T-minus 11 hours...

I am starting to freak out. My kids will all be in school exactly 11 hours from now. I will be alone for the first time in almost ten years.

No, I am not crying, lamenting, and frantically starting my own home school, but there is a big part of me that is really going to miss having these little friends around during the day.

Which tells me exactly what I've known all along (but sometimes forget when they're doing an Irish jig on my last nerve): I really love them.

But there's an even bigger part of me that can't wait to get pedicures without the princess in tow, and being able to stand in line at Sam's Club without yelling at anyone will certainly be a treat (although I definitely make no promises on that one).

More words to come tomorrow. Stay tuned...

Hurry, hurry! It's swap time again!

Marta is hosting a fun little back to school swap. You can read all the details on her blog here. But you better hurry and sign up because today is the last day. These swaps are so much fun. You get to make a new friend somewhere in the world, and you get some good mail to boot. Don't miss out on the fun!

A million questions to match a million answers

My kids never seem to run out of questions. Rather than document their endless queries, I decided to write down some of the answers I have given this week instead. Enjoy:

• No, we cannot have any weapons at the table.
• Just because I do not like the pink counters, does not mean that I do not like you. I love you.
• Yes, you will need sunscreen.
• Yes, you will also need to wear your swimsuit.
• No, Daddy will have to kill that big spider. It's his job as a man.
• If I must choose, I would rather eat sand than dead bugs.
• No, we are not having M&Ms with our breakfast.
• Yes, I will pay you to kill the spider since Daddy is such a wimp.
• Yes, I did mail the letter.
• No, sorry, there's nothing from George Bush today.
• No, I don't know about poisonous frogs.
• Yes, you can have a snack.
• No, you cannot have candy for your snack.
• Why, yes, I love your questions.
• Just a minute, I'm going to the bathroom!
• No, you cannot come in and ask me.
• No! No! No!
• I'm was not alive on D-Day.
• Nope, neither was Grandpa or Opa.
• No, the onions are not poisonous.
• No, you are not allergic to onions.
• Yes, you can just pick out the onions.
• No, I don't know what time Daddy is coming home today.
• Yes, I'll read you ONE MORE story, but that is it.
• Yes, I love you, too.
• No, there are no witches in your closet. See?
• No, you cannot set your alarm for 4:30 a.m., sorry.
  

Please play along

So I found this fun idea on Boo Mama's blog. The idea is this: Write two blurbs for your alumni newsletter, updating your life. The first version is the perky, show-off kind that everyone writes (and the one that everyone hates). The second should be the darker, more real side of honest. Here's mine:

Version One:

Christie married Josh over 13 years ago. She worked as a Medical Practice Manager for several prestigious medical firms before making the tough choice to leave her career behind and become a mother. Christie and Josh now have three beautiful children that are a constant source of joy and enlightenment. Josh has recently made a career change which provides him the opportunity to expand his firm nationally. Christie selflessly devotes hours of volunteer work to local community and church organizations. Her dedication to the arts is incomparable. Christie is an avid athlete and an extremely dedicated runner. Christie and Josh now make their home in Missouri, where they are already well-established within society circles.

Okay. Version Two:

Christie married Josh over 13 years ago, although sometimes it feels like much longer. She spent her "career" as a peon being bossed around by mean, snotty doctors for slave wages, while Josh attended undergraduate and graduate school. Christie's meager salary barely covered their living expenses during this time. She was miserable and counted the seconds until she was able to quit and stay home to have babies. Christie and Josh have three beautiful children that are a constant source of joy (and energy, and annoyance, and expenses, and umpteen trips to the doctor's office for strep throat and/or ear infections). Christie is thrilled to be a stay-at-home mom, but is now proudly counting the minutes until they will all be in school (10,080, to be precise) as she has not had a day to herself since she can't remember when.

Josh spends his days traveling to hospitals around the country, staying at five-star hotels, and eating in only the finest restaurants.

Christie tries extremely hard to not punish him for this.

Christie also finds her precious free minutes sapped up by play dates, church, school volunteering, and cub scouts. She is an avid reader of US Weekly and People, and thinks of Britney and Lindsay's rehab stints as actual news. She will watch pretty much any movie just to keep herself entertained. She fancies herself a runner, but recently gave up training for her big race due to heat, laziness, and pancake predilection.

Christie is maniacally redecorating every room in her house. She has recently relocated to Missouri and is constantly on the prowl for any new friends she can sink her claws into. She scours blogs, and loves finding new ones to read. In short: She's a bit of a geek.

Touches of home

Our frames and mats for the photo wall in the formal living room arrived this week. Thought I'd share them with you, dear internets (and I'd like to praise the Husband's fine mathematics skills which prevented me from putting about 9,508 holes in my wall while hanging these. Yes, there actually is a good use for math. Shocking, I know.):

And here is what we have done in the dining room. The pictures on this wall are all of places we have lived. We have scoured historical society archives, stock photos, and even begged one photo off a family member (thanks, Scott!) in order to get what we wanted from each city. The center frame says, "Home," and underneath that, "is where the heart is." After six states and three countries, we are living proof of that. (And you can see it much better from a different angle - still trying to figure out what to do with that chandelier.)

And for fun, here is what I put up in the mudroom (which you walk through to go from the garage into the kitchen, so nobody will even see it but me). I found these fun vinyl letters through Tip Junkie. I am sure everyone else in the free world already knows about these, but they were quite new and exciting to me.

There's more work to be done, but little-by-little this place is starting to take shape and feel like ours. We've got the counters coming this Thursday - so expect some more photos then. I am practically counting the seconds until the pink is gone.

Happy Monday everyone!

Our favorite thing at the zoo today

To say that it was hot today is like saying that I kinda-sorta like cookie dough. BIG understatement. We did have a good time though, and I thought I'd share some great quotable moments:

McKay: "Oh, this picture is so going on my blog."

Chase: "Is it swearing if I say that the asses were really cool?" (We had just seen the donkeys for all you sickos that would go there - Daniel, that includes you!)

Hannah: "Mama, I'm just so sweaty."

Me, too, kiddo. I hate it when I start sweating. Really, I do. Maybe you could hop out of that shady stroller and give me a push up this big hill. See how you feel then, poor baby...

[I'm much more sympathetic when it's not 186 humid degrees outside. Trust me.]