Here we are, the end of April. What happened to my new plan to blog? Oh yeah, totally forgotten amongst all the other stuff of life! Well, I'm good. Kids are all good. Husband is good. Life is... good? Of course it is! This is The Land Of Jen, people!!
You know, baby books make it seem like the earlier years are the hardest. School aged kids are tough,man! Luckily I have a good bunch. They are all smart, nice and (most of the time) moderately well behaved.
BUT, Like many American kids- ours our spoiled. We have a constant battle against the entitlement in younger people today. To wager against that, we feel like making our kids do chores and be responsible for their actions are good ways to help them learn to not grow up expecting the world delivered to you on a silver platter.
According to my little darlings, other kids get to do whatever they want and their moms do all the chores while they just get to sit around on their butts. According to them we are hard, hard, hard-assed parents! I mean- we're really awful:
We make them save their money for things they really want!
We shop sales racks (unheard of, apparently, in other moms of teenagers)
We make them go to bed at the same time every night!
We make them do things "as a family"!!
And, heaven forbid, We make them do chores!!!
Here is the torture enducing chore chart:
**Chores and homework are done before any TV/phones/computers/ipods**
Jake- takes the daily trash out, feeds and waters the dog, empties the dishwasher and helps bring up laundry.
Ike- takes the big cans out weekly, lets the dog out, loads the dishwasher and helps bring up laundry.
Kayla- helps with dinner, sets/clears the table and keeps laundry going.
Seriously, I thought they were going to report us to CPS enforcing slave labor.
We've always had a chore chart, completion has been spotty, with no real consequence for not doing it (there I go, adding to the problem!!) But, now- they are supposed to do their chores without being reminded. If they dont do their chore, they can receive a consequence to be determined by one of us: loss of phone/tv/ipod/computer, not going to play, going to bed early, or extra chores.
So far, the boys have lost tv for one night and it took Kayla 2 nights to get her phone back. Hard assed- yep, thats me.
Well anyways... we are down to using tissues for TP, so off to the store I go!
Have a good weekend!
Friday, April 30, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Hey, I Have A Great Idea
... I'll start a blog and then forget to update it for MONTHS. Oh, wait...
Ha! Anyways- it has been quite a while. So, a recap:
October- Birthdays!
We didnt do much for ours, K had a couple of friends over for a haunted house night. I took three girls and one very lucky boy to a few haunted houses, bought them pizza, etc. I think she had a good time.
We were waiting, waiting, waiting for the house sale stuff to come through.
November- Thanksgiving!
Ike celebrated his birthday- since his is in August and we had just moved, we wanted to give him some time to make a few new friends before his party. I thought for sure he'd want a big blow out, but he just wanted me to take him and his friends to the movies. I dropped them off, and sat way up above them. What?! He's only 10!! ;) I cant NOT keep an eye on him!
Thanksgiving was a trip back home. And awesome. We very, very rarely travel in the winter due to road conditions and crazy holiday travelers. But, the stars were aligned I guess- we had perfect roads BOTH ways. And it was WONDERFUL to get to be with my family on Thanksgiving. The big family gathering on Thanksgiving is a cherished childhood memory. I was thrilled to get to share a bit of that with the kids.
December- was a blur~
Work was CRAZY busy and all the days in this month mesh together for me.
As far as Christmas-ish stuff goes... we made sure to hit Fantasy Lights, as always. We managed to get the tree up well before Christmas this year (as opposed to my normal WEEK before decorating frenzy).
Christmas Eve we went up to Aunt Ellens house and I was happy to suprise her with some long lost pictures from her childhood. It was a gift for her, but so much more for me to get to see the joy on her face. Christmas Day was great.
I ADORE being with family, but sometimes our quiet Christmas Days are just what we need. We did stockings and presents and then a sort of brunch of left over pizza (Oh! So not traditional!) before heading out to the movies. We saw Avatar- wow, it was really cool. We got home so late that we scratched the ham we had planned and had (cringe) more left over pizza!
Guess what happened that was awesome in December? We signed papers on the house on December 31. Happy New Year to us! Finally! Can I get a "yay-for-shaun-and-jen!" Thanks!
New Years was a blast! We had a house full of friends and the kids played their guts out. Shaun went all out with Sushi and all kinds of other goodies. One friend brought poppers for all the kids, now they want to have her over to play every weekend! :)
January tripped on by without too much hassle or craziness. Well, except for a few parenting challenges. I tell you, I have a new respect for my parents... especially concerning my teen age years. But, all we can do is our best. And so we move on.
February is here and its gonna be great! My mom and sisters came over for a baby shower for little Quentin James Curry this weekend. It was really terrific to get to spend time together. I put together a fantastic Seattle-on-a-budget type tour and we had a fabulous time.
The superbowl was today- we spent it with another family and had a good time. They had a little 3 year old girl and man, those little kids can really move. Its a wonder I got any rest at all back when the boys were little! But, you know what? I miss those days. Those cuddly little baby faces- all those squishy little hugs and the constant exploration: "momma, look!" every five seconds. Time goes so fast.
In fact, time goes so fast that I've recapped the last 4 months in just this little blog entry!
Goodnight friends!
Ha! Anyways- it has been quite a while. So, a recap:
October- Birthdays!
We didnt do much for ours, K had a couple of friends over for a haunted house night. I took three girls and one very lucky boy to a few haunted houses, bought them pizza, etc. I think she had a good time.
We were waiting, waiting, waiting for the house sale stuff to come through.
November- Thanksgiving!
Ike celebrated his birthday- since his is in August and we had just moved, we wanted to give him some time to make a few new friends before his party. I thought for sure he'd want a big blow out, but he just wanted me to take him and his friends to the movies. I dropped them off, and sat way up above them. What?! He's only 10!! ;) I cant NOT keep an eye on him!
Thanksgiving was a trip back home. And awesome. We very, very rarely travel in the winter due to road conditions and crazy holiday travelers. But, the stars were aligned I guess- we had perfect roads BOTH ways. And it was WONDERFUL to get to be with my family on Thanksgiving. The big family gathering on Thanksgiving is a cherished childhood memory. I was thrilled to get to share a bit of that with the kids.
December- was a blur~
Work was CRAZY busy and all the days in this month mesh together for me.
As far as Christmas-ish stuff goes... we made sure to hit Fantasy Lights, as always. We managed to get the tree up well before Christmas this year (as opposed to my normal WEEK before decorating frenzy).
Christmas Eve we went up to Aunt Ellens house and I was happy to suprise her with some long lost pictures from her childhood. It was a gift for her, but so much more for me to get to see the joy on her face. Christmas Day was great.
I ADORE being with family, but sometimes our quiet Christmas Days are just what we need. We did stockings and presents and then a sort of brunch of left over pizza (Oh! So not traditional!) before heading out to the movies. We saw Avatar- wow, it was really cool. We got home so late that we scratched the ham we had planned and had (cringe) more left over pizza!
Guess what happened that was awesome in December? We signed papers on the house on December 31. Happy New Year to us! Finally! Can I get a "yay-for-shaun-and-jen!" Thanks!
New Years was a blast! We had a house full of friends and the kids played their guts out. Shaun went all out with Sushi and all kinds of other goodies. One friend brought poppers for all the kids, now they want to have her over to play every weekend! :)
January tripped on by without too much hassle or craziness. Well, except for a few parenting challenges. I tell you, I have a new respect for my parents... especially concerning my teen age years. But, all we can do is our best. And so we move on.
February is here and its gonna be great! My mom and sisters came over for a baby shower for little Quentin James Curry this weekend. It was really terrific to get to spend time together. I put together a fantastic Seattle-on-a-budget type tour and we had a fabulous time.
The superbowl was today- we spent it with another family and had a good time. They had a little 3 year old girl and man, those little kids can really move. Its a wonder I got any rest at all back when the boys were little! But, you know what? I miss those days. Those cuddly little baby faces- all those squishy little hugs and the constant exploration: "momma, look!" every five seconds. Time goes so fast.
In fact, time goes so fast that I've recapped the last 4 months in just this little blog entry!
Goodnight friends!
Friday, October 2, 2009
TGIF, man.
Holy cow, its been a long week! Work was hectic, but not busy. Well, not busy with sales- but I was a busy little bee all week long. Splitting my time between CS and Training. Craziness. So glad its finally Friday.
Ali finished up at the fair on Sunday and has spent most of the week recouperating. She's leaving tomorrow to go back "home" and I sincerely wish she werent. I'll miss her. Its been nice to have my family here and not going anywhere for once. :( She took us to dinner tonight at the Muck. Brat won a bunch of $$ on the penny machine. UNBELIEVABLE!! But, awesome! :) I told her, its a sign that she should stay here...
Issac told me that he had twelve tests on Tuesday but that he thought he did well on all of them. He's having a bit of a rough time in math, though, so I'm wondering if TWELVE was an accurate estimate? haha. I'm sure that could have been a math joke at some point, but hey, like I said- its been a long week! :) He's asked if he can go to his friends house on Sunday to be the camera man for a stunt video the other kids are doing. Apparently someones parents are way cooler than me and let their kid put a half pipe in their back yard. Somehow, I'm thinking that four 5th graders, 2 quads, who knows how many skateboards, a half pipe and a camera do NOT add up to a good idea...
Jake had to present his "me bag" this week at school. It was a paper lunch bag filled with items that represented him. He had to pick all of the items himself... here are his choices:
Ali finished up at the fair on Sunday and has spent most of the week recouperating. She's leaving tomorrow to go back "home" and I sincerely wish she werent. I'll miss her. Its been nice to have my family here and not going anywhere for once. :( She took us to dinner tonight at the Muck. Brat won a bunch of $$ on the penny machine. UNBELIEVABLE!! But, awesome! :) I told her, its a sign that she should stay here...
Issac told me that he had twelve tests on Tuesday but that he thought he did well on all of them. He's having a bit of a rough time in math, though, so I'm wondering if TWELVE was an accurate estimate? haha. I'm sure that could have been a math joke at some point, but hey, like I said- its been a long week! :) He's asked if he can go to his friends house on Sunday to be the camera man for a stunt video the other kids are doing. Apparently someones parents are way cooler than me and let their kid put a half pipe in their back yard. Somehow, I'm thinking that four 5th graders, 2 quads, who knows how many skateboards, a half pipe and a camera do NOT add up to a good idea...
Jake had to present his "me bag" this week at school. It was a paper lunch bag filled with items that represented him. He had to pick all of the items himself... here are his choices:- Something I enjoy doing- legos.
- Something that I want to be in the future- an artist, so he brought a colored pencil.
- Something I want to do better- drumstick (he got drums for his birthday!).
- Something special about my family- he brought our American Idol Wii game because we like to play together and ALWAYS watch American Idol.
- Something I did this summer- Went to Kellogg... I gave him a turtle shell that my dad gave to us after a trip to summer camp one year, so he used the shell to represent his trip.
- Something I'm scared of- he said scary movies, but didnt want to seem like a wimp. He couldnt spell scorpion, so he went with "dead things" and found a little plastic skull.
- Something that reminds me of a memorable event of my life: he picked the Nickelback concert and brought a back stage pass replica we found on the ground.
Kayla is doing really well in school. She's really working hard as ASB VP and in her leadership class to try and encourage "empathy" in her classmates. She feels its something her school is missing has sort of championed this as her cause. One of her classes right now is working on Greek mythology and such. She had to design a t-shirt that referenced a phrase by one of the philosophers and it had to be unique. She was especially pleased with the result: She colored the tshirt red and grey, then in black and in Greek letters she wrote: Only the blind will see the end of war. 
We always think we know our kids so well, but they never lose the power to amaze us.
Happy weekend friends!
Jen
Sunday, September 27, 2009
I'll Keep You My Dirty Little Secret...
Ah ha! Now, you are reading- right? Well, mwuahahaha... its just the lyric the kids are singing in the background. They are playing American Idol. We always end up muting the TV and listening to them because its so dang cute!
Well, the rest of week was as crazy as the first part. But we made it to the weekend, and thats all that counts. :)
Did the Puyallup yesterday. Man, the freaking Puyallup. It just seems bigger and bigger every year, but somehow everything is still the same as the first time we went! Well, the same but more expensive! Usually, we try to go on a weekday and get the kids $25.00 "Dizzy Passes" (a bracelet for unlimited rides). But, we just couldnt swing a weekday this year so we went on a Saturday. $45.00 and they only got to ride THREE RIDES EACH. Rip off. And I didn't get my button either. Ah well, next year I guess.
This is us getting ready to watch "Wierd Als Brain", a 3D movie:
Oh! But I did buy a "CHAM WOW". Not sure what the diff is between it and the famous original, but dont really care either. Impulse shoppers FTW!!
We had friends over for a BBQ last night, except we kinda suck at BBQing so we had pizza instead. Worked out just fine! The Nortons have 3 boys who are all close to Ike and Jakes ages, Nicole has one little guy who is 18 months. Believe me when I say Kayla all but RAN out of here when I told her she could stay the night with her friend, haha!
The little guy was adorable! I've loved every age of our kids, but man I miss the 18 months age. They are just so dang cute and squishy then! And fast, man. Or maybe I'm getting old!
Its beautiful out there, and I'm in here. So, I think I'll change that. :) Happy Sunday.
Well, the rest of week was as crazy as the first part. But we made it to the weekend, and thats all that counts. :)
Did the Puyallup yesterday. Man, the freaking Puyallup. It just seems bigger and bigger every year, but somehow everything is still the same as the first time we went! Well, the same but more expensive! Usually, we try to go on a weekday and get the kids $25.00 "Dizzy Passes" (a bracelet for unlimited rides). But, we just couldnt swing a weekday this year so we went on a Saturday. $45.00 and they only got to ride THREE RIDES EACH. Rip off. And I didn't get my button either. Ah well, next year I guess.
This is us getting ready to watch "Wierd Als Brain", a 3D movie:
Oh! But I did buy a "CHAM WOW". Not sure what the diff is between it and the famous original, but dont really care either. Impulse shoppers FTW!!
We had friends over for a BBQ last night, except we kinda suck at BBQing so we had pizza instead. Worked out just fine! The Nortons have 3 boys who are all close to Ike and Jakes ages, Nicole has one little guy who is 18 months. Believe me when I say Kayla all but RAN out of here when I told her she could stay the night with her friend, haha!
The little guy was adorable! I've loved every age of our kids, but man I miss the 18 months age. They are just so dang cute and squishy then! And fast, man. Or maybe I'm getting old!
Its beautiful out there, and I'm in here. So, I think I'll change that. :) Happy Sunday.
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Boot Laces and Wine
2 for 2! :)
Man, today was harsh. Stopped at the store on my way home for boot laces and light bulbs... managed to find the wine section along the way. Now, setting in for some Grey's Anatomy and some cheap wine.
All together now....
Ahhhhh...... Cheers.
Man, today was harsh. Stopped at the store on my way home for boot laces and light bulbs... managed to find the wine section along the way. Now, setting in for some Grey's Anatomy and some cheap wine.
All together now....
Ahhhhh...... Cheers.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Numero Uno
*As a disclaimer, I write how I speak and I say what I think. So, if my grammer isn't perfect or if I offend- well, you've been warned.*
So, I used to blog every once in a while on myspace. If you ever have time to kill, check it out... HERE. If not.. hey, no worries! I am so not that interesting.
But, I do like to share random bits of my life on the internet and lucky for me, someone invented blogging- so here we go!
"Life Is Good In The Land Of Jen" will be a little of this, a little of that. Kids, family, work. Just the stuff of life.
The stuff of life for today is: I'm tired.
(Yeah, kind of a crappy opening, but whatever.)
This week has been so long and its only Tuesday! My normal job is in customer service, but for our holiday season I am helping out training new hires. I really like both positions. But, after some discussion with the husband, I decided to try and change my availability to get off work earlier in the day. I usually work until mid evening and make it home JUST before bedtime each night. Its not enough time, I miss my kiddles! Not to mention my husband of course.
I think I'm doing the right thing- but it seems like it should be easier. Family comes first, always. But, I feel really guilty about possibly making the jobs of my coworkers more difficult. I'm trying really hard to find that "work/ life balance" but its tough. I guess we'll just see what tomorrow brings.
Today was kind of crazy. But you know what tonight was? AWESOME! Would you like to know why? One word: GLEE. Yes, I am a Glee-k. Gleek. Whatever, I freaking LOVE THAT SHOW.
Oh, you know what else was great?! I just realized that today is Wednesday! So, we are closer to the weekend than I thought!!
On that note, thanks for reading my new blog.
Much love,
Jen
So, I used to blog every once in a while on myspace. If you ever have time to kill, check it out... HERE. If not.. hey, no worries! I am so not that interesting.
But, I do like to share random bits of my life on the internet and lucky for me, someone invented blogging- so here we go!
"Life Is Good In The Land Of Jen" will be a little of this, a little of that. Kids, family, work. Just the stuff of life.
The stuff of life for today is: I'm tired.
(Yeah, kind of a crappy opening, but whatever.)
This week has been so long and its only Tuesday! My normal job is in customer service, but for our holiday season I am helping out training new hires. I really like both positions. But, after some discussion with the husband, I decided to try and change my availability to get off work earlier in the day. I usually work until mid evening and make it home JUST before bedtime each night. Its not enough time, I miss my kiddles! Not to mention my husband of course.
I think I'm doing the right thing- but it seems like it should be easier. Family comes first, always. But, I feel really guilty about possibly making the jobs of my coworkers more difficult. I'm trying really hard to find that "work/ life balance" but its tough. I guess we'll just see what tomorrow brings.
Today was kind of crazy. But you know what tonight was? AWESOME! Would you like to know why? One word: GLEE. Yes, I am a Glee-k. Gleek. Whatever, I freaking LOVE THAT SHOW.
Oh, you know what else was great?! I just realized that today is Wednesday! So, we are closer to the weekend than I thought!!
On that note, thanks for reading my new blog.
Much love,
Jen
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