From Sweet Friends to Tantrum to Messy Desk-in a matter of hours

Well, after Oprah's cool show (which I was too busy blogging and parenting to see), I've decided to sign up for ads!! : ) Apparently one woman, an equally busy mom, is earning $40,000 a month. Her husband quit his job, and Ches thinks ads are a great idea now!! heehee : ) So, please see the messages/info below, it's kinda like bulletin boards used to be: extra information about the students' work! But now, extra info about blogging/parenting! : ) Be patient with me, as it is one more new thing I will figure out slowly, but surely.

I am thankful for my precious friends who think about me (and bring me cake, and strawberries, and books, and spend time with me (and my wild kiddos), and dvd players...). Sometimes I get sad if I think someone is mad, or we aren't having a connection/haven't seen them in a while. I love my friends. They are sweet, and have their own lives, I know. I think God just gives us friends as another way to wrap His arms around us! : ) Aren't they precious when we have time with them? : )

Today we carpooled with the MDO kids-they were so funny!! Because my dvd player is broken (still functioning as a piggy bank), we had lots of time to talk today! We pointed out all the things we saw (and didn't), and where everyone lives/goes to school/works, all the backhoes (thanks, Wagon Wheel expansion!), front-end loaders, dumptrucks, bucket trucks (on New Hope Rd!), big trucks, school buses, dirt, cows, stinky (what? Yeah, Isabella said that the poop was stinky, and laughed so hard!! I think she was laughing 'cause she got to say poop out loud!!), monkeys-yep, none of them, oh, what fun!! I remember that's how Clay was talking so much when he was that age-we named EvEryThiNG back then, made the noises, talked and did lots of praying (Lord, can I have a dvd player? just kidding!). Now, I don't think I'll tell them when it's fixed! It was so fun, they made me laugh out loud, and they didn't even come close to falling asleep on the ride home! It was great.

I was quite the pack horse coming out the door of the church: two backpacks, lunchboxes, Easter baskets, gift bag, dress/sweater, jackets, leftover strawberries and juice boxes-it was quite a sight!! I had to go back to get the kids-I couldn't have managed!! Crazy-but a sweet day!

I think I'm coming down with a cold. I'm sure it's all the late nights, not so much sleeping, and I haven't had my orange juice or vitamins for two days-I get preoccupied with all the lunches, notes, book orders, brushing teeth, backpacks, shoes, combing hair, etc. on the way out the door, then my mind gets back onto my work. My fault. Would the oj and vitamins have helped? Probably not. My throat hurts, and I'm sooo sleepy! I did take a short nap today, and it helped so much-then I wasn't quite the bear I could've been to the kids! We had dinner out on the deck-gosh, so perfect and beautiful-not kidding-it was about 65 degrees, and no wind!

After dinner, Ethan started for the pool. The dirty, filling-up, cold pool. He kept yelling, "Bath!" Crazy boy wanted in that thing! I don't think you could PaY me to get in there! Besides I know the chemicals it needs to be balanced, and it's wayyy off! We took him in, got him undressed, and he just screamed for the pool!! He kept throwing his body on the floor (yeah, kinda funny since he was naked) and screaming!! He was just insistent that HE GET A BATH IN THE POOL. OUTSIDE!! Ahhh!! He definitely began to try my patience. I finally let him put on a swimsuit (foolishly thinking it'd help the situation-WRONG!), and told him he could take a bath (of course, he thought I meant outside). I put him in the bathtub while he WAILED (no, I don't kid), hit the water, and screamed more. I quickly washed him (while he stood up), rinsed him, and got him out. He continued to throw himself around (Yes, a good 'ol fashioned Temper Tantrum). I got him a diaper, and carried him down *quietly* to the Naughty Chair. I had myself a seat on the loveseat, as I wanted a time out from the noise, while he yelled some more (but amazingly, stayed in the chair). They always surprise me. When I'd waited a minute or so, I put my finger to my lips, and he got quiet (but it NeVeR works in church), and he stopped. I walked over there, and got him. He was okay. We did some other stuff (he crawled all over my bed, ate pretzels in it-till it was good & crumby and uncomfortable), then got snack, stories, and bed. I was so tired (the one-two punch: sick plus tantrum=so very tired).

I have to wrap it up early-I'm off to bed. I don't want this to get worse (you know, tamper with my weekend!). I am hosting Easter (non-traditional lasagna) dinner-and we have to have an egg hunt and maybe I'll clean if I'm feeling better! I Clorox-wiped the bathrooms, and I've vacuumed/dusted, so I may call it good. Laundry is washing now, so I just need to work on towel-washing, wood floors, and deal with the pile of junkish-stuff called my desk. It ends up as the family catch-all (art, permission slips, assignments, computers, arty paper bits, pens, awards, library books, newspaper clippings, mail, magazines, baggy with ear tube that fell out-yes-gross, notepads, paper towel, calendar, pictures, oj glass, ribbon). You get the idea. It gets cleaned, and within 24 hours, it's a mess again! : O

ok, right now there are Pirates (real ones) who've tried to Take Over an American Ship. Does this STILL happen?