The Royal Blog

This & That

eta:  E1 has had straight A's all year!  Z apparently made the honor roll last quarter??? It's so hard to tell - the middle school has gone "green" and doesn't print out grade cards.  The on-line system is NOT intuitive,  is frequently not up-to-date, and I'm not always sure what his final grades are.  He has gotten better *overall* with getting stuff turned in on time.  And on his WEP (written education plan), his teacher wrote:  "After a transition period (HA! <------- that's frm me, not the teacher), Z has adjusted well to 7th grade. He is well-liked by teachers and peers, and he has a great sense of humor and always offers insightful discussion".  PHEW! 

Today at school, E1 gets to watch THE movie and listen to THE talk.

This week, Z starts registering for his 8th grade classes.

Right now, I am feeling OLD.

I was thisclose to getting the girls to switch to cheer.  Sigh.  Oh well, they are super psyched about gymnastics right now and that's pretty cool.  E2 wants to get her backhandspring! and become a level 4! and she is never going to quit gymnastics!  E1 LOVES that they now get the head coach for beam some nights and is actually enjoying working on the TOPS skills for 10 year olds.

Z's coach? The one who replaced the guy (who took a promotion and moved to Kansas) who replaced the jerk who dumped them after 2 1/2 years (for a Gold girls team)?  Has been detained for immigration issues.  It just never ends for that poor kid and  I am SO over Worthington Crew Jrs.    EVERY freaking year there is drama, frustration, lies and disappointment.   Z could have done an upper tier rec league for a tenth of the time, money and irritation and been no worse off than he is right now.   Makes me sad that Z is so loyal to a club that doesn't seem to give a crap about his team. 

Poor Grandma T.  Got sent home from the hospital the day after her accident with an undiagnosed and untreated fracture in her ankle.   Unbelievable.

LOVE LOVE LOVE the weather this week.  Not too hot, not too cold, just right!  With lots of blue skies and sunshine.  I hope the rest of May is just like this.  Because we all know how I feel about hot muggy Ohio summers.

Ingratitude

What I am NOT grateful for this week:

Grandma B's cancer diagnosis and upcoming surgery.

The blue screen of death on our desktop.

B was on call AGAIN.

Z's soccer coach quitting and the ensuing drama.  (He rec'd a promotion and is moving out of state - can't fault him for that, but there was some really poor communication involved.)

This & That

This week's hot preschool gossip:  E2 broke up with Ke (BECAUSE HE TALKS TOO MUCH) and N broke up with Ka so now N is E2's boyfriend and they are going to get married.  Where do they get this stuff????

E2 just got moved up to Level 2 at gymnastics! 

Today I took E1 and a friend to Sweet & Sassy for mani's and shopping, to celebrate various gymnastic successes (forgot my camera *frowny face*).  While E1 was getting her nails done, she looked up at me and mouthed "thank you" and "thank you very much".  Made my heart melt! 

I don't like Queen Bee Poodle Hair who lives down the street. 

Eleven Year Old Boys.  'Nuff said.  

I am sick of the cold weather already, but B isn't willing to move to the Caymans and launder money. 

I have NO Christmas spirit.  Our tree isn't up, our lights aren't up, we haven't gone to see the Zoo or Marina lights yet, and I refuse to listen to Christmas music. I don't feel Grinchy; I'm just not into it. 

Oh noes!

*Twitter is down* and I am having massive Facebook issues!  Must be a sign to do some cleaning!

*Regular blogging will resume once school starts.

*Please join me in a collective eyeroll:

"Please Sign The Petition to Food Network to Give Jeffrey His Well Deserved Show"

  Well deserved? Ick.  What a tool.

*eta: They are experiencing a denial-of-service attack.

Someday

I want to go to a parade where there are no people on the other side of the street.... :P

How rude.

Apparently B doesn't like me visiting him.  And why is the chair and the night stand on his bed??

What's the opposite of ni hao?

 

One of E1's coaches is going back to China after State Meet, so last night we did a few group photos with her.  We'll have all the girls sign the photo's mat, frame it, and give it to her at State.  

Today's gripe: What is wrong with teh internets/our computer/our internet service provider?  I have had SO much trouble accessing twitter, facebook and typepad today. Probably a sign to get off the computer and do laundry!

And this is a surprise because......?

 

I demand that you shoot me now

Got home from cleaning the gym and the fracking smoke detector was going off again! ARGH. As I discovered at 7:00 yesterday morning (after pulling out the batteries from all umpteen detectors including the one in our bedroom that I had to get a ladder to reach) the only way to get the fracking thing to shut off is to flip the breaker switch off (and of course it was the LAST switch I flipped) and leave it off for awhile. And, good news! It's the same fracking breaker switch that the fracking FURNACE is connected to.  Frack. Frack. Frack.

Blergh.

The weekend from Heck (E1 puking, dryer not wanting to work, toilet overflowing, leak under the kitchen sink) has turned into the Monday from Heck.  E1 is still not feeling well, I thought Z didn't have any clean pants (fortunately B found a pair), Z didn't bring home his lunch bag (with ice pack to keep his Boost and yogurt cold - he's still having trouble eating regular food), Z didn't take his excuse note to school with him and E2.....oh that E2.  She had dry heaves this morning and asked me to cuddle her in bed and rub her face.  When she found out she wasn't going to preschool, it was five minutes of "I hate you" and "big fat meanie" and trying to hit me.   Blergh.

Slippery Nasty Ol' Winter

 

Snack: "We didn't do snack."
Job: "Nobody was a job out. Nobody was a job."
Story: "I don't know."
Play: "Racecars and cars. Regular cars and racecars."
Potty: Yes! Went #1 and #2 at preschool. Hooray!
Craft: School Bus

Phooey on the CyberShot. Phooey on my stupid broken windshield wipers. Phooey on how crummy the roads are today.  Phooey on not being able to enjoy the pretty snow.  And can someone explain to me why, last week when we were *expecting* snow/freezing rain, there were trucks all over the place treating the roads, but yet today, nary a plow or salt truck in sight.  Harumph. Oh, and phooey on soccer and gymnastics. If no one is going to take care of the roads, we're staying home.

Ha! and Grrrr!

Ha! The kids got letters from Santa yesterday (E1: "This is how I know Santa is real - he mentions P!" P is a gymnastics friend.).  He also sent the kids Nice List certificates.  I told the kids it must be because they are such great school kids. Certainly isn't because their home behavior is anything to write home about.

Grrr.  Photopass Customer Service sent me a cheerful note explaining how to find the photos on my CD.  I KNOW HOW TO FIND THE FOLDERS.  The problem is that TWENTY ONE OF THE FOLDERS ARE MISSING.  DIPWADS. 

T.G.I.F.*

More tree trimming photos:

(notice the lack of white stuff outside. *frowny face* )

 

   

The Elves:

Jolly Hollyberry

 

Merry Redcap:

 

Lt. Jinglejangle:

   

What the Elves were doing this morning:

 

I guess we overslept this morning.  I woke up around 7:15, checked to see if school was delayed (we were supposed to get ice overnight) - it wasn't, went back to bed.  E2 woke up twenty minutes before preschool starts so we rushed and I dropped her off. Shortly after coming home, got a phone call from the school.  Z, during gym, apparently whacked the back of his head when he ran into a pole (I assume running backwards and not because he was pushed).  School said he has a lump but seems fine; hopefully we don't have to make a trip to the doctor after school.  And the cable company is coming to replace our dvr today (doesn't record correctly anymore).  They're supposed to be between 12 and 2, my guess is it will be 2 and I'll be late picking up the big kids.  Oh, and it is totally dreary, chilly and pouring rain.  The rain this week has been a lot more like a July downpour than a December rain.  Weird.

*Thank Goodness It's Friday or This Gal Is Frustrated, take your pick.

Oh, and a BIG, FAT JEER to: Disney Photopass.

I got my CD today.  Hrmph.  Only 20% of the photos in my Photopass album made it onto the cd.  And the ones that did? Sigh.  The family photos are AWFUL.  Most of them are blurry.  And the ones in front of the MK Mickey Head, ooooh!  That jerk photographer that blew me off and told me not to worry about the other people - well, they totally spoiled the photo.  So. ticked. off. 

I want a do-over for my trip!!!

Cheers and Jeers

Cheers to: E2, for going poopy on the potty during tubby time!

Cheers to: E2, for only needing me to come into the dance classroom for a couple of minutes! (I thought, here we go again! But she adjusted quickly and let me leave.)

Cheers to: B, for discovering that the old Cybershot still takes photos! So I CAN have some Christmas pics!!

Cheers to: B, for putting up the Christmas trees and putting a train or monorail around them!

Jeers to: Merry Redcap, who has gone M.I.A.  I hope he isn't the victim of foul play. 

Is it January 1st yet? 2010?

The camera malfunctioned due to a memory card not being put in correctly - some copper doohickey got bent.  I get it back January 25th! Yay! Too late for Disney and Christmas! Hooray!  *grumble* *pout* *sulk*

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.

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

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

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". 

Today's Gripe

I wanted to get the family room cleaned while E2 was at preschool.  I worked for about an hour and a half off and on (mostly on).

• The fumes from the cleaner made me headachy and sick to my stomach
• I HATE DUST
• The kids are pigs
• It doesn't look any better than it did before I started
• And (obviously) I'm still not done!
• ARGH!

A 2-2 tie. Hrmph.

We (#3) played the #2 team today and tied 2-2.  Mainly because the other team played dirty, and we had the world's WORST ref who didn't call them on ANY of it. He completely sucked.  The bad news is we have to play this team AGAIN in next weekend's tournament.  The good news is we won't have THAT awful ref.

This is how I feel today.....

Adventures at the Car Wash

After school, we went to vacuum out the car and wash it off.

Hey, that's what that fruity smell was:

I didn't realize the Car Wash employed such cuties:

Cute, but dangerous:

We all like the Quad Foam:

Oh, does this piss me right off:

Yes, the window has started leaking.  @#$%^&*~!    

Stupid Dodge. NEVER AGAIN.

E2 slept through the vacuuming *and* the car wash:

 

I am in SUCH a bad mood right now. It is only a matter of time before I am pms-ing three out of every four weeks.  (Come on Menopause.)  And if the big kids don't stop their bickering soon, every cell in my brain is going to implode.  All twelve of them.

I couldn't have said it better myself....

36 Months of E2!

I started this a couple months before E2 turned three and totally forgot about it until today.  (E2's dance class was canceled and the big kids don't have anything going on tonight - today is a day of sloth.)

Z needed a baby photo for a school assignment last week, and as I looked through his pitiful album full of crummy, blurry photos, I rejoiced that at least all E2's stuff is digital.  As I looked through photos today I realized that a. I have a TON of soccer photos of Z so hopefully that makes up for the dreadful baby pictures and 2. I have a TON of really bad, blurry DIGITAL photos.  Maybe I'll get good pix of the grandkids? Ha.

Seriously?

PETA urges Ben & Jerry's to use human milk

I am all for treating animals more humanely.  I would be willing to stop eating all forms of meat.   But giving up cow's milk? Nuh-uh, not gonna happen. I'd rather fight than switch.

Reverse Psychology

So I say that I'm grateful for food in our refrigerator and electricity in our outlets and the next day we lose power for 23 hours and have to pitch everything in the refrigerator/freezer. 

Okay then.  I'm grateful for crow's feet and gray hair and attitudinal children and humidity and insects and $4/gallon gas and school being closed again.

What I think about turning Forty

• Skulls and Crossbones
• Mushroom Clouds
• Acid Rain
• Grim Reaper

Not a good morning.

Up a pound.  I think I'm just going to lose/gain/lose/gain the same couple of pounds over and over and over.

After a 15 minute cardio warm-up, Coach S made us go outside to play a game.  It involved a big exercise ball, goals, and that horrible, horrible feeling of being back in elementary school gym class.  To top it off, one of the women rolled her ankle. 

I did not go to the park, but I did stop by Krispy Kreme.  That is definitely something I need to work on.  Whenever something happens, my response is that I deserve ________. And that _______ is never "broccoli" or "to run on the treadmill".   

Today's to-do:

• Kiss E1 and B goodbye; they're off to Tennessee. Double check spelling of Tennessee; it doesn't look right.
• Take Z to his soccer scrimmage.  Be a grouch and say "No" when he asks to stay and watch the other games. (It's our club's friendlies day - lots of scrimmages and spiritwear sales and rahrahrah and I totally do not feel like going.)  Hooray - he didn't ask.
• Decide to put off cleaning until tomorrow.
• Feel guilty about eating Krispy Kreme doughnut.  Eat another one. Or four.

Boo, and Ha!

The "check engine" light has come on in the van and the stupid van is shuddering, especially when I stop at stoplights/signs.

On the way to soccer today, I saw a van, and on the side it said "Competent Electrical Services".  That's the company name.  Now, maybe it's just me, but when I hear the word competent, I don't think "superb" or "outstanding" or "stellar", I think "adequate" or "marginal" or "okay".    Was Sufficient Electrical Services taken?

Week Two/Twenty Two

• 10 minutes on treadmill 3.5 mph incline 10
• 6 minutes on elliptical with incline
• lateral pulldown
• treadmill
• crunches on bosu ball
• jumping jacks
• right side bends
• elliptical
• inner thigh adductor
• stepper
• reverse crunches
• bicycle
• bicep curls
• rower
• leg extensions
• bicycle
• crunches
• sprints outside
• chest press
• boxing
• stretching

This is a bosu ball:

No one who uses it actually looks like this:

It is really, really nice out - cool and breezy - so I went to the park with the intention of getting a long run.  Ended up doing a measly half-lap.  My lower shins/ankles are bothering me and are super tight.  The rykä shoes I got back in February are for walking, which was fine when I stuck to the elliptical. Now however I think I need a bit more support & cushion. 

Today's to-do:

• enjoy the air-conditioning
• E2 to her summer program
• E1 to gymnastics maybe NOPE(she woke up in the middle of the night claiming she was puking.  B dealt with her - I fell back asleep as he got out of bed)
• laundry - got nothing done yesterday

Today's complaints:

• Soccer conditioning starts tomorrow so Z will miss several sessions of that and B is absolutely swamped at work; the timing of this weekend couldn't be worse.
• Unless it was E2's birthday weekend: E1 needs picked up from her camp on Friday, there's a soccer tournament in Cincy that weekend, there's a 5k run I'd like to do Saturday morning, E2's birthday is on Sunday, B *may* have to leave for L.A. on E2's birthday, and something else I'm forgetting.  *grumble grumble*
• PMS stinks.
• E1's attitude stinks.
• The area from my belly button to my knees still needs a LOT of work.   
• Humidity stinks. Literally and figuratively.

Argh!

Today the alarm didn't go off!  Grrrrr.  Decided to skip the park and try and do an interval workout on the treadmill later; hope I don't regret that decision.

To-do:

• Z to soccer camp
• E1 to gymnastics practice
• treadmill HAHAHAHAHA Yah, right.
• closets
• bathroom
• mop kitchen
• haircuts for all three kids

A soccer cutie, and, Holy Cow.

*grumble*

B & I slept terribly last night - we had a thrashing, fussing tot in with us. (seriously. all night long it was "wah-wah-wah")  I *think* I remember the alarm going off but I was way too tired to get up.  That, and my left arm is SORE.

Z was grumpers when we were leaving for camp.  He finally was smiley by the time we got there.  Then E1 took over!  ARGH!  I want a do-over for today!

The good news is that E2 has decided today is one of those days where she is actually going to consume food; she is on her third tin of mandarin oranges. 

And to top it all off, I just tried to get into my email and it's saying "incorrect password"!  ARGH!

Oops

I forgot I fiddled with the settings yesterday:

All I have to say about Z is ARGH!  And, he snuck downstairs AGAIN last night.

Yay! and *pant* and Why you little....

The toddler LOVED the day-care place. LOVED it.  Didn't want to leave, pouted and bit me on the hand on the way to the car.   They loved her too and want her there for pre-school. 

Today was cardio day.  26 minutes/1500 steps on the elliptical, and then 38 minutes of walk/jog/sprint on the elliptical and the walk part was only 10 or 15 seconds and it was so hot and I was very very sweaty. 

Last night? After we all went to bed (I decided to just keep going to bed early this week even though I don't have to get up at 4:00 am)?   ALL THE KIDS SNUCK DOWNSTAIRS TO WATCH TV.  I quickly realized that it was waaaay too quiet, got out of bed, stood at the top of the stairs and hollered "E1! E2! Z!"   Boy oh boy did they haul ass upstairs.  E1 shouting that it was E2's fault, E2 sobbing because she knew I was mad, and Z, bringing up the rear but trying really hard to get past the girls, had the common sense to keep his mouth shut and head for his bedroom. 

Today's Complaints

1.  Arthur is making fun of American Girl.

2.  Our mouse is goobered up. 

3.  Meh.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.

The Toddler and I are dropping E1 off at gymnastics.  Then I am coming home and gathering all the clothes she (E1) loves, putting them in garbage bags and hiding them.   I told her several times that if her attitude didn't improve, she'd lose her wardrobe and would have to wear khaki skorts and white shirts to school.  Time to follow through.  I'm not buying a new set of clothes with school almost over, so I'll just leave the plainest outfits she has in her closet.  Bye-bye Justice.

Shouldn't that be hoarding?

eta: They fixed it!

   

Here we go again

Z? Fine and dandy.  Confident and ready to present the great state of Kentucky.

E1?  Well, she was so busy fighting with me last night (about the dress she wanted to buy for her team banquet, about going outside to play instead of cleaning her room, about dinner) and this morning (about having to go to a school committment instead of her team banquet) that she neglected to do her homework AGAIN.  Another fun morning around here!!

Sybil has been her usual self this morning.

ARGH!

Z? No problem.

E1?  Had a headache and a stomach ache and it felt really weird when she stood up and even though daddy reminded her last night she didn't do her EPP reading and it feels like everything she does is a mistake.

So getting her out of the house was a struggle today. 

Rainy days and Mondays

I feel bad complaining, what with cyclones, earthquakes and tornadoes devastating other parts of the globe, but....rain? again? really? 

At least it's supposed to be sunny and 73 tomorrow. 

Going to be a long day

Z isn't going to school today; he's "too tired" and "didn't get any sleep last night".   E1 isn't going either, because "I'm tired too" and frankly, I don't think B or I were in the mood to fight her. 

The toddler started her morning whining and throwing things.

Somebody poured themselves a glass of cran-grape last night, got juice all over the bathroom sink, left the cran-grape sitting next to the sink all night and spilled cran-grape on Z's carpet.  Both big kids are claiming the other one did it. 

I LOVE the days when the Toddler doesn't nap

Yes, that was sarcasm.  So is this ---> I'm so happy the Toddler has found her inner shriek!  That piercing, high-pitched assault on the ears is an absolute delight.

Slytherin lost points for having a hissy fit over her pear falling on the floor that resulted in a melamine plate shattering.  (I should have realized how brittle melamine is; I honestly just meant to slam it down on the desk, not break it into pieces.)

eta: I realized at bedtime that she HAD taken a nap of about an hour. 

*grumble snarl*

Thank you E1 for wearing flip-flops on gym day, calling me so that I could bring you your tennis shoes, and not waiting by the office door so that I had to drag my unshowered self into the office.

Dear Lady in the Blue Station Wagon, 

     When you pull out in front of someone (and by the way, you could have waited until I passed - the road would have been clear in both directions) and go about 10mph, do not be surprised when the person behind you is irritated. 

     May the Bird of Paradise fly up your nose.

Sincerely, Me

*grumble grumble*

I did not go work out this morning.  E2 would not go to sleep and once I did fall asleep, it was fitful, not restful.    Today I am pmsing and hot flashing and rather crabby and tired.

I am tired of the people in this house who use a towel once and then wad it up and throw it in the dirty clothes pile.  Towels can be re-used and wet towels make the dirty clothes smell even worse.

I am tired of the person in this house who destroys her closet and drawers in search of the perfect outfit.  I am sick of re-washing clean clothes that have been strewn about the room and mixed in with the dirty clothes. 

I am sick of re-washing clean clothes that get ignored and not put away.

I am sick of doing laundry period. 

I am tired of tidying rooms I just tidied and vacuuming rooms I just vacuumed.

What. the. bleeeeeep?

I noticed when I got up this morning that the house was really, really cold.  I thought there was something wrong with me.  Opened the front door to go to the gym and, lo and behold, it was snowing. Snowing. On April 29th.  Well, more accurately, it was slushumping*.  Went back in the house and turned the furnace on.

Midway through our workout, it changed to rain. It's now 36 degrees. 

*when big wet clumps of snow fall to the ground and splat.

Huh.

It looks like our stimulus check just, and I mean just, got deposited, but it's for a little less than half the amount I was expecting.

And where the bleep is our FSA check?!?

How to lose 15 points without even trying

• Take a shower.
• Come downstairs in a towel, complaining that your knee hurts & your foot hurts & you feel like that day when you puked.
• Get told to finish getting ready.
• Go upstairs and get dressed.
• Come downstairs still complaining.  Take two tylenol and watch baseball highlights on ESPN.  Forget about various complaints.
• Go up and tell Dad you want Mom to take you to school.
• After Dad leaves, go hide upstairs.
• Refuse to go to school.
• Get reminded about loss of points.
• Run into bathroom, screaming that you're getting ready but it will take a half an hour.
• Get caught sitting in bathroom, not getting ready.
• Get reminded about loss of points.
• Make some sarcastic comments, throw a thing or two, and snottily state "That's a point!"
• Get reminded about loss of points.
• Run outside, sit on neighbor's curb and refuse to get in car.
• Get reminded about loss of points.
• Watch Mom start car and call Dad on cell phone. 
• Stomp and glare your way into the car.
• Arrive at school a minute before the bell rings.
• Refuse to get out of car until Mom states that if you don't get out of the car, Mom will get out of the car and make a big embarrassing scene and trust me you do not want that to happen.
• Refuse to get out of car until hair is up in a ponytail and jacket is on, even though you could have done that as you were walking into the school (or even better, BEFORE you came downstairs to watch the @#$%&*~! television) and when told that you are holding up the drop-off line, respond "I DON'T CARE". 
• Get reminded about loss of points.

Well, okay, I guess that did take some effort on HER part, but there was very little energy expended on my part. 

In my Kaboodle inbox. I'll get right on that.

From : ZAINA ISHAAQ
Abidjan, Ivory Coast

West Africa.
Email: zaina_ishaaq2006@yahoo.com

.

Dearest One,

Permit me to inform you of our desire of going into business relationship with you. I am quite aware that my message will come to you as a surprise because it is indeed very strange for someone you have not met before to contact you in this regard’s am able to come across your personal email and here is what I want me and you to deliberate on how we can get it out and then can be able to organize our future life.
I am ZAINA ISHAAQ the only Daughter of late Mr. and Mrs. ISMAIL ISHAAQ. My father was a very wealthy Cocoa merchant in Abidjan, the economic capital of Ivory coast, my father was poisoned to death at France by his business associates on one of their outings on a business trip on 29 June 2006
My mother died when I was a baby and since then my father took me so special. Before the death of my father in a private hospital here in Abidjan he secretly called me on his bed side and told me that he has the sum of (Six Million Five Hundred Thousand united state dollars) USD($6.500.000.00) left in fixed / suspense account in one of the prime bank here in Abidjan, that he used my name as his only Daughter for the next of Kin in depositing of the fund. He also explained to me that it was because of this wealth that he was poisoned by his business associates. That I should seek for a foreign partner in a country of my choice where I will transfer this money and use it for investment purpose such as real estate or hotel management.
Please, I am honorably seeking your assistance in the following ways:

(1) To serve as a guardian of this fund since I am only 23years.
(2) To provide a bank account into which this money would be transferred to
(3) To make arrangement for me to come over to your country to further my education and also to secure a resident permit in your country.
Moreover, I promise to offer you 15% of the total amount as compensation for your assistance, and another 3% to cover any cost of expenses which you will insure in this transaction, while the remaining one will be for me which shall be use for investment according to your advice because I will continue my educational carrier as soon as I come over to your country.

Furthermore, Pals indicate your options towards assisting me as I believe that this transaction would be conclude within seven (7) days you signify your interest to assist me. I will like you to forward to me your full contact information so that I will give you more detail and contact of the ban that holding this money

Your full house address........
Your phone / Fax number.......
Your full name........

Anticipating hearing from you urgently, please getting back to me in my private:
Email: zaina_ishaaq2006@yahoo.com

Thanks and God bless.

Yours Sincerely,

Zaina Ishaaq.