Grrrr...

I've decided that this is my venting medium today. I'm so crabby. You know, that irritated crabby that goes all the way down and colors everything else that you do. And I know its dumb. As I complain here, I expect it will look a lot stupider in writing.

I had to get a passport. Do you know how hard that is?!! The online stuff is a little vague and you actually have to talk to your postman (or woman) or go to the post office to learn that they only do passports on Tues and Thurs from 9-10:30. I didn't find this out till last Wednesday. So last Thursday I took a trip to Walmart, to get my picture done. They don't open for pictures till 10, so no way i could get to the post office before 10:30. ....Irritating.

I had to wait until today, and I was at the Post Office at 9:50. 25 minutes later, after waiting with 3 children, and having been asked already to keep them from running around (yeah, whatever, Lady.), I finally got in to get my passport. Just as an aside, I have a 15 minute rule. If I have to wait more than 15 minutes for an appointment or something that shouldn't take longer, I am done controlling my kids after that. I only manage them for the first 15 minutes, then I'm done.

Anyway, I hauled the 3 children back to the desk to do the paperwork, which I've already filled out, and I have everything on hand. I was so ready and prepared! Then the irritating lady says I have to pay with a check or cash! Um, nothing said that anywhere. She tells me to look at the form where it says "some facilities may not take credit cards." Yeah, that's the only place they mentioned perhaps not accepting credit cards. It is now 10:25. I ask if I can bring a check later and just drop it off. She says no. That means I have to do it now, in the next 5 minutes, or wait till 9-10:30 on Thursday. I look at her and tell her I don't have time to go get a check. She says I can run to the ATM down the road and come back. But I'm on to her little game.

I say, "Its 10:25, by the time I get the kids in the car, get to the ATM and get back, it will be after 10:30" I know if that happens, I am SOL, see ya Thursday. She sighs and agrees to wait. Therefore I drag the kids out, and Marian is crying because the irritating lady had candy on her desk and she wanted some. Callie is crying because Marian is crying. I want to punch the irritating lady. Instead, we zoom to the ATM, Marian crying the entire way. I drive back and we dash into the post office. Did I mention it was with money we didn't have budgeted from that account? One more thing I'm not happy about. I did get it all done, but the whole experience really makes me crabby.

So now I will go make fish sticks for lunch and hope everyone takes a nap!

Running in the Rain!

It was pouring rain this morning. The weather guy said it would slow and stop today, so I was hoping it would just be a drizzle. I decided to run anyway. The kids wanted to run with me! I told them it was raining, but they wanted to anyway. I got them ready and then did the 3 mile loop. Since I didn't see them when I ran by the house, I went around the 1/2 mile loop. I was suppose to go 5 miles today, but the rain was really a downpour.

I stopped at the house and Joshua and Marian came out with their jackets and hoods and off we went. Marian's hood wouldn't stay up, so she didn't want to run. And then their shoes got wet. I told them they could go home, but they didn't want to. We walked half the loop before Marian realized she was already wet, so why not. We ran and walked the rest of the way. But the really fun part was looking for all the deep puddles to run through. I hate having wet shoes, but since it was too late anyway.....

We had a blast! Stomp, stomping through puddles while running full tilt, wearing totally saturated clothing was a lot more fun than I expected! We had a great time. My shoes may never dry out though!

Making Books!

One of my parenting magazines highlighted a website that lets you make books. I do know there are a lot, and everyone has their favorite. I do like Hertiage Makers, but they are quite expensive. This new one is blurb.com, and their books start off at $12.95 for a 7x7 paperback. I do not know how great the quality is, so I tried it out. I made a book about Joshua for him. It looked quite cute on the computer, and it should arrive here in another week or 2. I don't know why I have this obsession with books!

If Joshua's is as cute as I hope, and the pictures look good and the binding is decent, I want to put all the pictures from 2007 into a book. I have no need to digitally scrapbook it, I just want all the pictures in a neat, easy to access and read spot. I think this will be perfect! No huge, bulky books to store and haul out! And I can write the story of what's happening and all that stuff if I want.... or not. I'm very excited about this, so Joshua's book had better be all I hope for! I think it will be so great to have all the pictures made into a book. I think the 8x10 size will be fine.

The prices on blurb.com are great and I love that its straightforward- they have a graph telling you what size and how many pages are how much. And its not like each additional page costs. 20-40 pages is the same cost. Now I'm totally plugging the company..... check back in a few weeks and I'll tell you if its worth it, or not!

Kids are gross

This morning I thought Callie was upstairs with Dan. Nope. I found her in the bathroom. When I discovered her behind the closed door, she was bare bottomed, wiping poop off the floor. She'd taken off her pull-up, which was poopy, and had managed to get it all over the floor and toilet. Don't ask me how, I don't know, but it was everywhere! Ick!

Full of complaints today!

Dan waited till 9pm last night before asking me to cut his hair. Well, not so true. He asked me to do it at 6, but he wasn't ready till 9. Then, as I'm cutting his hair, he starts to criticise my blog! He's so lucky he still has any hair. And you know, if its boring, you do not have to read it!

My other gripe is that my right foot is going numb when I run. I finally got up to 5 miles on Saturday, but after the first 2 miles, I couldn't feel my toes, and it got worse from there. My whole foot was numb by the time I got home. My dad suggested putting Peppermint essential oil on it before running, and that helped this morning. Only my toes were numb, and that didn't happen till the last 1/2 mile home. Of course, I only did 4 miles today. It takes me so long, and Dan has to leave for work about 7:15. 6am is the earliest I want ot voluntarily get up if 'm going to make myself run! And yes, I have made sure my shoe laces were not too tight!

Callie and Marian are still running around with no pants on and its nearly 10am. Do I care? Not enough to make them finish geting dressed. There is nothing we absolutely have to do this morning. Okay, I need to clean the upstairs bathroom, but that doesn't require pants on my girls. Maintenance is suppose to come and fix the fan in the bathroom and put the towel rack back up. I don't really want them seeing a mess when they come in!

The great Why

Why is it that on a Sunday morning, I can get up t 6:45am and take a shower, make breakfast, bathe and wash hair on 4 children, put 2 sets of hair in ponytails or braids, get everyone in church clothes, put on make up, and be out the door by 8:30am. Yet during the week, I am awakened between 6-6:30 and I am incapable of getting out the door by 8:15 to get Marian to preschool on time?!! I only have to get Joshua fed, make his lunch and send him off to the bus by 7:15, and then I just have get the girls fed, dressed and do their hair. And I'm scrambling to leave on time? Its crazy. Last week I dropped Marian off and was on my way to a meeting when I realized I hadn't eaten breakfast! How sad am I?

Calm before the Storm

Well, Dan took Marain out to the movies. She loves her Daddy-Daughter dates. And its funny how things are so quiet when she is out of the mix. Of course, Callie is out at the park playing with another little girl who's mom probably thinks I suck because I'm not out there too. Joshua is watching cartoons and Delaney is happy trying to steal his trains.

However, Callie is tired and cranky and all 3 girls have runny noses. Delaney is already on her way to full-blown sick. She was warm when we got back from Walmart today (fell asleep in the cart, so cute!) and she was pretty toasty when she woke up from her nap. She has been having trouble sleeping the last 2 nights and I was hoping it was just her tooth coming in. Her 4th top tooth finally popped through, a full month after the first 3 up there appeared!

I have a bit of quiet time before Callie comes bursting through the door needing something, or Joshua decides he needs a snack, or Delaney wants to be cuddled. I could be doing something productive with this time, say folding the laundry or emptying the dishes that have been in the dishwasher for 3 days now!

But here is my delimma for the day. the Marine Corps Ball is in 2 weeks for us. I have a dress that may be suitable, but do I want to wear it? Its only knee length, and I feel like it should be longer. It is nice and modest and it looks pretty good, but it is pretty plain. If it were black, it would be a perfect little black dress, but it is maroon.... burgandy sounds better. Anyway, I can't decide if I should stress about finding something better or not. Of course, I have no shoes. I use to have a million shoes, lots of really cute shoes. I know, Sharon, yu do not believe me. I got rid of them all after Marian was born! When would I want to wear heels again!?! I'm thinking I'll ask the YW if any of them wear a 7 1/2 or 8. they all have cute shoes that are in style!

Well, I'm off to poke my head out and see what Callie is up to!

My first Blog!

Wow, this is so exciting. I've never blogged before. Kind of an odd feeling to be tossing my thoughts out into cyberworld and wondering where they'll end up. I'm actually not sure how I feel about that. I mean, how much should I worry that some stalker will pay close enough attention to put together all the details and come and snatch one my truly adorable children? And what fun would it be to write without really writing anything because I can't mention anything that might let someone find us?! Sheesh. I like to think that we're safer because we live on a military base, but ya never know!

So, right now Marian is screaming because she wants to eat peanut butter crackers on the couch. I said no.

I'm thinking about pizza for dinner. Dan has his EWS class tonight, so he won't be home for dinner. Who wants to cook for 4 kids who won't eat any of it? Sometimes I need more appreciation. And Pizza Hut has a good deal right now. Plus yesterday was payday! Hmmmmm.... I think I'm sold.

And with this random collection of thoughts, I think I'm done!