Boo Boo The Fool

What do I look like, Boo-boo the fool??

Wait a minute! Don’t answer that!

I said, don’t answer that! *sigh*

Oh well... if you answered yes to that question, then you aren’t in the boat by yourself. Apparently my soon-to-be-thirteen-years-old daughter thinks so too.


I must admit, there are a lot of things that I’m not good at remembering:

I may not remember what movies I’ve bought.

I may not remember which CD’s we have.

I might not remember the name of a book I’ve read or a movie that I’ve watched.

In fact, it’s very possible that I won’t remember your name – I’m horrible with names!

So maybe it seems odd to her that I would be able to remember each and every outfit that she has.

But… I do!

If she would stop and think about it for a minute, it probably wouldn’t seem so strange. After all, where does she think all those clothes come from? They don't just magically appear in your closet. (HA! I wish!)

Noooo…someone has to go shopping for them and had to pay for them.

And who does she thinks washes all those clean clothes that she throws in the laundry basket, instead of putting them back up after being worn for all of two seconds?

And after all of those clean dirty clothes have been washed, who does she think folds them and then looks at them, sitting on the couch for a week while waiting for them to grow legs and make their way back upstairs?

Yeah, that would be ME!

So, can someone please help me understand why she would think that she could come downstairs this morning wearing a black skirt with a pink jacket over it AND a pair of jeans, and expect me to believe that the black SKIRT is a strapless SHIRT?!?!

I swear, sometimes I wonder what planet that girl hailed from.

Not One to Complain...

Monday's - noted to be one of the least favorite days of the week.

Now, I'm not usually one to complain, much but today has been a stereotypical Monday...

Nothing puts me in a grumpy mood quicker than when my much needed beauty rest gets interrupted.

This morning - one full hour prior to wake up time - I hear the sound of my oldest daughter singing a little tune that went something like this:

♪♪ Time to wa-ake up ♪ Wakeup Sugar ♪♪
♪Time to wa-ake up ♪ Wakeup Sugar ♪
♪♪ Time to wa-a-a-ake up♪♪
(repeat three times, getting progressively louder)

Alright so, admittedly, I really did enjoy hearing that little jingle this morning - it made me smile. However, I would have enjoyed it much more had it actually been time to wake up.

I'm just sayin' ;)

This, accompanied by the vibration of the phone, continued every ten minutes for an hour and I finally gave up all hope of trying to latch on to the last precious minutes of my cherished slumber. I rolled out of bed to get this cold and dreary Monday started.

But I'm not one to complain, much...

Looks like I'm definitely going to need my morning cup of java, which I go into the kitchen to fix only to discover that my coffee maker is now disassembled. Apparently the oldest was trying to be helpful so she took my coffee maker apart and cleaned it in the dishwasher - leaving instead a sink full of dirty dishes.

But I'm not one to complain, much...

With the coffee pot now reassembled, I set it up to brew and go off to take my shower, brush my teeth and get dressed.

As I'm finishing up on the last touches of my morning routine I notice a strange gurgling sound coming from the kitchen. I learn that the source of the noise is my coffee maker, complaining because I forgot to put the lid down when I put it back together causing percolation problems.

But I'm not one to complain, much...

At work, my computer locks up and I lose a report that I had just spent two hours putting together.

But I'm not one to complain, much...

After work, Spice had her first golf lesson. For an hour, I stand out in the cold, wet drizzle - while my baby learns to identify all the parts of a golf club as well as the proper grip and stance - fighting off the worlds largest mosquitoes.

But I'm not one to complain, much...

Once practice was over, I decided a quick meal was in order so we drove to McDonald's where it was clearly obvious that they would not be getting my order correct... so we left in favor of Wendy's.

I placed our order and pulled up to the first window to pay.

As I'm searching for my card I vaguely recall hearing the manager and cashier talking about her being afraid of/allergic to bees. I finally found the card and as I hand it to the cashier, I immediately feel the relevance of their conversation as a sharp, stinging pain shoots up the back of my arm.

"Well," I announce, as cheerfully as possible to the two lovely people having a conversation about bees but don't bother to warn my that he's IN.MY.CAR. "You don't have to worry about that bee anymore because he'll be dying soon since he just stung me."

But I'm not one to complain, much...

Now I'm home and Sugar comes out to help me carry the food in. I tell her that I got stung and she informs me that the culprit - a wasp, not a bee - is still on the car.

Guess he was going to hang around and see if he could get me again, since my arm was only swollen to half its regular size.

But I'm not one to complain... oh, who the hell am I kidding?!?!? That shit hurt! (and it's still hurts!!)

Without complaining, I'll just say this: I'm glad there is only one Monday in a week - and that this one is almost over (pray for me y'all; I still have a couple more hours to go before it becomes official *sigh*)

FED UP

Have you ever gotten to the point where you can't take one. more. single. thing??

You may remember me sharing the frustrations I've been dealing with over the past couple of weeks, with the cooties being passed back and forth between both of my girls.

And the cherry, on top of the whipped cream, on top of the icing, on top of the cake was when Sugar coughed ON. MY. ARM. only for me to discover she had a fever of 102!!!

Needless to say, I took her BACK to the doctor the next morning where she was diagnosed with the flu. Strain A flu, to be specific.

What does that mean, you ask??? Well, let me just tell ya...

Apparently there are two major strains of flu: Strain A and Strain B.

But strain A happens to be the strain that the dreaded swine flu is in. Which means... If you are diagnosed with strain A flu, you have to stay out of work/school for 7 calendar days or until you are symptom free for 24 hours - whichever comes later.

I know what you're thinking - I thought so too. In fact, I had to re-read that same sentence a couple of times myself. But in answer to your question, that is not a typo: If you or your child has strain A of the influenza virus, you will be out for a MINIMUM of 7 days.

Now, while I understand and completely agree with the importance of preventing the spread of the potentially deadly strain of the N1H1 virus - heck, I'll even go so far as to say I agree with taking necessary measures to prevent the spread of ANY virus - I had already been at home with sick kids for almost two weeks. To me, one more week added to that sentence felt like the proverbial nail in the coffin.

At this point, I feel I need to add a disclaimer stating that I am not complaining about my children being sick. No parent likes to see their children sick. And while I am blessed that I have the ability to work from home, I like having adult interactions. I like the people I work with and I enjoy going to work each day.

And now back to our regularly scheduled blog post...

So, we've gone to the doctor and she's been diagnosed as having strain A influenza. The doctor writes a prescription for our household, in an effort to prevent us all from getting sick too. They give Sugar a mask to put over her face and we're escorted out to the back side of the office - I told her now she knows what Michael Jackson must have felt like, except she still has a nose.

The whole family is now on Tamiflu and suddenly Spice starts behaving like a little monster - I mean, even more so than usual - and that's putting it mildly. I don't know what got into that girl but I am not exaggerating when I tell you that she threw a first class kicking, screaming - at the top of her lungs - fit for about fifteen minutes one night.

With all the recent changes in her daily routine, it's hard to pin point the cause of this extreme behavior. It could be that she's still trying to get acclimated to the more structured environment of school. Add to that, that she's accustomed to taking a three to four hour nap in the afternoons and that's not happening anymore; it could be that she's simply exhausted. It might be that she still isn't feeling well or, it may be that she's seen someone else throwing fits and thought she would come home and try it out.

But the most perplexing of all is that her conduct in school deteriorated too. She has been bringing home a green smiley face every day since school started (that's the best you can get) and suddenly she was bringing home orange and yellow dots (not good! Orange is one step away from red, which is the worst!).

Now, I'm not living in some fantasy world where I am delusional enough to believe that my little girl is going to be perfectly behaved every single day; after all, I did give her the pseudonym of Spice not Angel. ;) While she is my child and I do love her, I also know that she is very stubborn and can be quite obstinate when she so chooses - but something weird was going on here.

Taking the timing of this decline into consideration, I decided to read up on any possible conditions caused by the medicine we were all taking... Sure enough, there it was in black and white: This medication could cause extreme behavioral changes in some and this is most likely to occur in young children.

"Well there you go." I thought to myself, "this explains it. Once we finish this round of medicine, her behavior will improve and we will be back to normal around here." - whatever that is ;)

Last Sunday was her final dose of the liquid evil medicine and on Monday she brought home another green smiley face. YAY!:) This desired pattern of good behavior continued throughout the entire week, thus proving that the culprit of all of last weeks heartburn was indeed the Tamiflu.

That is until...TONIGHT.

Tonight, the evil twin returned for round two of the B.B.B. (Bratty Behavioral Battles). And this time, Sugar thought she was going to join in on the fun too - it must be the full moon...

But, after almost three whole weeks of running back and forth to the doctors office, getting coughed on, being under house arrest and spending $157.00 in medicine - all in the name of love for her children - momma had reached the end of her rope.

She was FED UP!

The girls have been in their rooms since 7 pm and they were told warned strongly advised that they had better not to come back down for the remainder of the night, because not even Calgon could take me far enough away for them to escape my wrath if I had to correct them one more time tonight.

Tomorrow, Mr. Shell comes home and I get to run away from home and escape reality for a while when I go to the movies. Until then, please pray for my children. Ask that the Lord remain by their mother's side because I know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that He is the only reason I have not hurt them tonight.

Need My Cootie Shot!

I wouldn't call myself a germaphobe.

Honest, I wouldn't!

If I had to define it, I would say that I have a healthy respect for staying far, far away from anyone carrying contagious diseases.

My policy is: I did not go into the nursing profession and I don't get paid a doctors salary; if you are sick, stay away from me! I don't love you that much and I certainly don't want it!!

Seriously, anyone who has ever thought they were doing the right thing by dragging their sick ass coming into work when they were clearly sick will tell you how I feel about this...

If you are sick - if you even think that you might be contagious - STAY HOME!! The company will still be here when you get better; in the meantime, I don't want your germs and I would appreciate it if you would keep your cooties to yourself!

Don't come around me and, if you do, prepare to be disinfected! I will spray your ass with Lysol in a New York minute!!

So, as you can see, I have a healthy respect for staying clear of people with germs.

People ask me all the time what I do when my children get sick. The answer is, I keep them home from school and quickly take them to the doctor so that they can get well soon. When they are at home, they are in their beds (and yes, sometimes they are in my bed too), getting the necessary amount of rest so that they can hurry up and get well. I usually give them lots of fluids, chicken noodle soup and regular doses of whatever medication the doctor prescribed. When they are well enough to leave their sick bed, their bedding gets stripped and washed in hot water with Lysol and their rooms get disinfected.

As you can see, I'm not such a germaphobe that I can't tend to my children when they're sick. I take care of them and give them love, but I do not hug and kiss all over them. They're sick and while I do love them that much, I still don't want to share. I'm just sayin'. ;)

So, what led to the anxiety attack tonight??? Well, it goes like this:

• Last Monday - Sugar came home from school complaining that she wasn't feeling well.
• Tuesday - she was very sick with a fever.
• I took her to the doctor and she was tested for Strep and the Flu (both negative).
• She was diagnosed as having a sinus infection.
• Wednesday - she was still feverish and started coughing
• Later that day, she started feeling better and she was back in school on Thursday.
• Saturday - Spice started coughing (Sugar was still coughing, but hers was now a dry cough).
• Sunday - Spice is coughing and has a high fever.
• Monday - Spice stays home from school.
• Mr Shell takes Spice to the doctor
• She is diagnosed as having an upper respiratory infection BUT she wants to know who's going to take her to school (this is her first year in school and she doesn't understand that she can't go to school with a fever).
• Today, Spice is back in school
• Right as I get out of my car to head into work, my phone rings
• It's Sugar calling from Middle School to tell me that she doesn't feel good. I ask her what's wrong and she says she feels like she's going to be sick. I gave her some medicine to help with the coughing this morning and she hadn't eaten breakfast so I figure that's probably what is making her feel ill and ask her to try to stick it out.
• This afternoon, when I pick her up, she's still coughing and now she's sneezing too.
• We go pick up Spice.
• We head to Walgreens to get some more cough medicine, since nothing I have seems to be helping.
• Meanwhile, she is sitting in the front seat, coughing and sneezing on me. Seriously!! I am trapped in the car with this girl and her germs, and she for real coughs. on. my. arm.
• I am completely grossed out!!
• And, as if that isn't bad enough, when I get back in the car from purchasing the cough syrup I feel her forehead and she has a fever!!!
• We get home and I take her temperature: 102!

(AND I WAS IN THE CAR WITH HER WHILE SHE WAS COUGHING AND SNEEZING ALL OVER ME!!!)

I looked like Ace Ventura, Pet Detective, riding down the street with my head stuck out the window... Okay, so maybe I am a little bit of a germaphobe after all. :(


PLEASE, PEOPLE!!! The flu season is striking early this year and it's supposed to be a bad one. If you are sick - STAY HOME!!

In the words of my youngest, "I'm for serious!"

Keep your panties on!

It’s funny how things change as you grow older. When I think back on my past, sunburn is not something that I have ever had to concern myself with.

When I was young, I used to spend every waking hour of the Summer month’s in a pool and then, in my teenage years, not only would I stay in the pool but I would dry off by laying out for hours in the sun, and NONE of this was done with any of us wearing this stuff they have nowadays called sunscreen.

Sunscreen?? The heck you say. What on earth is that??

Now, as I tiptoe up to the door of 40, I spend just a couple of hours in the water without this sunscreen stuff and I come out looking like a well cooked lobster. No wonder the dolphins all loved me so much, they thought I was food!

If you’ve ever had sunburn before, I’m sure you know how horribly uncomfortable it can be; but for me, this was a first and let me just say…OUCH!!!

It was so painful, it even hurt to wear my clothes!

Then about a week later, on top of still being terribly sensitive, you start to itch. And I'm not talking about a little, tiny, twitch of the nose type of itch, I'm talking about a tingling sensation that goes so deep, you feel like you're about to come out of your skin... and then, you do!

So here it is, a little over a week after I had been deep fried, and I was sitting in my cubical at work - itching, scratching, burning, squirming and a whole bunch of other words that end with 'ing' - thinking to myself how much better I would feel if I could go into the ladies room and remove just one, single article of extremely uncomfortable clothing.


Now, it's not often that I will write about a book that I'm reading or listening to - except as a review; but as I sat there, trying to think of inventive ways to scratch my back without causing even more damage to my already acutely delicate skin, I was reminded of the book that I had just begun listening to on the way into work this morning...



Her sister's had talked her into wearing a miracle bra and, while those things really do perform supernaturally amazing feats, anyone who's ever worn one knows how uncomfortable they can be, and that under-wire crap is a killer!

After a little while she's had enough discomfort and decides that it's not worth it, so she heads towards the ladies room to remove the offending garment only to find that both the women's and men's rooms were closed. Spotting a patch of trees surrounding the property, in the distance, she goes behind one to discreetly remove the disagreeable article of clothing. No sooner had she unhooked the latch and removed it from under her clothing than she felt the blast.

Sometime later, the policeman discovered her hidden under tree limbs and debris, caused from the jolt of the explosion, and about twenty feet away, in the branches of a magnolia tree, they found a miracle bra.

HA! That would so be my luck!

Not that I would ever be brazen enough to remove my undergarments while at work, mind you; but, I was so extremely uncomfortable that I must admit the thought of doing just that was very appealing to me.

And then, I remembered this hilarious story and decided it would be best to hang in there until I could remove the worrisome apparel in the safety of my own home, where I wouldn't have to worry that some type of traumatic event would happen, causing said undergarment to end up over the head of what would most assuredly be either a very nice looking or high ranking man. *sigh*

Note to self (and anyone else who may be reading this): Be sure to wear sunscreen in order to help prevent discomfort of this magnitude and possible embarrassment from surrendering to the very real temptations to remove any unmentionables in public places. I'm just sayin' - Keep your panties on! ;)

Summer Vacation

The Shell family had not had a vacation together in a couple of years, their children had never seen a beach, Summer was quickly coming to an end and this was going to be the youngest Shell's first year in school.



Family Vacation 2009: Panama City, FL



Day 1 - Swimming with the dolphin's:



What an amazing experience this was; so amazing, in fact, that Mr. Shell jumped into the water with his cigarette's, lighter, car keys and cell phone in the pocket of his swimming trunks.



The Shell family heads out for a two hour tour, to Shell Island, to go swimming with the dolphin's - cue theme song from Gilligan's Island.



It's an overcast day, and we're in a covered pontoon boat..



Did she think to pack the sunscreen lotion? Yep.



Did she think to put it on? Nope.



Note to self: Two things you need to remember the next time you go swimming with the dolphins: 1) Sunscreen is ineffective when it's sitting in the bottom of your purse - put the sunscreen on before you leave the hotel room. 2) Take Dramamine!



Yeah, turns out that this turtle doesn't have sea legs; she's a land turtle. A land turtle that almost got sick on the dolphins - NOT FUN! For a minute there, I thought my snorkel was going to become a blow hole. Thank goodness the nausea didn't hit me until towards the end of our two hour tour - cue theme from Gilligan's Island once more.



Second half of day 1: Rest and recuperation for momma Shell. Later that evening, after a shower and a nap, we walked around Pier Park in search of some good eats and some night time entertainment, ending the evening with a night time stroll along the beach.



Day 2 - Day at the Beach:



It's been a long time since Shelly has been to the beach and even longer for Mr. Shell; so long in fact, that Mr. Shell got into the water with his new pack of cigarette's, his wallet and the car keys in the pocket of his swimming trunks - again.



Who knew that the beauty of that water would move him to the point of complete distraction. At the beginning of this little trip of ours, he also had a tube of chap stick. We still don't know where that went; but, given his track record, I can only assume that it's somewhere in the bottom of the Gulf. Who knows, the dolphins may now be swimming around with kiss-ably soft snouts. ;)



Did she remember the sunscreen? Yep.



Did she remember to put it on? Yep.



Did they go buy an umbrella so she wouldn't have to sit in direct sunlight? Yep.



Did she stay under the shelter of the umbrella? Nope.

Her children were calling for her to get in with them and the allure of that beautiful water was too great for her to ignore.



Did the sunscreen help? Nope.

On day one, she got fried like a chicken. On day two, she got boiled like a lobster. Basically, she got cooked to a crisp!

So, the moral of the story is...

..for Mr. Shell:

1) Maybe it's time to quit smoking.

2) Be sure to empty all of your pockets before getting into the water.



...for Mrs. Shell:

1) You are not a sea turtle, a chicken or a lobster.

2) Wear your sunscreen and take your medicine.

Back-to-school

My oldest daughter is in the seventh grade this year. [GULP!]

I clearly remember our drive, nine years ago, to our very first day of school. She was going into K-4 (also known as pre-kindergarten). She has a late birthday and missed the cut off for kindergarten by a month or two. Her father and I both felt that she was too smart to continue going to day care and that she would benefit most from an early start into a big girl school.

Several weeks before that first day of school, everyone around kept telling me that I should take that day off, that it was going to be an emotional experience and to take tissues because I was going to cry.

"No way," I would tell them all. "I've been dropping her off every morning since she was six weeks old. This is just another day of dropping her off in the morning on my way to work. I'll be fine."

We woke up that morning and got her dressed for her first day of big girl school. She was so excited and looked so cute, how could I be sad on such a joyous occasion? I wouldn't; I was sure of it.

We drove to school, talking about it the entire way: discussing all the wonderful things she was going to learn and how she was going to have so much fun and how she had to listen to her teacher and obey what they told her to do. All spirits were high and then... we hit the drive to the school and, like a boldar landing on my chest, my breath got swept away and the tears started stinging the backs of my eyes.

This was my baby, she was going to big girl school, growing up right before my very eyes.

Before the tears had time time to register and no sooner than I had come to a complete stop in the chosen parking space than my big girl threw off her seat belt, grabbed her back-pack, and swung open her door, oblivious to her mommy's emotional struggles, and says "Okay, bye mommy. I love you!"

Fast forward to nine years later...

Today was the first day of kindergarten for my youngest baby and I just knew I would a wreck. I took the day off of work and had tissues ready in the event of another dreaded emotional battle.

I don't know if it was because of the difference in their personalities, the differences in their ages or the difference in the amount of drive time - almost an hour for Sugar, nine years ago, as opposed to about two minutes for Spice, today; but whatever the reason, I handled this transition much better than the first go around.

One thing remained the same though....No sooner than I had come to a stop in the chosen space, my other baby threw off her seat belt, grabbed her back-pack, slung open the car door and said, "Okay, bye mommy. I love you!"

*sniff-sniff*

My girls -fearless, or maybe it's just as Spice told her daddy today, "I'm ascited!" ;)

Our Secret To Success

It was early morning, not a cloud in the sky, with the highs for the day predicted to be in the hundreds, it was already humid. They sat waiting for the light to turn green when the daughter looked towards her mother and said, “That’s the kind of car I want when I get old enough to drive.”

The mother glanced out her window and pointed to the four door sedan that was in front of the cute little convertible sports car she knew her child was referring to and replied, “What, that white one right there?”

“Nooo, not that one; that one.” She said, calling her mother’s attention to the death trap behind it.

“Well, you’ll have to wait until you’re able to afford that one on your own because your father and I aren’t going to get you a car like that.”

“What kind of car will you get me?”

“Something safe, with four doors and a roof, and something that you will be able to pay for with whatever job you have. I wasn’t given a car; my father helped me get one, but I had to pay for it out of my own money that’s what I plan on doing for you. I think it helps you better understand the value of a dollar and what it’s like to have to be responsible for something.”

“Who will teach me how to drive?”

“Your father or I will.”

“I want you to teach me; daddy drives crazy.”

“Daddy drives for a living every single day, I’m sure he would be just as good at teaching you to drive as I would.”

“Well, that’s true; but you drive on the interstate every day.”

“So does your daddy.” She said as she chuckled inwardly between the vast differences of driving a big rig across the U.S. and taking the interstate to come into town each day.

“That’s true!” the girl exclaims, as if the thought that he actually drives every day is just now occurring to her “I never realized how much you and daddy have in common. I see now why you guys are in love.”

Yes, that must be it!

Today we celebrate thirteen years of marriage and I now know that the secret to our success stems from our all important commonality of driving down the interstate every day. ;)

Happy Anniversary, Babe.

I love you (and not just because we both drive on the interstate every day either) but I'm talkin' 'bout for real dough.

Farm Town Shelly

For those of you who might not have noticed; I’ve been MIA in Blogville for a while.

It seems my blogging brain has taken a leave of absence. There are things that happen almost daily that I laugh at and think what a good story it would make but I haven’t written in so long, it looks likes I may have forgotten how.

Anyway, although I have been missing from Blog Land, I have still been around; so I thought I would take a minute to let you all know, just in case you were interested, what it is that is taking up all of my time these days – aside from the usual: Work, Kids, Pets, Family/Friends, Movies, Reading, Cleaning – Okay so, being honest, cleaning isn’t really playing THAT big of a part in this scenario (since I do my best to avoid it like the plague) but, since I live with the human tornado, it is a small factor - et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. The list could go on for days…

The newest addiction in my life (and I try to only allow myself one addiction at a time – not including my books) is my Farm.

Yep, you read that right…I have a Farm. And, as it turns out, I’m a very good farmer! Who knew? A girl who can’t even keep her plastic plants alive is now a Virtuoso Farmer - and it must be so, because that’s what it tells me under the status bar, whenever I visit my Farm Town.

Okay, okay, so if you want to get technical about it, it is only a ‘virtual’ farm; but still… to me - and probably several other thousands of people, like me, who are addicted to this Facebook application – it is very real.

I’ve got all kinds of crops! Corn, Coffee, Pumpkins, Peas, Sunflowers, etc.

I have a barn with hay in it and a variety of animals: horses, cows, narcoleptic pigs, little chicks, roosters, donkeys and llamas too – I’m hoping someone will gift me a turkey soon and I can’t wait ‘til I can get a bull!

I’ve also got a cute little white house with several puppies and a few cats milling around outside. It’s surrounded by hedges and a beautiful river, and I’ve planted several flowers out front to add a splash of color.

Now, I know what you’re thinking; so let me just go ahead and ease your mind…
No, I really don’t think my success at farming has anything to do with having OCD tendencies; although, I have discovered that ones ability to become an avid virtual farmer must be genetic.

For instance, mom and I are both outstanding members of the Farm Town community - Nope, just because she has those very same tendencies towards OCD, I still don't think that has anything to do with how skilled we are in Farm Town ;) We really do our part to keep things thriving and beautiful, and we’re exceptional neighbors! Making sure to visit all of our surrounding farms to rake, weed and water whenever needed.

In fact, I call mom the Farm Town Stalker. Every time I turn the computer on and go to my farm she’s already there, looking around and leaving me messages letting me know how many crops I have in need of harvesting. HA!

In contrast, we have another family of farmers, whose names I won’t mention (uh-hum, Amy and Sandra), who really stink aren't very good at this farming thing. They both have four little fields that they planted eons ago and then they never came back to care for them. Mom and I both keep doing our part to help maintain their farm, but it's all to no avail. No amount of water, weeding or raking is going to make those poor crops come back to life. :(

Hmmm…that leads me to another thought: Maybe, if we could convince them to become better members of the Farm Town society, I would be able to devote more time to some of my other passions, such as blogging. I’m just sayin’ ;)

Okay, so now that I’ve admitted yet another of my many few obsessions; I promise, I’ll try to do a better job of figuring out how to devote an equal amount of time to all of my addictions passions.

Until I figure it out, I’m certainly open to your ideas and/or suggestions… And here's a little snapshot of what's been consuming my spare time :)

The Community of Blogville

When I first began blogging, I didn't know much about it. I thought it was just a creative way for me to share some of our family events with friends and family, not realizing that it would lead me to a whole'nother community; but, that is exactly what it has done.

Through this little hobby of mine, I have met some amazing people.

Through the stories that they have shared, I have met their husbands, their children and their pets. Together, we have celebrated anniversaries, birthdays and other important milestones that may occur.

We have shared best parenting practices and what NOT to do's. ;)

We have given each other support and advice.

Through the laughter and tears, we have come to know each other and we have grown into this community that I like to call Blogville.

In the Blogville community, there is one lady in particular with whom I felt an immediate connection. The stories she told and the comments that she made always made me smile.

Shorty after I met her in Blogville, she went away on the trip of a lifetime.

Here's a woman who had never traveled anywhere - she'd never been on a plane, she'd never been in a cab, and she'd never spent the night away from her family - and she gets invited to go on a month long trip across the Mediterranean.

While she was away, taking pictures of the public facilities in honor of me and her good friend Kenny, I did some catching up on some of the past stories In My her Life.

We had never met in 'real' life but I just knew if we ever did, we would quickly become the best of friends.

Almost immediately after returning home from her trip, she had to have back surgery and ended up on bed rest for well over a month. Once she was recovered enough to have visitors, I took a little trip to her end of Crazyville and we spent the day - and well into a good part of the afternoon - on bed rest together.

My prediction of us quickly becoming the best of friends was confirmed the minute I pulled into her driveway, greeted by Bo Shannon and escorted to the front door where this picture was awaiting my arrival:

Since that first trip to Crazyville, we have met up on several occasions and are indeed very good friends.

Currently, she is on an extended break from Blogville and I don't know when she will return; but, since returning from the trip of a lifetime, her life has been one blow after another: beginning with her back surgery, then her mom's knee surgery, next was her dad's stroke, plus she has two teenage boys going through teenage issues, and now their precious Allie - who has also had health issues since her return - is being put to sleep this week.

All this being said, I would like to take this moment to reach out to the Blogville community and ask that you lift her and her family up in your prayers during these difficult times and pray that the waters soon still so that they may enjoy some peace and serenity before the next storm arrives.

I <3>

need to talk. Ag Shame, My Skattie! ;)

Miscommunication

On Thursday's I pick her up from the library after tutoring.

As we were headed home, she is telling me all about her day and then she says that I have to be at the school at 7:15 tomorrow for early registration.

"Why are you just now telling me this?" I asked her, hating it when she waits until the last minute to give me important information like this.

"I just found out today" she replies.

Friday morning, she runs downstairs at 6:30. "Momma!" She says, concerned that we have overslept.

"Go get dressed, Sugar" I calmly tell her, as I roll out of the bed.

She comes back down less than two minutes later, dressed and ready - according to her.

"There's no way that you got ready that fast." I tell her, stunned at the speed she can actually go should the need arise.

"uh-hu" she says, trying to make me believe that she got dressed, including bra and deodorant, brushed her hair AND her teeth in under two minutes.

YEAH RIGHT!

"Get back up stairs and finish getting ready." I tell her, "and brush your teeth."

Deflated, she goes back upstairs and then I hear "There goes my bus right there."

"Don't worry about it, Sugar, just get ready."

"Okay," she replies, sounding relieved that she didn't get yelled at for missing her bus.

"Didn't you tell me yesterday that I had to be at your school at 7:15 today?"

"Yeah, tonight."

And THAT my friends, is why I was late for work this morning.

Note to parents of school aged children: When your child comes home the night before and tells you that you have to be at school at 7:15 the next day...be sure you discern if they mean AM or PM.

Happy Spring and Welcome Back!

Hi all!

Remember me?


Shelly. The one who gives stories from her shell??


Did you know that being a turtle has its disadvantages?


Oh yes, it's true!


Sure we seem to live a relaxed lifestyle, taking our time getting wherever it is that we are headed and our tough exterior leads people to believe that nothing can bother us. BUT, if someone or something comes along and rocks our world, tipping us onto our backs, we have a heck of a time figuring out how to get back on our feet again.


Work has been the windstorm that has me tipped over onto my back for these past few months. I finally recovered, but all that fast motion has given me a fright - it's still cold and scary out there - so I've burrowed down until the warmth of Spring beckons me, making me feel safe enough to come back out of my hole.


Meanwhile, plenty has been going on in my little corner of the world. Unfortunately, when things are stressful at work my creative juices get zapped.


Last weekend I took a little mini-vacation (I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter break!!)


On Friday we took Spice to get her shots for school - did you know that they have to have 5 shots now before they can get into kindergarten?? [GULP!]


Having only gone through this once before - six years ago, with Sugar, the world renown Drama Queen - I wasn't sure how well this 5 shots thing would go over with Spice, so we decided to give her two on this visit and we'll go back in a couple of months for the remaining three.


Well, let me just tell you....She was SUCH a trooper! She sat there and watched them give her the shots; she didn't move - not even a flinch - and she didn't cry.


I was SO VERY proud of her!


And Sugar....well, she was absolutely amazed! She didn't think it was even possible for someone to get a shot without crying at least ten minutes before they give it to you. ;)


With it being Good Friday, we had to get an early morning appointment because the offices were closing early.


Sugar wasn't very excited about getting up that early in the morning when she didn't have school... And after Sugar expressed her displeasure with a sticky note, Spice had to have one too...

I tell ya... Never a dull moment. :)

Just for Laughs

Sometimes at work, time permitting, I like to lighten things up a little by finding a cute little funny to tack on to the bottom of my emails.

Today I was scrolling through the comics and came across one that made me laugh out loud -Literally!

While I didn't think it was appropriate to share with the people I was sending my email to, it got me so tickled that I had to share it with someone; so, I emailed it to several of my close friends with a personal note of how it made me think of my poor kids - having me as their mother must be difficult. Bless their hearts!

Anyway... Since I'm not in the blogging boat alone, I thought I would share it with all of my blogging buddies as well - I'm sure you'll get as big a kick out of it as I did ;)

Enjoy!

Step Out of Your Box

Fast food marketing.

I'm not sure what the criteria is for a person to obtain such a position, but one would think that they would need to have the ability to think outside of the box; right?



In my opinion, the one working for Taco Bell may need to BOX up his stuff and move on (Isn't their most recent slogan to "Think Outside the Bun"a play on the common phrase 'Think Outside of the Box'?) In fact, I have an extra one - box, that is - that he can borrow.

Here it is, right here...

The one that they put my lunch in today.

Yep, that's right. They gave me this GREAT BIG BOX for two little soft taco's and a chicken quesadillia.

Now, I realize that this may seem like a lot of food to some; but seriously, was it deserving of an entire BOX??

Every other time I've ever gone to Taco Bell, they've been able to fit my entire family's order into one of their little plastic bags; so why, today, did they put three itsy bitsy items in a BOX?

I might feel differnly if the BOX they gave me were similar to the ones McDonald's uses for their Happy Meals; but nooooooo, they gave me a GREAT BIG OPEN BOX.

So, not only did I look like a great big oinker, carrying in a huge BOX of food; but, the wind caused the napkins to start flying through the parking lot, so I was the great big, littering oinker, carrying in a huge BOX of food.

Thanks Taco Bell! That's just the image I was going for.

What Will Become of Stenography

Do any of you remember the forgotten language of shorthand?

There is actually more than one 'type' of shorthand; for example, there's Pitman or Teeline.
And The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography.

I'll bet you've heard of that word...

Usually we think of a stenographer as the person who sits in front of the judge's bench during a trial, quickly depressing the keys on a that funny looking typewriter of hers. Her fingers seem to fly as she transcribes every spoken word. And then, when a defendant answers a question that the lawyer objected, and the judge sustained their objection, he will look at her and tell the stenographer to 'strike that from the record'.

People go to classes to learn this stuff!!

Did you know that a stenographer can write/type at speeds of up to 300 words a minute?? Fascinating!

What do you think will come of shorthand as this next generation grows into adulthood??

Do you think the stenograph will become a thing of the past, like the dinosaurs, as the upcoming language of texting takes over the world?

If you are the parent of a teen, or even a pre-teen, you know what I'm talking about.

I have a friend who doesn't allow her children to use txt, when they are texting. Her logic is that it creates problems in their schoolwork. They get so used taking txt shortcuts, that they make errors by writing the way they txt, or they forget the proper spelling of words.

Not to mention, as parents we reserve the right to view any and all of our children's text messages. And it wouldn't do us any good to review them, if we can't understand the lingo. Right??

Note to self: Next time you spell something wrong, use txting as your excuse. Yeah, that'll work!
I've not always been a horrible speller, it just happened when this texting thing came along. Y'all believe me don't you??

Okay, sorry; back to the story...

Anyway, since spelling has never been my strong suit this logic made perfect since and I Incorporated that same rule to Sugar when she got her cell phone.

The other day she texted me from the library. Our conversation was as follows:

Her: Hey moma
Me: Hey!

Her: Hey whats up i mean what you doing
Me: Working. What r u doing?

Her: Noting i am on my way to the library
Me: Okay, do ur homework and i'll let u know when i'm on my way.

Her: I dont have any homework
Me: Ok. u could get onto study island

Her: Ok love you
Me: Love u 2. ttyl :)

Her: What i am not allowed talk text talk i dont know what that means all i know iz lol
Me: Lol! I LOVE U!!!!

What??? I'm the mom, those same rules don't apply to me. ;)

Who's That in My Kitchen?

There are several things that I'm good at: Computers - check, Creativity - check, check, Organizing - check, check, check, shopping - check, check, check, check.

I am good at all of those things, as well as a few more that seem to be eluding me right now.

BUT, Domestic Diva I. am. not.

I believe that I've mentioned a time or two (or three, or four) before that cooking is not my thing.

It's not that I can't cook, I just prefer not to.

I am perfectly content so sit on my ass back, whenever the hubby's not home (I always said I would marry a man who could cook ; ) and let my twelve year old do the cooking.

She likes to cook, I don't like to cook. This arrangement works for us, right up until I walk into the kitchen and find the HUGE mess that she never fails to leave behind.

I swear, this girl is like a walking tornado. She leaves a trail of destruction everywhere she goes.

A couple of weeks ago, mom and I were shopping - at Target, if you can imagine ;) - and when we were in the book section, I stumbled across a book called Fix It and Forget It, Lightly.

I picked it up and started thumbing through it. There were several recipes in there that caught my eye. Not only did they look good, they looked easy.

Throw your ingredients in the crock-pot, turn it on, go to work, come home and voila, dinner is served. Doesn't get much easier than that.

Thinking that this would help eliminate our dinner doldrums, I bought the book.

After trying out two easy peasy and wonderfully delicious recipes, I have decided that slow cooker cooking is the way for me.

Last weekend I upgraded to a fancy-schmancy crock pot. Now, I can set the amount of time my meals should cook and when the time is out it will automatically switch to 'warm' until we get home.

Yesterday, I made my first EVER... insert drum roll here...

Meatloaf :o *gasp*

And guess what?!?!

It was eatable and, although I'm not a big fan of meatloaf - I left out all the 'yucky stuff' - it turned out pretty good. ;)

Shocking, I know.

Big Girl Benefits

For almost eight years she was an only child.

She begged for a little brother or sister.

When she found out that her life long wish was finally coming true, she was filled with excitement!

And then, the baby sister came along and she was no longer an only child; now, she was the "BIG SISTER."

Being a BIG SISTER is not as much fun as she thought it would be, back when she was an only child and begging for a sibling.

She fails to see the benefits of her position

Like the other night, she went to spend the night with one of her friends down the street.

After the squeals of delight settled, she made sure we were aware of her gratitude, "thank you, thank you, thank you." She repeated over and over again, as she ran upstairs and threw a bag together. Then she ran back in and kissed us once more, telling us how we are the "greatest parents on Earth", said her goodbye's and ran out the door - leaving the little sister behind.

The conversation that followed, went like this:

Spice: Where did Sugar go?

Me: She went to spend the night with Sarah

Spice: Okay, I'm gonna go pack my bags so I can go too.

Me: No baby, you can't go this time.

Spice, in her most disappointed 'but I want to go too' voice: Why not????

Me: Because, only the big girls are spending the night.

Spice: I'm a big girl

Me: Yes but your a little big girl. The big girls want to play without the little girls around.

Spice, as she grabs the phone: What's Bobby's number? (Sarah's mom)

Me: It's Ms. Bobby and why do you want to know her number?

Spice: I'm gonna tell her if she'll let me spend the night.

Me: No baby, you can't spend the night with them. You're not big enough.

Spice: But I have a stool.

Now I ask you...How do you argue with that logic??

The First Dance

They grow up so fast...

It seems like only a few short years ago that I was holding my tiny angle in my arms.

Swaying back and forth when she was fussy, humming a soft lullaby as she settled down and drifted back off to dream land.

Dancing with her in the daylight hours. Spinning her around quickly, faster and faster as she squealed with giggles of pure delight.

Then, one day my little girl - the first born, no longer a baby, not yet an adult - comes home and announces that her school is having a dance. "It's a Valentine's dance!" She exclaims.

"It's semi formal. We have to wear a dress. It can't be short. It can't be sleeveless or spaghetti straps. It has to be either Pink, White or Red." She says without even a single pause for air between sentences. "So can I go?"

"When is it?" I ask. "Does it cost anything? If so, how much?"

"It's on a Friday. I think it cost $5.00"

And then, the search was on...

The search for the perfect "First Dance" dress.

One that's not too young but also not too mature. Not too short, not too long. No sleeveless, no spaghetti straps.

Keeping all this criteria in mind and after about an hour of searching, I had narrowed it down to only two choices.

Making a call or two to the kiddo, together we decided to go with the pink one.

The dance was last Friday night.

She was very excited as I did her hair. Looking at the clock every few minutes, rushing me on, ready to get there - heaven forbid she not arrive right.at.6 o'clock.on.the.dot. *Sigh* Someone needs to teach this girl about being 'fashionably' late.



Here is the end results:




She had a great time at the dance! AND she says she actually danced. :)




Oh, and apparently, we also have a 'first crush' ;)



*Sigh* Slow down child, I'm not ready for this...

Michele My Bell

If you've known me for any amount of time, you've heard me talk about her.

We go to the movies together almost every weekend.

Sometimes, I even blog about the movies we see in my other blog - Movies With Mom.

As I've grown, our interaction has matured into more than just that of a mother/daughter relationship.

She has literally become my best friend.

And now, she's blogging too. :)

So... without further ado, please welcome my mom to blogville!

You can go check her out at Michele My Bell.

What are you waiting for? Run on over and show her some bloggy love.

Love you mom! :)

Valentine's Day Night

Hey everyone!

Sorry I haven't been around much lately, things have been really busy for me at work and that usually zaps all of my creative energy - guess you could say I went into my shell for a while ;)

I've got lots of stories to tell, but let's just start with the most recent event: ♥Valentine's Day♥
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
This year, Valentine's Day fell on a Saturday♥

I'm curious to know what you all did to celebrate - and don't try to tell me you didn't do anything because it looked like everyone and their brother was doing something♥♥♥

Traffic was outrageous!

I swear, you would have thought that this event had never fallen on a Saturday before - the last time was in 2004 - BTW ;) - or that it never would again.

Us?

We didn't do much, we had another couple over and the hubs grilled out - YUM!!. He also bought the makings for Apple Martini's - you think he might have had an ulterior motive?? ;)

I drank my standard three (this time with food) and I was feeling right nice.

By 10:00, the effects started wearing off.

By 11:00, the sleepiness set in.

By the time the other couple left (around 11:30 or 12:00) all I wanted to do was get into my comfy PJ's and crawl into my warm, snuggly bed.

That'll learn him - maybe next time he should save his ulterior motives for a night when we don't have company ;)



PS. Valentine's Company: If you're reading this, please note that this is only meant to be a funny story. We really did enjoy your visit! :)

Watch out for the lightning!

They were eating their burgers at McDonald’s when the four year old suddenly announced to the table, out of the clear blue sky, that “that pin hurt my bottom!”

Of course, a comment like that elicited a few looks until dawning finally registered in her mother’s face, at which time she explained that she had a boil about a month back and that they had to use a pin to help drain it.

I have always heard that they – whoever ‘they’ are - don’t really know what causes those nasty things. Some say stress, other’s say ingrown hairs and apparently others say the cause is from low iron, as this was the statement her mother made upon hearing of this episode. “You know what causes those, don’t you?” she asked.

“No, I thought they could be caused from stress.” Her uninformed daughter replied.

“No, they’re caused from low iron.” She said, enlightening the daughter. “You need to start feeding that baby more iron.” She tells her, to which the twelve year old pipes in with: “But then she might get struck by lightning!”

Letting that thought sink in for a minute, she looked over at her oldest daughter and said, “Where in the heck did you hear that?” LOL!

Somewhat embarrassed and yet still completely clueless, she made up some story about hearing it on one of the TV shows that she watches; but, looking back on it today, I don’t think she really ‘heard’ this anywhere. I think she actually thought we were talking about feeding her sister iron – the metallic substance. ;)

And all this time I thought that the possibility of getting struck by lightning could happen to anyone; apparently though, this phenomenon only applies to those of you with a high intake of iron in your diet.

Watch out for the lightning!!

Lord give me strength...

As mother's I'm certain this is a phrase that we all find ourselves saying from time to time.

Last night was one of those times for me....

Out of sheer frustration I find myself, standing in the middle of the kitchen, with a puzzled look on my face. Puzzled because I knew she ate it - even though I specifically told her no; I knew she did; but, as usual, she feigned innocence.

I am so frustrated with this problem - this sneaking of the sweets. I don't understand why she does it.

I can not tell you how many times I have gone in to her room to clean, already irritated because of the state its in, only to find food wrappers stuffed in drawers, under her mattress, in the pillow cases, in the jewelry box, behind pictures on the wall and once in the battery compartment of a snow globe.

It's gross! Just plain nasty - like sending an invitation to all of the neighborhood bugs: "Psst! Hey you, ant dude...Yeah, you. Come on over to my house. Oh, and bring your friends; it's an all you can eat buffet in here!"

It's disconcerting, as a mother, to know that this is going on with your child but not understanding the reasoning behind it or how to resolve it.

I am afraid for her.

Already a few well wishers have commented to her about her belly.

I cringe every time I hear those types of remarks.

She is not fat but she is growing - FAST!

I don't want her to be self conscious about her weight; at the same time, I also don't want her to have a weight problem.

Being a kid is hard enough without that added to it.

My mind is fearful. What if this is just the beginning of what could turn into an eating disorder?

That is really my number one concern.

If she can't learn to control these urges, of sneaking sweets, and she does begin to grow heavy, what's to say that she won't take the next step and start purging??

I have tried absolutely everything I can think of, including a putting a pad lock on our pantry.

I don't know what else to do.

Last night, I found myself throwing my hands up in the air and asking the Lord to please give me strength. The strength to not break down. The strength not to fail her. The strength to deal with the situation accordingly.

Maybe I'm praying for the wrong thing... Instead of praying for strength, maybe I should be praying for wisdom; for it is that which I am truly in need of.

Maybe, if I prayed for wisdom, He would grant me the knowledge that I so desperately need in order to understand the reasoning behind this issue. And if I had the knowledge, I might be able to find a solution....

"T" things I love

My friend Tina from Golden Goodness played this little game on her blog today.

The 'tagger' gives the 'taggee' a letter...any 'ol letter...and the 'taggee' has to write 10 things they love that begin with that letter. So I requested that she give me a letter and she granted me the letter 'T'.

Here goes! 10 Things I Love -- using the letter 'T'...



The Lord: Who should be the first LOVE in all of our lives.

Psalm 23

1The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
4Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the LORD for ever.


Trucker: Or should I say “Super Trucker”, as in the hubby - who works very hard as an over the road truck driver to provide for his family.

Two Tenacious, Talented, Tiresome, Trendy, Theatrical, Tender Tykes: As in my two beautiful girls; the joys of my life and the holders of my heart.

Time Off: As a full-time working mother of two and wife to a husband who is often away, time off is always treasured.

Talking to my Friends: You probably couldn’t tell this about me through the computer; but, I’m a bit of an extrovert. Shocking, I know but it’s true! I’ve never met a stranger. I consider myself very fortunate to have so many wonderful friends, and at the top of that list is my Mom; others include friends from work, from the good ol’ days, in ‘real life’ and in ‘Blogville’ – I have a very eclectic group of friends; they come from all different walks of life, they have all different types of personalities, religious beliefs and backgrounds. I love them all and enjoy getting together with them, talking, giggling and acting silly.

This House: and the peace of mind that moving here has given my entire family.

Target: I know, I know, this one was a given…Hey! Did I tell you about the time that I went there and didn’t spend any money?? ;)

Turkey Sandwiches: My favorite sandwich - minus all of the yucky stuff, of course! ;)

Taking Naps: Whenever I get my much treasured time off, one of the things I like to do is catch up on some sleep.

Turtles: I’ll bet you didn’t know that one, huh? ;)

Grilling Goodness #15

It's time once again for some more of Tina's Grilling Goodness. Anyone is welcome to play, just don't forget to go back to Tina's and sign Mr. Linky so she can come check out what you had to say. And now, on with the Goodness...

1. Have you ever ridden a horse?

Yes; once, when I was about 13, my friends big sister took us to the park where we could pay to go on a horse ride.

Since I had never ridden a horse before the guy who picked my horse assured me this horse is the perfect horse for a beginner.

"He's very calm and gentle." He told me as he helped me into the saddle and gave me my instructions. Then he gave the gentle animal's rear a pat to send us on our way along the trail.

Just a few feet into the ride and several feet from the trail, my horse decided he was going to stop and graze. Nothing we did could get him to go any further than a few feet before he would stop again to graze a little more.

Gentle was right. This horse was so gentle he didn't want to move....or so I thought....

The next thing I know, this gentle animal turned in to a wild beast! He started bucking at the horse behind him and then took off running - FULL SPEED. We got the attention of every onlooker in the park, him galloping full pace and me holding on for dear life. I just knew this would be the end for me. It was like I was living out a scene from Urban Cowboy.

Since then, riding horses hasn't really been high on my list of things to do...

2. Have you ever run out of gas?

Nope, good thing they make gas-x ;)

Ohhhh! Tee-hee! Like, you mean have you ever let your car run out of gas?!?!

No, I have never done that either; however, there have been times where I have made it to the gas station on nothing more than a wing and a prayer.

3. How many different schools did you attend growing up?

Two private schools in elementary, until we moved at which time I went to the neighborhood elementary school. Then I graduated from the eighth grade and moved on to the neighborhood high school. That makes four!

4. Do you have, and use, a library card?

I love, love, love to read!

I could go broke buying books so I did finally break down and get a library card. However, we have since moved and I haven't gotten a new one yet. But don't you worry...I will have one soon. We have a wonderful library here!! The girls love it!!

5. Hand-wash or dishwasher?

Dishwasher

6. Does your alarm clock beep or play music?

My alarm clock beeps, ALOT! Me being a big fan of the snooze button and all ;)

7. Do you know how to roller skate?

Do I know how?? Yes

Am I any good?? No

Am I stupid enough to get on skates to see if my skills have improved any throughout the years?? HELL NO!! You aren't about to catch me on anything with wheels, where I could fall down and bust the concrete my butt.

8. What would you consider one of your biggest accomplishments?

Did I tell you about the time that I left Target without spending a single dime?? I'm just sayin' ;)

Arts and Crafts

In school they're learning about the Native Americans and how they believed that each animal had a spirit. They were given a chart with a list of animals that were used on totem poles because of their special talents and the stories they told.

The assignment was for them to create a totem pole using the list of animals to represent each of their family members.

Here is how Sugar's project turned out:

It's hard to tell in the photo just how well this turned out but I am so proud of her on this one! I think she did an excellent job.

Unfortunately, one of her classmate's accidentally knocked it down and the base of it broke. She brought it home so we could try to patch it up.

After the patch work, she decided to give it another coat of paint.

I sure hope she gets an A!

Today was craft day at the local library - what a fun idea!! The kids can do arts and crafts and the mom's don't have to clean up the mess. It doesn't get any better than that!

We found out the schedule and I plan on us being there each and every time.

Here is the craft that Spice made:

She is so proud of her little snowman and she made him all by herself!

Looks like that crafty gene that runs in my family was passed along to both of my girls :)