Summer Time At the ESPN House

Is generally spent in the pool or inside in the A/C.  That's what you do when you live in the desert.  A couple weekends ago my BFF and her family came over for some pool time ....

Time for the pool

Goggle Girl Returns ...

BFF and Bia and her $ Store float

One of Goggle Girl's favorite activities

3 of the 5 kids (BFF has 3 boys)

Mr. ESPN playing some hoops

This past weekend the girls wanted to watch a movie in my bedroom.  So Mr. ESPN and I decided to watch a Mommy/Daddy movie in the family room.  We paused our movie to check on them and this is what I found (Chatty was laying on the king sized bed by herself).  Bia had made a little sleeping area for herself.  I am not sure where all her puppies are - they must be under the blanket.

More pool pics from this past weekend ...

Bia swimming solo

Goggle Girl and the $ Store float - it was a great investment!

I am sure y'all thought I was exaggerating when I referred to Bia's bedhead.  I called her Frankenstein but should have said Albert Einstein.  Mr. ESPN got photographic evidence yesterday morning.

She's pissed!

"Stop taking my picture Daddy!"

I will leave you with a picture of some of our garden goodies.  We've also used cilantro, basil and jalapeno peppers we grew.  We're waiting on the tomatoes to turn red.  Mr. ESPN is planning a second and third square since everything is growing so well!

This week ...

1. Yesterday it was 109 (but it's a dry heat - seriously little to no humidity!).  I had to take Chatty to soccer skills class and when I got up from my seat it looked like I peed in my pants because my khaki shorts were wet.  Note to self - next time wear black.  BTW - she was wearing sunscreen and drank tons of water and Gatorade.
2. I spent an hour cleaning my bathroom last night (just my bathroom) - I cleaned places in there that I don't think have ever been cleaned in the 6 years we have lived there.  Then I cleaned the rest of my house.  This afternoon I am pulling out the carpet cleaner.  Those who know me would have been shocked by how dirty my house has gotten the last couple weeks ...but by this afternoon it will all be back to normal - just in time for my kids to mess it up this weekend!
3. After too many evenings fighting with Chatty while we practice reading, I decided to hire a tutor.  She is a 3rd grade teacher who works at Chatty's school.  She is starting next Tuesday.  When I told Chatty she said "Oh no that is going to be so boring!"
4. I am going to hurt someone at Bia's daycare if they keep giving her markers, paint, etc. that isn't washable.  Either that or I am going to send them a bill for all the clothes that get ruined when she is there.  I swear my kids stain more clothes than most.
5. I start my new job in 3 weeks.  Good news I get to sit right by my buddy.  Bad news my commute will be doubled and I will be trying to get up earlier to avoid traffic (and I am not a morning person - where do you think Bia gets it from?).
6. We had another Frankenstein encounter this morning ... aka Bia's Bed Head!
7. Bia started looking at books in bed this week.  Did I mention this happens after we put her to bed and the lights are off?  No she doesn't have a flashlight and can't see the pages.  Strange?  
8. I thought of a couple sewing projects I want to work on ... I hope the actual end result looks as good as it does in my head!
9. New rule at my house - If mom finds it you lose it - i.e. it gets donated.  This is for all of the toys my children "forget" to put away even though Mr. ESPN and I have asked them numerous times
10. Chatty wore the same outfit twice this week to Boys and Girls Club.  It was washed in between but still ...we had a little talk about not repeating within one week.  Heck when I was in high school I kept track on my calendar at home so I wouldn't repeat with in two weeks.  I am guessing Chatty probably won't be that anal!

Have a good weekend!

Important Stuff Folks

Based on the title of this post I am sure you thought I was going to discuss the oil spill, immigration laws in Arizona or the war in the Middle East.  But that's not what's on my mind today.  Nope today I am going to discuss cereal - namely kid's cereal.  I love it - so much in fact that we always have a nice variety in our pantry (it helps that I have a walk in pantry and can dedicate a nice size shelf to breakfast food).  Currently we have the following in stock at our house - Apple Jacks, Honey Bunches of Oats, Honey Nut Cheerios, Honeycombs and my all time favorite:

Yes I love Fruity Pebbles.  I have been known to eat a bowl (or two but who's counting) for dessert (Chatty even requested a bowl for dessert too on occasion).  Actually I tend to eat it more for dessert or a snack than breakfast - weird I know.  Needless to say I was super excited when I saw Fruity Pebbles were $1 a box at the grocery store last Saturday.  I picked up two boxes and seriously debated buying up to the limit of 4, but refrained (although the sale goes through today so I still have time..).  I seriously love kids cereal - I haven't met many I don't like.  My other all time favorites besides Fruity Pebbles are Apple Jacks, Lucky Charms, Golden Grahams, Crackling Oat Bran (OK not really a kid cereal), Captain Crunch, Frosted Flakes ... and the list goes on and on.  One thing I don't like - generic store brand cereal (I know name brand cereal isn't cheap so I wait until it is on sale and/or I have a coupon)! Seriously if it isn't Kellogg's, Post, General Mills, Quaker, etc. it isn't going in my grocery cart.  I am a cereal snob! 

What cereals do y'all like?  Am I the only 30 something mom who eats the cereal she buys for her kids?

Slacker

OK - just so you know I acknowledge that I am a total slacker for not writing a sappy Father's Day post honoring Mr. ESPN and our Dads.  Normally I am on top of these things but VBS, my kids and working from home last week zapped a lot out of me (I am getting old).  Is it bad that I was looking forward to coming back to the office today?  To my credit Mr. ESPN played golf yesterday, swam, watched golf and had steak for dinner.  The girls and I took Pop-pa to breakfast (where they displayed their love/hate relationship with each other in public, talk about proud mama moments - not!) and we called/Skyped the other dads later in the day.  All the dads in our family were acknowledged and accounted for on Father's Day, just not on the blog.

Summer is officially here in the desert - it is hotter than heck and I am ready for September (or October because September here is hot too)... good thing we have a pool!  Thanks for all of the skinny comments on prior posts - no I haven't really lost any weight - unless you count the 5lbs I seem to lose every week and put back on the following week.  I guess I only pick flattering pictures to post of myself (don't y'all do this too?).  Needless to say after a week of VBS there probably won't be any flattering pictures to post for awhile (can you say lots of sweets for the volunteers)!

Another crazy week for the ESPN house - Chatty has soccer today, Thursday and Friday evenings.  Bia has Swim lessons Thursday evening and I have Bible Study Wednesday evening (of which I am so far behind in reading ... talk about a slacker - I keep falling asleep when I read the book at night - I even brought it to work to try and read during lunch).  I guess this is my new normal life!

A Tale of Two Bowlers

Let me introduce you to bowler #1 - aka Chatty.  Chatty thought that if you are a good Wii bowler then you would be a good real bowler ...mmmm not so much.

Now onto her form - not too bad but not enough power behind the throw...

   As evidenced here by the remaining pins...

Now let me introduce you to bowler #2 aka Bia.  She required some assistance from her Momma

And for awhile seemed pretty into it ....

But her interest faded quickly as she proceeded to mess up the scoreboard numerous times

Jumped off the ledge ....

Danced ...

And whatever this is???

And that's how it ended

These photos were taken at our buddy Shaun's birthday party.  My good friend Laurie made these cute shirt for the kids!  Aren't they awesome?  We all had a great time.

Sorry for my lack of blogging but I have been teaching VBS to K/1st graders each morning and then working in the afternoon while entertaining my girls - I am exhausted!  I feel like I am going nonstop.  Tomorrow is the last day of VBS - yeah!  Hopefully I can catch up on life and blogging next week!

Updated Things To Do

Things I have been meaning to do accomplished this week:



1. Blog something noteworthy or at least a little interesting and funny - which I haven't and probably will not anytime soon - Didn't happen - oh well!


2. Take a picture of the girls new bobs and post a picture - maybe I will get to it this weekend - I did take a picture but haven't posted it yet ..


3. Figure out how to make Chatty's bed head look normal each morning with her new haircut - This will take a miracle from God or a really good hair product which I have yet to purchase


4. Convince Bia she does need a barrette or pony tail in her hair each morning - Lost cause - Miss Independent has to do everything HER way (gee I wonder where she got that from?)


5. Buy a birthday present for our buddy SMC - Will be taking care of this at lunch today


6. Get a pedicure - After work today


7. Clean my house (acutally I would love to have a cleaning fairy show up and shake her wand and it all be clean) - The cleaning fairy still hasn't shown up - what's up with that


8. Quit grabbing handfuls of cheeseballs from the container in my pantry and snacking on them. Darn Mr. ESPN and Chatty who insisted on getting them from Costco! I successfully managed to eat several pounds of cheeseballs this week-it wasn't pretty. My goal now is to just eat them all so they will be gone - not the best idea I have ever come up with but I am I going to do?

 9. Start reading the book for Casey's book club - I did buy it so at least I am heading in the right direction. Started the book yesterday and love it so far. So as of today I am in the middle of reading three books - The Help, The Ocean Between Us and Crazy Love ...


10. I am sure there are a ton of other things I could list but just can't think of and I know if you asked Mr. ESPN he could tell you several things I haven't done this week and should have ... oh well ... such is life ... I better get going so I can get some of these things off my list!


11. And one more thing to add I finally got my new job with our corporate tax group. Over two months of waiting but finally got the call yesterday.


Have a good weekend - hope you all are able to knock some stuff off of your to do list! Next week we are blasting off for our Galatic Blast Vacation Bible School. Yes I am teaching VBS again this year. At least this year we got 1st graders some of which I teach for Sunday school. Much better than the catty 4th grade girls from last year!

Things to Do

Things I have been meaning to do this week and haven't:

1. Blog something noteworthy or at least a little interesting and funny - which I haven't and probably will not anytime soon
2. Take a picture of the girls new bobs and post a picture - maybe I will get to it this weekend
3. Figure out how to make Chatty's bed head look normal each morning with her new haircut
4. Convince Bia she does need a barrette or pony tail in her hair each morning
5. Buy a birthday present for our buddy SMC
6. Get a pedicure - I need one bad but I was letting my toe heal a bit before I get one
7. Clean my house (acutally I would love to have a cleaning fairy show up and shake her wand and it all be clean)
8. Quit grabbing handfuls of cheeseballs from the container in my pantry and snacking on them.  Darn Mr. ESPN and Chatty who insisted on getting them from Costco!
9. Start reading the book for Casey's book club - I did buy it so at least I am heading in the right direction. 

I am sure there are a ton of other things I could list but just can't think of and I know if you asked Mr. ESPN he could tell you several things I haven't done this week and should have ... oh well ... such is life ... I better get going so I can get some of these things off my list!

Broken Toe, Missing Teeth and Shut Your Mouth!

The title makes you think of a good red neck joke huh?  Some days I feel like that's what our house is filled with! 

Chatty's front two teeth had been super loose for weeks now.  The dentist told us a couple months ago they were ready to come out.  They were beginning to look like buck (sp?) teeth and it was driving me insane.  I finally couldn't take it any longer - Mr. ESPN held her and I gently removed one of the teeth - yes I am a mean mom at times, but honestly I barely wiggled it and it came out.  I told Mr. ESPN he was responsible for the other one .... fast forward to Monday evening ... our neighbors were over swimming in the pool and Mr. ESPN and Chatty come inside with the other tooth.  Apparently her buddy JR accidentally kicked her in the mouth while they were playing in the pool and the other one came out.  How it didn't get lost in the water I will never know. 

Chatty and her toothless grin

As if that wasn't enough excitement on Monday afternoon I decided to be clumsy and add to it.  I was grabbing a towel for a kid (which one I can't remember now) when I ran into the leg of our lounge chair while my neighbor was sitting in it.  Needless to say the lounge chair didn't move and now my toe doesn't either!  Mr. ESPN and my neighbors were waiting for me to start cursing but all I could do was laugh - it was either that or cry because it hurt so bad.  The following picture was taken that evening.  The next day it was bruised down onto my foot too ... and before anyone asks - no drinking was involved - just my own clumsiness!  Sad but true!

This sweet little cutie below ....

Yes that one - told her big sister to Shut Up last night at the dinner table!  WTH - Isn't 3 too young to say that!  After she said it both of them started to laugh like this ....

What am I going to do?  I immediately scolded Bia and told her she was to never ever say it again.  Then I told her she had to go to timeout.  As she was going to timeout I asked her if she knew why she was going to which she replied "because I say shut up". 

Like I said back to my crazy life ...

My 31 Party

I mentioned a few posts ago that my future SIL is a My 31 consultant.  She asked if I would host a party.  So I have debated how to handle this ... I have several friends who live in town who I would normally invite to something like this, however some of them live on the other side of town and trying to coordinate schedules can be a pain (with kids and husbands and all that stuff).  So I thought I would host a web party and post the link to the party on my blog.  I figured this would be the easiest way to publicize it to my friends without making anyone feel obligated to purchase anything.  After today's post I will go back the the commentary of my slightly boring sometimes crazy life and I do have an interesting story for my next post so stay tuned ... it includes missing teeth and a broken toe!    

So if you are interested in my party you can click here.  From this link you can browse the catalogs and shop online.  If you choose to purchase something you can do so from the shop now button.  Personally I think they have really cute stuff and we all know I have good taste (LOL)!  If you live outside of the desert you can have your purchases shipped directly to you.  If you live in the desert you can have it shipped to me (it will be a little cheaper I believe) and I will personally deliver it to you (great excuse to meet up for girls' night out).  As a little bonus, if you place an order I will put you in a drawing for a prize (a surprise My 31 product).  Feel free to leave me a comment or e-mail me directly if you have any questions!

*The party will close on June 27, 2010 so all orders must be placed by this date*