Catching Up

I know it's been a couple of weeks since my last post, but I've had a lot going on lately, so I'm writing this post to catch up. I also have a few thoughts I need to get off my chest. I'll start with Mother's day- it was a great day for me, but I was more excited for my Mom this year. It all started with a cadbury cream egg this easter- I was eating one at my mom's and she commented that she loves those things (who doesn't, with all the creamy, fattening goodness oozing in the inside. Whoever says they don't like them is totally lying). Anyways, I got to thinking that's where I got my love of them from, as well as my love of just about every treat that I like. My mom used to hide chocolate licorice in her underwear drawer, and so do I. We also used to love to stop at the Hostess store and get lemon pies. The list goes on, but I'll get to the point. After reminiscing about all the things I remember my mother loving when I was younger, I decided to do a Mom's Favorite Things basket- you know, kind of like Oprah's Favorite Things, except without the car. Anyways, I asked my siblings to help me think of all the things mom loved so I could put them in a basket for her gift. I got all her favorite treats, and a few of the things she loves most, like a purse and gift cards to her favorite places to shop and eat. I made a card and typed a list of my favorite things about my mother. I was so excited to give it to her I could hardly wait- and I was desperate to get the darn thing off my counter before I ate all the treats in it. Anyways, I wanted her to really like it because she does a lot for me, and I think she did. I love you, Mom- you're great.

Next on my list is Alivia's birthday. She turned 10 this year, and I feel really old having a kid in the double digits. We went to Fat Cats to bowl with the family, but she wanted a friend party- and not just any party, but a slumber party! I don't usually do big parties, but decided this was a milestone birthday, so I gave in. Every girl needs to have a true slumber party once in her life, and every mother needs the experience of hosting one. Her list of friends was big, but we couldn't really shorten it, so I geared up for the coming craziness. And with 12 girls plus Alivia, it was just that. I'm not complaining, because it actually was a lot of fun. We played games and had a dance and karoake party, then watched a movie until late. The giggling didn't stop until after midnight, but I didn't really mind. It brought back memories of sleep-overs when I was young, and I found myself participating more than Alivia probably wanted me to. By the way- I found out that I'm terrible at Dance Dance Revolution, but not too bad at American Idol karaoke...
Anyways, I've since recovered and Alivia's already planning her next big birthday bash (which probably won't happen until she's 12 or 13).

Alivia also participated in the 4th grade Hershey Track meet this week, as well as her school program. She did well in her track events, and got to run in the semi-finals in the 50m and the 200m. I was very proud of her and enjoyed getting to watch, especially the 200m since that was one of my events back when I was in high school.
At her school program, Alivia got to teach Zane some old fashioned dances that her class has been working on all year. It was quite humorous watching all the kids trying to lead their clueless parents around the gym floor, while Mr. Thorpe called out the steps. Then they sang songs and acted out bits of history of the State of Utah. Alivia was the cutest pioneer in her song/skit, and I have the photos to prove it. All that made for a busy week for us, though I'm glad Zane got the chance to brush up on his dancing skills- he was getting quite rusty.

And now, a desperate plea for help. I've been wondering if the ability to nap is hereditary, or if it's a learned skill. All my kids have been terrible nappers, and I don't think it's a coincidence. Either I'm wrecking them with crappy napping habits, or it's just not in their genes to nap well. Probably it's a combination of both, but I'm just not ready to throw in the towel when it comes to Maycie. She's napped okay up till now, but this last week or so she's been on a napping strike and we've been battling over it. I've tried letting her cry it out, but my poor heart can't take much more of it, so if anyone has any tips, please feel free to share.

Last and most certainly least, I just might be a little bit white trash. While I've always wondered, there are several things that have led me to the conclusion that I probably am. Here's a few of the most recent. I bought what I thought was a cute tunic dress, and wore it out shopping. I thought I was looking pretty good, but was informed that it was in fact a nightgown. I guess that's okay, because I frequently wander around my neighborhood in pj bottoms, and I have no problem driving my kids to school in my bathrobe. Don't look too close at my yard, because my lawn needs a haircut worse than Donald Trump (it's so long that Maycie could get lost in it) and my window wells had weeds so high in them that they could put a south American jungle to shame. Lastly, the point that drove it all home was at my monday morning biscuit brunch. I started feeding Maycie a jar of Hawaiian Delight baby food while she still had a piece of cracker in her mouth. She spit the cracker piece out, covered in the baby food. I picked it off her shirt and put it on a napkin, then licked the sticky baby food off my fingers (hawaiian delight is seriously tasty). A couple of the girls I was visiting with started laughing, but I didn't see anything wrong with that. I've never had a problem sharing my drinks or food with my kids, and a little bit of baby spit didn't even phase me. What's backwash amongst family? j/k to all you germaphobes out there. I've never been one, nor have I ever been a neat freak. Surprisingly, my kids are never sick, so I guess we've built up good germ-resistant immune systems. Anyways, I don't think I'll ever be categorized as the classy sort, but in the end, that's okay.

All in all, it's been a very busy couple of weeks for me. That's alright, because summer's almost here and I'm looking forward to having a little less on the schedule. Though I'm sure after a couple of weeks of my kids fighting and driving me crazy, I'll wish them back in school. Here's to crazy- life would sure be boring without it, now wouldn't it?