- ...and then it was a busy Monday... and now it is a busy Tuesday, but I figure I've got to write sometime!
Seth had his first basketball game on Saturday. I think he had fun, but it is a little frustrating when so many very little people are trying to learn to play a sport of any kind. Seth really loves basketball, and he was irritated by the kids who didn't stay in their positions and didn't even try to dribble the ball. Other than the "injury" he sustained, I think it went pretty well, though. Here are a couple of pics:Grace and I skipped gymnastics last night, and I'm beginning to wonder how long this schedule can keep working. We need a gymnastics program in our own town... ugh!
School is in full swing now, for everyone. I am more interested in my classes this term, so that should help. I am still procrastinating, though. The kids are way ahead of where they need to be, but we still have to meet attendance requirements, so I'm getting creative with our lesson plans at this point. By March I don't know what we're going to do!
Caleb has been full of funny things to say lately, but unfortunately I haven't written any of them down. I have to get better at that again.
Ian is growing like a weed! He smiled yesterday... aw... It was so cute!
OK... OK... Someone in this house needs to go learn something now...Lisa
Comments (1)
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It is ok! I agree... We need to get together sometime!!
Love ya! ~Shandi
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Happiest Place on Earth
Sunday, April 8, 2007
It Was A Busy Weekend...
Friday, April 6, 2007
Why Dishwashers Are...
... Basically Useless
I am kind of weird about certain things. I like to feed my children homemade snacks. It doesn't mean we never pick up fruit snacks or Little Debbies. I'd just rather bake, most of the time. I also like to do my own dishes... by hand. We lived in our current house for about eight months before I used the dishwasher. I don't like spots on my silverware, and I don't like re-washing half the dishes, because they don't look very clean. But sometimes the dishwasher comes in handy.
This afternoon, I was exhausted. I have heard it said that it would be nice if babies came with instruction manuals. Frankly, it would have been nice if Ian had come with a cow. He likes to eat... a lot. I am pretty sure he took only occasional breaks between 4 am and noon. I was dozing sometimes, so he may have been, too.
At about quarter after twelve, it occurred to me that the other people who live in my house might want to eat, too, so I started making pizza... and breadsticks... and cookies. We actually sat down around 2:00, because I did much of this with only one hand.
After we ate, I realized a couple of key things. First, Ian had fallen asleep at some point, draped over my arm. I set him down. And, second, the kitchen was a mess. Ordinarily, this is a pretty good combination, because I have both hands free to clean. But I didn't want to clean. I wanted to sleep! Sleeping wasn't exactly an option, so I decided I at least wanted to spend some times with my bigger kids, while the baby slept. I quickly swept the floor and loaded the dishes into the dishwasher.
I squeezed... and shook... and hit the container that was supposed to have dishwasher soap in it, but almost nothing came out. So I figured I might as well just load the thing up with regular dish soap. If you use a dishwasher regularly, you are probably already laughing, but I hadn't realized what a humorous adventure I was about to have.
I quickly checked my e-mail... wrote a response... and returned to the kitchen... which was, of course, covered in suds at this point. I stood there feeling kind of stunned for a moment, and then I told Phil that the kitchen was covered in soap suds. He was willing to blame the kids for messing with the dishwasher, but I confessed. Then I shook my head, laughed, and started mopping up the suds with dish towels. Caleb came into the kitchen and laid down on the floor on his belly so he could watch.
As of this writing, I still haven't actually opened the dishwasher. I am afraid of what I will find. In the end, I don't think it saved me any time to use the dishwasher, today, and that is irritating, because I am still tired, and I'd like to go to sleep!
I'm not sure there is a great moral to this story. Lots of wonderful, upstanding people use dishwashers. But I guess it doesn't pay, for me at least, to cut corners. I need to do the job right the first time, or I end up with a real mess.
Being a mommy to four little people is exhausting sometimes. I think I need to invest in more frozen pizza.
Lisa
I am kind of weird about certain things. I like to feed my children homemade snacks. It doesn't mean we never pick up fruit snacks or Little Debbies. I'd just rather bake, most of the time. I also like to do my own dishes... by hand. We lived in our current house for about eight months before I used the dishwasher. I don't like spots on my silverware, and I don't like re-washing half the dishes, because they don't look very clean. But sometimes the dishwasher comes in handy.
This afternoon, I was exhausted. I have heard it said that it would be nice if babies came with instruction manuals. Frankly, it would have been nice if Ian had come with a cow. He likes to eat... a lot. I am pretty sure he took only occasional breaks between 4 am and noon. I was dozing sometimes, so he may have been, too.
At about quarter after twelve, it occurred to me that the other people who live in my house might want to eat, too, so I started making pizza... and breadsticks... and cookies. We actually sat down around 2:00, because I did much of this with only one hand.
After we ate, I realized a couple of key things. First, Ian had fallen asleep at some point, draped over my arm. I set him down. And, second, the kitchen was a mess. Ordinarily, this is a pretty good combination, because I have both hands free to clean. But I didn't want to clean. I wanted to sleep! Sleeping wasn't exactly an option, so I decided I at least wanted to spend some times with my bigger kids, while the baby slept. I quickly swept the floor and loaded the dishes into the dishwasher.
I squeezed... and shook... and hit the container that was supposed to have dishwasher soap in it, but almost nothing came out. So I figured I might as well just load the thing up with regular dish soap. If you use a dishwasher regularly, you are probably already laughing, but I hadn't realized what a humorous adventure I was about to have.
I quickly checked my e-mail... wrote a response... and returned to the kitchen... which was, of course, covered in suds at this point. I stood there feeling kind of stunned for a moment, and then I told Phil that the kitchen was covered in soap suds. He was willing to blame the kids for messing with the dishwasher, but I confessed. Then I shook my head, laughed, and started mopping up the suds with dish towels. Caleb came into the kitchen and laid down on the floor on his belly so he could watch.
As of this writing, I still haven't actually opened the dishwasher. I am afraid of what I will find. In the end, I don't think it saved me any time to use the dishwasher, today, and that is irritating, because I am still tired, and I'd like to go to sleep!
I'm not sure there is a great moral to this story. Lots of wonderful, upstanding people use dishwashers. But I guess it doesn't pay, for me at least, to cut corners. I need to do the job right the first time, or I end up with a real mess.
Being a mommy to four little people is exhausting sometimes. I think I need to invest in more frozen pizza.
Lisa
Thursday, April 5, 2007
It's almost time...
I have been working on a book for the past 18 months. Well... that's not exactly true. It goes something more like this... I stay up until midnight working on the book one night. Then I stay up until 2:00 or 3:00 am working on the book the next night. Then I don't touch the book for three or four months. I start thinking about the book again, and the process begins again. And it goes on... and on... and on...
But I think I am really supposed to finish this book. Like, right now.
When it is finished, I am going to publish it myself. This is for a couple of reasons. First of all, I don't have the patience (or maybe the endurance) to suffer through long publishing processes that would probably end with a pile of rejection letters. And second, I don't want anyone to do anything to change my book.
Perhaps no one will read it. I guess I am OK with that, but I still hope someone reads it anyway.
It will be very honest... and very raw. And with that in mind, it will also be written completely from my own point of view, so I'm pretty sure there will be people who feel it is less than honest. That's because there are many... many sides to the story. I doubt those people will read the book anyhow, but just in case, I have changed their names... and the names of their churches... and the names of their towns.
I am telling you all of this, because I am currently caught up in the chapters that are the heart and soul of the story. And it is very difficult to write. And I want to make sure I have "done justice" to this part of the journey, if nothing else.
I fully expect to be less sarcastic and less cynical when I have finished. I am already well on my way. But I will still have a dry sense of humor, because that's just the way I am.
So, please send up some prayers for me while I finish this project. I'll let you know when it's done, just in case you want to read it.
Lisa
But I think I am really supposed to finish this book. Like, right now.
When it is finished, I am going to publish it myself. This is for a couple of reasons. First of all, I don't have the patience (or maybe the endurance) to suffer through long publishing processes that would probably end with a pile of rejection letters. And second, I don't want anyone to do anything to change my book.
Perhaps no one will read it. I guess I am OK with that, but I still hope someone reads it anyway.
It will be very honest... and very raw. And with that in mind, it will also be written completely from my own point of view, so I'm pretty sure there will be people who feel it is less than honest. That's because there are many... many sides to the story. I doubt those people will read the book anyhow, but just in case, I have changed their names... and the names of their churches... and the names of their towns.
I am telling you all of this, because I am currently caught up in the chapters that are the heart and soul of the story. And it is very difficult to write. And I want to make sure I have "done justice" to this part of the journey, if nothing else.
I fully expect to be less sarcastic and less cynical when I have finished. I am already well on my way. But I will still have a dry sense of humor, because that's just the way I am.
So, please send up some prayers for me while I finish this project. I'll let you know when it's done, just in case you want to read it.
Lisa
Sunday, April 1, 2007
So... Let me tell ya about last week.
It was my intent to write this when I got my pictures developed. Unfortunately, I have learned that if you are going to buy a disposable water camera, you should by Kodak only. My water pics. turned out lousy. I will not be posting them here, after all!
We visited Great Wolf Lodge on Wednesday. Not this past Wednesday... the one before. If you are going to visit Great Wolf Lodge, you should do it on a Wednesday, because the rooms are something like half price! We arrived early and were able to check right in, even though it was supposed to be a few hours until the official check-in time. That was super! Phil's mom and dad came with us and accidentally ended up in a handicapped room with no bath tub. That was my mistake... and a big one at that! They were good sports. We stayed in a "Kid's Cabin" room, because our family is too big to fit in "normal" rooms at this point. The kids thought it was the coolest thing ever!
After Phil dragged all of our luggage up to our room, we got everyone ready to go to the waterpark and called Grandma and Grandpa. Were we ever in for an adventure! Taking four non-swimming little people to a waterpark definitely requires four adults... especially when a three month old is part of the group!
After snapping Seth, Grace, and Caleb into life jackets, we were off! Unfortunately, about 5-10 minutes into our fun, Seth tripped on a slippery set of stairs and landed on his face. This required a trip to the first aid station to track down some ice and fill out an accident report. It resulted in a terribly bruised, fat lip. I felt awfully sorry for him. However, Seth wanted to get right back out there and play, so the injury was minor, in his opinion.
We enjoyed plenty of water fun, including Ian's first trip in a lazy river (and I do mean a very lazy river) and Seth's first solo trip down a really big water slide. Grandma was a huge help holding Ian for several hours and splashing in the baby pool with Caleb. Grace just about ran Grandpa into the ground taking him up the steps to the double tube slide over... and over... and over again. And, Phil and I even got to spend an hour by ourselves in the evening. It had been a long time since I'd been in a hot tub, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I want one of my own... hehehe...
We enjoyed the arcade and came home with plenty of "prizes". We ate at Gitchigomie Grill, inside the lodge. The food was good, but I think I'd walk across the parking lot to Steak-N-Shake if we visit again. We took pics. with the bear in the lobby. We heard the singing moose. And we sat through the great clocktower show from which our children gained insight into new age theology...
Overall, I'd say that Great Wolf Lodge is an excellent experience for families with young children... well... minus the new age theology!
Families with teens or groups without little kids might want to try one of the other indoor waterparks, but I have never been to another one in the area, so I really can't make a recommendation.
When we got home, we ate pizza, washed diapers, and packed for another "mini-trip"!
On Saturday morning, we went to my "Paw's" 80th birthday party! It was awesome, because he was completely surprised. We ate at Old Country Buffet, where Phil, Grace, and I ate too much... Seth ate every variety of bread known to man... and Caleb decorated himself with blue frosting from the birthday cake! Caleb also took off running through the restaurant... including through an employee area... but I finally caught him. (As a side note... Since then, Caleb has run through Applebee's, only to be caught by Seth, since Phil was stuck in the middle of a very large booth and I was feeding Ian. He also made a mad dash for the McDs kitchen, and I nearly left him there to work for the afternoon!)
After we ate, the party moved to Paw and Glenda's house, where we had even more snacks, and we watched the slideshow DVD I put together. It must have been a hit, because I need to make five copies of it and get them sent out sometime soon!
The real... ahem... fun was only beginning, though. We went to have some family portraits taken, and let's just say my kids were too tired... and wired... at this point. Caleb bounced off the walls (nearly literally), while Ian screamed, and Seth and Grace nearly pushed Paw off the posing stool. We still got some decent pics. I was, however, beyond tired and crabby by the end of the night. I do not do tired and crabby well. If you are ever in the same general area as I am in when I am tired and crabby, please do not talk to me. It is for your own health and well being that I issue this warning...
We went to Phil's mom and dad's house next, to spend the night. Once we got the kids to sleep, I stayed up and made fun of Christian programming. I am notorious for this. If you like Christian programming, please don't take offense. Remember, I was tired and crabby. I am thinking of sending an application in to the "Christian idol" competition, though... Oh, nevermind. If you weren't there, this makes little sense...
I finally went to bed when it became obvious to me that I was completely incoherant. And with that, I ask you, why do people drink? I mean, I can become completely incoherant just naturally... Maybe it is a gift...
We went to our home church the next morning, which feels more and more like it isn't our home church every time we visit. The new paint in the children's church room is awesome, though...
Later in the day, we packed up, made a final stop to get Gus' breadsticks, and went home.
Monday morning, the scale was not kind. However, I have lost 5 1/2 lbs. since then, so I am OK with that.
This past week, we were insanely busy. Thankfully, both gymnastics and soccer are over now, so we have a bit of a "breather" before we start in again with every activity under the sun. I am especially sick of school (mine... not the kids' so much) in case you haven't noticed in my last few posts. I was going to take a summer class, but I have changed my mind. I need a break!
Well... this was long... and long overdue, but now it is written. And soon it will be posted. And I am just about to cross that tired and crabby line, so I'd better hurry!
Lisa
We visited Great Wolf Lodge on Wednesday. Not this past Wednesday... the one before. If you are going to visit Great Wolf Lodge, you should do it on a Wednesday, because the rooms are something like half price! We arrived early and were able to check right in, even though it was supposed to be a few hours until the official check-in time. That was super! Phil's mom and dad came with us and accidentally ended up in a handicapped room with no bath tub. That was my mistake... and a big one at that! They were good sports. We stayed in a "Kid's Cabin" room, because our family is too big to fit in "normal" rooms at this point. The kids thought it was the coolest thing ever!
After Phil dragged all of our luggage up to our room, we got everyone ready to go to the waterpark and called Grandma and Grandpa. Were we ever in for an adventure! Taking four non-swimming little people to a waterpark definitely requires four adults... especially when a three month old is part of the group!
After snapping Seth, Grace, and Caleb into life jackets, we were off! Unfortunately, about 5-10 minutes into our fun, Seth tripped on a slippery set of stairs and landed on his face. This required a trip to the first aid station to track down some ice and fill out an accident report. It resulted in a terribly bruised, fat lip. I felt awfully sorry for him. However, Seth wanted to get right back out there and play, so the injury was minor, in his opinion.
We enjoyed plenty of water fun, including Ian's first trip in a lazy river (and I do mean a very lazy river) and Seth's first solo trip down a really big water slide. Grandma was a huge help holding Ian for several hours and splashing in the baby pool with Caleb. Grace just about ran Grandpa into the ground taking him up the steps to the double tube slide over... and over... and over again. And, Phil and I even got to spend an hour by ourselves in the evening. It had been a long time since I'd been in a hot tub, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I want one of my own... hehehe...
We enjoyed the arcade and came home with plenty of "prizes". We ate at Gitchigomie Grill, inside the lodge. The food was good, but I think I'd walk across the parking lot to Steak-N-Shake if we visit again. We took pics. with the bear in the lobby. We heard the singing moose. And we sat through the great clocktower show from which our children gained insight into new age theology...
Overall, I'd say that Great Wolf Lodge is an excellent experience for families with young children... well... minus the new age theology!
Families with teens or groups without little kids might want to try one of the other indoor waterparks, but I have never been to another one in the area, so I really can't make a recommendation.When we got home, we ate pizza, washed diapers, and packed for another "mini-trip"!
On Saturday morning, we went to my "Paw's" 80th birthday party! It was awesome, because he was completely surprised. We ate at Old Country Buffet, where Phil, Grace, and I ate too much... Seth ate every variety of bread known to man... and Caleb decorated himself with blue frosting from the birthday cake! Caleb also took off running through the restaurant... including through an employee area... but I finally caught him. (As a side note... Since then, Caleb has run through Applebee's, only to be caught by Seth, since Phil was stuck in the middle of a very large booth and I was feeding Ian. He also made a mad dash for the McDs kitchen, and I nearly left him there to work for the afternoon!)
After we ate, the party moved to Paw and Glenda's house, where we had even more snacks, and we watched the slideshow DVD I put together. It must have been a hit, because I need to make five copies of it and get them sent out sometime soon!
The real... ahem... fun was only beginning, though. We went to have some family portraits taken, and let's just say my kids were too tired... and wired... at this point. Caleb bounced off the walls (nearly literally), while Ian screamed, and Seth and Grace nearly pushed Paw off the posing stool. We still got some decent pics. I was, however, beyond tired and crabby by the end of the night. I do not do tired and crabby well. If you are ever in the same general area as I am in when I am tired and crabby, please do not talk to me. It is for your own health and well being that I issue this warning...
We went to Phil's mom and dad's house next, to spend the night. Once we got the kids to sleep, I stayed up and made fun of Christian programming. I am notorious for this. If you like Christian programming, please don't take offense. Remember, I was tired and crabby. I am thinking of sending an application in to the "Christian idol" competition, though... Oh, nevermind. If you weren't there, this makes little sense...
I finally went to bed when it became obvious to me that I was completely incoherant. And with that, I ask you, why do people drink? I mean, I can become completely incoherant just naturally... Maybe it is a gift...
We went to our home church the next morning, which feels more and more like it isn't our home church every time we visit. The new paint in the children's church room is awesome, though...
Later in the day, we packed up, made a final stop to get Gus' breadsticks, and went home.
Monday morning, the scale was not kind. However, I have lost 5 1/2 lbs. since then, so I am OK with that.
This past week, we were insanely busy. Thankfully, both gymnastics and soccer are over now, so we have a bit of a "breather" before we start in again with every activity under the sun. I am especially sick of school (mine... not the kids' so much) in case you haven't noticed in my last few posts. I was going to take a summer class, but I have changed my mind. I need a break!
Well... this was long... and long overdue, but now it is written. And soon it will be posted. And I am just about to cross that tired and crabby line, so I'd better hurry!
Lisa
Wednesday, March 28, 2007
So... I lied...
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Currently Watching
The Flintstones - The Complete First Season
By Jean Vander Pyl, Bea Benaderet, Gerry Johnson, Don Messick
see related
I really do have a whole lot to post about last week, but I am going to wait until I get the pics. developed. We went to an indoor waterpark. Give me a break! I was not going to take my digital camera in there...
Monday, March 26, 2007
I'd Rather Be Blogging...
Hey... wait... That's what I'm doing. Which means, I'm not doing what I should be doing. OK... I'm going to go do school now. But I have lots of stuff to share from the past week, so I'll probably make a real post here tonight or tomorrow... if I don't drown in the school work first. Alright already... I'm out...Lisa
Lisa
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
Comment Beggar...
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Currently Watching
Adventures of Superman - The Complete First Season
By George Reeves, Phyllis Coates, Jeff Corey, Walter Reed, J. Farrell MacDonald, Stanley Andrews, Ray Walker, Hal K. Dawson, Phil Warren, Frank Reicher, Beverly Washburn, Adrienne Marden, Tony Boris, Stephen Carr, Harry Harvey (II), Billy Curtis, Jerry Maren, Byron Foulger, John Baer, John Phillips
see relatedOK... so I made new posts to my other blogs today and figured I might as well make it three for three... hehehe...
Does anyone still read this? I am not usually a "comment beggar"... although Phil says I am... But, really. Leave me some comments.
Maybe I will actually have something worthwhile to post in the near future...Comments (2)
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I am a loyal reader... heres my comment! Love ya Lisa!
*~Shandi
- Comment beggar.
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Wednesday, March 7, 2007
Soccer Mom?
- So... Didn't someone coin the term soccer mom?
I just spent an hour and a half with one male coach, three dads, and a bunch of little people who really aren't all that interested in really learning how to play soccer. Seth shot some baskets... yes... with the soccer ball. I thought the kids were supposed to have fun with this... So... I pretty much laughed the whole time. Perhaps that was irritating to the rather intense soccer dads, but... oh well. I thought the kids were funny...
I think I might bring juice boxes and cookies next week... hehehe...Comments (2)
- Oooo cookies and juice boxes!! The good old days
- I miss those days.... Jess we should bring cookies and juice boxes to Regionals for soccer!!!
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Monday, March 5, 2007
Sunday, March 4, 2007
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