg does okay when I ask him to do stuff, but my girls throw fits if I ask them to unload the dishwasher, get their dirty clothes off the floor and into the laundry room. Then I am so busy driving them all over that the laundry piles up into mountains and you literally break your neck coming in from the garage. So, I am going to "break" these kids into shape. Starting today, Elizabeth will do the dishwasher for an entire week. Then next Sunday, Greg and then Emily. I am also going to assign them days to do their laundry! Elizabeth is 15 giong on 16 and is always giving me some kind of excuse as to why she can't help. Unfortunately, this will be a battle I have to go alone. Steve is never home to help enforce these rules. He is always at work. So, what's that saying "If Momma ain't happy then no one is happy". Well, if this Momma is happy, life will be so much simpler on everyone. The kid whine because they don't get an allowance. Well, we have had this discussion before. They don't do anything to earn one! So, maybe this is what I will hold over them. Usually, if they want to go out and do something, I will give them the $. Well, NO MORE. They have to earn it! Also, there is no more separate dinners if they don't like what I cook. No more Top Ramen! Also, the TV will be off more. I love listening to the music on the satellite (especially the 80's station)! But, as soon as I leave the room, it gets turned off. They aren't allowed to have TV's in their rooms so that isn't even an option. I feel like a mean mom but my kids weren't raised this way and I have let them walk all over me the last couple of years. Steve is just as bad. I will have the music on and he will walk in from work and turn the music off too. So, I am taking it back! Wish me luck and I will keep you posted. Okay, enough rambling.

I get to spend my day doing laundry and start putting the Xmas stuff away. BUT, I am not going to fold "their" laundry, just put it in their baskets and let them fold it and put it away! As for dinner, I don't know what we are having. We have some ribs in the freezer I might make. There's this great restaurant in Cincinnati and they have the best ribs. Every year for Christmas, Steve's mom and dad send us some. Yum.
Montgomery Inn - Home of the World's Greatest Ribs

Guess I better get my day started. I am waiting for Steve to get out of bed so I can use my bed to sort the laundry. Must be nice to sleep in. I have yet to have a day to sleep in and he get up to make the coffee. I even mentioned it to him how nice it would be but I guess it went in one ear and out the other. Oh well.

Well, here's to another year. Hopefully 2006 will be a better year for me personally. Until next time......................