it's not my birthday

having birthdays and getting older has never really freaked me out, but lately, i'm just starting to feel it, you know? like being able to use my achy bones as a barometer to predict the weather, isn't this something reserved for geriatrics? and hearing my kids say things like, "hey mom, can you help me set up a facebook page", and "mom, tuesday is registration for high school", and worst of all - "should i do driver's ed over the summer or next year during school?", reminding me that we are definitely in the full swing of teenagerhood. and until recently, i've only ever had maybe one grey hair visit me every few months or so, and now it seems like they must be having some kind of family reunion on my head because i'm constantly plucking them out. and i just won't even get into the "excessive chin hair after thirty" issue, except to say, what the in the world? why didn't someone WARN me about this so i could've braced myself? and what, may i ask, is happening to my neck? what kind of a cruel joke is saggy neck syndrome? sigh.

ok, so really it's not my birthday, but it kind of feels like it is. only, not in a good, i-get-to-eat-cake-and-get-presents kind of way, only in the i-feel-old kind of way. the scariest part is, what's next? could someone please just give me a heads up!?

productivity = happy me

spring break was the perfect mix of lazy and productive. we spent equal amounts of time in our pajamas playing boardgames (thanks to all the rain and lousy weather), and making good progress on some projects around the house. and just to satisfy my need for a pat on the back, here's a few of the things i crossed off of the list.

*finished hanging eight new sets of blinds - complete with cursing, don't judge me. * hung three of the four new valances that my sweet MIL made for me, including getting the hardware up. by the way i am IN LOVE with this fabric! * took down ethan's crib (i know, i know, i don't know - why did we wait so long?). * set up allie's old bed in ethan's room with new bedding. * sanded, washed, taped, primed and painted all the red drawers and five cupboard doors.* scrubbed my bathroom which hasn't seen a cleaning chemical in far too long.

* sent EIGHT ginormous bags to good will and four more bags to friends for hand-me-downs.

this week i learned that i am more productive when people are home, play time feels more fun and less indulgent when it's preceeded by accomplishments, and i am a happier, more patient mom when i can make a dent in my to-do list. and that SNORTA is my new favorite game to play, if you haven't tried it, you definitely should. it's one of those easy to catch on, belly laugh enducing kind of games. oh, and one more thing, i really enjoyed having lousy weather because it meant i didn't have to start on the spring yard work just yet. yee ha.

gettin' jiggy with it

ok, so right up front, i'm going to warn you that this post is rather long. i'm sorry about that, i usually try really hard to condense as much as possible, mostly so anyone who reads my blog doesn't unexpectedly nod off to sleep. however, there were so many great details about this event that i don't want to forget, that i gave myself permission to include them all, even if it means having a lengthy post. at least it's kind of funny. i hope.

last friday at 6am, i took my groggy, sleepy self downstairs to rouse the troops and get the morning going. but instead i ran into spencer who was pacing the floor with an anxious expression. i had to rub my eyes because i couldn't believe that not only was he awake, but he was wearing a shirt and tie, had already made his lunch, eaten breakfast and brushed his teeth. what the? then my sleepy brain caught up with my eyes and i recalled the day's agenda - today was the day for the highly anticipated SIXTH GRADE DANCE! he must have seen the smirk on my face because he blurted out, "i couldn't sleep all night! i'm so excited (meaning nervous) about the dance". ok seriously, are we talking about my son here?

let's back up. spencer's elementary school has some fantastic sixth grade teachers. they teach the students a whole bunch of dances over several months in preparation for the big day. the kids had to partner up with several different girls during the practice sessions and learned to swing, and two-step, as well as a bunch of line dances like the hustle, the electric slide, and spencer's favorite, men in black.

luckily, i was signed up to help with the dance, so after getting my nervous nelly, i mean spencer, out the door with some assurances from mom that he would be fine, i got myself ready to go. i say "luckily", because the spencer i found in the elaborately decorated school gym that day, was not the spencer who normally lives at my house. i was stunned to see a whole other side to my son i had no idea existed. the truth be told, i didn't even know they had been practicing these dances, spencer had never mentioned it to me.

i'm not sure what he was nervous about exactly, because other than moving a little faster than the beat of the music, spencer is a total natural. when it was time for a "partner" dance, all the kids looked at their dance cards - yes dance cards, found their partners and danced like it was no big deal to be holding hands with someone of the opposite sex. i think this is HUGE, what an awesome thing the teachers have done for these kids, they took the fear out not looking cool by requiring them to dance. with the dance cards and line dances in between there were no wall-flowers, no one was left out, everyone was having fun. especially spencer...basically all day long i was wishing that i had brought a video camera or at least a stronger flash. it was so much darker in the gym than i would've guessed. i only live a minute or so away from the school but i was having so much fun watching spencer the grump's alter ego, disco spencer, that i didn't dare leave the school for fear of missing something. there were several things that i enjoyed about this day, but watching him do the men in black line dance will definitely be a memory i will treasure.

(baby just walk with me, just walk with me) (baby just slide, and slide)

a few other random things i don't want to forget about this day:

*during the first refreshment break of the dance, spencer suggested that the teachers let the ladies go first. it was maybe my proudest mom moment EVER hearing all the moms and girls go, "aaawwwwww". of course all the boys groaned. again, who is this kid?

*a mom asking me, "oh you're spencer's mom?" and me nervously replying, "yes". then she proceded to tell me about how her daughter was so happy to find that spencer was listed on her dance card (the teacher's put their lists together) because spencer is such a good dancer. and it's way more fun to dance with spencer than the other boys because they pretend to hate it.

*spencer adding his own little "saturday night fever" disco flair to the boot scoot boogie.

*i overheard one girl talking to another little girl when she said, "be ready when you have to dance with spencer, his mom takes like a thousand pictures for just one song".

*giggling like crazy with kathi at all the boys, and even a few girls, who had absolutely NO rhythm. those kids were highly entertaining to the moms, hopefully they didn't notice our giggling.

not to worry though, spencer's fun-loving, easy-going alter ego stuck around until he got home from school and learned that he had a few chores to do before he could make weekend plans. in that instant, my son, spencer the grump, returned and disco spencer went back into hiding. but i did download, "men in black" from itunes to try and coax him out from time to time.

sneaky

here's a little treat for janae - some sneaky little photos i took of her darling daughter nicolette. one thing's for certain, janae sure makes cute girls. one of my favorites of the bunch is this blurry one. obviously my depth of field was way off, but it's so telling of her fun personality that i couldn't bare to delete it. it's no wonder that ethan loves her so much.we're so grateful for good friends in our lives.

we love you janae and nicolette!

tuesday night goodness

tuesdays are one of my favorite days of the week.

can you guess why?

american idol night baby!

this is a BIG deal at my house. the kids and i all love to follow this show, we really get into it. probably a little too much. we can never wait until the tivo has recorded it, we always have to watch it live, because we are addicts and can't wait for our fix.

maybe because there's always some really great ones that we love to cheer for, and there's always someone good to really hate that loves to stick around.

and simon almost always says what i'm thinking.

last year was my favorite season so far, because i LOVE cookie baby. he's my favorite idol winner so far, pure awesomeness.

this year, we are cheering for matt, danny, chris, allison and anoop.

and we definitely don't like adam, he can sing, but he is definitely not the whole AI package. that whole "ring of fire" week made me squirm, gross man. and when he hits those high note/scream things with his tongue hanging out, yuck-o. he should stick to the stage. and since we are seasoned idol watchers now, i think i'm definitely qualified to offer that as my professional opinion. and how did matt end up in the bottom two last week? it's definitely time to start voting.

we LOVE american idol!

are you an AI addict too?

who is your favorite idol?

who are you loving this year?

who do you love to hate?

acting responsibly. which is so inconvenient some times

tonight after the teenagers and cranky toddler were finally in bed, and my hard working husband working away at his computer on something or other, i found myself trying to decide how to spend the rest of my night. my to-do list is long, but i narrowed it down to three choices:

a: clean my office that has reached an unpresidented level of chaotic.

b: edit photos that have been sitting in my inbox forever.

or

c: drool over robert pattinson because today i folded like a house of cards and bought the twilight dvd.

ya, i know, i'm weak ok? i resisted all last week when it first came out. but today i was at costco and it wasn't a bad price and it was an ok movie, not great but, well, just LOOK at him.do i even need to explain why i wanted to sit and watch this overly cheesy, turn-your-brain-off movie, alone in my living room? one look at those gorgeous eyes and that crazy hair that just screams, "run your fingers through me please!" and i'm thinking that an explaination is no longer necessary.

however, i did the responsible thing and cleaned my office. i know! i must not be as weak as i thought. cleaning the office didn't really have the same sexual tension as watching the movie would have, but it was very satisfying to get things put away and have some elbow room on my desk again. i think i made the right choice. my husband who shares my office space but manages to keep his half very neat and tidy, agrees. i am looking forward to spending some time with edward though. soon.

"A" is for Allie

after two terms of getting a 3.9 (which totally made her mad), she finally, got the big number she has been working so hard for. the best part is that she did it all by herself. no poking or prodding from me or rich, it's something SHE wants for herself. i love that about her.

you go four-point-ooooooh girl!

hill-billery or desperation?

so ethan's famous lightning mcqueen shoes have really seen a lot of love. driven many a mile and are really starting to lose their "new car" smell. one has lost a tire, and the strap on the same one was starting to break in the back. it's a real problem because ethan won't wear any other shoes and i haven't been able to find new ones for him in his size. so today while running errands, the poor strap finally popped and broke all the way. luckily, it happened in the duct tape isle at target. ya, that's right, i said duct tape. and if you're afraid right now and saying to yourself, "no, no, don't do it!" i'm here to say, "yup i did do it, and it worked." i found RED duct tape and fixed those plastic shoes. yes i did. so now they're good as new. sort of. not really. but they work.don't judge a desperate mom.

slow progress *edit!*

i finished painting the cupboards last weekend and spent all week reorganizing where i want things to go. i was never very happy with where anything was before so i decided to take my time and give everything a better home. i still don't have the doors or drawer fronts painted, all that work will happen out in the garage so it's safe to move all the cupboard contents back in. i have to say that it's so pleasing to me to see my cupboard full of my pretty fiestware dishes, i may consider never getting the doors done! just kidding, they'll get done, but in the mean time, i'm not minding so much.

**edit - many of you have wondered about the inside of the cupboards. i actually did not paint the inside of the cupboards because they have a laminate surface (for easy clean up) and so painting them would be really difficult and unpractical. and...i promise to post a bigger photo of the whole kitchen later. when it's cleaner. which might really be, never.

teenagerhood

teenagers never change. and neither to their forms of entertainment. which is why i've decided to lock my kids in their rooms until they're twenty five. maybe thirty. okay, twenty.

i guess after this mess, (pictured is only one tree of many actually decorated), i think we are officially a family with teenagers. no more denial here.

pink or blue?

hi, my name is wende and i am a blog neglector.

it's for a good reason. i have some big news and needless to say, it's made me a little preoccupied.

it started out as just an idea, something rich and i were just talking about. at first, he wasn't really on board. but, the more we talked, the more fun it sounded and the more excited i started to get. then we, (really me more than him), decided that a change could be good for us, in fact, it could be down right refreshing. but then i started to become obsessed with the details, how long would we have to wait? can we afford it - it's alwasy more expensive than you think it's going to be? do i really have it in me to pull this off? we decided that we don't really have all the answers, but we do have some experience, so we think that this will be a welcome change. even though the road to getting there will be rough. and so it began...i decided to paint my kitchen cabinets. i know, i'm crazy. it's been a mammoth project that has completely taken over my life. so far, i've cleaned out all the cupboards, taken down the doors and drawers, sanded, taped and primed - and that's just the cupboards! the doors and drawers are all stacked in the garage and will have to wait until another day. i can't believe how much work this has been, WAY more labor intensive that i anticipated. this weekend i pretty much did nothing else and was so happy to get the priming done that i did a little happy dance all over the house. and now you know why i am a blog neglector.

and just incase you're wondering about the pink and blue? the blue is really grey, and those cupboards are going to be black, and the pink cupboards are going to be a deep brick red. tinting the primer really helps a job along. the funny part of all of this, is that spencer thought these were the colors i had chosen and confessed to rich that he didn't really care for them. infact, he asked rich, "why did you let mom choose the paint color, the cupboards look awful."

so what do you think, am i crazy?

have you ever painted your cupboards?

would you like a blue and pink kitchen?

harvesting the organs

rich spent a little bit of our tax return on himself and bought fancy new computer. i'm so glad he did, the man rarely does stuff like this for himself, he definitely deserves it. i walked into the office the other day to this scene, rich busy at something he referes to as "harvesting the organs". besides how gross that termonology is, i'm pretty sure it's just nerd speak for "saving all the good stuff". i'm not exactly sure what he does with pieces once their harvested, but the process itself is kind of entertaining to me. i mean, just incase i was unclear as to whether or not i married a nerd (i wasn't), this photograph certainly puts to rest any doubts. how many people do you know with a nerd score high enough to harvest organs from a computer?

100 list revisited

i have been thinking all year that i need to do another 100 things list. it was so much fun the first time trying to think of 100 things, that since then, things that i could add to the list keep popping into my brain. the list ended up being sort of introspective and revealing and a great way to journal i think. i love to read other's 100 list, i always learn lots of new stuff about them and enjoy seeing how much we have in common. i decided that i would try to add to my 100 list slow throughout the year so i don't forget anything that pops into my brain. so here goes.

101. i don't really like ketch up.
102. i won't do a "structured" diet because i'm afraid of yo-yo dieting forever.
103. i once "drank" a pan of macaroni and cheese - true story.
104. i am crazy about felt food, i know i don't have a ton of use for it, but it makes me giddy.
105. i very much dislike the two deep lines that have formed in between my eyebrows.
106. i am not an eyebrow plucker and i'm ok with this. i just never learned how and now that i'm older, i just think it's cruel and unusual punishment.
107. when my kids were little, i used to stir a can of tuna and a can of peas into their mac & cheese. they didn't know for a long time that it wasn't called "mac & cheese & tuna & peas".
108. mounds candy bars might be my favorite treat, at least as far as candy goes. i love dark chocolate and i love coconut so they are a perfect treat.
109. i don't think i could wear a bathing suit if lands end didn't make them.
110. i like the managability of length of my hair now, but miss how feminine my long long hair made me feel.
111. my organization projects always seem to make things worse before they make them better.
112. i think i may have permenant brain and inner nostral damage from all of my spray painting projects. i really need to buy a mask!
113. having babies has killed my bladder.
114. i am becoming accutely aware of how much time taylor has left before he graduates high school.
115. i signed up for a national geographic subscription today! i loved reading NG when i was younger and hope my kids will love it too.

spencer has eyes!

spencer has the most lovely green eyes. for a long time now you haven't really been able to see them because his long hair hangs in front of them. this photo doesn't really do it justice because i told him to "move your bangs out of your face" right before i snapped it. i use this phrase at least ten times during any given day. at least, i used to. that all changed this morning after a 10am hair cut appointment.although i never really cared too much about spencer's long hair - mostly because i can totally relate to the feelings of wanting to be a little bit cool and a little rebelious, but also because i knew it was just hair, easily altered and he would get sick of it and cut it eventually, which he did. and, to be honest, i just don't really see what the big deal is, i mean, it's just hair. it's not like a tatoo or anything, but hey, that's just me.

however, it wasn't until after his hair cut that i realized how much i've missed being able to see his beautiful green eyes. i have to say, it's really a nice change. of course, the whole event had to be very dramatic, just like spencer. he can't wait to go to church tomorrow, and school on tuesday to see people's reactions. funny kid.is that a dead animal on the floor?

eye candy

just a lovely photo i found on elsie's blog tonight. this sweet heart all made out of flowers makes me happy on so many different levels. i need to just make one for myself. i know just where i would hang the finished project. will you keep your eyes peeled for vintage flowers for me? this kind of thing could take a lifetime to make. i'm the kind of girl who would want every single flower to have some kind of story. maybe i'll have to FOCUS on getting it made and enjoying it as a whole grouping. i don't know why everything i do has to be over done. oh i love this photograph.

igloo life

our water tank malfunctioned - long story - and so the bottom line is that we are living with no heat and no hot water. it was ok for the first two days because our new water tank should be coming any minute. now, we are to the end of day FIVE thinking that tomorrow was the blessed day when the heat would be returned. but that would be in a world where things go smoothly, and our journey with this lipstick house has been anything but. so of course we found out today that the wrong water tank had been ordered and we will be freezing until monday - saturday if we're lucky, so monday. luckily, we have a large collection of space heaters and kristy saved us with a couple of awesome dish heaters so our house is liveable. i had to laugh the other day when i noticed ethan having some down time watching little einstein in front of the heater. in the mean time, send us your warm thoughts!

c'mon, make my day

i seem to be sort of lacking the comments lately, so when i saw this little tag game on laura's blog, i thought it would be fun...

1. read this post.
2. post on your blog the same game.
3. post a comment.
4. the first 3 receive a surprise lovely thing from me sometime in the near future. except, i guess it won't really be a surprise because you'll know right away whether or not you were one of the first three. so it's really an expected lovely something in the mail. but still, it will be cute i promise.

i LOVE comments! thanks laura. comments make my day. no pressure.

the extended play date - i mean hang out

it is a common thing around this house to see any one or all of phil and lauri's kids playing with ours. in fact, they've sort of just become part of our household after years and years of play dates, school projects, and even vacations. they blend in with every day life, and, we love their family so it's all good. of course, now that they're teenagers, we no longer have "play dates". now we just "hang out". ok, sure. whatever.

so last weekend when six kids came home from school instead of three, we began a long eleven day "hang out" while phil and lauri vacationed with her family. i instantly became the mother to seven darling children instead of four.

to be honest, i wasn't that worried, i mean we're not talking toddlers here, there are no diapers to change and everyone besides ethan can bathe themselves. and let's not forget that i'm already a mom to four so it wasn't like i was trying to reinvent myself for this task. i did my best to prepare. i stocked the fridge and pantry, made a dinner menu with things i thought natalie would actually eat, posted a schedule of everyone's various activities on the fridge and washed every towel in the house. i even braced myself for some drama, especially between the girls. after eleven days of sharing a room and bathroom it was bound to happen right?

but what i wasn't prepared for was how much more effort i would have to put into being the homemaker of this group. just the general up keep of things like housework, meals and schedules. i was genuinely shocked at how much more laundry nine bodies as opposed to six made. and it seemed as though i could never keep the sink empty of dishes. not to mention the amount of homework that needed to be done each night, co-ordinating eight showers and one bath, getting everyone out the door on time for school, double the peanut butter sandwiches for all the home lunches....ok, ya, you get the idea. surprising because none of it was stuff that i wasn't already doing.

over all it was a great experience. did you read that lauri - i said great experience. it made me appreciate myself and all that i do as wife and mother and homemaker for my own family. i think because i was able to see it in hyper drive mode. when our kids are born we gradually build up into all that needs to be done, one kid at a time so we don't realize the difference that one or two or three bodies makes. dang it, i do a ton around here, even though a lot of days there seems to be little evidence of that. and it was a chance to provide service to phil and lauri who we love.

and one more thing. for all that i wasn't prepared for, the thing that i expected, drama, was the one thing i didn't need to worry about. everyone got along nicely, even on day eleven when the tension was a little tight and nerves were a little worn. all the kids made big efforts to work things out and i'm so proud of all of them. and grateful. and now that phil and lauri are home, i'm taking a big deep breath. and i'm hoping natalie doesn't have too many horror stories of all the dinners i made her eat. i'm tellin' ya'll, motherhood is not for wimps.

staying focused

it's only 6:39 in the morning and i've already been sucked into the blogosphere. today i'm staying focused on the tasks at hand, so many tasks at hand, by staying away from the computer. no blogging (after this) and no email. not even a quick phone number search from dex. at least until my "to-do" list is under control, then i guess it would fine. FOCUS wende, FOCUS!