I got an Award! I got an an Award!

Mandy, over from Life's about a Dream gave this to me! Thanks, you have no idea what this means... on this of all days, especially!

So, Let me tell you 'bout my day...

I got up at 5:15 to pee and couldn't get back to sleep. Unfortunately this has been happening a lot lately. Instead of lying in bed staring at the same dark four walls and cieling and listening to my non-snoring husband snore I decided to go downstairs for some peace and quiet and a nice cup of coffee. As much as I hate waking up super early I love being awake when no one else is. That's rare these days. I don't know what the hell possessed me to start cleaning the downstairs bathroom, off the kitchen, directly under Alexander's room at 5:30 in the morning but I did. And I did not realize how quiet I wasn't being until I heard little elephant feet (how does one small child walk so loudly) up and down the upstairs hallway. Those loud footsteps eventually grew louder and louder and louder. Oh Joy! I always love having a 3 year old up at 5:45 in the morning putting an and to any prospect of a relaxing morning. Such is life and it goes on. My friend Kim would tell me to have a drink. I should have. It might have helped the rest of the day...

At 7:00 I went up and woke up the loud non-snoring person in bed. Told him to go downstairs to keep and eye on Alexander. I wanted a shower. I had my shower but I certainly wasn't going to get dressed alone. Nope. Alexander found his way back up and started opening and rumaging through all the drawers. Doing all that stuff I have no tolerance for when I am trying to get dressed. Especially when I am trying to get dressed.

We had Alexander's preschool orientation today. I was not going to be late. I had to motivate the other two to get up and dressed and feed them breakfast. Meanwhile my hair was not behaving and and I had nothing to wear -- that I liked. I was yelling at Alexander who had been driving me batty for nearly three hours at that point. I was starting to loose my cool. The other two weren't getting dressed -- in fact one wouldn't wake up. I was not getting any help other than being accused of being in a foul mood. Damn right! I hate nothing more than parenting my children while The Silent Partner (to remain nameless) does nothing to help. What-e-ver. Bad mood shmad mood and proud of it. Don't like it? Well then leave -- and "Don't let the door hitcha where the Good Lord slitcha!" Like that? Rebecca and I were watching Hannah Montanna the other night when Miley came up with that one. Anyhow...

We finally get out and to Alexander's orientation in time. It was funny none of the little kids really played with the others. They either clung to their parents or played by themselves. Like Alexander. He played with the trucks in the sand box the entire time! And Christopher threw up. All over the grass. I have no idea what was wrong because after he was just fine. Luckily The Silent Partner noticed that Christopher was looking pale and his lips were blue.

When the party was over we headed over for haircuts. That was fairly smooth. But then there was the shoe store. The over-crowded kid's shoe store that we stoopidly dared to enter the week before school started because Mommy is a dummy and is forever putting things off. We wrote our names down on the sheet and waited our turn. And waited and waited and waited. Finally the lady calls out our name. And we are ready. I start off with Rebecca. She wants a pair of navy Mary Janes. She measures a size 5 and then they tell us they have no shoes in that size. Except for sneakers. There are lots of sneakers. But none that she likes. And the ones that she does like are not in her size. And she wanted a pair of blue Nikes. They were boys sneakers. I have no problem with boy's sneakers at all. But these were... gross... I blurted out ... get this... "No don't get those! They are too butch!" I have NO idea what possessed me to say that! Sure I was thinking it but I am usually pretty good at keeping my idiotic comments to myself. Usually. Not today! I felt like a complete and total heel calling my beautiful 9 year old a butch, because you know that is how everyone else heard it! She looked shocked. And mortified. And I felt more like a heel digging deeper and deeper into the sand. So we moved on and went through several more pairs of sneakers. Nope. Nope, Nope and Nope. And then finally she declared that she liked "Those!" Well, wouldntcha know that "Those" were the first damn pair of sneakers we tried on! Then we move on to Christopher who wants a navy blue of Geox. For $70. Well, I just got him a new pair of sneakers 2 weeks ago. For $50. And he needs a new pair of Merrells. For $40something. I tell him he can have the taupe Geox for $60. They are a nice looking shoe. The navy ones are very nice but they look too much like a sneaker and there are times when I would like him to be in something that does not look like a sneaker. And not quite as dressy as the Penny Loafers he needs. Another $50something. I really do not, NOT want to be spending $300 on children's shoes today and somehow, manage to coherse him into agreeing to the taupe Merrells! I saved nearly $30 that way. Then there is Alexander who wants the Flashing Wee Woos. Translation, the white sneakers with light up red fire trucks on the side. Normally a bit too much for my taste, but Christopher had a pair at the same age when he went through the same Fireman Madness. How could I deprive his brother? But they don't have them anymore. They are an older model. People!!!! There are children here and when they seee Flashing Wee Woo Sneakers you had better have a pair of Flashing Wee Woo Sneakers for them! Geesh! He is over them in a matter of seconds when he sees the red Tsukihoshi sneakers. He wants Those! His favorite color is red. He is so excited. He has the blue ones and loves them. But they don't have those either. Nor the brown ones. Desperate to get him a pair of shoes... a pair of anything I go over to the Crocs on the far wall. I would love to get him a bright orange pair. Nothing. Nothing in his size. No red. No green. No blue. No brown. No black. My heart keeps sinking that I have nothing to get Alexander for his back to school shoe shopping day. Our shoe shopping trip was a bust. Defeated we head home. Alexander passes out in the car.

I put him on the living room couch and sit down to read some email. Then I see I have this lovely award! I am so excited and I want to post it and show you all. But life got in the way. I had kids to feed and dishes to wash. I had dinner to make and dishes to wash. Dinner making was a catastrophe. I was making pesto. The kids love it and I can make those greens mighty tasty! Tonight I thought I would sneak some almonds, pine nuts and flax seed in it. I toasted them up and added the nuts and seeds right into the blender and then knocked over the entire bag of flax seed... all over the counter and all over the floor. What a mess! If you do not know what a while flax seed looks like picture a sesame seed but even a bit smaller. That was fun! Sauteed up some grilled chicken pieces to add to the pasta and the counter is covered with grease splatter even though A) I used Pam to sautee with and B) I had one of those splatter cover doohickey things over my pan. Lovely. Shortly thereafter I managed to spill a good bit of pasta onto the floor and my foot! (Penne, in case you were wondering!) Was I gonna cry about it? Nope. Was I gonna toss it? Nope. I was gonna just dump it right back in the pot -- give it a quick rinse and voila! But shhhh, don't tell! And it must have been OK because there is not much left over!

I had dinner to feed and dishes to wash. Then I had to take Rebecca to her skating lesson. We left the house at 5:30 and got back at 8:00. We cleaned the play room. The the boys were hungry. I gave them some red raspberries and cut up strawberries and 2 chocolate grahams. And dishes to wash. Now it is 9:30 and The Silent Partner is tucking the kids into bed. I will have to go up too. After I finish my glass of wine (that I probably should have had this morning!) and after I finish this entry!

So Mandy... your award to me could not have come at a better time!