This makes me happy.

This morning I woke up without a brain, and took all three of my kids shopping, outside, in triple digit heat.

Oh okay, I have a brain. I just really wanted to see if this pair of shoes I wanted was on sale before I take a little trip next week. (more on that at a later date!) My want for the shoes outweighed my un-want of taking three kids with me, so off we went.

After an hour of weeding our way down the sidewalks of our favorite shopping area, I found the shoes, they weren't on sale, I bought them anyway. It was worth full price not to drag us all back there again!

We were hot and sticky at 10AM, and I was ready to go home.

As we had walked, I noted that several stores were participating in a sidewalk sale. One particular store I like had a few tables set out, so we stopped to check them out. That's when I found this...


It's a beach towel.

A beautiful, makes me very happy, beach towel!


I realize to some it's just a towel, but to me, well I don't know, I just REALLY like it. It's big and soft and fluffy, and just NICE.

I had admired this beach towel a few other times, but at $34, I easily resisted. But today, well TODAY it was marked 1/2 off. A mere $17! I have never before spent $17 on a beach towel, but I did today.

And I don't regret it.

In fact this little "find" made the 3 hours of sweaty shopping worth the trip!

It's from the Vera Bradley "Seaside Collection."

I've admired this collection several times. A friend of mine has a bag in this print, and every time I see it, I love it.

Seaside Collection. Doesn't that just sound heavenly? I picture myself in an Adirondack chair on a beach in the Hamptons. Big sunglasses, wide brimmed hat, and MY beach towel. A cool drink and a great book by my side.

Or you know, hanging out in the sweltering sun at the city pool with splashing, screaming kids all around.

Whichever.

:)

It's not exactly the way I'd like to spend four hours and $150.

Do you want the long version, or the short version?

I'm going with short, because as I started typing the long, I got bored.

Short:

Night before last, Annie hit Austin in the head with the hard end of a water hose.

Accidentally.

We think.

He got a big ole bump, right between the eyes. We watched him for signs of a concussion, there were none, we relaxed. Yesterday morning he woke up with his bump looking much better, and a 102 degree temp. A fever is not a sign of a concussion, but the doctor told us to let them know if he got nauseous or lethargic.

At 3:30 he threw up.

Then he proceeded to get more and more lethargic.

At 4:40 I decided to call the doctor.

They had closed at 4:30.

I took him to our urgent care, who sent us to the ER.

Austin's first picture in the ER.



4 hours, 1 ct scan, and $150 later, I basked in the knowledge that he was just fine. His fever and nauseousness were symptoms of a virus. Something that I had thought was a probability, but with the possibility of something more serious, I just had to know for sure.

My boy is doing much better today. I always figured he'd be the first one of our children to need the ER. I didn't count on Annie being the one to put him there! Sweet Annie, who in a rare moment of wildness, smacked her brother between the eyes with the hard end of a hose.

They never cease to baffle me.

Sometimes I Think My Life Might Make A Good Reality Show.

I wish you could see my house right now.

Or maybe I don't.

I guess if I really wanted you to see it, I'd go get my camera and take some pictures or video to go along with this post.

But I'm not.

I don't have the energy to find my camera right now.

I was parenting solo tonight. At the last minute a friend called Jason and asked him to go see a movie. I sent him with my blessing, he needs more nights like that. Anyway, in the process of parenting solo...my house was destroyed.

The decorative balls from the dining room vases are in three different rooms.

The couch cushions have been rearranged into some sort of fort.

The playroom looks like a tornado hit it.

There are dirty dishes in the sink.

There are boxes of foil/saran wrap/wax paper in the living room.

There pieces of glue covered paper stuck to the craft table.

There are wet diapers and dirty clothes on my bed.

All of this happened in 3 hours.

Even I am shocked.

There is some good news.

They are asleep.

I never was a morning person.

I am one tired lady!

This week Ellie has gone to vacation bible school. I love VBS, I loved going as a kid, working it as a teenager, and taking Ellie now.

HOWEVER, I had no idea how actually having to wake up at a decent hour, and get out the door, for the first time since school let out, would essentially kick my tail!

It's not like it started at 6am or anything. No, it didn't start until 9:00. Still, I had to drag my sleepy self out of bed every morning, and wake up Ellie from a sound slumber at the early hour of 8:15. (Yes, I pushed it as far as I could!)

I'm not sure what happened to our fantastic sleep schedule this summer! I guess the kids slowly started sleeping in, and then staying up later. I got used to staying up quite late, because nobody was waking me up before 9 or 10.

I have to say, for the most part, I love this schedule. It's just me. It was the schedule I had all through college. Except the one semester I had to take an 8:00 class.

I failed that class.

Anyway, I've been reminded this week that this schedule doesn't work so well with kids. Kids who wake you up in the middle of the night. Kids who need to be taken to VBS. Kids who have crazy demands like breakfast.

So I will be trying to get to sleep before midnight now. Trying to retrain my body to wake up earlier.

It's hard though, because at midnight I don't have to fight anyone for the remote!

Random thoughts on a Friday night.

I put my kids in bed at 7:30 tonight.
It's 10:05 now, and they just fell asleep.
If I had a dollar for every, "MOM", I heard after I put them to bed tonight, I'd be at least $25 richer.
We're having a bit of a tough time with the summertime sleep schedule.
I've been waiting until they're asleep to vacuum Cheez-it crumbs off the couch.
Also to do a sink full of dishes.
I think I'm skipping the dishes.
I'm wondering if Austin took the sheet off his bed again before he fell asleep.
For some reason I really want to go to Target right now.
I won't.
I think I read ten books to Annie tonight, trying to help her wind down.
She hardly ever wants to read.
Tonight was different.
She'll be four in one month.
Ack!
Ellie was just WIRED tonight.
Now I'm wondering if the Lipton white tea she drank at dinner had caffeine in it.
She drank a lot of it.
Now I'm wired.
And I don't know why.
I'm on the big "D" like Alana.
I'm starting to see some results.
But I want to see MORE.
Actually, I just want to be done.
I don't want to say too much.
I'm afraid I'll jinx myself.
I will say this, if you're on the big D, AVOID WAL-MART.
It's a diet killer.
My house has been quiet for twenty minutes now.
I guess I'll go vacuum those Cheez-its.
Good night.

T-ball Time!

Ellie wanted to try t-ball this summer!


She had fun and did great!





All while wearing a dress under her t-ball shirt. I actually had someone ask if we were a certain religion because of her dresses. Ha! Nope, that's just my girl and her quirky sense of style! :-)





These two entertained themselves like this...


And finally my favorite pic of the season!


Shelley

One of THOSE days.

I just realized it's Monday.

That makes sense.

We've been having one of those days today.

A day when my children don't want to listen.

A day my son breaks something at Papa and Nana's.

A day I had to take all three kids to the grocery store.

A day when the laundry pile overwhelms me with it's size.

A day when I'm tired of being on the big "D".

I really have no one to blame besides myself. I over scheduled us the last several days. My kids haven't gone to bed before 11pm in 4 nights. It's summertime craziness at it's best. This week looks much calmer, and for that I'm grateful. I'm planning on lots of pool time for my kiddos, and bedtimes around 8pm.

Maybe the lady that sat in front of us at the baseball game last night was having one of those days.

Y'all should have seen her.

Alana did.

Austin was a little active, and bumped the lady and her husband a few times with his foot/hand/hat. After I received several looks from them, I tried to reign him in a little.

And he screamed.

Loudly.

You'd have thought by the lady's reaction that someone blew a train whistle in her ear.

I have never seen anything like it.

Until he screamed again.

I thought she was going to have a heart attack.

I'm sure she had perfect children.

Who never screamed.

Or like I said, maybe she was just having one of those days.

:)