GROUNDED...

This one - grounded!

The other day she asked to play outside and I said yes. I was outside for part of the time taking care of my flowers and then I went inside while she was swinging. Five minutes later I looked out the kitchen window to see a slightly swaying swing and no Syd. I went out onto the deck and called her name thinking she was probably just below on the patio but no response so I called her name louder - still no response. I went back inside and downstairs to ask Lauren if Syd had come in the house - no Syd. I checked the bathrooms - no Syd. I went to the front of the house fully expecting to see her riding her scooter in the driveway - no Syd. I walked around the house calling her as loudly as possible. No response. No Syd. I was starting to panic and could only think of that swaying swing which she must have jumped off just before I checked up on her from the kitchen window. The only way she could have been out of my hearing range is if someone took her - that's the first thing I thought. I jumped in the car and told Lauren I was going to look for Syd I drove around the block and stopped at our neighbor's who had been outside with her kids for a while. Have you seen Syd? Nope, no Syd. Okay now I was really starting to get worried because if Syd had gone to her friend Clare's house she would have had to walk past the neighbors house. So I kept driving up the street - hands shaking on the steering wheel. And then I saw her - halfway around the block and sitting on her friend Clare's porch with Clare. I pulled into the driveway and said in NO uncertain terms - SYDNEY ELISE GET IN THIS CAR NOW! Let's just say she did not hesitate. We drove back home, me chewing her out and telling her to NEVER leave the yard again without asking. And then I dropped the hammer - YOU'RE GROUNDED. No outside to play when we get home. No Toy Story III 3d. No Toys'R Us to spend the gift cards from your birthday. She was upset but I think she thought I was kidding - I wasn't - which she soon found out when she asked to go outside and I said no. She found out again when she asked me to take her shopping and I said no. And she really found out when we nixed the trip to the movie theater to watch Toy Story III. I don't think she will leave the yard again.

When does school start???

TTFN... Oh and she must have just jumped off that swing and sprinted through the back yards to make it to Clare's house in record time. Next time she tries to sneak out of the yard she better be more obvious about it.

Final curtain call...

NO, that is not some veiled reference to the effect the rainy weather has been having on my psychie this weekend but a literal reference to the end of the 2009-2010 dance season. Man it seemed like it was a long time coming - good thing there are those cute costumes to keep mom's going :-) The girls performed Saturday evening, had a great time and did a great job. The grandpa and grandmas were in attendance as well as the HotY, Alex and I. The girls were happy to have a "full house". Here are a few shots from after the performances. I didn't get any of them in their ballet costumes as that was their first dance and we were a little rushed to get to the theater - like that's a surprise! As always you can click on the picture to get an enlarged view.












Oh and about that "near" disastrous accident we almost had a couple of weeks ago (sorry I kind of forgot I forgot to tell you the details)... The girls and I were on our way to do a little Saturday shopping and while on a busy road (in front of Walmart) I started to move into the turn lane in preparation for our turn onto the frontage road when the truck in the next lane cut over into our lane only inches away. I slammed on the brakes but was going fast enough that we went into a skid. I was sure we were going to make impact as I could see the chipped paint on the merging vehicle - seriously the truck was millimeters away. I swerved to try to avoid the impact - and somehow did! Although we slid down into a steep ditch. The truck stopped and we determined that no one was hurt and the vehicles were untouched but there was the dilemma of exiting the ditch - it was much too steep to simply drive out of and the traffic was heavy, so I made an executive decision and drove across the trail at the bottom of the ditch, maneuvered between the trees, jumped the curb and drove through the parking lot of a local business bordering the bike trail and exited onto the frontage road (by Walmart - I'm not saying anything in particular but you know - WALMART - is the area where this all happened - I'm just saying... :-))So it was a very scary experience. As soon as we settled at the bottom of the ditch the first thing I said was "we have a guardian angel" and the next thing "YOUR MOM IS AN AWESOME DRIVER". Actually the "what ifs of the situation get me more than the experience. The HotY pointed out that it is lucky the van didn't flip on the way into the ditch nor did we hit any of the multiple road signs along the way and most importantly, although we didn't quite make contact with the bike trail it was close and thankfully there was no one on that trail when we slid - for that I am very very very grateful. So there you go. It was close but all is well - thank you guardian angel :-)

TTFN...

WOW...

that's is all I can say - WOW. We had a garage sale this weekend and although a HUGE success (really anytime you can come away with cash from junk that was just accumulating in your house and garage and attic it's a success) I am still reeling from the event. I've had garage sales before - I think the last garage sale was two years ago, maybe three. Regardless I've been there done that - but seriously, when did this whole garage sale barter system begin??? I looked at what I had to sell, considered what kind of condition it was in and how much I'd be willing to pay for it and then I marked the price. THE PRICE I WANTED TO SELL THE ITEM FOR. I did not mark the price with the intent of bargaining with the customer about how much I would actually take for the item - that price tag - THAT IS the price that I will actually take for the item. And believe me when I say I was a bitch about the entire thing. Not that I didn't make a couple of deals - but those that demanded deals - I'd rather get stuck with the item than to make a deal. I know I know (believe me I get this stubborn streak from my mother - blame her) but really it was ridiculous and next time I have a garage sale I'm marking everything $2.00 more than I actually want. I can play the game too... (yes, I know this is not an attractive side of my personality but I told you I was still reeling).

I am very glad to have the garage sale behind me (and my garage back and available for car parking) but I am not looking forward to this week. Tomorrow is the last real day of school for L & S. Tuesday is the last school mass followed by a reception for the departing principal and then schools out for summer. Although I love summer and the freedom that it brings I am not a fan of the last day of school because it means I'll cry and it won't be pretty. I tried to get out of attending mass on Tuesday because I know I will be a sobbing mess but the girls were devastated when I told them so I'll be there with my purse full of tissues.

Here is a picture of the girls on the first day of school:





Here is a picture which was taken a couple of weeks ago - they've grown:



And the crying, really how can I explain it? I've already stated my problems dealing with goodbyes and the last day of school is just one huge goodbye. I get all worked up about my kids passing milestones. Although I would never want them to not pass milestones it still means that they are growing up and away - one step closer to realizing that I am not the best thing since sliced bread. Oh My Gosh, I just had a terrible thought - what they heck am I going to do next year when Alex graduates from High School? How am I going to make it through that momentous event? I think I better start saving those Kleenex coupons.



TTFN... I have to run - I've got a High School graduation to worry about - in a year - but still...

Hold on, Hold on...

I'm getting caught up. There has been so much going on with birthdays, spring concerts, end of the year picnics, garage sale prep and almost totalling my vehicle that I've gotten a little behind.


The girls celebrated their birthday last week. It was a three day celebration (isn't that the way birthday's are supposed to be). The actual day of their birthday was spent with the grandparents. Cake and presents were plentiful.

The "party" was on Saturday. We had 17 seven year olds meet at the movie theater to watch Shrek 4 and then walked to the pizza place in the vicinity for pizza, presents and cake. I still can't talk about it :-) In my mind these things always sound like such good ideas. Seriously, it wasn't too bad.

This picture is such a reflection of the girls - Lauren is all - what the heck - she is just too much and Syd is all about putting her best pose forward. She decked herself all out in "diamonds and pearls" and called it beautiful :-)

I'm still working on garage sale prep. June 4 & 5 are the big days. Man we have a lot of STUFF! And really if I was more organized and more ambitious I could still make another sweep of the house and find at least another day's worth of stuff. Trying to sort through what we have gathered has been an experience. Lauren is not interested in the process, Sydney wants to keep everything and Alex wants to get rid of everything. Really, as of tonight I'm still not sure what I'm selling and what I'm keeping. I've had too much "help" with the sorting.

Oh and about that car thing - I'll tell you more about that tomorrow. I'm still getting myself caught up in the "what if's".

TTFN... if you need kids clothes, girls' fancy dresses, toys or scrapbooking supplies - along with other miscellaneous items I know where you can find them...