Picture a day in May, Day 25: Jake's a Bear and what he whittled

Don't you just love that title? Straight and to the point!  Jake has earned his Bear badge for Cub Scouts and will be getting tt next week at the Pack Meeting.  We did so much better than last years finishing up the night before his birthday...That is pretty much the story of my life for the past almost 2 years...Probably longer if I really wanted to admit it, but I don't, so I am going to stick with 2 years. :)

Sorry for the blurry picture.  I was trying to take it quickly so he could use it.  You see although this shows the date of the 25th I am really doing it on the 26th and changing the date.  Jake really "whittled" this bar of soap last night at Cub Scouts.  It was so warm out (94, I think) that it was kind of getting too soft to actually whittle so he went with a design, and I just love it. :)

I cut Jake's hair into his "Summer Do" (a tradition ever since he ended up with head lice at the end of Kindergarten.  I was awesome...) tonight (which is actually the 26th...), and he wanted to take a shower in the hose outside after rather than taking it inside and that is why he needed the soap in a hurry.  I was yelling raising my voice at him, again, to hurry up.  He is the king of stalling.  But any way, a shower in the hose works for me, and yes it is that hot here already.  It was 93 degrees out today.  It is the end of May and we have already had a LOT of days in the 90's.  Summer starts early in the South.

Picture a day in May, Day 24: If you have a little girl you MUST go to Target....

..and buy her this bathing suit.  Seriously how cute it that?  Yes I do carry my camera in my purse at all times. :)

Also...on a totally unrelated subject and a picture that really isn't good enough to be the photo of the day...Jake was in the "Knowledge Bowl" today at school. If you were on the honor roll for 4 out of 5 terms you were invited to compete in it. Jake's team (team #9) went today, and sadly they were eliminated-but they did great! I am not even kidding you when I tell you there were a few a LOT of questions I didn't know the answers to.  Jake did great!  He was bummed that he "lost it for his team" (which he didn't) because there were 2 questions that no one was answering, so Jake guessed and got them wrong so the questions went to the other teams and they ended up getting them right.  Each question was worth 10 points and they lost by a lot more than 20 points. (I think the final score was 280 to 360 or something like that.)   I told him it is better to guess and get it wrong than not do anything at all because you may guess right!  I was so proud of him.  They were up on a stage in front of the whole 3rd, 4th, and 5th grades and he didn't even seem nervous.  So, here is the one and only picture I got to take and it is pretty pitiful so it couldn't really be the picture of the day but I had to post it. :)  You did awesome Jake!!! 

Brain Declutter: Because as far as words go..I've got nothin'.

My brain seems to be on vacation here lately.  Maybe decluttering it will help...Hopefully there is something in there that will come out and make sense....

*I forgot to go back and post about why Aaron had a week off from work. Short version: He had an accident, in which he scratched the tip of the wing on a plane while he was towing it.  The company policy is that they have to leave work immediately and take a drug test.  This happened on a Thursday night and he went and took the drug test Friday morning....Blah, blah, blah...They got the results and on Wednesday he had a meeting and he was back to work Thursday night (he would have gone back that night but he is off Mondays and Wednesdays).  Good now it is documented (kind of) for posterity's sake.

*I have a song running through my head, at least part of one that I am using to justify my "blahness".  It is from back in the day when I listened to music pretty much all the time.  I can't remember at the moment who the band is...Better Than Ezra, maybe?  Any way the line that keeps going through my mind is "Seems like it's always understood this time of year.  Well, I know there's a reason for change.  And I know there's a time for us.  Think about the good times and you live with all the bad.  You can feel it in the air.  Feeling right this time of year."  Great song.  Really the words that keep popping in my head are the "feels like it's always understood this time of year."  Some people get the blues in the winter.  I get mine in late Spring. Maybe it is another birthday?  But I don't think so.  Maybe it is the Spring Cleaning.  Cleaning and organizing gives you a lots of time to think.  I tend to think of all the things I haven't accomplished in the Spring for some reason...Maybe it is because bathing suit season is coming and I am still fat.  Not that that has ever stopped me from swimming.  Maybe it is allergies. :)  Maybe it is the end of another school year.  I CAN NOT wait for school to be out...but at the same time the 4th grade is coming to an end.  Jake will never be in the 4th grade again.  For some reason the words to the song play in my head and I feel like it is okay to reflect a little and even have the blues, just a little for a little while.  Not bad blues-just the ones that make you refocus on what is truly important and what should be a priorities and what isn't. So, that is why I keep running those words through my head "Seems like it's always understood this time of year."  That might make any sense to you, but it does to me...:)

*Jake loves to roll his eyes, sigh, and try to talk his way out of everything I ask or tell him to do. He tries to compromise EVERY aspect of what is asked of him and when he really needs to do it.  Take out the garbage, take a shower, scoop the poop, etc.  It drives me insane and I end up yelling at the top of my lungs raising my voice and he gives in.  I have started going right in at speaking loudly right after he rolls his eyes and sighs.  I am sick of compromising.  If I speak loudly he does it quicker.  I know this is not the best way to parent but all the energy I have right now.  I am thinking of borrowing a genius idea from Nike and I may make a sign that says "JUST DO IT!" and every time he rolls his eyes, and sighs I will hold it up.  It will be like yelling with out the guilt afterwords.

*I bought some tanning oil because I will not have white legs this summer.  The other day Aaron said, "Your legs are almost dead person white." Thanks for keeping it real Aaron.  The sad part is I agree with this statement completely so I couldn't be offended.  Maybe I will post a before and after. :)

*I think birth control pill may kill me...Okay, I may be a little over dramatic, but I  now know what it feels to have all those hormones in my body I am supposed to have and I don't like it.  For the record I am not taking birth control pills to control birth.  I am doing it to try to regulate my hormones (I have PCOS for those of you who don't know) and it appears there must not have been much in there to regulate...I have been keeping track and this is how is goes for me:  Week 1 on the pill I have a head ache so bad I want to crawl in to a dark whole and shut out the world.  It is horrible for one day and no fun for 2 after that. Week 2 is not being able to sleep. Awesome.  Week 3 is stomach issues and spotting.  Diarrhea and sometimes puking.TMI, I know but it is true. Week 4 is  the lightest period known to man (or woman I guess I should say.  I am used to having my period every 2 or 3 months and it being very heavy for 7 to 10 days), and being always on the verge of an emotional or mental meltdown.  Hormones rock.  This better be worth it...

*There are officially 13 days of school left, not counting today.  I said there was 23 like 7 weeks ago I swear. :)  But this is the official count.

*Jake passed the EOG's (no surprise there).  They send home this sheet with 2 numbers that mean absolutely nothing to me, but then out to the side written in it says "Great Job!" so I am assuming it means he rocked them.  I can't remember from last year what the numbers mean but they are similar to last year and he was placed in AIG (academically and intellectually gifted) so, AWESOME JOB JAKE!

*That is all I've got.  My brain doesn't have much that needs to be decluttered...

Picture a day in May, Day 23: Memory Lane...

(This is NOT a hint that I am pregnant, because I am not...Just a picture that I couldn't resist posting.)

This folks is a  wonderful example of why you should journal.  Back in 2004 (can you tell that is when I finally learned how to put my pic's on the computer?  Before that it was putting them on a picture CD at Walmart...Every time I want to post an older picture the farthest I can go back really quickly is 2004...), we went to the doctor and  I remember Jake had "Blue Boo" (his blanket) and then stuck it under his shirt to pretend he had a baby in his tummy. :)  Was this at his 3 year well visit and he had to get shots that is why he had Blue Boo (yes it has to be capitalized because that is "his" name)? Or maybe a visit for me because this was the last time we did fertility drugs?  No idea.  It would be nice to know.  Let this be a lesson to me (and anyone else who needs this lesson too): Journal you dummy because you won't remember the absolutely darling things Jake did when he was 3, 7 years later!!!!  Seriously though how cute is he?  Look at that blond hair and little face...At least I always have my camera in my purse to catch the memory in a photo. 

Picture a day in May, Day 22: As Good a Place as Any For a Nap...

...if you are a dog that doesn't want to miss anything of importance. (Meaning: any plates or dishes I will let her lick off before putting in the dish washer.)

Picture a day in May, Day 21: A life lesson taught by a Couponer

One day when I was at work, I had to run a gallon of milk (or something cold...it was a while ago and I can't remember every detail...I guess that is why I should have documented it a long time ago) back to the dairy section.  I saw a an older lady fumbling with a handful of crumpled coupons looking very frazzled.  I said hello and asked her how she was doing.  She looked at me, and said she was getting over being very sick (being a cashier at a grocery store is right up there with bar tenders, hairdressers, and therapists, when it comes to people pouring out their hearts to you...I could write a book!),  and couldn't wait to get home and get back in bed. This was her first outing since feeling a little the teeniest, tiniest bit better, but she had to get some things and her husband (shame on him) wouldn't even do the shopping for her-he was in the car waiting.  She looked at the crumpled coupons in her hands and said "THIS is my life!", and kind of shook them in the air in front of her.  We both chuckled at her little analogy and I did what I could to help her.  I have thought about that little life lesson so many times since.  Is my life (laundry, dishes, errands, callings, relationships..etc)  well organized or a bunch of crumpled up coupons that I really want to use but don't even know where to begin?  Hopefully some where in between...
This is how I would like my life to be:

 Completely organized.  In order of the aisles of the grocery store I work and shop at.  Ready to use when ever I need to.

In reality this is how my life really is:

...Way behind on everything!  Some of the coupons are cut out and where they are supposed to be, but some are sitting neglectedly (I just made that word up.  Its my blog and I can if I want to) on top of the puzzle I finished...a while ago...That my husband keeps reminding me, I said I was going to use puzzle glue on to keep it together...a while ago.  So many things to do and so little time...And yet here I sit blogging (when I really should be sleeping...).  To this I say: "THIS is my life!"  I am working on it.  I will work on my coupons tomorrow night at 9:00 pm and watch Materpiece Classics on PBS and get a little closer to organized in at least one small category of my life...But only a little...There will still be that puzzle underneath to take care of.

As a side note: I happened to look out the window as the lady was slowly pushing her cart to her car.  Her husband came around the back and opened the trunk...and watched her as SHE put all the bags in.  As old as they were and as long as I am sure they were married, he really should have learned that was his job...I guess we all have things to work on.  :)

Picture a day in May, Day 20: Gross

Evidently Jake the person who did this never noticed.  It has been there for several days.  It' gone now, thanks to me.  How do you not notice your hands are that dirty you ask?  It's a boy thing I will never understand....