Now what?

The olympics are over. Sad. SAD!! Now what am I supposed to do with my dreary, dreary life?

Oh, hey! I got an idea? I'm going to Vegas, baby! Woo-hoo! I've got a couple of friends who need a fourth chick and they called me and said, "Um, Lori? Do you want to go? I mean, if not, it's ok, but we, um, need another person, but if you are busy, it's totally understanda...." "YES!!!!!!!"

See ya suckers! After 16 days of Olympic filled chaos, I am blowing off this popstand and rolling into sin city. What shall I do while I am there, you wonder? Well, numero uno on my agenda is take a nap! Numero Dos? Eh. Read a book? A magazine? Catch up on world events? I mean, what else is there to do????

So, enough of that. Let me fill you in on the last few days....

We moved Ben into his big boy bed! While I was extremely sad about this turn of events, he has done very well. He stays in there for bedtime and naps, even when he isn't sleeping. I hope that this remains the case for a while, but my expectations are very low.

My parents went on a CRUISE! This qualifies as news because they have not been on a "real" vacation since Kinsey was born. And, they have never been on an all-inclusive, and from what I have heard, my dad might need to break out the elastic waist pants! Ice Cream + All you can Eat = Trouble!

I had a Pampered Chef party and successfully cleaned my entire house. So well that my husband thinks that it is time for me to ditch my cleaning lady. When will I ever learn??

I signed up for a 10k on Mother's Day. That's in 2 months. That's 6 miles. (6.2 to be exact). I ran 3 miles on the treadmill yesterday and I thought that my lungs were going to shoot out of my throat. Should be a fun race, eh?

One more....

Tonight was a very telling night. I had a total "flash-forward" moment and I didn't like it one bit! Picture this, my daugher, wearing pajamas and a super messy ponytail, standing with her feet apart, hands on hips, saying, "MOM!!! YOU. ARE. OVER. REACTING!!!!!!" Oh dear. What on earth have I gotten myself into?

I shall leave you with a couple of pictures. Please note my boy and his blue hair. He found Kinsey's super cool hair paint and decided that he wanted blue hair. It was the cutest thing ever. He went to church like that (my mothers of preschoolers class thingy) and then we brought Doug lunch. Ben marched right up to the president of the company and said, "HEY! Gook at my hay-uh! It's BYOOOOOO!" (translation: HEY! Look at my hair! It's blue!)

what the heck is going on? Where have I been?

I don't have much time, I just wanted to stop by and give y'all an update. I just can't sleep at night because I know that my many followers are worried sick regarding my whereabouts! But, alas, all is well in the Kaczmarek house. But, the Olympics are on, for Pete's sake! I am a devout Olympic viewer and I will NOT sacrifice them for any man or child. NO! I will watch my Apolo Ohno and my Linday Vonn until I pass out from exhaustion. (which, by the way, is where I am at today. *yawn*)

So, I don't have time to update a piddly little blog, when there is tv to be watched and Americans to be cheered on! And, for those of you who are reading this, go get your arse on the couch where it belongs!

See you soon! The commercial is over!

The best weekend ever!

Hello people. I am now 36 years old. My big day was on Friday and I actually woke up feeling older! How does that happen? My back hurts, I've got wrinkles. sheesh! I guess I'm no spring chicken!

But, I do have one saving grace....Doug! He will always be MUCH older than me! :)

For my birthday weekend, he rented an awesome house for us in Estes Park. We took the kids up there on Friday afternoon and had a fabulous weekend. We all played and laughed and ate together. (Emphasis on the eating. ugh) And, the best part of the weekend was the Olympic Opening ceremonies! Woo-hoo! It was easily the BEST WEEKEND EVER!

I did learn a few things over the weekend...

1. Doug is awesome. He is so good to me and spoils me rotten. Sometimes he doesn't get the credit that he deserves. Sorry about that! :)

2. Kinsey does not feel cold. She and Doug went sledding and frolicking the snow while Ben and I hung out in the car. Apparantly he got his mom's "cold genes"!

3. Ben is capable of falling out of a bed and not feeling it. I guess he didn't get his mom's "pain genes"!

4. I wish I could be an Olympic athlete. Think there is any room for me on the old ladies curling team? I have my own broom!

5. Estes Park, and Colorado in general, is absolutely beautiful. I feel like I take it for granted sometimes. I am lucky to live in such a gorgeous place.

6. Microbrews at 7000 feet will do you in.

That is ENOUGH learning for one weekend. I am too old for life lessons!

Back to the silly side o' things!

Ok, enough of being serious. Whew! That kind of thing wears me out! I would much rather chuckle at the nonsense that comprises my daily life.

Case in point: Today, Ben and I were playing with Doug's poker chips. (Doug had a poker party over the weekend, so my lovely dining room table, that I waited 8 years for, is now covered in green felt. Sigh.) Anyway, I though that Ben just wanted to build things with the chips. So, I was all into making my cool tower until I glanced over at him. He had 4 smaller stacks of chips in front of him and he was looking at me. When I saw him, he got a HUGE grin, and shoved all of the chips forward. He said, "Mommy! I'm all in!!!" Hahahaha! I believe that my husband has been spending a little too much time with Ben when I am not around!

So, the latest development that I am trying to ignore is that Ben wants to give up his naps. I throw him in his cage every afternoon, but he just hangs out and throws crap all over his room. (You would think that I would stop giving him crap, but I suppose I haven't yet learned that lesson.) What am I going to do if he stops napping? Hello?? I will have zero free time. ZERO!! I knew that he would give up his naps when we moved him to his big bed, but that was MY choice. Not his! Why on earth am I raising a child to make his own decisions. Bad Mommy!

I feel the need to throw in a tidbit about my girl. She and I have been spending a lot of time together lately talking about her behavior and how we can get that under control. I am not naive enough to think that we have a handle on her hysteria, but perhaps we have made a little progress? At least now, when she is flipping out having a major meltdown, I can haul her ass upstairs and throw her in her room with no guilt. It is one of her pre-determined "calming places"!

One more thing...Kinsey had her 6 year checkup on Friday. Have I mentioned that? (Note--the "calming place" is a suggestion from the doctor, I am not smart enough to come up with that geniusness! (I know it's not a word, but I'm going with it!)) Back to the appointment...my girl is 51.5 inches tall, 55 pounds. The doctor just said, "You know that she is totally off of the growth charts, right?" I'm like, "DUH!" So, if I am doing my math correctly, which of course I am, she has grown 28.5 inches in her 6 years of life. That averages out to 4.75 inches a year! Sheesh!!! No wonder I can't find any friggin' pants to fit this kid. Thank goodness that spring is coming--capris and shorts and skirts from here on out!

(Not that weather plays any part in what she wears on a regular basis. Since she gets to pick out her own clothes on the weekends, please lay your eyes on the ensemble that she assembled for the Super Bowl Party. Sigh.)

"Through God all things are IMpossible!"

This is a direct quote from my son. At first, I was like, "Holy moly! You just said a bible verse!" And then, I was like, "Wait! HUH?" I totally cracked up laughing at him, which immediately turned him into Mr. Comedian, so he had to repeat it a zillion times. "IMpossible! IMpossible!"

So, can I get serious for a minute with you? Lately, I have kind of been feeling like that. Things are impossible. Everyone I know has a sick kid, a sick relative, a sick pet. There have been deaths in the family. Sudden and not so sudden. The loss of a pet is devastating. The loss of a father--you are changed forever. A sick parent, a sick child. It's everywhere right now. It feels as though things are impossible.

So, in a time like this, where I feel like the world is pressing on me from every side. I have to stop. STOP! Take a breath and really think about my life. What do I have to be stressed out about really? I mean, REALLY?!?! In the grand scheme of things, I am one lucky gal. So, I would like to take this time to count a few of my blessings. Are you cool with that? Good.

1. My kids. My #1 priority. They are both sick. They both have vile things coming from all of their orifices. VILE! Ben and I spent the morning in urgent care with what turned out to be a nasty ear infection. But, regardless of all of that, they are not SICK. You know? My mom told me that she recently saw a family at a restaurant with a child who obviously was undergoing chemo. She was bald, weak and sick. And for that family, I send them prayers. For my family, I give thanks that, while they are sick, they are not SICK and i can deal with the snot, the poop and the antibiotics (which require hog-tying my son to force down his throat, by the way). My kids are healthy. They are beautiful and smart and strong. How lucky can I be?

2. My husband. He drives me bananas. But, what would I do without him? Who else "gets" me? Who else would let me buy Coach purses and leave piles of laundry to fester? Who else cracks me up and laughs at all of my jokes? (ok, everyone laughs at my jokes because i am hilarious, but you know what i mean!) I know he loves me and I love him. How lucky can I be?

3. My home. I love my house, my neighborhood, my town. It took a very long time for me to love this town, but I eventually did. I love my rec center and my boot camp class that kicks my arse twice a week. I love my Sundance girls and my bunco night! I love my babysitting co-op girls and the fact that I have a list of people I could choose from to be my "in case of emergency" numbers! How lucky can I be?

5. My parents! I am stressing out with cabin fever. I choose a time that I want to go on a trip, and they say they will come watch my kids. They don't hesitate. They have always been there for me and love my kids more than I ever thought possible. They bring me Christmas presents through a blizzard and get up with my kids in the night so I can sleep in. They buy donuts for breakfast and feed the ducks, they are the grandparents that I wish every kid could have. How lucky can I be?

4. My friends! At the top is my #1 girl, Chrissy. One year ago she lost her father. This year she is going to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro. She is the strongest girl I know. She is the best girl I know. She is my sister and my confidant. Even though we live different lives, she is the one who will always be there when I call. How lucky can I be?

I could go on and on and on. I am blessed. That is the bottom line. At a crazy time in my life, when I am being pulled in all directions, I am happy that I have this list to remind me that my life is good. It's real good.

How lucky can I be?

Basketball scholarship...here we come!!

Here I am, as promised, with details and pictures from Ben's first sporting venture. And can I say, HE ROCKS! He loved it! I am bursting with pride! This was his first "real" class and he did great. It is more of a class and less of a basketball game, so they are teaching the kids about dribbling, passing, shooting, etc.

The only problem that Ben seems to have is the whole "standing in line" thing. I am guessing that, since he isn't in preschool, he doesn't have a good grasp of that whole concept. So, they keep telling him to go to the end of the line and he runs all the way to the other side of the gym! But, if that is his only problem, I will take it! (well, that and the fact that he is going to be the only professional basketball player to wear diapers!)

Check out the skills of my boy...

Needless to say, his Daddy is bursting with pride. We shall see how week #2 goes. You never know with my kids!

I shall wrap up today's entry with Ben's Quote O' the Day:

Ben: "Mommy, do you see the booger on my finger?"

Me: "Yes, Ben. Let's wipe that off!"

Ben: "No! Watch me EAT IT!!!!"

barf.

I am SO over this illness nonsense.

Seriously. Does it ever end? Today, the day of the 100 Day Party, I took Ben to the doctor. Poor guy is hacking up a lung and I wanted to make sure that all of his insides were still attached. Fortunately, his lungs, ears, etc look good, so I just have to watch him and make sure that it doesn't evolve into something nastier. Here is my little sick boy in his favorite Krabby Patty shirt. (And if you don't know what a Krabby Patty is, you are a lame-o!)

After I got home from the doctor, I made him lunch and then Kinsey's school called saying she wasn't feeling well and could I go get her. Annoying! I get there and she is fine. A little pale, a lot pathetic, but fine. I think that she played her "I'm sick" card one too many times. Tomorrow, I told her that I am going to tell her teachers that I am not coming to get her, so let's pray that nothing really bad happens! Oh, and I should add that she turned into a pony tail girl! She loves having her hair in a ponytail, but hates having her picture taken. So, I took a couple when she got home from school yesterday, so it's a mess and she is NOT happy!

But, back to the 100 Day Party...let me run down the checklist of things that we had to create for today:

1. A t-shirt with 100 things attached to it:

2. A 10x10 poster board with 100 things attached to it.

3. A bag with 100 things in it that they can count

4. A snack consisting of 10 pieces of 10 different food items.

Sheesh! Is that a little overkill? They can friggin' count to 100 for Pete's sake! I get it!

But, she looked adorable in her shirt and of course would not let me take her picture. So, jsut think about her in this shirt (that she designed!):

Cute, right?

So, the party is over. the illness is still present and I am hanging on by a thread. I am thinking about calling in sick tomorrow. BWA HAHAHAHAHAHA! As if!

Stay tuned for tomorrow--even though Ben is hacking up his innards, he is going to start his basketball class! I will be armed with my camera and a juice box!