Oh What a Night...

Instead of putting the monsters to bed last night we "hung-out" with them. Ben and Declan played the Wii and the girls and I watched a movie together. Maggie fell asleep on the couch and I left her and went into bed myself. Killi followed me into bed, but opted for her own once I fell asleep. Ben reported that Declan also fell asleep on a couch and he left him:) Maggie did not last long on the couch before she wandered into my room. At 3am the dog decided he needed to go out, barking and barking!!! I threw him out and decided I would replace Maggie on the couch. I am not really sure what time anyone went to bed, but I am guessing there will be some grouchy monsters today...starting with me;-)

I have a killer sinus headache which now is feeling migraine-ish! I have got to do some laundry and make some meals for the week. I also need to clean my room, the bathrooms and do some reading with Killi...how much is really going to get done today??? It is Football Day in America according to Declan:) Tomorrow is another day and I don't have much to do outside the house this week. Maybe I will get the house cleaned before the Family comes on Friday, hahahaha!!!!

An Evil Force!

I am very unhappy to report that my daughters have been taken and replaced by two very mean, out-of-control beings. Ben and I have spent the past few days trying to correct horrid behavior. Last night, they lost t.v. and I thought that was the punishment that was going to work...I was wrong! They topped it tonight! Tonight, after they were tucked into bed, they decided to sneak into our bedroom and steal the nail polish, which ended up on the floor in their bedroom and who knows where else. Because that was not enough "damage" they decided they would try using nail polish remover on the floor to get-it-out! The smell of the nail polish remover is what lead to their room to uncover the latest mayhem! Oh and they were NAKED!!! Both of them running around NAKED!!! WTF!!!

I am at a loss. What do I do to punish them? I am starting to think that they do not care about anyone of anything! I want to cry, wait...I have!

This is the point at which I wish there were a manual! I just don't know what to do!!! They are insane! and it is both of them!

HELP!!!!

Bugs, Football & The Fist Days of School...

What a week we had here! Maggie decided that she was going to wear the "bug" costume we've had lying around the house. She wore it EVERYWHERE this week. By Thursday, the principle at Declan and Killi's school asked her why she wasn't wearing it:)

I guess the positive of the "bug" is that she is cute and the costume only enhances that;-)

Declan played in his first football game today!!!(They had a game last weekend, but the other team fore fitted) Today he played awesome!!!! We were very proud of him; except for when Ben was getting up to help him get a drink and Declan yelled,"I thought you were gonna beat me!" WOW!!! Maybe we need to start beating him;-) Out of the mouths of babes:)



Here he is in his uniform!!! Go Titans!!! And no, that did not go over well in our Steeler house this week:)


To round out the mix this week, school started for the two oldest monsters! And me too I guess as they were crazy enough to elect me to the PTO Board this year:) I am the volunteer coordinator. This was my sign for Open House!


The monsters had a good week! They both seem happy with their teachers and I am too so far, but you know that you would have heard by now if I wasn't:) They did not buy into taking the bus past the first day and that is really okay. Our routine isn't great, but that is us! For now, school is going well all around! And we had a good week! I hope they keep up this way!

All Good Things...

It is not for lack of trying, but I just find it near impossible to stick to a schedule! I really hate them! Well, maybe not hate them but find it difficult to live by them. It's not just me anymore though, the Monsters too are not good with routine! I find that our family does best with a loose guideline. Very little is set in stone and the few things that are, still have some wiggle-room. For example school, getting out the door to school is projected to occur at 8:25am, however they do not HAVE to be there until 9am, so we always have a half-hour to play with. It is the same with school pick up, it can be done between 3:30-4:00pm. Bedtime, no routine there either. I try to get baths done at night, but it is no biggie to do in the morning if need be.

I am told regularly that this is not a good thing and that we need a schedule, a routine, but that makes me unhappy! Crazy even, trying to get everything done the same way ALL the time! My kids do not seem unhappy or un-nerved by are lack of routine, in fact they seem much less comfortable when I try to push routine on them. Maybe I am just seeing what I want to, who knows!

So our house lacks a schedule and has a loose routine, I think I am going to start living with that instead of forcing the unnatural on the fam! Hopefully I will not screw them all up too bad...or I will and they will blame me at the therapist that I will be paying BIG money for:)

Tomorrow's The Day!

Declan starts 2nd grade tomorrow! Where has the time gone? Seems like just yesterday we were looking for preschools, now 2nd grade! I think he is ready and excited to get back to school. His teacher is awesome(and I hope she is a good teacher too:)

Killi Monster on the other hand is either very nervous about 1st grade or quit a manipulator. She spent about 2 hours crying that she could not sleep because she was scared to go to school and would miss me. I suspect she didn't want to go to bed, but I will pretend that she is really going to miss me:) She also has an awesome teacher that I know she is going to LOVE! I am really hopeful that together they will have the breakthrough Killi needs to get it all to click. I know that her teacher will do her best to find what works.

The Monsters will also be trying the bus this year. Killi is excited about that while Declan would be happy for me to drive and pick him up everyday:)

I promised brownies and blondies for dessert tomorrow night so I guess Marg and I will be busy bakers after we get the kids off!

I hope everyone out there has a great school year!

This is it!

Summer is ending. School is starting in just a few days and the cool air the past week has kept the Monsters from the pool. Life has been crazy here the past few days, there doesn't seem to be anytime for anything! PTO and Open House, football and babysitting we had a busy week. I think the kids will enjoy getting back to school after the first week or so of waking up early. The routine should be good for them! And our routine should stay about the same from here on until about January, then Football ends and we wonder what to do on Sundays:)

I am hopeful that Declan and Killian have the best teachers for them this year and that they will each have to work hard and will learn a ton! Fitting homework in with football and scouts should be fun:)

I hope that I am able to continue making a few meals on the weekends to freeze and put away for the busy nights. And that I am also able to get a good chore schedule going for myself so that my house might be clean!

Margaret does not start pre-school until Oct.5 so until then I will have a helper for house work and PTO! That is always fun:)

I cannot wait to post how GREAT our first week is going:)

Lots to Share!

First, my mom, brother, almost SIL and two perfect nieces are coming for a weekend visit at the end of the month! I am very excited! I always LOVE to see my brother and crew and I haven't seen my other niece in about 9 months! This will be a good preview of Thanksgiving with only half the people:)

Next, tonight started my full-press attempt at getting back into a school routine. We had dinner, then showers, quiet playtime, teeth brushed and off to bed. No, it did not go very well, but that is why I started tonight and not next Sunday:) I have also set the alarm for 7:45 tomorrow morning so we can get up and moving! I wonder if that end will work better:)

I got a bunch of dinners made today in hopes of keeping our dining-out to a minimum and hopefully eating healthier meals. I made baked ziti, chili, and rice to use in fried rice. That should help this week!

Football scrimmage on Tuesday and Thursday is Open House for the kids at school. Ben is headed back to work after being out most of the month so he will have lots to do! I guess the best way to get back into the groove is to just jump in!