The Royal Blog

The Royal Family Is Off To Their Winter Palace

 

There may be some twitter tweets this week, but probably no blogging. "See" you in a week!!

Spam, wonderful Spam

If you are expecting email from me, please check your spam.  Seems like *sniff* nobody likes yahoo! Toodles!

CAN'TWAITCAN'TWAITCAN'TWAIT!!!!

Gratitude

What I am especially grateful for this week:

1. E2 pottied a couple times this week!

2. The Crew won the Championship and B & the big kids had fun welcoming them home at the airport!

3. Some sweet Black Friday sales at Justice, Limited Too, Old Navy, and Gymbo - mostly on-line!!

4. The patientest, sweetest husband on the planet!

5. We leave for WDW tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

6. YOU!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Photo Flashback: Animal Kingdom 2007

Because I got nothing, and we'll be there in exactly one week!!!!

 

   

 

I'm thankful for YOU!

fyi

I'm having my emails forwarded to my yahoo account.   I can't access email directly from my computer and lately, accessing our internet provider's web mail has been spotty. 

Cheers & Jeers

Cheers to: E2, for getting out of the tubby today and pooping in the potty again!

Cheers to: E2, for being so good at dance!  Her teacher said that things are really starting to click with the class, that she is very excited, and that E2 is a "good girl".

Jeers to: Me, CVS, The Dispatch.  And maybe the City of Columbus.  So we wanted a copy of the paper today in case there were photos of last night's Crew airport welcome.  I bought USA Today accidentally (just grabbed the top paper without looking at it), got back in line (and waited forever behind someone that picked today to fill out the paperwork to get a CVS card and had a gift card that didn't want to work) and then the clerk wouldn't let me just switch the papers - had to take the 75 cents off my debit card and then ring up the 50 cent Dispatch. She could have made an easy 25 cents for CVS! Pure profit!! :P  So then the stupid Dispatch barely mentioned the Crew and had no photos of last night. Jerks.  There better be a good turnout for the Crew at the Statehouse tonight or I'm going to be ticked at the whole city. Well, not ticked, just disappointed. Which is much worse. Okay, I retract some of my Dispatch ire. B pointed out the photo and article in the Metro section.  Not as good as the front page but whatever. 

And a big fat jeer to the imbecile parents at our school.  Yes, it's time for that gripe again.  Morning drop off rules: Pull up as far as you can * Stay in your car * If you are going into the school, drop your child off and THEN go park and walk in by yourself.  Afternoon drop off rules: Pull up as far as you can * stay in your car.   I don't know if these morons are stupid or just think they and their precious child are special but the whole damn process would go so much faster if people could follow the damn rules! Gah.  Love the teaches and staff - think the parents are dipwads.  There are other reasons besides the drop-off and pick-up issues but that's what I'm torked off about today.

Welcome Home 2008 MLS CHAMPIONS: THE COLUMBUS CREW

 

Z with the kick ass sign I made:

   

The kids with Mayor Coleman!:

The kids with Ricardo Pierre-Louis:

 

With Frankie Hejduk (Crew Captain and US National Defender):

 

With Alejandro Moreno (Venezuelan International Striker):

 

With Robbie Rogers (US National Team Midfielder and 2008 Olympian and E1's self-proclaimed Team Boyfriend!):

 

With Eddie Gaven (US U23 International Midfielder):

 

With Pat Noonan:

  

With Chad Marshall (MLS DEFENDER OF THE YEAR):

   

With The Cup:

 

With Andy Iro (Crew 2008 Number 1 Draft Pick):

 

With Steven Lenhart:

Day Fifty Five

Day 32

Guess who got out of the tubby this morning to POOP ON THE POTTY?!? Maybe my Christmas Wish is coming true!!

Gratitude

What I am especially grateful for this week:

1. B made it home safely (poor thing - he walked in the front door at 7:30 am)
2. 10 years with a wonderful husband!
3. Flowers from my sweetie!
4. Cards from Grandma B and Grandpa T - thank you thank you!!
5. This loooooooooong week is over!
6. E2's obsession with snow - she just LOVES it - so cute!
7. Another great parent-teacher conference!
8. E1 had a great meet last weekend!
9. My children are in safe, stable, loving home with two parents who absolutely adore them.

What...is up....with that?

What the heck is wrong with typepad, and why is the old blog banner showing up????

GO BUCKS!!!

Thank you Rival Fanatics, and GO BUCKS!!!

GO BUCKS!!!

GO BUCKS!!!

Day Fifty Four

Care to guess what kind of mood Z is in this morning?  Sigh. And to top if off, I was so busy trying to get him out of the house that I forgot to get their lunches out of the fridge. Grumble grumble.

I love you too B.

Day Fifty Three

Happy 10th Anniversary Sweetie!

Googled for B

DOLEMEH 

Cooked grape leaves, filled with ground beef, rice, tarragon, split peas, green onions, basil, parsley & fresh herbs.

 

(basically, dolmeh is stuffed grape leaves)

FESENJON خورشت فسنجان

Walnut cooked in pomegranate sauce, mixed with boiled chicken & a side of Basmati rice. Topped with saffron.

 

(basically, fesenjan is Iranian stew with walnuts and pomegranates)

Day 30

I started E2's tub this morning and told her to get in.  When I went back to the bathroom, she was VOLUNTARILY SITTING ON THE POTTY and tried to get something out!  She got out of the tub twice to try. She got out of the tub a third time, sat on the potty, and PEED!!  This is HUGE for E2 aka "I don't wanna be a big girl" aka "I'm scared of the potty".  She was SO proud of herself! "I'm a great pee'r on the potty!" "I'm gonna do it again sometime!".  But the first thing she said was "Can I call Daddy?" and was a little sad when I explained that Daddy is in California and still sleeping.  I told her I would put it on the blog and that made her a smidge happier.

Snack: "Cookies"

Job: "My job was...hmm...aha! I was snack helper."

Song: "Open Shut."

Book: "She read about carrots"

Toys: "We didn't go outside today. It was too cold and chilly." What did you and K play? "We both played trucks and I played with cars."

Day Fifty Two

Kelli Shults

Kelli Shults was a second grader at the school Z & E1 attend.  I hope you will consider making a donation in her honor to Heifer International. 

Day Fifty One, Part Two

Z is in a much better mood this afternoon (E1 is another story).  My conference with his teacher was short - he too is doing very well in school.  Well-rounded, social, "no doubts about his future success in academics", etc.  The only thing he needs to work on is organization - specifically with follow-through.  He does his assignments (sometimes twice! what a waste of time.) but turning them in is an issue. 

Question of the Day

E2: "Do spiders have opposable thumbs?"

(I've told her several times that a dog can't get into the van because dogs don't have opposable thumbs.)

Day Fifty One

Z went to school a little mad today because he got caught kicking E2 right before we left. The kicking is annoying, but it's the lying that is really ticking me off.  In other Z news, I have a conference with his teacher today after school.  And yesterday, right in the middle of class, he had a really big fart! Was he embarrassed? No, everyone in the class laughed and thought it was really funny. 

A little taller, not smaller

Yesterday I had to measure E1 to see if she is tall enough to ride Primeval Whirl and RockNroller Coaster at WDW.  She was very happy to discover that the only thing she can't do at the 4 major parks is drive a car at Tomorrowland Speedway!  E1 is 51", E2 is 39" (so with shoes on she'll be able to ride almost everything) and Z is ...... 60"! 5 feet tall.  Holy cow.

Day 29

E2's obsession this morning was with the SNOW!, especially touching and eating it.  We're getting a light dusting today and it is good! and yummy! and awesome! and there's so much of it! and it's snowing because it's Christmas snow!

And there was a really big truck parked at the bakery next door to preschool!!!

Snack: "Cheerios"

Job: "Me and T were the Snack Helper"

Book: " 'Bout the town of the book"

Songs: "Open Shut. Engine Engine #9."

Letter: H

Toys: "Inside and outside, it was a LOT of race cars"

Day Fifty

This week is off to good start:  Z went to bed mad last night.  Both girls ended up in bed with me last night. I woke E1 up this morning to take a shower and discovered at 7:26 that she crawled into her bed and WENT BACK TO SLEEP.  Argh. 

Season #2, Meet #4

Meet #4:

• Bars: 9.375 (2nd)
• Beam: 9.050 (2nd)
• Floor: 9.000 (2nd)
• Vault: 9.600 (1st)
• AA: 37.025 (2nd)

Meet #3

• Bars: 9.200 (2nd)
• Beam: 9.050 (5th)
• Floor: 9.275 (2nd)
• Vault: 9.300 (1st)
• AA: 36.825 (2nd)

Meet #2

• Bars: 9.125 (2nd)
• Beam: 8.725 (4th)
• Floor: 9.225 (2nd)
• Vault: 8.700 (6th)
• AA: 35.775 (2nd)

Meet #1

• Bars: 8.85 (4th)
• Beam: 8.575 (3rd)
• Floor: 9.30 (1st)
• Vault: 8.85 (2nd)
• AA: 35.575 (2nd)

Gratitude

What I am especially grateful for this week:

1. I think I'm finally, mostly, over my cold.
2. I got my hair chopped off this morning!
3. Two super progress reports!
4. A fantastic parent-teacher conference!
5. The teachers and staff at the big kids' school.
6. B is getting the van tire fixed this morning.
7. The big kids (mostly) got along during their day and a half off school.
8. I got trained last night to clean E1's gym and will now be on the sub list, and a wait list to get my own night.  That will knock a bit off E1's monthly tuition.
9. E2's speech is mostly clear now - only occasionally can I not understand what she is saying.
10. Gas prices are in the $1.70's!
11. I got a RAK from Kitty Designs!  her stuff!

Day Forty Nine

Early Dismissal Today!

And No School Tomorrow!

Bedtime Conversation

• E2: "I wish I had a beak."
• Me: "You wish you had a beak??"
• E2: "Yes."
• Me: "Why?"
• E2: "So I could fly up high!"
• Me: "Wouldn't wings be more useful for that?"
• E2: "Probably, yes."
• Me: "So what would the beak do for you?"
• E2: "It could...be on my nose.."

Cheers and Jeers

--->Cheers to: Z, who walked in the front door after school today and said "Thanks for cleaning, Mom!"

--->Cheers to: B, who came home from work and took E1 to gymnastics.  That way I could just drop Z off at soccer and not worry about traffic and dropping one kid off super early.

--->Cheers to: E1, who has some big plans for her future.  It was a rather convoluted conversation, but very cute. 

• E1: "When I go to college I am going to go to Ohio State and take Math 573"
• Me: "Is one of your teachers taking that?"
• E1: "Mrs C (EPP teacher) took it. It's about multiplication and division and..."  *voice trails off into an indistinct mumble since she has no clue how to describe it*.
• Me: "Are you going to get a degree in Math like your bubby?"
• E1: "Yes. And I'm going to be an astronaut and a gymnast of course. And work in a candy shop. And teach 3rd or 4th grade."   

That's where it became convoluted - with lots of jumping around.  I *think* she decided on substitute teaching and working in the candy shop after she retired, but there was something else in between the math/astronaut/gymnast part and retirement.

When I told him about it later, Z scoffed at her plans and likened them to the Spongebob episode where Spongebob said Squidward could be a football playing king in space. 

--->Jeers to: E1, who, later in the afternoon was a total snot.  Words involved include "stupid", "shut it" and "worst mom in the world". 

Day Forty Eight

E2 is sneezy, coughy, raspy and a little warm so I think we'll just hang out at home today.

Day Forty Seven

Yay! E1 is reading the same book she read yesterday that gave her nightmares that made her crawl into bed with us this morning at 4:15! 

Yay! E1 is up to 15 B.U.G. awards! (Being Unusually Good!)

E1's Parent-Teacher Conference

Was about 5 minutes long.  She's is doing fantastic, is a delight to have in class, helps the teacher, helps other students, is well-balanced (i.e. enjoys and is good at a variety of subjects), blah blah blah.

Z's Fifth Grade Progress Report, 1st Quarter

Achievement

• A Classroom work consistently meets the highest expectations
• B Classroom work meets expectations and has a good degree of accuracy
• C Classroom work meets expectations and has an average degree of accuracy
• D Classroom work does not meet expectations and has a marginal degree of accuracy
• F Classroom work is significantly below expectations
• I Incomplete

Performance

• 3 Strong
• 2 Satisfactory
• 1 Minimal

• Social Development: 3's
• Work Habits: 2 (organizes work/materials), 3's
• Reading: 2's, 3, B- (looks like missing assignments did him in, may be partially my fault - I have stopped cleaning out his folder each night and have him do it)
• Writing: 3's
• Writing Process and Applications: A-
• Writing Conventions: A
• Spelling/Word Study: A+
• Mathematics: 3's, Number Theory A, Estimation and Computation A
• Social Studies: 3's, Geography/Regions A, Government A
• Science: 3's, Ecosystems A-

EPP Values:

• 5 Excellent
• 4 Very Good
• 3 Satisfactory
• 2 Minimal
• 1 Unsatisfactory

• Reading: 4's
• Written Work and Projects: 4's
• Work Habits: 4 (exhibits organizational skills, see a pattern?), 5's

E1's Third Grade Progress Report, 1st Quarter

Achievement

• 4 Consistent, Strong, Independent Performance at Grade Level
• 3 Meets Grade Level Expectations
• 2 Inconsistent in Meeting Grade Level Expectations
• 1 Does Not Meet Grade Level Expectations

Effort

• M Most of the Time
• S Some of the Time
• N Needs Improvement

• Social Development: M's
• Work Habits: M's
• Reading: 4 and M's
• Writing: M's
• Writing Expression: 4
• Writing Mechanics: 4
• Spelling/Word Study: 4
• Mathematics: 4's and M's
• Science: 4 and M's
• Health: 3's and M's

EPP Values:

• 5 Excellent
• 4 Very Good
• 3 Satisfactory
• 2 Minimal
• 1 Unsatisfactory

• Reading: 4+, 5
• Written Work and Projects: 4's
• Work Habits: 5's

Personal & Household Care Product Companies To Consider Using

Burt's Bees

Paul Mitchell

Kiss My Face

The Body Shop

Aveda

Tom's of Maine

Seventh Generation

Clorox Green Works Cleaners

Method

Simple Green

Day 28

Poor E2 thought she saw a dog this morning (I never did see it).  On the drive to preschool, she was very concerned about the sign.  Apologized for knocking it over, wondered if I could fix it, asked if the dog was going to get it.

Snack: "Cheerios"

Job: "Line Leader"

Book: "Oh, she read Ant on a Parking Lot"

Song: "We sang Open Shut"

Craft: "That thing that we just did" (Banana Cereal page she is holding below)

Toys: "Race cars outside and inside."

eta: "Oh mom, can I tell you one more thing about my day? We sanged a lot of the Alligator song! Can you type that down?"

Day Forty Six

A dusting of snow today!

*sniff*

This picture (especially the bottom version) kinda freaked me out. E1 looks older than 8 3/4 - I feel like I'm getting a little glimpse of teenage E1.

Highbanks Photo Shoot

 

E1 let me drag her around Highbanks for an hour so I could get a few more photos of the lingering color!

Saturday November 8, 2008

Today we did:

60 minutes in the Cardio Cinema (watched Man of the Year)

• 10 minutes on the elliptical
• 5 minutes on the treadmill (6 mph)
• 10 minutes on the elliptical
• 5 minutes on the treadmill (6 mph)
• 10 minutes on the elliptical
• 5 minutes on the treadmill (6 mph)
• 15 minutes on the elliptical

Watermelons, Smoothies, EFD and Sweet Peas

Day Forty Five

 

Day 27

Job: "Calendar Helper"

Snack: "Pretzels"

Book: "I don't know...no no no the other teacher read us a story. Oh! Giraffe and a Dinosaur!"

Song: "Open Shut and the Alligator song"

Toys: "We played a LOT of race cars!"

What's the weather like today?: "Oh! We sang that song too!  I said Cold, just Cold. And we sang I Can Say My Sounds! That's a lot of songs!"

Friday November 7, 2008

Today we did:

• 10 minutes cardio on the elliptical
• vertical traction
• low rower
• vertical traction
• low rower
• 4 laps around track (9=1mile)
• crunches on floor
• rower
• crunches on floor
• rower
• 4 minutes on the elliptical
• lower back
• adductor
• lower back
• adductor
• 4 laps around track
• shoulder press
• abductor
• shoulder press
• abductor
• 4 minutes on the elliptical