Busy As Bees We Are

Firmly planted in Week Two of school. I am delighted to report that all seems well with Parker and Ryan. There were enormous fears -- of the lunchroom, of all things -- on the part of the boys, and of the playground, on my part. So Ryan and I have been having a lot of snacks with Parker in the cafetorium (doesn't that sound like a devine place to be buried?), and we've been shuffling our feet on the playground along with piles of children, one of whom is our very own Parker. Parker and Ryan seem to have no trepidation regarding the hectic swarm of all-age children on the playground, the lack of fencing, the parking lot nearby with possible child-snatchers lurking in every corner. No, it's Me. And 3 other parents. So we collect our Volunteer badges and park ourselves in sections that seems under supervised, and try to actually Keep Watch v. just riveting eyes on our very own little darlings.

About the time Parker's first recess is over, it's time for Ryan to decamp to kindergarten, fully exercised and bright of eye and spirit. And I ask our energetic kindy teacher "Do you need my help today?" A foolish question. So I stay and do all those things that having 90 eager little learners entail. Much shuffling of paper, assembling of packets, setting up of display walls which all of us parents will eagerly scan, looking for signs of adorable art and literary work.

Too busy to even shop for food, in fact, since Ken is out of town and I dread shopping with the boys. They hang on to the cart, pulling it every which way, dash off in front of other carts to procure tasty tidbits (most of which is ix-nayed - never mind, they try anyway) and are general nuisances. I had to take Ryan today. We were out of too much stuff. The store was pretty empty. And wouldn't you know; not once or twice but three times, another parent with their annoying child kept blocking our way to get places. This woman was oblivious to anyone else in the store. Her daughter (who looked 4 or older) was spitting into her hands and drawing with the saliva - broad slashes with her palms! BEYOND DISGUSTING. I thought 'certainly even this clueless mother can't be aware her child is doing such an incredibly nasty thing', so I took the liberty of gently informing her "Your little one is spitting in her palm and marking territory..." with an Ikea Anna wry smile for emphasis. And do you know what that lovely woman retorted? "So What! Mind your own business!" So I said "Oh dear, I guess I better call management over to monitor the situation." And I did. And guess what? She stormed out of the store, abandoning her cart and snapping and snarling at her daughter. Oh dear. I'll probably end up on the PTO with her at some point and she'll have it in for me.

Let's see; what else...

Back to School is tonight. The Parental Units are coming over to entertain the boys as the husband he is gone. Have to shoe-horn Taekwondo in there somewhere before dinner and after school. Ai Yi Yi.

Taking a break!

I'm off today to Las Vegas to visit my sister. She has a few fun things planned - an immediate visit to the Dim Sum place upon my arrival, shopping the next day with a lunch at Bellagio, swimming on Lake Mead on Saturday and possibly a show in there some time as well. But, more importantly, there is down time in there for me! She is going to work out and/or ride her horse, leaving me to rest, read or whatever.
A L O N E.
ALONE!

Doesn't this sound like heaven? I love my family. And I'll love them even more after catching a break!

I feel strange

Ryan resting at Left Hand lake.

Ryan starts kindergarten tomorrow.
I feel strange - not sad, not worried; just-strange.
How can our youngest child be in kindergarten already? Never mind that he is 6, has lost 5 teeth (while his older brother remains a Tooth Virgin) and may tower over his classmates - he is young. His kindy teacher came to the house to meet all of us this past Friday. Ryan hauled her up to his room and showed her his treasures - his tooth fairy box and his books. Our speech therapist was here too, and they chatted out at their cars for awhile. I always wonder if the therapists say "Ryan is doing great but that mother is an eternal annoyance."

Parker at Left Hand lake.

Parker is entering first grade tomorrow. For some reason, I am fine with this. We have the obligatory New Lunch Box, complete with metal water bottle and re-usable environmentally friendly containers. In which I may even occasionally pack a healthy lunch. We have $100's of new school supplies, which have already been dropped off and loaded into his New Desk. Yes, one gets their very own desk in first grade. And their own supplies. Had I known that, I would have labeled every blasted pencil. Not because they are special; because those fuckers are SHARPENED. Do you know how long it takes to sharpen thirty-six #2 pencils?

We don't have new clothes, or new haircuts. We'll get those in early September. Maybe then stuff will be less expensive, and school photos are end of September. Even a bad haircut looks good after 2 weeks, so we'll get those haircuts 1st or 2nd week in September.

I hope to snap some photos tomorrow morning. I'm letting the boys pick their own outfits -- please take that into account as you look at the photos!

Summer Vacation, Jammies all the time.

Same day, different pjs.

GameCube Playing Styles, around noon today

Nightly reading in the Guest Room with Daddy, around 8:30 (okay, probably closer to 9 - we have to move up bed times THIS WEEK or the boys, they will be toast next week with the start of school... )

Honestly, the boys were dressed in street clothing for about 4 hours today. We were supposed to go to the library, but I was too tired. Today, for some unknown reason, I decided to try a new way of deep cleaning.
Slow Vacuuming.
Yes, you read that correctly. I, who does everything at lightning speed, decided that once a month I will vacuum very
s
l
o
w
l
y
to deep clean the carpeting. And my gosh the stuff I got out of the rugs. You should try it. Ken said it sounded like occasional popcorn. Of course, this took an extra hour.

I do fall cleaning. So now I will tackle baseboards, walls and cobwebs. I already cleaned woodwork, ceiling fans, cabinet fronts.

Could this post possibly be any more boring?

Finally, Fotos!

Ryan, proving he can read anywhere

Ryan and Parker at the Club pool.

Ryan perching on a rock at Rainbow Lake

I have been lame to the extreme in my photo offerings of late. Again with the 'lost the cable' excuse. We have been taking video this summer and letting the boys capture their own shots with their digital cameras. And guess what? I have LOST THEIR CABLES! Grrrrrrr.

After Months of looking...

We found a Master Bedroom Chest that we can both live with at



Of Course -


COSTCO!

Portomao Chest

We've purchased, and refused delivery of, a chest from Restoration Hardware. Horrid construction - It arrived with drawer glides snapped, drawers not closing, veneer peeling off the top and gouges out of the sides.

Then we found a Kincaid Magna Chest we thought might work; on further reflection we knew it wasn't 'fancy' enough for the cherry furniture that is in the master suite. We spent the next few weeks touring every furniture showroom in Denver; found chests we would consider from inexpensive ($300) to ridiculous ($15,000). Last night, I jokingly told Ken - "Hey, I bet we find the perfect chest where we find everything else - at Costco!" We had a good har de har about that, and then I went on line. And found perfect size chests in a few different pieces. Then I found it! All those weeks, driving around looking, thinking we were looking for the impossible.

I
Love
Costco

"I'm reading and too lazy to write"

so here's something from unconscious mutterings

1. Voices ::


2. Have to ::


3. Machine ::


4. Seventh grade ::


5. Beach ::


6. Roommate ::


7. Cyclone ::


8. Theater ::


9. Pregnant ::


10. Phoebe ::

Mine:
Voices: In my head
Have to: Phone Sarah O.
Machine: Wash
Seventh grade: Bullshit
Beach: Bum
Roommate: Horrors
Cyclone: Twister
Theater: Tickets
Pregnant: Pause
Phoebe: Bird