Ooh La La......

Paige was helping me fold sheets in my bedroom, and Clay was in the kitchen making crepes for his French class to feast on tomorrow.  We started hearing these...odd...sounds coming from the kitchen...sort of Gallic sounding grunts...and, "Mon Dieu!"...another grunt..."Tres bien"...more odd Gallic type noises..."OOH LA LA"....and "Ooh, Monsieur - BON!!"


Once Paige and I managed to stifle our giggles, I snuck in and captured Monsieur Claiborne in action (all must be said weeth ze French accent, oui??)

Apparently, Le chef Magnifique makes crepes best when he immerses himself in the spirit Francais!!

C'est bon, Clay!  Tres bien, indeed.

I also caught this photo - for those of you who thought I might be exaggerating a tad.

Ha Ha Ha!

Not really - that one was staged.

For today, anyway.

Tired, cranky and sick of cold weather!

This week has been kicking my butt!  I am seriously worn down, and I can't wait until Tim gets home - I plan on sleeping!  That's all really...just sleeping!  And letting him deal with, well, everything.  I think when he gets home I will go on strike for a day or two!


Yesterday was NOT a good day with the teenage boy.  It seemed like everything was an issue.  It didn't help that his room looked like a bomb had exploded in there and that he copped a major attitude with me.  Which, in my exhausted state, did NOT go over well.  


Today has started out a bit better (except for this ridiculous cold weather, which is another story and which I am absolutely, completely OVER!!)  Clay has his mock interviews today with a local business leader, so he (for a change, especially after yesterday!) looked so handsome going to school.  I should have taken a photo, but my brain is just not firing on all cylinders these days - too tired!  He was wearing khakis, a button down shirt & tie and a beautiful gray sweater (which I bought a couple of months ago and he has never worn!) and a blue blazer...and his dress shoes.  Oh, so snazzy!  We practiced his interview technique (with me asking questions) and I think he did pretty well.  Especially for a 15 year old kid!  I can't wait to hear how he thought he did.


I have been kind of looking around for one of these:

But not having a lot of luck.  We heard about one ( 1 year old) that a local breeder was trying to find a home for...but when we pursued it we found out he had already found a home for her with his vet.  Another one was a puppy (but already housebroken.  Supposedly) but when I called I found out that he came from a puppy store, and I am very leery of those because I know the puppies all come from puppy mills...I think that would just be a can of worms.  Plus, I really, really, really do not want another puppy.  I would like a young adult.  Already housebroken.  Already past the chewing stage.  Just ready to be loved.  So anyway...we are looking, but not in a big rush or anxious...just waiting for the right dog to come along.  Which it will...eventually.  Actually, I suppose if I am being honest that it is Tim and I who are not in a big rush or anxious...the kids are very excited and ask me every day if I have "found us a dog yet".  

Today I need to...

* go to the grocery store.  Again.  For the usual...bread, milk, etc.  but also to get Nutella and ingredients for crepes, because Clay has to make crepes for his French class tomorrow.

* go to the dance store to buy new tights for Paige's dance competition.

* go buy some certain type of (bleeping) eyeliner for Paige's dance competition because apparently the one we have is not right and also a different shade of lipstick because, again, apparently I don't have the "right" one and they also want some type of liquid foundation but I am NOT doing that one because her face will break out and you have to draw the line somewhere and can you believe how stupid it is for the stage makeup to be absolutely the same???  Wow.  THAT was a run-on sentence!   

* change the sheets on all the beds, and do laundry, and try to clean the house a bit - because it is disgusting and my kids are slobs. 

* go to the pet store to buy turtle food.

* put gas in my car

* By the time I get all that done, it will be time to pick the handsome teenager up from school, and then begin all the fun ballet and taekwondo running around.

Calgon....take me away!

Mommie Dearest strikes again....

The "sunrise" this morning was a bit disappointing...the sun didn't rise so much as it just became a lighter shade of gray.  Yuck.  

Maybe the cloudy, gray skies influenced my mood this morning (it really is nice to see a beautiful sunrise if I have to get up at the crack of dawn!)...I started the morning out in a great mood.  My sweet son brought me my coffee to wake me up (he does this every morning), and we scurried around until it was time to leave the house.  It was still dark when we left, and I didn't really notice what he was wearing until we were halfway to the school.  A pair of sweatpants with a hole in them?  Really?  Come on, Clay....so anyway, that is what initiated my tirade, but it certainly didn't stop there.  I berated him on his (messy) room, his hair, his homework, his study habits, his smart mouth, etc. etc. and so forth and so on.  Poor Clay.  What a way to start the day!

But?  I mean....really?  Sweatpants with a hole in them?  It's not like he doesn't have lots of really nice clothes...I WAS a teenager, I've READ about teenagers...but I really, really, REALLY do not understand them!!  This desire to fit in, to conform is just so contradictory to everything we have taught our children - and really - contradictory to their true personalities.  When does this stage end?  When do they become themselves again?  

Sigh.

Oh yeah - that's another one that just drives me crazy!  The pants hanging low, showing the boxers...ugh!  Why?  Why, why, why?  

This is my life...."Hi honey, how was school today?  Pull your pants up!"..."CLAY, dinner is ready...Pull your pants up!"..."Did you do your homework?  Pull your pants up!"..."Pull your pants up"...."Clean your room and pull your pants up!"..."Stop bugging your sister, pull your pants up"....Ugh.  Blech.  Stupid kids and their stupid pants and stupid trends and stupid CONFORMITY!!

I blame these ads:

I won't name the company, but all the kids wear their clothes.  It starts with an "A" though, and it sounds like, "smatherbombie and witch".  Mmm Hmm.  Another one of their ads has two guys and a girl, all topless and one of the guys is kissing the girl.  Gee, why would an impressionable teenage boy with hormones running amok want to emulate that??

Yesterday

Yesterday started with a beautiful sunrise...

This is shaping up to be an incredibly busy week...so of course, Tim isn't here!  Yesterday Paige had her lesson with the Math tutor, and then we picked Clay up from school...I wasn't feeling well, so the kids decided to go for a walk after doing homework (to give me some "peace and quiet" - their idea!)  It was a gorgeous day.  Almost springlike like winter is almost over.  I am NOT going to say the "S" word because I don't want to jinx it...besides, it is supposed to go down to freezing Wednesday and Thursday night - AGAIN.

Don't you just love when siblings are best friends too??  Well...most of the time, anyway!

Gus was waiting at the door 

I haven't posted any "Gus" photos in a while - so you can see how big he is getting!  He is such a funny cat...very, very, very affectionate.  Almost to the point of being obnoxious (but not quite).  Chloe (aka Mrs. Bigglesworth) is still not his biggest fan - he delights in leaping upon her head whenever she takes a nap (which is all the time!) and then running away, only to do it again and again and again.  Poor Chloe!

Paige i-chatting with a Calvert friend...

After a mellow (kid picked) dinner of taco salad, Paige went online to have a video chat with her new friend from Calvert. 

Today is the crazy running around day - ballet and taekwondo for the kids (both at the exact same time), plus Clay has a big Mythology test to study for.  Tomorrow Paige and I have to go to a "makeup" meeting at the studio...so that everyone puts their stage makeup on the same way for the group piece.  Doesn't that sound like fun?  Thursday Clay has a mock interview at the school.  This is when he will wear business attire and be interviewed by a local business leader.  Thursday evening is the crazy dance and taekwondo run-around again.  Plus Clay will be making crepes, because they are having "food day" in French the next day.  Then Friday and Saturday Paige has a dance competition. 

Ugh.

Today has been rainy and yucky, but the sun came out a little while ago and Clay took this picture...

Beautiful rainbow

Blog-spiration!

I got this idea a while ago, and decided to save it for one of those days when I needed something to blog about (when I needed blog-spiration?)  Anyway, today - I've got nothing!  I'm completely blank, unless you want to hear me whine about how my back hurts....yeah, I didn't think so!  I gave the "interview" questions to both kids, and Paige (naturally) filled hers out right away.  Clay...well, I'm still waiting!  But at some time in the future there will be one for Clay, Tim, and yes - even moi!  (The kids will conduct that interview)

A FEW THINGS YOU PROBABLY DIDN'T KNOW ABOUT PAIGE:

1.  What is your favorite childhood memory?

     Probably playing roadkill Barbie with Courtlyn and Daddy.  The name explains it all.

2.  What is your favorite meal?

     Macaroni and cheese, with a side of steamed broccoli and honey mustard sauce.

3.  What is your favorite leisure activity?

     Dancing and reading.

4.  If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?  Why?

     I would go to Egypt.  I think it would be fun to go explore and learn about all the ancient civilizations that lived there.

5.  What is your favorite subject in school?  Why?

     History.  I like history because I like learning about the world before technology.

6.  What is your least favorite subject in school?  Why?

     Grammar.  I see no point in diagramming sentences and knowing what a predicate nominative is!

7.  What do you think are your best and worst traits?

     Well, my worst trait is picking at my braces.  It is a bad habit, but I am always trying to make sure that I don't have food in my teeth.  My best trait is that I am always happy and cheerful...sometimes too happy, but that's OK.  :-)

8.  Do you floss your teeth EVERY DAY?  Why not????

     No, because it is hard with braces and I'm lazy tired.  But I waterpik!

9.  What is the best thing about your family?

     They are so funny, smart, and nice.  We have so much fun at our family dinners and I learn a lot from Mom, Dad and Clay.

10.  What is the worst thing about your family?

       They can be embarrassing.  For example, on the way to Dance Daddy was blasting "Pokerface" (Lady Gaga) in the car and people were looking at him like he was crazy.

11.  What is your favorite book?  Why?

       "Watchers".  It's so good and it made me want to own a Golden Retriever, a SMART one!

12.  What is your favorite movie?  Why?

       I don't think I have one at the moment.  Maybe "Star Trek" - the new one.

13.  Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

       Hopefully, I will be learning how to be an orthodontist in college.

14.  Give a brief description of yourself.

       I am 13 years old.  I love to read and I love to dance.  I do not like the "Twilight" saga at all, but I do like "Harry Potter".  I am a girl and my hand is cramping from writing so much!!

15.  If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

      I'd be taller, and I would be able to sing so everybody wouldn't have to plug their ears everytime!

16.  Who do you like more - your mom or your dad?  Why?

       NEITHER!  I like them both equally:

       1.  Because I know if I say "DAD", my mom will be upset and demanding to know why, and vice-versa.

       2.  Because they are both awesome and funny in their own way.