son run in the sun

It is done.

Run With Lumber 2009 is in the books.


Everyone got a few laps in. Everyone got a root beer float. Everyone got a little frisbee thing. It is done.

Remember a while back I was still searching for a Lumber victim? Desperate times call for desperate measures. This year's Lumber was none other than.... dun dun duuuuuun.... our very own Chaco [APPLAUSE APPLAUSE].

Yes, I allowed my son to miss a day of school to run around in a furry suit with little children all day. In fact, I nearly begged him to do so.

He did a great job, though. Probably too good of a job, because the staff wants him to do it again next year... and the next. And, I think he actually had fun.

He probably still expects me to pay him that twenty bucks I promised, though.

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perspicaz

So I entered the room of doom today. That would be the kids' bedroom. I don't remember what I went in there for, maybe to open the window. Get in, open the window, get out, before the mess completely entraps me.

Upon my speedy exit, I notice a piece of paper with what looks like some sort of org chart laying about in no particular organized place. Looking closer, I see that it's a small family tree, written in Spanish in Chaco's writing. Must be an assignment for Spanish class.

In the upper corner, with no particular lines emanating, he lists "Mi Gato Cookie" and "Mi Perro China". Then in the middle of the page, we see a box each for Magnum and me with a line coming out and breaking off into three lines. One each for Chaco and his brothers.

The brother boxes say, "Mi hermano menor Wolfgang [es perezoso]" = My younger brother Wolfgang [he is lazy]; "Mi hermano menor Meego [es divertido]" = My younger brother Meego [he is funny].

My box says, "Mi Madre Abby [es trabajadora]" = My mother Abby [she's hard working]. Magnum's box says, "Mi Padre Magnum [es un nerdo]". He got the hard working part right! Nice for him to notice! as for the "un nerdo", I don't even think that's a genuine word in Spanish, but we get the translation.

la HA la HA la HA la HA!!
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[censored]

Okay, I don't like to be a party to gossip, but I had a weird conversation with someone this afternoon and as I mull it over, I feel the urge to blog it. Because of some sensitive content and the fact that it involves real life people, I feel I must perform a bit of censorship.

I went to the bleepity school to pick up blooper. I saw an acquaintance of mine and went up to chit chat. I've known her for about two and a half years. She does a lot of volunteering at the bleepity school, so we run into each other quite often.

She seemed a bit irate and then commenced to tell me that she was going to stop volunteering and having much to do with the bleepity school. Supposedly, some parents had complained that she was teaching some of the children about blippities and bloppities.

She found this out after going to the principal to ask why she hadn't been asked to come help in the classrooms in a while.

This struck me as quite odd, and in fact, I admit that my response was to burst out in a guffaw, but I quickly apologized to her saying, "sorry, I don't mean to laugh, it's just so ridiculous the idea that you are talking about blippities and bloppities with the students".

She said, "I know".

The principal wouldn't tell her who it was that made these claims and the principal didn't say that she herself believed the claims, but she was left to stop asking this person to help out in the classrooms.

But I've been wondering. It is weird. And a little creepy. This woman does do a lot of volunteering, but it always kind of struck me that she does it mainly for the attention it brings to her. She's a champ at patting herself on the back (and maybe a bit of a control freak). Just my own observation.

I will say that the idea of her discussing blippities and bloppities with the kids would not be a total shocker to me. And I don't mean that in regards to school volunteers in general, I mean that in regards to this particular person.

I wondered. Was she really discussing blippities and bloppities? Or were the teachers just wanting her out of their hair, and this was an easy out?
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Silver Lining S-day, part XXXVI

This was wrong. ALL wrong. I didn't want to be in that place. YUCK pooey! Then I woke up and was all, oh whew, just a weird dream. THANK goodness! Doncha just love that feeling?

With that, time for another installment of Silver Lining Saturday! (on a Sunday).

First of all, in case no one has noticed, I've begun a new policy here for SLS day. A photo depiction of something good from the week. I sat down to do this entry and realized I had no such photo so snapped a quick one:

It's Chaco and Wolfgang shooting each other up via XBOX 360 in the Man Cave from earlier mention - as seen from the Mom Cave (a.k.a laundry room). I'm actually thankful we have such a Man Cave, inhospitable as it is to me at times.

Schools were out Monday and Tuesday of this week, and we had lovely weather to accompany that. Wolfgang and Meego and I took a very enjoyable bike ride together. I forget where Chaco was at the time. I do remember thinking that I wished I'd had the camera - would've gotten a good shot for SLS day.

Yes, the weather has improved from the recent snowiness. In fact, I had some good quality time with both Bella and Tessa (my bicycles) this week.

Yesterday happened to be an exception, however. Cold and drizzly for most of the day. The elementary school PTO had a Car Show/Yard Sale event (secretly dubbed "Cars and Crap"). It's too bad the weather wasn't better, but I'm thankful that I had not volunteered to work the thing and was not expected to since I am, after all, the Run With Lumber lady - Run With Lumber being this coming Wednesday.

On that note, all the Run With Lumber ducks are in a row. I just need to procure the ice cream. We even have a Lumber "volunteer". More on that later...

I went for a lovely run earlier today. Weather is back to nice. I was contemplating aloud whether I should wear shorts or capris for my run when Magnum piped up, "Wear shorts, show off your legs". For that, he gets major points.
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just sayin'

What's in your closet?

Me, I've got root beer - a sign of spring.

Run With Lumber is next week, so I've also got a bunch of cups and spoons in the car. It's supposed to be about going out and being active while supporting the school, but I must face the fact that many of those kids are in it for the root beer floats and participation prizes. Whatever works.

In other news, I'm curious about something. Say you find out about a part-time job opening somewhere, so you go ahead and apply. Then say that the hiring person, with whom you have worked before, contacts you and says stuff like, "that's fantastic!" and then commences to ask you if you would also be willing to take another part-time opening at the same place in combination with the other.

And then say you hedge a little then agree to consider it. And say you consider it and ask a few questions of this hiring person who all the while is urging you and flattering you to do it. And say you finally decide that you'd be willing to take both part-time jobs if offered and let the hiring person know this. And then say you don't hear anything more after that. For like a week and a half. No job offer, no "sorry we changed our mind", etc.

What say you?
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clubbed and drug

Kinda weird, I opened up my blog and saw these pictures of snow storming. You'd never know it now. It's practically HOT outside.

The kids have been out of school today and yesterday for "professional development" days. Tack on Friday's snowday and it's a veritable vacation week! And with it, Chaco and Wolfgang have been DIY-ing the Man Cave, making it even more of the Man Cave.

I've no problem with this Man Cave that has taken over the bottom floor of our house. There's a Playstation 2, and XBOX 360, a dartboard with darts, a nerf hoop, a table in the corner for building models, a big punching bag thing (okay, that's actually mostly mine), and now there are electrical cables running all over giving it the Geek Man Cave look.

The problem is, it happens to be the room where my.... er... the computer desk is. If I want to use the computer when 2 or more of the resident males are home, I must do so in the midst of the Man Cave. When no one else is home, the Man Caveness is hardly noticeable, other than the decor, that is. Oh, and don't pick up any of the reading materials if you're not prepared to be overloaded with V1agra, Lev1tra, phermone, and Asian mail-order bride ads. Popular Science? Who knew?!

When all 4 of the males I live with inhabit the Man Cave at the same time, it is truly inhospitable to any female. I intelligently avoid it at those times.

Yesterday, I needed to do some things on the computer. Girl things I suppose. And so I needed to not hear things exploding near me. I needed to not have cables being strung over, across, and through me. I systematically kicked them all out and declared this the "Mom Cave". It worked!

For about 15 minutes.
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Silver Lining Saturday, part XXXV

Welcome to this week's episode of Silver Lining Saturday!

The week started with snow. Yes, it snowed here on Easter, pretty much all day. But the snowy Easter sort of forced me to stay indoors and get some work related ducks in a row. Plus, we had chocolate.

The week also ended with snow as mentioned in yesterday's entry. In fact, it's still snowing as I type this.

But a good time was had by all! Sometimes it's nice to just have a good snowday wipe out any prior plans, and go out and be like a kid-with-a-snow-day.

And there was just enough break in the weather to allow Magnum to make it back home from his trip.

Wolfgang had two track meets this week and is enjoying himself this, his first year, on the team. He's been bumped up to the travelling team and has already decided he wants to run track next year in high school. Good thing, since we bought him those $pike$. Just hope his feet don't grow too much.

I sent my 84-year-old dad an e-mail. More amazingly, he got it! I've got to hand it to the guy. He taught himself all about PC's in the process of getting things running.

Speaking of running, Run With Lumber is quickly approaching (sick of hearing about it yet?) and all systems are go. I got more donations this week from local grocery stores. The root beer floats will be flowing a-plenty!

I sold a carseat on craigslist to a nice stay-at-home-mom. My experiences using craigslist have always been postive, unlike some in the news. But then the newsy folks weren't selling carseats and such.

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