How my mind works

I like dessert.

I just do.

I grew up in a house where a Dutch apple pie on a random Wednesday was common place.  My mother loves to bake and we like to eat what she bakes, so while I was growing up we pretty much always had a "treat" after dinner. (although how that makes it a "treat", I'm not sure...)

And apparently that part of her DNA is strong in me.  I am the Luke Skywalker to her Darth Vader except we like each other and I know she is my mother and we use cupcakes as weapons instead of light sabers. In a loving way.

But anyway...

So, the other night I was like, "Elaine, you should totally bake some cookies but not the same chocolate chip ones you always make.  Peanut butter ones sound good but you could still add chocolate chips because you love chocolate.  Ooh Ooh!!  I think you have milk chocolate chips in the pantry, those would be great in them!  Okay, go check Pinterest and see if you can find a good recipe.... Oh yeah, those look good, and easy and you have all the ingredients except for PB chips but you don't need those, just more chocolate.  Okay, go get the butter out of the fridge so it can soften..."

And yes, I DO talk to myself in first person.  Don't you?

So yeah, I made the cookies and they were delish and the kids had one or two right before bed (I'm such an awesome Mom) and I may have eaten a few myself, yada, yada, yada.

Of course all the while the little "you're not running right now or doing too much exercise at all and you really shouldn't be making cookies" angel was on my other shoulder all pissed off that I was baking AGAIN.

But food is just so damn good and well, sh!t.  I gotta eat.

p.s. here's the recipe I used in case the little devil on your other shoulder wins out too.

The Ladybug Dress

I found this dress at Goodwill on one of my trips to Austin last year at the same time that I bought this one.

My parents have an AWESOME Goodwill near their house.

I just thought it was so cute with the rick-rack and the ladybugs and little daisies. Plus?  It was $3.99.  So yeah, STEAL.

The other day I looked at the tag and saw that it said 3T.  At first I couldn't remember if it was 3T or 4T and I thought, "Huh, maybe K could wear this now..."  And then I got distracted by something else in the closet... (little girl closet organization is like SOFUN!!)

But then it was "red" day at school last week and I was all "Oh man, does she even have any red?"

And I remembered the Lady Bug dress but I was certain it was still too long for my "baby" girl.

Um, notsomuch.

Gah, quit growing kid.

P.S.  The 3T-wearing little girl will be 3 years old  in a few short days.  So yeah, of course the dress fit.  Obviously I'm in denial...

I used to be kinda fun(ny)

I read a few old posts of mine recently and I noticed that I used to be kinda funny.

I'm not so funny anymore.  What is up with that anyway?

Well you know what? I have realized that I need to stop taking every gosh-derned thing so seriously already.

You know, like the fact that I completely forgot to put the full trash bin out by the curb for pick up this last week.

Who cares!?!

Does life stress me out? Sure. Third-grade homework, meal planning and boot-wearing (only temporary) and laundry and why?  Why does it?  Because this is pretty awesome, this life I get to live with these really great kids and husband.  The piles of laundry and dishes and grocery shopping are simply signs that I have these beautiful, amazing people in this life with me. And most of the time I want to kiss the kids' cute faces (and Dad's too) and laugh at their silly jokes and hilarious dance moves when their Dad puts on the tunes on a Saturday morning...

The hubs started "DVRing" (that's a verb now, you know) Totally 80's on VH1 on Saturday morning. Yeah, there's no room left on the DVR because of it but it's totally worth it to sing to Starship's "Nothing Gonna Stop Us Now"  from the movie Manequin. You gotta love a video where the dude and chick's hairstyles are totally the same.

Especially when the eight year old says, "Is that a DUDE?!?!?"

And then the kids are dancing all over the living room to a song that they have never heard before but that I listened to over and over again from a CASSETTE TAPE (rewind!!). Or one that I did not have on tape and would just PRAY it would be the next track they played on the radio.


Oh my gosh, they know nothing of this... "Mom, play that song off of your phone, you know, 'Undefeated, Undeafeated!!"

P.S. a 2-year old singing Undefeated is THE cutest thing.


And they are exceptional dancers.

And by "exceptional" I mean totally funny to watch.

G's moves are nothing short of hilarious awesome.   And it's all grand until someone does too many twirls or turns and rams into another one.

But of course it only makes me laugh harder...

OH wait.  Where was I?

Oh yeah, I used to be funny.

I'm going to try to bring some of the funny back.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Oh and BTW, the video to Take On Me is still completely RAD.

But THIS song was my very favorite back in '88 and if you remember this song you get thousands of Miss Elaine-ous Life BONUS points!

My friend Tina and I spent HOURS listening to this one and dreaming of our long-haired, jean jacket-wearing boyfriends that we did not actually have.







Oh  and here's a fun(ny) picture of me from 1988, you know, to make you laugh.

You're welcome.  See? I'm totally funny looking.

Easier

I commented to a  friend of mine the other day that things are getting "easier" as the kids get older.

I think what I really meant is that things are easier now that G is in Kindergarten.

I don't mean that in a mean way, I'm just saying the boy takes a lot of energy out of me.

And.  If he comes to this space and reads that some day I'm guessing he will just nod his head in agreement. Because, he knows it too.  Even now.

I think things are also getting easier because I'm being easier on myself.

I got caught in this mind trap that if Tim wasn't here and "OH WOE IS ME I HAVE TO DO EVERYTHING ON MY OWN!!!" I couldn't do it.

Well, that's just not true.  We faired pretty well while he was gone for 3 days this week (although happy to have him home!)

It also helps that this guy is pretty darn independent and is a good kid and listener and helper.  (for the most part, we all have our days.. yes?)

And sometimes, I just have to remember that he IS still a kid.  It must be hard to be the oldest, seriously.  I wouldn't know of course, being the "baby" AND only girl. I had it easy, you know. ;-P  But truly, we put a lot on him sometimes.  But it's mostly because we know he can handle it.  And he does.

And then K well, she kinda runs the show around here.  I'm trying to get her to at least say "please" and "thank you" when she is commanding things and bossing people around.

It's going only so-so.

And she FINALLY put some poo in the pot the other day, but only because she was running around the house half "nekkid".  And she hasn't done it since.

(note to self: leave her half "nekkid")

I was hoping she would be mostly potty-trained by her birthday which is in less than two weeks, how'd that happen but no such luck.

Oh well.

So, this is us. NOW.



Linking up with a friend...

Kinda Like Siblings

One night last week K and I were doing our usual prayers-songs-hugs-and-kisses bedtime routine when I said, "And thank you God for our cousins-" and she stopped me short and said, "For Caphrine and Daniel and Gracie!"

But she didn't stop there.

She went on about the photo in the "whiving room" where she is wearing "little pink jammies" and "Caphrine"(Catherine) is holding her, when she's a "bay-beeee"!

I was surprised that she had ever even paid attention to said photo, but yes, it is one of my favorites of my brother Larry's kids with mine, when K was only about 5 months old, during her first visit to Texas.  And yes,  it is framed in our living room.

  don't they all kinda look alike? ;) 

Back in the summer these same six kids hung out a bit while we visited family in Texas.

I love watching them together because they are all roughly the same age and my brother and his wife have two girls and a boy to our two boys and a girl.  And well, "Caphrine" is a pretty good baby sitter already. :)  I'll be honest, they were kinda over it after being together for over 24 hours straight but all in all they had a great time, eating donuts and getting rained out at the splash pad.

I enjoy giving them this time together because these are the cousins they are closest to and I had some of those when I was growing up and to this day, they are like the sisters I did not have.

Oh look! "Caphrine" is holding K again!  And unfortunately only B's hand made it into this pic!  p.s. Round Rock donuts are pretty awesome. 

Oh, look, Caphrine is holding K AGAIN! ;-P

So, when I say "I miss my family" in the title above, it does not necessarily mean that I only miss my family now (although I do, A LOT) but I also miss the way my family was when I was younger and hanging with my own cousins.  I just have such great memories and those were some pretty fun times...

I sincerely hope that my children can cherish these times NOW and take them for all they are worth.

We'll see you at Thanksgiving, cousins.

Get those arms ready, "Caphrine".

Beyond Bologna Wrap Up! - 18 Awesome Lunch Ideas

When myself and four other amazing blogging mamas got together to challenge ourselves to be better preparers of school lunches for our children, we had no idea how hard it would actually be to accomplish. 

We didn’t quite realize how much better our children’s lunches actually needed to be. And, we had no idea that this challenge would inspire so many people to actually make an effort to do better with us!

In an effort to make this experience timeless, searchable, and awesome for everyone, we’ve compiled all of our best recipes for you, so you can click to it when you get in a school lunch rut and need something healthy, fresh, and fun to pack for your kiddos. 


From The Miss Elaine-ous Life:

• Homemade Granola Bars
• Homemade Apple Sauce
• Lunchbox Notes

From parenting BY dummies:

• Black Bean & Corn Salsa
• Best Yogurt You Can Buy (I don’t make my own yogurt, people.  Come on!)
• Gluten-Free Granola Bites
• Teriyaki Chicken Sandwiches

From Seven Clown Circus:

• Cream Cheese and Cucumber Sandwiches
• Veggie Pizza
• Pig Shaped Nutella Sandwiches
• Homemade Fruit Roll Ups

From Mom of 6:

• Cold Sesame Noodles
• Mini Apple Pie
• Mini Honey Cornbread Muffins
• Homemade Fruit Snacks

From Moments That Define Life:

• Quick and Healthy Lunch
• Sandwich Sushi
• Bento Lunch Cups

Have some awesome lunch time recipes you wouldn't mind sharing with us?  By all means, link it up!  As many as you have, we don’t care if you’ve got 50! Matter of fact, we sorta hope you do!

We really just want this entire thing to be a resource for you, for us, for moms everywhere who want to go Beyond Bologna!
And, the linky:

Taking a Step Back

She sat by the door in her bedroom, "Indian style" with the green shag carpet grazing each of her calves.  The full length mirror on the back of the door served as a periscope into her teenage soul.

"Who are you, REALLY?" she would ask as she gazed deep and long into her own brown eyes.
"Where did you come from and where are you going...?"

The sharp knock on the other side of the door sliced through her thoughts like a knife and her Mother's voice carried through the thin wood, "Dinner's ready, honey".

"Okay Mom."

She got up and opened the door as the smell of her mother's beef Stroganoff wafted down the hallway.

But she stepped back into the room and took one more look at her young face and said, "We'll continue this conversation later..."

****************************************************************

She is of course, me.

turned the camera on myself, it's me - wrinkles and big pores and all... ;)

I've been looking in the mirror a lot lately, not so much actually staring at my own face but instead "reflecting" on this life and the blessings I have and how somehow I have been taking them for granted lately.

This is NOT who I want to be.

I'm going to step away a bit from this space (and all social media as well).  Not because I necessarily want to but because I HAVE to.  ALL THE THINGS are overwhelming me and something has got to give.

My kids are in a stage where they NEED me a lot (I mean Hello! they are 8, 5 and almost 3! Duh). And although my husband is a very busy man, he also NEEDS me to pay attention to him when he is here.  I am needed and that is a good thing.

So... I'll be around some while the kids are at school or if Tim is working late but my posts probably will not be as frequent or up at the same time every night.

I've come to the realization in the last week or two that I just cannot do it ALL.  I can do most of it.  And I can do some of it well.  But I cannot do it ALL WELL all at the same time and that is showing.  I am after all, only human. And of course, my family is THE most important thing.

So, I'll see ya when I see ya.

xo

p.s. putting Miss Elaine-ous Monday oh a hiatus for a while... I may still do it occasionally here or there but not every week.  And well, I may not... 

p.p.s. you can probably find me most on Instagram these days, follow me, I'm MISSELAINE0375. 

Lunch Love & Fun

I thought I would go straight to the source so I asked B the other day, "What could I do to make your lunch more fun?"

His response:  "How about if you put THREE cookies in my lunch instead of two?!?!"

Yeah.

So apparently fun shaped sandwiches and happy little notes aren't really his thing but MORE cookies are! Good to know.

(p.s. not happening)


In other lunch news, did you know that strawberries look kinda like hearts?

I am also all about putting the "love" in their lunch so here is K's lunch from Wednesday.  Sweet, right?

Oh and totally FUN too.  I bet it absolutely made her want to eat ALL her food too.  Because all 2 almost 3 year olds eat ALL their fun food!

(or not)


I also have some notes from Lunchbox Love that I include in B's lunch since he is the only reader so far.

They are "fun" because they have encouraging words on one side and a fun little fact on the other.

Did YOU know that butterflies taste with their feet?

Yeah, me neither.  Well not until I read the notes anyway.

Check 'em out.
(p.s. you could also make your own notes, like I did above with K's lunch)

I'm just trying to say you do not have to go to great lengths to make it fun, just put a little love in packing your kiddos' lunches and it will be fun for them.

At least I hope so.



Please go check out the other FUN lunch ideas from my cohorts in Beyond Bologna!

Sharon has a pretty cute snack recipe...

Angie has an adorable sandwich idea!

And Dumb Mom made my mouth water with her yummy idea and I love what she put in her son's lunch! :)


Also, see my previous lunch posts with homemade granola bar and apple sauce recipes. :)

Toddler Times

She was my last baby and now she is my last toddler.  

Soaking it up.

Even the epic meltdowns. 

But mostly the snack eating, book "reading", occasional t.v. watching, coloring, etc, etc, etc...

I'm locking this one in his room until he is AT LEAST 25

Last night after dinner the kids and I were in the driveway waiting for Tim to get home from work.  Out of the blue G started to tell me and I quote...

"I love ALL the girls!!"

"They are ALL beautiful and I want to marry them ALL!"

This is not the first time I have heard things like this from this BOY.

I tried to get him to re-enact his "ALL the girls" dialogue but it didn't come over quite as well in my little video.  But still, you just HAVE to see the excitement on his face.

Lock up ALL your girls, people.

(oh Lord, please help me)

A little perspective...

I recall a certain fight that my mother and I had once when I was a little girl.  I was probably about seven or eight years old and I have no real recollection of what our disagreement was about.  It may have been about bed times or a second scoop of ice cream or my desire to watch more t.v.  that night. Those are my best guesses anyway.

At the time my twin bed was diagonal in one of the corners of my room and I remember running into my dark bedroom and collapsing at the side of it with tears streaming down my face.  She did not follow me.  All I wanted was for her to follow me. All I have ever wanted when I ran from a fight was for the person to follow me.

Instead my brother Chris came into the room.  He helped me up on to the bed and told me not to be upset.  He gathered my multitude of stuffed animals and laid them all around me, up and down from my head to my toes and before I new it my sobs were replaced with laughter.  He made a bear dance and a cat kiss me and another animal jump on my head. His puppeteer-ing of my bears and dogs and kitties was enough to make me forget my woes.

Sometimes I wish it was that easy now.  That someone could come to me and make my tears disappear with just a "dancing" bear, full of polyester.  That the sight of a cute face sewn with plastic eyes and yarn for nose and soft "fur" could make me feel better in no time.

I thought I had it so bad that night because I did not get my way but little did I know that things would get harder and that I had it so very easy, all cozy underneath my yellow, frilly bedspread in the bedroom where the sun shined so very bright every sunny morning.




I'm not really sure how to end this post except to say that I feel like crying in my bed tonight and snuggling up with my favorite bear from childhood, who happens to be stuffed in the way back of K's closet as she sleeps and I dare not disturb her.

I'm off my game lately.  Literally unable to run and given "the boot" (by my FIFTH doctor) today,  trying to avoid surgery for this damned Achilles.  And I mean that in the nicest way... it just seems truly "damned".

I just hope this fixes the problem.  Six weeks of wearing it all day and taking it on and off every time I have to drive anywhere (yes, it IS my right foot).

Right now a night without that second scoop of ice cream or an extra show on t.v. sounds pretty okay to me...

Grandparent Gifts & Miss Elaine-ous Monday

My parents were here over the weekend and do you know that I did not manage to get one picture of them?  I know.

I was going to try and get a few photos of them with the kids on Saturday but it just never worked out...

We did not do much while they were here, just hung out and talked and shared meals and watched some of Lonesome Dove.

They also helped tame the jungle that is our front and back yards, so that was good.  Seriously, sometimes I think we live in a rain forest.  Stuff grows like nuts around here.

Saturday night before the kids went to bed my Dad gave each of the kids some money (you know, the same amount I used to get for a week just to LIVE off of, back in high school).  Before I knew it they were off stuffing it in their piggy banks and re-counting all of their cash.  B was helping K put the money in her little pink wallet and G was asking B to help him count his too.

I sat next to my Daddy on the couch as they hugged him and thanked him.  And when the kids ran off again, with huge smiles on their faces, I asked for some too.  But he had already put his wallet away...

;)

I think it is so very wonderful the relationship my kids have with their grandparents. It truly is a gift.

So, what is a gift in your life these days?

p.s. we got a little preview of Fall weather today and man was it awesome! 

And HEY!

It's Miss Elaine-ous Monday!!  C'mon and link up! 

ANY "miss elaine-ous" post will do, something from your archives or something brand new! :)
Do you have a post that meant a lot to you but wasn't read by as many folks as you'd hoped? Or one that has great pictures and you want more people to see them? Or do you just have one that you really want to share!?

I'll also choose a random post from those who link up to feature on The Miss Elaine-ous Life Facebook page (please "Like" if you have not already) so even more folks will see a new post every week! Grab the button and link up!  And please visit some of the other linkers as well...











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If you do not post the button, please still link back to my blog, even if you just put a little blurb at the end of you post such as "It's Monday and I'm being "Miss Elaine-ous" over at The Miss Elaine-ous Life!" - Thanks!! Oh and extra bonus points to anyone who puts a tweet out there, that would be awesome too!   Thanks for linking up!

Healthy Lunch & Awesome Sauce

I try to keep the kids' lunches pretty healthy.  But I almost always still include some sort of treat.  I'm not sure if they eat it first or last, since I am not there to watch them chow down, but all of the food is usually gone so I'm guessing they totally eat the wonderful and healthy stuff first and save the treat for last.  I mean kids totally do that, right?

Anyway...

In my first lunch post I listed the assortment of things I like to include in their lunches here and there.  I almost always give the kids some sort of fruit, as well as a sandwich and usually a raw veggie too, like carrot sticks or pepper strips.

And my B LOVES apples.  Plus the little ones like applesauce a lot.

So, I thought, why not make my own applesauce?

Good old Pinterest helped me out by directing me to this recipe.

And then I proceeded to eat a fair amount of it myself before it even made it into the boys' lunch boxes the next day.

What?!?

It's mucho tasty! :)

The best part is that you can throw all of the ingredients into your crock pot and pretty much ignore it until it's time to smash it up (I did stir mine a couple of times...) to make the awesome sauce (get it, awesome sauce... yeah....I'm a dork.  But y'all knew that.)

B and I agreed that it tastes kinda like apple pie filling.  I think I need to find some pie dough and use this for turnovers or something like that as well.  Like I said, very tasty.

Mine did turn out more "chunky" style but that is probably because I did not use a blender or food processor to smooth it out more.

Here is the easy-peasy recipe so that you can get to making your own apple sauce too!

Awesome (Apple) Sauce:

6-9 apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1 1/2" chunks
1-2 tbsp sugar
1 cup apple juice or cider
pinch salt
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon (optional)

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker.  Cover and cook until apples are very soft and begin to disintegrate  about 4 hours on low.  Mash apples thoroughly with potato masher (or blend with immersion blender).  Season with additional sugar/cinnamon to taste and adjust consistency with additional hot apple juice or cider as needed.


Recommended apples: Jonagold, Pink Lady, Jonathan, Golden Delicious, Empire, Mcintosh, Rome
NOT recommended: Red Delicious, Granny Smith, Braeburn, Cortland, Baldwin, Northern Spy, Honecrisp


p.s. I think next time I will add a bit of lemon juice so that maybe it will not turn quite as brown...

Let me know if you make this and what you think!



Don't miss the other fun and helpful lunch posts in our series Beyond Bologna!

Sharon shared how to keep lunches at the right temperature along with a cornbread muffin recipe!

Angie showed us how to jazz up a veggie pizza for the kids' lunch!

Nicole gave us so many healthy ideas for those silicone cups - hooray!

And Dumb Mom (what? she calls herself that) gave us a great recipe for some granola bites. Yum!

Last First Day

We missed "meeting" her teacher, even though she is the SIL of someone that works with Tim and we already know her.  I did not go to orientation for the school because one or two of my kids have been going there since we moved here.

So, she and I waltzed into her new schoolroom for the year and hugged her teacher and even though she clung to my leg for a bit (all new friends this year!) she was fine when I left and smiling big when I returned.

She's a pro.  Already.

The headband did not last (I knew it wouldn't) I was just excited that she agreed to wear it in the first place and break her "I don't want anyphing in my hair, Mommy!" streak. :)

She took a GOOD nap yesterday after lunch, she was zonked, in a good way of course.

So... all the kids have now had their first day and the school year is in full swing.

Now if I could just get the Kindergarten-er to quit fussing about how hot P.E. is we'd be golden. (C'mon Fall weather!!)

Lazoo For You! {review & giveaway}

So, this one time at BlogHer...

I was standing in line to use the little girl's room and I started talking to this nice lady from Utah.  I mean, we had plenty o'TIME to chat, people.  And she was so nice.  And then another nice lady behind us starting talking to us too and mentioned the company she works for and the next thing you know?! A bathroom-line relationship was born!

So great to meet you again, Katie (great name, yes?).

Anyway, Katie works for Lazoo.

What is Lazoo you ask?

Well, in their words:

Lazoo is "a quality-conscious lifestyle children's brand and media property emphasizing award-winning design, creativity and play.  Inspired by an internationally best-selling serious of Japanese children's books, Lazoo products all embody the same core mission: to foster a child's creative process, encourage self-expression and empower the imagination."

Sounds pretty awesome to me!

They feature apps, clothing, accessories and books!

When we got the coloring books in the mail I was so excited to share them with my kids.  One of them is called squiggles and features all sorts of different animals and scenes in which the child adds squiggly lines (or whatever they want!) to the pictures.  The other one is a more general coloring book but not in the traditional sense that you usually think of...  Instead it prompts the child to add to the picture or use their imagination with color and design.

as you can see the books are enjoyed by ALL ages in this house... ;)

There is an interactive app for each of these books as well and the kids are having a great time with that too.  Of course one down-side is that I do not get to have possession of MY iPad very much anymore...

With the app kids can choose the color they want to use to draw or color, add "stickers" and there is also sound.  Once they are finished the picture becomes animated and the animals, people or objects move!  It's so fun, even I had a good time playing with it myself for a few minutes the other day.  Who? Me?  Yes... me. :)

Plus, the apps are free and available for both iPad and the iPhone (Squiggles only so far).  These apps are perfect to use while waiting for the doc or during car trips. Or you know, just for fun while hanging out on the weekend.

You can download them for FREE!

And of course Lazoo has something for one of you as well.  A set of coloring books - one each of Let's Color and Squiggles, for one lucky reader of The Miss Elaine-ous Life!

I promise your kiddo(s) will have SO much fun coloring in these books!  And don't forget to download the apps as well for even more interactive fun!  Good Luck!



a Rafflecopter giveaway



*Lazoo sent me one each of the Let's Color and Squiggles coloring books for review and is offering another set to one of my readers for a giveaway.  All opinions of course, are my own. 

Hello?!?

Hey!!

Tap. Tap.

Is this thing on?

Wow, I feel like a week of my life was stolen from me.  Seriously. At least I conserved make-up. :)

For a day or so I was in and out of consciousness while wearing a sweatshirt and fuzzy socks, at the end of August in south Louisiana (completely unheard of before last week...).  AND!  There was a hurricane nearby.  AND!  I remember The Property Brothers and lots of House Hunters and some old episodes of Sex and the City and then I caught up on some Gone Girl when I could really see again.  Oh and LOTS of Words With Friends. At one point I think I was playing words with friends with the property brothers and "Miranda" while we looked for homes in Bali.  Or some dream like that...

Anyway...

I stayed away from my kids for a few days, so that they would not catch what I am now calling The End of August/Isaac/2012 PLAGUE.  It's amazing how you begin to physically MISS the affection of your loved ones.  Kids and hubby included.  Blowing kisses from across the room just wasn't cutting it anymore.

p.s. this is my "I'm all better, post-sickly rambling post".  Just in case you hadn't figured that out yet.  Many contractions (not the having a baby kind) included.

One bright spot in the week - my new lens came in - a 85mm.  More on that later... but I did already get to experiment with it a bit. :)

We ventured out to Baton Rouge today to JUST TO GET OUT OF THE HOUSE (I had been inside for 5 straight days) and the kids traipsed around the mall and I've been loading them up with hugs and kisses and snuggles to make of for those lost ones last week.

Someone I know is not all that keen on getting his picture taken anymore and he LOVES to let me know it.

Can't you just hear him now... "Really, Mom? Gah, another picture..."
It's already starting.

But... I did it!  I actually captured my three on the THIRD.  I know, miracles everywhere people.  Happening right here on the blog.

So here's to being WELL and hurricane-less.  I'm ready for K to start school (Wed.) and for our routine to begin being... um... routine.

And here's to Fall on the horizon.  Surely I won't be getting the flu now.  I mean, BTDT, so I'm ready for cooler-ish weather and pumpkins and closed-toed shoes...



p.s. no one else in my house got the flu (knock on press board).  My other friend did not fare as well and her entire family got it.  I cannot IMAGINE.

p.p.s. it can always be worse... :)