My Super Fun Morning! :(

I was so excited today! I got out of the house on time to take Sarah to school!! Yea, so I didn't have make up on, but I did brush my hair and teeth and changed out of my jammies so that is a success in itself. Madison was still in her jammies, but who cares she is 3 and doesn't leave the truck.

We pull out of the driveway and I notice the wheels feel weird and there is a noise when turning. I think it is wet leaves on the tires and it will get better in a second. No.

I pull into a subdivision all of 300 feet from my house and my tire is flat. Not LOW. Flat. gone. CRAP!

My BIL is at work, I call my dad who is sleeping and my mom says she will come help. k.

I call Hubby to tell him what happened and he starts telling me how to get the spare out of the back of the truck. What?

I have never in my life changed a tire. That sounds pitiful doesn't it? I have a brother and a father and a husband and awesome homegrown finger nails.

No, I am kidding, Sorta. That is all true, but I am not that type of girl. I get dirty, I break nails. I just have never HAD TO do this particular task before. I don't even know HOW to move the back seat to get to the jack and... yeah.

I am trying to keep track of my children because they think because they are standing on grass it is a yard and they can play. NO TAG!! All the while trying to figure out how to get my truck to release the spare, because it is not lowering as I turn the key in the box that says "turn for spare". It is supposed to lower from under the bed of the truck. Riight...

Then my mother calls me, don't you have AAA??

Well. I guess this would be one of the situations I would use that for!! OF COURSE! So I call, as my mom is driving up. Lets take Sarah to school! The lady tells me to stay with the vehicle... uh huh. I assure her as I am buckeling in to my mothers car and driving away.

My mother drives slow by the way. I understand she is not used to the roads and it is curvey and wet and she is being safe but I am freaking out. We get to Sarahs School and we are a minute late. I am supposed to walk her in and sign a late slip but I am giving directions to the AAA feller and well... They can call and yell at me later.

We get back to the truck and he is not there yet. YEA! I thank my mother and she runs to get ready for work, and get her Sams Card so I can go get my tire fixed after I get my spare on. I start to unload the back seat of the truck because it looks like, well, like a 3 and 5 year old sit/eat/color/play back there. He shows up and Maddie starts freaking out because he is a guy and she does not like boys. I tell her to just sit in the truck and be good he is here to help us.
So the very nice guy pulls out his air pump and inflates the tire.

He asks if it was low yesterday? (crickets chirping...)

I DROVE it yesterday but I didn't LOOK at the tire. I HATE it when I sound like a girl. But I don't know! I function on 4 hours sleep, I am lucky I remember to feed the children. He shows me the marks on the tire that mean it has been low, he explains that with the drastic temperature changes we have been having I need to look at the tires more often because it causes them to lose pressure fast.

So I guess if you put aside the inconvience of it all everything turned out OK. Sarah got to school, I don't need to buy new tires, and when I got home, my dog, who HATES being left outside but who wouldn't listen to me that morning so I left his happy butt outside to show him I was serious when I told him I would do it, was sitting on the porch waiting for me. Now I am going to go outside and practice changing my tires...

Man, I'm a Jerk

Every morning it is a battle. I am grumpy because I had to get up after 4 hours sleep. The girls are in no hurry and I have to tell them over and over and over and over again to do everything. Madison is potty trained but still wears a pull up at night in case she has an accident.
Twice last week instead of going potty she laid on the couch "cold" and peed in her pull up. This just makes me mad because it is laziness not anything she doesn't have control over.

So today I am getting onto them, get dressed, go potty, get dressed, go potty, get dressed,.. My whole morning!

Maddie is in her room whining about not being able to find any pants that are 4's. I go in there and grab a pair that are sitting right in front of her and say, Go potty before you pee in your pull up. To which she replies "I already did."

GRRRRRR

What do you mean you already did! How many times did I tell you to go potty today! "lots" So I tell her to go put her butt on the potty and take her pullup off I will be there in a minute to clean her up! She is crying. The whole time. This is not unusual, this child spends the majority of her day crying. It is what she does.

So I go in there and I tell her that babies pee in pull ups and I thought she was a big girl.
She is crying. I tell her to stop crying and come here. I go to take her pull up off and it is dry.

Madison! You didn't pee in your pull up!
"I know."
Why did you tell me you did??
"I said I already did go POTTY."

I was guilt tripping my kid when she did nothing wrong. So then I tell her Mommy is soo sorry she got mad at her to which the child starts crying AGAIN! So then I start crying cause I hurt her feelings! I ask her why she didn't tell me to stop yelling at her cause she went potty and she just shrugs her shoulders and said I made her sad.

Yea. I suck.

Kindergarten

My baby started kindergarten. Old news to some but I keep meaning to write this down so here you go. :)

I had Maddie spend the night at my mothers house so I could properly savor the moments. We get up and she has an outfit picked out that is most definately against the dress code, dress with spaghetti straps and flip flops but I am going to pretend I don't know because she looks adorable.

I give her a bath, french braid her hair give her cereal and take pictures. The kid is very excited. For weeks she has been bouncing off the wall. The night before I called home and hubby says Sarah put herself to bed a half hour early because she wanted morning to get here faster. I ask him why, if she has been in bed for 2 hours can I hear her in the background? The kid is in her bed giggling to herself too excited to sleep.

We get to the school after pictures outside, pictures of her buckling into her car seat and pictures of her riding to school and she tells me she does not have time for any more pictures! Bah.

So I walk my bouncing kid inside and we go to the table we are supposed to register at, I get a card for pick up and directions to walk her into this room and LEAVE HER (those people are brutal) then go to the library to meet with the principal.

I walk her into the class and it is at this point my child leaves me. Walks away. There are mothers around me with kids clinging, crying, hugging. My kid? Gone. Yep. She sat herself down at a table and is happily coloring. WHAT? Um. Mommy needs a hug! Not a goodbye, not a be good, not a I will miss you! Just... gone.

I walk towards her to give her a hug where I am intercepted and told to "go on over to the library mom, she is fine." I know she is fine. I can see that She is fine! Mommy is not fine!

I get to the library and sit down. The assistant principal is there going over basics, pick up, lunch, website, yeah, got it people. Then the principal comes in. The principal who, I am sure under any other circumstances is charming, starts off his time to talk by reading us a book. His pick? The Kissing Hand. Have you read it? I had not until that day and lemme tell you, that is not a book you read to a room full of emotional parents that didn't get to hug their kid goodbye today! It is a story about a momma raccoon who is preparing her kid for school and kisses his hand and says when you miss mommy put your hand to your face and that is me kissing you. When they get to school the baby raccoon kisses his mommas hand and tells HER when you miss me hold your hand to your face.

Stupid book.

When they were talking about pick up they said you could either come in with your card, or use car line. I was thinking, well I got robbed of my departure so I can go get her and get a joyous reunion!

I walk in the door with my card and am pounced upon by a teacher who shoos me out the door so the kids can practice. Why tell me I can come in if your going to yell at me for coming in!
So much for a joyous reunion. I get in line, I show them my card, they walkie talkie inside the school to send Sarah to the green cone.

Then my child is in my car. I ask her how school was, and she says very dryly, fine. What? I dropped this kid off 4 hours ago wired for sound and now she looked defeated. I ask her what is wrong, she says nothing. I know my child, I know there is something wrong. I was not completely on board with this kindergarten at 4 idea I will pull her out after 4 hours! She tells me she got in trouble.

See, if this was Madison and you told me she stabbed someone with a pencil I would believe it. But Sarah is my pleaser. The kid wants to help and make you happy, if she did something wrong it is because she didn't know, so I tell her to tell me so we can talk about it and make sure she doesn't get in trouble again.

She tells me they kicked her out of school. I am confused. She says
" I was in the gym playing with my new friends and they yelled at me put my backpack on and kicked me out of school!"
Just now when I picked you up?
"yeah."

So when they called into the school for her they had to get her to the green cone fast and when they called her name and sent her to me she thought she was in trouble and got kicked out of school.

Poor kid.

blah

So hubby and I figured we would get the girls guinea pigs for Easter. Sounds cute right? I have never had one, although I did have hamsters. Surely guinea pigs are better than hamsters right?

I picked out my hamster because she bit me. I was young and stupid and thought that I wanted a feisty one. Yea..
So after a week or so I feel things in her belly. I tell my parents that my hamster is preggo. No, couldn't be, crazy 13 year old is imagining things. The lumps inside her belly? Tumors. Have to be tumors.
I think they were in denial.
Anywho, a couple weeks later I wake up and lo and behold.. babies. 9 of them. Cuter than cute on cute I tell you, I don't care if they were bald and looked like little maggots with legs they were BABY HAMSTERS! I loved them.
She however... I donno.
I tell myself that they died. Her babies were dying off one a day of natural causes (maybe I wanted to be a crazy 13 year old ok). I want to believe she wasn't eating them alive. I know! ick!! I was tramatized!! Except MY hampster was a little evil I think because she would always leave a leg. One uneaten egg in her nest with the others. Maybe she was taunting them, all "you better be good or I will eat you, and I am NOT bluffing!"
Sigh
I saved the last two, loved them until they died of NATURAL causes. Sick hamster.

So of course, guinea pigs have to be better than THAT right?

Well, I wouldn't know.

I tried to find a guinea pig, 2 in time for Easter. Apparently these rodents are a rarity. We have a Guinea pig rescue in town. I have called, emailed.. no response. I was WILLING to sign application forms and do their house check/meeting to make sure I knew what I was getting myself into. I say Willing because they have them in a petstore, but I was thinking hey, lets get them from somewhere OTHER then the guinea pig mill... right? Right.
And I figure these have been in someone elses care for a while, I can trust they wouldn't be knocked up when I brought it home.

They said they have TONS of these things running around needing homes. I have a home in need of little rodents running around.

(sigh)

I tried to talk my husband into getting a cat instead. I say, with a cat we don't need to buy a cage, and bedding and water spicket, and toys and 4 types of food or anything to gnaw on. We need a food bowl and a litter box. It is SOOO much easier to change a litter box instead of a guinea pig cage.
I think he is still tramatized by Baxter...

So here I sit. No kitty. No rodents. blah.

Weeeeee

So for my birthday hubby has surprised me with a Wii Fit. I say surprised me because we had agreed or so I thought that we didn't need to spend the money and he couldn't find it anyway. But lo and behold one arrived to my doorstep 2 days ago.

I can only say.. wow. I can't tell you how many things I have bought with the intention of utilizing them and getting in shape. I also cant tell you where they all are because after they sit out for a few months hubby puts them out of the way. I find them every so often covered in dust and think... oh THATS where THAT went. huh.
But that is about the end of it.

The only thing that has survived is the balance ball. But more in that it is multi functional. It soothes a crying baby faster than nyquil. Both of mine have loved it. It is also helpful when the girls want me to load a movie, I can sit on that instead of getting on the floor. he he.

Anyway.
I have been sore for 3 days now. A good sore. A fun sore. You really don't feel like your working out. There are a few downsides.

First. The kids love it. The 2 year old can do almost everything. I have to share. I am not good at the sharing.

Second. It weighs you. You have this fun little Mii character that you can make to look like you, right? Yea when it weighs you your cute little mii gets fat. Like PLUMPS up right there and it says "THATS OBESE."
I know I am fat. you don't have to rub it in.

Third. When the girls get on the board to play it says yea! When I get on it is says "OH"

It is a big ol fat joke. Mean little Wii creators. not nice.

Put it does keep track of your progress, and it is really fun. I am hoping this sticks. Since the kids come running into my room every morning wanting to play mommys game I am thinking it might. They play it all day!

OH! It is my turn!!

Maddies Big Day.

The day started out with me and my children going to my mothers house and sitting around looking at each other bored. Sarah asked if Mema would cut her bangs cause they were in her eyes. Sarah got her bangs cut and Maddie asked for hers cut. Mema is getting ready to when I say, lets just go get her hair cut. I have been meaning to for a while. You see, her hair is crazy. She has 2, count em 2 cowlicks. Both going in opposite directions. The top of her hair is straight. Underneath? Curley. So she has this volume from the curls which is cute, but the top strands that are straight stick straight out of her head. I can't leave it down cause she looks like a crazy wild child.

She is sooo brave. We are driving and she says, after we get my hair cut Mighty Maddie wants blue earwings. I ignore her. My mom says, lets do it. I tell her no. Hubby has this thing against earrings. Wants them to be old enough to know what they are asking for. I would have had them done when they were babies, but some things aren't important enough to battle over, this is one of them. I tell my mom no earrings, not gonna fight.
I call hubby and the miracle of miracles happens, he says he doesn't care.
So I tell Madison. Daddy said you can get your ears pierced. She immediately says no. What? When I said daddy wouldn't let you get them done you wanted them. I tell you he said you can and now you don't want them? She says yep.
I tell her Daddy said no and she says Mighty Maddie wants bwew earwings!! Whatever kid. Lets go get your hair cut.
We get in the hair cuttin place and she is determined. They call her name and she marches up there and sits down and tells her she is going go get her hair cut! She sits still, poses for pictures. My big girl.... hair looks crazy as usual, but shorter. I will have to find a magician for her hair apparently.
She struts out. Lets go get my ears pierced! She proclaims. Fine.
We go to Claires. There is only one girl working which should have been my big red flag to do it another day. But she was so cute. She got in the chair, pushed the bear over. She didn't need to hold no bear! They clean her ears and she is sitting up all big and tall. Markers? No problem. We are ready for the first gun. She doesn't blink. We ask her if she wants Mema to hold her (I am videoing this). NOPE. Line up. Shoot.

Meltdown. Oh she cried. I held her and she cried for about a minute. We showed her the earring and she fell in love! She said she was Beautiful! Yeah! And it doesn't hurt. She agreed. I asked her if she wanted me to hold her for the second one. Yep. Fine. I sat down with her. Such a brave little girl I have.

Line up. Fine. Shoot. Cries. ok. no problem. I hold her.
The girl says uhoh.
UhOH!?
The earring didn't come out of the gun. It pierced her ear... almost. Didn't go all the way through. Didn't come out.
I am a little occupied with my baby having a nervous breakdown. Shh shh shh shh shh.
I try not to cry. What are we going to do?
She says she doesn't know. She needs to call her manager. ugh.
Apparently this happens sometimes. The solution? Leave the ear alone for a day, come back and get it shot again.
SHOT AGAIN??
You want me to do this to my child again?? I have already scarred her!!! (yeah in reality she is down trying on hats with Sarah no worse for wear but I AM SCARRED!!)
I tell Madison to come here. We will take the first earring out. We will do this again when she is older (I know... insert should have listened to hubby taunting here).
Maddie says no. She WUVS her earwing.
Maddie, I say. You can't have one earring. Lets take it out.
NO! MY EARWING!!!
I don't know what to do. My child is running around with ONE ear pierced! ONE!
She is not a little boy in the early 90's. This is not cool. But she loves it. She cleaned it herself. Shows it off with pride.
I ask her what she wants to do. She said she wants to try again tomorrow.
I DON'T WANT TO TRY AGAIN TOMORROW. I am a nervous wreck and have been on the verge of crying ever since. My stomach is knotting. My nerves are shot.

The kid is braver than her mommy. Which is good cause she is tough and strong. But scary because she is hard headed and stubborn.
I don't know if I will be able to go back and do it again. Maybe I will just send her with Mema.
I want to cry...

Sarah's first...

Bad word.

It would happen as we are getting dressed and ready to go to church on Sunday. I had just gotten my dog groomed. There is nothing my dog loves more after a 50 dollar bath than rolling in the dirt. I go out with him so I can police his every move and yell when I see the evil thoughts in his pretty brown eyes.
I am getting my jacket on and Sarah asks if she can come with me? I tell her no, I will be right back. Where are you going? She asks. I tell her I will be right back and let the dog out.
A minute later hubby opens the front door and asks that I come in.
He tells Sarah to repeat what she said.

She looks at me and said

"I said where the hell is she going?"

oh boy. At least she didn't ask while we were AT church.

It was an Accident.

Several things can be accidents. There are car accidents. There are spilling accidents. No one means to spill 5 dollar cups of delicious Mexican cheese goodness. If your like me you spend the majority of the day being sorry for stepping on people, bumping into people, hitting people. Yes you can accidentally hit people, stretching, reacting to loudness... many ways.
Accidents happen.

Madison started crying.

Me- what are you crying about Maddie?
Her - WWWWWWAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
Me- Madison, I don't understand crying. What happened?
Her - Sarah! WWWWWWWAAHHHHHH!!!
Me- Sarah, why is Maddie crying?
Sarah- I donno.
Maddie - Sarah (mumbling sob) me!!!!!
Me - Sarah, did you hit your sister?
Sarah - (sheepishly) no.
Me- What did you do to her?
Sarah - I didn't mean it
Me - Did you bite her!?!
Sarah - It was an accident.

Why can't they accidentally lay down and take a nap?

Serious advice for the new Redneck.

It is official now. You have now embarked on a very interesting journey in your short life. I am like you, not born into this lifestyle but find myself legally bound now. I want to share some nuggets of their reality that would have made my transition go much smoother had I known.

It will take a while to get the language down. They don't pronounce vowels. If they said Pen we would understand they were asking for a writing utensil. But they say PIN. Because this causes confusion they have to specify. They need an INK PIN.
They do not heat water to a boil. They heat water to a bowl.
Same thing with oil. No oil. owl. You will be clueless for a long time. Pay attention, if you miss a word you might be able to deduce what they meant with the rest of the conversation.

Do not throw bacon grease out. EVER. I don't know what happens to bacon after it is heated but it must be incredible because it must be instantly transferred to a coffee mug and kept between the stove and the kitchen sink.
If they find out you say... threw it out, poured it down a drain (okay in the south, not so okay up there in O Canada where it will solidify instantly and really tick daddy off) or even pour it over the dogs food, fainting will ensue. Put the liquid gold in the coffee mug and don't ask questions.

Speaking of dogs. Don't fall in love with a particular breed. Dogs are only acquired when one
A. Won't leave the yard.
B. A friend of a friend of a friends mutt had puppies.
C. They were at the flea market and you threw a fit.
Redneck dogs are never to be paid for, and if they are it is never more than 20 bucks, Cause dogs are free. But don't get attached, if it gets sick it will disappear and you will have to wait on another free dog to find you.

Flea Markets. Ah. They are a way of life. Get used to them. Rednecks are required to attend at least one a week. Weddings are planned around the operation hours of the flea market. It is completely normal to see a pregnant woman walking around long after her water broke looking for a camo onsie.

Camo. (sigh). It doesn't matter if you hunt. You have to have at least one outfit that is completely camouflage. Head to toe, including under garments. Die hard rednecks have the bedspread, sheets and couch cover.

You are 5, so be prepared in 3 years to learn how to use a gun. I don't care what your disabilities are every redneck needs to be able to shoot the beer can off of their mothers head by age 8.

Driving may wait a year or two, depending on how tall you are. You should be able to drive well by 12 so that you can go get your parents from the local bar. If you are all swervey and get pulled over the cop will lay into your parents for not teaching you how to drive properly and it is back to the cow field for more practice for you.

Don't tip the cow. I don't care if there is nothing better to do when you are drunk and 13, it is mean. That point I do not waiver in.

When you are driving down the road and you see a sign for "Seasoned fire wood" do not ask what it has been seasoned with. Apparently we are supposed to know that it means the wood has sat for a year. You will never live that one down and it will be brought up anytime you are meeting new rednecks as proof you are an outsider.

Pick a tooth that you don't like and have it removed. You won't fit in if you have all your teeth. The fewer you have the more advanced you are in the hierarchy of Rednecks. Try not to cry when the scary old ladies at the flea markets without teeth try to touch you. You must not insult Rednecks with fewer teeth than you.

You will notice that soft drinks are often drank from a bottle you can see through, with a cap. This is a must. If you HAVE to drink out of a can do it quick and don't put it down. If your can has been on a table for as little as 3 seconds let it go. It is gone.
NEVER, EVER, EVER drink out of that can again.
You can never tell who around you needs to spit out the juice from their smokeless tobacco. Everyone does it. Does not matter if they are under 10, over 90, female, pregnant, or even smoking a cigarette already. The last thing in the world you want to do is mistake someones dip can for your Mountain Dew.

I hope this helps. It will give you a running start anyway.
Enjoy your new family, they love you more than you know and you are very lucky to have them.

Oh Boy, not again.

Sarah has been quite um... active the past few days. Not listening, not stopping. Just I guess being a 4 year old. Last night, right about at the end of the rope I tell them to go in my bedroom and take their clothes off and we would be right in to help them get jammies on and get ready for bed.
They are in there about 40 seconds when I hear them jumping on the bed. So don't have the energy to care. Then I heard a pretty loud thud, sounding very much like 38 lbs of Maddie bug hitting the floor. Then she cries. ugh.
Now Maddie is my whiner. She cries over everything and anything. Didn't run in there because I really thought she was fine. I pick her up and she tells me she has a boo boo. Uh huh. Kiss it. Cradle and rock her. She doesn't stop.
I look at her hand and she won't let me touch it. uh oh.
I feel her arm, it feels ok (I went and became an ortho dr over the weekend ya know!) I feel her hand and she screams. I ask her where it hurts and she points to smack dab the center of her hand.

Seriously, what are the odds? What are the odds that both my kids would break the same bone within 3 months?
But more than that, what are the odds that the doctors are going to NOT turn me in for breaking my kids hands? There is a great amount of talent involved in breaking the bone Sarah broke back in the first of December. If they both have a hand (opposite hand on this one btw) that happens to have the same broken bone they are surely going to think I am breaking their hands.
I tell myself that we would be fine. They have their own rooms and beds and clothes. We have food and a semi clean house. I ponder staying up late and cleaning their rooms which currently look like... well, like kids live in them (sigh).
I give her some midol and figure we would wait and see if it swelled overnight.
Not being neglectful, but I know at this point a trip to the ER would do nothing but get me a bill and a number to an Orthopedic doctor for a cast on Monday.

I woke up this morning praying her hand was okay. They look so pitiful with those little casts on. Please be okay bug. I look at it while she is sleeping and it looks okay. Whew.
She wakes up and I ask her how she feels. She says her hand "still huwrts". awe. My broken Maddie Bug. But she can bend it and use it and hasn't mentioned it in a few hours.
We are lucky on this one.

Isn't it funny tho that the one thing you fear most when your a good parent is someone thinking your not?

GEESE!!

It was spring today. Yeah full out spring on Feb. 9th. I will have to check to see if we hit the record of 71, the thought it was going to hit 70. Anyway, it was nice out. I decided to take the girls to the park and let them run around.

Sarah started off climbing up this pole with discs on them. She had done it 3 or 4 times when she declares to me that she does not need help (I had not been helping her at all mind you) and she can do it all by herself! She gets 3 discs up and falls off. It was so funny. She had her hand up on a disc and dangled for a split second before falling on her face.

I shouldn't laugh, I know I shouldn't but there is few things funnier than your kid being all "I don't need you" and then falling on their face. Karma kid. Karma. You need momma FOREVER.

We went for a walk and some lady is walking a rat on a string. Sarah of course falls in love at first site. I tell her it is a Chiwawa.

"Chiwawa?? Oh, mommy can we get one."

"no."

"why? It is so cute!"

"Because it would be breakfast for nubby (cat)" The cat has eaten rats twice that dogs size. I have seen her down in the field... I know.

The girls start to race around the walking trail. I am going to have to take video of Maddie running. I can't describe it. She moves her butt while she runs and it looks like she is always a step away from taking a nosedive into the concrete. They run pretty far, Sarah gets a pain in her side and we tell her it is from running, to slow down. Which worked for 20 seconds until the little one got ahead of her. We can walk about as fast as Maddie can run but she gets so excited when she is in front. She was yelling for us to "hurry up and run like me!!" funny kid.

We go play on the playground some more and I notice 3 geese. Which normally would not be that big of a deal, but these geese were HUGE. Ginormous geese. Their flippers were about the size of my husbands hand spread wide open. Their necks are what stood out the most I think. They were not so much necks as fire hoses. Nuts how thick their necks were. I could not help but wonder how much wringing it would take... nevermind.
Maddie freaks out. She starts hiding behind me and getting all timid which is completely out of character.
So we walk away and Sarah notices a couple ducks on the lake and asks if we can sit down and watch them on the bench. Sure.
These are obviously ducks that have been here a while. We sit, they come. Sarah asks why they care coming towards us and my mom tells her they think we have food. Sarah yells "We don't have food ducks!"
They still come. Maddie is getting nervous again because the geese are on their way over. Those big Honkin geese are closing in fast too.
"momma!"
Me, not being one to forgo an opportunity to scar my children for life tell her, Maddie, relax they just want to check your pockets to see if you have food."
She covers one pocket with both hands and stares at them. "I don't have food! Gooses!"
They get closer and she gets more desperate. "I don't have food gooses!!!!!!"
he he he he
I say, come on honey, lets go to the truck.
She won't move. The geese have stopped and are now staring at her. She has her gaze fixed to theirs. A tumble weed blows by... (whatever, shut up).
I try to prod her to move. Nothing.

So I do what any normal, caring mother would do.

I scream that there are more behind her and she better RUN!!

I get a call later from my hubby asking why Maddie is afraid of birds wanting to eat her pockets. I have no idea....

OOPS.

Yesterday as we were coming home from church my mother calls. Well, she called DURING church and I was returning her call after church.
Anyway.
She then tell me that she called me yesterday, did I get the message? No, I didn't. What did you want?
"Why didn't you get the message? What were you doing yesterday?"
Now I will just say here that nothing is ever easy. I can't just ask a simple question and get a simple question. EVER. She can't just tell me what she wanted without me going over every aspect of what I did the day before and reasons I was too lazy to hit the play button on the answering machine.
We get through all of that and she tells me that she was at target yesterday and she saw 2 kitties and just wanted to let me know.
You can feel the boiling now can't you?
Did she get a Kitty? No. But she called.
When I ask why she didn't buy it and bring it to me she said she doesn't have 40 bucks to waste on a stupid cat (GGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRR).
I tell her I would have paid her back to which she replies with "uh huh".


I go to Target and I see them. They are both there. The one to the left sees me instantly and mews a greeting. Stupid cat. I pick up the one on the right hoping it is broken but as soon as I have it at eye level it starts. It mews all the way to the front register and startles the feller ringing it up. He he. So it wasn't all bad.
I put it in the truck, back seat, on the floor so it isn't staring at me. I leave it there so I can sneak it in after bed time. It is a Valentines present.

Fast forward to this morning. I procrastinate very much this morning so I am rushed to get them dressed and run out the door. It is so pretty out today and we are going to get Mema (me mudder) and we are going to the park.
While we are getting dressed Madison says she has to go potty. She sits down and goes potty!!
All 3 of us are doing a potty dance and the girls get a mini candy bar as a reward for Maddie going potty (kid loves sugar and I have to get her attention). She is sooo excited and she is going to tell Mema and she is going to be soo proud of her! So we run out the door and bounce into the truck. I open the back door to lift Madison in and I hear "MEW!". I forgot to get the Kitty.
Sarah screams and swings her door open so she can see it.
There is not much I can do from here. I tell them it is for Valentines day and give it to them.
We get to Memas and my mom looks at Sarah holding the Kitty, still in the box and says "I thought you said it was for Valentines day?"
I sigh and set in for another round of 2o questions. Why did I leave it in the truck? Did I not think of it this morning? Why would I give it to them before valetines day? Did I win the lottery that I can just buy the girls 40 dollar presents because it is Monday?? Don't I know that I shouldn't leave things in the truck cause people will steal them? Yada yada yada.

Hide and Seek.

It was quite beautiful out today. A little odd in that it was 65 degrees and we still had a snowman sitting in the front yard. No snow, just the mound that was the snowman. After we got home from breakfast the head had fallen off making it hard to look at. The girls first snowman was dying a snow death in the yard. I couldn't watch.

But the girls wanted to go outside and play. I am not an outdoor playing person. I enjoy a park like the rest of us but backyard? Eh.
But I went. Sarah and I had fun thowing balls at hubby while he rode around on the 4 wheeler. Then Sarah suggested we play hide n seek.
Not a bad idea. Madison does a great job of hiding. She will be clearly visible at all times. In the rare occasion you are not looking in her direction she will give herself away by telling you to look at her!
She didn't much play.
While I was hunting my husband she asked me what I was doing. I told her I was looking for daddy! She said "oh, Daddy is right there." and disclosed his hiding place. I love a good rat.

It was Sarah's turn to hunt and so I took Madison with me to hide. We went and got in the bed of Uncle Drew's truck and laid down. This was perfect! We are laying there, looking up at the cloudless sky through tree branches that are budding for spring. It was so quiet and peaceful. Maddie and I were holding hands and she is studying my finger nails. She tells me she is a good hider and I agreed. she was doing a great job.

It is around this point in time she take my pointer finger and sticks it into her nose. She twists and pulls it out. I look at my finger and there is a booger in my fingernail. I remove it and flick it out of the truck and asked her why she did that. She tells me "I had a booger in my nose!"
I ask her why she didn't get it out on her own.

"Because Mommy! It was a big booger!!"

Yeah, it was a big booger. Crazy kid.

I am going to rip my hair OUT!

Either rip my hair out or put my head through a wall. Maybe kick my butt. Yeah. THAT will teach me. I GIVE UP!
Not really. I can' t give up. You know why? Because I am a frickin mommy that is why. All I want to do is chuck it up into the oh well bin but I have a 4 year old that doesn't forget anything. You think I am kidding? We were walking down an aisle at Target and she says, Mommy, do you remember when we were here with Beaux and we went to starbucks and you got me and Maddie that coffee drink to share?
Yeah. That was a year ago last OCTOBER. The kid doesn't forget. She was barely 3 then. Does not forget.
So of course she is not going to forget that Santa forgot to bring her the illusive white kitty. I didn't know the fricking thing was illusive when I saw it everywhere I went. When it was on Amazon for 25 bucks. Nope. It was everywhere. Everywhere I looked the ugly thing was sitting right there blinking at me. I hate you kitty. I hate you with passions. I hope that Biscut the fur real friends puppy is chewing on your head.
(sigh).
I need that kitty...

RIP dear fridge.

I woke up yesterday and bounced around the house (not as in bouncy ball hyper but as pinball drunken stupor from 5 hours of sleep) getting everyone their "needs". Dog needs out. Kids need juice. Breakfast? ugh. I sleep in my contacts so everything was hazy because I had not put drops in yet so I could not see a frickin thing. Okay. I remember that we have toaster strudels and Sarah saw a commercial and asked if we can get some the day before so I am thinking I will dig them out and make them that for breakfast. Easy, yummy, will buy me a good 15 minutes.
I open the freezer to dig out the box and notice that the first thing I pick up is a little squishy. Things are not supposed to be squishy in the freezer!
The blasted thing died in the night.
Hubby calls and I tell him. He comes home at 11 so we can go find a replacement. Easy right? We measure the hole and go. We find one we like. They can have it to us by Thursday. I have a laundry basket full of freezer food on my back porch packed with snow. Can't keep it that way until Thursday!
We find another one. They can have it in on Thursday.
I think for a moment about his sanity.

We pick a floor model and tell them to wrap it up.
You want to hear a fun thing about fridges? For every minute they are laying down they have to wait an HOUR to be plugged up. True we are only about 10 minutes from home but we needs to plug it up as soon as we get it in. So it was funny watching them stand the fridge up in the back of the truck and us trying to "secure" it with twine. We creep home hoping the thing doesn't fall over... it would be our luck of course.
So we get it home safe and sound. Back the truck up. Guess what! It won't fit through the front door.
It is just funny at this point.
Hubby takes the doors off, and an hour or so later it is in, reassembled and I am stocking it.
I love it.
It is so pretty.
It has ice in the door!
Or at least it will when they hook up the water line.

The Land of Uncare

Okay, it is not so much a land but an existence. I have been there for years. I care about the big stuff, but otherwise.. eh. I don't care. It is right there in the title, I don't care, shut up I'm talking. I don't care.
I go to school when I think of it, cause eh, I don't care.
I don't do housework because I don't care.
I don't leave the house unless someone drags me.
Honestly the list can go on forever because I don't do ANYTHING. I don't care.

So we all remember a couple months ago when I ventured off the birth control and suddenly felt a wave of emotions. It wasn't so much what I felt, or how I felt but the fact that I felt that stood out. I felt. I felt sad. I felt happy. I felt driven. I planned, and plotted and looked ahead. I loved. I FELT.

I put the ring back in and last month I was right back smack dab in the lonely center of I don't Careville. Yeah, it can be fun to not care. But I had fun caring. I laughed over nothing. I laughed till I cried. Ashley was ready to send me upstairs to play with the crazy old people. I felt.
I didn't feel last month. I am back to being bitter and selfish and hateful and rude and go ahead, fill in the blank with the word you think goes here.

So there was a post on knoxmoms.com that got me thinking about the cause of my issues being Birth control. Hormones. Evil hormones. I don't know if it is what is making me feel the way I do, but I know I am willing to stop them and see how it goes. No, I am not trying to get pregnant, Carrie still has to lose a 12 year old, but I want to try to get normal.

I know that today, even at only day 9 with no BC I am feeling the compassion for those I didn't extend it to before. I feel guilt for the way I think about some things. I feel hopeful for the plans I want to make. I feel blessed and humbled. I feel softer. Not in the weak, walk on me soft, I will still kick your tail - watch it. But soft, and comfortable in me. I like it here.

Door to Door Bible Thumpers.

I want to start by saying that although I don't believe you can earn your way into heaven by passing out cards about Jesus, I respect the beliefs of those who do. To each their own. I hope to heaven that these people who are willing to go to a strangers door and spread the love of the word of God with people are rewarded for it later.

HOWEVER

There are so many crazies in this world. I know I read the news too much. I really don't do much else besides read the news. I devour it all day every day. Love it.
I have of course read too much about people getting hurt, killed, raped, beaten... because they let their guard down.

So how do I know you aren't a cleverly disguised meanie posing as a innocent kind hearted Mormon?

Thus, when someone knocks on the door you better believe the only thing I am going to do is double check the dead bolt and try to hush the kids. Which is so frickin hard! Have you ever tried to keep a 2 and 4 year old quiet when someone is knocking at the door? They suddenly forget how to whisper. "Mommy! Who is that!?!?"
SSSSSSSSHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
"Why do we have to be quiet?!"
GGGGGGGGGGRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

The other alternative would be to shout through the door, Thanks, but I am good! Go away!

It surely doesn't make me sound like a nice Christian whose heart is right with God does it? No. It makes me sound rude and hateful. Which most of the time I am fine with, but really... they are holding a bible. It just feels wrong.

But Alas, I have 2 very wonderful little girls and I can't take that risk. There were two of them today. I was out numbered. They were big too, it wasn't like the little Mormons on a bike, they came in a car. A man and a woman. Too much of a risk if you ask me... and they did, by knocking on my door.

I am sorry if I came across as hateful guys, but I am a momma bear just protecting her cubs. But I appreciate your concern for my soul. I really do. I hope they can understand my concern for my children and not hold it against me.

I cut her hair.

My oldest is 4 and almost a half. She has never had a hair cut. Basically she has beautiful hair, always has. When she was little she had the curliest hair ever and honestly I was afraid if I cut her hair the curls would leave and never come back. Scary thought. When she got old enough to care she decided she loves her long hair. She will look in the mirror and say it is beautiful, and it is.

But it is old and has split ends. I was brushing it yesterday and on a whim decided I was going to take it upon myself to cut it. I tell her it will look beautiful and healthy and she agrees, kinda.
I start cutting and realize the scissors are dull. Too late to turn back. I set some hair down on the table next to her and she says "um, mommy, that sure is a lot of hair..."
Yeah baby, it is okay tho. All in all I took off about 5 inches. Put it in a baggie because I have issues with separation okay?

To my glee (!!!) her hair is still curly! Yea! So cute. She is happy, it is still below her shoulders so she can't see the end when it is pushed back.

I did pretty good too, even with the dull scissors, it is straight.

But afterward I was kicking myself. She would have loved to go to a salon and get it done. I didn't think. I must start thinking.

I miss you... Peanut butter cookie.

I have heard that 6 people have died. BUT I can't find reports on the people who died, were they old? Babies? People with compromised health?
BECAUSE
I thought Salmonella was more of a - you get sick, stomach cramping kinda thing. Gastroenteritis...
Which of course if you are sick, you don't need to add fuel to the fire.

I understand not giving them to my kids. Fine, no PB kids.

So. That being the case. GIVE ME MY FRICKIN PEANUT BUTTER COOKIES BACK!
They have not been selling them for over a week! I am having withdrawals.
You might be thinking Carrie! Why would you want to get sick?
I say to you, my friend...

FAT PEOPLE NEED COOKIES!

But more than that... IF I do eat a cookie and get sick it means

A. I had a great time eating my cookie.
B. Cookie is not going to be in my body long enough to adhere to my hips.
C. Do you know how much weight people lose when they are sick with gastroenteritis?!?!?

Tell me, where is the problem?

Oh kitty kitty, why do you run from me?

So I still can't find that stupid cat. I have hunted. Sought. Offered favors to the lady at ToysRUs (Which I must say she was not amused which made my willingness to do them for said kitty evaporate).
I found it today on Amazon. I have to say I don't understand the whole Amazon thing well. I got a couple great deals pre-Christmas which told me it was worth my while to check.
They had some, in stock 39.99 free shipping. Heck yes! It tells me they will be available 1-17, order now!!
Okay, so I put kitty in the cart. I confirm my shipping address and payment info then click on "Proceed to Checkout".
I then am informed that the quantity I selected is no longer available.
huh?
I go back to the begining. Find Kitty. Put kitty in cart again. Confirm and proceed again only to be informed I can't have it again!!
Why tell me to order it now if it isn't going to let me until Saturday? I don't understand!!!
Do they have Amazon for Dummies?
here kitty kitty....

Batteries!!! And a stupid cat.

I don't remember needing batteries for everything when I was growing up. I had a light bright that you plugged into the wall. My dolls had eyes that opened and closed, but it was more of a riggie thing that had something to do with gravity. I had board games and blocks. I survived a child hood with few, very few toys that needed those portable energy bullets.

My children have not yet finished opening all of their Christmas presents. They got that much crap! We have not deboxed it all!
But what is worse than the fact that they got too much, is that Sarah didn't get a white kitty.
No, not a real white kitty, but that Ugly Fur Real Friends white kitty. I didn't get it because it is ugly. Really ugly. What do I know? Ever since then she will ask us if Santa will get it for her next year. She is good by the way at the guilt. She will just sigh out of no where. "(Sigh), Mommy, will you help me wish on that star?" Me sure!
Her - "star wight, star Brite, first star I see tonight, I wish I may, I wish I might, have this wish I wish tonight... I wish for that white kitty, not a real one, the fake one. I wuv it so much."
I smile at her. 10 seconds later she asks "Mommy, do you think that White kitty will be there when we get home?" I bang my head against the steering wheel. Why you ask? Because they were everywhere before Christmas! Now!!! NO WHERE TO BE FOUND! argh!

Today Maddie asks for her leapfrog computer thingie. It is a keyboard and mouse that you hook into the TV and play with. After wrestling with the box for 10 minutes, cutting tape and thick plastic doo hickeys and ripping a chunk of my index finger off it was free!!

Free, and in need of 8, yes count em 8 batteries. 4 AA and 4C. argh.
We have several rechargable AA's in the house. We learned a long time ago they need to be around and constantly juicing. Sarah got a VSmile pocket that cripples at least 4 batteries a day, a spongebob game that houses another 4. I have my camera needing 2, and then we have 15 remotes. We are lovers of the rechargables.
I need to get more AA's. A set for Maddie. I don't want her to have to share Sarahs.
We have some of the big batteries on the counter from Uncle Drew. He bought a bunch for the light brites he got them for Christmas, sweet huh?
So we pile into the car. I need to get some stuff to make sweedish meatballs anyway, and I am on a mission to get Sarah a Fur Real Friends White cat (if you see one, call me!).
We go to the store. We get the mandated cookies from the bakery lady, because entering WalMart or Target and not getting a cookie would provoke a meltdown that would have strangers giving them cookies to shut them up. I promise. You would fetch them cookies yourself.
So we get hamburger, sweedish meatball mix. We hunt for the still evasive cat (amazon has it for 80 bucks, but come on... that is insanity) and I get 4 AA batteries.
While we are out I figure I will check Target, just in case. No kitty. course not. Why would there be a kitty? I think about heading to ToysRUs, but they are saying they are hungry, it is 12, so I figure I will go home and make lunch.
After lunch I sit down to put the batteries in Maddies thing. I have the screwdriver. I get the 4 AA's in. I screw the lid in. I unscrew the shield for the main part that plugs into the tv and try to put the D batteries I had on the counter into the holes big enough for only C's.

Shoot me now.

I try to explain to Madison that Mommy is an Idiot. I try to stop her crying because she decided today that after 3 weeks of it being in a box she NEEDS it out NOW!!

I could have packed them back up and took them back to the store for more batteries. I could even have gone to ToysRus to buy them. But the yelling gave me a headache and instead I put them down for naps. I am going to join them. We will go on a Kitty/Battery scavenger hunt tomorrow.
C's Carrie... C's!

He done ticked me off.

My children love Sams Club. Love. I mention the place and clothes suddenly find themselves on their bodies. Shoes magically appear and I don't have to ask them to turn out any lights. Sometimes I think about telling them we are going just to motivate them to get out the door, but they would catch on sooner or later.
Why do they love Sams?

Samples. OMG. They will eat anything that is in a little plastic cup with a toothpick. Itty bitty spoon? Even better. It amazes me how they will coax me into walking by a stand 2-3 times to get more and yet when I purchase this goodness they can't get enough of and put it on a regular plate with simple unexciting frogs or monkeys on it and hand them a fork they look at me like I have betrayed them and won't touch it.

I need to make a note to buy those cups, surely they sell them there right? Right.

After we check out everything in the entire warehouse we have to have Nathans hot dogs for lunch. Not that they have room after the super sampler frenzy, but we have to. They make me. I don't like those hot dogs on butter buns with mustard and onions and those neat pouches of sauerkraut. mmmm.
I digress.

This snack bar purchase accomplishes 2 things.
1. Lunch is done, easy.
2. I now at this point have 2 receipts.

Why, you ask, do I need 2 receipts??

I have 2 kids. For the longest time they had this super nice lady that checks your cart and checks off your receipt. This angel with a highlighter would draw smiley faces on them for my kids. They loved this, looked forward to it. Sometimes when she was not busy she would draw hair, long for Sarah, short for Maddie. Loved her. Miss her.

Now they have some old guy at this station who doesn't even smile at you. Why they have him doing this I will never know because he is not nice. We have to ask him everytime for a smiley face please. Please. My two beautiful daughters say please! He does not think they are cute apparently.
Yet, he has obliged us and given them smiley faces which have brought my babies great joy. It doesn't take much.

Today... on a day where the place is far from busy. When we walk up to him with neither no one behind us nor in front of us, he takes Sarahs receipt and draws a happy face with out being asked ( I think he is learning finally!) then he walks away. I turned to him and he whipped around and told me "They are just going to have to share".

-Moment of disbelief here-

I am not expecting much. It takes 4 seconds to put 2 dots and a curve on a receipt. My Maddie at this point starts to cry. I want to tell him he is a jerk , but just move out the door. My child is not a tantrum thrower and is not crying in a "I want that now!" kind of way, but more in a "why did he break my heart" kind of way, which only further prods momma bear.
My mother, recognizing the rage searches her purse for a pen and gives my baby a smiley face. She looks at it, smiles through her tears and says "Thank you for my happy face Mema."

Am I over-reacting? Yeah I know it is not his "job" to smiley face a receipt, but come on. I go there several times a month. I don't think it is too much to ask.

I'm sick

Not in the OMG, your a freak kind of way. In the can't feel my head, throat hurts and can't escape the nausea kind of way. I went to bed feeling fine! I did have a dream that I kept blowing my nose. Stupid sinuses. Here I was getting ready to hit the gym for the second day in a row (almost a record thank you very much)! uh.
My girls seem to enjoy it when I am sick. I don't have the energy to tell them to stop doing anything so they have free reign of the house. All I can do is watch them from the couch as they tear the house apart and harass each other. Maddie is currently in the Lincoln logs container. She popped the bottom out so she can walk around with it around her for some reason. I am thinking it would be cute if she had shoulder straps and she could just wear a barrel, remember that? I don't remember where I remember that from, cartoon? I donno. whatever.
Girls are cool cause they don't destroy, they "decorate". They have every blanket they own out and over the carpet. I have a patch work floor. ha. But there are toys everywhere, mainly the Lincoln logs that no longer have a home... Must send hubby to store for plastic storage container. yea. I will forget that in 3 minutes.
Madison, who should be on her 4th cup of apple juice (relax, before you start on the juice causes obesity kick, I water it down, so she is really only on 2 cups of juice, and 2 cups of water. it cancels it out. And besides, the kids not fat, has my butt, but not fat. shut up I will give her juice all day if I want to) but after the first cup and her asking 40 times and me not moving she found a half empty bottle of Cherry coke and is sucking that down (yeah, 4 glasses of juice doesn't sound that bad NOW does it?).
Sarah has decided she needs hot dogs for lunch.
Anyone know a place that will deliver hot dogs??
But my darling Sarah did bring me my Slanket. She is such a good kid, always wanting to help and mother people. She is old enough to learn how to cook her own lunch right?

Bathroom Humor.

After church yesterday Sarah asked if we can go to her favorite restaurant for lunch (since her um, mother was too busy being dramatic to get her breakfast, crying over nothing... telling myself it was PMS). I ask what her favorite restaurant is and she said Chinese. I explain to her that the Chinese restaurants over there suck eggs and she tells me "No! The Chinese restaurant next to Chuck E Cheese's!" Well, that makes more sense. It is a pretty good (if you can look past the health score) Japanese restaurant. Has the buffet section, a kick ass sushi buffet, and a hibachi grill in the middle. Fine. Let us go.
We get there and find it packed. There are 2 hibachi fellers but a line 7 deep. Uh. whateva. I take Sarah with me leaving hubby and Maddie. We do this dance every time we go. I take Sarah, place our order with Hibachi fellers, get Maddie a plate from the buffet and return it to her, go back to get our food and then tag hubby so he can scurry to get his food.
Today however the line is awful. I grab Maddie's food and settle in. Sarah is bouncing in exactly one square foot of space and I am starting the normal threatening, glaring and hand squeezing to keep her still.
We get up to where there is one guy a head of us. Woo hoo. Light at the end of the tunnel. If those people would just hurry up with the grilling already!!
Then of course it happens. Sarah says "Mommy! I have to go Potty!"
me- "Wait a minute." I look and I think they are about finished. So they are going to take this guys order and then I will place mine! Then we can scramble and drop off Maddie's food, run to the potty and be back by the time it is done!
Sarah, after well over a minute "Mommy, I don't think I can wait much longer."
The Hibachi fellers are still buttering veggies and plating. Really, just another minute and they should be done!
She starts bouncing. uh! Fine, lets go! We deliver Maddies food and I tell my hubby that we have not ordered yet, and Sarah has to potty. Sarah is circling the table dancing as she happily places chop sticks at every place. I tell her to come on! There was URGENCY a minute ago and now she is just dancing around the table!
Bah!
So we go to the bathroom, she sits down and just stares at me. I say WHAT? she says What??
I ask her why she is not peeing! She says because she has to poop!
Yea! great.
So I settle in for the long haul. We hear someone come in and occupy the stall next to us. Sarah says, very loud by the way "mommy! Are they going to go pee pee or poo poo?" I whisper, pleading for her to hush. "But Mommy! What are they going to do!!" I tell her I don't know!
Toilet flushes, stall is vacated.
"Mommy, she must have just gone pee pee cause she was too fast for poo poo."
Lady giggles and leaves.
whew.
She then tells me that her arms hurt. I ask her if she is done.
"Mommy! I will tell you when I am done. I am not done, my arms just hurt!!"
"What do you want me to do about that Sarah?"
I am wishing I had my phone so I could call Brad and tell him we are going to be an hour and he can go get himself some food.
"MOMMY!!! My arms Hurt!!"
"Sarah, I can not hold you on the potty. You need to hurry up."
Someone else comes in! Oh great. I lean in and tell her to be quiet.
"Why do I have to be quiet?!" Great. Now I am a freak in a stall with a child I am trying to keep quiet. I lean my head back on the door.
"Mommy! Do you have to pee?"
No Sarah, I am good. Are you almost done?
"Mommy! I already told you I will tell you when I am done! Is that lady going pee pee?"
Yes Sarah, she is going to go pee pee.
After what must have been a good 15 minutes she tells me she is done.
She stands up and I wipe her butt, and she asks me
"Mommy, how many poos did I went?
Sarah....
"Mommy! How many?! Did I go 12 poops?"
Laughing comes from stall next to us. Good, off the hook for being a freak.
Yes Sarah, you went 12 poops. Good girl.

Me Misses...

From time to time I will have withdrawals for NY. I don't know if it is my family per say... could be. Could be the smog, or smell of all the buses burning diesel fuel. Maybe I miss the lack of greenery, and trees in lieu of concrete as far as the eyes can see. We lived in the nice neighbor hood where all trees were set in cement with metal grates letting the rain through to the roots. That was the way it was, and it was fine. Normal. Some neighborhoods didn't even have these trees lining the main road.

The sidewalks were never the same for more than a few houses. Some were smooth and nice, perfect for roller skating. Once you got going real good and fast it would switch up to cobblestone with huge uneven cracks that would send you flying, if you were lucky into a hedge, but more often than not I landed on the jagged brushed concrete which does a fantastic job of scraping the skin off of bone.

We could walk to where ever we needed to go. A corner grocery was a block away. Pizza parlor on the corner. Hills (thats were the toys are) 10 blocks away to the East, and then Grams was about a 30 minute walk to the West. What else do you need?

I miss not having air conditioning in the summer so we had to have all the windows open with box fans in them. We were a driveway away from our neighbors and we lived in a stacked duplex, so there was another family living above us in their house. Noise was everywhere. Muffled music, TV, or fighting was a constant comfort as I tried to sleep. Sirens, or dogs fighting and the occasional fight that had to be taken outside. I miss the noise of the city.

The snow was beautiful. We had lake effect snow all the time! I miss the trees that didn't sag under the weight and the plows that made it manageable. My mom would wrap our feet in plastic bags from bread so they didn't get wet on the walk to school, because it doesn't matter how big or waterproof your boots were, the snow was higher and it would fall in the top and get your socks wet. There is nothing worse than having cold wet feet all day.
But we could make snowmen! Snow angels, sledding, snowball fights! I am beginning to wonder if my girls will ever touch snow.

Then of course I miss my crazy family. But right now I am just thinking of the fun childhood my kids won't experience.