absolutely me

So, this morning, Cesar woke up at 6 am. By 6:24, he was already having breakfast. He had already showered and dressed. He went to see his best friend, Donald, across the street, to get some "advice", about the bus stop (kid, it's only 6:30, will you give it a rest!!!.) Comes back smelling like cologne, which Donald let him use [mental note: cologne for Cesar.] I volunteered to take him to school, just for the first day, but he looked at me as if I had suddenly grown two heads. And out the door he goes... NOT! I tried to come out the door and take pictures of him as he walked out the door, and he was soooo not cool with that! He went back and called Brian for HELP!!! "Bri, mom is trying to take pictures of me again" And Brian: "Are you nuts, woman? Put that thing down", as if my camera was a lethal weapon!!! Males, I tell ya!!! So, I had to thank him for letting me take just a few shots inside the house... and sneak out after he left, to see what I cou...

Today, another contest starts in our Monthly kit club, CHS . The 20th person who signs up for our message board, gets $10 woth of stuff!!!! Don't you LOVE it???? (I love free stuff)... So, what are you still doing here??? Go check our {mini} contest and get ready to win! GOOD Luck to you!!! Note.- Tracie, I FORBID you from winning again... YOU already won at the 12 hour crop back in July!!!! ;) Hugs to all!!

Our Monthly Kit Club, Creative Hearts Studio , is staring a series of challenges in september! Come and join us for a full month of scrappin', fun and a VERY cool prize! A FREE 3 MONTH subscription to our monthly kit club! Come and join us, read all the details in our website!

Last Thursday, Cesar had his Jr. High open house. It's a brand new school, so everybody was sooo excited to go to this new place. The original plan was for Brian to be here and take him, or for all of us to go, but Brian, of course, was sent to the Indiana office at the last minute, so he couldn't get here on time. And that left ONLY the option of mom taking him and his friend Aaron to the open house... With the two li'l ones in tow, mind ya! I was sooo aggravated, because I felt that Cesar was soooo embarrassed to walk around with Coco and Connor, and me. I had to bring myself back to his age, to try to understand that I, too, wanted my parents to leave me alone, but not VERY alone :) I just wanted to feel like a grown up, and my parents all the time around me made me feel so much like a kid. Of course, at 11 you feel like a woman already (naturally!) In any event, I really wanted Brian to be there, to walk with me and help me with the kids in the neverending sea of noisy...

I guess you don't realize how much you depend on technology to feel secure, is it? I'm not quite sure what the word would be. But this is what happened: Monday morning, my neighbors had a technician come work on their phone line, which was giving them problems, at about 9 am. So, about 9:15, poof! our cable, internet conection AND phone line (mind ya!) all go out. dead. zero. no dial tone, nothing. I realize that the technician came and fixed the neighbors, but disconnected us. I work from home, and am COMPLETELY dependent on my internet connection. So, I get on the line, and explain the situation. They explain they will get a technician here on Tuesday between 8 and 8... NOT HELPING ME! The guy tells me I must go to a local office, see if they can help. So, on the car I get, and to the office I go. Get there, and they send AN EMAIL to the guys, to see if they can get to my home the same day. Somebody shows up on Monday night, and explains that 7 households are connected to ...

So, this is our new patio at night! We went up and down all of the stores in the western burbs yesterday. We just figured it would be easier for the kids not to feel so miserable if we took them out... So, we found this patio set, and the umbrella and fire "thingy"... I LOVE IT! Last night we sat there after the kids were in bed. We didn't say much, just sat down and enjoyed the whole thing. I was a little worried that the lights in the umbrella would look a little tacky, but they actually look kind of cool :) I really am enjoying my li'l patio, there!

Ok, I've been home with my sick kids for TOO long now! First, Connor had an ear infection, so peniciline was prescribed, two weeks ago today. So, we start the peniciline right on Friday and on Wednesday, he breaks up in hives and fever. I thought it was chicken pox. So we go to the doctor (again), and he prescribes Benadril, just in case it is an allergic reaction, but almost swears it a "highly infectious virus", so he must not go to daycare. By now, I already missed 1 day of work, and with this, it's two more. Of course, that should be the least of my concerns. I know that the guys I work with are SUPER cool, but I wonder how flexible is flexible. Anyways... Connor just went back to daycare this week, when Amy calls me yesterday morn to tell me Nicole has a fever! So, I go get her, and nothing was bringing that darn fever down! She had a 102 all night; we brought it down around 2 am by placing wet rags and giving her more meds, and placing the fan on her, and gettin...

Yesterday these guys that Brian hired came to start the patio in our back yard. Brian has been wanting this for sooo long, I'm excited for him... And I'm excited myself! I've been DYING to get a table and chairs and sit there while I see the kids play in the backyard. Now, our backyard is sooo small, I'm surprised there is room for a patio and the swing set. Brian SWEARS he will plant a garden, too, but I just don't see where. Besides, the kids and Digger (whom REALLY honors his name) will destroy it before it has a chance to germinate. We'll see. Tomorrow they come to pour in the concrete, which will be tinted with a terra-cota color. Brian will have such a nice surprise when he comes back!!! Connor's sick again. Can't believe it! We went to the Dr's office last Friday for an ear infection, now he has a highly contagious virus that is really harmless, but makes his skin look like he has chicken pox or something like that. SO, there goes my plan to s...

I am so sad. Today we went to buy a BIG GIRL bed for Nicole, since her toddler bed is no longer a good one for her. Her feet were sticking out all the time, and if she moved, she'd hit herself against the railings. But I have to say, all day long I've been kind of down, and I couldn't put my finger on it... until I saw her old bed coming out, and the new one go in. I was fighting back my tears as I saw her helping dad to put her bed together... She's always telling us she wants to be an EVERYTHING GIRL when she grows up, because she likes everything. And today she added CARPENTER to the list! I know I should be happy that she is growing. I know I should feel blessed that she wants to learn and go to school, and is so willing to discover and explore her world. But today, I am sad for the baby girl that no longer is. I cannot even imagine what will it be like come September 1st. I didn't mean to be downish... I guess tomorrow I will feel a lot better!