Loss of a Legend

Very surprised to hear that Paul Newman has passed away. He was such a great actor. Best known in our house for voicing Doc Hudson, though I remember watching some of his movies growing up. My mom just loved him, thought he was so handsome (which he was, even as he grew older)

I can remember one Thanksgiving, my aunt and uncle used photographs as part of the nametags for the placesettings. My mom's was an up close picture of Paul Newman at one of the car races my uncle had been to. My mom was thrilled!

According to the wiki link, he reportedly had battled with lung cancer. :(

Cancer sucks.

Angry Chicken

Maggie drew this a couple of weeks ago. It is an angry chicken. Apparently, the chicken is yelling at the farmer riding in the airplane. The chicken is hungry, that is why he is yelling.

I just love the kids' artwork and their process.....

If it is Sunday, it is Football Day

I suppose that if the Patriots are going to lose a game this season, it is better that it is a game during regular season, and not one in the post season.

I can't believe how many times the Pats let the Dolphins score. I called my sister and asked her if this is how other teams fans feel all the time. But, it is just one game, and hopefully they will come back and be fired up next week.

I had a good computer day today. I finally figured out how to get a template on both my blog and my myspace. Yay. Considering I am not that computer code savvy, I think this is pretty good. I don't know that I love this template, but now that I know how to do it, it should be easy to switch.

Rrgh.

I am allergic to my watch band. I haven't worn a watch since after the girls were born. That was when I first suspected I was allergic to it. Well, with school starting, I figured it was important to be on time for the bus, so I dug out my watch and got a new battery for it.

Within a day I had a rash. So, I tried gluing a piece of ribbon on the inside. It only helps a little. Weird, since I had absolutely no issues before with it. Although, maybe it is the way the leather was dyed. Who knows. I suppose if I remember, the next time we are out I will get a new watch band.

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I like to think that I am pretty good about recycling. I faithfully put in plastic bottles, cans, glass jars, etc. I recycle newspapers, magazines, junk mail, etc. Well, Lino and I were watching some show the other day and we learned that the plastic caps on bottles aren't recyclable. And, that if there are caps on the bottles, the people at the recycling place will just throw the whole thing out! Apparently it is too much work to sort and uncap everything, so if it has a cap on, it gets tossed. I had no idea, and prior to that I would estimate thta 85-90% of the plastic bottles I recycled had caps. Ooops.

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I was trying to change the template of my blog and use a cute one from CutestBlogontheBlock. I can't get it to work. In the process, I deleted the settings that I had. Hate it when that happens.

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I loved this commercial when I first saw it. I am totally stealing the idea of posting it from Dawn.
I can't figure out how to get the video directly to my blog. Click the link though, it is worth it. I think I figured out the embedding, though maybe not...

Boom-de-ah-dah!





http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at_f98qOGY0

Monday Monday

WooHoo Patriots! It was a good game yesterday. They played the Jets (who have Brett Favre now) and without Tom Brady it did seem as though it was not going to be pretty.

Well, Matt Cassel did okay! It was his first start in a game since college...no pressure or anything....as Patriot Nation held its breath. The rest of the team did a great job. Favre got sacked more than once. Poor guy. Final score was 19-10, which brings the Pats to 2-0 for the season.

The girls came home from school today with homework! They have a homework folder and a chart that I need to sign off on. The teacher included a note explaining the grading system and expectations. I want the girls to get into a good routine with homework, so I let them unwind for aobut a half hour, then we shut the tv off and they did their work while I made lunch. The hardest part was keeping Nate from distracting them!

Friday...

The kids seem to be mostly over the cold. I am almost over it and Lino has it now. UGH. I don't like being sick. Luckily Lino had the day off yesterday, when I was feeling awful, so I was able to rest. Lino has tomorrow off, so maybe he can get some rest, too.

On Wednesday, Nate went to his very first music and movement class. I thought it would be cute for him, give him something different to do while the girls are in school. He did really well, he wasn't shy at all. He is the youngest of the kids, but I don't think that will matter. The man who taught it reminded me of one of my uncles. So, that will occupy our Wednesday mornings for the next 2 months.

Tonight the PTO is hosting Family Movie Night at the school. We will be watching Camp Rock. I hope Lino feels well enough to attend. Maggie and Cassie are very excited about it. They watched the movie a couple of weeks ago at my aunts house and liked it.

Have you been watching America's Got Talent this season? Lino and I watch. There are some very talented acts this year. I am really impressed by Eli Mattson . To listen to him sing and play the piano, it is breathtaking. It is as though you can see his soul while he sings. Really, really good. If he doesn't win, I really hope he gets a record deal.

Nate is particularly taken with a little girl who made it to the finals. She is 4 and sings. It is so funny, he will stop whatever he is doing to watch her. The other night he fell asleep early and missed it, so I kept it on DVR so he could watch.

Fevers, voting and football

Cassie is on the mend. Her temp has been pretty close to normal, she still has a cough though. She is back to her usual happy self, just with the cough. . Maggie never really got sick, just slightly elevated temp and that is it. I was fully expecting her to get the "spots" that she gets when a cold is in the house, but so far she is spot free. (The mysterious rash that the doctor always deems as just a "rash") Nate is currently in battling the fever stage. I think it peaked last night, though. He wasn't happy about getting medicine before bed. I hoped it would help him sleep better, but he was up around midnight wide awake.

I didn't sleep well as a result. But then woke up at 4:37 and woke Lino. I have no idea if the alarm did or didn't go off at 3:55.....I don't remember moving to shut it off (and I am still getting used to the buttons, so I really don't think it is my fault....) I feel bad, though. Lino hates getting up in a super rush for work.

No school for the kids today. It is primary day, so later on we will go for a walk to go vote. There are only 2 democrats running for mayor, so whoever wins today will be the mayor. They have run against each other before, each having won. I like some of the things the current mayor has done. Not a fan of some of his ideas for the future, though. The opponent was mayor before we moved here, though I am not sure what he has done.

Our across the street neighbor is running for town council. We might be inclined to vote for him if he would ever say hello. He occasionally will wave if we are outside, but he has never had a full on conversation with either Lino or I.

And football. I love football season! To quote one of the sports guys, the Patriots' 1 game losing streak is over. Yay. You probably could have heard the collective Patriot Nation stop breathing though, 7 minutes into the game......Brady is going to be out for the rest of the season. UGH. I hate watching knee injuries happen during games. They always look so painful.

I have faith, though, that the Patriots will be able to persevere and still go out and play the best football that they can, and win most of their games. The schedule seems to be an easy one, so we will see. (Although next week is Favre and the Jets) I think that Bill Belichek is a brilliant coach, and there is still an entire team consisting of some very, very good players. Wishing a good recovery for Brady.

Fighting a Fever

It is official. We went 7 days before one of the girls got sick. It doesn't surprise me, as they weren't really ever exposed to many germs.

Cassie has been battling a high fever (up to 102. something) , a stuffy and sometimes runny nose, a barky cough, sleepiness and just general blahs. She gets upset when we make her take tylenol. We tried the chewable/dissolvable ones, she says they taste funny. It was either those, or I have to hold her down to get the infant dropper in her mouth twice.

Maggie had an elevated temp, but nothing over 100. Nate took a sip of Cassie's orange juice before we could stop him this morning, so I am just waiting for him to get sick.

I just hope that it all passes before Monday....that way no school is missed.

*** A bit of info for the next part:

Ours is a no hitting household. We don't do hits/kicks/real bites/pinches, etc. It isn't nice. The only time that hitting, etc is allowed is if you are in danger. All 3 of the kids seem to grasp that concept, which is good.

Okay, a fly had gotten into the house yesterday afternoon. I wasn't able to get it. This morning, it was really beginning to tick me off, following me around, almost mocking me when I would miss it.

Well, I was finally able to get it. Old school style with the dishtowel snap. I even yelled "gotcha". Nate then told Lino that "Mama hitted the fly. Hitting isn't nice". To which Lino responded, "No, hitting isn't nice at all"

Thanks. After a few minutes of Nate telling me hitting isn't nice, Lino explained that it was okay to get the fly.

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Tropical storm Hanna hasn't really been an issue for us. It is steamy and rainy but nothing truly bad. Which is good. I am ok with not losing electricity and having flooding and all of that.

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The Patriots have their first game of the season tomorrow. Go team!! Have to get the kids used to Mama having football on the big tv on game day! They can watch their stuff in the family room!

Kids are cute.

After Nate and I returned from the bus stop this morning, he watched (for the 4th morning this week) Backyardigans Mighty Knights while I caught up on headlines.

At one point he came over to me and we were talking and this is how it ended:

Me: "Okay, buddy, Mama has to go do some chores and make my list"

Nate: (in a small whisper) "For Santa?"

He cracks me up. I wish it was a Santa list. Just a to do list. Then he was all "I just kidding Mama"

Maggie and Cassie had another good day at school. I had been wondering how long we would go before any sickie germs came home. We have been pretty lucky, they are 5 and very rarely get sick. (knock on wood) Well we are at the end of week 2, and Cassie has a very barky cough and a slightly elevated (for her) temp. I still had her go this morning (was that bad? I didn't think she was bad enough to not go.) It isn't a constant cough, but she coughed once in bed and once while getting ready. I am just glad that it is the weekend so she can rest up. I added another gallon of orange juice to my grocery list, though. Every little bit in the germ fight helps.

PTO and a Brave Moment

I attended my very first PTO meeting last night. Lino stayed home with the kids, I wasn't sure how long the meeting would be and I didn't want the girls up too late on a school night. (I got home 1 1/2 hours after their bedtime!) He wants to be involved too, which is great. Next month we will all go (they have highschool kids earning service hours by watching the little kids) and if it runs late, one of us will leave early. The school is within walking distance from the house, so no problems.

I really enjoyed the meeting. The women that are on the board are very nice, very funny, and all about improving the school for the kids. There is a book fair coming up that I will help out with. (I can't wait....I love book fairs!) They are also looking for ways to raise money to get new books for the school library....apparently some of the books have pages that fall right out! I have such a passion for children's books. My mom was a book person....we were raised with books and a love of reading. I plan to be very involved with all things library/book related!


Lino had some great ideas that expanded on what one of the women thought of, so she is excited for his help too. He is such a great salesperson, and is able to see things from a business' perspective, so I think if they listen to his ideas (let him/us help organize it) I think we will be able to accomplish a lot!

One of the things that the PTO is doing at the school is family movie night. Through the boxtops program, they raised enough money to buy movie equipment and a license to show a movie once a month for the families at the school. Popcorn is included, bring our own beverages. When I asked about the oil that the popcorn will be made with, they had no issue at all with checking (they emailed me last night) and will even put a note on the flyer about food allergies for those who bring their own snacks. It is nice to not have to battle to have people understand.....

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On a different note: isn't it amazing how being a parent makes you brave? Before I had children, I would call Lino at work if I discovered a spider or a bug bigger than an ant. Seriously, they freak me out and I cannot stand bugs. At all.

However, not wanting to pass along my fear to the kids, if they are around when I find one, I only freak out on the inside. Last summer, I got a jar for Lino to put the cricket in (ick ick ick...it was in my house!) and we had a lesson about it. We learned from wikipedia that it was a girl, and depending on what culture it was either good luck or bad luck. (That day it was good luck!)

Today, Nate and I discovered a pretty big spider in a bucket in our breezeway. (EWWWW!) However, rather than have a freakout, I showed Nate and took pictures instead. Then quickly released it into the bushes in our front yard. (Near the street, not the house) Before kids I would have drowned the spider in whatever cleaning product I could reach and then put the whole bucket in the trash!

Alarm clocks.

We recently bought a new alarm clock. It is a bit high tech, in that it has 2 alarm settings, each with their own off button. The snooze feature can be activated by pushing a button, or by merely putting your hand in front of the clock.

It makes me nervous.

Why would an alarm clock make anyone nervous? Well, the clock is kept on my nightstand. Apparently I have ninja like reflexes when it comes to shutting off alarm clocks So quick, that Lino doesn't even hear the alarm. Which is bad, since he is the one who gets up with it! With the old clock, after I hit snooze, I would just keep my hand right over the button while falling back to sleep, continuing to push snooze until Lino got up. There have been occasions where he has gotten up late due to my ninja like skills.

I can't keep my hand near the new clock, I am afraid it won't go off at all! The two alarms is a nice feature, though I haven't needed mine yet. Lino is up for work before the girls need to get up, so I don't really fall back to sleep.

We'll see how it goes.

Long weekend over, back to school

Maggie and Cassie had a 3 day weekend. Back to school today. Cassie got upset that she couldn't bring her stuffed kitty with her. It was quite a process, actually trying to get her to stop crying. I hope that she is okay in class.

Lino went back to work today, so it was just me getting us all ready to go. We did fine. Made it to the bus stop early, but not too early. Maggie and Cassie were the only kids there today. We have seen some other kids, another set of twins (first grade) and an older girl (4th or 5th grade), but they haven't been there everyday, and when they do take the bus, they appear just as the bus is arriving.