Well Checks

I took both my boys to the doctor yesterday for their well check-ups. Remember the days of monthly well checks for our babies? Seems like so long ago! Here are their stats:

Harold - 170 Months Old (or 14 years and 2 months)
Height - a smidgen shy of 5' 3" (50 - 75%)
Weight - 92 pounds (10 - 25%)
Eyesight - 20/20
Hearing - Excellent

Chip - 96 Months Old (turns 8 years old on Saturday)
Height - 4' 6" (95%)
Weight - 97 pounds (well above 95%)
Eyesight - 20/20
Hearing - Excellent

No shots required for either! High fives all around. I won't even go into a description of the fiasco that was peeing in a cup for these two boys. Let's leave it at "They both really, really, really had to go and there was some serious hand sanitizing that took place after their specimen was captured.". Is that too much information??? Probably, and I am sorry for that!

After a general exam and routine tests, Dr. Turner deemed them both healthy and fit. After the exam he asked Chip to step out into the waiting room so he could talk to Harold. He gave Harold a quick talk about S.E.X. and told him things would be changing with his body more than they already had. Told Harold not to listen to his friends because they will know nothing. He told him his friends were going to be making choices and that Harold would have to be ever vigilent about who and what he surrounds himself with. He told him High School was a whole new world and he was going to see and hear things he had not seen or heard before. Then Turner told Harold that his door was always open. Harold could call, write a note, or a letter and that he was there to answer any and all questions Harold might have. Turner suggested we get Harold some good books on S.E.X. (Do you like how I am spelling that out? Makes me feel like I am talking in code!) Turner said his philosophy is that information is knowledge and will help protect him and give him the information he needs to make informed, adult, decisions. He said, from the doctor's perspective it is all about safety.

Obviously, it goes without saying that should be accompanied by open, honest discussions with his parents. WHO EXACTLY IS GOING TO FIELD THESE QUESTIONS????? I am all about some open, honest, discussion with my kids, but the last two or three questions Harold has asked me about sex have left me a bit red-faced and mumbling and stumbling through a response. Hubby stepped up like he had fathered fifteen teenagers before Harold and talked S.E.X. with them like it was sports scores on ESPN. Now me, I am going to study the books before I give them to him and take some serious notes! Maybe I could have him write questions down and I could take a day or two to research and get back to him. That would give me time to compose myself, get the facts and present them to him like the adult that I am!

Can I get a rewind? Can I go back to colicky babies, endless reruns of Barney, pokemon and yu-gi-oh. I thought that was tough. I had no idea.

The best news of the day is that my boys are healthy and I am beyond grateful for that. The rest of this we will just get through together!

Back at Full Pressure

Had a super nice plumber come to the house yesterday to check out our water pressure situation, or more correctly stated, our lack of water pressure situation. He assessed the problem, corrected the problem, charged me half a regular house call fee and in short order we were back in business.

I had the sprinkler system running, a load of laundry going and we still could have showered.

YEAH for water pressure - we missed you around here!

WatchDOGS on Patrol!

We have this great program at our elementary school called WatchDOGS (Dads of Great Students) where Dads volunteer for a full day up at school. It is a national program that was started in 1998, but our school has only been doing it for about three or four years. WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) is the father involvement initiative of the National Center for Fathering that organizes fathers and father figures in order to provide positive male role models for the students and to enhance school security. Our school has had an exceptional turnout of Dads and have at least one WatchDOGS at school most days of the year. They are like Rock Stars! They have to wear a WatchDOGS shirt or vest so all the kids know they are WatchDOGS. During the day, the Dads have a schedule and basically help out where ever they are needed, with chunks of time set aside to work specifically in their own child's classroom and also patrol the school grounds.

Yesterday, it was Hubby's day and Chip was beyond thrilled. During the morning announcements, they announce over the intercom who the WatchDOGS are for the day. Then the student gets to go meet their Dad in the library for a photo shoot. All the photos of WatchDOGS are posted in the school foyer - it is so cute. They get to have lunch with their Dad and have them come into their class for a part of the day.

Hubby helped out in the Library, worked some PE with the Structured Teach Kids, helped in the Science Lab with a couple of 5th grade classes, had lunch with Chip and then worked lunch room detail, helped Chip's class during Math, picked up recycling paper for Kindergarten and even watered the flowers in the Courtyard. They worked him hard but he loved it. Well, maybe he didn't love opening all the ketchup and mustard during lunch, but he did have fun.

Chip thinks his Dad is super cool and to have him at school all day was just the BOMB! If you don't have this program at your school, you should look into it. The kids love it, the Dads love it and the school benefits from having an extra set of hands to help out. It is a win-win for everyone!

Is It Really Only 10:00 a.m.??

Good Morning Harold. You slept in until 9:00 - I bet you feel great. What's that? You have some homework to do today. Okay buddy, what do have to do? WHAT? You have a Poetry Book you have to put together with 10 poems and illustrations and you only have three drafts completed? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? You're not kidding me? Well, get going on it.

Only took him a couple of hours.

Then....What is that racket? You guys did what?? You threw a ball into the curtain and the whole curtain, rod and all, collapsed to the ground? Seriously, just a ball hit it and now the entire bracket is ripped from the wall? ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? You're not kidding. Well, see if your Daddy can fix it.

I hate to say "miraculously" he fixed it - BUT....miraculously, he fixed it. Hubby has never been mistaken for a Handy Man, but today he did good.

His Dad working with tools threw Chip into a manly tool frenzy. At 9:30 a.m. he is beating the life out of this poor piece of wood in the garage.

At 9:35 a.m. he has beaten the hammer into submission and it breaks in two. ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Who breaks the head right off of a hammer. Chip does that is who.

What did you do before 10:00 a.m. Sunday morning???

Best Homework Assignment EVER

Today, we got to help Chip with a special homework project he has to do for school. The project is about learning about his community. One part of the project was to eat a special treat that is made in your town. So, we were all over that and headed to the local donut shop and had a hot donut - all in the name of school work. Those calories really shouldn't count.

Chip was super excited. He doesn't like school so much, and most definitely does not usually like homework, but DONUTS. Now you are talking his language.


Chip looks at me and says "Mom, this is the best homework ever!" I must say that I agree with him on that one!


Poor Harold couldn't eat his fast enough before the vultures started circling.


Speaking of Harold, earlier this morning we went to watch the last Vikings game of the season. I would like to say it was a good game, but it wasn't. Vikings were out of it early and just couldn't get anything going. It has been a fun season though and Harold and his buddy RV add more hardware to their trophy shelves.

My internet services was out for six hours yesterday. I was like a caged animal pacing back and forth. I had so much work to get done and impending deadlines hanging over me and no possible way to work. Frustrating. I did however get some laundry put away and accomplish a few other household chores that have been needing some attention while I paced. Not all bad. In fact, by the time I got logged back in the work assignment I was sweating had been handled and it turned out to be a pretty good evening!

So, we have a busy couple of weeks ahead and then school is out for the summer! Can I get an AMEN!!! I am looking forward to it more than you can imagine! Random Conversation in the car today:

Chip: Dad, is tonight a school night?
Dad: Nope.
Chip: Yes it is.
Dad: No it's not.
Chip: Yes it is.
Dad: Chip, today is Saturday and it is not a school night.
Chip: Yes it is.
Dad: Okay, it is.
Chip: WHAT??? Why did you say that (on the verge of tears). Is it really a school night?

Seriously. We need a break.

Have a great rest of the weekend!

10 Totally Random Tidbits

1. This is my second post in one day. Call the press. Alert my mother, she will be so happy. This number 1. really shouldn't count as a Tidbit, because it is really just tooting my own horn, but I could only come up with nine random Tidbits. Had to throw it in!

2. Second round of Spanish Pork Ribs are finished. Now maybe we can just let Friday be Friday.

3. I want to win the lottery. Badly. I must play the lottery to win the lottery.

4. Chip is having an Iron Man Bowling Birthday party. Does Iron Man bowl? Doesn't matter. Chip bowls and he will have fun. My baby is going to be 8! WHAT???? How did that happen?

5. My cat gets on my last nerve. Greeted this morning with cat litter from one end of the laundry room to the other. Bought a new litter box with really high sides. Doesn't work. She hates me.

6. May has officially surpassed December as the busiest month of the year. It is absolute insanity around here with all the coming and goings. Come on June!

7. I lost about 40 hours of my life last week that I will never get back. I spent it looking for the perfect lake house vacation home for my family. It ended up being a futile search and we are going back to our original beach plan. Hardest assignment I have had in a good long while. Was never more thrilled when the search was called off.

8. I went to a Carrie Underwood concert the other night. It was awesome. I cried - real tears that had to be wiped away - when she sang "Temporary Home". That girl has an amazing voice and it was joy to hear her sing. I could have stood for the volume to be turned down a little and for it to have started a little earlier. You can tell I am old when a concert is too loud and too late. Did not get home until midnight!!!

9. I have to start training in earnest for the 3 Day 60 Mile walk in a couple of weeks. That means long walks on the weekends! I am looking forward to it! Hopefully I will keep up my walks during the week once school gets out and will be in pretty good shape!

10. What is up with Dell dying on Private Practice?? Should I have seen that coming??? I was not prepared.

Have a great weekend!

Friday That Feels Like Monday

Just woke up this morning, ready to hit the road for my walk. As soon as the alarm went off at 5:00 a.m. I realized I had made a huge mistake. Harold has to bring a Spanish Dish to school today for his Spanish II class. He researched Spanish recipes and found something he thought he would like - Costillas. These are basically barbecued pork ribs. So, not cheap and not easy.

Yesterday, we went to the store to get all the ingredients. He made the sauce all by himself, squeezing oranges, measuring out all the ingredients. Then he floured each rib and dipped it in the sauce. We cooked them last night for a little over an hour and I was to just reheat and deliver them to his class this afternoon.

What I realized as soon as my eyes were open and I was mentally running through my list for the day was that those ribs were still cooling on the stove from last night. They came out of the oven at 10:00 p.m. - I sent Harold to bed at 10:30 and told him I would let them cool a bit longer before putting them in the fridge. Then, I completely forgot to actually PUT THEM IN THE FRIDGE.

I mentally kicked myself all the way down the stairs, hoping against hope that I was just sleep walking when I put them away last night. I wasn't. There they sat - getting all good and rotten from sitting out all night. Dang it, dang it, dang it.

Now I am waiting for the grocery store to open at 6:00 a.m. so I can jet over there to pick up the ingredients AGAIN!

I have a million work things to do today and I really don't have time to add recreating this recipe to my list. I do not like Friday's that feel like Mondays. Not at all.

Here is a bit of good news I need to share - The Phone Works! Hubby took it all apart, shook out a few stray grains of rice and it turned right on. All Harold's contacts, pictures, etc. All there - all works fine. YAY! I shouldn't even celebrate, I will probably jinx it and drop it in Pork Rib Sauce.