Photo Every Day – Day 4 (Mar. 24, 2013)

Yesterday, I brought my girls, plus two friends (Marie and Madelyn) to see The Croods.  We all enjoyed the movie.  And when we got home, the girls had a good time playing & being silly in the yard in beautiful early spring 50-degree weather.  I like how this shot captures their silly happiness.  Girls rule!

Shoeper Shoe Challenge Catch-up (aka Challenges #32-33-34-35-36 of 60)

So, I’ve been on a little bit of a shoe-saving kick in Shoeperwoman‘s Shoe Challenge.  I’ve saved 5 pairs since I last posted.  To justify my delay, I was out of state for the Fourth of July week for vacation without my laptop.  And I lived to tell the tale.  Incredible, right?

We had a great time in York, Maine, going to the beach almost every day, so I spent most of the week in beach flip-flops, which don’t count for shoe-saving purposes.  But I did bring one cute pair of flat sandals (Payless) for walking around York’s Wild Animal Kingdom and shoe challenge number 32.  The double-ankle buckles are a hassle sometimes, but I like them enough that I don’t mind.

Last week, it was back to work as usual (mostly), with Wednesday off to bring my dad to the cancer center for his weekly appointment, and I managed to save four more pairs.

33.  Roni spent the week with Auntie Joyce though, just like last summer, and Auntie Kariann took Sabrina Monday night & Tuesday night to go with Joyce & Roni up to northern New Hampshire for a trip to Santa’s village.  So Jim & I even managed a week-night date on Tuesday for me to save my leopard-print “Vegas” wedges (Naughty Monkey).  We saw Horrible Bosses, which we both thought was hilarious, after dinner outside at The Cheesecake Factory.

34.  These are super-comfortable, I think the brand is LifeStride.  I got them on a shopping day last summer with Andrea.  This outfit with the lightweight turquoise skirt is what I wore to my dad’s appointment.  He’s more winded lately than he had been for the last several months, but he re-gained 4 more of the 40-ish pounds he had lost, so that was exciting news.  He’s still eating pretty normal too, which makes me happy.

35.  Thursday, I went with a basic LBD, but I stepped out @ lunch to donate blood, so I had a stranger take a picture of me by this funky sculpture, just for a change of scenery from my back porch.  I only realized later that the grass obscures your view of my purple low-wedge slingbacks.  If I had to pick a pair of shoes that would be my signature, it would be these.  I love them, and don’t know anyone else (in real life, at least) who owns & wears purple shoes.  At least not anyone over the age of 8.  Roni & Brie probably have friends who wear purple shoes, but it’s not really the same, is it?  I can wear these with so much more than plain black, but haven’t had a chance to photograph them until this outfit.  They’re by Etienne Aigner.

Because you can’t see much of the shoes here, I took another picture on my parents’ back porch so you can see them better.  You’re welcome.  😉

36.  To close out the week, on Saturday, I brought the girls to swimming lessons, then went to a friend’s birthday party, then to Auntie Joyce’s for family dinner.  So I wore my black cork flip-flops, that I think are pretty, but still comfortable.  These are also from Payless, and I’ve had them for longer than you’d expect Payless shoes to last.  I’ll be sad when they break and I have to throw them out, because they’re a summer staple for me.

And there you have it.  Now I’m all caught up on my shoes, and you’re caught up on the highlights of my past two weeks.  And of course, while the girls were away, everyone involved said they behaved like perfect little angels.  And they’re always sweet little things all happy to see us when they first get home, but within 24 hours, they’re right back to bickering, and their usual whining and non-listening, which forces me to re-adjust fast to “mommy mode.”  You would think I would learn to expect it by now, but I’m a total sucker.  Every time people tell me how well they behave, and how nice they are to each other, I foolishly expect it to last longer than it does.  Ugh!  I really just hope it carries forward to the day they both move out of my house, that they’ll get along and treat others (and each other) with kindness when it counts.  Out in the “real world” as adults.  I’ve got about 14 + years before we get to see how that works out though.  Stay tuned…

30 for 30 day 19 @ Tangled

30-for-30 items:  Brown boatneck sweater, boot-cut Levi’s, Bling-y cowboy boots

Accessories:  Brown rhinestone watch, shades-of-blue multi-strand necklace (from Francesca’s – one of my very favorites!), and 3-D glasses because we were at the movie theatre to see Tangled, which was pretty cute.  I was also impressed they even had kid-sized 3-D glasses, so the girls are in the picture with me today.  Kind of like Men In Black with the glasses on all of us, only we’re girls.  And we’re not wearing all black.  Or fighting aliens trying to take over earth or anything like that.  So not very much like Men in Black at all.  Except for the glasses.  😉

I’ll be nominated for Mother of the Year

I’ll be nominated for Mother of the Year any day now…

Promises, Promises…

Image via Wikipedia

I have to admit – I was starting to sweat this one a little.  Over the summer, Veronica wanted to see Ramona & Beezus (the movie).  So, I made a promise.  I promised her if she read the book first, I’d take her to see the movie.  So, she read the book, dutifully put it on her summer reading list, and even used it for her summer reading homework assignment.  While she stayed with Auntie Joyce for 4 days, they made a diorama together featuring a scene from Beezus & Ramona (the book).

Please don’t ask me why the book is called Beezus & Ramona, but the movie is called Ramona & Beezus.  I just don’t know.

Back to my point, I had promised that after she read the book, I’d take her to see the movie.  Only my life is usually pretty hectic, and as I age, movies come & go from theaters a lot faster than I remember from before I had kids.  So, when I had a chance to take her a few weeks ago, the movie was already gone from most theaters.  At least the ones near me.

So, I kicked into “let’s hope she forgets about this particular promise” mode.  Which is not usually successful, but it couldn’t hurt to try.  When I went to the beach on Monday with Andrea, I mentioned the promise, and the hopefulness that Veronica would forget about the promise.  A few days later, Andrea completely saved me.  She texted me that Ramona & Beezus is playing at the Mendon Drive-In this weekend.  Hooray!  Having already made plans for Saturday night, I immediately planned to take her on Friday night.

I get home from picking up the girls from school around 6:00, and Jim got home around 6:30.  Roni & I were off by 7:15, and I still hadn’t told her where we were going.  On the way there, I gave her the clue that I was fulfilling a promise I had made over the summer.  She still had no idea.  She was so happy when we got there, she even ate her snack-bar-pizza dinner without complaint (a huge victory in my world)!

For actual snacks, I got her a small popcorn (she didn’t want to share a large), and a pink Gatorade (she hates soda, but she loves Gatorade — go figure!).  I indulged myself with an order of beef nachos for dinner, and we both enjoyed the movie.  Roni even loved the old-fashioned intermission show, which is almost exactly the same as the one they show in the drive-in scene in Grease.  Classic!  She was even happier when I opened the roof, and let her stand on the seat to stick her head out.  Goofball.

The 2nd movie was Eat. Pray. Love.  Which I had no interest in seeing, but I figured I’d stay for it since I’d already paid for it.  About 45 min. into it, Roni was fast asleep, and I was completely disinterested, so I left without seeing the rest.

I was also glad we squeezed in our requisite visit to the drive-in, which we try to do at least once every summer, but we hadn’t done yet this year.  Overall, this was probably one of the best “Mommy-and-Veronica-nights-of-fun” we’ll have all year.  It’s incredible to me still how sweet she can be when she’s having a good time.  ♥

I love long weekends!

Especially ones where work closes early the day before.  It usually gives me *just* enough time to go see a movie.  In an actual movie theater.  And still make it to daycare/after-school-care pickup on time.

Today, Jim & I met up and saw The American, with George Clooney.  I didn’t love it, but it was OK.  I was confused through a lot of it, and even at the end, there was a lot I just didn’t “get” — oh, well.

Afterwards, it was just starting to rain from Hurricane Earl, which probably won’t really hit us as a hurricane, more like a fall nor’easter, when we picked up the kids, and headed home for an easy chicken parm & pasta dinner.  Yum!

I was right

Just be warned.  I love being right.  I love saying I was right.  It makes me happy.  🙂

So, I was right that I wouldn’t end up packing for Roni’s 4-day sleepover last night.  After dinner, and shopping for a last-minute birthday party gift, I cleaned up the trash Lucy spread all over my kitchen, and then went to bed early after a little TV.

I didn’t even think about packing for Roni.  She’s up now (She got up @ 6:28 this morning — Why do the children always wake up extra early on the weekends?  WHY???) and watching the movie “UP“.

I’m procrastinating my Saturday WI, but I can’t put it off much longer.  It’s 7:18 a.m. now, and I still have to get everyone dressed & fed before 9:00 swimming lessons.  I don’t have to get Jim dressed & fed though, at least.  He’s a big boy, he can fend for himself.  ♥

We also had a change of plans that Jim’s mom can’t visit us today.  As it turns out, she had back surgery a few days ago, and she’s in too much pain to visit.  We didn’t even know she was scheduled for surgery, but we’re praying for her to be feeling better soon.

So, later today, I’ll be taking Sabrina to a classmate’s b-day party, which the mom mentioned to me a week or two ago, but she never left me the invite with the details until yesterday.  I only met her the time she mentioned the party, so I don’t really know her at all, but people have told me our kids pretend they’re Dora & Diego together.  🙂

Despicable Me! (again)

So, I got out of work early yesterday, and Jim had to work late.  It was hot as heck out.  Again.  So, my brilliant idea of the day yesterday was to pick up the kids and head straight to the movies for the matinee of Despicable Me!  The timing was perfect. 

We had just enough time for a quick stop @ home for the dog, which gave me just enough time to change out of my jeans so I wouldn’t actually melt into them (did I mention it was HOT?!?), and get the girls to the theater, with just enough time to buy tickets, get them to use the bathroom BEFORE the movie (my accomplishment of the day!), and buy kids packs, and get them seated during the previews.  Slight glitch in the plan that Sabrina didn’t want to sit in her seat, she wanted to sit on me (not surprising though), but she wanted to come with me to get MY popcorn & soda.  So, I had to carefully balance her kids pack, go get my refreshments, then juggle those while I got her in my lap so that I could still see the movie too.

Then, it was good times.  Hilarious movie.  Happy children.  Happy mama.  And Minions.  Man, were they adorable.  Kind of like the little aliens from Toy Story, only with more variation between them (some have one eye, some have 2, etc.), and they all had their own names, which was fascinating to Veronica.  I totally want to have this movie when it’s out on DVD.

Anyway, the evening took a slight downhill turn when I made a quick stop what I thought would be a quick stop at Sears to order Veronica’s pictures from Wednesday night.  In the end, NOT a quick stop at all.  There was only one employee working the photo area, and she was busy for half the time I was there dealing with an irate customer while I patiently waited, and sympathized with her.  Then she got me set up, I did my thing, and she couldn’t figure out how to ring me in correctly between processing my coupons (which she was kind enough to look up for me b/c I shamelessly name-dropped her manager’s name, and her district manager’s name), and processing the weekday BOGO promotion (the reason I scheduled the pictures for Wednesday night to begin with — I mean, I know I’m not perfect, but I’m also not COMPLETELY insane!).  After an hour, and ringing in my order in 2 separate batches, we finally left there @ 8:00.

Thankfully, Jim got out of work too late to catch the movie, but not so late that he went home and had dinner ready for the kids when we walked in, so they could eat something at least arguably nutritious (frozen veggie pizza) before bed.  I mean, I’m not glad he missed the movie, but I had called him to ask if he could get out early to join us.  I’m just glad he was able to get home & have dinner ready for them.

Despicable Me!

My Little minions

Bear with me

I made it to Roni’s camp, which as I expected is WICKED cool.  They even have platforms set up in the lake so they can practice jumping in.  And they were lining up for the bus just as I found her group.  I was shocked she decided to come home with me instead of riding on the bus.

We went to pick up Sabrina, and I thought it would be fun to take them to the movies, since Jim’s in town with a friend, but Despicable Me! doesn’t start until next Friday (bummer!) and Shrek 4 isn’t playing today at either of the theaters near us.

So, we stopped for snacks & happy meals, and went home to watch Cinderella II on DVD, which both girls agreed to.   At McDonald’s, I also agreed to let Roni try a Fresh Fruit Smoothie, which she proceeded to drop and spill 80% of it before we got in the house.  She liked the few sips that were left though.