Monday morning marks the beginning of spring break.  Which equates to two full weeks of sleeping well past 5:45.  And nary a packed lunch in sight. {cue the angel chorus}.

We spent the weekend with Gram.  I just adore her.  That’s all there is to say about that.

The seven of us took in the new Alice in Wonderland film (used the fancy term for movie in honor of the Oscars) on Saturday.  I give it a solid 1.5 thumbs up.  There was just one part (maybe about 15 minutes or so) that sort of dragged for me.  Though, Jeff, Torri, and Kennedy loved it in its entirety.  Even Jayce and Cassidy were entertained throughout.  It wasn’t too dark or scary for the kids (my kids, anyway).  There was a very interesting storyline with an underlying positive message, especially for young girls.  Oh, and we saw the 3-D version.  Very cool.

It rained again today.  We had minestrone and a fire.  I love El nino years.

Have you heard that Black Eyed Peas song, “I Gotta Feeling?”

Well.  This week?  It’s gonna be a good, good week.  I gotta feelin’.

There’s been a constant chorus of nose blowing in our house.

And coughing.  Hacking up lungs and whatnot.

Nose-blowing and coughing and lungs.  Intermittently.

For days.  And days.

It hit me hard last week.

Unexpectedly.

Which explains my unannounced absence.

I would have loved to have posted.  But I was laid up on the couch with a fever (101.5 thankyouverymuch)–convinced I had pneumonia (which I or may not have used as a guilt trip against my husband so I’m unwilling to admit now that maybe I didn’t actually have pneumonia.  Because I did.  Totally pneumonia.  That just so happened to go away on its own).

Movingrightalong.

Things have taken a turn for the better.

There was a date at the Cheesecake Factory.

A trip to the movies with my girls to see Dear John.

And a whole lotta sitting by the fire, reading.  As the rain fell down, down, down.

The Cheesecake Factory didn’t do much for me.  (I think our locally owned restaurants have spoiled me forever).

The movie was quite good, in a chick flick, sappy sort of way.

And I’ll let you know about the book when I finish it.

But don’t let me do all the talking.

Did you see any good movies this weekend?  Read any good books?  Try any new recipes?  Do tell.

Did you miss me?  I missed you.

You’re wanting to know what “stuff” I had going on last week, aren’t you?  Why I didn’t post for a week.

Fine.  Twist my arm.  I’ll tell you.

It had a little something to do with my rocket scientist husband.  He’s decided to build an even more impressive resume by adding not one, but two Masters degrees to it.  So he was up in Phoenix for the week taking an orientation for the dual degree online Masters program he’s starting this very week.

Hot shot.

I, on the other hand, was here at home, working my own patootie off.  On what, you ask?  Oh, just a little project I’ve got going.  Namely: a novel.  My novel.  Or manuscript, in its current form.

I had to choose between working on it or blogging and I chose my manuscript.  Hopefully I will have an announcement about that soon.  I’m just going to make you suffer through the curiosity in the meantime.

I will tell you that Thursday was a good day for me on all counts though.  Three fabulous things happened that day:

1. My hunky husband came home.
2. I finished my manuscript revisions.
3. When my hunky husband came home he brought with him a new wedding ring.  To replace the one I lost in December.  And the bomb-blingity makes me happy. :)

Pretty tough to beat a day like that, no?

Full disclosure here though: the week hasn’t been all good.

Because on Saturday the Cardinals blew their chances at taking another spin in the Super Bowl. {insert sorry consolation prize sound effect here}.  That, in spite of the rambunctious cheering squad they had based right here in my living room.

I thought that was bad enough.  But then. Then?

I broke out in a serious rash.  A rash to rival all rashes.  All red and bumpy.  And itchy.  OH the itchy.

And like Goldilocks sleeping in baby bear’s bed–it’s still here.

I’m at a loss when it comes to figuring out the origin of this rash of mine.  It encompasses most of my trunk {boobs excluded} and both legs — front and back.  I have no idea.  We’ve not changed soaps or lotions or anything like that.  I don’t think I have a virus.

The only change I’ve had in my diet is the addition of Acai berry juice.  I’m thinking maybe that’s the culprit?  If so, it’d be the only allergy I have to food of any sort.  As far as I know at least.

Are any of you allergic to the antioxidant powerhouse that is the Acai berry?  I’m curious.

Yeah, so not all good.  But the good definitely outweighed the bad.

And that’s saying nothing of what is soon to come.

This week, for instance, I’m taking my two oldest girls to go see Legally Blonde the musical.  It’ll be here in Tucson this week and if you’re local and interested in going you should click on the Broadway in Tucson link over there in my sidebar.

What else?  Hmmm….it seems like there was something else.

Oh yeah.

Just under three weeks from now I’ll be headed to Nashville to hang with a select few of my favorite bloggers {not to mention Harry Connick Jr, hello} at Blissdom.

Look out music city.

As for the rest of 2010?  It’s looking mighty bright friends.

Mighty bright indeed.

So tell me.  What are you looking forward to on the horizon?

My bedtime has come and gone.

Way gone.

But there is no sleep to be had.

Not for me anyway.

Not now.

Three of my babies are gone.

They are safe and warm – this I know.  They’re with Dad.  (Theirs, not mine).

And though my head knows it, the knowledge does nothing for the knot in my stomach.  The onslaught of what-ifs.  The images that keep me from sleep.

I hate to be a downer.

But tonight this morning I’m down.

Sigh.

On a completely different note, there is something to be thankful for though.

That is, that we opted to rent Julie and Julia tonight as opposed to Paranormal Activity.

Both were available in the Redbox.

Considering the fact, though, that I’m sitting here alone in the dark after midnight I think we made the right decision.

Had we gone the other way I’d be pretty freaked out right about now.  I just know it.

Freaked out and feeling sorry-for-myself-gloomy.

Instead I’m just the latter.

PS. We turned Julie and Julia off halfway through.  Not worth even the dollar in my not-so-humble opinion.

It was a real yawn-fest.

Come to think of it…maybe I’ll turn it back on now.

Bring on the yawning.

G’night.

Do you have a second?  I need your opinion on something.

Okay, so, last Thursday every single child in Cassidy’s class received an invitation to her birthday party.  I chose not to tell Cassidy about the party, not because it was to be a surprise, but because:

a) I didn’t want to hear about it (from her) for the next nine days

and

b) because I was a little nervous that nobody would come.

On the invitation I asked that parents RSVP by the 19th so that I could gather enough supplies for each child in attendance.  Fair request right?

I think so too.

Anyway, nobody has called.

That’s not entirely true actually.

My friend Becca has RSVP’d for her son (who is in Cassidy’s class) and her son’s best friend (also in her class).  So they are coming.  But that was never really in question.  Only because when you have good friends you know you can rely on them to show up to your daughter’s birthday party.  Much like family would, if you are so blessed as to live around them.

Moving right along though.

So, no RSVP’s as of yet.

Which–I’m fairly certain–means nobody is coming.

So I’m about to make an executive decision to take Cassidy (and her two friends) to do something way cooler than a boring old birthday party at home (think along the lines of Chuck E. Cheese or the bounce house place).

I hesitate only a bit.  Because what if some poor kid (whose lousy parent neglected to RSVP) shows up at the door?

And nobody answers.

That would kinda suck.

On the other hand…

Shoulda RSVP’d.

So give it to me straight.

Is it okay to pull a party switcheroo if I don’t hear from anybody else?

Oh friends.  It’s been one of those weeks.  And the bad news is that it’s only halfway through.

Monday brought with it a disappointing discovery on the child-rearing front.

And then certain events on Tuesday night led to a very unpleasant disciplinary discussion.

Wednesday was supposed to be a good day.  A no school, sleep-in kinda day.  And it was.

Until a certain couple of someones were jumping on the top bunk bed.  Jumping on the top bunk in spite of the fact that those certain someones are well aware that jumping on any bed is an outlawed activity.

And we all know what happens when monkeys jump on the bed right?

They fall off and bump their heads.

In this case it was just one monkey.  The monkey prone to serious accidents and injuries.  The one filled to the brim with testosterone.  The one who is destined to make me go gray before my time.

To make a long story short, we split the majority of our day between the doctor’s office and the ER.  Because head injuries aren’t something to mess around with.

To make a long story even shorter I’ll just tell you that Mr. Monkey is okay.  We declined the CT scan based on the fact that radiation-wise, it was equivalent to 100 chest x-rays.  Only it would have been aimed at his still developing brain.  And even if it would have shown a bleed, the doctor said they would likely not do anything about it.  He went on to say that if it were his child, he would have skipped the CT scan too.  Which was a good enough reason for me.

So we’re home now.  And watching every blink of his eye, every step he takes.

Oh.  And I’m praying.  Doing a lot of that this week.  More than usual.

Hopefully tomorrow will be a better day.

Otherwise, I might just stay under the covers on Friday.  Considering it’s the 13th.  Friday the 13th.

Not that I noticed or anything.

What.  A. Weekend.

Whew.

It was Jeff’s off Friday which was awesome (as always) because we had lunch at our numero uno Mexican restaurant up in the fancy shmancy part of town.

Saturday was kind of a downer though.  It may have had something to do with the birthday party we took Kennedy to.  I knew it wasn’t going well when they opened the door and a cloud of cigarette smoke swallowed me whole.  And really?  It just went downhill from there.  Because the swimming at the party was completely unsupervised.  Which, at one time, may not have been problematic for me, but nowadays, it really is.  That and the fact that the aforementioned cloud of tobacco had been puffed by a pregnant woman really didn’t set well with me.  Go figure.

But what is one to do in that situation?  If one is anything like me, they decide against leaving their daughter there.  And, in favor, they let her stay for but thirty minutes before they hightail the heck out of Dodge.  At least I know now how to RSVP to next year’s birthday party.  Ahem.

Oh.  And Saturday night?  Jayce decided to shove a carrot slice up his nose.  Sigh.  Boys.  Where they get these grand ideas is beyond me.  But he shoved it up there something good.  It took a good ten minutes, but we finally got it out.  The medicine dropper (used as a suction device) wasn’t all that helpful, FYI.  What worked was teaching him the mechanics involved in blowing one’s nose.  Big breath in through the mouth, big push out through the nose.  Worked like a charm.  And when that carrot disc emerged on the tissue?  He asked if he could eat it.  No lie.

Sigh.

Guess what I did today though?

I learned how to save lives.

For real.

I took a CPR class.

As did Torri.  And Kennedy.  And my friend Becca.

We’re certified lifesavers now.

For real.

And, silly as it may sound, I’m completely empowered by that.

Less than one month from now I’ll be visiting Disney’s fabulous water parks.  And, though I’m a tad water shy these days, I’m confident that I would know how to react should disaster strike.  Not that I intend for that to happen.  But after what happened to Jayce, it’s incredibly comforting to know that I could take action should I need to.

I am woman.  Hear me roar.

So.  What were ya’ll up to this  weekend?

If my house could talk it would have a lot to say.

Like, um.  Hello?  Exactly what kind of people crank a song titled “Ugly Bug Ball” for after dinner entertainment?”

And…do you people talk about anything other than Disney?

Which of these kids actually belong and which are transient?

Crumbs.  Crumbs at breakfast.  Lunch.  Snacks.  And dinner too?  I know you appreciate clean floors as much as I.  But have you any idea how that thing you refer to as a broom tickles my underside?

Don’t you think a tequila shooting session is better suited for Saturday night than Sunday?

Would  you mind dusting my ceiling fans more than twice a year?

If I had ears, I’d be begging for plugs.  Seriously.

Tell me you didn’t strategically place a hidden mickey on Kennedy’s bedroom wall.  Really?

Could someone teach that boy the art of aiming for the toilet?  Please.

And the big guy too.  While you’re at it.

On the subject of toilets…it would serve you well to remind the toddler to flush.  Ahem.

The teenager?  She needs to crack a window in there.  For real.  Talk about stale.

Do ya’ll have something against clipping toenails into a wastebasket?  C’mon.

Explain to me how the nine-year-old has enough grease on the bottom of her feet after every meal to leave footprints?  It’s not like fried chicken is a staple around here.

Pssst.  That “lost” video game?  It’s in the playroom.  Wedged between the wall and toy box.  You’re welcome.

The checkbook from 2006 though?  Long gone.

Oh yeah.  And you didn’t hear it from me, but the teenager is sneaking food in her room again.  Check under the bed for wrappers.

The dryer doesn’t really eat socks.  Your daughter does.

You may want to consider an exterminator.  And if not…you should definitely wear slippers when you get up at night to pee.  Just sayin.

I appreciate Thursday clean up nights.  I really.  Really do.

And the way you fill me up with the scent of buckwheat blueberry pancakes come Saturday morning.

Or homemade apple pie at the first sign of Autumn.

I never tire of the sound of laughter echoing off my walls.

Or the feel of the family cozied up with popcorn on movie night.

The hustle and bustle of the school year is comfortable and familiar.

And the pre Disney trip frenzy brings even my footings to life.

I’m definitely a full house.

And I wouldn’t want it any other way.

It was so totally Monday.

School has been back in session for precisely two weeks.  And guess what.  No school today.  Already with that.

So instead of just Jayce and I running late for swimming lessons, it was four of us running late.  Cassidy refusing to put on her shoes.  Jayce insisting on helping her.  Which, of course, ended badly.  I wonder what the other moms thought when I hauled Cassie onto the pool deck wearing one shoe while the other foot was bare?

At Target I spent $40 I don’t exactly have at the moment on a clearance booster seat.  Because we really need one for the second car.  And at half off?  I robbed Peter.  So sue me.

I had twelve library books that needed to be returned.  I went online yesterday and attempted to renew all of them.  I was unsuccessful.  Someone is dying to have a Bernstein Bears book and put it on hold.  Thereby preventing me from renewing it.  Hence the trip to the library.

Guess what I found when I got home?

The Bernstein Bears book had fallen out of my reusable canvas shopping bag and found its way underneath a seat.  So I successfully returned the eleven books that weren’t due until August 20th.  But the one I’m paying late fees on?  In my car it remains.

Grrr.

Tuesday will be better.

I just know it.

Last week was a doozie.

A doozie I tell ya.

I’ve previously promised not to intentionally embarrass my children among the pages of this here blog so I have to refrain from going into specifics.

All I can say is that I should be making some serious bank for the job I’m doing.  Because raising children is no joke.

And that’s saying nothing of the wife gig.  Because it ain’t always a cakewalk either.  Ahem.

Moving right along though…

So.

How was your weekend?

Ours was great.  And completely wholesome.

As long as you consider sneaking into a local hotel to make good use of their pool wholesome.

What?

Does 114 degrees mean anything to you?

Yeah.  I thought not.

Good news on the AC front though.  It’s fixed.  After only one night of suffering in silence.

Good news on the swim class front too.  Jayce is no longer giving lip about getting in the water.  AND.  And he “graduated” from Flounder to Pollywog.  With two and a half months left in the season he’s bound to be a little lillipad-leaper in no time.

Oh, and the girls go back to school one week from now.

I know mid-July seems early for back to school to you traditional folk, but it’s a way of life here in year-round school zone.

And I can’t complain.

Because back to school is one more milestone down as we edge ever closer to our big Disney trip.  And subsequent Disney Caribbean cruise. {squeal!}

So put in your orders now.

What’ll it be?  A rum cake from Grand Cayman?  A conch shell from Cozumel?

Or better yet.  Living it vicariously through yours truly?

Sorry friends.  But the latter is about the only thing I can fit into my suitcase.

Better luck next time. :)  Happy Monday anyway.