Happy Halloween!

Are my kids weird or what? Noah was trying to look like an old lady, but looked more like a homely one! They are all in character in this photo. We went to Keith and Amy's house for Halloween. It was fun and the Dads' took them trick-or-treating...SCORE! Thanks Keith and Amy ~ You're the best! See Keith, you made the blog!
Today I finished my last project for my CLAD! Woo-hoo! These are the classes I've been working on for almost the last two years. If I take one more class it bumps me up on the pay scale (that is nonexistent at this point) from B.A. and 30 units to B.A. and 45 units. That is, if I decide to teach again!
Well all, it's late and I'm pooped!
See you in cyberspace!!!!!
Love, Janice

Weight Watchers Update

Hello all! I know you're waiting with great anxiety to see if I made my 30 lbs weight loss, and guess what? I've lost 29.8 pounds as of last night. I was .2 lbs off! Can you believe it? I'm okay though. I'm not discouraged. I'll make it next week! I still love weight watchers and I'll never give up! It's the best!

I hope you are all having good days!
Love, Janice

My Mobile Blog

I realized that I could send blogs from my cell phone. I thought, "That could be fun!", so I signed up. I thought it would add to my existing blog, however, it made a new one. Oh well, two can be fun. You can get to it from my fun blog links. Guess which one it is...you guessed it, fleur-de-mobile.

I went into L.A. with my friend, Marilyn, yesterday. We attended a cultural event for our class. Now we have one project left to go! We are going to do it on Wednesday afternoon. Do you know that we have almost been doing these four classes for two years? Yikes! To celebrate, we went to an italian place in Beverly Hills for dinner. It was fun. We also walked through Pottery Barn and Williams Sonoma....DANGEROUS!.....and....covet,covet,covet. Now that I've confessed that I can move on!

I think I MAY have made it to my 30 pound weight loss at Weight Watchers tonight. I've been going for a year (as of tonight). I'll let you know!

Have a great day!
Janice

Holidays

Last year I was depressed when Christmas came around. I didn't get around to my Christmas cards (not like me). I didn't do much baking (not like me either). I was in a funk. I feel myself slipping into that again because I'm already mourning Christmas. I REALLY wanted to go to Washington for Christmas and it's not going to happen. I hate that finances can dictate where I can and cannot go. Although, I'm not sure my car would make it all the way there either! It seems that every time I get into that car something new is broken! Oh well, my son was already complaining how long the drive takes when we were just thinking about it. Maybe God is saving me! Can you imagine a marathon driving session with the world's most relentless whiner, coupled with happy and blood curdling screams from the twin world record holders in scream volume, mixed with fighting and crying from the world's most easily hurt and dramatic middle child? This is our car and it's supposed to be fun! My dear, dear, dear, father experienced this just this summer. I think they let him off a little easy, however, they had their moments. My Dad flew down from Washington and drove us up so that we could be there longer. (Believe it or not, Andrew only has so much vacation time!) Anyway, during one crying session from little Brooklyn, I told her to stop crying to which she replied, "I'm not crying, I'm whining! I'm not stupid crying!" We found that to be completely funny.

Well, upon that memory, I am smiling again. I am also left with the thought that maybe God has a reason and a purpose for us to be here this year. While I am not gifted in the realm of making lemonade from life's lemons, I certainly don't want to mess with God's purpose or plans!

Well, I love you all. All you Washington loved ones, be assured, I'm working on my next return!

Love, Janice

Staying Positive!

In an effort to stay positive, I am generating a list (not all-inclusive) of the things I am grateful for today:
*clean air~you don't appreciate it until it's full of smoke!
*I'm not homeless.
*Healthy children.
*God's grace.
*Television!
*Friends and Family!
*Belly laughs!
*My cars are still running.
*My husband comes home to this crazy house every night! It would be tempting to keep on driving!
*Diet coke...need I say more?
*Just found out my husband is coming home early....unplanned...YES!

Okay, I already feel better.
Love, Janice

I'm laughing at myself!

Reading my own blog is my only laugh today. I realized in my previous entry I called bad air quality,"bar air quality". I guess the air outside could be compared to a smoky bar, not that I go to them. It is so hazy outside that it looks overcast. The sun was dark red through the haze. BLEH! Are the fires out yet? I wouldn't know. I have not had a chance to sit down and relax dealing with little darlings locked inside all day. Watching the news doesn't help much. They mainly report the expensive areas like OC and San Diego. San B doesn't get much air time. It's irritating.
I did attempt to incorporate some fun into an otherwise dreary day. Between the fighting of the boys and the girls crying over whatever, I made halloween sugar cookies. I frosted some for dessert. I froze some unfrosted cookies to maybe have on another day. For one split second I felt all organized for doing that. I then awoke from my daydream to the second major sticky spill of the day....apple juice. Great fun!
Right now it's after dinner and I'm blogging. I'm trying to not talk because I have a sore throat (smoke? or yelling? It's a toss up!)

I sure hope your day was better!
Love,Janice

Fires! UPDATE

Well, technically it's not an update about the fires themselves, it's an update about what's going on because of the fires. The boy's school sent the kids home early today and they don't have school tomorrow or Friday. AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! and OH GOODY!.......at the same time! It means I'm trapped inside (because of stinky smoke and bar air quality) with four kids for four days AND they have no homework! I don't know whether to cry or cheer! I really wish I could afford to fly to Washington for four days where the air quality is perfect! Maybe I'll tackle a bigger project than I normally have time to do. Who knows!

God be with us all,
Janice

Fires!

I watched the bad fires from four years ago in Washington. It seemed that they would go on forever. It's weird being here for them this time. While I don't have a fire in my near vicinity, our sky just looks dirty from the the smoke from the south and the north. The kids have rainy day schedule at school because of the air quality and they are going berzerk. Noah got in trouble at P.E. yesterday, which is inside, from his grouchy P.E. teacher. Having busy boys stuck inside with grouchy people makes for a bad combination! Anyway, I'm not complaining, I still have my house which is more than some could say! I'm just praying the wind dies down so that they can contain some of these fires.

I went to a Mary Kay thing with my Mary Kay lady last night. I'm intrigued by the idea of making money at home, which I could greatly use, but I have very low confidence in my skills with contacting people. I could sell the makeup, but it's having to call and possibly push myself on people that makes me nervous. I would welcome your comments on your take on how well I would do. You all know me well. Some of the motivational things they do I would consider on the dorky side, but if you do well, it's worth it. Anyway, I'm mulling it over. Subbing only pays $105 per day without the possibility of making more. They made it clear: "It doesn't matter if you are an experienced teacher or have never been in the classroom, you make the same...$105." It was humbling to say the least. My last few years have been filled with humbling experiences which I think has shaken my confidence level. I never had a problem with that before....

Praying God doesn't humble me today,
Janice

Pumpkin Patch

...the kids then.............


......The kids at the pumpkin patch now



We went to the pumpkin patch this weekend. I don't recommend it on a Saturday! Yikes! There were so many people there! It took 15 minutes just to get out of the parking lot. We had fun though. Every year I go with my sister and her daughter, Grace. The kids have fun, we get to shop, and everyone is happy! I've included a picture I took that day. Yesterday I also shopped for costumes. I went to Goodwill first and I found exactly what I needed. It was great and I got the main part of two costumes for $10. I was very happy to spend so little.

I subbed in my friend's first grade class on Friday. It was fun and the kids were great. All in all it was a good day. I was really tired though. I didn't stop all day. Who knows when I'll sub next....

Have a great day!
Love,
Janice

A Better Day!

Today was a much better day getting the kids to school. I'll admit it's mainly because Noah has to bring his saxaphone today and wanted a ride rather than any creativity on my part! I'll take whatever works!

I've also been productive today. When I feel like I've been productive all is more right with the world. I just went through my old video tapes. I'm going to get rid of most of them. In the world of dvd's I'm just running out of room! I did get to see some video of my kids from more than three years ago. My boys voices and faces have changed. The girls were just babies. At the time they seemed so hard, but now they are just completely adorable. I'll have to remember each and every day to not waste my time wishing them to be bigger. It makes me wish I'd filmed them more! The pictures are what they looked like in the video.

Have a happy (and productive) day!
Love, Janice

The Calm After the Storm

Hello! It's Wednesday morning and my boys just left for school. I am sipping some tea and calming down. It's the calm after the storm. Everyday my oldest, Noah, makes a big commotion just before he leaves for school. It stresses me out and frankly, makes me mad! He doesn't care if he's late, I do. He doesn't care if his teeth are brushed or hair is combed, I do. Not only that, he tries to do things such as pump up his tires on his bike when he is already 5 minutes late leaving! Now I don't mind letting him reap consequences for such behavior, however, when the school notifies you about such consequences they act like it's the parent's fault. I guess I take it too personally because I feel like I work so hard to get these things done. If any of you have any suggestions, I would welcome them greatly! Just typing this out has calmed me already!
By the way, thanks for commisserating with me about the thing at Kohls! Those salespeople OBVIOUSLY do not have children! I agree with Karen, people outside of California are nicer.

Looking for something positive to write about,
Janice

Kids!

Am I the only parent that cares how my kid.....treats others?...........tells the truth?...........talks to adults?...........does right or wrong? Right now it feels like it. I feel like I work so hard to impress these values on my children and others (I won't say who, but it's none of you!) do nothing to make sure their child is doing the right thing! I guess that's the problem with being here on earth. It is broken, and so are the people! I sometimes get so frustrated with the parents of my kid's friends.
Not that I'm perfect.. And then there is Kohl's. I was shopping there with my girls today. I was looking at something real quick and Lauren accidently pulled off the mannequin's hand. Don't tell me you didn't do that as a kid. Before I even noticed, (it wasn't even a minute) the saleslady said, "Can you please keep them from doing that!" I wanted to say, "No I'm sorry the eyes in the back of my head are not working today and I'm just a completely incompetent mother!" Never mind the fact that I'd spent the last twenty minutes keeping them in line very competently. Meanwhile, Lauren was traumatized because I got mad at them and told them, "When you do things like that, the salespeople yell at me!" Lauren told me she never wants to be in a store with a mannequin again!
I think these are the experiences are the kind that make me a "type A" personality! Pray for me! My personality needs it!

Can anyone relate?

Janice

Orchestra

I joined my church's orchestra last week. If you don't know, I play the flute. I have not played regularly since 8th grade so therefore I'm not that good. It was interesting how intimidated I was to play with these (mostly high school kids) other players. You would think, as an adult, insecurity wouldn't be a factor. It's starting to come back to me.....slowly! It's humbling, but at the same time I feel like I'm actually using my brain which is a nice change of pace! I'm supposed to be playing for church in two weeks and for the Christmas program. We'll see how it goes! Please pray for the girl to my right! Poor thing, she has to hear all of my mistakes!

Some nice news...Kyle asked Jesus into his heart today. As a parent I feel happiness, pride and to some degree... relief. Every Christian parent wants their child to know Jesus as their Savior! He and Noah want to be baptized soon. Please pray they hold on tight to their love for Jesus!

Love you all,
Janice

I'm Glad It's Friday

Friday is my favorite day of the week. The kids have no homework, which I hate fighting with them about, and it feels that I can breathe a sigh of relief. Yes, I'm glad it's Friday!

One week from today I will be substitute teaching for the first time. I'm slightly anxious because I'm used to the routine of being in my own classroom but what the heck, they're first graders, I can take 'em! It's my friends classroom too so I know she will have plans. My friend, Joanna, will be watching my girls for me. Thanks Joanna!

Some sad news, our beloved goldfish, Jimmy, is dying. We have had him for a year and 8 months so we are pretty attached to him. Everytime he sees me he swims to the glass and it almost looks like he wags his tail. Whoever said goldfish only have a two second memory is wrong. Ours is smart and he loves us too. Yes, I have shed a tear or two over our sweet Jimmy. My days with fish will be over for while. I think I need a break from the heartbreak of losing them. We lost our black fish, Stevie, just before school started. We had him for almost as long. I hate seeing my kids cry. Someday, when we are in a house that we want to live in indefinitely, we will get a dog.

Well, I'm going to leave it at that for now.
Happy Friday!
Love, Janice

zoOM!

Did that weekend zoom by or what? It seemed I blinked and it was over. In my quest to find interesting things to write about, I'll tell you what happened at Noah's soccer game this weekend. During the game, the coach of the opposite team yelled out (I found out later to his son) "You kick like your Mom!" I'm telling you the whole field heard this. I thought to myself...."Hmmmm". Later, to another kid, he yelled and asked if he should move the goal a little to the left because the kid missed it. I found myself being thankful my son was not on that team. I was happy to be on a losing team with a coach who is a good example. It's funny because just before the game I was wishing Noah could be on a winning team. I think God uses these experiences to show me what is important and that he knows what is best for me and my family. A side note: I saw that coach and his wife in the parking lot after the game; guess who was driving....yep, the wife. Hmmmmmm! I have to admit, it made me smile!

I hope you smile today!
Love, Janice

An Update

Hello all! I just wanted to update you all on my father-in-law, Var. He had two stints placed yesterday and is doing well. He is supposed to be coming home today. Andrew's sister, Amy, said he looked good yesterday. Thanks for your prayers.

I got a happy surprise yesterday. Disneyland sent back Brooklyn's annual pass! Yippee! Now I have one less worry! They told me they would mail it to me if someone found it. Thanks Lord!

An update on the soccer drama because I know you all care! Apparently one of the parents of a kid on the team is a board member for the soccer league. We think there is a personality clash of some kind and they are looking for things to complain about. It's all petty, however the board decided to make the head coach the assistant coach and vice versa. It's all politics...OH BROTHER! I'm telling you these people need lives!

One more update, we worked on the backyard yesteday. Andrew rototilled it and raked it. We are going to level it out some more and plant some new grass seed. It's slowly coming together!

I'll end with a joke from Lauren:
"Why did the dog sit in the shade?
Because he was a hot dog!" (When you deliver the punch line you need to crack up or it won't be the same!)

Have a blessed day!
Love, Janice :0)

A Mixed Bag Weekend!

Hi there friends and family!
It was sooo nice having Andrew home for two days in a row! Okay, about the yard work, we didn't get much done. We need to rent a rototiller to remove some weeds so that we can plant some grass seed. I hate manual labor! We did get to go out to dinner. We had a good time this time! ( I guess you win some and lose some!). We went to BJ's (a pizza/pasta place).

Some hard news this weekend...my father-in-law, Var, had a small heart attack. He is currently in the hospital getting angiograms and anything else he may need. The blessing is that they think he had the main part of the heart attack while he was in the hospital. He had already had some nitroglycerin to help and some pain medication which means it could have been a lot worse! They are not thinking that it caused a lot of damage either. God was certainly taking care of him! If you could pray for him we would appreciate it!

Tonight we will have some soccer drama. Apparently there are some parents who are not happy with Noah's coach and want her removed...there will be a meeting with the soccer board during his practice tonight. It's news to me! I'm just happy to have someone willing to be the coach! I'm wondering if any of them complaining will be willing to step up and coach themselves. Hmmmm..... somehow I doubt it! I am curious though...I'll keep you updated! Have a splendid day!
Love, Janice