Why Are Some Parents Just Plain Crazy and Never Happy with What They Get?

Hannah takes tap classes once a week through the park district and she LOVES it. She loves the friends that she's made in class, her teacher, the cute little dance outfits that she gets to wear and most of all she loves her tap shoes. I love it because she gets to go out and do something that she enjoys and because it's only $180. Now some of you may think that that's a lot of money but in reality it's not. The cost of the class covers all classes (from October to April), and costume and recital fees. I looked into actual dance studios before signing her up with the park district and they were charging on average $350 for 12 to 15 weeks which is just insanity to me! Besides, the park has a great program and wonderful teachers and I am greatful for them.

Hannah's recital is 2 weeks from Friday and the kids are all busy trying to learn and perfect their little routines. Last year was Hannah's first year and she did great but the place that the recital was held was a madhouse. It was held in a huge gymnasium that was complete chaos. There were around 1000 people there, it was hot and noisy and nobody listened to directions. the performers had to sit in the back of the gym on bleechers to wait their turns. While back there, lots of kids ended up falling and hurting themselves and a few kids somehow managed to wander away and get lost - how scary is that!

This year there is a new person heading the department and she decided to move the recital to the (much smaller) Oak Lawn theater. The kids will have two days to perform and it should be nice because the theater has stadium seating so everyone will actually be able to see the stage. The new director and her group of teachers have worked really hard to make this as nice as possible for everyone but of course there are still lots os disgruntled parents. It was announced at a parents' meeting a few weeks ago that parents were only allowed to buy 5 tickets total for both recital days (for the first 5 days that the tickets were on sale and you can try to buy more after the five days if there are any left but of course nobody heard that!!). You'd think this poor girl said that nobody was allowed to come and we all had to wait in the parking lot until the kids were done! Since then all I've heard is people complaining about how unfair it is and how they have 20 milion people that HAVE to come and they just "don't know what to do"!!! At first I thought it was silly but then I started thinking about it and the fact that there are almost 600 kids in the dance program and I figured that 5 tickets was actually pretty generous. I've wanted to so badly to tell lots of people to shut the hell up and be greatful that they're getting that many tickets, but I've been really good and have kept my mouth shut. Let me tell you, keeping quiet about the whole thing has been really difficult - especially today.

Recital tickets went on sale this morning at 9am. Everyone that came to buy tickets got a number and you bought your tickets as your number was called. I thought they went on sale at 8am so after dropping Hannah off at school (Alexander stayed overnight at my mom's so that I didn't have to drag him with me) I headed on over to get in line and I'm glad I got there when I did. I was number 41 out of over 160 people. I was there for 2 hours and the whole time I heard nothing but complaining!!! "Why didn't I know that you could come early for a number?" "This is horrible, I'd rather fight for seats like last year." "It's so unfair that we only get 5 tickets, we should be able to get as many as we need." "This program used to be great. We're not coming back next year." It went on and on and on for what felt like an eternity!!! As soon as I got my tickets I practically ran out of there, I was SO happy to be away from the complaints! I just couldn't understand why everyone had to be so miserable and negative about the whole thing - I still can't understand!! Why is no one grateful for what we did get? Where are all of the "Glass is half full" parents?!?! I just hope that they aren't like this on the nights of the recitals and ruin it for the kids because then I won't hold back - and then I'll probably be in jail!! :-)

They are Growing Up So Fast!

My kids are making me feel old. I know, I know, some of you are rolling your eyes and thinking something like "Shut up you're not even thirty yet, how are you old?!?" (I know this because some of you have already said this to me!) but I can't help how I feel! Everyday I look at my babies and they are just so big! Some days I swear they've grown 8 inches overnight - they just seem huge to me! They are figuring out how to do things for themselves and are not needing me as much now. I know that this is ultimately the goal - to not need mom to zipper their jackets or help them take a bath - but it's weird that they are doing things for themselves! They are doing MY job!! I swear I'm not just whining, I do have examples - and they are good examples and great accomplishments for them, I just needed a little vent. Okay I'm done!!

As most of you know, I potty trained Alexander pretty early. He was such a good boy about it and hardly any trouble catching on but I was having a heck of a time trying to figure out how to get him to aim be himself once he started peeing standing up. I agonized over it forever and even asked you all for suggestions. Well, after all of my worrying about it HE went and figured it out by himself. I walked into the bathroom about two months ago and there he was going by himself!! At the time he was still too short to reach to toilet so he just stood on the stool and leaned over the bowl while holding on to the lid. I was SO proud of him!! Since then he's grown about an inch and a half so he can now stand on the floor and go. I still go in there with him just to watch and make sure that he's not getting pee everywhere and I still have to occasionally intervene (to save my walls), but he's going by himself. I feel a little silly about all the worrying that I did. I mean, he'd watched Bill go PLENTY of times. I should have known that he'd figure it out on his own when he was ready. He has also mastered his ABC's, colors, shapes, 24 piece puzzles, counting to 13 (when he feels like it), all of our names, how to work the DVD player and is a whiz at electronic and computer games. It's amazing how well he does with his leapster and vsmile games - he's really good!! We're working on our phone number now and I have no doubt that he'll pick it up quickly!

Hannah is also growing like a weed. She is full of questions and is not afraid to ask them. There are days when I feel like hiding from her just so that I can stop answering her questions! Since she is only in preschool she is woking on writing her letters and numbers in class. At home Bill and I are trying to help her learn to read. She knows all of her letter sounds and can spell some simple words and she is DYING to learn how to read (and to lose a tooth but that's a different story). The only problem is that Hannah is stubborn and tends to give up on things easily (she gets that from her father :-P!! ). It took us forever to get her to try to ride her "big kid" bike last summer but once we finally got her to try it she loved it. I have a feeling that reading is going to be the same way. Okay, that is not her great acomplishment, it's my preface to her accomplishment!! Hannah got a shoe tying book for Christmas and has been avoiding it ever since while whining that she wants to learn to tie her shoes so that she could be in the shoe tying club at school (somethig her teacher came up with). Well, after weeks of fighting and cajoling she finally tied her shoes last night!! She was so proud of herself and I couldn't have been happier for her. Now she can go back to school on Monday and finally join the shoe trying club!

I can't believe how much they've grown and learned in so short a time. While it does make me a little sad that they are growing up, it also warms my heart to know that I am here to help them along the way. I am so greatful that I am able to stay at home with them!

Spring Break

Today was Hannah's last day of school and she is now on spring break. Alexander's class ended about 2 weeks ago and doesn't start again until April 1st. So now I've got two kids nagging me ALREADY because they're bored. What the heck am I supposed to do with them for the next 10 days!??!! We can only play so many games before they're bored with those and I'm sure that taking them to the library will get old quick! If it were warmer I'd take them to the parks and maybe if I got brave enough I'd take them to the zoo but the weather is still too unpredictable for my tastes right now. (Although it is supposed to get into the 50's next week, Hmmm...) I mean, we've got a snow advisory going on right now. How crazy is that, it's a beautiful day but we're supposed to get something like 4-6 inches of snow tonight!!

Anyway, enough with my weather spiel. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to keep my kids occupied and happy for a few days?

Spring is one the Way!

At the begning of last week the kids were sick. Hannah had an ear and throat infection and Xander had Strep. We had beautiful weather with the temperature goinging into the mid 50's and they were upset that they were sick and couldn't go out and play with the neighbor kids who we could see playing in their yard from our front windows. After explaining that they couldn't go there because they were sick and could possibly infect the other kids they calmed down and stopped asking to go out.

By Thursday they were dying to be outside and as soon as they woke up they were beging to play in the yard. I figured that since they'd been on their antibiotics for 4 days that they were okay enough so I told them that after Hannah got home from school that we'd play outside. They were so excited that you'd think I had told them that we were leaving for Disney World.

We had to drive out to Bill's work right after school because he had forgotten something that morning and we ended up going to lunch with him which is always a nice treat. But once we got home we tossed our stuff inside and the kids went straight to the swings.

Hannah's first slide of the season

Alexander's finally tall enough to grab the rings without help!

Practicing for Spring Soccer

I think it's time to get him his own helmet - pink flamingoes aren't really his thing!

Hopscotch Anyone?

He's ready for the spring construction season!

I was so nice to be outside, I think we stayed out for about 2 hours. I know that the kids and I have been suffering from a mild case of cabin fever and this was just what we needed. I am SO looking forward to the warmer weather. I love it when you don't have to be all bundled up in the cold or half naked in the extreme heat. Spring is one of my favorite times of year.

We're Back!

We actually got back late Monday afternoon but it has taken me this long to settle in. We had a great time in the Dells and the house was fantastic! We got there Friday afternoon and after checking in we headed off to find the house. It took us a while to find because it was really far out and we weren't sure of where we were going but eventually we got there. As the men unloaded the cars and the women assigned rooms the kids (all 9 of them) were going insane running from floor to floor (there were 3 floors) and room to room checking everything out. We ended up going to dinner after settling in and then the women and children headed back to the house while the men went to Super-Walmart to stock up on food. By the time the guys made it back it was time for bed so off the kids went and most of the parents ended up falling asleep with the kids so it was an early night for all.

Saturday morning we were all up early and ready to head to the water parks. We went to the first water park and for some reason, my kids hated it. They did not want to be there and whined and complained the whole time that we were there. We took them on the lazy river which they didn't seem to mind but they refused to go anywhere else. Luckily we had found some tables so we ended up hanging out there and having some snacks and eventually having lunch. After lunch Bill and I packed up our kids and headed to the second water park (the one that everyone liked best last year) and the kids liked that one much better. They had a blast going in the wave pool and splashing in the water. Hannah liked the smaller water slides and Alexander liked the Tot area and the little slide. After leaving the water park we hung out at the house and barbecued burgers and hot dogs for dinner. The kids spent the rest of the running around and watching movies in the screening room.

Sunday morning after breakfast we decided to take the kids sledding. The resort offers tubing, which we did last year and it was nice but it was also kind of crowded and a pain in the butt if you had little kids because you have to pull them up the hill and then chase them back down the hill in order for you to be there for them at the bottom. I did this last year with Hannah (Alexander was too little to go) and I refused to do it again this year. Luckily our house was just off the golf course and we were surrounded be hills so we just took the kids out behind the house to our own private sledding hill. Everyone was having fun - except for Alexander. The boy just doesn't really like snow. He'll play in it for a little while but then he wants nothing to do with it. Fortunately one of the other smaller girls was done too so the two of them went in and hung out with Willie while the rest of us finished sledding. It was lots of fun and we even got to see a family of deer wandering around looking for food on the other side of the clearing. Unfortunately I was not fast enough with our camera so I missed them.

Here is the hill that we were on - it was pretty high!

Hannah flying solo

Bill waiting for his turn

Alexander's Snowball

Some of the girls decided to make a snowman - I think it turned out pretty good!

After about and hour and a half we all headed in, had some lunch and headed back to the last water park after the smaller kids had their nap. I didn't know how my kids were going to like this water park because it's basically a giant wave pool with a tiny kids area on the side and one big water slide (I think but I've never been on that water slide so I'm not sure). We were lucky enough to snag a table and then into the water we went and the kids loved it!! I don't think I saw them this wet all weekend!

Alexander after jumping in the waves

Posing for Mommy

Having a great time

Coming down the slide

There is a huge play area/jungle gym and arcade in the hotel so after dinner and showers we took most of the kids there. I think that this was the worst part of the whole weekend. It's a very crowded area and it is very warm. I don't really like this area because it's always a madhouse and because there are multiple exits on the jungle gym thing and you never know where your kid is going to come out of. We've worked out a system with the kids that works pretty well but it's still not my favorite place. Alexander didn't like the play area so he and I went into the arcade part which was even worse then the play area. It was so congested in there and twice as hot as the rest of the place that it was hard to keep an eye on a little person even when I was right behind him! I was glad to leave when we did.

After putting the kids to bed that night we finally had some adult time. It was the first night that ALL of the adults stayed up instead of falling asleep while putting the kids to bed. It was also someone's birthday so we felt like we had to stay up and do something. We ended up playing Apples to Apples (which is a word game) - I know we're party animals! Once we got bored with that the birthday boy suggested we play a drinking game that all of us were either too old or too sober (or both) to remember. We finally figured it out and I have to say that we had a good time. Several drinks, some popcorn and some frozen pizzas later I was ready for bed. I'm not sure how long everyone else stayed up but I was done!

Amazingly enough we all felt fine in the morning. I had packed the night before so while everyone else was putting their stuff away I did one final sweep of the house,l packed up some leftover food to take home and was done. We went back to everyone's favorite water park for an hour then went back to the house grabbed our stuff and headed home after stopping for lunch. So our trip was pretty uneventful but it was a great time and I'm looking forward to next year's trip.

Why is Packing Always the Mom's Job?

Tomorrow after Hannah gets out of school we are heading up to the Wisconsin Dells with 3 other families and Willie (who is everyone's favorite "uncle") for the weekend. We went up there at the same time last year and it was a lot of fun. This year we decided to rent a cabin instead of individual rooms so that we could all be together and not have to be crammed into a tiny hotel room. I'm curious to see what this cabin is like because it sounds a lot nicer then my house - I mean it's got a small viewing room for crying out loud!!

I am excited to be getting away for a few days and Hannah can't stop talking about the waterslides. Alexander doesn't really know what we're talking about but he knows that we're going to spend the weekend with "all the kids" and is excited about that. However as happy as I am to be getting away and getting some time to just hangout and relax for a while I have one problem - I HATE PACKING!!! I never know what to bring and I ALWAYS over pack. This past October when we went to Mexico for my SIL wedding I went nuts. Half of the stuff that I brought came back unused which was annoying AND it all had to be rewashed regardless of whether or not it was used because, well because that's just how I am!

So now I'm trying to pack for myself and the kids (I don't pack for Bill, he's a big boy and can pack himself - sort of..) and am slowly driving myself insane. I constantly question myself: Should I bring short sleeve shirts? What if the kids get hot and all I have are long sleeve shirts? How many swim suits should I bring? Do I think we'll need extra pajamas? Should I pack extra sheets (FYI hotel sheets GROSS me out!)? How many pair of shoes do we really need? - the list goes on and on!! I HATE PACKING!!

I can't let Bill pack for us either - we'd have one mismatched outfit, one sock and no underwear or something crazy!! Packing for more then one person requires patience and my sweet, wonderful husband doesn't have a lot of those to spare (Sorry Honey). I wish I could hire someone to come to my house and just pack for me and hand me my suitcase as I'm walking out the door. I am going to hate it whenever we decide to move to a new house, I may have to be sedated!!! Oh well, I guess I should get back to the torture - I mean packing. I'll be back sometime on Monday with plenty of stories to tell I'm sure! Enjoy your weekend!

I am Addicted to Facebook!!!

Saturday night Bill and I went to dinner with my parents and sister. My in-laws were wonderful enough to stay with the kids so that we could have an adult night out which was totally nice of them and for which I am truly greatful.

Anyway, while at dinner the we somehow got on the subject of Facebook. My mom and sister are both members as are Bill and I and we were trying to explain the whole concept to them because they are still pretty new to it and are still trying to figure it out. For those of you who don't know what Facebook is - it's basically a way to waste time all day and it's VERY addicting!! My mom actually scolded me because I have been ignoring my blogging duties and she is one of my (very few) faithful readers - Hi mom!! It didn't really occur to me just how much I am on Facebook until she mentioned that. I mean, I am on ALL the time!!! Today alone I've been to it at least a dozen times and if you think that's bad, Bill has probably been on at least two dozen times - he's much more of a computer junkie then I am (sorry honey!). It's like I have this crazy obsession to send people drinks or throw food at them or check my scrabulous games - it's INSANE! I think I'm going to try to cut down of my Facebook time.

I wonder if there's a self help group for this? Maybe I'll start one... Anyone interested in joining Facebookers Anonymous?