All Aboard the Bullet Train

Um, so it's been a couple of weeks since I blogged. Whoops. So, hop aboard the bullet train if you'd like to play catch up.

• Meg is loving third grade. The homework is too easy for her right now so I'm hoping things pick up in that department here post haste. We haven't gotten a single newsletter home from the teacher which is a letdown after last year's teacher sending us DAILY emails with PHOTOS!
• Drew started his last year of preschool last week (i.e. his THIRD year) and is really happy for the first time since he started there. He goes an extra day this year, and stays for lunch there each day. This year is all about kindergarten preparation. He's such a big boy (you know, except for the constant tantrums and lack of listening ears at home).

• I went back to the spine doctor earlier this month. In a nutshell, my discs are going to continue to deteriorate and my herniated disc will always be herniated, but if I'm not in pain then I don't have to see her or go to PT. I haven't been on any pain meds for a month so the Prednisone did the trick. I think I can live with that.
• The twins are on a nap boycott. To say that this sucks is an understatement. Izzie threw herself out of her crib AGAIN yesterday but at least she didn't break her collar bone again. Drew's new school schedule is a contributing factor as we're picking him up when they're usually going down for a nap, but even this weekend was the same~no nap. I may be turning to drinking earlier in the day if this keeps up.
• Apparently H1N1 (aka the Swine Flu) is going through Megan's classroom. I say apparently because there's been no official word from the school and it's all hearsay from kids in the class, but not from my own child. All of my kids have stuffy noses at the present time and I'm watching them like a crazy person for any sign of a fever.
• Doug and I are heading to Boston next Saturday to celebrate my brother's wedding. It will be fun to see him and his wife, as they've been in PARIS since September 1st. It's also our 11th anniversary that day so what a fun way to celebrate.
• Fall is almost here. The leaves are beginning to change, and the twins and I are going apple picking with Drew's preschool on Friday. I can't say I'm sorry for this summer to get on out the door. It really wasn't one of our best.

What's new with everyone else? I've been trying to read blogs but commenting has gone out the window these days. Usually the kids are trying to kill each other when I'm trying to read, making coherent comments a thing of the past. I'll get back to everyone soon, I promise!

Ooh, let's play catchup, shall we?

Did you miss me? I've been here, reading bits and pieces of blogs, but have been too busy/tired/sick to write. So, now that Doug has headed off to hockey (yes, it's 10pm on a Tuesday night; he plays hockey at 10:40. Isn't that dumb?) I will play catchup, bullet style.

• I didn't quite catch what the kids had during Barforama, but I didn't avoid it altogether, either. I spent the afternoon of the 3rd asleep. Yes, my awesome husband came home from work early so I could take a nap. It was nice. I never nap unless I'm under the weather.


• I was better on the 4th, so we headed up the coast for the Bath Heritage Days. We got there in time for the parade, which was great, just really hot in the sun. After a bite to eat, we decided to drive further up the coast in hopes the kids would nap. Ummm, no. Meg and Drew were demon spawn in the car and only settled down under the threat of death no fireworks. It was indeed a hellacious day with them. The fireworks were good, except that we sat behind a building that caused us to miss some of the fireworks. And let me just say that I pointed this out to said awesome husband, who insisted that we were fine. Anyhoo, Meg LOVED the fireworks, Drew was too tired to deal with them, Izzie slept thru them and Annie fussed thru them. About right in my book.


• We took the kids to Range Pond (pronounced "rang") on Sunday. It was a first for the twins, and to our surprise, they loved it. Last year they were only 6 months old and had to be kept in the shade, so while Doug and the kids played in the water, I sat watching babies. This time we ALL (yes, even me) went into the water and had a really good time. Of course no one wanted to go home, but in the end it was a good day.


• Meg had her first eye checkup yesterday. I was a bad mama and didn't take her before she started kindergarten. But, turns out her eyes are fine and the eye doctor doesn't see any indication that she is going to have bad eyes like me. Thank goodness, because not being able to see without my contacts or glasses bites. Doug took Meg and Drew to the driving range yesterday morning as well, while I battled the Return of Barforama. I think I was just tired though.


• Today Erika joined us for a trip on the Songo River Queen II. It was a nice 2 1/2 hour boat ride on Brandy Pond in Naples (Maine). Seriously, thank goodness for the breeze from the boat moving, because today was incredibly hot and sticky. The pond has a lock system, so the kids got to experience the locks. It's all done by hand, so it was really cool to watch.


• Tomorrow we're going back to Range Pond in the morning. Oh, and then it's BON JOVI BABY tomorrow night, in Boston. Going to try to smuggle my camera in, but I don't think I'm sitting anywhere close to the stage in order to get good pictures. Because Jon Bon Jovi is smokin'.

Ok, so that was a lot. Now for the good stuff: pictures.

(at the parade)

(at the parade; Annie is on the left)

(waiting to ride some rides)

(I LOVE having a fireworks function!)

(at the pond)

(she wanted to be a mermaid when she grew up)

(the boat)

(Meg, with Erika)

(such manly men)

(silly girlies)

(yes, he is holding a garter snake found in our garden tonight)

I survived Barforama!

Phew. I think we're done with Barforama 2008. After one last barf ALL OVER DOUG Tuesday at lunch (and yes, I laughed, heartily~mean I know, but really, it always happens to just me), the girls have been better. No one is eating particularly well, but I'll take that over all the barfing. I have managed, so far, to avoid being sick. I'm sure that I'll wake up tomorrow sick because we have plans for the fourth. Crossing my fingers and toes that that doesn't happen.

It's been a really long week here. The "I hate summer" whines continue from Meg, even though she had Erika this week to occupy some of her time. They took two really long walks in the woods, just the two of them and had a nice time. But as soon as they rejoined the family fold, the attitudes started up again. We sent Meg to summer camp for a few days last summer, and it was a nightmare. It was just day camp, and we thought with all the activities, she'd have fun, but on the first day she lost her favorite sweatshirt, and then she was bullied by a couple of older kids, and even had her money taken from her at the roller rink. In all, it was a bad experience, so this summer she is staying home. She is ice skating Monday nights and loving it. We've had to cancel some play dates due to illness and her horrible attitude, so this week has basically sucked.

The bright side is that Doug is on vacation starting tomorrow. I need him here more than I can describe. Between the sick kids, the fighting between the older kids, the heat and humidity, my patience (ok, really, I'm a Type A personality so I have no patience whatsoever) has flown out the window. Tomorrow we're going to take the kids to Bath for Heritage Days and if they manage the day well, we'll try for the fireworks. I am highly doubtful that will happen, but maybe with the promise of that treat, they'll be good. We usually host the 4th (especially when we had our pool at the other house) but I basically told Doug I can't manage it this time. What with the cleaning, food shopping and preparing, I am just too worn down for it right now. Thank goodness our families were ok with it. Next week we're going to Naples (Maine, not Italy) for a ride on the Songo River Queen. We've never taken the kids, but Doug and I did the trip once many moons ago before we were married. I think the kids will have fun. And of course, next week is our trip to Boston with the niece and nephew to go see Bon Jovi (we got our 17 year old niece and 16 year old nephew tickets, which totally freaks us out, because they're old enough to go to an awesome concert with us). Woo hoo!

Right now I am looking around my "computer room" and thinking that a house cleaner is in order. I call it a "computer room" because it contains more than just the computer~the piano (yes, my grandparents' piano that I inherited. Wish I played it; I can play, I just don't), bookshelves, kids crap everywhere. The rule of putting things away after you're done with them just doesn't apply to my kids. Well, that's not true; it applies, they just refuse to follow it. I think next week we're taking a Super Nanny approach to our family life and making up a schedule for the kids to follow during the day. Somehow I'll have to fit cleaning up in there. Because in all honestly, I don't have the energy to clean up after them after changing diapers and trying to keep the girls from tearing apart the house all day. I haven't even had the energy to blog, or really comment on blogs this week.

One thing I did do was watch Baby Borrowers last night. Did anyone catch it? I was freaked out by the premise at first~5 teen couples get to "play house"~they get a home to live in, they have to get a job (one of them) and for the first two episodes, they were "parents" to someone else's child for 3 days. I was thrilled to see that the child's parents watched EVERYTHING on a closed circuit tv, and were close enough by to come over when things got bad. Doug and I sat there all on our soapbox saying things like this: "Welcome to the real world" and "That's what being a parent is all about". OMG. My mom says those things to me (hi Mom) and it makes me nutty, so to hear it come out of my own mouth was a tad bit horrifying. Because really, I don't handle my family as well as I could, so I have no right to be all judgmental. Good lord.

Ok, I have to stop blogging and do something productive. I was in the middle of putting laundry into the dryer when Drew decided to fall, smack his face on a table and split his lip. Guess I should get back to it. Blech.