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I have no idea why and can’t seem to fix the extra large font above. Whatever.
Off to Mama B’s birthday party.
I am a Box Tops Nazi. If I am at the store and can’t decide between two different brands and one has the box top? Thats the one I buy. I have been known to dig in our trash to getone, yes I realize it is only worth 10 cents, but its 10 cents more than the school had to start with. I carefully cut them out and save them until I have a baggie full and then give them to Noodle to turn in. Lately it seems when you are a great big 6th grader, turning in box tops your mother has saved is so un-cool. So to spare my child the nightmare of having to do such a thing I asked M3 (who is a cool 1st grader and in her world box tops are indeed cool) if she would turn them in for me. She was happy too but asked me “What your kid doesn’t want to do it?”. The funny thing is that Noodle has been around since before M3 was born so she doesn’t ever remember a time that my “kid” wasnt’ a part of her life.
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Last night at softball practice I was talking and not paying a lick of attention to what was going on (I know that is a shock to you all) and I got nailed in the leg just below my knee with a foul ball. I was proud of myself for not using a naughty word, but man oh man did I ever want to. The bruise is just started to show, I imagine it is going to be a lovely shade of purple in the next day or so.
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Grandma is still visiting from Podunk. She came over to the house Sunday afternoon and after Noodle showed her around she said to me “Its a far cry from the farm house”. If she only knew….. I would give my right arm (heck I would give my left one also) to live in the farm house.
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A lady came into the shop earlier in the week and wanted to know if this was Jane Doe’s store. I told her that I did not know who Jane was. She was very persistent that this was the store that Jane said was hers. I told her I had been here for 12 years and there was never a Jane here. She was not happy with me. That Jane is such a liar.
In the 12 years I have been here I worked every combination of days and or hours you can imagine. A different lady was here and told me “I come shopping here ALL the time but I have never seen you here before, how long have you worked here?”. I felt bad and said “Oh not long”.
(See stupid bubble wrap lady I can be nice when I want too!!)
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I made the mistake of wearing flip flops (which I wear every other day except for about 3 weeks out of the year) today. Noodle had a field trip where we walked about a mile there and a mile back. A least the blister on the bottom of my foot is on the opposite leg the bruise will be on. If I take turns limping on each leg maybe it won’t be quite so obvious. I am just a mess.
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Last night we were home by 8:15!! Woo Hoo. The rest of the week there was not a night that we were home before 9:00. I can’t wait for summer vacation so we don’t have to worry about it quite so much. Speaking of the ball park - we had to do our turn working in the germ shack the snack bar a week or so ago. Lets just say my child has been forbidden to eat anything that is not pre-packaged from it. You so don’t want to know the details. I may or may not have called the Health Dept. the next day.
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Different grade levels at school take turns hosting the weekly school mass. This week was kindergarten. They were so stinkin cute. My ovaries started screaming and my clock started a tickin. If only it was that easy hu?
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We have another busy weekend ahead of us at Casa de Mar. Bet you can’t guess where we will be tonight. Ok, the ball field you win, we live such an exciting life. Tomorrow we both have to work, but it is also Mama B’s birthday and no birthday should or will go by without having our friend Captain Morgan over. Sunday is Mother’s Day and I can be hung over if I want to right? OH!! I almost forgot! A year ago yesterday we bought our house. It was quite possibly the longest year of my life but turns out it was all worth it. Imagine that.
About 6 weeks or so ago a woman came into the shop with some things to sell. She probably had 6-8 boxes of stuff she wanted us to look at. Of course she didn’t have time to wait for us to look at everything and make her an offer that day. I told her over and over again that I didn’t have room to store her boxes for her until she could get back to the shop. To keep it short, she left the boxes, we went through them and called her with an offer. Of course it wasn’t enough money in her opinion so we ended up storing her boxes for the 6 weeks or so it took her to get back down here to pick them up.
Let me just say, 99.9% of the time I try very very hard to be nice to our customers but every once in a while one will just get the better of me. Fortunately the guys I work for are pretty laid back and will take my side (even if I might be wrong *cough cough*) if it comes down to that.
So back to the lady. She came in a day last week and explained to me who she was and then started going on and on about how she wasn’t offered enough money and we had no idea how to run a business etc. I wasn’t going to argue or get into it with her so I pointed to where her boxes were (in a hallway behind a door) and told her there they are. (Bossman and I were both sitting at our computers doing other work). She told me if I put them on the counter she would carry them to her car, she had a bad back and couldn’t bend over . Lady proceeded to carry out her boxes one at a time (they were smallish boxes that really were not very heavy and she is the one who said she would carry them out). Earlier in the day before she came in I had brought out a great big wad of bubble wrap and had it laying on the counter, as she took her last box out she grabbed the bubble wrap. I didn’t notice but Bossman asked “Did she just take that bubble wrap?”. I looked and sure enough it was gone. I flew past the poor window washer who had just come in to collect his money and ran outside. I saw the woman and asked her if she just took my bubble wrap. (I could see it in her car and most bubble you can buy is sold in single wide sheets but we buy it in double wide on a big roll and knew it was the stuff from the counter). She told me “Well I had some but maybe I picked it up when I picked up my last box”. I not so nicely stuck my hand out and said “That is mine and I want it back”. She threw it back at me and yelled at me ( we were standing out on the sidewalk in between my shop and the shop next door) “I am never coming back to your store again (good! you are a thief*!!) and you were so rude you never even offered to help me carry my boxes out to my car!”. Well lady, I never offered to store your boxes for 6 weeks either and had to do that and you are the one who said you would take them out to your car if I brought them out from the hallway.
As I walked away with MY bubble wrap she went in the store next to us.
I came back in and Bossman told me “Good for you, if I had done it she would have thought I was being caddie”. Oh sure let me be the bitch. Thanks. Yeah, I didn’t care at that point. After a bit bossman went next door and the ladies over there told him that she was complaining about me the entire time. Sweet!
*Normally, I really could care less if someone asks for or takes a piece of bubble wrap. She just rubbed me the wrong way and knew very well it was not hers. In my defense, have you ever seen how much it is by the way?
I was all ready to tell you all a now funny story about how I was a real bitch to a lady over a piece of bubble wrap. But Vixen went ahead and told all kinds of people that I was a good mom so I decided it wasn’t really appropriate for today. But tomorrow? Bubble wrap it is. I know, how are you ever going to sleep tonight.
Now I am off to bed. My throat is killing me from yelling like a lunatic at Noodle’s softball game (that is part of being a good mom right?) and heaven help me she has two more games this week. I am sure she would be thrilled to death if I did indeed lose my voice for the next 12 weeks or so so that she couldn’t hear me yelling from the bleachers. In my defense the umpire only had to tell me one time to keep it down. I guess I deserve the sore throat.
This is my girl right before she hit her very first HOME RUN!!
I love the look on both of their faces in this picture. The goof ball in the hat is a very good friend of the family who is helping coach this year. I am not sure who has a bigger smile, him or Noodle.
Don’t forget its Saturday! We have a busy day ahead of us- Grandma is coming to visit and we have a lot to fit in between going to the airport and yet another game tonight - so I am not sure when I will get mine up but I will.
Enjoy your weekend, I know we will!!
I have been wondering lately, and it seems I am not the only one, if the expectations we have of our children are “normal”.
Noodle does exceptionally well in school, usually without much effort. She is very near the top of her class among some other very smart kids. This little bit of information is important because of the high school, yes I said high school, she would like to attend. There are a few rather elite parochial school here that are as tough as nails to get into. They have been know to look at your school transcripts back to 4th or 5th grade. She has had her heart set on going to one of them since about the 2nd week of kindergarten. We have told her all along if she puts forth her best efforts and gets in we will do whatever we can to insure that she can attend the school. It is an ungodly (no pun intended) amount of money but being able to say you graduated from XYZ high school is an amazing accomplishment, and about 85% of those who graduate end up with a full ride 4 year scholarship to a university.
With that said, progress reports came home yesterday. I hate to say I was disappointed in Noodle because that sounds so negative and can tear through someones soul and leave them in a feeling of anguish, but I wasn’t really happy I guess you can say. She was already down on herself about it so to beat her down some more wasn’t the way I felt I needed to approach it. I sat her down and asked her what happened. She thought it was because they had had a really hard test and only a few other assignments in the class so it brought her average way down. I am not totally cold hearted and can understand that everyone has a bad day once in awhile and she just may not have been on target the day of the test. After we talked she told me not to worry, she went to her teacher right after school and asked for extra credit to bring her grade up (how could I be upset after that?) and had already done a few worksheets before she went to softball practice.
I will tell you she had a “C” and a “B-” on her report in two subjects. All the others were “A’s”. The “A’s” were in her hardest subjects so I know she can do it. If all she were capable of were “C’s” I would love her just as much and be just as proud of her, but because I know she is capable of more I expect it.
Should I expect it is the question. I assume most people would be thrilled to death if their child brought home those types of grades. Hell, if I had brought home those grades I would have been pretty darn proud of myself (I too had the ability, just not the drive and my parents were not the type to “push” us as long as we were doing “Ok”). Because I screwed around in high school my study habits in college were not the best. In my hearts of hearts I believe that if we start Noodle off right now, when it is time for high school and college those too will come a little easier for her. Do I believe everything should be handed to her? Not for all the tea in China, but what kind of a parent would I be if I didn’t do the things I could help her get a few steps ahead in this great big world.
I have internal fights with myself everyday about what I do and don’t expect of her. Is it too much or maybe even not enough? Then I remind myself that the girl doesn’t know the difference bewteen the soap you use in the dishwasher and the dish soap you use in the sink.
I guess some of my expectations are higher than others.
I saw this over at Shanny’s and figured why not be cool like her.
Where did you grow up: I was born in a wee bitty little Podunk town in Iowa, moved to Germany, and finally AZ. Most of my summers were spent in Podunk.
WHAT DO YOU CALL:
1. A body of water, smaller than a river, contained within relatively narrow banks.
Creek
2. Whats the thing you push around the grocery store is called.
Cart
3. A metal container to carry a meal in.
Lunch box
4. The thing that you cook bacon and eggs in.
Skillet
5. The piece of furniture that seats three people.
Couch
6. The device on the outside of the house that carries rain off the roof.
Gutter (not that we have or need these)
7. The covered area outside a house where people sit in the evening.
Porch
8. Carbonated, sweetened, non-alcoholic beverages.
Pop
9. A flat, round breakfast food served with syrup.
Pancakes
10. A long sandwich designed to be a whole meal in itself.
Sub
11. The piece of clothing worn by men at the beach.
Trunks and or suit
12. Shoes worn for sports.
Tennis shoes
13. Putting a room in order.
Cleaning or picking up
14. A flying insect that glows in the dark.
Lightening bug (We do not have these here sadly, but when Noodle was little she called them Flashlight Bugs, how cute is that?)
15.The children’s playground equipment where one kid sits on one side and goes up while the other sits on the other side and goes down.
Teeter Totter
16. How do you eat your pizza?
With a fork about half way up the slice, then pick it up
17. Private citizens put up signs and sell their used stuff?
Yard Sale or Garage Sale
18. What’s the evening meal?
Dinner
19. What do you call the thing that you can get water out of to drink in public places?
Drinking fountain
20. What do you call the clothing covering for legs worn on the outside?
Pants
Go ahead and do it, you know you want to.
Be sure to let me know if you do so we can argue that it is indeed call Pop and NOT Soda.
Did you notice I didn’t make it back yesterday to do Nanny’s self portrait Saturday? No? Well then I guess I just gave myself away.
I had every intention of posting a picture as soon as I got home BUT I forgot we had a par-tay to get to. M2 made her 1st Communion yesterday and we had some serious celebrating to do. By the time we got home it was today (1:30 am) so I missed Saturday anyway. I was going to get up and do it today but I realized I left the camera at the B house. You will have to settle for this self portrait me and my Noodle. I think it was from October but we still look the same, promise.
We had a great time as usual with our friends. Hubs was a little concerned when I made him run back in the house and grab the Captain Morgan, he was concerned it was a party for M2 and that there should not be alcohol consumed. That is when I reminded him we are Catholic and that is the way we roll. It was so nice out last night we all just sat outside around the pool and laughed until our sides hurt. I looked at my watch at about 9:30 pm and told Hubs we were going to go when he was done with his drink. By the time I looked again it was 1:00 am. Time does fly when you are having fun.
We have another long and busy week ahead of us. Work, school, 3 softball games and 2 practices. Our reward at the end of the week will be a visit from my Grandma. She will be here for 2 weeks and no one is more excited than Noodle herself.
Little plaid skirts are calling my name needing to be ironed for the week. I guess its not all fun and games after all.
Would you like to participate or find out more about Self Portrait Saturdays? Click here!
Self Portrait Saturdays!
Rules to Self Portrait Saturdays:
♥Copy the logo code in the COLOR of your choice and post at the top of your Self Portrait Saturday.
♥Include at least one picture of yourself, any part of yourself but it has to be of you. Hence the title, Self Portrait! (Your hand, face, toe…etc) You may include as many pictures as you want!
♥You may edit your photo (Photoshop, Picasa, GIMP) un-touched photos welcome too!
♥Try to visit as many other people participating in Saturday Self Portraits as possible and leave comments!
♥Have fun with it!
I started making my bloggy rounds this morning, stopped by Vixen’s and saw that her lovely daughter Nanny came up with this fun idea. Unfortunately, I am at work (don’t tell on me!) and will have to wait until later to post a picture. It will just give me more time to decide what to take a picture of. I don’t have a tattoo like Nanny does so I will try to think of something interesting.
