Where's the Beef?!?

I gave up meat for Lent. I think it is killing me slowly, especially since I noticed the new Burger Studio is open, and I have been waiting for it to open for almost a year now! ARGH!

Here are some pics from the snow, hope you enjoy. Jackson truly had an amazing time, loved his dinosaur "snow" boots (really rain/gardening boots from Target). Tyler was not a huge fan of the snow, but other than fruit snacks, what is she really a fan of. She loved the big TV with Dora! The "cabin" we stayed in was actually more like a palace, we are so blessed to have such generous friends!

Yes. . .I'm Jackson's Mom

How funny is this shirt?! Totally stems from the moms in the class stopping me in the hall to tell me about their daughter's crush on Jackson! We (Andrea, Shannon, Tamara and I) have spent many mornings in the parking lot discussing what the shirt should say that I should wear, and they actually had it made for me for my birthday! I cannot wait to wear it to school on Monday morning, the teachers are going to CRACK UP!!!!!!!!!!! Now I have my Tyler's t-shirt (Tyler's Burgers in Palm Springs) and a t-shirt with Jackson's name on it. THANKS GUYS!!!! I am so lucky to have you as friends.

P.S. More snow pictures are coming soon-I forgot my camera, so I had to have them put on a disk from the disposable camera, and it is not my favorite thing to work with!

Insight

A little insight into the world of buying a home, it involves LOTS of tears, LOTS of pools with no fences, and LOTS of waiting. Apparently we are in a 48 hour window during which we will find out if the bank accepted our offer on Short Sale #1. This would be EXCELLENT turn around time IF we actually hear something in 48 hours, a little under two weeks!

Yesterday, I spent my ENTIRE child-free time going from one slum property to the next. Don't get me wrong, there are NICE properties out there, but the owners are still under the impression that they can get "pre-recession" prices out of buyers, and if the market shows anything, these houses are not selling. If they would bring the price down, the house would be snapped up, but they don't HAVE TO SELL, so the pretty houses continue to sit on the market while I investigate ghetto fabulous homes. I wish I had a picture of the house with the wood scene wallpaper mural that was on the wall when you walked in-if you know me, you know that I don't want the "great outdoors" in my entry way! Needless to say, the rest of the house was RIDICULOUS as well-I think this is the home that is missing the thermostat (ARE YOU KIDDING ME?)! At another house they had painted the doors, cabinets and base boards SILVER! Another home must have had a leak, so the bottom 2 feet of every wall was missing with exposed pipe and the flooring was all pulled up. Almost every home has some sort of "water damage" to the roof, which I can't blame on the economy, just the crazy storms over the past few years and some of the houses are older, so that immediately sends Pat running for the hills. I ended the kid-free time with lots of tears in the car because I am so concerned with where we are going to end up AND a Spicy Chicken Sandwich from Burger King-OFFICIALLY the best spicy chicken sandwich out there, and it is only a $1!!!!!!

In case anyone is looking for a way to cheer me up, I will accept a gift of housekeeper for a year because I HAVE NO TIME TO CLEAN! Not that I have been putting forth much effort because this house will be a GEM to the buyers out there because it is cleaner than most, but I am sick of living with the clutter. Maybe we have too much stuff.

In other news, Jackson has the most amazing sense of humor, which I think we all knew, but I can be seething mad, and moments later, he will make a comment, and I will be laughing for days! Tuesday evening, Obama arrived in Phoenix, so of course it was all over the news. We watched the plane land, the door opened, the stairs rolled over, and suddenly a photographer arrived in the door and was taking a picture of the crowd. Jackson was like, "Mommy, what is she doing?" I tried to explain the concept of the stalkerazzi, and how if people are famous, they have someone go around with them and take lots of pictures of them. He looks at me and says, "Like when we go miniature golfing. You follow Tyler and me around taking lots of pictures of us!" Yep buddy, I am your own personal stalkerazzi!

Trying to reduce the amount I yell based on a book I read called, 1-2-3 Magic. There was just way too much debating, arguing, screaming, threatening, etc. going on in this house, this book suggests that if you don't talk back, they don't have anyone to argue/yell with, so the amount of yelling decreases. I have been pretty overwhelmed with Jackson and Tyler's behavior lately, so I headed to the bookstore, liked this one and went with it. It is not fully implemented yet, but just working on bringing the noise level in the house down. Hoping I can stick with it!

Tag! You're It!

I was tagged by my friend Claire-here's the game: post the seventh picture in your seventh folder and tell about it. Don't cheat, just post what is there - then tag 7 other people (or as many as you want)! How funny is it, that it is not even my picture!? I downloaded some pictures for my good friend Lori while she was visiting and uploaded them to Shutterfly for her! I thought the picture was totally fun though when I checked it out, so here is what I am posting.



John and Lori are always taking fun road trips,and this time they happened to be on the corner of Winslow, AZ! They always have their camera,and they must take four thousand pictures a week! Love you Lori, maybe this will bring you out of the closet you blog stalker!

Now I tag: Karissa, Katie, Karen, Rebecca, Cynthia, Shannon and Laurie!

Feeling a Little More Than Proud!

The school year is almost over, so the end of me ranting and raving about there being 13 girls in Jackson's class and only 3 boys is coming to an end. I know I have blogged incessantly about all the little girls in his class that have crushes on him, and really it is so sweet. The other morning, one teacher was getting ready for Mommy's Day in the kitchen, so the other asked if I would stick around and help out for a few minutes! I obliged! This is the teacher that told Jackson she wanted to eat him on a cracker. I mean SERIOUSLY, he has the woman fooled, FOOLED I tell you! So, it was Jackson's day to be line leader, which also means that he gets to do the calendar, so as the class is counting, he points to the number with this little pointer finger thingy, SUPER CUTE! Made me wish I was less TERRIFIED of preschoolers so that I could witness this sort of cuteness more often. Anyway, it was the day before Valentine's Day, so he was wearing his "Heart Breaker" t-shirt from Old Navy. The teacher went on and on about how appropriate it was for him because the girls love him, and how they want to have a snack table big enough so that EVERYONE who wants to sit with him at snack and lunch could do so. I guess they start grabbing at him when it is time to eat, and she said it is quite humorous, and that they have been working on not having the girls stand on top of him or touch him lately. The eye rolling going on in my head is incessant at this point. GIVE ME A BREAK, I love the kid, but COME ON people. THEN, the teacher proceeds to tell me it is because he is incredibly nice to every child in the class, he never tells them that he doesn't want to play with someone, he always includes everyone, and he never has a mean word to say to any of the kids (apparently some of the other kids have been not so nice lately). HELLO, wouldn't you be in love with him too! That makes me proud of my little Jackson!

ALSO while I was in there, the teacher told me that I don't need a parent teacher conference, that Jackson is already READING, and that I should just send him to first grade! As a former teacher, that makes me SUPER PROUD!

This is probably one of those OBNOXIOUS, bragging e-mails that other parents hate to read, but come on now, how could I pass up those opportunities! I wanted to write it out so that when I want to strangle him later this afternoon, I could reflect back on how he portrays me as SUPER parent in public!

The Elephant in the Room

Why has no one addressed the octuplets? I have been dying for a blog about it, so I guess I will have to do it myself. I watched the 20/20 last night, and I am secretly obsessed with her because I personally want to compare her to a serial killer. You know how serial killers are SOOOOOOOOOO smart, and they get away with murder time and time again because they are smooth talkers and cover their tracks? I kind of feel like that is what she is doing, and let me remind you, I have a degree in psychology!
I think in her first interview with NBC, she was BEAUTIFUL-full lips, cheek implants, and very Angelina Jolie. However, the most recent, she didn't fool people with her looks because they caught her from her bad side! She looked like she was going bald, and they were calling her out on all her lies, so her beauty faded! Here are the things that I THINK are wrong with her situation!

(1) She keeps saying if she were married, she would not be receiving such criticism, and it is simple math, if she were married, it would be 2:14 as opposed to 1:14! That is tough, anyone who has kids knows being a parent is tough, and you need someone to share the burden with.

(2) Money, if anyone knows student loans, Pat and I know student loans, 1/5 of Pat's paycheck every month goes to student loans, and we are VERY fortunate! She is getting a Masters Degree in Psychology, I will have to research more, but is this REALLY going to put food on the table for 14 kids?!?????

(3)Housing issues would blow my mind in this family: (A) I don't believe in sharing rooms, so that would put a damper on that! (B) One of the children is autistic, and children with special needs require A LOT of special attention!

(4) Overall, it is a lot for any one parent. Children are a blessing, just as she keeps saying, but they are also A LOT of work, and to keep having them to fill some void is completely irresponsible. Since she is so irresponsible, she can sit on camera and say that "stopping her life and being present for her children" is un-selfish, but COME ON, if you stop your life every time one of your FOURTEEN children need you, you will not have a clean home, you will not have clean clothes, and you will not have dinner.

I don't appreciate her sitting on TV judging me because I have to walkaway from the 100 piece jigsaw puzzle I am helping Jackson with to make dinner. It is not that I am not "present", it is just that I know my RESPONSIBILITIES!

Pot of Gold

I woke up in a really bad mood yesterday morning, but today, I decided it was the start of a new week, and my children have been relatively good, so I am in a better mood. I took Tyler for her first manicure and pedicure today! She was a little freaked out at first, but once the hot pink polish hit her toes and fingers, she was all good. Now if I could just convince her that she can't put her fingers in her mouth with the polish on, we would be set and able to break her of the finger sucking! She had a blast, and it was a STEAL for just $6, this all happened while I got my very own spa pedicure, so who knows, this could become a Monday tradition, killed an hour, and I didn't hear, "We go get Jackson?!", one single time!

Yesterday before or after one of our rain sessions, we spotted this BEAUTIFUL rainbow just by standing in our driveway. The clouds were SOOOOO BLACK that the colors just popped. I was in my car backing out, and I came running in the house to get the kids because it was the best none I had ever seen in my life!! I am hoping it is a sign of good things to come!

I Don't Like FOUR!

Four years old is NOT a fun age. I haven't enjoyed one single minute of the constant whining, temper tantrums, etc. It stinks because he is old enough to tell me what he wants, but if he doesn't get it, there are these huge meltdowns that could go on for hours if I let them. There isn't so much body flailing as there is LOUD obnoxious crying!!!!! I wonder what my neighbors think. We probably have more noise coming out of this house, than when they were grinding out the tree stump. Unfortunately for them, their adoption date is fast approaching, and Jackson spends a lot time crying it out in his room, which is closest to their house!!! Lucky for them, we are going to have to move sooner or later!

P-I-M-P

It has become apparent that Jackson is seriously the P-I-M-P of the class! I told my friends this morning that I am going to make a t-shirt for myself that says "PIMP's mom"! We figured it out, and I was wrong! I would actually be the pimp, and Jackson is the gigolo! ROTFLMAO!!!!!

It is very sweet, and I am happy to know that he treats all the girls in the class with such respect that they all fall in love with him, but there are 13 girls in the class. If he spoke of them ALL, I would be listening to stories FOREVER, so I can't lie and say he talks about them all too! He has now taken to telling me that he sits on a chair at school all day and not to ask me what he did because that is it! The kid is too smart for his own dang good!

Vacation from my Vacation!

There is so much to be done when returning from vacation, for one getting Jackson and Tyler to school pronto so that I could have a break from their sweet, angelic voices, HA! Do you ever feel like you need a vacation from your vacation!

This is my first day alone with the two of them-ALL DAY- in over two weeks, and I have to admit, I was a little nervous, isn't that silly!!??? I had such great help that I wasn't alone with them after my surgery, and I have to say, I could REALLY get used to that! My mom was instrumental in my speedy recovery. I love her-I can just call her at a drop of a hat, and she is leaving work, taking my kids, sick, not-so-sick, driving from Mesa, whatever! I hope I am as amazing as her one day! I don't think I have it in me, but it gives me something to work towards.

I finished Revolutionary Road, and I want to let you all know before you call a psychiatrist for me, that it represented a small portion of my life, and I really didn't connect with at all. Doesn't make it any less of a book, because it was GOOD, and it makes me laugh to read what I wrote about it back before I read it and NOW!

Other news, we are in the process of buying a house because the house that we are currently renting is being foreclosed on, and we don't know when the trustee sale will be. I know there are MANY people out there that think this is a "Buyer's Market", but until you have been out there, you have not seen the condition of the homes. I call them slums. The house on the outside may seem fine, but they need so much work. Call me old-fashioned, but I remember the good old days when homes had to be "show-ready", people were trying to impress, etc. Now you go into a home having NO IDEA what to expect, EXCEPT DIRT! You also don't negotiate with humans, but you negotiate with banks, and they are not human! REALLY ANNOYING! I am sure we will find something, but it is not an enjoyable experience!

We have THREE birthday parties to go to next weekend, granted one of them is for THREE people, so it is a total of five presents, better get shopping!

Disney Day #4

I am sad to say that this is the very last Disney post, and it is quite short because I was PICTURED OUT on Day #4! Got some cute shots of Tyler wearing her tiara, and some more of her with the princesses, but this day was mainly about going back and riding the rides one more time!







Tomorrow, or later this week, I will be back to my normal blogging self! Until then, XOXOXO

Disney Day #3

Off to another character breakfast, this time at the Storyteller's Cafe, we had a great time EATING on this vacation. Pat had a stain on his jeans when we got home, and he was trying to figure out what it was, so he asked me what we ate the day before we left, and I just kept listing and listing, seriously the list was endless.





This was also the first day that Tyler posed for a picture with a character by herself. I love this picture of her looking out of the corner of her eye waiting for California Minnie to make a sudden move! She never really relaxed around the characters. Jackson on the other hand was interrogating the character. He asked Tigger why he wasn't bouncing, so Tigger jumped, but he didn't bounce on his tail, so Jackson called him out. Pat and I laughed thinking about the teenager inside that is like, "Dude, I am doing the best I can, you are FOUR, leave me alone, you are supposed to believe just a LITTLE BIT LONGER!" Anytime a character was not with their entire entourage, he would ask where the other members were. Clearly, one was not good enough. We never saw Donald, and since the whole house just recovered from strep, we told Jackson that Donald and Daisy had strep and couldn't come out and play!



On this REALLY HOT DAY, we went to the Playhouse Disney show, it was amazing. Much different (and BETTER) than last time we were there. Tyler had a freaking blast, singing the songs, clapping, jumping, I think it was the most fun she had. Jackson on the other hand told me that it was all pretend, and he didn't get that into it! He just liked when things fell from the ceiling, so would constantly look up waiting to catch something!




California Adventure has an amazing new ride, Toy Story Mania, so much fun, and you wear these silly glasses that make it 3-D! Unfortunately, we only got to ride it once because when we went back it was broken, but I am so thankful we got to experience it!




AND FINALLY, this was the first day that Tyler met the princesses! Jackson did NOT like the characters that were real people, so he didn't want to stand with any of them, he did finally jump in one with Tyler and I! Tyler on the other hand, just walked from one princess to the next saying, "More, more, more!" There are only three at a time, and you never know who will be there! I think in my next life, I definitely want to be a Disney Princess as my job, can you even imagine!???