I AM the Queen of England

After all the rush rush rush of a long and busy week, it's finally the weekend. The kids were heading to Toledo to visit with their grandparents this weekend so I left work on Friday and had to rush to the pharmacy, rush home, change clothes, grab the kids, pick up Z at his friends and hit the road. Of course everyone was starving so we quickly stopped for fast food. We got to our planned meeting point and the kids climbed out of the van giving kisses and love and and then, it was quiet and I was alone (except they left a bunch of trash and fries in their wake). For all of these years when the kids go away for weekends, it is pure craziness getting everyone packed and corralled and ready and then BOOM, just like that. silence. It's always so strange.

Imet Monte out for a dinner of breadsticks and greek salad and then came home and crashed. Monte and I always look forward to having some down time. Only, I happen to not be very good at down time. I sleep in and feel like I wasted part of the day. Monte took Wilson to the groomers because he's long overdue and my dad is coming next weekend. Monte laughed at me because I have spent my entire life disliking and being afraid of all animals and now I am worried about the dog being groomed and presentable when my dad arrives. WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO ME?! Then he called me a doggy mama or something and I drew the line right there. I am NOT the mom of an animal. Ok, I am the mom of four animals but it's DIFFERENT.

At any rate, Monte took W to Happy Tails, I made coffee and turned on the laptop. Monte came back and made breakfast and we are still sitting here, talking about what to do today. We have errands to run, chores to do and much more. Tonight we will go out to celebrate Valentine's Day. I have a list of things I want to do around here but somehow it will all be a big dusty mess (WHY is my house so DUSTY) before next weekend so I might as well relax now and clean like a maniac the day before my dad arrives. Monte has to take the dryer apart (for the 100th time) because the kids leave little pencil stubs in their pockets and they get stuck in the vent and make a horrid noise. I know, I should check all pockets before doing the laundry but do you have ANY idea HOW MANY POCKETS I wash each week? I try to check them all but sometimes, I miss one or two. It's a good thing my husband loves me so much.

So, that's it. I waited a long time to get to a place of having just a nice, normal family life. And that is exactly where I have landed. Monte I lay in bed this morning talking about how we have become a family and built our lives together and everyone is settled and happy and home and I just don't ever take it for granted and I pray I never do.

Family project: FAIL

So, my plan to have the entire family update this blog isn't going well. I guess I am not as good at making my family do things they don't want to do as I thought I was! ;) AND everyone is so darn busy all of the time! Wilson is the only one who is always home and he can't type (or do laundry or cook or mop floors or clean bathrooms and believe me, I have tried to teach him!) To keep this from becoming boring, I will do more updating myself and force my family members to chime in now and then because I think they all have interesting things to say!

I don't have a plan or a theme today so I am going to ramble for a moment... It's February and this is my favorite month of the year. It's my birthday and Valentine's Day and tax return time! This is FAR better than Christmas! Santa never brings us money, he just requires us to spend it! Monte and I are going to celebrate Valentine's Day this weekend while the kids are in Toledo. This will allow us to avoid the crowds and craziness next week (we are so practical) and also enjoy some "alone" time. Next weekend we will plan something to do with the kids AND we will be VERY busy getting ready for my dad's visit from Texas!!! I sure hope he brings some warm weather with him! Even if he doesn't we are all very excited to see him!

I also need to start planning a certain someone's sixteenth birthday celebration. I can not wrap my mind around the fact that my first born son is turning 16. I don't feel old enough! I remember my own 16th year of life so vividly. And my parents? were OLD when I was 16. Looking back, they were younger than I am now. And this is yet another thing I can not wrap my brain around...perspective is an amazing thing.

Well, there you go, a bunch of rambling just as I promised! Look for a very sappy post about my son Zech soon. I am feeling VERY sentimental these days!

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY: My Story Of Getting Sacked By The Ice.

Hello reader, I need to tell you this story. Today I went over to my Aunt's house and me and my cosin Dillon got the video carema out and did a sledding and snowboarding video. Dillon has a SWEET starter ramp in his back yard and I tried to do a 360 down the starter ramp and land it forword. Well lets just say it did not go well. I did a faceplant into the ice on the starter ramp. Now the side of my face is messed up. Then when I came home my mom HAD to take pictures of my scares. (I told her NOT to put it on flickr so you wont see it or you will couse my mom uploads EVERY picture she takes.) So that is my story and my blog.