Freaky Friday!

Today was unbelievable. The stars must have aligned and the fat lady must have sung. I do believe it was my most productive day of 2008 and maybe 2007 as well. I have often wondered why bloggers take pictures of some of the most mundane things, but I may understand a little better after today. It could be years before I accomplish so many things in one day again, so here is a little photo journal session to remind me. Or inspire me. Or shame me. Whatever. Because on those days when NOTHING gets done (oh yes, rainy Monday, I know you are coming), I will need to be reminded that I am a productive member of society. Even if the only eye witnesses are a happy-go-lucky 4 year old and a sleepy little boy. Here goes!

Friday began early at 4:30 a.m. when sleep was a desire, but not a reality. So why not get up and finish cleaning out that closet? Yes, why not? I didn't think to grab the camera for the before shot, but at least I got some proof of the afterwards before it gets all cluttered again!





Notice the scrapbook supplies that are begging, pleading to be used. Hmmm, not today. There is work to be done!

At this point, it was time to do normal morning stuff. Got Mackenzie to school an headed to get my oil changed. Oh yeah, and my tires rotated. 3 things and counting! (closet, oil, and tires - wait - there were filters replaced too! 4 things and counting!) Sorry no picture of the oil change.

Back at home now and while walking to the mailbox, the weeds in the flowerbeds caught my eye. Well, why not? 1 hour later and I had this:






while Avery did this:

and Nathan did this: Hope you didn't miss the cute little toes peeking out from under the blanket. Adorable.

Too bad I didn't think to change shoes. I think they're ruined. We'll see.


Now, back inside. Time to pack up those clothes from the early bird great closet cleanout. Ready to donate!



Hmmm, maybe time to unpack a box from the garage. (yes, we moved in Feb. and still have unpacked boxes. Sigh). China unpacked, washed and stored.

Oh yeah, Avery made me play-doh pancakes.

And while we're dealing with boxes, it is time for the kids consignment sale. Let the pricing begin!

Check out the time!

Seriously, there were days this summer that I was still in my pajamas in the p.m. hours.

Now I needed some nourishment, so time for some no-bake cookies!

A little vaccuuming and a little laundry later and one more clock check.

Now I think I had a sugar crash and that was about it for the day. Now I have a weekend ahead with all playtime and no guilt! Like I said, it was a freaky kind of Friday!

By the way, Avery caught a bug while we were pulling weeds. It became her new little "friend" for the day. I asked what his name was and she informed me that HER name was "Tiffany". (The name of my best friend) What can I say? Sorry Tiff, today you were a gross little red and black bug around here. At least it wasn't a spider.

Hooray for school and the end of summer!

The day is finally here! Mackenzie was off on her way this morning to her first day of 2nd grade. We were both so ready. She is just like me when it comes to school. She loves it and really thrives on a routine. She had her bags packed and sitting by the door at 8:00 last night. That is one of the best things about school too - bedtime! Both girls were in bed asleep by 8:45 last night. It's amazing how much more I got accomplished between 9 and 10:30! Anyway, here are a few shots of my baby looking all grown up and elementary school like. Beautiful girl. Sigh. I miss her already!

The joy of randomness: swim teams, Netflix and maxi pads

Well, it's been a while since I last posted anything and since nothing MAJOR has developed lately (I guess this is the dog days of summer?) you get a heaping dose of random thoughts.

First of all, can I just say that I love the USA olympic men's swim team? I love that Michael Phelps has a chance to break all kind of crazy records. I love that his mom is so sweet sitting there waving her little American flag for her son. I love that 4 guys defied odds and came from behind to beat the snotty little French guy who said he was going to smash the Americans. At a time of $4 gas and political commercials that make me cringe, I love that my sense of national pride shows up in the unexpected form of 20 something year old boys. I also love the way Michael Phelps looks in his swim pants, but that is probably beside the point. Go USA!

The lovely thing that is Netflix can greatly improve your life. Not completely life changing like the DVR or an ipod, but as in I don't have to deal with the silly people at blockbuster or late fees anymore. However, there is a trickiness to managing your queue on Netflix. Case in point: the hubby and I have been on a Dexter watching marathon. The last episode on the DVD we were currently watching ended on a major cliffhanger. The hubby says, hurry, put in the next DVD. Oh, but hubby, remember you wanted me to get that great comedic film called Harold and Kumar return to Guantanamo Bay? Now we must wait. No problem, right - 2 days tops. Return the movies and wait for the final Dexter DVD to show up in the mailbox. Friday - what a great night for some great TV watching. Kids are settled, Netflix envelope in hand, we prepare to find out just what is going on with the crazy ICE TRUCK KILLER, set up the DVD player, go to pop in the show and ..... Oh no, it's the BEE MOVIE!!! I forgot to update the queue! I just assumed the Dexter DVDs were at the top of the queue. Alas, this was not the case. Now I am sure the Bee Movie is a great little show, but not when you are expecting the case of the ICE TRUCK KILLER to be solved. Oh well, there is always tomorrow's mail.

My oldest daughter is growing up. That fact will hit me when I least expect it. A glance at her in the rearview mirror while she is absentmindedly staring out the window. Listening to her read, or laugh, or talk, or cry. The 2nd grade school supply list. (Blue and black ink pens? What? Where is the nap mat? The jumbo colors?) By the way, she just interrupted this blog post to tell me that she lost a tooth in her sleep. How can you lose a tooth while you sleep? Ok. Enough rhetorical questions for now. Anyway, she brings me a magazine last week (Good Housekeeping) and points to a glossy ad and asks me: mom, what are these for? Yes, it was an Always ad for maxi pads. Hmmm, how to explain this? I kind of said, um, um, for a long time and then with the wisdom of her 7.9 years, she asks me, "are they to protect your vagina?" YES, YES, that is EXACTLY what they are for! What a wake up call for me to be better prepared to answer some of these tough questions. There will be more to come for sure. After talking to a friend or two about this, I discovered one friend of a friend of a friend whose daughter started her period at 10 years old. Wow, just two years away! The horror!

Well, enough randomness for now. My little man also made his 2 month milestone this week. More pictures and info on that to follow quickly!