WALL-E

It was great! My best friend (movie music buff) would be so proud of me. I recognized the intro music from the first measure. I even went out on a limb and identified the movie that it was from. I was proven right as the movie progressed.

All four of us went with friends and it was well worth it! No foul language, no suggestive material whatsoever. Just another good, clean movie -- the type that is so rare nowdays!

There was a "take care of the earth" theme in the movie, but I felt it was secondary to the main story. Others might disagree, but I'm a romantic at heart.

Two thumbs up!

We Survived

Well, the single parent stint is over. Thank Goodness. Hubby returned yesterday. We went out for good Mexican food and then the guys all bonded after dinner. I proceeded to come home and go to sleep!

I've not made much headway on sewing in the last week since I worked VBS at our church. I'll get back into it later this week. I'm currently helping my mom out on a quilting project. She has a bunch of sunbonnet Sue's that need embroidery work done on them before she can set the blocks together. I enjoy embroidery work, so I offered to finish off the last few for her. She commented that I could do in one day what it takes her a week or more to do. I said I'd do them for her.

My eldest son came home from SIGS yesterday and said he "had a good time." I knew he would if he'd just STOP complaining! I'm keeping a friend's son today who is in the same grade as Daniel. I decreed it to be a no T.V. playdate and they've been playing with light sabers and such while discussing the finer points of Mario Cart Wii. It's entertaining listening to them.

We're hoping to get a few days of swimming in this week. We are ready to enjoy summer. I think hubby's next trip is vacation with us, so life is looking up here.

Unfortunately my dad is STILL in the hospital. He's been in since 6/12 for an emergency appendectomy. He's NOT bounced back at all and has contracted an infection -- probably MRSA. I say that since he's on gentamicin in order to clear the infection. Mom is taking care of visiting him each day. I have not felt the drive to go to the hospital every day. It's just too reminiscent of my life last summer when Dad tried to kill himself. I cannot go to the hospital every day. Dad's life does not hang in the balance this summer, so I'm going to let mom handle it. Denial on my part? no. I'm just putting my family first this year.

I've purchased all the necessary items to redo the boys bedrooms. All that's left now is paint and the time to do the painting. I'll probably do that next week.

I dislike single parenting

My hubby is out of town on business. Consequently, the upstairs a/c unit has gone in the fritz again. It does not do this when he's home. Seems the a/c gremlins only enjoy inconveniencing ME!

And I'm supposed to be working VBS today. I have a friend from church that can cover for me, but it's the general inconvenience of it all that is the most annoying.

That being said: I have a good a/c man to call; I have the means with which to pay him; I have places to stay if I need to; I have a friend to cover my other obligations today. See -- it's just in the perspective! :-)

The other issue that I seriously dislike is my oldest son's attitude today. We signed him up to participate in the gifted & talented summer program. 4 hours / day, M-F, for 4 weeks. It's not like he has to go to summer school to salvage his grades so he can promote. But you'd think we'd put bamboo shoots under his fingernails.

He is in the foulest mood today. He's threatened to hide and not get on the bus. So I'll get to go to the bus drop off place and wait with him to make sure he gets on the bus. Then I guess I'll have to call the school where he's supposed to go to and make sure he actually goes inside.

If I didn't have the aforementioned a/c problems, I'd probably drive him to the program myself to make sure he goes inside.

We have never asked him to participate in the program before, but have done so this year to make sure he has an opportunity to meet new friends from other schools -- since he starts middle school this year. All of our good intentions may go down the drain because he may not make any friends. I wouldn't want to be friends with someone who has his attitude. I hope he reserves the icky attitude for home so that he can actually make some new friends.

I guess I will survive this too. It's just lousy to have to do so. :-(

Should have done this earlier!

In an attempt to keep our boys from wasting their entire summer in front of the Wii, my hubby wrote a little computer program that allows us to track their time.

First the boys have to earn time on the Wii. We enter time into the program after they've earned it, doing such things as reading, helping around the house, playing outside, etc. Then they use the time to play on the Wii and we enter that as well. Hubby even set up a daily limit for them! I am amazed at how my youngest wanted to read yesterday! He's a hoot.

And my oldest is off at my mom's working on a quilt with her. All of his sewing time counts towards Wii time as well.

The bottom line is that we're so SICK of them doing nothing else, that we've limited time to force them to do other things. I think for this week at least, we've been successful.

Now if my hubby could just hack the Wii so that it would shut off automatically.....

ha.

A great day!

I have had time to do something fun for about a week now. I've been sewing again.

Two weeks ago, while my hubby was out of town, I bought a pattern and material and set about making myself a dress. Even after having my mom help me fit the pattern, the dress turned out too small. Darn it. But if I lose weight it might fit. Bonus? I haven't decided yet.

So, as a consolation prize, I made myself a denim skirt. I'd been wanting one and I had the pattern already. So for less than $20.00 I have a new denim skirt to wear! yea

Today I cut out a pattern with my oldest son who wants to learn to sew. We're going to make a pair of boxers for him.

I made a couple of valences for a friend of mine. I'd promised this around the new year, but she understands my life and all that it entails, so she wasn't in any hurry.

Then I hemmed the denim skirt today and have made a shirt for my youngest son. Well, it's 90% finished. All today!

I had a blast. I got a new serger late this week because they were on sale at Hancock Fabric. I have never had one, but my mom has. After I used hers on my skirt, I was hooked. So, in playing with my new 'toy' today, I got lots done and I have felt very productive.

Also, my hubby and sons have cooked dinner the last two nights. That has allowed me more time to sew, time for them to bond, and it's put much healthier food on the table.

All in all a very good 48 hours!

Summer's here!

We got the annual check ups done on the boys today. My oldest DS is now 5' 9 1/2 " tall, the youngest is 4" 6 1/2 " tall. Oh my. I'm soon to be the shortest person in the house. But that's o.k.

We're changing medication for my youngest for ADD or ADHD. The doctor has called it both. I don't know which to believe.

I'm busy sewing these days. I have made a dress (that's too small) and a skirt (that I had to take up!) and next I'm going to cut out a shirt for my youngest DS and a tunic top for me. Mom is on her way over so we can go to Hancock Fabrics and check out a serger for me.

We're letting the boys overdose on Wii today and tomorrow. Then Saturday we have an outing planned. Next week is a week off for everyone (not the DH though :-( ) and the week after that oldest DS will go to a gifted program for 1/2 days for a month. It'll keep us from killing one another during the summer. Youngest DS and i will do home schooling during that time as well.

I need to purchase curriculum for next year, as I really feel like I"m being led to home school for at least one more year.

We'll see what happens.