Max's First Day of School

Max with his new teacher!

My First Day of School 1987?

Big Talker

I talk pretty big, but there are many times when I have a thin skin.  I have terrible self esteem issues mostly related to my ability to make and keep friends, but that is a discussion for another post.  Today we got the feedback from a showing of our house.  I get that the house isn't for everyone but hearing that it didn't show well and getting a low score on our realtor survey hurt.  I am pretty upset.  Jeff and I have put a lot of work into that house and continue to drive over to water and check on it every other day.  Feeling a bit punched in the gut right now.  This is gonna be a long process over the next few months and I need to learn to take it less personally, but it is my house.  That is pretty personal.

Divided

Jeff asked if we were going to Chick-fil-a next Wednesday.  Here's the deal, do I support Gay Marriage?  Nope, sure don't.  Do I support the right of all individuals to express their political beliefs?  Yes, (although I find it really obnoxious on facebook, and will respond if goaded enough.)  What I don't support at all is the further fracturing of our society into us versus them.  I remember a few months ago almost dying inside when I read that a friend suggested that as citizens we should just leave the states to themselves and if one state becomes more depraved then we desire then just move and let them rot.  I do not support us versus them  I believe that we are all in this together.  I am not going to support Chick-fil-a and not shop at J.C. Penny.  I am gonna eat where I like the food and shop where I like the clothing.  Hooray for Capitalism!  In my life I have only actively boycotted two things.  I did not watch the 2008 Olympics in China because I disagree with their continuing human right violations and I do not shop at Shell Gas Stations because of their less then safe work practices in Africa.  Did I make a difference?  Nope, but I feel better.  Will going to Chick-fil-a on Wednesday make me feel better, no, I imagine that it will make me feel worse. 

Mad Skillz

I bought Max a hula-hoop a couple weeks ago.  Surprisingly he is quite good at it.  It is fun to see your kid excel at something even if it isn't a marketable skill.

Canceled

Grrr last week we had to replace our entire furnace system.  Heater, air conditioner, and heat pump all replaced.  I won't even tell you how much that cost.  It hurt us.  We also have the other house on the market again, so no rent check.  We have tightened our belts and had to cancel some activities.  Sadly we are canceling the trip to Disney world that we had planned for Max and Jeff this coming December.  About a year ago I thought it would be a great experience for Max to go to Disney world before he got too old to believe in the characters.  I first planned it for last spring but it kept getting pushed off til we decided December.  Well now it is on permeate hold, and that is okay.  I get these ideas in my head of things that I have to have or things the kids need to experience.  Well nobody needs to go to Disney world.  It just would have been a nice thing.  Perhaps what I am more bummed about is my canceled trip to Vegas this fall.  My sister Krista and I were going to do a Warrior Dash for her birthday.  I was really pumped and already training.  She and I both discussed it and decided that while a girls weekend would have been awesome, it was not in the cards for us this year.  Maybe next year.  It is easy to get down about my canceled plans and feel sorry for myself, but I have a beautiful huge house.  This was a decision Jeff and I made three years ago that we do not regret.  It fits us and we love it.  We may never move until we are so old they have to haul us off to the old folks home, (or until the zombie apocalypse when we will have to go live on the Compound and eat dirt.)  With this wonderful house comes the baggage of having to sell the old house.  It is an ugly position to be in, but we hope it will not be for too much longer.  Sacrifices of vacations and dish network have to be made, but in the end it will totally be worth it.  I would like to see my sister though. 

We Don't Get Pool Passes

We have a lovely pool less then five blocks from our house.  For a family swim pass it is like $135.  We don't have one.  Here's the deal, I cannot handle going to the pool with my three kids.  I tried going with the two kids last year, and every time I blinked Mae would try to drown herself.  I can't even imagine how it would be with three.  Mae is not that much more developed discipline wise this year, and now I have Spike to take care of. (I wish people would understand that watching Mae is often like watching a one and a half/ two year old.  We can't communicate and I can't just tell her not to do something and expect her to understand me right away.  It feels like I have two babies.)

 So we travel a few miles into Bentonville and go to the free Splash Park.  I can handle it for the most part and the kids like it.  So why the post?  Well I am getting really annoyed at people treating me like a freak for not having a pool pass.  So many people we know have them.  The ward playgroup even meets there.  For the annoyed eye rolls I get you would think I have said I cannot go because I have chosen not to own a car.  I don't want the stress of dressing my kids, taking them and all the gear, then watching them like a hawk without blinking for and hour or two.  Not to mention that these things usually end in tears for one reason or another.  Something always seems to happen.  So no, we don't have a pool pass; and yes, it's okay. 

This was the best shot Spike would allow.

*Shout out to my known readers Meg and Lara.  I don't mean you guys and do appreciate any invitations sent our way.

The Kid Needs a Break or Maybe I Do?

Spinach Smoothies are great!  Would you like some of mine?

Maybe we are ready to be done having kids.  I find myself easily annoyed with Spike for small things that aren't really his fault.  He is a baby and supposed to be a messy eater.  It is not like Mae is much cleaner.  I need to stop expecting behavior from Spike that he is not ready for, and I need to stop being annoyed at my baby.