Moustaches

Totally random, but something I've been thinking about.  Why is it so taboo for women to shave their faces???  Women are encouraged, almost expected to shave their legs and their armpits.   Yet if a woman has heavy facial hair why is it so taboo for them to shave it?  I have heard from multiple kids that a math teacher at a local junior high school has quite the moustache, but she's a woman.  The kids all laugh about it and think it is hilarious.  I always remind them that EVERYONE has facial hair.  We are mammals after all.  They say I know, but it is really dark!  Which makes me wonder, why doesn't she just shave it off?  What is it that makes a woman second guess shaving her face, but not think twice about shaving the rest of her body?  Just one of those things in life I just don't understand.

Fighting Over Nothing

My kids are normally the best of friends.  They truly do LIKE each other.  They hang out, they tell each other their secrets, they curl up together and watch a movie or read a book together, they are friends.  More than anything else, this tells me that I am doing an okay job at being a mom. 

Why is it that kids, well really people in general, fight over nothing?  With my kids it is at its worst in the car.  Something about being in a vehicle together brings out the worst in them.  They start arguing over the stupidest things.  Normally they fight over absolutely nothing.  Drives me absolutely bonkers!  Once it is pointed out to them and they stop, they go right back to being best friends.  Adults could learn something from that one.  How often do adults forgive the little grievances?  Probably not as often as we should.

For now I am going to enjoy watching my kids laying on the floor coloring and giggling together.  Soon enough I am sure they will start arguing over nothing again (like who gets to sit in a specific chair).  At the end of the day they love each other, more than that they like each other.  They are a good example of what it is to be friends to me.  Friends might not always agree, but you can always let that go and go on loving each other.

Outlaw It

I think mom's getting sick should be outlawed.  Of course, there is no feasible way to enforce it but it should not be allowed.  When the kids get sick they get a sick day.  They stay home from school and get taken care of.  When my husband gets sick he can take a sick day.  He stays home from work and either sleeps or watches tv all day while I take care of him.  When I'm sick.......well I still have to do everything while being sick.  So mom's just shouldn't be allowed to get sick! 

Actually I am very lucky.  I've got an amazing husband and some pretty fantastic kids!  I've been sick all week and all I want to do it curl up and go back to sleep.  Instead I'm still doing most of my usual stuff.  My husband did make dinner a couple times this week so I could rest (and not spread germs, my words not his).  My kids have been doing extra stuff around the house to help me out.  For example Archer ran a bubble bath for Princess so that I didn't have to.  Not a huge thing, but it helped me out a lot to be able to rest. 



Thankfully the crud seems to be on it's way out of the house. At least I hope so! Fingers croseed it's not one of those bugs that comes back around for a second go at it. Until we can figure out how to get mom sick days I'll continue plugging along.  I'll work on getting well as I carry on.   At the end of the day my family is MORE than worth taking care of, even when I'm sick.

Mom Guilt

I have been angst ridden with mom guilt this morning.  Angel got her fingers smashed in the car door right before going to school.  Archer ran in and got her an ice pack while I calmed her down.  Then off we went to school.  I called the school on the way to let them know that Angel was coming straight to the office with an injury.  Less than 5 minutes after she got hurt I dropped her and Archer at the school and then left to take Picasso and Princess to school. 

And oh the GUILT!  How could I leave my child on the curb when she was injured.  Not only injured, but crying.  Did I do the right thing?  Should I have kept her with me?  All the what if's and I should have's started piling on.  I called the school after dropping the two younger ones off and Angel is fine.  The RtI (Respone to Intervention) teacher was there when I dropped Angel and Archer off and walked the kids personally into the office.  She examined Angel's fingers more closely, got her an ice pack and gave her time to calm down.  By the time I called Angel had gone to class.  Phew, disaster averted!

I had Angel's best interst at heart when I dropped her at school.  There is really nothing I could have done at home that they didn't do at school.  She's fine and if she's not they will call me.  Yet that guilt still nags.  How many times a day do we question whether we have done, or are doing, the right thing with our kids?  How often do we feel that we should have done something differently?  Said something different?  Taken a few more moments?  Why is it that dad's don't seem to feel the same guilt?  How fair is that!  As moms we seem to put way too much pressure on ourselves.  I won't ever be a PERFECT parent, but I can strive to be the BEST parent that I can be to my kids.  At the end of the day I don't know that there is a whole lot more that we can ask of ourselves.  If there is, well maybe someone could fill me in.

Father Daughter Dance

It is a night that my girls await with anticipation for....the Friday before Valentine's Day.  That is the date of our school's Father Daughter Dance.  It's not just any old dance either.  It is a night of magic for these girls!  The spotlights, corsages, red carpet, chocolate fountains, and let us not forget the carriage rides.  It was started a few years back by one of the dad's at the school.  He's part of our BAM BAM group - Be A Man, Be A Mentor.  He wanted to take his daughter to a dance held in the next community over, but the cost was too high.  He approached our PTO and the Principal with his idea of holding a dance at the school and it took off from there.  The thought behind it is not only for girls to spend some time with their dads, but also for them to learn how they should be treated on a date. 

This year Princess is in kindergarten and so got to attend the dance.  For the past three years she has watched as Angel has gotten all dolled up and gone out with their daddy.  This year was HER year!  She oh so politely told Angel that it was her turn to go to the dance and her sister had to stay home.  Needless to say that did not go over very well with Angel!  A compromise was struck and an uncle was enlisted to be Angel's date to the dance.  That way Princess could have her daddy to herself for her first dance and Angel could still go.  In a few more years we'll reverse that process and Princess will go with an uncle so that Angel can be her daddy's date for her final Father Daughter Dance.

Dresses were selected months in advance, literally months. The girls loved to pull them out and look at them. Hair accessories were purchased, as were necklaces. The night of the dance came and the girls were dressed to the nines (why is it the nines and not the tens?). I even did make up to make them look "fancy", as they are beautiful on their own. Picasso and I followed them to the restaurant where they were having dinner and took pictures with all four of them (the girls, dad, and uncle). Their aunt had purchased corsages for them, which was an extra added bonus. Then Picasso and I headed off to the dance early to get ready for our picture taking duties. Can I just say how much I love taking pictures at the dance? I love getting to see all the beautiful little girls and their fathers/men in their lives walk that red carpet. The girls are normally grinning ear to ear and the dads just look so proud of their girls. 

It really is a magical night and I cannot wait until next year!

Monster Jam 2012

Saturday night we attended Monster Jam.  Picasso, Princess, one of my best friends and her little boy C went with me.  Archer was on his way home from a scout camp and Angel was sick, so they stayed home with their dad. 

One thing I have to say about the Pepsi Center is that they have great parking!  We were able to park directly across the street from our entrance for $10.  With the temperature in the low teens, this was a huge bonus!  We got our tickets and found our seats.  The kids were super excited to be there!  Picasso had even made a Monster Jam/Grave Digger sign to take with him. 

The trucks they had in Denver were Batman, Monster Mutt, Monster Energy, Iron Man, Spiderman and Grave Digger.  Grave Digger is Picasso and C's favorite truck.  Princess really liked Monster Mutt.  By the end of the night Spiderman was added to the list of the kids favorites.  Ear plugs are a definite must!  It gets really loud, especially when the jet engine powered golf cart came out.  Yikes!  That thing is LOUD.  Pretty cool, but loud. 

In addition to the Monster trucks and all the jumps and tricks that they did the show included a few extras.  There was Quad Wars between Denver and Detroit.  Two teams on 4 wheelers racing around the track.  It was pretty fun to watch.  The drivers were very intense.  Next was Megasaurus, a fire breathing, car eating monster.  The kids thought that it was super cool!  Watching it rip a car in two was pretty neat. 

One really cool thing about Monster Jam is how they treat their young fans.  Every prize that was autographed was walked up into the stands by the drivers and given to a child.  Some of the prizes that were throw into the crowd were grabbed by adults, but they really tried to get them to the kids.  My friend said that when she did the Pit Party last year the drivers didn't talk to the adults, but they focused on the kids.  As a parent, I love that in an organization! 

I've had a migraine since Friday, so was nervous about going to the show.  The ear plugs did the job of keeping the noise level down enough that it wasn't too bad.  I'm glad that we went.  The kids had such a great time and that always makes it worth it. 

Avengers

Every now and then I just have to let my geek out and right now it is saying "OH YEAH!!!!".

Phineas and Ferb the Best Live Show Ever in Review

We braved the weather yesterday and went to see Disney's Phineas and Ferb the Best Live Show Ever.  Have to say, it was one of the best live shows!  If you are a fan of Phineas and Ferb then I highly recommend it.  If you are unfamiliar with Phineas and Ferb the concept might be confusing, but still enjoyable.  They were able to incorporate most of the most popular songs into the show - Busted, Squirrels in my Pants, Gitchee Gitchee Goo, Perry's theme song, and many more.  The flashing lights caused Archer to get quite a headache, but that was due to his concussion.  Princess was worried about us falling under the "inator's" influence.  There was much dancing, singing a long, and smiles all around.  I don't want to say too much and give away the story line, but here are the basics.  It's the last day of summer vacation and Phineas & Ferb end up in our world.  They decide to put on a show to make it the best last day of summer.  They make a mash up machine to help them on the way.  Perry of course has to stop Doofenschmirtz from taking over the audience's mind.  The show was very fast paced and when they announced the intermission I was really surprised that much time had passed.  If you are a fan of Phineas and Ferb then I highly suggest getting tickets to this show!  It was a really good time for our whole family, including my brother-in-law who we took with us.

Snow Day!

Phineas and Ferb Live might not be taking a snow day, but we are!  Here are a few pictures of our snow day so far.  The snow IS still coming down!  I really love the snow!

My sweet husband shoveling the driveway.  The snow pile is well over 6 feet tall!

Picasso and Princess showing me how deep the snow in the backyard is.

Our back door in the snow.

Phineas & Ferb Snow Day?

It is definitely a snow day for most all of the Denver metro area.  We've got over a foot of snow and it is still coming down!  I love these types of days.  Lots of snow and my family.  Perfection! 

However, Phineas and Ferb Live starts tonight, so what to do?  Do they take a snow day too?  The answer to that is no, they are NOT taking a snow day.  Below is the press release from Feld Entertainment:

Due to the Winter Storm

Disney’s Phineas and Ferb:  The Best LIVE Tour Ever!

Offers Ticket Exchange for the

Friday, February 3^rd, 7:00pm Performance

The Friday, February 3^rd, 7pm performance of Disney’s Phineas and Ferb:  The Best LIVE Tour Ever! will definitely still be performed for those ticket holders that can make it to Wells Fargo Theatre. However, due to the Denver area winter storm Disney’s Phineas and Ferb:  The Best LIVE Tour Ever! will offer ticketholders who are unable to make it to the Friday, February 3^rd,7:00pm performance the opportunity  to exchange their tickets for the Saturday, February 4th, 7:00pm performance at the Wells Fargo Theatre for a $5.00 fee per ticket – subject to ticket availability.

Ticketholders must bring their unused Friday, February 3^rd, 7:00pm show ticket to the Wells Fargo Theatre Box Office where they will be issued a ticket to the Saturday, Fe

The Wells Fargo Theatre Box Office will be open 10am – 7pm, pending weather, on Saturday, February 4^th to assist ticketholders with exchanges.  For additional information call 303-228-8205.

February 4^th, 7:00pm performance, if tickets are still available.  A $5.00 per ticket exchange fee will be assessed.  Ticketholders cannot be guaranteed the same ticket location or price level. All ticket exchanges are subject to availability as tickets are limited for Saturday’s show.

No ticket exchanges can be honored for the Saturday, February 4^th, 1:00pm or 4:00pm performances due to limited ticket availability.

If you have tickets to tonight's show and can still make it, then come on down!  Otherwise you can try to exchange your tickets to tomorrow nights show.  As long as we can get out of our neighborhood we are planning on still going tonight.  It might be a slightly smaller audience, but still a great performance! 

No matter what you decide - BE SAFE and STAY WARM!

End of the World?

Archer has been watching a lot of the History Channel while being home with his concussion/broken nose.  Currently they are talking about the Apocalypse and what might have killed off the dinosaurs and what might happen in our future.  The different theories for what caused the mass dinosaur extinction are varied and some rather interesting.  Viral, comet, volcanoes, weather changes, and many more.  Then they talk about things that could happen to extinguish not just mankind, but all living things from the face of the earth.  We are "past due" by 40,000 years for Yellowstone to erupt.  If that happens I'm a goner.  I live within the "fallout zone".  As much as I tend to worry about the most random things when it comes to my children's safety, this I don't worry about.  Will it happen?  Possibly.  Can I do anything about it?  Not a thing, so why worry.  The end of the world could happen tomorrow or it could happen a millenia from now.  There is nothing that I can do about it and so I really do not worry about it.  Instead I will do my best to live my life and give my children a happy, healthy childhood. 

In the meantime, science is cool!  I will continue to watch and learn and enjoy.  I hope that you do too.

Ouch!

Archer is home from school today.  Last night while playing basketball with the youth at church he got an elbow in the face.  His diagnosis is a concussion and "probable" broken nose.  Poor kiddo!  Surprisingly he doesn't have any black eyes, which really surprises me.  He's in a bit of pain, can't walk straight, and is having trouble remembering things.   The thing he is most upset about with all this?  The fact that he is not supposed to read until next week.  He LOVES reading!  Not overly upset about not being able to play video games and having to miss recess at school, but take away the boys books and he's not a happy camper.  Have to say, I kinda love that about him. 

This seemed appropriate for the circumstances.....Alex Boye's "Churchball Anthem".