getting in the groove of things. or falling into a rut....

Where do I start?
Gosh..

Well first of all. YYYYYYEEEEEEEEEEEEHHHHHHAAAAAAAAWWWWWWWWWWWw school is back in session! I took the ungrateful heathens back today and had I not needed to go in and sell pre packaged school supplies I would have barely slowed down at the curb to kick them out while speeding off!

I just wish I could find a way to sneak Bow into their backpacks and Rayley into their class.

I spent all day Sunday pealing their heads, washing their ears and cleaning under fingernails.

I was in there cleaning Bretts ears and he said "watch where you put that thing, you could poke an eye out!" I assured him (once I stopped snorting and laughing) that I wouldnt poke out his eye, but I might damage the other eardrum..

BR took off Friday and Saturday to spend time wiht the kids. Actually he took off to put new tires on his truck. Spending time messing up the house, and taking the kids in the woods (with new tires of course) was just a bonus.

Bow is really getting big. He is stuck on patty cake. He can be doing something and if you say "patty cake" he starts clapping his hands. he also starts it and smiles real big if you get onto him for doing things he isnt supposed to. He got 3 new teeth last week. 2 on one side came in first, they are on the top. and then one on the other side came in. He is getting more and more mobil, and can crawl out of anything. he cant even be tied down in a high chair. and dont even think about the swing. So far he hasnt fiqured out how to get out of the play pen. But I fiqure this is just a matter of time. He spent all day saturday crawling out of his walker at my mother in laws. very few things will keep him busy, happy or still. Although he did sit in my lap for 75% of the Cowboys game the other night. I actually got worried about him and checked his temp.

A few friends and I have spent the evening online trying to explain to another friend (who is in New York) what a Big Red tastes like. cream soda, with red... LOL Actually I said cream soda with a hint of bubble gum. I cant imagine having spent allmy life and never having drank a big red. A good cold big red, with all its fizz and that wonderful sweet smell, is the only flavored soda water I would drink for years and years. Now I will venture into a sunkist, occasionaly a grape nehi. But nothing compares to a Big Red.

Although today was the 'first day of school' I have been working on it starting for a few weeks now. Just working with the PTA, getting things together and hopeing to get a jump on things. Today I decided to take the kids in and drop them off, come home and relax till they got here.

well not really relax, Unfortunatly I had another fire ant incident, all the clothes that I cant fit in anymore were thrown into the garden tub, and there they sat for a few weeks. I was NOT up to washing them again. well Bow went missing a few days ago. I went lookin. The little brat had turned on the water in said bathtub and it had soaked all those clothes. So I have been washing them. I swear, The Laundry Gods have it in for me.
But I was going to finish up that laundry and deal with Rayleys room. The boys were going to have to clean theirs when they got home. We got so busy last night gettin all spiffy that time got away from us. I told the boys to get their clothes together, asked Matt 3 times if he had his belt, and he even brought it out in flustration once. Then today he couldnt find it. Come to find out he didnt have it, he brought out Bretts belt. So he didnt wear a belt today. But since their room was such a mess I told them they had to clean it the minute they got off the bus. And Rayley was supposed to start cleaning on hers the minute we got home from school. I couldnt find a single pair of shoes, that matched each other. her room wasnt really messy, but she had played dress up yesterday, with every skirt, shorts, shirt and pair of shoes she could get her hands on. I was NOT a happy camper at 6 this morning.

Well, once I walked in and sat down I got Bow to sleep and my sister in law called. My brother in law had an awful toothache. Could I drive him a little over an hour away and take him to the dentist? of course. There is NOTHIN worse than a toothache. So, I spent 30 minutes gatherin kids, finding my mom, so she could keep them, and getting out the door. I had less than an hour to get him there. I was able to do alot of work on the phone on the way up there and back, for the PTA, plus I got to gossip quite a bit.

When I got there BR called, told me he needed to leave his 18 wheeler at the shop, it was broken, so, could I bring his truck, which we had kept even though it wasnt fixed yet, to the shop and leave it. Its only 8 miles from home. He asked me if I had a key. I told him yes. I did have a key. So we left Livingston once my BIL's tooth was pulled and headed home. I had called my mother in law and the school and had the boys bus changed to have them dropped off at her house. I am sure the teachers LOVED me switching this up on the first day of school!

I asked her to follow me in my truck to take BR's truck to the yard. She wasnt happy about driving my truck. She is not what we would call a confident driver. She parks on either isle 10 or 5 at walmart at the very end of the lot. Not cause she is scared she will get hit. But because she cant back up. So even though she drives a 1/2 ton, cab and a half 4 x4 she was apprehensive about getting in my one ton, doulley, 4 door 4x4. I assured her it would be fine. So off we went. I got to BR's truck and stuck my key in it. it really didnt want to open. This didnt bode well. I pushed the key in. No workie. I kicked, I pushed, I twisted. it didnt budge.

I ended up going back and getting in my truck, going to my moms, where Bow was SOOOO glad to see me ( I had planned to leave him there, while I ran this one simple errand.) He wasnt giving up. He was stuck on me like a leach. So I tried to call BR. No go. we live in the only place where the phone signal hides I reckon... I'd love to see that mo-ron that works for AT&T doing their commercials find the internet here.

So I called my other brother in law. He said he had just passed BR on the road, but didnt know where he was going. I thought I rememebered where he said, but Luke couldnt tell me where that well was. Ithought I knew, so I headed off. As luck would have it, I was right. I got the key, headed back and Bow showed my mother in law his houdini trick. She liked to have died when he came over the back of the seat. We were on the dirt road so I straped him back in. We went and got the truck, and Martha (the MIL) was scared to death that the wiggle worm would get BACK out of the seat. I handed her some crackers and told her to keep shoving them at him. They'd keep him busy. I will be SOOO glad when I can put him in a forward facing seat. I have one he cant get out of. But this backwards facing one is boring for him. He was all alone back there, and I reckon he hasnt lost the ability to scrunch up since birth. He can twist his shoulders, or leverage himself out somehow. No matter how tight I make the straps.

And after driving BR's truck the 8 miles I agree, rebuilt engine aint doin so well. 60 MPH was top speed. TOP freakin speed.

I did get that done, and then had to go to my great aunts because she had bought a new TV and had called while I was gone to ask me to please come hook it up. So I picked up the kids, and headed over there. They sat down and ate, then Uncle Gerald made them ice cream. Then I didnt see tem again. Bow was still excited to see me. and insisted on using me as a jungle gym the whole time I was trying to decifer the new TV, the wires from it to the DVD player, VCR and satalite box. It was pretty easy, but then I had to write instuctions on how to use it. and I visited with her for a few minutes.

When I went out to go home the boys were no where to be seen, so I had to set off the truck alarm. They came running. it was already 7:35. They go to bed at 8:30. I got them home, listened to their stories, talked to 2 sister in laws on the phone, 2 other moms, and BR.

I also started my liteny of "did you's"
Did you brush your teeth?
Did you make your lunch?
Did you put your shoes and socks where you can find them?
Did you pick out your clothes?
Did you take your alergy meds?
Did you eat?
Did you get your baseball stuff Matt?
Do you have a bat?
Do you have a helmet?
Where are your cleats?
Did you get baseball pants?
Socks?
Did I sign your folders?
what did you put IN yoru lunch?

I had to convince Brett that we didnt have time to do his homework tonight, we would get it done before it was due.
I had to go through both boys bags, fill out more paperwork, (if the nurse, principals, and counceler would just share information we could save 9,000 trees a year per grade.

I was asked today for Matt to be on a fall ball team. I asked him when I saw him if he was interested. Boy was he. To get to be on somthing that Brett isnt. To get to shine, and nt have Brett breathing down his neck, and to get to play ball again. He is all for it. Brett wasnt quite as happy. He kept asking me if he could do it. But I am now understanding the Brady's and realize that the "marsha, marsha, marsha" episode was true. the middle kid is kinda just left unseen. I think this will be good for Matt. and Brett.


Tomorrow I have to be out at the road by 6:15 to get the kids on the bus. I will be picking them up. Bow has an appointment for shots, I have a PTA meeting and then Matt has his first practice. I also have a list of 9 people I need to call. Everyone from the yearbook company for the school, to the local grocery store chains advertising department to see why they dont double or triple here in my town but do in all the neighboring towns. I have called both of them at least twice a week for quite a few weeks, and never got a phone call back. Plus I still have about 3 loads of ant laundry, and the real laundry is piling up.

But it sure does feel good to be getting back in the swing of things!