Wordful Wednesday: Mama's Day

I am sure that most people posted pictures this week of there cute kids all smiling at the camera - Not me! 

I had an awesome Mama's weekend.  We went to town and stayed one night (we live in the middle of no where and don't get out much).  Had a yummy dinner at BJ's Brewery (my new favorite place), went shopping,  swimming then the next morning went to my all time favorite breakfast place ( homemade apricot jam!). It was great. 

Then I cam home and realized I didn't take one picture of my cute little girls in their cute little pink and brown dresses, not one.  So off we went outside to capture a memory.  (In the million pictures I have on my computer; I think I have like 5 with me and the girls together.) Moms are always the ones with the camera - meaning they are seldom in the picture. 

PICTURES ARE EXHAUSTING! The Hubs took like 20 something pictures and one came out relatively decent and the rest looked something like this one.  Well of course the camera was on the wrong setting for the first 15 so those were all out of focus, figures. By that time the girls had had enough of pictures so getting them to all look at the camera was nearly impossible.

Anyhow  I think this picture has a certain charm to it. If you know my girls this picture perfectly captures each one's spirit.

Here's the other one that I got; a little out of focus (camera was on manual) but cute none the less. I love my girls and my Hubs. Thanks guys for a wonderful weekend.  Did I mention I got a blender to go on my Bosch. I think I might be a little spoiled. 

For more Wordful Wednesday Pictures or to play along visit Angie:

The Winner Is..............

I picked the winner of the Tuesday blog party using Random.org and the winner of my I Spy Pillow is Rita @ With All My Sparetime....  Yay! Congratulations!! 

I have already contacted her and her family is really excited about the win.  This was fun and I hope that I get to participate in another fundraiser soon.

**Also, if you are looking for more ways to participate in Tuesday's Blog Party - It isn't over yet. You could donate and win a vacation either in Denver, Colorado or maybe even Florida click here.  for details.  The auction item will be open until Saturday the 16th.  

So far Tuesday's Blog Party has raised, $2,827.00, Awesome.  Together we can kick cancer's bum!!

Tuesday Tribute- Mr. Alex (the Doughnut Guy)

It was a cloudy Friday morning, and like every Friday morning my son and I stopped by the Donut King to get his usual: 2 chocolate doughnuts with sprinkles. It's like Groundhog Day every Friday. My son and I go in, Mr. Alex comes out from behind the counter and says, "Hi, boy (even though he knows his name) how's your daddy?" My son replies, "Good", then holds up two fingers and says, "2 please." Mr. Alex knows exactly which "2" my son is refering to and puts them in the bag. Then I pay and my son says, "Receipt please." Mr. Alex tears off the receipt tape and my son gets extra excited if it happens to be a real long tape. I think my son has acquired enough receipt tape to go from California to New York. Like I said, Groundhog Day, because this scene plays out EVERY Friday. Last Friday, we pull up to the shop along with another car. Two boys hop out of the car and go in first, I began to feel a twinge of fear. As my son and I walk in my fear is confirmed...no chocolate doughnuts with sprinkles. It appears the boys in front of us have bought the last ones. My son hasn't noticed yet and I began to think, "Hmm, maybe I can convince him to get a white frosted doughnut with sprinkles, they are almost exactly the same except for the frosting, or maybe I should just tell him to take the plunge and try something completely new like a chocolate bar, (NO! are you crazy now is not the time to try to make him do something totally new!)....think, think. Then, he notices the chocolate doughnuts with sprinkles are MIA and he starts to breathe heavy and get that "bristly" look about him. He starts to ask over and over where the doughnuts are. Now, I go into damage control mode and I make up my mind that we are going to stay calm and not let this ruin his whole day (okay self, put all these new found strategies to work). Just as I am crouching down to be at eye level with my son, Mr. Alex leans over the counter and shakes a bag in front of my face. Yes, my hero, Mr. Alex saved my son his doughnuts and his entire day. I was so grateful I could have kissed him!! I know what some might be thinking, "boy, she is easy to please". Seriously, I know what I just described may sound like this is just a case of a spoiled kid, but no, my son is not a spoiled brat who just throws tantrums because he doesn't get his favorite doughnuts. This is not just about 2 chocolate doughnuts, but about the entire routine. My son is unique, or in the words of a doctor at the UC San Francisco Autism/Asperger clinic "an interesting case". From a very early age my son has struggled with obsessive-compulsive tendencies, along with other "atypical" behavior. He is very ritualistic, and the slightest deviation from his "normal" can disrupt his entire day. Some people are very compassionate and understanding and others...well, not so much. Mr. Alex is one of the good guys. Well, I always knew that. The fact that he takes the time to humor my son by giving him the receipt tape and listen to his crazy little stories every Friday morning qualifies him for good guy status in my book. So, thank you Mr. Alex and know that your future in the doughnut business is secure because I would get a second mortgage on my house to keep you in business if I had to!!

You Know You Have Mama Drama When...

1. You find yourself scavenging through the dirty laundry looking for a pair of pants that are not "as dirty" as the others for your son to wear to school because you realized he has no clean pants and you have five minutes before it's time to leave for work.

2. You ask the teacher in the classroom next door what snacks she has in her classroom so your kid has more than a pb&j sandwich and a pickle in his lunch.

3. You've looked everywhere for the brownie mix you just bought and can't for the life of you think of why it is not in the pantry (where it should be), then realize you don't even remember putting it away, so where the heck would it be? So, you open the frig to get a cold one because you're sure you've officially lost your mind, and what else can you do at that point but put your feet up, pop a top, and have a drink....only to find, a box of brownie mix right next to the milk. I love the 3 yr. old help around here.

4. You want to lay a big kiss on the doughnut guy because he totally saved the day!!! You'll have to wait until Tuesday's Tribute to get a full explanation on this one. No, it has nothing to do with cheating on my husband, he would've laid a big one on him too!!!

Finally...

5. Mother's Day begins with a power outage, so it was Coco Puffs for everyone for breakfast, and it ends with me shaving a pig. Yes...you read that right. A pig, no I did not shave my husbands head (giggle, giggle, he would kill me for saying that). No, I mean a real curly tailed, oinking, 4-legged pig. I can see the puzzled looks many of you may have right now, however, I trust that the 4-H mamas out there know exactly what I am talking about.

If that's not enough drama just click on the label Monday's Mama Drama to see even more glimpses into mi vida loca, or just come back every Monday, or everyday for that matter! :)
Between Amy and I, and our kids there is always a good story!!

To All The Mama's

Happy Mothers Day from the Drama Mama's!  Isn't this picture so so cute? I just couldn't resist. I think you can buy a print of it here.  

Take some time for yourself today and be sure to give kisses to those who made you the mama that you are or will be for those who are mama's at heart!

We Are Over the Top

We have been given our first Award!  Yay! Lady Di and I are a bit over the top what can I say.

Amy @ Keeping Up With The Schultz Family awarded us this lovely blog award. According to her "To receive this award you blog must be exceptional in design  and content; presenting us with new knowledge, a sense of style, or at times just giving us a smile!" Thank you so very much, Amy  (Love the name by the way). You made us smile!  Amy hosts a fun Round Robin event (see our sidebar - we grabbed her button and will be playing along next time.)  Go visit Amy and check it out.  

Hopefully if you click on the award it will take you to the origin of the award, Over The Top Aprons - so so cute! If not click on the link. You bet we will be heading back over there.  Have I mentioned I love love love to cook and bake pies and Lady Di makes some awesome cakes. 

I Need To Find Me Some More Purell STAT!!

First, let me say that I like to teach my young charges the importance of good hand washing and the proper way to cough (into the crook of your arm, not hand) long before swine flu came around. In fact, we even had a hand washing assembly at school for National Hand Washing Week back in December. Yet, I wouldn't consider myself to be too terribly obsessed with decontaminating everything all the time However, lately my room is probably as sterile as on operating room. I mean let's face it they are little walking germ factories. Then, the day this swine flu thing started I see my boys licking and spitting into the palms of their hands and slapping each other in the face (not hard, it was some sort of game). Can you imagine the look on a group of six year old's faces when they have been told that they have just given each other the swine flu and they are soon going to be sicker than pigs and GO TO THE HOSPITAL!!! Well, not really because I didn't actually say that out loud to them. That was the raging inner dialogue running through my head while I calmly explained to my little angels in my best teacher voice that germs are in our mouth, blah, blah, blah, you know the rest. I try to keep those inner thoughts to myself although, the other day some of them were asking me why they had to wash their hands everytime after recess instead of just before lunch and my response was, "Because you guys are dirtynasty (thats my new word)" Don't be horrified, my students love me and they knew I was joking. Anyway, my point is my purell stock is running low and thanks to the mass hysteria there is none to be found in any store. So as a last resort I will buy some Lysol and just spray the kids down as they walk through the door. :)

I'm no longer a Spring Chicken - !@#%!

Amy's Friday Five: This is where I share with you the 5 things I have learned this week and you just might learn a little something about me at the same time.

1. I have a new pet peeve or annoyance.  Well it has always annoyed me but more this week than anytime else.  DISRUPTED INTERNET SERVICE.  grrrrrrr!  It happens from time to time but more lately something to do with mice chewing lines somewhere down the road.  Did I mention I live in the middle of no where (another annoyance this week).  Maybe it is annoying me more this week because of my competitive nature to beat Lady Di to SITS roll call or the fact that I needed to log in lessons for The Oldests' school and couldn't. 

2.  Grumpy kids combined with an already Grumpy daddy makes a Grumpy Mommy! We got home a little too late from Dance class (another problem with living in the middle of no where) and everyone is just a little tired this morning and extra grumpy - especially the Hubs. (who was already  nursing a hurt back) Then Momma made him stay out late to boot.  A fun day is ahead of me! 

2a. Getting up at 5am having a busy day and then stopping by a friends house to visit for a couple of hours when you have a 1 1/2 hour ride home (when both driving adults are very tired- maybe is was the grilling 5am workout) is not a good combination.  It was  not fun trying to keep the Hubs awake.  How come when you NEED conversation content you can never think of anything to say?

3. P90x Plyometrics has to be the hardest workout on the face of the planet and the reason of the above mentioned hurt back. Turns out he pinched his Sciatic Nerve. I know that hurts so I will cut the Hubs some slack. Anyhow if you want a work out that is guaranteed to get your heart pumping click here. You'll love it!

4.  Shin splints hurt and are contributing to my grumpiness. ( I got those from my lovely treadmill).

5.  All the above has led me to this conclusion: We are getting old.   I played 5 years of high school tennis and some college tennis- never once did I have an injury.  Since starting my workout regimen I have over extended a knee, have major shin splints, and the Hubs has hurt his back. All this because our lovely metabolism is slowing and we no longer can keep in shape by normal activity.  We (well me - the Hubs has always gone to bed early even in College) could stay up late and wake up early for class or work and function normally and I could go like that for weeks. Now getting up @ 5am and going to sleep @ Midnight is like torture the next day. I am OLD! Yikes.  

Remember: There is always something to be learned.

Have a great weekend.  Did you learn anything this week? I would love to hear about it - leave me a comment. 

What Happened to Me?....I used to be kind of cool??!!

Did you ever hear or see the Bill Engvall act where he talks about the things he has to do for his kids and he gets left wondering what happened to himself and then he says, "I used to be kind of cool!!" Well that's me today. I had just finished dinner with the fam' when both young son and daughter disappeared. First, I hear my son, "MOOOMMM, I NEEEED YOU!" I go in there and yup he needs help completing "the wipe". I know, I know, he is six years old, but sometimes he needs "ass"istance (lucky me). So, I let out a big sigh and commenced with the dirty task. Yuck, all I have to say is that boy ate way too many strawberries the night before...not pretty. No sooner had I finished with that butt did I hear my daughter, "MOOOMMM, I NEEEED YOU PEAS! Well at least she said please (sort of). I walked from my master bathroom to the guest bathroom down the hall where my little curly haired cherub awaited me. This time it was not near as a dramatic cleanup...thank God for rabbit turds, not near as much poop matter is left "behind". Sorry about the puns, butt I couldn't help myself.

Sorry Amy, I feel like a blog hog but this was just one of those "Calgon take me away" moments. I KNOW you have them too!! Again...what happened? Back when we were "studying" in college maintaining that 4.0 GPA (wink, wink) we never thought one day we would have to do double wipe duty after dinner!! However, as I type one of the owners of those dirty butts has his warm head nestled against my shoulder, oh and he just kissed me and said I love you mom :) I love you too son...now quit eating strawberries and go to bed!!

I Think I May Need an Intervention

Writers Workshop from Mama Kat: I chose prompt #3) Who got in big trouble this week? Well, if your a reality T.V. fan the answer would be John of John and Kate plus eight fame. He got himself into some mighty fine trouble. However, my trouble is of a different sort as you will read below. Although I have been dabbling in the blogging world, it has not been until fairly recently that it has become a little more than dabbling....

Okay, seriously...I need to get a grip on this new blogging hobby of mine.

The laundry didn't get done this weekend.

The dishes are piling up...well not really that's what 13 yr olds are for, but they would be if she wasn't here.

In the evening my children have essentially turned into feral children, scavenging for any food they can find in the pantry because Mama hasn't made dinner yet.

My laptop has seen more action in the last two weeks than it did while I was in school full time just a few months ago.

I was late for work the other day because I was checking roll call on SITS.

I am considering buying a Verizon wireless web thingee so I can check on our blog and make comments on my personal laptop at work...although my first graders might get a little restless while their teacher checks the latest on Mama Kat.

The other night I was up late for reasons unrelated to blogs (honestly), however, my computer was on and I realized the whole postings at midnight thing and being first to comment (remember I'm a newbie). Needless to say, I was very proud of my high-end comment status. The next day of course I felt like I had a hangover because of lack of sleep. I told myself I would go to bed early, but I found myself a little forlorn that I would not be able to stay up to partake in my new obsession. I was a good girl. I even fed, bathed, and dressed the kids (what were their names again?) for bed. Not once did I flip that screen up on my laptop. I walked right by it as I came downstairs after getting the kids to bed. I exercised... again, like a good girl. Then, I retired for the night and was out like a light. However, nature called at about 1 something in the morning. Can you guess what I did after I went to the bathroom? Oh yeah, I was 50 something on Roll Call!!! Amy was so jealous. Watch out folks, I think I may have sparked a little Mama Drama competition. So, anyway, what do you think? I don't think it's that bad. I mean really, why be a slave to the laundry and a dinner made out of pickles, fruit snacks, and peanut butter never hurt anybody. Besides, the kids need to build their independent living skills. Obviously, areas of improvement are making better dinner choices.

To participate or read more responses go visit Mama Kat.