3 kidszerotime

Palm Springs

2009-07-18T06:51:00.001-07:00

In June, right after school got out, Kate and I took all the kids to Palm Springs. (You heard me!) That's right, a 9-hour drive with 5 kids...it actually turned into and 11-hour drive but we made it! We stayed in Drew's uncle's time share at the Palm Canyon Resort & Spa and had such an awesome time! The kids are still talking about it and trying to convince their daddy that he shoul go with us next time.

We went to the Children's Discovery Museum of the Desert, Joshua Tree National Forest (where the kids were disgusted by the amount of bugs) and hit the resort's spectacular pool every day. The girls especially liked the hot tub. Go figure.

Emma's birthday

2009-07-18T06:48:00.000-07:00

We had Emma's party at Fashion Fo Paws in Lincoln. Crystal, the owner, puts on a great party! The kids had a blast, and everyone went home with a pile of Webkinz.

Recent pics!

2009-07-18T06:42:00.000-07:00

A few recent pictures from some of our road trips we've taken with the kids. Enjoy!

This one was to the PG&E Sierra Discovery Trail up near Emigrant Gap. Great trail! Awesome creek and waterfalls. The kids had a good time. We'll definitely go back to this one.

July update

2009-07-06T16:28:00.000-07:00

I know, I know.
I still have pictures on my camera from May. Been busy! I've gone back to work, and we've been doing summr activities with the kids. I PROMISE to get those pictures off my camera, and post some new blog entries. Possibly this weekend.
In the meantime, let me know if you want to go look at any houses, sell your house, or find out what your neighbors sold their house for! Check out my boss' website at www.jalone.com
Have a great week!

Potty training part 2

2009-06-20T07:32:00.000-07:00

Evan is doing so well! He peed on the potty this morning, and his night time diaper was barely wet! I credit using cloth diapers, and, of course, my genius son. ;) I used cloth diapers with him, so he has always been able to tell when he was wet. This was one of the reasons I chose cloth for him.
I'm not saying we are done with potty training, of course, but he "got it" much faster than my girls--who wore disposable diapers. Another tip of mine is to wait until your child is three years old. Tried at two years old with my girls, but it was so frustrating for them and me that I ended up stopping and waiting until they were three. Seems much easier at three--the kid is able to pull the undies up and down, they are better at communicating their needs, and muscle control is more developed.

Potty Training!

2009-06-19T19:46:00.000-07:00

Operation: Destroy the Carpet
Yesterday was the first REAL day of potty-training. We had talked about it for a while, and Evan sat on the potty a few times in the past, but we said "bye-bye" to diapers during the day.
Yesterday was a bummer...Evan peed on the floor in the bathroom of his preschool while I as signing him up for this fall, then he went on the floor at the doctor's office while I was getting his shot records, and he also christened various spots on our carpet at home.
Today, though, was so much better! He went in his chair at breakfast, but in the afternoon he peed on the potty for the very first time while we were at Daddy's work! And, at dinner, he left the table all by himself and went #2 in the potty!
THANK YOU POTTY-TRAINING GODS!!
At night we have been using our Bum Genius and Thirsties cloth diapers but I will have to find someone to give those to when we finally get to that point. I am now on the search for nice kids' underwear...if anyone has any tips let me know!
Have a great weekend!

Boating with the Garcez family

2009-06-13T11:37:00.000-07:00

Below is a link to Chris and Stacey's blog. They were nice enough to invite us out on their new boat. Such fun! Next time, however, Folsom Lake needs to be warmer than 74 degrees! The kids got in the water anyway (of course) and Evan loved looking out the back of the boat at the wake. We saw some jet skis doing crazy stuff, and a speed boat going super fast. Chris dropped anchor and we ate some PB&J sandwiches. The kids' favorite picnic ever!
Thanks Garcez family!!
http://sillybonzos.blogspot.com/2009/06/boating-with-steens.html

Still alive!

2009-06-12T06:04:00.000-07:00

We're still alive and kicking. Just crazy busy. I have pictures of Emma's birthday party, among other things, on my camera. I need to liberate those cute pics!

I have completed my college-level courses in real estate, and have received my completion certificates. Today I will be mailing my application to take the state exam. I have also been given the opportunity to work as an assistant with a local real estate company! I'm so excited to be in the work force again, but (second to having kids) returning to work is probably the scariest thing I have done! I am happy, though, to finally be working in the field that I have been interested in since befoe I had children.

Emma completed 1st grade and was given awards for Excellence of Character, Academic Excellence (straight A's the WHOLE YEAR), and a certificate for being one of the top five runners in 1st grade--she ran over 46 miles during the course of the school year! She was also awarded a reading medal!

Elsa finished kindergarten and has made great strides in reading. She was doing her sister's 1st grade math homework as well. (She did not get her math skills from me, as most of you know!) Elsa was friends with everyone in her class and one of Miss Lewandowski's most dedicated "assisstants."

I continue to be active at the girls' school, servng on the PTC board in the capacity of secretary and several other volunteer/coordinator positions. Luckily, we are one of the lucky PTC boards on which everyone actually likes each other and works well as a team!

Evan will be turning 3 on June 30th. Can you believe it? We have started potty-training but he is really not very interested. Now that the girls are out of school and our schedule is freer, we will be a little more consistent and hopefully find success! (Wish us luck!)

Drew continues to love his new position at the CHP academy; driving instructor. Yeah, I know...he has found his dream job. He has also been bicyclig to work (a 60-mile round trip) with a co-worker. Insane.

Hope you enjoyed our little update. I promise to post pics soon!

Make way for ducklings!

2009-05-16T17:29:00.001-07:00

Emma's class has been raising ducks, and we had the opportunity to duck-sit over the weekend. It has been really fun, and the kids have had a blast! The challenge has been keeping Desi away from them, and keeping Evan from squishing them when he picks them up. He looooves them, and is eager to help feed and water them. Elsa is actually a little scared of them when they're all crowded up, wandering around the yard. Maybe too many of them at once? She's scared of little dogs, too. Go figure.
They are, I believe, mallards. The brown and yellow splotched ones are the males, and the grey ones are the females.

EVOC demo

2009-05-16T17:16:00.000-07:00

On Friday Evan and I went to the CHP graduation. After the graduation ceremony, EVOC did a driving demo. It was Drew's first Demo and I was so nervous for him, but he was relaxed and did an awesome job! I didn't have the best vantage point for filming, but I got a few neat videos. Enjoy! Next time I will try to get a better spot.
If you scroll to the bottom of my page and pause the music, you will be able to hear the roar of the cars & helicopter!

Transporter 3

2009-05-05T11:09:00.000-07:00

You all probably know that I have the hots for Jason Statham. Mmmmm....Jason Statham....sorry! Where was I? Oh, yes!
Anyway, Drew and I arranged for a quiet evening at home together to watch this kill-em-all action flick. Little did we know it would turn into a "chick flick" complete with cuddling and whispered promises. PUKE!
The best parts, of course, were the fight scenes. Of course he had to take his shirt off to kick ass poperly! But, even these scenes which are normally my fave, were irritating. 16 guys with machine guns and he dispatches them all? With no firepower of his own? And the chick in this one is especially annoying...wimpy, whiney, and useless and this is the one he picks to settle don with at the end? PUH-LEEESE!!
A quick review here, I know, and not very in-depth, but my advice is to fast forward to the fight scens where he is forced to disrobe, and then skip to the end credits.

Scottish Games

2009-04-28T06:52:00.000-07:00

The kids and I went to the Scottish Games in Wodland last weekend. We took Nana and Papa (my parents) and they loved it too! The girls got their hair braided, which they absolutely loved, and Evan enjoyed looking at all the animals. The frisbee dogs were awesome!

Easter

2009-04-28T06:49:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from our Easter in Galt.

Desi's Easter bling

2009-04-04T20:01:00.001-07:00

No, I don't even have Easter outifts for my kids yet. But Desi has her Easter bling, thanks to Crystal at "Fashion Fo Paws" in Lincoln, CA. It has little sparkly Easter chicks on it!

Desi doesn't seem to have a problem with her new "lovely" but Evan hates it. He keeps going up to her and yanking it off in one swift movement, while screeching "She doesn't like this, Mommy!" Then he tries to throw it in the trash. Drew thinks this is all quite hilarious, and rolls his eyes when I put it on her.

Kill joys. They're all lucky I didn't get a custom Easter dress made for the dog, because Crystal makes those, too. ;)

Harley FXLR

2009-03-15T19:02:00.000-07:00

Drew's new toy. 1991 Harley Davidson FXLR. The video is of our friend Charles riding it today. Live to ride...
Whatever.
Turn off the music on my "Music Player" and you can hear the roar of the V-twin. Yeah baby!

Fish story

2009-03-02T18:22:00.000-08:00

Kate gave us some fish, which were given to her by a friend who had moved. One is a red Betta, the other was a blue paradise gourami. ;) They had apparently ben living in blissful domesticity with each other, but i did some reading and learned that both could be aggressive and that this particular gourami variety had a reputation for jumping out of its aquarium. Not encouraging information.

I decided to just let it play out, and all was well for about a week. The little fishies were happy living on my kitchen counter, until one day, while the girls were at school, I heard a wet flopping sound. You guessed it--the blue fish was flinging itself around my counter, headed for the sink. I grabbed a paper towel, scooped up the fish, and said "Your time here is up, pal. I don't have time for this!" Down the toilet he went.

The funny part of this story is that Evan was by my side the whole time. He was much impressed, and keeps climbing up on to the counter, determined to grab the remaining fish and flush it. I found him the next day, kneeling over the fish bowl, a tissue in hand. Oh goody!

I'll keep you all posted on the Betta's survival!

Spotted in Natomas...

2009-01-06T05:43:00.001-08:00

followers of rex Kwan Do!

Are these guys for real?

Invaders!

2009-01-06T05:29:00.001-08:00

Yesterday the kids and I picked up my brother Todd, his wife Wiwik, and my nephew Charlie from the Sacramento airport. Then we went to Woodstock's Pizza in Davis to meet some friends of theirs from Indonesia who also happened to be passing through the area. Five kids under 7 at pizza! Thank goodness we were the only ones there! You'll hear the noise level on the video. Stop the music on my blog before you play the video...

overkill

2009-01-05T08:06:00.000-08:00

He looks so innocent, doesn't he? The top screen of the fire pit actually started to melt.

Back off, ladies, he's mine...

more hatchery pics

2009-01-04T16:49:00.001-08:00

nimbus hatchery

2009-01-04T16:46:00.000-08:00

What an awesome place!

telescope!

2009-01-03T20:02:00.000-08:00

Drew's parents got our family a telescope for Christmas! Kate Burns came over with her daughters while Mike was at work, and we roasted marshmallows and looked at the moon. Way cool! Kate (whose daughter Isabelle is Emma's best friend) also brought us a twin mattress to use for Evan. Yay!

Marshmallows!

2009-01-01T08:24:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday night we roasted marshmallows with Lexi. Evan and Elsa had a hard time keeping their marshmallow stick above the wood, so some of them turned out a little crunchy. :)

fire pit

2008-12-29T09:49:00.001-08:00

Drew has been wanting a fire pit for ages, and finally got one yesterday. We sat outside, gazed at the flames, and ate chocolate chip cookies. Tonight, roasting marshmallows! Can't wait to have some friends over to enjoy it with us.

Xmas day

2008-12-29T05:33:00.000-08:00

I forgot to put these here--put 'em on Facebook, but not my blog. Thanks Kate! ;)

Day-after-xmas with friends

2008-12-28T18:22:00.000-08:00

On Friday we traveled to Willits to visit with our friends the Francis family, and then spent the night with Charles & Denise Raasch. We played with the Franicses' new Wii, visited with their sons who now live on the East Coast, and Elsa got the royal treatment at the salon where Denise works. Groovy!

Some 2008 pics

2008-12-24T18:10:00.000-08:00

Some pics from this past year. Enjoy! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

snow pics

2008-12-22T07:54:00.001-08:00

Blogger was being a

pain today, so here are the pics that were supposed to accompany the post below. Enjoy!

Snow day!

2008-12-22T07:42:00.000-08:00

We took the kids up to the snow yesterday. We were a bit worried, as it continued to just be rain almost the entire way up the mountain, but when the temperature fell to 36 degrees, it turned to snow! The kids were totally excited, since they had never seen snow actually falling before. My poor California kiddos!

We had to stop and put on chains, which was a big pain in the butt for for Daddy, who had to crouch in the slush and dodge big rigs and people from San Francisco who were also pulling to the side of the road to install chains. Once the chains were tight we were on our way. The max speed limit with chains was 30 mph on highway 80, but since Drew spent about 30 minutes cheating death to install them, he was bound and determined to drive through a bit more slush, dammit!

Finally we reached our favorite (and secret!) FREE snow play area, and it was playtime! We even brought the dog who, as far as we know, may have never seen snow before. She loved it! Drew and Elsa did a fair bit fo sledding, and Emma spent the entire time throwing snowballs at "Daddy's tushie." She thought that was hilarious. Evan was not super impressed with the snow play, as we awakened him, pulled him from his carseat in the nice warm car, and he was thrust into 32 degree weather and shoved down a hill on a sled. He took a while to warm up to the idea...poor little guy!

Anyway, we had a good time, until the kids got totally wet from rolling around in the snow. Then they got all crabby and mad. Note for next year: the kids need real snowsuits.

Cindy's party

2008-12-22T07:38:00.000-08:00

My hairdresser, Cindy, had a party at her new house in El Dorado Hills on Saturday night. The house was fabulous, and Anne', Maria, and I had a great time. Check out the pics. Check out Cindy's closet!! I tried to take a picture of the amazing view, since we were basically at the top fo El Dorado Hills, but the camera wasn't going for it. You get the idea, though.

Thanks Cindy, for a great evening out!

Girl scouts

2008-12-19T13:21:00.001-08:00

We'll be selling cookies soon, y'all! Brace yourselves! I'm the "cookie mom" meaning I'm in charge of cookie sales for our Daisy troop. AAAACK!!!

Another tragedy in the CHP

2008-12-18T13:48:00.001-08:00

OfficerJoseph Sanders 18781 CTC II-07 was at the scene of a disabled vehicle. There was a 2 car T/C behind him and 1 vehicle hit him. He was air lifted to county USC hospital where he was pronounced dead. Officers at the scene were performing CPR prior to transport. He is married with 3 children 7 and under with another on the way. His wife is being taken care of by the Dept and Assn and other family is on the way from Nor Cal. I will post details of memorial fund and funeral when I have them.If your husbands were in his class or work SFS please remember there is an employee assitance program available to officers and their families. I will post the details later on it.

The above is copied and pasted from the wives' group I belong to. Just pray for this officer's wife and kids!

I have been tagged

2008-12-17T09:27:00.000-08:00

Kate tagged me. Now I have to post an entry with 7 facts about myself. 7?!?! I may not have 7 interesting personality points...hmmm....

1.) I am loud.
2.) I am addicted to the internet.
3.) I am overly helpful. :)
4.) I have been married for almost 12 years.
5.) I love science.
6.) Sometimes I give my kids popsicles for breakfast.
7.) My personality outweighs my looks.

There. Not so bad. Now I'm tagging Stacey and Carolina... GO!

Dinner with grownups!

2008-12-15T19:08:00.001-08:00

On Saturday we went out to dinner with Chris and Stacey. NO napkin dispensers! NO clown-themed dining areas. Wow! This is very likely the first time we have gone out without our kids since all became parents.

We went to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse at the Galleria here in Roseville. Pricey, but worth it! Possibly the best meal I have had in a long time, made better by the fact that we were kidless. :) And, I introduced Chris to the "Ask A Ninja" comedy program--Stacey and Drew are now convinced that their spouses are big dorks.

I must be crazy

2008-12-13T09:16:00.001-08:00

Have you been to the Roseville Galleria lately? Neither have I. I tried to go yesterday with Evan while the girls were at school. No luck--no parking. So I went to the Fountains and hit an awesome sale at Anthropologie. Yay me!
Tomorrow the girls and I, along with my mom, are driving to the Bay Area to visit my friend Jenn and do some shopping. It's supposed to rain. We will be shopping at Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto.
Palo Alto, folks.
On Sunday.
11 days before Christmas!!
Hence the title of this blog entry. Thank goodness I only have to score a few iTunes cards, and maybe something for Mom.
Pray for us. :)

Are these my REAL hormones? Well, they suck!

2008-12-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

Any men or squeamish women may want to leave the room at this point.

I have been on birth control since I was 17, and basically pregnant or post-partum since 2001. Needless to say, I have become a stranger to normal-fucntioning female hormones. Well, they're ba-aaaack. It's awful.
Now, I am perfectly healthy, and for that I am absolutely grateful. No major complaints or issues, just knit-picky bitching on my part.
My skin is breaking out like never before, my period has turned from light and predictable to HEAVY and on its own crazy schedule. A week swing in either direction is not what I call "convenient." The little "teaser" spotting that I have for about a week before the real thing hits is driving me bonkers. My PMS now has its own time zone.
A lot of my friends report similar changes after having children, but that doesn't make it any easier.
I'm done now. You can all go back to your lives!'
:)

myPod

2008-12-08T10:07:00.000-08:00

Okay, so, I just ranted a couple of entries ago on how I hate iTunes. I still do. It is very clunky to use, and nothing is as it seems...it's an Apple mystery!
Well, that didn't change the fact that I am, at heart, a gadget geek and when Drew got his new car I went right online and ordered the Project Red 8GB iPod nano. I LOVE IT! I have it all working properly with iTunes on the new computer, I have gotten Drew's iPod Shuffle sorted out, and I am in love with all the free video podcasts. G-E-E-K.
I still take issue with how the commands and prompts on iTunes are phrased, and searching could be a little easier.
The video podcasts come in handy--I have children's stories, horse videos, rodeos, Discovery Channel, etc.--for the kids while we are waiting for our food in restaurants, or waiting at the doctor's office, or whatever. The girls can work the iPod quite well, and they're at the age that I don't think they'll smash it into 100,000,000 pieces.
I love being able to watch my horse stuff on it, and I like being able to see the music videos or album art when I listen to music. I do wish it had a shuffle-like clip, but I'll just have to get an arm band.
So, I still am mildly annoyed with iTunes, but I love my new iPod.

My new hero

2008-12-06T11:49:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nPdllcnn_Dk

Clinton Anderson is my new favorite sexy Australian horse guy. *sigh* Anyway, this is a video of him riding his horse Diez WITH NO REINS, and no BRIDLE. Like, seriously, do not try this at home! :)

Drew's new new car

2008-12-02T18:53:00.003-08:00

Black Friday deals, what can I say? :) I can't decide if I'm going to start calling Drew "Steve McQueen" or "Frank Bullitt."

iHate iTunes

2008-11-26T12:57:00.000-08:00

Yes, I know tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and I should be saying how truly thankful I am for healthy kids, a good marriage, and great friends. Really, I am grateful for all those things. But trying to do anything on iTunes just riles me up.

Let's get one thing straight, however. I love iPods. I love them! I am, at heart, a gadgety girl and if I could own one of every blackberry, iPhone, palm device, MP3 player, iPod, video camera, digital camera I WOULD! Alas, time, space, and money do not allow. So, I must be content with one blackberry (whom I am in loooove with) and one shared iPod "teensy" that I got for Drew two Christmases ago. (Hint to those who care: all I want for Christmas is my own iPod.)
Anyway, did Apple make iTunes difficult to use on non-Mac computers? Like, on purpose? I installed it onto my new computer, and POOF! all my old music was not there. Just like that. What technology can do these days! And, all the tutorials on iTunes are for much more technical issues than just simply finding my stuff. Or, how to get iTunes to even come on. That is itself a miracle.
So, I love the concept of itunes, and I love that it gives me an excuse to buy more little electronic devices for which I really, frankly, have no use. I wish the darn thing were easier to use and understand.
So there.
Happy Thanksgiving!

Ballet class

2008-11-22T12:53:00.000-08:00

Miss Jenny's free ballet class at the church has ended--Miss Jenny is due with her third child in February, and she's going on "maternity leave." We have enjoyed taking her class; she's a great teacher and a nice lady. Emma's friend Belle even went with us a few times. Very fun! I snapped these pics last night at the last class. Check out Miss Jenny (at 6 months pregnant!) doing her big jump!!

Christmas parade

2008-11-22T12:46:00.000-08:00

My parents and I took the kids to the Roseville Christmas parade this morning! Their favorite parts were the police motorcycles, and the fire trucks. Emma and Elsa enjoyed seeing all the girl scout troops--they start Daisy Girl Scouts in December. :)

Carrie's way

2008-11-21T16:27:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I was reading another blog (Crazy Aunt Purl) and she blogged about getting a ticket. It made me think of a funny story:
My friend Carrie got pulled over as a teenager, for speeding. Thinking quickly, she turned off the radio, rolled her window down, and proceded to pretend she was deaf! (Carrie is now, and was then, fluent in sign language--her best friend since early childhood was deaf.) Of course the cop stopped in his tracks. Her signs and "deaf talk" utterly bewildered him. He shouted "Slow down! Go home!" handed her license back, and left in a cloud of dust.

Now, I'm not condoning this type of behavior, and neither does Carrie (now a mother of three!) but every cop to whom I have related this story agrees--run for the hills seems to be the only course of action.

Good luck out there during Thanksgiving travel time! Stay safe, and keep that radio off.

What they do when I'm not home

2008-11-20T10:03:00.001-08:00

I had to go to a meeting at the school, so Drew was "in charge." Apparently they had guitar lessons. :) And, yes, that is my husband ironing a sheet.

This is the kind of stuff I come home to.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-18T09:50:00.000-08:00

We went trick-or-treating with the Burns family. It only rained a little bit, and Drew was able to come home early and join us! Thanks to my mom and dad for staying at my house and handing out candy. I painted the girls' faces, but Evan wanted none of it. He went as a two-year-old boy. :) We missed a few houses in the neighborhood because my girls thought they looked too scary, but we still ended up with a ton of candy!

Elsa's b-day

2008-11-17T15:47:00.000-08:00

Elsa turned 5 on November 2nd! With the wait for the new computer, I was delayed in getting photos up. She picked her friend Jessica from kindergarten, and we had a little riding lesson the night before her actual birthday. Then, on her birthday, my parents and Drew's sister and her kids came over for cake and ice cream. Yum!

Today's ride

2008-11-16T15:19:00.000-08:00

I had a make-up riding lesson today, because Hank was being a butt head yesterday and ignoring me--and Krystin. Not a good boy! But, oh so handsome.

Today Hank was totally filthy when we went to get him from the pasture...he had rolled in mud. Lovely. Krystin rode Francis with us, and that seemed to help Hank be more confident and relaxed. He responded quickly and calmly. We had a great ride! Until...

Hank saw some poles lying outside the arena, poles which we had already passed about six times, but they were on the other side (we had switched directions) so now they were scary poles. I was riding along, not paying attention, grooving on the fact that I was riding a horse and having a good time, when WHOOSH! Hank sidestepped, tried to turn, and tried to back up all at once. I lost my balance a little, hunched forward which is a big no-no, and squealed like a little girl. Also not a good idea. It took me a couple of seconds to get myself together and tell him "whoa" and sit deeply in the saddle. When I did, he responded quickly and calmed down. So, partially my fault for not responding quickly enough in the right way, and partly Hank's fault for being a big sissy. Of course I felt like a complete moron. Sometimes I get frustrated with taking only one lesson a week--seems like it will take forever to get any skills at all. Family budget be damned! :)

Then I went to Whole Foods for groceries and got myself a big candy bar. All is well. :)

Its' fall!

2008-11-06T06:54:00.001-08:00

Finally! Finally it feels cooler, wetter, and windier outside. Yay! I made a pecan pie for myself the other day, and some pumpkin pies for Drew. Thanksgiving is just around the corner, and it's one of my favorite holidays. It's centered around food--how awesome is that? Sounds tailor-made for me.

We're still riding the horses, I'm getting much better. The girls, too. School is going well for the girls. Emma is reading so well it astounds us, and is proving to be very good at math--she did not get that from me. Elsa is still adjusting to the afternoon kindergarten schedule, some evenings falling asleep on the couch before dinner and sleeping until 6 the next morning! Her reading and writing continue to get better! Evan is being, well, Evan. He's taken to climbing up the drawer fronts to get on top of my counters and destroy things. He's also talking up a storm, his favorite phrase being "Stop it mommy!" seconded by "Emma, Elsa, c'mon!" I need a drink.

Drew is still at the capital, and still enjoying his new car. No motorcycle yet, since all his time is being eaten by the construction of ManLand. *sigh*

We ordered a new computer (laptop) from HP, should get it by the end of the month. I can't wait! It will be quite a change from the dinosaur laptop we have now.

Have a great weekend!

Henry's roofing to the rescue!

2008-10-30T07:39:00.001-07:00

Our roofer, Richard Henry, came by last night in the dark to save Drew's bacon. :) We met Rich last summer when he put the new roof on our house. Drew called him and asked for advice when we built the first shed in our yard, and Rich responded by coming by, giving a lesson, and loaning some expensive roofing tools to Drew, along with the shingles needed to complete the project! Then, yesterday, after another call, he came by around 7 p.m. last night and instead of helping Drew roll out the roofing felt on Manland, he just did it. In about 10 minutes. In the dark.

If you need a roofer, call Rich! I'll post his number later. :)

Trunk or Treat

2008-10-26T19:14:00.000-07:00

Last night we went with our friends the Heyward family to the trunk or treat at their church. Melissa cheated by wearing her work outfit! :)

And, no, I cannot figure out how to rotate the picture of my girls! Help!!

We survived!

2008-10-25T16:49:00.003-07:00

We did it! Thanks to Dina Brazil, and all our parent and community volunteers, we pulled off a great Fall Family Festival! And, to my knowledge, no one suffered a nervous breakdown.
Thanks everyone!

Tomorrow!

2008-10-23T17:07:00.000-07:00

The Fall Family Festival is tomorrow! It should be a lot of fun, and I will be there dressed up as a cowgirl. Who wants to miss that, right? It's from 5-9 folks, and promises to be quite a good time for the whole family. Thanks to my friends and neighbors whom I forced to volunteer. :) Love ya!
See you all there!

Fall Family Festival

2008-10-22T06:48:00.000-07:00

This Friday is Kaseberg's Fall Family Festival! Carnival-style game booths, clowns, great food, awesome prizes! It runs from 5-9. Drew will be there with a CHP car, handing out goodies and info packets. I will be there going bonkers trying to organize volunteers.
Hope to see you there!

Hank 1, Mattie 0

2008-10-19T19:17:00.000-07:00

I rode Hank for my lesson yesterday. I love Hank! He's so pretty! He's half Thoroughbred and half Paint. And he's huge! He tried to test me the whole lesson, just as Frances did the first time I rode him. "Oh, her? She's new. I'll just ignore her and maybe she'll go away." Little does he know. Anyway, I'm looking forward to riding him again.
The girls rode Frances yesterday, and Krystin's mom Sheri (who is working with my girls right now) brought some washable markers. Frances is conveniently white, and the girls were allowed to draw all over him with the markers! Hopefully the Prop 2 people don't hear about this!

Manland

2008-10-19T19:12:00.001-07:00

Here are the much-anticipated pics of Manland. I'm expecting the city inspectors to order us to tear it down any day now. :) He started putting the plywood on the roof yesterday, has put the front windows and siding on, and got quite a bit done this weekend. Hopefully he can get everything weather-proof before we start getting rain.

I need a vaction from Drew's vacation!

2008-10-08T19:26:00.000-07:00

Actually, it's great having him around, but he's been working so hard on this second building that he's constructing in our back yard that we've hardly seen him. He goes back to work on Monday after three weeks off. It's wonderful to have him around for every breakfast, lunch, and dinner. However, our back yard is a mess of construction materials, power tools, sawdust, etc. So, my days are spent keeping Evan from removing his limbs with a large saw. Or, helping Drew load 8-foot-long pieces of plywood or siding onto a cart at Home Depot with Elsa and Evan in tow. "Here, have more M&M's and stay in your stroller!" I wish I was strong enough and tall enough to really help him, but I do what I can by having his meals ready and bringing him water and Gatorade.
Sunday we are going to spend the day with the kids, and then he and I are going out for an early dinner together. We usually just end up going to Chipotle and splitting something, so it's not very glamorous, but any time by ourselves is awesome, and we don't have to spend a ton of money. Being happy with the simple stuff is so important!
I'll post pics of this building, or "Man Land" as we are calling it, as soon as I can. Drew is building it like a real house; he's framed it, wrapped it in the Tyvek homewrap stuff, put siding on, and is working on the roof. It's quite something. It'll be really pretty when he's done. He's polled the girls for color ideas. Elsa wants rainbow. We'll see...

My first riding lesson!

2008-10-05T12:50:00.000-07:00

I did it! I rode Frances today! I had such a good time, even though Frances and I spent most of the lesson figuring each other out. I am doing English riding; there is considerably less equipment in this style--less saddle, less reins, less stirrups, but it encourages horse and rider to communicate with body language, since the thin saddle lets me feel exactly what he's doing...or about to do. Like stop. He kept stopping, even when I was telling him to walk. :) Krystin says he sort of "tests" new people, but he was very gentle the whole time and by the end of the almost-two-hour lesson we were at an understanding. I understand that I need more lessons.
The teensy little English saddle really forces you to hold on with your legs. My thighs are totally sore! And, uh, horses are tall. It was surprising how high up in the air I was. I also realize why people ride in full seat breeches--riding pants that have the whole ass area covered in either synthetic or real suede--no slipping around in the saddle. Krystin said I had a naturally good "seat", though, which is the term for how one sits in the saddle. Hey, at least I got something right! (Gloves would be a good thing, too.) I'm also just riding in my plain old western-style boots until I have enough money for some paddock boots and half-chaps.
Wish me luck! I'll keep you updated.
Have a great week!

Vacation

2008-10-05T06:00:00.000-07:00

I'm still here! Drew is still on vacation and he's building a second shed/cottage in our back yard. Very busy! I have been helping with that as much as possible, mostly by keeping Evan away from all the fun loud power tools. ;) I hope to have some pics of this new structure up on the blog soon!

Camping pics!

2008-09-26T17:00:00.000-07:00

We got back last night from our camping trip. Oregon is beautiful, and we saw a black bear crossing highway 101 on the way home! Halfway there we realized we had left all our meat in the freezer at home, and then when we stopped in Eureka the battery on the van died. The kids did have a great time, though, and the van pulled the trailer just fine!
Here are a few pics.

Trotting!

2008-09-21T12:35:00.000-07:00

The girls are trotting now! They love it. Very bouncy! Elsa is also getting much better at posting, or standing up in the stirrups. She enjoys that, and her overall balance is a lot better than Emma's. They both love it, though, as you can see from the huge smiles.

And, yes, I know, I posted the pic of Emma twice. So sue me. :)

Holy horses, batman!

2008-09-20T20:11:00.000-07:00

Good grief! That horse is waaay up in the air, and that woman has not fallen off! Just thought I'd share this awesome pic from: http://clackhi.nclack.k12.or.us/physics/projects/Final%20Project-2005/6-Final%20Project/HorseJump/index.html

SWAT competition

2008-09-17T18:04:00.001-07:00

Drew and the CHP SWAT team have gone to Santa Clara for the Best of the West SWAT competition. The following is from the Santa Clara County Office of the Sheriff's website, regarding the 2007 competition:

2007 marked the fourteenth year for the annual Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office Reserve Best of the West firearms competition. The event is held on one day and is open to all reserve officers through out the state of California.

The goal of the event is to promote healthy competition between reservists, sharing of war stories, enjoying a barbecue lunch, receiving training and a chance to walk away with an individual and or team trophy. This event also encourages attendance by spouses, family members and friends. This year there was a static display which included various patrol vehicles both old and new, an off road enforcement motorcycle, water rescue, search and rescue, a patrol helicopter and a Bradley fighting vehicle from BAE Systems.

This year, a VIP Range gave participants and guests an opportunity to handle and fire several types of unique weapons including machine guns. These included; An AR-15, MP-40, a Beretta 38/42, a H&K MP 5, a H&K 33 and plenty of ammunition.

The 2008 Reserve Best in the West is already being planned as the Santa Clara County Sheriff's Office continues it's leadership role in building partnerships within the reserve community.

camping trip

2008-09-16T13:54:00.000-07:00

We leave on Monday for our week-long, 5 kid camping trip. Wanna come? I thought so.

We will be leaving Monday morning at 4 a.m. Says Drew. (Olivia was really shocked to find this out!) Then, according to my husband, all the kids will sleep in the car until we meet Charles and Denise in Willits for breakfast. I have no intention of bursting his bubble. We will then proceed to Patrick's Point state park, and stay there for two nights. Drew took Olivia and Joaquin there last year, and they had a blast. The picture posted is from that trip.

After Patrick's Point, we'll go up into Oregon to Harris Beach. Connie and Andy (Drew's parents) will have been there for a couple of weeks by the time we get there, and we'll stay with them for one more night. Then the long ride home.

My other blog

2008-09-15T19:44:00.000-07:00

www.coolmomcars.blogspot.com

facebook

2008-09-15T14:00:00.000-07:00

more show pics

2008-09-13T14:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some more pics. Go down to previous post for the first installment. :)

Horse show!

2008-09-13T14:08:00.000-07:00

Today was the schooling show at the stables. Not a fiercely competitive show, but a fun show. All riders in the class the girls rode in got first place ribbons! We have two blue ribbons hanging in the girls' room now. Evan stayed with my parents, and it was a good thing as Drew and the girls and I got home around 1 p.m. A long day! Anyway, here are the pics! Elsa rode Frances for the first time and was completely comfortable. Krystin's younger brother led Emma and Trigger, and did a great job. Elsa says she wants to do more shows...Emma says she was hot.

Note: Triggers' ears are back in the photo where Emma is brushing him. He's not upset with her, he's making faces at Sid who is in the pasture in front of him, out of the picture. I guess they are not friends!

Riding show is tomorrow...

2008-09-12T06:52:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the fun show at Penryn Oak Stables. I can't wait! The girls are going to get all gussied up in their western shirts, jeans, and belts with big buckles. Elsa chose one with a pink sparkly heart buckle. Of course. :) I even bought myself a new pair of Wranglers and some boots. Justin. How fancy! (Not really--they're pretty plain, but oh so comfy!!)
I will post pics as soon as we get home tomorrow. One of the girls will probably be riding Frances, for the first time! Exciting!
Going over to Audrey's to play after school today, which the girls will love. So far, it's a surprise. Also, I may be getting a daycare kid soon! Only part-time, but, hey, it's something. A foot in the door, so to speak.
Have a great weekend!
Mattie

Highlander Review

2008-09-09T19:08:00.000-07:00

I've spent a full day with Big Blue. I like it! It's not as roomy inside as my van, and the storage behind the third row seat is virtually non-existent. The third row is not a split seat, so it's either up or down. The middle row of seats do not tumble, they just fold forward, making it necessary to walk on the back of the seat to reach the third row bench. Which is located conveniently on the floor, so that unless you are a 7-year-old child your knees are up your nose.
The middle row of seats cannot hold all three car seats, either. Even the back seat of Drew's Mazda can handle the big full-size seat in the middle with a booster on either side. This arrangement is impossible in the middle row of the Highlander.
The biggest negative for me is the storage. My van is cavernous behind the third row!

Now for the positive aspects, and there are many. The engine, for one. It's bigger than the 3.3 L V-6 in my van. It's a 3.5 liter and I can tell. It goes like stink, considering it's a huge heavy vehicle. (It's not really a truck, by the way, and even calling it an SUV is a stretch. It's frankly a minivan for people who refuse to drive minivans.) The breaks work great, and all the controls have a solid feel. (The turn signals click very quietly--if you see a "periwinkle blue" highlander driving around Roseville with the blinker on, it's me.)

It also feels more planted to the ground, thanks to it being all-wheel-drive. The AWD aspect helps eliminate torque-steer. There is none. My van will rip the wheel out of your hands if you romp on the gas. The Highlander simply rockets forward. The seats are comfortable, being longer on the bottom, offering more support for your legs. The visibility is really great, and the height of the vehicle is perfect. There's also that reassuring expanse of hood between you and the car in front of you.

I like the vehicle! It doesn't suit my every day needs as well as the van, but it's a nice solid vehicle that I could drive every day quite happily. Until I had to go to Costco with 6 people in my vehicle. Which I do.

Honestly, though, it's a girl car. If you're a single guy and drive this, you probably also have cats and Michael Buble's latest album.

Thank goodness for warranties!!

2008-09-08T16:18:00.000-07:00

Well, the van is in the shop. For a week!!! Drew and I were driving around on Saturday night while the girls were at my parents' house, and the tranny made a loud pop! and then grinding noises upon acceleration and deceleration. Not good! We took it in to Toyota and they said, "Yes, it's your transmission. We do not repair them, we replace them." Oh, very swell. What's that gonna cost? "Nothing. You are still within your 60,000 mile drivetrain warranty."

Drew and Mattie do the happy dance.

The bummer bit is the loaner. I'm so glad that we get a loaner, but it's a Camry. A Camry, folks. Not the new Tundra or the Sequoia, or even the new Highlander. A Camry. I'll bet you anything it's a 4-cylinder with the oh-so-fancy cloth and plastic interior. You see, I'm used to being in my shiny gold, leather and faux-burl wood, traveling movie theater Sienna with 240 horsepower. I am spoiled. I could look Sigmund Freud in the eye and admit that.

The last time I got a loaner Camry from a Toyota dealer was in Sanger, CA when the Sienna had to have one of the seatbelt do-hicky thingers replaced. (It was a service bulletin, and didn't cost me a dime. just like this tranny issue.) They gave me a dirty early-model Camry which I am almost certain belonged to someone who worked there. It smelled like old Burger King. I am hopeful, ever hopeful, that Roseville Toyota, in its snobbery, will give me something nicer. I go pick it up tonight, with the help of my mom to watch the kids, and of Abby to ferry my ass to the dealership. In her Suburban. For those of you who know me well, you will know that I have a soft spot for Suburbans and have been nagging Drew to buy me one for simply ages. That's another story, though.

They refused to give me a Sequoia off the lot. The nerve!

LATER:
6:42 p.m. They gave me a Highlander! Cool! It's a sparkly blue, but at least it has a V6 and 4wd. I'll post my full review with pics tomorrow.

Ads on my blog

2008-09-08T06:03:00.000-07:00

Start clicking, people! The ads are waaaay down at the bottom, but, apparently, I earn money when those ads are clicked upon. The amount is yet to be determined. They do seem to be magically related to the topics on my blog; horses, yarn, etc.
Clickety click click!!

Super size my...salad?

2008-09-07T19:15:00.000-07:00

Drew and I (and Evan) went to Cattleman's for dinner last night; the girls spent the night with my parents. The food was really good, and the place was nice. We got a seat quickly, and Evan was only slightly annoying throughout the whole dinner.
However, the grilled chicken Caesar salad I ordered was HUGE. I mean, ridiculously huge. Drew ordered a steak, red potatoes, beans, and salad and my plate was bigger than his. Now, really! It looked the same when I was finished eating as it had when the waitress set it down in front of me. I hadn't even made a dent.
Now that's just silly.

Fall is coming!

2008-09-05T10:02:00.001-07:00

Weather : A definition:

The state of the air or atmosphere with respect to heat or cold, wetness or dryness, calm or storm, clearness or cloudiness, or any other meteorological phenomena; meteorological condition of the atmosphere; as, warm weather; cold weather; wet weather; dry weather, etc.

Vicissitude of season; meteorological change; alternation of the state of the air.

Storm; tempest.

A light rain; a shower.

To expose to the air; to air; to season by exposure to air.

Hence, to sustain the trying effect of; to bear up against and overcome; to sustain; to endure; to resist; as, to weather the storm.

To sail or pass to the windward of; as, to weather a cape; to weather another ship.

To place (a hawk) unhooded in the open air.

You all know I am from the Midwest. Illinois, to be exact. So, my idea of seasons is a little different from the California version. For instance, fall means changing leaves, cool mornings, and crisp evenings. It means sweaters, boots, pumpkins, and rolling in the...I mean hayrides.
California's version of fall seems to be hot, hot, hot. Oh, and then we will start to get rain. What the hell? I remember snow on Halloween for goodness sake, and long underwear under the costume. (Arctic ballerinas.)

Anyway, those of you who are transplants from states that have actual WEATHER need to back me up on this. I love California, and all its associated weirdness, but c'mon folks!

And, what the hell was that nonsense about the falcon? I'm lost now...

Kaseberg's movin' up!!

2008-09-04T19:29:00.000-07:00

My daughters attend Kaseberg Elementary school, which is about two blocks away from our house. We've had a wonderful experience there, with great teachers and a very cool principal.
Schools are rated with an API score, which you can find more about at:
http://www.cde.ca.gov/ta/ac/ap/apireports.asp
It's the Academic Performance Index, and it is a numbered score, with 800 being the target and 1000 being the maximum. Kaserberg's score based on last year went up from 823 to 836. Yay!! We just keep improving.

We're so happy to be at Kaseberg, and are loving our teachers. I know some people have had issues, especially since we are impacted this year and there was much scrambling of class assignments. But, I think, in the big picture, our school is a very good one.

Wishing you all a great school year!

Married with children

2008-09-02T19:41:00.000-07:00

Last night we had bed Olympics here at the Steen household. Now, for those of you who are single or married without kids, bed Olympics can be a fun thing. For us, not so much. Here's how bed Olympics works around this house:
Emma and Elsa insist they are afraid to sleep in their own room. So, they recline upon little nests of blankets on either side of my king-sized bed. Evan, for reasons known only to God, is a horrible sleeper and sleeps best when he's with me. In my bed. With me. And he insists on bringing matchbox cars and motorcycles to bed. My bed.
Then, Drew comes home around 11 p.m. and comes to bed around 12 or 1 a.m. Well, he tries to come to bed. By the time he gets around to attempting this, Emma has climbed into our bed with Evan and me. He tries wedging himself into bed with the three of us, but apparently three is max capacity.
Drew winds up in Emma's bed. But then, Elsa decides it's her turn in my bed. At 3:30 this morning. So, I put Emma in Elsa's bed and put Elsa where Emma was. At 3:30 this morning.
Did I mention that all this is going on at 3:30 this morning?
Well, folks, by now I am awake. I mean, awake. And, trying to go back to sleep did no good, since Evan woke up bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at 4:15. And tried to go outside and play.
I am tired, dear readers, and the day ain't over yet. I still have a pile of laundry, albeit clean, lying on Emma's bed. It may possibly get moved to a chair or dresser until tomorrow. More than likely.
Birth control, friends. Birth control...

The economy and us.

2008-08-31T13:32:00.000-07:00

I've been considering getting a part time/temporary job. Our mortgage doubled when we moved up here, and then Drew had to buy a car, and you all know how expensive gas and groceries are!! Just feeding my family breakfast requires at least 6 eggs, 5 or 6 pieces of bread, and about 8 pieces of sausage or bacon or whatever breakfast meat we have. Add that up, moms. You know what I mean. ;)

Anyway, we would like to be saving more money for the future, paying our house down, and not having that "We only have $100 left" conversation about a week before payday. We pay the bills fine now, but it's the savings that is bugging us. You all know we like to have a cushion, and we can't afford to even stuff a small pillow right now. :)

I am trying to do this in the least invasive way possible, and in such a way that my kids aren't raised in a daycare facility. I feel blessed that I get to walk them to and from school, tuck them in at night, and go to all the field trips and school activities. This is my first and most important career, but I also have to be realistic about our family needs. Like food and gas.

Thoughts? Advice? Complaints? Let 'em rip...

The thing I hate about "am pm" gas stations.

2008-08-28T18:07:00.000-07:00

Those centrally located payment stations. They suck.

I try often to get gas on the cheap at the am pm at the intersection of Junction and Washington here in Roseville. I do not think I am of below average intelligence, and I cannot seem to make those idiotic things work properly. "Please swipe card and enter pump number." Yes. I have done that. Several times. "Card read error. Please see cashier." Well, you see, I do not want to drag three kids out of the car just to pay for gas in 100 degree heat. Now, bear in mind I am actually having an audible conversation with this machine. Even the freaks who hang out at this particular am pm (and they are fairly substantial freaks) are eyeing me with something akin to concern.

So, I drive to Safeway and am rewarded with my three cent gas discount, in addition to my twenty cent discount for spending fifty bucks on food for the troops. Yeehaw!

Elsa kindergarten

2008-08-26T12:34:00.001-07:00

I dropped Elsa off at Kindergarten today! She tried to act like she didn't want me to leave, but I wasn't buying it. She sits across from Dianne Farrell's little girl Jessica; Dianne is the PTC treasurer and a funny lady! Her little boy Ryan is only a few months younger than Evan and they sat next to each other in their strollers while Dianne and I dropped off the girls.

I hope Elsa has a great day!! I can''t believe she's in kindergarten!

First day of school!

2008-08-26T07:28:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of school! Emma starts at 8:40 this morning and Elsa starts at 11:40. Both girls get out at 3. Drew has SWAT today, and he hopes he will be home in time to pick them up with me.

As you can see, LLBean & Land's End Kids back packs are very reflective. :)

We walked to school with our neighbors Rachel and Rebekah, and found out that Emma and Rebekah are in the same class. Yay!

Accursed budget cuts!!!

2008-08-25T12:57:00.000-07:00

Elsa is, as you know, in an afternoon kindergarten class. Starts tomorrow. Anyway, I saw Miss Lewandowski today and asked her how the p.m. kindergarten thing came about. Well, due to budget cuts the K teachers have no aides. How on earth are you supposed to teach K without an aide? So, Miss L. is going to be in each of the other two K classes for an hour each morning, then teach her own afternoon class. But, on "minimum days" when Kaseberg lets out at 12:25, the afternoon kindergarten class will meet from 8:30 a.m. until 11:50 a.m.--The regular kindergarten hours. This will be fun.

Also, all the K classes are over size by one kid, at least. The district makes them wait a week, to see if all those kids really show up, before they can hire another teacher and add another K class. Then, if they add another class, the classes will be broken up and reorganized. Pray that this doesn't happen! We really want Elsa to be in Miss Lewandowski's class.

Wish us luck!

kindergarten and camping

2008-08-22T13:04:00.000-07:00

We found out today that Elsa will be in Miss Lewandowski's class for kindergarten. Yay! We love Miss L. She's a wonderful kindergarten teacher. The interesting thing is that it will be an afternoon kindergarten class! Wow! Roseville schools generally try to do morning only, but there were so many kindergarten kids this year that they had to add an afternoon class. Elsa loves Miss Lewandowski, so all should be well. Wish us luck!

We also reserved our camping trailer for our September trip to Patrick's Point state park in September. We ordered a trailer hitch for the van, too, and Drew will be installing that himself. Going to be an expensive trip, but we're all looking forward to it!

Jelly Belly Factory!!

2008-08-21T14:54:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took the kids to the Jelly Belly factory in Fairfield. They had a good time! The tour is interesting, and pretty thorough. Who knew that so much went into making a simple jelly bean? Drew ate a bag of sour gummy worms, and I drooled over all the yummy chocolate in the Chocolate Shop. Mmmmm...chocolate cell phones...

To preserve the top-secret nature of the jelly bean production process, no cameras were allowed in the factory. So, here are the only shots I managed. Enjoy!

I have four kids...

2008-08-19T11:12:00.000-07:00

...one of them just happens to be 35 and employed by the state of California.

Drew bought this little 1968 Honda mini trail 50 motorcycle from his Dad's neighbor. It hadn't been started in about 2 years but we brought it home, Drew kicked the starter, and VRROOOOMMM!!! He and the kids have been terrorizing our neighborhood for the past few days.

It only gets better...

2008-08-18T13:56:00.000-07:00

I hope!

We put a whole chicken on the BBQ yesterday, and cooked it out there in an effort to keep the house cool. Well, after cooking it and eating some, it just wasn't a very good chicken, flavor-wise. So I opened the grill to let it cool off before I carried it to the trash can, and I came in to do some cleaning. Evan--you know, the one who doesn't nap anymore and has to find ways to keep himself awake--let Desi out back while I was steam-cleaning the carpet. Apparently, Desi likes chicken. She ate it, bones and all. The only bits I found were the lemons I had stuffed into the cavity of the bird.

Whole chicken+lab=diarrhea.

Somebody kill me now.

On a happier note, I have decided not to torture myself by going back to college. As you can see from my last few posts, God has apparently been trying to tell me that our home life requires my full attention and then some.

Where's my vodka?

The fun continues

2008-08-15T19:21:00.000-07:00

Evan has discovered that he can drag chairs around the house to reach things he normally can't. Like the 10-gallon aquarium on his dresser. Yesterday he dumped half a container of fish food into the tank.

And today he dumped the other half in.

He has also decided that he is on the every-other-day plan for naps. Fun times.

I continue to confuse and befuddle the folks at Sierra College. I called yesterday with a question about the assessment test, and the woman with whom I spoke informed me that the test was full for the 19th and there was no room for me. "Never mind."

So, I struggle on, dealing with college red tape. It will be a miracle if I actually get any classes this semester.

Now I remember...

2008-08-14T12:43:00.000-07:00

...what I hated about going to college.

I met with a counselor yesterday at Sierra College and came away frustrated, overwhelmed, and feeling defeated already. I pretty much need to wade through all the courses on my own, reconcile them with the requirements of the college to which I ultimately want to go, and then attempt to register for them. So, what's the counselor there for? Oh, yeah...to tell me her opinions of what I should do and where I should go for my master's degree. Wait a minute, lady, I'm just trying to get my associates degree! Let's not talk about my master's just yet, okay?

I also get to take the junior college assessment/placement test again. Yippeee. I sent in a waiver for that, to no avail. They have to make sure I can read and write. Hey, guess what, I just gave you my transcripts from Mendocino College, on which my 3.4 GPA was displayed. I think I may possibly have the reading thing under control. I am 32, not 18, and I just want to get on with it, folks. The kicker is that I am not allowed to register for classes until I take the test for which I sent in the waiver. The classes I had wanted are all down to one slot left, so by the time I take the test next Tuesday...well, you get the idea. The computer also has no record of my meeting with the counselor, and also tells me I need to do the orientation--I sent in a waiver for that, too, by the way. Forgive me if I don't want a tour of the library.

But, the fun part is that although the counselor thinks all of two (yes, two) classes I took at Mendo College will do me any good, we really won't know until Sierra College officially looks at my transcripts, which will not happen until I've already taken 12 units from them. SCREAMING inside my head. Are you kidding me?

So, in essence, I get to start all over again from scratch for my two year degree, while attempting to not fuck up my daily schedule at home with Drew and the kids. Yeah. Right.

Can you tell how frustrated I am? :)

Well shit!!

2008-08-11T16:38:00.000-07:00

Damn, damn, damn!

My dear, dear friend Carolina and her family are leaving California. Her husband, a pilot for the US Navy, is being stationed in South Carolina. I feel like crawling into bed with an extra large bag of semi-sweet chocolate morsels, but I won't do that just yet.

I'm happy for them, since their families are all on the east coast. I am bummed for me, as my friend won't be 3 hours away anymore. Of course, we both know how to use the telephone, type, and buy airline tickets. :)

I was able to quickly find two pictures of Jack when he was littler, but I don't have too many of Maddie. We moved when she was so little. I'll have to dig up my pics of the DuPonts!!

Aerospace Museum

2008-08-10T07:28:00.000-07:00

The kids (and Drew) had a blast here. It's at McClellan AFB in Sacramento, and has a lot of cool old planes. Many of them are open and the kids had a good time climbing in and out. Evan was especially amazed at being inside the "cocter." That's "helicopter" for those of you without a 2-year-old. Click on the pics to see a larger one in a new window. Enjoy!

Good morning!

2008-08-07T07:11:00.001-07:00

Good morning! Nothing earth-shattering to report this morning, but a few updates.

I applied online to Sierra College yesterday. Hopefully I can start taking some online courses, and not drag the two-year AS/AA program out too long. I am going to get my teaching degree, and minor in Spanish. I'd like to start working again when Evan is old enough to be in school all day. Not sure how this school thing will work out with our family schedule, but, as Drew said, he'll have to "do more." Amen! I have an appointment to meet with a counselor on Wednesday at 3 p.m. Hopefully I will find out exactly what I have to do to transfer to Sacramento State University.

I am now the secretary for Kaseberg elementary PTA/PTC. This means I have to pay attention to the entire meeting. We had our first meeting for the 2008-2009 school year yesterday. I am in charge of rounding up 100 volunteers to work food and game booths at our Fall Family Festival. Why do I get out of bed some days? I have been e-mailing church and Girl Scout/Boy Scout organizations. Cross your fingers for me!

Emma and Elsa are ready for school to start, and so am I. I am searching for a after-school daycare kid, to help make a little extra cash. Wish me luck on that topic, too. Evan is a two-year-old boy. Enough said.
Drew will be spending every Saturday until October training/practicing for the SWAT challenge. This has made him crabby, this sacrifice of his Saturdays. I'm used to it. :)

Horse back riding tomorrow, that will be fun. I want to take lessons myself!

Teething

2008-08-03T03:36:00.001-07:00

So here it is is 3:30 in the morning and I am up with Evan; have been up with him for an hour. I hate teething. Nothing is on TV, of course, and he is antsy and cranky. We are watching Thomas the Train. Yippeeee.

charity knitting

2008-08-02T18:10:00.001-07:00

Knitnpurlgirl (Courtney) in my knitting group made this cool button for our charity knitting. We are making preemie items, as well as youth/adult-sized items for chemo patients, etc. It's fun to make things for other people who really need them, and know that they will be used for good. :) Plus, it gives me more of an excuse to knit! ;)

Visit us on www.ravelry.com Our group is called Chicks With Sticks. My username is mom3x.

School starts soon!

2008-08-02T16:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it! School starts on August 26th. Elsa will be starting kindergarten, and Emma will be in first grade. Pray for great teachers! we requested to have Miss Lewandowski for Elsa, since we had a great experience with her as Emma's K teacher. We'll cross our fingers...

Emma will be using the same LL Bean backpack that she used last year. It refuses to die,, and still looks brand new. Elsa chose a pink flowery back pack from Land's End. Of course she did. :) It has cabbage roses all over it, for heaven's sake. It's very Elsa. Both girls got lunch packs to match their packs. Emma will be staying at school for lunch!! It will seem so strange to not see her from 8:30 until 3. She's getting big! We'll see how she does with the all-day thing; she was tired after morning kindergarten. Elsa will be very tired, too, I just know it.

The coolest thing is that both girls will be at Kaseberg, which is within walking distance. Literally, it's about two blocks away. I plan on never driving there again...unless it's pouring frickin' rain.

We went to Target and bought school supplies. Elsa went with me, and we picked out glue, pencils, crayons, and markers. Each girl has to take a bag of these items to school to contribute to the classroom supplies. They like this shopping trip!

Looking forward to school starting! And, fall clothes for Mommy. ;)

updates--knitting and spinning

2008-07-31T05:40:00.000-07:00

Several thing shave been going on.
First, I sold my spinning wheel. I am not giving up on spinning, and have ordered two new spindles; a Turkish spindle and a spindolyn. The spindolyn is a hand-made supported spindle available on www.knittinganyway.com I simply realized that I do not spin enough to warrant the use of the wheel; I might spin a couple hundred yards, on a good day, and I can accomplish this with a spindle that can be packed away, versus a wheel that has to reside on the floor of my master bathroom vanity area for its own safety. And, I don't feel I have the time to devote to spinning, not as much as I'd like to anyway. A friend on Ravelry is loaning me her majacraft suzie wheel, which is waaaay nicer than most wheels out there, so I'll be able to keep my spinning skills updated, and get a feel for a different wheel. Thanks, Marin!!

Second, I have really taken to knitting. I have even started my first pair of socks on double-pointed needles--5 needles, to be exact. The stitches are divided among 4 needles and knitted with the 5th. A wonderful woman at my Wed. night knitting group got my started on them last night and I have 18 of the 20 rows I need for the cuff. Yay!!! Thank you Kerry! And thank you stephanie for giving me the beautiful Lisa Souza sock yarn!! My Wednesday night knitting group is also going to be doing some charity knitting for the neonatal ICU and youth ICU in two of the hospitals here in Roseville. Tiny little preemie blankets are so adorable.

Kim Lehner had her thyroid tumor removal surgery yesterday at 8:30 a.m. I haven't gotten any updates yet, but I know the hotel where they were staying was charging for internet time, and Jared has probably been at the hospital with Kim. If anyone has any info let me know!!

Have a great Thursday!

knitting dish cloths

2008-07-26T16:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, dish cloths. I love it! Fun, easy, quick; all my knitting requirements! I have been making Grandmothers' Favorite Dishcloth, according to this pattern:
http://www.jimsyldesign.com/dishbout/kpatterns/grfavorite.html

It's so stinkin' simple. I'll post some pics, but many of you will be receiving boxes of dish cloths. ;) They are soft enough to use on kids in the tub, too, I think.

Happy Saturday!

dupont kids

2008-07-25T18:40:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from when the DuPont kids were here! Enjoy!

Ride 'em cowboy!

2008-07-25T18:32:00.000-07:00

Evan rode Trigger today! When the lesson was over, Kristyn let Evan ride Trigger up to the wash/groom area. He loved it! Here is a pic of cowboy Evan. you can click on it to see it larger, just don't look at me!

my first real hat, and knitting knowledge

2008-07-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

Here is my first hat, knitted in the round and finished on double-pointed needles. Fellow Raveler lesleyluu came over today with her girls and showed me how to use the DPN's. Yay! The DPN's make sense now, thanks to Lesley, and I plan on making more! Lesley also brought me some beautiful cormo fiber that she had combed up, and some combed fiber that I gave her as raw wool. Thank you, Lesley, I owe you one!

What I have learned from knitting:
I hate Lion brand yarn. I hate acrylic yarn. I am a yarn snob.

I have learned that knitting in the round on circular needles or double-pointed needles (DPN's) is nowhere near as complex as I thought!

I want to knit smaller projects like hats and dishcloths.

I don't really like knitting scarves.

I have a short attention span. (Yes, you already knew that!)

My busy week

2008-07-25T05:54:00.000-07:00

On Sunday the 20th, Carolina, Rory, and the kids arrived at our house. Carolina and Rory left Monday afternoon to go to SF for her surgery. Their kids did really well here, and it was good for my kids to have other kids to play with! Evan only bit Maddie once and it took him until this Thursday to do it!

My niece and nephew spent the night on Wednesday, having arrived at 7 a.m. that morning. So, for Wednesday and most of Thursday I had 7 children in my house. Not as bad as you may think, as my niece and nephew are 9 and 11 and I put them to work! :)

Carolina and Rory got here to pick up the kids around 2 on Thursday and hung around long enough for Carolina to rest a bit and Rory to load up the Jeep. She looked really good--no bruising or horrible circles under her eyes. She said she felt like she had a terrible sinus cold, though; lots of pressure and drainage. Yuck. Rory will be home with her for two weeks, so hopefully she will keep her little butt in bed. ;)

When Drew got home last night I left for an hour by myself, and went to Filati Yarns in Rocklin. Great selection, and the woman who runs the store is in my Wednesday night knitting group! I bought a beautiful purple hand-dyed, hand spun wool yarn by Manos de Uruguay. It is lovely!

Today is horse back riding lessons again, at 8 a.m. Evan napped yesterday from 4:30 p.m. until about 7. Wonderful! Not. I was up with him until 10:30. We have to leave at 7:30 this morning to make it to the stables, but the girls are looking forward to it. Good to get them outside in the cool mornings. Evan likes wandering around and trying to climb under every fence he sees. *sigh* Last week, at their first lesson, Kristyn spent almost two hours with the girls, instead of the one hour I had paid for. She is being very thorough and is quite competent.

After riding lessons today, a Ravlery friend is coming over with her two little girls for some spinning and she is going to teach me how to finish my very first REAL knitting project with double-pointed needles. I am making the Easy Peasy hat on circular needles--patern and needles from www.knitpicks.com I have a few needles and some yarn fro that website, and am addicted. Their metal needles are responsible for my beautiful hat! Love them!

I will post pics of the hat as soon as it is finished!

Lambtown let-down

2008-07-19T11:49:00.000-07:00

Well, not really. Let me say that the event itself was great--the fiber, fleece, yarn, tool, accessory choices were great and there were a lot of fibery vendors! My kids loved looking at the rabbits and the animals near the fiber fair building. The bummer parts were the complications and frustrations surrounding the event.

First off, my mom had to work so my dad would've been here alone all day with my kids. That's a bit rough on him! :) So, I brought Dad and the kids along. All went well until we got to the entrance of Lambtown where one of the many security guards told me that I was not allowed to bring in the peanut butter sandwiches I had packed for my kids. Are you kidding me? I refuse to be forced to buy food. So, Dad took the contraband pb&j's back to the car--luckily I had a cooler.

Then, after meeting up with Marin and Angela we proceeded to the so-called information booth to find out where the fleece judging was. The people working the booth got on their radios, after a puzzled look, and went on to give us the times and locations for the shearing contest, the skein and textile judging, and any event other than the fleece judging. The staff never did manage to figure it out--Marin and Angela found out on their own.

The food vendors were not ready to begin serving food when we were there, even though it was about 10 a.m. and my kids were hungry, since we had been forced to send our snacks back to the car. And, the food vendors were not allowed to sell drinks as the Lambtown people were selling those. So, I had to walk further down the row past the stage to obtain drinks.

I got the things I went for; my fleece from Cormo Farms, an extra bobbin, some lovely alpaca/silk fiber and some really gorgeous merino/silk dyed fiber. YUMMY! But, that was all. I walked away an hour-and-a-half after arriving with over $50 left in my pocket, which I would've spent if my kids hadn't been hungry and thirsty.

I hope those of you who read this and went to Lambtown had a better experience than we did!

Riding lessons!

2008-07-18T10:57:00.000-07:00

The girls had their first riding lesson with Kristyn Hoikka at Penryn Oak Stables this morning. They were so excited at home as they got their jeans and paddock boots on. Then, we got there and met up with Kristyn and her pony Trigger. (He really does look like Trigger!)

Emma and Elsa learned how to brush Trigger, clean out his hooves, saddle and unsaddle him, and put on a bridle & bit. Elsa got right to work and brushed the pony, and dug right in to clean his hooves with the pick. She was a trooper, and appeared to be in her element!

Then, it was finally time to ride. We went the small square arena and Kristyn, with a lunge line attached to Trigger's bridle, had the girls go through some balance exercises to get used to being in the saddle. Then they practiced starting and stopping the pony, and steering with the reigns. Elsa had a huge smile on her face the whole time, but was also very focused on what she was doing.

Evan enjoyed walking around the horse paddocks and arenas with me, and looking at the horses that were in the pastures. We heard some chickens, and he had an especially good time trying to catch all the "meows" that he could find. Luckily they seem to be tolerant of his rough handling! Then, you can see he relaxed on one of the hammock swings.

We can't wait for next Friday!

(You can click on any of these pictures to see a larger version.)