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I've lost touch. I don't know how this has happened, exactly, just that it has. I'm finally getting over feeling crappy, and trying to get into some sort of balance of everyday life, again. All birthdays are over, and Easter is over, and I'm looking forward to ending this school year, and getting into summer. As I said before, Jeff's birthday was a bust. I was just starting to get sick, and the first part of the day I had to go watch Cole's animal report. I would have had a video, but it was probably three seconds long. By the time I had started to record, it was time to applaud. Honestly, I'm not even sure I know anything more about crabs--the sea-life--than I already did. (And the not sea-life? Well, I don't know much about that, either. But I felt like I had to differentiate). Cole looked like he knew what he was talking about the two seconds that I watched him, so I guess we can count it as a win.
Next, I had to drive over to Sydney's school for her Easter Egg hunt. I honestly have to say that the kids in her class are pretty cute. However, I found out that Sydney is somewhat of a bully to her classmates. Taking things from others, and throwing a fit if she's expected to share. The women that teach her class are all really quite patient and kind. I wanted to drag her out of the classroom and beat her. But they continued to be patient with her, and the other kids. Impressive. Fyi; she kicked butt at the hunt. I guess being very forward (read: bratty), has its perks.
I went home alone, Syd lives for the bus ride each Friday to and from her class. Even when I offered her more candy if she came home with me, she told me, "I gonna ride the bus". That's dedication. It kind of worries me that she only has two more days of school, left. She loves it. I'm not sure that her classmates love her, but she talks about Friday and going to school all week long. She's going to miss it so much during the summer. Her teacher told me something about the possibility of Syd having more days of class next year. So, we'll have to see what happens.
When Jeff got up for the day, Syd immediately wished him a happy birthday. I was pretty surprised, because I had mentioned it to her before she rode the bus, so I thought she wasn't paying attention. She listens more than I assume, apparently. Unless it's about picking up her toys. I don't think she hears anything about that subject.
Jeff and I went to the movie, 21 Jump Street. There honestly wasn't anything else to go to, and it had gotten really good reviews. Honestly, I wish I hadn't read said reviews. Because I expected it to be a lot funnier than it was. But it was funny.
And that was Jeff's birthday. Sad, right? He was a little down in the dumps, and I didn't blame him. Aside from coughing through the entire movie, I wasn't feeling the full effects of being sick until the next day--Cole's birthday. (His birthday was on the same date as Easter this year, so we celebrated a day early).
He and I went to Red Lobster. But first, we had to search four different stores, so he could spend his birthday money and allowance on the toys he'd been saving/wishing for. Last year, he blew all his money on Pokemon cards, and this year it was similar. Only, he bought Skylanders and a Ninjago Lego set. You'd think that wasn't as exciting as it apparently was. He told me like five times that he was having the best birthday, ever.
These were the pictures he had to send to Jeff of his birthday haul. I can honestly say that we were pretty lucky to get everything he wanted on that exact day as I'd been looking for all this stuff for two months, and no luck. I was glad everything worked out for him.
Then, finally, we could go eat.
But it was kind of a bust. After ordering the meal that he'd been planning since February, he felt sick. So he didn't even finish it. But it also may have been that I kept coughing during the meal, and was getting some dirty looks. It was Red Lobster. I mean, fancier than our usual fare, but really? Excuuuuuuuuse Me.
Easter was unmemorable. I'm thinking the kids got some candy, and I did as well, and maybe they ate something? I don't know. I was in a fevered haze that continued until Riley's birthday. When I still felt crappy, but would have felt worse if I didn't do anything to make my daughter's 12th birthday different from any other day. She wanted to go to Trafalga. We bought those pass of all passes things, and so she wanted to go play mini golf. Bowling last year, and mini golf this year. She hates me. But everyone else had fun playing, so I guess I took one for the team.
(In all honesty, I had fun watching. So there was that).
The pictures are pretty crappy because it was so dark, but it was a good time. (And that picture of Jeff and me? He looks like he's barely tolerating my head on his shoulder, but he IS carrying my purse. So, it's just a ruse. Obviously). Riley had a good birthday. She's like me, in that she likes to collect things. And her collection she's focused on now is Monster High dolls. She got a buttload of them. Not only with birthday money, but her Christmas money and allowance, this has been an ongoing endeavor. And, if we were to add up all the green to get to this collection of hers, it's a bit sickening. But, it's hers, and she's still my little girl, and I don't want her to get to that point where she is too old for them.
(Maybe she'll be like me and my Care Bears. Right, Moriah? You tried to save my maturity so many times, and I was a hopeless case). But I hope it's like that. And, if she does get too old for them, Syd has dibs. She can't wait for Riley to go to school so she can sneak into Riley's LOCKED room, and take what she wants. She's figured out how to unlock just about everything in our house. Anyway, I know I've said that things are going too fast with Riley. Jeff told me yesterday that if she were to have a baby the same time I had her, it would be nine years from now. That means, it could be that in 9 years, I find myself a grandmother. I'm not ready for that. At all.
Tomorrow, May starts. The last month of school. Fingers crossed we make it. For those of you that are dealing with school, fingers crossed that you make it. Later Dudes!
*This was partially typed BEFORE Easter, BEFORE I got sick. But I thought I wanted to keep it on the record...so I posted. Enjoy, or don't. Whateves.*
I feel like I need to post...something today. Why, I'm not too sure. But my heart is full. I got the kids to school, and dropped off some plastic Easter eggs, or actually, Easter "cupcakes", for Sydney's Preschool class this Friday. (I noticed that they really don't sell the plain eggs that I remember from my childhood. Which is okay, because the different patterned eggs and shapes for Easter baskets sold today are way cute. I just get a little distressed when I have to purchase something for someone else. Will they be alright with Easter cupcakes, instead? Am I botching everything? Will the activity be based on the traditional egg, rather than a new generation's cupcake? Hmm...so much to consider). Anyway, it seems like accomplishing two things involving me entering a school before 8:30 am, gives me a sense of completion. You know, knocks a few things off of my "To Do, but-I-really-don't-freaking-want-to", list. Honestly, I've kind of been dreading this week. Riley has her maturation program on Thursday and I've got to drag Sydney along, so I know that's going to be embarrassing at some point in time, and then I need to be to both Cole and Sydney's classes on Friday at the same time, so I'm still trying to figure that one out...and then Jeff's birthday is on Friday, and we are celebrating Cole's birthday on Saturday, because Sunday is Easter, and birthdays have got to be a big deal at our house. Even though they are all squished together, we each demand our own special day. And that's how it goes. Fitting it all in is the tricky part. (This is one of my coping mechanisms).
This is the other:
(Seriously. Sometimes just putting my tennis shoes on will make me go work out, and things look differently--less intense--when you're sweaty and tired). Anyway, all this stuff that needs to be done, got me thinking. I'm grateful to not have to juggle this, and an actual job. Because obviously I couldn't handle it. (Two things before 8:30 am, remember)? Also, Sydney is in a preschool class that she totally loves. And despite the fact that someone told her, "Boogers are delicious", (forcing me to keep constant vigil that she won't test the theory, because I've caught her doing it), she's learned amazing things. Her social abilities are beyond what I had hoped they'd become--she used to be that kid that really didn't care what was happening around her...a very "Jeff" characteristic.
But now she's all about asking if I'm okay, or recognizing happiness and sadness, and being scared. So many things we all take for granted--and yet they are such important parts of development. I often wonder if Sydney's case is exactly life Jeff, where she honestly KNOWS that something is happening, she just really doesn't want to put forth the effort in figuring it out. That the whole social part of any problem is just way more work than she's willing to take on. Jeff will engage when I tell him I need his input, but as far everything else goes, he's just not comfortable with the issues of others. I know that I won't hear any gossip from him, which is probably good for me, as I'm kind of a gossip conduit. But you see? It's something that I've always had a hard time understanding where Jeff is concerned, and then Sydney seems to be the same way. Apparently, it's nature vs. nurture. She's helped me realize that some things are beyond my control, when it comes to my kids. I mean, those mothers that you're judging because their kids are complete monsters, and she's not beating them into submission? Well, I have a little more empathy. Sometimes different kids just respond to different ways of...everything. I thought that I had a handle on letting my kids be diverse, but this has been a really hard lesson. One I needed.
Anyway, my son will be 9 on Sunday. We will be celebrating his birthday on Saturday, because having your special day on a holiday, is pretty sucky. As I'm sure a lot of you know. We are changing that.
