School days!

Well, it's official! Olivia started kindergarten today.

I put my baby on a bus this morning (and only cried a little)...and now I'm counting down the minutes until that bus drops her off at 11:15.

It's so weird to not have her at home. It's so weird to think that she's IN SCHOOL!

And of course, there were a few glitches...

On Friday, the transportation office gave me a bus number and said be at the bus stop (our driveway) 30 minutes before school starts.

So, at 8 a.m. we were outside, waiting for the bus. And another bus with a different number pulled up. The bus driver said it was Olivia's bus -- despite the different number. As the bus pulled away - with my darling daughter sitting in the front seat - I had the thought "Oh my god...what if she's on the wrong bus?!?"

Kevin drove to the school (which is literally 2 1/2 minutes away) and waited for her bus. It arrived and then he actually walked Olivia into her classroom -- which is a relief because Glitch #2 was occurring.

Olivia's teacher told us last week that on the first day of school, both kindergarten teachers and the principal would be outside, gathering the kindergartners together and walking them into their rooms.

Uh, yeah. This did NOT happen. There was no one outside making sure the new students actually made it inside! Kevin said Olivia looked sad and a bit scared when she got off the bus...until she saw him (thank goodness he went over there!!!!). He ended up walking her to her room --- where lo and behold, her teacher was waiting.

Ugh.

And since I am a total control freak, I called the school. This is what they told me (1) the transportation office worked all weekend to get the bus schedules in order and if I called back in an hour they could tell me FOR CERTAIN what our bus number is, and (2) the teacher should NOT have told us that anyone would be meeting the kids coming off the bus, because they all have to be in their rooms for the non-bus riding students.

Can we say total lack of communication? Geesh.

I'll say this again - the school system needs to do a MUCH better job communicating with parents of new students.

Anyway...I cannot wait to hear how her first day was! I'm sure I'll have more to report later. ;)

Update:
Her bus made it here! I say this with some surprise...because the bus actually stopped 1/2 a block away because the driver was looking for the WRONG address! Yeah, thankfully Olivia said "um, I don't live here" and then [according to the driver], they saw me standing on our driveway and he realized where he needed to go. I certainly hope these are just 'day one' glitches.

I asked Olivia how her day was and she said "good". I asked "what did you do today?" and she said "Um, I forget." Ha. She did remember that they went outside and had a snack and she got a red M&M for being good.

Freaky Friday

So, my husband woke me up this morning with this statement..."They are reporting on the news that someone was fatally shot on our street."

WTF?

Yeah. My neighborhood was the breaking news story on 13ABC this morning. Apparently, someone was fatally shot in a house in right down the road from me. This is rather unsettling...because they aren't releasing much information - as in, was this a domestic dispute or a home invasion?

The Blade has the story here.

Now, I don't live in a bad neighborhood. I live in Sylvania, for crying out loud. Our neighborhood is quiet, nice, and apparently not immune to violence.

My entire street is blocked by police tape and Sylvania police cars. 13ABC news is camped out too.

This is all rather disturbing.

Update: 12 p.m.
This is the updated story from The Blade.

Prepping for the big day!

Olivia at her locker

The new student!

In the classroom!

The start of something new and exciting!

Tonight we attended our very first elementary school open house!

Olivia starts kindergarten on Monday and tonight was the 'meet the teacher, find the room, get your school picture taken' kind of event.

So...

Olivia had her very first 'official' school picture taken!

We found her classroom and met her teacher. And discovered that a good friend from preschool is in her class. Olivia was very excited to discover that she also had her own locker.

And...I joined the PTA. Yep, it's true. I paid my annual $5 fee and signed up. Watch out PTA, here I come. HA! [I also discovered that this year's PTA president is my 3rd cousin. Small world.]

Tomorrow we have our one-on-one conference with Olivia's teacher.

And then we wait for Monday morning to arrive.

My baby is going to kindergarten. Oh my goodness.

And now I know the rest of the story....

It's a mere NINE days before the start of the school year, and today we FINALLY received a letter in the mail informing us that Olivia will be in the a.m. kindergarten session (with a teacher who will be named later).

As happy as I am to get this information, I'm also a bit annoyed. I get that it's all about the bus schedules and whatnot, but really...as a 'newbie' to the whole kindergarten scene, I was getting a bit nervous/agitated/frustrated with the lack of information being given to parents.

I was assuming that Olivia was in the a.m. session - only because I had heard 'through the grapevine' that another boy in our neighborhood (who went to preschool w/ Olivia) was in the a.m. class -- but to not know for CERTAIN until one week before school starts? That's a bit ridiculous.

And then there's the whole bus thing. They gave us no information on riding the bus when we had a 'kindergarten meeting' WAY back in February....so I had no idea that the bus stop was actually our driveway. That would have been good to know...and would have saved me weeks of anxiety -- there was a lot of time spent worrying about where Olivia would be standing in the elements, waiting for her bus to arrive. Had I known it was our driveway...well, let's just say that would've been one less thing to worry about.

I have to say....preparing to send your first born, your BABY to school for the very first time is stressful - you worry about whether or not they'll be OK on the bus, if they'll make friends on the first day, if they'll know anyone, if they'll miss you or cry or forget to go to the bathroom. I haven't been this stressed out in a long time. Now I'm sure that Olivia will be fine ... but it's that whole "Oh my gosh, I'm sending my baby out into the BIG BAD WORLD alone!!!!" thought process that wakes me up in the middle of the night.

And really...the school system could have made this whole transition a lot easier if they would be more organized and take a little more time to walk the 'new-to-kindergarten' parents through the steps.

[As an aside...I'm certain this will not be the last post about 'things that frustrate me' with regard to my kids' education. I'm thinking this is going to be a regular topic on the ol' blog].

Parmesan Chicken - The Results Show

The prep.

The cooking.

The finished product - overhead view.

And, another view.

Overall, I think the "Parmesan Chicken Experiment" was a success. My husband LOVED it. He ate two helpings. And the kids liked it too (they were served the chicken minus the mixed greens. I know, I know...but the whole lemon/olive oil vinaigrette wasn't something they'd enjoy.)

Check out the photo on the post below....I think my version looks OK -- it might not be as "neat" as Ina's...but I don't have a food stylist to make mine look perfect.

This recipe will certainly be added to my 'arsenal'.

Parmesan chicken....it's what's for dinner (tomorrow)

Remember a few posts ago, when I lamented about how much I dislike cooking dinner?

Well, for the most part that still holds true. But I'm trying to change my outlook -- you know, be more positive about cooking dinner.

And so, tomorrow night I'm making Parmesan Chicken - from a recipe by Ina Garten (a.k.a. the Barefoot Contessa on Food Network).

That picture up there...yeah, that's what the chicken is SUPPOSED to look like when prepared. We'll see if that's how mine looks...I'll post a photo tomorrow.

For the recipe...go here.

Time travel

Amazing. I've been to the movies twice in seven days. That NEVER happens. And now I'm sure I won't go again for a few months (probably not until November 20th!!!!!!!!).

Anyway...

I saw "The Time Traveler's Wife" last night.

Having not read the book, I didn't know what to expect - well, I mean other than a guy who travels through time and his wife.

Overall, it was a good movie. There were a few holes in the plot - a few times I thought "what the hell?"...but for the most part, it was good. And Eric Bana...naked....well that's always a good thing, right?

Oh, and it IS a tear-jerker...so be sure to pack some extra Kleenex. You'll need them.

I had a date with Don Draper

Oh how I wish.

I created my Mad Men avatar (above).
Thanks to Two Pretzels for sharing the link!

Pizza, vampires and brownies

Last night my sister and I went to mom's house and had a "girl's night in" - we ordered pizza, made brownies and watched "Twilight".

This was the first time mom had seen the movie (and probably the 10th time for me and my sister). A few days ago mom said "I think I'll watch 'Twilight' when your dad is out of town." We couldn't let her watch it by herself...so the girl's night "in" was planned.

And let me say this: my mom is now hooked on Edward Cullen & Co. As the final credits started to roll I said, "So, are you going to see 'New Moon' with us in November?" ... and mom just nodded her head 'yes'!

Oh yeah! We got mom hooked on Twilight! I'm taking her my paperback version of the book today and she even said "I might have to borrow the movie again - just in case I missed anything."

Ha! After months of teasing me and my sister over our "obsession" with Twilight...mom finally gets it!

We're so proud of her.

As an added 'vampire bonus', mom also watched 'True Blood' with us last night (and I have to say this: best episode of the season!)...but I think she prefers her vampires as sparkly vegetarians!

Bon appetit!

'Julie & Julia' was a great movie!

As a blogger and someone who watches the Food Network on a daily basis (what can I say...as much as cooking dinner makes me crazy, I still want to be a 'foodie'!) - I have to say ... I loved this movie!

It was funny. It was touching. It was full of delicious-looking food. [Note: you should NOT see this movie on an empty stomach - you WILL be starving when you leave the theater!]

And now, I know what book I will be reading next - "Julie & Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen" by Julie Powell.

You can hit the snooze button!

Oh yes, you can! Tired of the retweets and #FollowFriday crap?

Then you need to hit the snooze button!

http://twittersnooze.com/

On the flip side, if you really want to irritate people and go OVER the 140 character limit you can use this beauty!

http://www.twitlonger.com/

Oh yeah.

It's like the best of both worlds.

Born to shop, forced to cook

Yes, I 'borrowed' the title of this post from a magnet on my refrigerator*.

But it is SO true. Born to shop. Forced to cook.

If given the choice between shopping and cooking....I will always pick shopping.

I find walking aimlessly through Target to be oddly therapeutic. (I really believe that they pipe something through the air vents in Target that causes us to all be addicted to that red bullseye).

Cooking? Not so much. I love to bake - cookies, muffins, cakes (no pies). But cooking dinner? Gah. It is one of my least favorite things to do right now (right after laundry).

When I was a single gal....I often just ate a bowl of cereal for dinner. Not very nutritional, but I was young (and thinner!)...I wasn't so concerned with nutrition.

Now, as a mom....I suppose it's necessary to feed my kids a good dinner every night. But most of the time, I just dread cooking dinner.

Perhaps it's because it seems as though I'm ALWAYS cooking the same things. Or maybe it's because the only things my kids want to eat are (1) buttered noodles, (2) chicken nuggets or (3) waffles.

I have an entire shelf in my pantry dedicated to cookbooks. Rachel Ray, Emeril Lagasse, and Betty Crocker have all taken up residence in the pantry....and are currently collecting dust.

I make a 'resolution' every year that THIS is going to be the year that I'll break out a cookbook every week and make something NEW and EXCITING! And then, by the second week of January we're back to the same 'ol boring stuff.

I guess now that I'm a SAHM (again), I have no excuse to NOT be creative at dinner time. Maybe now is the time to start using those cookbooks and stop dreaming of having my own personal chef. And maybe we'll even use our wedding china once a week (yet another 'resolution' that I never keep).


*Did you ever wonder why there is no "d" in refrigerator, but there IS a "d" in 'fridge'? No? Well, now you know how I occupy my time. I think about silly, stupid things like that. ;)

In need of a mommy timeout

Today has been one of 'those' days...where I'm just going and going and going...

Whew.

I'm tired.

So far today I've done six loads of laundry, Swiffered the floors (with 2 dogs, 1 cat and 2 kids and all hardwood floors...this is a daily thing. Next time, I'm getting hairless dogs and cats), made the beds, put away several of those loads of laundry (the rest can sit and wait until tomorrow), and it's now almost 3 p.m., and I am still in my pajamas.

I mean really...why get dressed if you're just going to be at home all day? [Yes, that IS my logic. Well that, and I'm going out tonight and didn't feel like getting ready twice in one day.]

Seriously. Six loads of laundry? What the hell? I swear I do laundry every single day. And yet, there is always a load to be washed. Why? How is that possible?

Oh, and I baked.

Homemade banana bread. Want the recipe? Go here. I posted it online.

And now I'm ready for a girl's night out.

100 days...but until then, you get 14 seconds

I know where I'll be on Nov. 20, 2009.

Acting like a crazy fangirl at the theater watching 'New Moon'.

A few 'staycation' pictures

This was not a fun ride. It spun around. Ugh.

Emma...not sure what the frown is about.

The girls at Camp Snoopy.

Miss Olivia Rose

Miss Emma Grace and her daddy
(and Nana is in the background).

So over it

The weather today is h.o.t. HOT.

Temperature at 2 p.m. - 87 degrees. Heat index is 92. And it's humid. My least favorite type of weather. If I wanted to live where it was this HOT, I'd move to Florida.

The weather today has left me with this realization - I am over summer.

Totally and completely over it. Done. Finished.

I'm ready for fall to be here. I'm ready for apples, pumpkins, Halloween decorations and sweaters.

I'm over heat and humidity and sunscreen and summer clothes.

September 22nd is the first day of fall. I cannot wait.

[And yes, please remind me of this in February when I'm droning on about how tired I am of winter and snow storms and ice.]

This whole "I'm over summer" frame of mind has led to me think of other things that have worn out their welcome:

- ANY "news" story about Michael Jackson. Or his kids. Or who might be the father of those kids. This is NOT news, dear editors of the world. Please report on something that IS news.

- The Gosselins. All 10 of them. Yes, I included the eight adorable kids. Why? Because at least one parental unit must be with them at all times and they both annoy me to no end, and therefore I don't want to see anything about any Gosselin.

- Unemployment. Yep, I'm over this too. I am tired of filing my weekly claim. I'm tired of the complete lack of worthy jobs. I'm just tired of not working. This will not change until I find a job.

- Gray hair. Oh my goodness....my hair is going gray so fast and I can't figure out why that is. I guess it could be all the negative vibes that I give out (HA!) or it could be because I'm an overly-stressed Type-A personality or...it could just be because I AM GETTING OLD. Yeah, I'm sure that's what it is. [A friend said today "38 is the new 37." I wonder what that makes 37? The new 36?]

I'm easy to please.

All I want is cooler temps, less gray hair, relevant news stories and a job.

Is that too much to ask?

Get to the point!

(oh my gosh...look how LITTLE emma is!)

....Cedar Point, that is!

Yep...we're headed to America's RollerCoast this weekend. For the entire weekend. My parents are taking all of us and we're spending two nights at the Hotel Breakers (it's like Disney World all over again...).

And, once again I'm packing for four people. My mom said last night "I have no idea what I'm packing. I'll figure that out Friday morning." Um yeah....that's easy to do when you only have to pack for two people. ;)

Right now I have two suitcases partially packed. Itried to use one suitcase, and it wasn't going to work. I am one of THOSE moms who pack more than the necessary number of outfits for the kids. I always have at least one extra outfit per child per day -- because you just never know if you'll need it.

And we have a duffel bag full of beach towels.

And a BIG diaper bag full of Pull-Ups, wipes, a big tub of antibacterial Wet Wipes (c'mon ... how gross are amusement parks? ugh!), band-aids, Neosporin, sunscreen, and more.

And....a few bags of snacks for the kids (no reason to pay out the nose for amusement park food when you can take Goldfish and Cheez-its).

And with all that...I'm not done packing. I still have to pack all the 'toiletries' for four people. And make sure we have the 'right' stuffed animals and blankets and Crocs and rain ponchos (just in case).

Whew. I'm already tired...and we haven't even stood in any lines yet.

Please don't pee in the pool!

We spend at least two or three days a week at the pool. While I'm not a big swimmer (and don't really get a kick out of laying in the sun), the girls are mermaids.

However, since Emma is not yet potty-trained (she's only 2 1/2...I'm working on it...don't judge me!)...she has to wear swim diapers in the kiddie pool (and is forbidden from swimming in the "big" pool because she's in swim diapers).

Let me throw this out there right now: swim diapers are THE WORST INVENTION EVER.

No, really. They are.

They do not hold in the pee. Sure, they don't explode like regular diapers do in water...but instead they sort of fill up with the pool water and hold it in. And therefore, the pee has nowhere to go. Except down the kid's legs and well....probably right into the pool.

Yeah, think about that for a few minutes. All those kids in the kiddie pool ... all wearing swim diapers ... that's a LOT of pee.

Heck, even when these things are bone dry they don't hold the liquid.

Honestly, I have NO idea why anyone invented them.

So..here's a question for all the moms out there ... have you found a good swim diaper or an alternative to swim diapers?

(Yes, that is Emma striking a pose!)

Tonight's television thoughts....

I Tivo'd Jon and Kate + 8 last night.

There, I admitted it.

My thoughts....

- I'm wondering why in the hell anyone would think redesigning their kitchen in the middle of a separation/divorce is a good idea.

- "What planet do you live on?" - priceless.

- Those kids are freakin' adorable!

- "Horrification" (Kate's word) is what I feel when I look at those ridiculous earrings Jon wears. He is a total DB.

- The paparazzi need to find a more interesting "story" to follow. Really.

- The show was much more enjoyable when the whole divorce thing wasn't the underlying issue.

- I personally think that Jon Gosselin should be a 'guest' on Discovery Channel's Shark Week - stick his ass in a cage and see what happens. I'm betting the sharks would know he's a DB too.

Honest to blog

If you don't want to read my blog, then please don't read it.

No, really. I'm serious. If you don't want to read my blog because I'm too negative or cynical or boring or pathetic....PLEASE don't read my blog. Go read something else. Go play Sudoku. Just stop reading my blog. Today.

This is the view from my fishbowl.

You want a different view?

Find a different fishbowl.