Friday, September 28, 2007

Hey there!


Hi friends and family! Sorry there has not been a post in a couple of days. I took the girls to Disneyland yesterday with my friend, Joanna, and we are recovering today! All in all it was a good day, but a little hot. Brooklyn lost her annual pass, but we're hoping someone will turn it in.

Andrew finally has a Saturday off tomorrow! Yay! He so rarely has a Saturday off! I'm very excited! He is going to do the soccer games! Yippee! After that, we are probably going to work on some landscaping in the backyard. It needs some help. I hate weeding! If anyone wants to help, you know where I live! Maybe tomorrow I'll include a picture of our progress.

I hope you all have fruitful weekends!

Love,

Janice

Tuesday, September 25, 2007

I'm Living In Luxury!

This morning the sound of someone's diesel truck (you know the big loud trucks families drive today that run on diesel) woke me up. It was about 6:20am and they were dropping off their child at my neighbor's daycare next door. At about 6:30 am I heard another diesel truck drop off their child. It made me feel sad for those kids to have to get up so early. I was thinking of my own children and how they get to sleep in their own bed until they wake up naturally...what a luxury. I was also trying to imagine getting up a family so early to be somewhere by 6:20! To me that's unimaginable! My kids have to leave by 8:30 (another luxury!) Our school is around the corner, so they do not have far to go! There have been many times (far too many I'm ashamed to say) that I have questioned why I decided to stay home. Many times it feels like suffering (not enough money, driving an old car, having to actually save for something) but today it felt like a luxury. Today I'm grateful that my kids woke up at their regular time, I got to make them breakfast, and I got to send them off to school. I thank God for the perspective of my early morning wake-up call. Yep, I'm living in luxury.....and they may not know it, but my kids are too.

Love to you all from the lady of leisure,
Janice

Monday, September 24, 2007

Let them eat cake!

Hey there friends and family! Today was one of those days. I'm glad it's almost done. Mondays are very busy for us. I'm supposed to go to Weight Watchers on Monday nights except I didn't go tonight. I stayed home and made a cake. It was white cake with neon green frosting and sprinkles. YUM! I doubt they would accept me as their spokeswoman tonight! Every so often, I think you need those days when you break out from your regular routine and do something different. That's what I needed. Sigh.....I think I need to develop a new hobby...baking can be dangerous!
Love you all!
Janice

Sunday, September 23, 2007

Parent Guilt!



Hi friends and loved ones! I have been having so much fun writing these blogs and getting your responses! I am proud of you, Dad, for getting up the courage to open an account!
Today I have one cute story to share. Tonight we ordered pizza. We, being the money savers that we are, went and picked it up ourselves. On the way home we must have been talking about puppies because our daughter Lauren blurted out, half-crying, "They told us to raise our hands (in Sunday school) if we had a cat or a dog, and I was the only one who couldn't raise my hand!" She said it so broken-heartedly that the parent guilt really set in! Don't get me wrong: I am a dog lover, however, now is not a good time. Anyway, despite the fact that I know that, it seems that one very sad comment from my little darling can make me question everything! Kids are good at that!
Happy Sunday!
Janice

Saturday, September 22, 2007

It's Finally Raining!



Here is a picture of the sky last night on the way to our lovely dinner. I took it with my camera phone. With a sky like this the other day, Kyle asked me, "Is that heaven coming down?" I thought to myself, "Take me Lord!"
Noah just reported to me that it is finally raining! Maybe my other two soccer games will be canceled today. I need a break.
Keeping my fingers crossed,
Janice

Friday, September 21, 2007

Dinner Out?

To us stay-at-home Moms the idea of eating dinner out is enticing. I personally crave time out with others to hang out and have fun; however, tonight I wish I'd eaten in my car. We paid around $40 for all six of us to eat and not one darn kid finished their dinner! Not only that, I took each daughter to the bathroom (separately of course!) Brooklyn cried or acted obnoxious most of the time and we really got in no conversation with the other adults. (Sorry those of you who were with us!) To round out the evening, the boys fought the whole way which was no picnic either. On the other hand, we brought home three take-out boxes which means Andrew has his lunch already made for work tomorrow! (Score!) It turns out Brooklyn isn't feeling well and went to bed early... the boys earned an early bedtime for their behavior in the car.....maybe not all is lost for a pleasant evening!
The kids are in bed!

Janice

Thursday, September 20, 2007

Hmmmm....

You know, when you lock yourself in your house and you don't get out, it's hard to think of witty/fun/interesting things to say. In my desperate attempt to keep anyone reading this, I think I'll keep a notebook of weird things that happen to me so that I can write about them. I am having so much fun writing this blog and reading the responses I think I could get addicted to it!
By the way, it's cloudy again. I made lemon poppyseed muffins so far. Who knows what I will bake next....
I love you all!
Janice

Wednesday, September 19, 2007

It's cloudy today!

It is cloudy today. There is supposed to be a storm coming with real and actual rain! We'll be on storm watch here in California any minute! Now, if it would only get cold....Isn't it weird that clouds would make someone happy? Don't get me wrong, I like sun. However, I have come to love it when it gets rainy! I think I'm starting to smell chocolate chip cookies..............

I'm almost done!!!!!

I just finished my 40th, yes 40th, class in completing my CLAD certificate for teaching. Each class is about 3 hours...and I'm talking BORING! I have no idea why they thought this instructor would be good to teach many CA teachers. You'd think they would use the best of the best! It's one of those things that makes you scratch your head in wonder...I have to do 4 projects and then I'm good to go. No one would employ me in the future without it, so it had to be done. I am breathing a huge sigh of relief!

It's 11:15 and I'm still in my pajamas. I wanted to get that class done so badly that I did that first. Of course I was short one copy to finish my assignment (story of my life) so I have to now go somewhere and make a copy just to finish my assignment. AAAhhhh! It's one of those little things that the guy who authored that book told me not to sweat( was that the small things?). I really am working on it!

Here's hoping your day has at least one crowning achievement!
Janice

Tuesday, September 18, 2007

Hello


My friend Teri has a blog. She is so interesting and she has the skill to write just how she speaks. It feels like you are actually having a conversation with her. I thought I'd try my hand at having a blog. We'll see how it goes.......
I called it fleur-de-more because if you know me you know that I love fleur-de-lis. It just seemed like a fun name. I am all about fun. A day without fun is very, very long.
Today, I worked in my boy's classrooms. I really like to be able to do it. They have great teachers and I'm so happy things are going so well. God was gracious to us this year with the teachers they got.
Today, I'm thinking about homework. At what point does the child's inner will decide for themselves to be motivated to do it? Right now, it's my will, and ,frankly, it drives me crazy!
Thanks for indulging me by reading this! I love you all, Janice