. : About me : .
Name::April_Mommy
From::Small Town, Arizona, United States
What information would be important here without being too personal? Hmmmmmm... I am a stay at home mommy who loves her kids. I started this blog as an attempt to have fun while keeping track of important things in my life. Alright, not everything in here is important, but it is all from me.
View my complete profile
. : Recent Posts : .
Leaving Blogger
Options
The pain of embarrassment
Christmas makes me crazy!
Dream House
A little bit of frazzle
Cute Family Moments
Alone?
Sometimes when kids don't feel very well, they wan...
It's Here! IT'S HERE!
. : Archives : .
July 2005
August 2005
September 2005
October 2005
November 2005
December 2005
January 2006
February 2006
March 2006
April 2006
May 2006
June 2006
July 2006
August 2006
September 2006
October 2006
November 2006
December 2006
January 2007
. : Video of the week : .
Music Video Codes by VideoCure.com
. : About Sultry Husband : .
The ever Sultry man in my life has chosen to go by the name of Sultry Husband within the walls of my blog. Occasionally he will post his thoughts and experiences here as well.
A writer by trade as well as passion, he keeps our home a happy and inviting place.
. : Friends : .
. : April's Book Club : .
Discussion has begun! Feel free to join us for some reading and discussion.
. : Credits : .
Template By Caz
Powered by: Blogger
Saturday, May 27, 2006
Friendship TraumaM found a spider this morning. She is very paranoid about them so she asked her Daddy to come and kill it. Being the ever dutiful and loving father that he is, the spider was soon nothing but a squished insect beneath the fly swatter.
Things should have returned to normal after that, but instead, L began to wail. For you see, Daddy had killed her "Spider friend". She did not understand how he could do a thing so cruel. How could Daddy kill her friend?!
As I rocked and attempted to console her over the loss of the spider, I could barely keep from laughing. Here we are, hours later, and she is still telling Daddy not to kill any more spider friends... I think that we will just have to kill them in secret from now on, for spiders have no place in my home!
Friday, May 26, 2006
Random FridayFor some reason I am always afraid of doing a "random Friday" post. Probably because I feel like I am stealing the idea from Sariah. That said, I really don't think she will mind...
*************
Phnarph has a marking issue. Sultry Husband takes him to work from time to time (that is allowed when you work with animals all day), and the people there love him. The problem is how he likes to go around the office randomly marking desks. We don't understand this because he never marks things at home. Today, we are trying to teach him a lesson. Some of the people have suggested a particular method that will hopefully cure him of this nasty little habit. We cut cloth strips out of some cotton fabric that we then tied around his middle, covering his ... well you get the picture. When he goes to mark something, he then feels wet, which he does not like at all... So far so good. Perhaps by the end of the day, he will learn his lesson. For now SH has to change the cloth every hour or so... Somehow it just makes me laugh that we are putting diapers on our dog.
****************
I tease L about being my "L baby", because, well she is! As my youngest child, she will be my baby till I have another youngest. At three years old however, this is not acceptable. The game has evolved from there.
"How is my L baby?"
she then shouts "I NOT A BABY!"
to which I ask her "Oh you aren't? Then what are you?"
"I a L big girl!"
***************
M seems to think that she is a Unicorn. She runs around on all fours saying "NAY!" over and over again. If I ask her what she wants, she will paw at me and nay more. Makes me smile, as always. Here is the funny part, she has to have a tail. M stole one of Daddy's ties out of the closet and tied it around her waist to make a tail. I think that I need to find something other than a silk tie for her to use.
**************
I was asked the other day if I would like a small gift from a friend of mine. Books! Why does it now feel like waiting for Christmas to come? Oh I know, it's because the prospect of reading something new is so exciting to me... And seeing that my local library has about 40 books in it, this is the best thing that has happened to me in a very long time... Thank you friend, for making my day!
***************
We have found renters for our Idaho house... I can't remember if I mentioned it before, but we have a six month contract with them. Perhaps I can get a new car now after all!
****************
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul.
And sings the tune
Without the words,
and never stops at all.
-Emily Dickinson
Wednesday, May 24, 2006
DorquadJust before I started my sophomore year of High School, I had a sleep over with some friends. My sister had a friend and I also had one over. After a late night of giggles and makeovers, we awoke to an empty house, as my Mom had left for work early. As the four of us were eating breakfast, we noticed something strange. A roll of toilet paper came flying over the back fence and landed in a tree. We ran outside to see what was going on, when another roll came flying over the fence, followed by another, then another, and another. The war was on.
There was a new family in the house just behind us, who had four boys. Two of which were just younger than myself. They had also enjoyed a sleep over so there were four boys against four girls. We picked up the TP rolls and did what any sane teen-aged girls would do, we threw them back over the fence, into their much larger trees. The wind was on our side, so we were able to make an arch into the air that reached the very tip top of the tree. This game continued for about half an hour, the boys barely reaching our trees, and us retaliating in grand style, leaving beautiful trails of toilet paper so high up in the tree that they would have no hope of cleaning it up. This is when the real fun began.
The boys had planned this all out. The night before, they had shredded about 20 newspapers into teeny-tiny pieces and stuffed them into garbage sacks. They snuck up to the back fence and attempted to hoist them over. Our fence was 8 feet high, the wind as I stated before was on our side. As they attempted to dump the newspaper confetti onto our lawn, a miracle happened. The wind picked up just enough to blow all of the confetti onto the lawn of the boys! We won! The war was over, most of the toilet paper was in the high tree of the neighbors and the newspaper was blowing all over their lawn.
About this time, we returned into the house to finish our breakfast. We watched with delight as the boys attempted to clean up the mess before parents found out about their morning activities. I have to admit that I have a soft heart. Watching them and all of the work they had ahead of them made me feel terrible about the war we had participated in. I talked my sister and our friends into helping the boys clean up the mess.
When the clean up was completed, our girlfriends had gone home, it was down to the four boys, myself, and my sister. We did the only thing that felt natural at that point, we started a game of Volley Ball.
The neighbor boy caught my eye. Not in a romantic way at all, he was at least five inches shorter than I was and scrawny. Instead of relying on looks, he was really fun, he had a great sense of humor, and was actually insanely kind. I gave him the nick name of Dorquad. It started with Dork, then Dork-wad, and the final version of Dorquad lasted all through our high school years. He was my best friend who looked out for me and protected me from the brunt of the teasing that had plagued me for years. I was the only person on the planet allowed to use his nickname.
We attended dances together, we went on dates together (mostly when neither of us had a real date), I gave him rides to school an extra hour early so he could attend Jazz Band. We hung out each and every afternoon as we actually did complete our homework. He let me use his computer to write essays (I didn't have one). Other friends would join our group, and eventually leave it, but Dorkquad and I were always there.
As I left for college, we obviously drifted apart. We would see each other during the summer months, but it was never quite so magical as those three years of high school. He now lives a life very different from my own. He is not married, no kids, never went to college. I do however wonder from time to time how my friend Dorkquad is doing. I hope he is well, for he is the only reason why I survived High School.
Monday, May 22, 2006
Summer FlowersWhen I was a child, my family would make very frequent visits to Southern Utah to see my Grandparents. I loved those trips that were full of fun and laughter. I loved to see what they had done to their yard, what flowers were planted, what trees were bigger, etc. I remember my Grandmother loved Black Eye Susans. She had a very large group of them, here is a picture.
I also remember my Mom taking a few clippings of Grandma's flowers and planting them in her own yard. Whenever I would see these particular flowers, I would remember her. It is now my turn. I have moved to a similar area, dry and barren, and have now chosen to plant my own Black Eyed Susans. Sultry Husband had the idea, and therefore he planted some seeds for me a few months ago. We took them to the greenhouse at his new employment, and they helped them to flourish. I thought that the idea of planting this particular flower was brilliant on the side of my Husband, so he gets all the credit!
Here is a picture of my attempt at these flowers.
The blue butterfly in the picture was given to me by M for my birthday. L gave me a matching pink one that is further down in the planting bed. I am not usually one for garden gnomes or ornamental flowery weird things, but since my girls find such joy in seeing those butterflies, I decided that they could keep my flowers company.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Random UpdatesBees. Our back door neighbor has finally moved her bees! They are now in the back of a 2 acre field! We were about to celebrate together by setting up the trampoline, when we noticed that there is one remaining box of bees... What's up with that?! Yes, she rid us of three huge hives, but she retained one of the smaller ones. She asked me on Sunday (before she moved them), if we had been having any problems that were Bee related. I know what she wanted to hear, that we had no problems and that we didn't mind the bees after all, but I was not about to let her off the hook! Not with my allergic daughter begging to play outside each and every day! I looked right at her and said "We don't allow the kids outside because of the Bees, but we have been finding at least two or three a day in the house." I said it in a nice way, but I couldn't just tell her that things were fine. I think that I finally made an impression on her because the three hives were moved the next evening. I will be baking her a plate of cookies to say thank you, which will give me a chance to ask her about the remaining hive. The only question remaining is will I catch this woman's bees with my honey?
*********************
Mischief. My daughters are the queens of mischief. I know that you are all aware of this based on my previous posts, but what bothers me is that I can't seem to get it through to them that this does not make me happy! Today it was markers. Don't ask me where they got the marker because I swear that I threw them all away a month ago. Wherever they found it, they chose to put it to good use. Three stuffed animals, two walls, and two little girls were decorated with this evil piece of trash. The girls are currently scrubbing at their handy work after they were both scrubbed and scrubbed in the bath. No toys allowed in this one, just me, soap, and my not so soft scrub brush. I made sure that as I washed their pink faces, that I got some soap into their mouths as well. This was not to be a pleasant bath! I think that these two can give Julia's Dot a run for her money. I curse my mother-in-law for cursing me vicariously through my husband. She used to wish that he would someday get a child just like him... Well thanks, now I have two... At least they are cute, so I can't stay mad at them for long.
*********************
Writing. As you all know, Sultry Husband traveled to California a few weeks ago. He was casting a play that he wrote! Yes, he was able to pick the cast for the first ever original play... We will be traveling to California in late June for the Premier, we are so excited! As for his book, we will be signing the contracts soon we hope. There were a couple of issues with the original that I believe have been ironed out, so we will be moving forward. He just had some pictures taken for his "About the Author" section in the back. They turned out great and we will be sending them along to the publisher. Things are progressing, finally!
********************
Homes. For the most part, things are good. We can't find a buyer for our Idaho house, so we have decided to rent it out. All we want is to have the mortgage covered, so things won't be quite so tight here financially. That will feel good. The problem is that I can already see way too many places for the funds to go once we have them available again. Just for example, our car's air conditioning has not worked in 2 years which was not a problem when we lived in Idaho... But today the temperature reached the high 90's... So we are in trouble. Oh, and the tires on the car are still the studded snow tires, (shhhh don't tell the cops! We would get a serious ticket if they stopped us... Just a few more weeks, I swear then we can get some tires!).
*****************
School. I registered M for kindergarten this week... I can't say that the school system here is the best, but for now it is the only option we really have. I plan to do a lot of supplemental work with her on the side. She is already coloring pictures to give to all of her new friends. She wants to have a present for each of them when she starts class because she wants them to all be her friend and presents are how we do that... Seriously, she is so sweet that I can't stay mad at her! Ever!
********************
Teeth. I have a tooth ache. Make that three tooth aches. Two on the top and one at the bottom. I would love to go see a dentist, but our new insurance doesn't kick in till June 1st, so I have to make it that long. Oragel is my new best friend, that and tylonol... I can't drink unless it is through a straw that I stick clear back in my mouth. I have not slept through the night in a week. Ugh, come on June!
********************
I can't think of a good way to end this, so I will just do it. I will say what all writers say at the end of a book, story, essay, or whatever. The End.
Tuesday, May 09, 2006
Home againSultry Husband has been in California since last Thursday. I have missed him terribly, more so than other times when he has been away. It took me quite a while, and discussing the reasoning with my Mom. You see, there was a time when he was away from us for an entire month, but in that month I was at my parents house, hanging out with them. I missed Hubby for sure, but I didn't feel alone.
When I picked him up last night, I felt complete again. This trip, I was so very alone. I have no friends down here, and you can only connect with people for a short time over the phone. There is something to be said about close contact with loved ones. In my world, it is necessary.
******************
My kids went on a rampage this last weekend. They knew that it was just Mommy taking care of them, and thus they were more mischevious than usual. I didn't think that it would even be possible! Each time I went into the bathroom or took a shower, I feared what kind of mess I would come out and face. This is what my kitchen looked like after a 5 minuite bathroom trip...
Yesterday morning, they were watching PBS... I ran in for a shower. Halfway through, M began to pound on the door saying that L had broken the TV. I ran out, and sure enough, she had dumped a pitcher of lemonaide on the television and it would not turn on. I used my blow drier to dry it out a little, and about 3 hours later, it started working again. As I put them down for a "nap" or just some nice quiet time for me, I heard them giggling which is never a good sign. They had snuck into the bathroom, and both of them were covered from head to toe in toothpaste. I threw them in the bath, dried their hair afterward, and sent them back to bed in new clean clothes. I heard giggling again about ten minuites later, went in to check on them, and of course, they were both covered again from head to toe... this time it was athleetes foot powder... into the bathtub for a second time... I was not happy!
As I began to prepare for the hour and a half trip to pick up Daddy, I ran into the office to check his flight time again... to be on the safe side. I swear I was only away from them for about 3 minuites this time... the newly vacuumed family room floor was now covered in Parmesan Cheese and my sliding glass window was scribbled on with crayons. What is the fettish they now have with my kitchen?! And how many times can I give them time out's in a day, take away toys, etc? I refused to give them toys or crayons on the long drive to pick up Daddy... Strapped into car seats with no toys, they were so bored that they fell asleep! YAY! Finally I found my peace while I drove.
*******************
When Sultry Husband returned, he began to talk about his old neighborhood (which happens to be where he was staying). He talked about his old haunts and how they were mostly the same, yet he had noticed some very interesting differences. It had become a little scary in his home town. The new beautiful high school in the area is such a scary place that there are very violent fights just about every day. Hubby had dreamed of someday going back there and raising our kids... obviously that is now out of the question. I ran across this funny saying and thought I would share it as well...
*California -156 years ago!*
*Do you know what happened this week back in 1850, in California?
California became a state.
The State had no electricity.
The State had no money.
Almost everyone spoke Spanish.
There were gun fights in the streets.
So basically, it was just like California today except the women had real breasts and men didn't hold hands.*
Sunday, May 07, 2006
AnniversaryThey can be funny things Anniversaries. Most are good, birthdays, weddings, graduations... I have one today however I remember well, yet it was not a happy day. 16 years ago today, I crashed my bike into the back of a truck. I think that I have shared part of the story before, but it is time to tell more. I don't know everything that happened, I blacked out over and over, so my memory of the details may be a bit garbled, but I will do my best.
**************
I was 11 years old. I had been given a beautiful, fire engine red, ten speed bike for the previous Christmas. I loved it! I rode it all over the place, and I was never afraid to go anywhere. On this day, I had a softball practice down at the elementary school. I threw on my trusty ball hat, grabbed my backpack with my mit, a bottle of water, and my favorite bat. The fastest way there was through the "gully", which was actually just a very large hill that went down, then up the other side. If you gained enough speed and momentum on the downhill side, you could actually make it up the other without having to pedal very hard. I loved the rush that I got when I would move that fast.
As I started down the hill, I realized a mistake that I had made. My baseball hat was attempting to fly off my head. Being the resourceful kid that I was, I simply kept my head down and just watched the road immediately in front of me. What I didn't realize was that parked on the side of the road, within the pedestrian lane, was a truck. It had a camper on the back, the kind that has a vertical door in the middle. As I rode down that hill, I heard someone tell me something. Quietly, the word "swerve" was whispered into my ear. I listened, and seconds later, my head came into contact with the door on the camper. Little did I know, that if my head had hit any other part of that truck, even a few inches to either side, I would not have survived the impact.
My head hit the door, my right leg hit the bumper causing a bad break, my left knee also hit the bumper breaking it as well, but by far the most painful and serious injury was my left hip. It was rammed into the curved handle bars of my ten speed. This basically obliterated the hip socket. The recovery was long and arduous. I have a few good memories associated with the summer I spent in a hospital bed. For instance, the time my brother and I raced my wheelchair through the mall. Laughing and not caring what the onlookers thought. It was one of the few times of my life that I have truly not cared what others thought of me. The limp is less pronounced now than when I was in high school, thus the nickname of Gimpy.
Most of all, this "anniversary" reminds me that I have now lived more of my life with pain than without it. I am tired of hurting, and perhaps someday we will find a solution to the problem. I am told that I will need a total hip replacement someday, hopefully not soon, but I do hope that when I do get it, the pain will disappear all together. For now, I try to live through it and not let it rule my life. I can keep my chin up, and have empathy for anyone who lives with chronic pain. Things will look up and all will be well... I just know it. For now, I will say happy anniversary to me... Well, sort of happy anniversary anyway.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
On this dayOn this day, I was served breakfast in bed. A nice bouquet of "weed flowers" were picked and placed in a nice vase. A party is slated for tonight, just us and the kids. My husband tries to tell me that I am getting old, I gently remind him that he will always be older than me. Somehow this day was more fun when I was younger...
On this day, nine years ago, I was on a bus. An Orchestra tour to San Fancisco. At midnight, I woke everyone up to tell them what day it was. They were not very happy with me.
On this day, ten years ago, I was on a bus. An Orchestra tour to Los Angeles. I woke everyone up at midnight to tell them what day it was. I know that they were not happy with me.
On this day, eleven years ago, I was on a bus. An Orchestra tour to San Francisco. I didn't even think about waking everyone up at midnight. I wouldn't figure out that trick till the next tour... I was depressed that I was away from home... Again.
On this day, twelve years ago, I was on a plane. An Orchestra tour to Los Angeles. It would be my second time ever going to Disney Land. I was invited to play with this orchestra even though I wasn't in High School yet. They needed fill in players, and I was just good enough to cut it. I met my first "TR" or Tour Romance this day. What kind of high school junior goes out with a freshman? At least I never kissed him... yucky!
On this day, eighteen years ago, I had a party. I won the game of pin the tail on the donkey, but my mom wouldn't let me have the prize because it was my party. I had to be a good host, she said. I just wanted the prize because I won.
On this day, twenty one years ago, I had a party. We went to the park, it was so cool! We had relay races down the twin slides. I never won though. Those stairs were hard to climb that fast, and my older sisters have much longer legs! The "make the bed fairy" began to show up. She would make my bed while I was in the shower or eating breakfast. I thought it was nice of her, when I asked my mom who she was... I was told that she was a special fairy who made people's beds on special days. Someday I wanted to meet her!
On this day, twenty seven years ago, I was born. The fifth of six children, I was surrounded by people who loved me. Happy birthday to ME!