FRIDAY FIVE

Friday Five is a bit early as we are leaving for MI for the holiday weekend. Buh-bye.

FIVE BEST SONGS TO SING REALLY LOUD IN THE CAR OR SHOWER
1. You Light Up My Life~Debby Boone
2. Leave the Pieces~The Wreckers
3. I Wanna Know What Love Is~Foreigner
4. Love Stinks~J Geils Band
5. Like a Virgin~Madonna

FIVE THINGS I WILL NOT MISS ABOUT SUMMER
1. Mom, I'm bored.
2. Mom, she hit me!
3. Heat.
4. Rain.
5. Shaving my legs every stinkin' day.

FIVE BEST MINDLESS DAYTIME TV SHOWS TO WATCH WHILE KIDS ARE IN SCHOOL
1. Days Of Our Lives
2. Baby Story
3. I Love the 80's on VH1
4. Shalom in the Home
5. All In The Family Re-runs

It's WWWWWAAAAYYYY Better Than Christmas

What's the happiest day of the year? Not Christmas, my friend. It is the first day of school. Oh the joy. Caroline started 4th grade and Amelia started FULL DAY Pre K~the absolute greatest invention ever. They were both so excited. We had the Open House the night before and what a scene that was. Lots of tears. First from Amelia because she did not want to go home. She had just entered something as amazing as Disneyland and there was no freakin' way she was going to go home for something as mundane as bedtime. Then Greta started in. SCREAMING. In front of all the nice blond people.

"I WANT TO GO TO SCHOOL!! I 4!!!"

Mrs S had nicely told her that she needed to be 4 for PreK. You can see how well that worked. We had to carry her out kicking and screaming. And then Wyatt started howling for a bottle.

The first day went off great. Caroline disappeared as soon as we got out of the van. Too. Cool. For. Mom. I walked Amelia to her class line and said goodbye. I even put lipstick on to place a kiss in her hand just like in this book which we knew they were going to read first thing. What does my daughter do? She says, "GROSS MOM!" and wipes it off. So much for cheesy mommy moment.

I picked them up promptly at 11:30, though why we couldn't have a full day is beyond me. Caroline talked a mile a mile on the way home. By the time we reached home I knew what everyone was wearing, who played with who at recess, and that 4th grade was awesome. And that Mrs W is the "BEST teacher ever! Well, almost. Not as good as Mrs D." (Mrs D was the most rad kindergarten teacher who is now one my close friends.) What did Amelia learn? She was pretty quiet. School was "Good." A few hours later Wyatt was screaming. So Amelia says, "I'll teach you what I learned at school, Wyatt." She proceeded to sing about 30 verses of "The Wheels On the Bus" Ok then. She broke out with a new one.

"The Daddy on the bus says, 'Read your Bible, read your Bible, read your Bible.' The Daddy on the bus says 'Read your Bible', all through the town."

Why do we choose Christian schools? That's why. So my kid can learn new verses to childhood classics. Maybe it came from the Protestant Reformers in our midst? I guess I am getting my $2500 worth for pre-K!

Just Call Me Betty Crocker

Well, not really cuz I don't bake. Maybe Rachael Ray. Or Tyler Florence. Or Guy Fieri. I love them all. Anyhoo, I wanted a better way to organize all my recipies online so I can always find 'em. So I started a new blog. Check it out and feel free to add your own faves.

HA!

If you have EVER taken your children grocery shopping, read this. And laugh so hard you'll shoot beer out your nose.

Playdates for newborns are SO first-time mom

Here is Wyatt's first official playdate. Doesn't he look like he's having fun?! On the left we have Camden, born 7-19, almost 2 full weeks after Wyatt. And who's bigger?! (I did try to get a pic of them full length but the lighting wasn't great.)

Camden is the 4th son of my good friend, Candi. We met at MOPS over 5 years ago, lost touch for awhile and then ran into each other at the ABC Preschool Open House last year when I was talking to the teacher and heard this voice yell, "SHUT UP!" I turned around and we started hugging and jumping up and down like we were 13. We like to have babies together. Camden and Wyatt are 2 weeks apart and her #3 Sam and my #2 Amelia are 4 weeks apart. Funny story. . .

We were at the MOPS convention in St Louis in the fall of 2002. I had just Caroline who was 4 and we were trying really really hard to have another baby. Candi had 2 boys~Jacob was 3 and Tyler was 1~and was NOT trying really really hard to have another baby. She commented one morning that she did feel quite right. I then informed her she was probably pregnant and dragged her to a Walgreens in the ickiest mall in all of Missouri to buy a test. Did I let her go back to the hotel to take the test? Oh no. She went the the bathroom of the ickiest mall in all of Missouri and peed on the stick with me cheering her on from the other side of the bathroom stall. And Yippee! I was more excited than I think she was when it turned blue. Or pink. But nothing in Candi's world is pink so it was probably blue. Bless her heart (throwing in a bit of Southern Baptist here) she felt so bad that she was preggers I was not. Fast forward about 5 weeks. My turn to pee on a stick and turn it pink. Thus Sam and Amelia have entered our lives and caused a ruckus every since!

Candi is one of the coolest people I know. She loves God and her family and still makes inappropriate jokes that make me shoot beer out my nose. Love her to pieces! And now we're pretty excited to have 2 little boys who will be BFFs forever. Do boys have BFFs or is that a girl thing?!?

We'll Always Have 2005

Wyatt still hasn't given up on his Sox. The rest of us are just re-living the Glory Days of 2005. We are now officially in last place. We are even worse than Kansas City. Oh how the mighty have fallen. Please bring back Aaron Rowand.

FRIDAY FIVE

FIVE THINGS I MISS ABOUT COLLEGE
1. Functioning well on 4 hours of sleep.
2. Yelling "Leonard Berstein" in the middle of REM's "End of the World" at parties and dances.
3. Club AWOL.
4. Having very little actual responsibility.
5. Living on salad bar and ice cream at Knollcrest.

FIVE BEST MAKE OUT SONGS
1. In Your Eyes~Peter Garbriel
2. Every Rose Has It's Thorn~Poison
3. Patience~GnR
4. Take My Breath Away~Berlin
5. Bed of Roses~Bon Jovi

FIVE BEST GIRL NAMES I NEVER USED
1. Georgia
2. Charlotte
3. Grace
4. Scarlett
5. Abigail

Works for Me Wednesday

Shannon over at Rocks In My Dryer hosts "Works for Me Wednesday" every Wednesday (duh!) Leave it to a new mom to state the obvious. I have decided to join in the fun of these things to add to my blogging material. So here's mine for today! (Not anything new for those of you who know me well! :-)

Shannon talked about buying girl's clothing on Ebay. I have learned to finance my fierce kids' clothing habit by selling. I sell 3 times per year~spring/summer, back to school, and holiday/winter. I have gotten up to approximately $6000 per year. Enough to buy new stuff for the kiddos AND pay for Christian school tuition. I do actively seek out gently used stuff, my kids wear it for a season, and I re-sell. Often for more $$ than I originally paid for it. The downside? I am the crazy woman at church yelling "DON'T give her a cookie! DO you KNOW the resale value of that dress?!?!"

I Know Just How To Whisper. . .

I was at the mall yesterday with Christine and something like 4000 children. We got to have lunch at a restaurant with staff that brought me things. Oh the joy. I LIVE to eat at restaurants where the menu is not posted on the wall. Of course My Little Owner of Outdoor Plumbing decided he needed a new diaper change ASAP. So off we went. While I was changing away, I started singing along with this song on the radio. Loudly. To my little man. Then someone walked in on our little lovefest. She looked at me with that look that said "Please, woman, get your tubes tied because you have lost it." Wyatt and I finished up and made a speed exit. Later as we were finishing up our lovely lunch about 20 minutes later than the 4000 kids we had with us, we received that same look.

Tim's Guy Factoid o' the Day~That song is one of two that a guy can rely on to get to at least third base. What is the other?

Let's All Go Back To School!

In my zeal for the girls to go back to school, I am reminiscing. Ah, high school in the 80's. Wasn't it grand? Feel free to cut and paste to your own blog to play along!

1. Who was your best friend?
Jenny, Christy, and Crissie~JJCC anyone? Also, Nancy

2. Did you play any sports?
Cheerleading! And yes, it's a sport.

3. What kind of car did you drive?
Usually my mom's Mercury Sable which was the color of dirt. Sometimes I got lucky and got to drive my dad's really cool metallic blue Cougar.

4. It’s Friday night. Where were you?
At a football or basketball game and then Bakers Square. Or FFN at Nancy's. Or a party at John Lobbezoo's. Or smooching boys from Michigan.

5. Were you a party animal?
Not really~~but I really wanted to be one!

6. Were you considered a flirt?
Sure. Yep.

7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir?
That's just too funny to even answer.

8. Were you a nerd?
I was so cool. Or not. I dated a nerd though! (ducking while Doug throws things at me)

9. Were you ever suspended or expelled?
Nope. Did get detention for walking out of Kwas's class over "women's rights"

10. Can you sing the fight song?
"Stand up and cheer for Christian High, Send the banner waving high!" I can also do the dance routine.

11. Who was your favorite teacher?
Mr Decker cuz I would sit in his office for hours. Kwas for US history~he taught like a coach~"You know why the South lost the Civil War? They didn't give 110%!"

12. What was your school mascot?
the Knights

13. Did you go to the Prom?
Yep.

14. If you could go back, would you?
Only if I could have a re-do. And pick and choose what to go back to.

15. What do you remember most about graduation?
We did the Wave, sang "Happy Trails", and I was barefoot and bra-less since I was so totally sunburned.

16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day?
West Beach~where I got the aforementioned sunburn.

17. Did you have a job your senior year?
Yep, County Seat selling acid washed Guess jeans and Quicksilver T shirts.

18. Where did you go most often for lunch?
the yummy cafeteria

19. Have you gained weight since then?
Not at all. And if you believe that let me sell you some real estate.

20. What did you do after graduation?
Party-hopped

21. What year did you graduate?
1990

22. Who was your Senior Prom Date?
Very hot Mullet Boy~Mark

23. Are you going/did you go to your 10 year reunion?
Yep. I was on the committee. I really didn't want to go but I'm glad I did. It was actually really fun!

Ok, someone needs to cut and paste so I'm not the only dork re-living the glory days. My sis always says she peaked in HS so maybe she'll tell us all about it!

Thunderstorms and Computers Do Not Mix

Remember that thunderstorm we all had last Sunday night? I was online checking the radar~cuz that's what we do in our Tommy Skilling loving household~and heard a loud buzz. And then no computer or phone. Our lines were struck by lightening. Yippee. So we had to go out and buy a new computer and new phones. Spent most of the day Monday with a creepy Comcast guy who appeared as if he stopped by my house after being released from prison. So now we have a groovy new Gateway computer. Its cool! Only bad thing is even though it would be covered under our homeowners policy, our insurance guy said not to bother with the claim. It is only slightly over our deductible and the insurance company will almost certainly raise our rates if we have a claim so it will cost more in the long run. Ick.

On a funner note, here's a few snapshots of our world this week.

Wyatt has taken up barfing for distance. We hope he'll be ready for the 2016 Games in Chicago.

Greta made it exactly 2 hours dry in big-girl undies. And then said she liked diapers better. OK, then.

Amelia needs to go to school. NOW.

Caroline's quote of the day "Mom, when can I get on my hands and knees and clean the kitchen floor?" I am not making that up.

Friday Five Is Back!

FIVE THINGS TO KEEP YOU AWAKE
1. Diet Coke
2. Red Bull and Vodka (thanks Jefferson for introducing me to that new drug!)
3. Nick at Nite
4. Yelling at toddlers who throw things
5. Talking on the phone to anyone who will listen

FIVE BEST MEALS TO BRING TO SOMEONE WHO NEEDS A MEAL
1. Lasanga~re-heats most excellently
2. Chicken and stuffing~nice and bland for new mommies
3. Italian beef~can be made is small portions when one can eat at 3am
4. Bucket 'o KFC~just cuz I love it
5. Brownies or bars of any sort~great to eat with one hand

FIVE BEST WAYS TO START THE SENTENCE "I JUST HAD A BABY"
1. I can't possibly pay my bills on time, I just had a baby!
2. I can't wear make-up, I just had a baby!
3. Yes, I'd love an extra helping of french fries, I just had a baby!
4. Please carry my groceries, I just had a baby!
5. Sorry, I can't possible make it to that boring meeting, I just had a baby!