Welcome, Spring!

Just a some of the things we've seen this week. Queen Elizabeth Roses in the back yard. Hell's Fire iris in the front flower bed. It now has 4 blooms which is incredible considering last spring, this plant was no more than 4" tall. And lastly, the gekko in our large QE rosebush in the flowerbed in front of the dining room window.

We have 3 more iris that have blooms---one is white & the other two look like a deep purple. I'm anxious to see what other ones decide to bloom this year!

Pass the bleach, please!

So we've had a busy week---who hasn't? Sunday was the PTA's Exec. Board meeting where we took the rough ideas the Field Day Chair had & organized Field Day. It looks like last year's problems have been ironed out & we'll be starting new traditions for FD that will be fun for everyone.

Monday I had a Media Technology Meeting with the ever-wonderful Kristine in the library. Again---we hashed out a few ideas for AR Celebration Week that will 1) start new traditions for the students that will be fun & 2) be easy for us to pull off without too much frustation. Which is really important. Happy volunteers=well run event=happy students.

Tuesday I dropped off my clothes for the Just4Kidz sale. I'm happy to say that as of this morning (with 2 more days left), I've sold 30 out of 39 items!! Speech for Sunshine in the afternoon & then home.

Wednesday is when the week took a turn. And not a good turn! I had come in from walking Smitty & was having breakfast when the nurse called to let me know Sunshine had gotten sick in the classroom & could I please pick her up. When I got into the nurse's office, I saw Sunshine's teacher who informed me that not only did Sunshine get sick, she managed to involve another child whose clothes suffered more than his pride. Luckily, he didn't get sick. Wednesday was school picture day for class pics & spring individual pics. Sunshine keeps her class pics in a frame next to her bed---they go all the way back to her 2 yr old preschool class. Her teacher suggested getting her home, cleaned up, rested & when it was their turn she'd call me & I could sneak her into the gym for the pic. Which is what we did. Until we'd been at school for over an hour. They'd called to let her teacher know they'd be going in 15 min but somehow 15 minutes to the photographers means almost 90 minutes in photography time.

As we were lining the kids up from tallest to shortest to go into the gym, Sunshine got sick again. *sigh* Poor little peanut. Again, there was a victim---one of her friends who was running around the classroom shouting "SOMEONE HELP ME! IT'S ON MY SHIRT!" while I was getting Sunshine to the sink & her teacher was trying to corral the other kids. If we'd had a video camera going, it would have been hysterical.

The remainder of Wednesday was spent in our bed, watching movies & relaxing. By dinnertime, she'd spiked a fever of 102.7 that took a while to come down.

Thursday we went to the doctor's as I wasn't convinced that the nausea & a couple other things (poor performance on a spelling test the day after she hit her head) were caused by happenstance & not the blow to her head. I knew deep down they were unrelated to the head injury, but that nagging Mommy guilt is brutal. Have you noticed that I'm wracked by guilt at times? Man, Catholic school did a number on me! I feel guilty if I don't hold the door for someone.

In true Sunshine fashion, she giggled & played with the doctor. He eased my nagging Mommy guilt & agreed the spelling test bomb was caused by her probably just not feeling 100% even though it was totally out of character & the nausea was probably caused by the virus that's going around school. Which I knew, but I wanted to hear from someone else. And by "someone else" I mean someone with M.D. after their name. Who probably thinks I'm insane with my giggling child.

Which brings us to today. Sunshine is still sick & this nasty little bug has claimed numerous nightgowns, sheets & towels. I've done 2 1/2 loads of laundry since 7am & have 1 more to go before I'm done. Sunshine is camped out on the couch watching tv & playing with various stuffedies. I'm hoping the weekend is good to us & she's totally on the mend for Monday.

And that you have a great weekend!! Enjoy!

Ado Annie was right

I'm just a girl who can't say no. Not exactly like her, but I have a terrible time saying no people. You need someone to volunteer at a school event? Sure, I'll do it. You need someone to take over a PTA Chair position? Me! You need someone to watch your children? Absolutely!! Need help in the classroom every day for 2 weeks? What time do you need me? We need to organize meals for a soldier/spouse for 2-3 weeks? I'll send an email out right away! What's that? Your grandson will be visiting w/ his mother & you need an extra car seat? Yes, I have one--let me bring it to you! Need someone to call other Army wives to get info to them? Give me my list! Huh? One of the other callers flaked & you need someone to take on her 6 wives? I'll add them to mine!

I'm exhausted writing this. And I'm guilty of doing all of the above & then some. I don't know if it's my "must make sure everyone is happy ALL THE TIME" nature or whether it's some bizarre desire to control things. Probably both, but at the end of the day, I'm like Ado Annie --- I can't say no to people asking me to do things.

I was a FRG volunteer for almost all of Hunter's deployments & would rationalize my involvement as a way to stay informed, myself. During the last deployment, I enjoyed the other women who were actively involved so what better way to stay in contact with them? VOLUNTEER! The "highlight" of my inability to say no was to "lend" our extra car seat to a woman whose daughter was indeed visiting with the grandson & they needed a car seat. Did anyone have an extra one they could use. OF COURSE I DO! Because car seats are so inexpensive that really, why wouldn't you be lending them to everyone??! Especially another Army wife, right? The two weeks that she needed the seat quickly passed & my car seat was never returned. I called her, I went by her house, I emailed her. Nothing. I realize that it's all on her for basically stealing my car seat, but still. I willingly lent it to her. No, I gave it to her.

Fast forward to this year. I volunteer to be Co-Room Mom. Which honestly is so awesome. I really like the other Room Mom. We work well together & I think our class has had a great year thus far based on our efforts. And we absolutely ADORE Sunshine's teacher. I don't regret any of the time I've spent in her classroom & if I thought it would work, I'd totally start a petition to have her move up to 2nd grade only so Sunshine could be with her for another year. Seriously. But Room Moms have other obligations than just bringing snacks, planning parties, chaperoning field trips, helping in the class. There are various family nights at school where other parents don't step up to help out. So you have the same people manning the booths, games, rides, etc. And as a result, aren't able to enjoy the evening with their own family. Bitter? Yes. Because I'm just a girl who can't say no.

This past Friday was one of those nights. The Chair of the event wasn't able to get the number of volunteers that she needed through a local high school so we were calling on Room Moms & PTA volunteers to pitch in. Fine, I signed up for a half hour shift, figuring Hunter could bring Sunshine to school as my shift was ending so we could enjoy the rest of the evening as a family.

You know what they say about the best laid plans, right? On Thursday, as she was coming down the path, Sunshine decided to skip down the hill & fell. She hit her head on the metal hand rail & withing 30 seconds had a forehead that rivaled Frankenstein's. Honestly. I have witnesses & they will say the same thing. She was lucid as we sped to the ER & had an appetite so I wasn't 100% freaking out, only 99%. Which is impressive for me as I only know "over reaction" when it comes to Sunshine & ER visits! She was seen quickly & again was lucid, had no balance/motor skills issues so the doctor released us with the ever popular "keep an eye" advice. She went to school on Friday & was fine, Cro-Magnon forehead aside.

By Friday night I was still mentally spent & begged out of our family night at school citing Sunshine's injury.

Sweet sassy-molassy, the GUILT! Not from the PTA. But from ME! From within! From that place inside that makes you cringe as you hear your mother use your full name 35 years ago. Now, two days later, I've barely recovered.

Back to my fellow Room Mom. The really nice one. She works part time & two weeks ago her regular sitter (she has a child in Sunshine's class & a younger one) went to the ER complaining of stomach pain. Without sharing her business on the Internet, let's just say she wound up with emergency surgery & 2-3 weeks of recovery time. So she is unable to care for Room Mom's child. Could I do it?

Say it with me--"OF COURSE I CAN!"

Don't get me wrong--I like children. I have a child who is the center of my universe (or just left of center if Hunter is reading this!). I love the time I've spent in her classroom & doing my AR Chair stuff (Book Fair, AR Celebration Week & such). But one on one child care? Not my forte. But OMG, a friend needs help. I'm in a position to help so why not?

Plus, I'll admit, I'm making a little cash which will go toward my Disney spending $$ fund. Hey, I need a new Mickey Mouse cap as Smitty chewed mine.

Smitty---another instance where I couldn't say no. But that was a previous blog.

So, I'm watching RM's little girl (who is so cute & so spunky & so funny with the sweetest little giggle) for 2-3 weeks, 3 days a week.

I have to admit, I will NOT watch her during Spring Break. Sunshine's birthday falls during that week & I fully plan on sleeping in, doing fun things & fully enjoying our vacation together. I swear I will!

Really.

And today? PTA Board meeting (yes, we had one 2 weeks ago) for our field day event. I'm praying that my reply of "sorry, I'm the Room Mom. I'm going to drag the cooler around & help contain the kids" will allow me to enjoy the day with Sunshine & her class!

Best Hump Day Afternoon, Ever!

Hunter's always been fascinated by RC planes & has owned a couple since we've been together. One met a brutal death on a field on post. When our new furniture arrived he gave a little demo to the movers with his little helicopter (which Sunshine loves, but Smitty hates).

So, yesterday when he asked Sunshine if she wanted to go out to post to watch him fly his plane, I chimed in that I wanted to go too!

What a wonderful afternoon---we drove to an old air strip past Uchee Creek, but near Fryar Field. As we were getting out of the car, we noticed a large plane overhead. Then we noticed the airborne students jumping out. Good thing I brought the DSLR camera rather than my little point & shoot! Sunshine was amazed by the jumpers but was soon focusing her attention on Daddy's plane.

I fully admit, I have NO interest in RC planes or the like, but it was really fun to watch Hunter make his plane fly, do little tricks & land. Sadly, toward the end the battery died & she crashed. A new propeller is on the "to do" list & more battery power is needed, but wow, such a fun afternoon!!

Happy Mother's Day!

Yes, I realize it's two months early, but my ring from Gold 'n Gems came today! I was so excited, I opened the package at the end of the drive way while I was talking to our next door neighbor.

I LOVE my ring! If you'll remember, Sunshine & I found this stone (corundum), didn't think it was anything valuable & threw it over the edge of the sluice. Read here if you need to remember the story.

At any rate, my ring came today & it's more beautiful than I could have imagined. The color is lovely & actually a deeper raspberry than the photo shows. It's a cabochon cut stone with an asterism. JewelInfo4u describes an asterism as: a phenomenon by which a star shaped light effect has been shown across the surface of the gem through the reflection or transmission of light.

I'm still chuckling over the fact that I didn't want to "grubbin" for stones, but I'm so glad we did. It was a great time & I'm so happy with how my ring turned out. Now I'm off to look at their catalog to see what settings they have for earrings. Sunshine & I found an awful lot of amethysts!

Imagination

Remember Gilda Radner & the early years of SNL? I was around 10 when my parents in some sort of lapse of awareness of what SNL was, would let me stay up on occasion to watch SNL if my oldest brother (10 years older than me) was home. I remember seeing so many now-classic sketches. Gilda always made me laugh. Especially the Judy Miller show.

Now I look at this clip & laugh because there are so many times that the modern day Judy Miller Show plays out in my home under it's new name of The Sunshine Show. Seriously. The imagination on this kid is insane. Insane in an entirely good way. The things she comes up with are absolutely amazing. Today we had a full on re-enactment of Cinderella in the drive way while I sat & knitted. And giggled as I watched. It was proceeded by the Leprechaun Show, complete with a green sand pail on her head as a hat. And Irish dancing.

A few weeks ago I was talking with her teacher & we both agreed the imagination & sense of humor were off the charts. I confessed that she makes us laugh at least once a day, usually more with her antics or comments.

Her knock-knock jokes are getting a little stale however---perhaps she needs a new joke writer.

There's very few things in life

that feel better than sleeping in on a Saturday morning? Especially when you're a parent. And your spouse has been sleeping in (10 am average!) all week due to being on Spring Break. I'm proud to admit, I rolled out of bed at 9:49 am this morning! It was heavenly!

Sunshine & I went to a matinee of Mars Needs Moms this afternoon. Her choice. At some point she decided she didn't want to see Gnomeo & Juliet but MNM was a must see. Total mixed bag! The message was very positive, but there were some scenes where she sat on my lap with both her & my hands over her eyes. Several scenes brought tears to her eyes (and mine) but the ending left her happy & dancing in her seat. We saw some previews that we promised we'd see next month & oh so many annoying commercials. I don't need (or want) to see Diet Coke or Sprite commercials in the movie theaters. I want my movie trivia & my previews. That's it.

Tonight we "Spring Ahead" & set the clocks ahead one hour. I'm secretly admitting that I'm afraid of doing this. Obviously I've done it many times before, but I almost always suffer from sleep issues in the days & sometimes weeks that follow. Ambien helps but ugh, I hate relying on it to get to sleep. Fortunately, it doesn't bother Sunshine. Both of us don't need to be sleep deprived!

Next week is busy as I'm helping out a friend whose regular sitter is recovering from a ruptured appendix. Sunshine & her son (the friend) sit next to one another in class & I'll be watching his little sister who is 4. And spunky. We're going to have fun going to story time & playing. I'm sure she's going to love Smitty & Sunshine's dolls. Which reminds me, I need to let Sunshine know to put away anything she doesn't want A. getting into.

We also have our Family Fun Night at school next weekend. I managed to open my big mouth at last week's PTA Exec. Board meeting to let the FFN chair know how she could go about getting volunteers from local high schools to help out. Of course, this resulted in ME making calls/sending emails to recruit said volunteers. I'm a little concerned as I haven't heard from any yet. Is it wrong of me to not want to run the event in our class (as co-room mom) because no one else will volunteer? I spent an hour at Fall Festival running the train ride (along with the other co-room mom, 1 parent volunteer & our teacher who all did an hour each) & didn't enjoy FF w/ Sunshine & Hunter as a result. If more parents volunteered we could have shorter shifts & everyone could enjoy their evenings with their family. I'm sure somewhere another PTA volunteer is saying the same thing.

Off to bed in hopes of getting a good night's rest & not tossing & turning like I have in years past!

Spring is on it's way!