Adventures In Bureaucratic B.S....

Well, I guess I now have come to the conclusion that the public school system in Dekalb County really sucks. Yes, I know school hasn't even started, but I have had such a hard time even getting to register D this week... The people running the "International Center" are such morons, that it makes me worry that the teachers will be also. First, I called last Friday to get an appointment to go there-- they told me that they were no longer taking appointments, and I should come on Tuesday first thing in the morning. Well, I got there Tuesday--and they told me that they were so busy on Monday, that they had started taking appointments again, and they couldn't see me until Wednesday at 11:30 am... Sooo, I arranged to take an early lunch today in order to take D up there to be "tested" for English as a second language classes (why test him? The boy has only been in the US for 2 months!! Of course he needs ESL classes!!). Well we got there at 11:30 and began to wait. And we waited, and waited, and waited.... Finally at 12:30, I asked what was taking so long (remember, I had an "appointment"). They said "well after he has been tested you have to wait to be called back to fill out the paperwork" I said, "when are they going to test him?" They said, "You mean he hasn't been tested yet? We have him marked off as having been tested.." I said, "Well he hasn't been tested. Can you go ahead and do that!?" So the dumb asses rushed him back to test him... Then we had to wait another 45 minutes to get his paperwork filled out... Of course, the paperwork took a painfully long time, and D was complaining constantly about wanting a hamburger. Finally, after over 2 hours we got to leave. And get this, I still have to go to his school to actually register him in it! A bunch of bureaucratic B.S.

This Weekend's Nightmarish Adventures...

I haven't had much chance to post this past week. I tried to catch up on cleaning and yard work at the beginning of last week...then work took over. Unfortunately, the weekend wasn't the most relaxing... in fact, it was incredibly stressful. Mainly, because I had to take all three children to work with me on Saturday. I stupidly agreed to fill in at a hospital from 10am -2 pm on Saturday. I had explained that I didn't have a babysitter, but they said, "no problem, just bring the kids along..." Yeah right... And, fool that I am, I agreed to work. I have to tell you, I will never do that again!!! It was soooo incredibly busy and the kids were so incredibly bad, that I just about lost it. The staff was not that affected, but I was stressed. It was so busy that I didn't even get to feed them until almost 2:00--which may explain some of their misbehavior. I should have known that things would be bad on Saturday, because Friday night, as we pulled into the neighborhood the brakes went out in my van... bad things always come in multiples.

After the miserable shift at the hospital, I made all three of them take a nap... they needed it. I needed the break. Even Big A slept. Later in the evening, we met some friends for dinner at a pizza place. I almost cancelled because of the stressful day I had, but I decided to go--I really needed a drink! It turned out to be pretty fun, and even though the kids didn't deserve the treat, they had a good time.

Sunday, we headed off to Goodyear-- the only place open, to get the brakes fixed. I also needed a new battery and an oil change. All four brakes needed replacing... All in all, that little trip cost $425.00. That is not what I wanted to spend my money on!!!! While we were waiting for the car to be fixed, we walked across the street to McDonald's for lunch. The kids got to play in the play area for a while--they were in Heaven. I usually never let them play on those playgrounds--they gross me out. Then we walked to a couple of stores and shopped around. I got decorations for Little A's upcoming Birthday Party... Then we headed back to the garage to pick up the car. Big A said, "what a fun day!" I thought, "what a hot and expensive day!" I spent my Sunday evening mowing the lawn, doing laundry, feeding kids, and getting them ready for bed... not a very relaxing weekend...

Big A's last T-ball game was on Wednesday of last week. Below are some photos of her last game. The season was great... She had a lot of fun.

Pre Game Warm Up

Little A Pestering Mommy
For A Photo

D Poses As Well

Coach's Pitch...

D Entertains A Baby...

After The Game, The Team

Got Trophies...

Before we made the trek to the garage on Sunday, the kids played dress up. I just had to get some photos....

The Bee, The Cheerleader, And

Cinderella

My Little Cheerleader

Buzz Buzz!!!

Presenting Cinderella!!!

Big A's Polly Pocket Party

(She requested that I post this on the Internet)

:)

A Sleepy Sunday...

Ahhh. Silence. The children are in bed sound asleep, I hope. And I am, as usual, on the couch with this computer in my lap... Oh yeah, and I have a glass of wine. I used to have a glass of wine almost every night. Now I occasionally pour a glass and then proceed to let it sit there all night without drinking it. Tonight, maybe I will actually take a sip or two-- maybe I'll even finish the glass... I'm not sure why I can't seem to drink anymore. I guess that's a good thing--given my family history. I always think that a good drink sounds good-- in fact, I often crave one. But I just don't seem to want it once it is poured. Strange.

Today I just could not seem to wake up... I felt so tired all day. I did attempt to work in the yard for a while. I think I almost had a heat stroke out there---I didn't finish. It was just too hot. Instead I put on Cinderella for the kids to watch and took a short nap. Later we all went outside for a little swim. Big A pointed out how our 27 inch deep swimming pool was no match for the Olympic size pool she swam in yesterday. I agreed. But hey, at least we can cool off in it... Maybe next year I'll get a bigger one. Who knows.

Tonight, before bed we were playing with pattern blocks. D has great fine motor skills. He is also very creative at making patterns. I haven't put him in OT yet--I'm not sure he needs it. It is funny, he loves to build and make things, but he is not into drawing or coloring very much. He always wants to watch the other person color. Maybe he'll be an engineer...

Birthday Party Adventures....

Saturday we had a full day... We did two house calls before 10 am, and went to two birthday parties! We were a little late getting to the first party. The kids missed making the craft and the story time, but they had fun running around playing. We made it in time for the cake. The first party was or my friend Michele's daughter, E. She is 3 years old!! Time sure does fly. In a few weeks it will be Little A's turn....

Waiting For The Cake!!

Little A, Always A Thrill Seeker!!


So Proud Of Herself

Michele And The Birthday Girl!!!

Andrea, Becca, And Daughter R...

Later in the afternoon, we were off to the second Birthday Party of the day. This time it was a pool party for one of Big A's classmates who was turning 5. The kids had a great time. It was a good way to tire them all out. After baths and dinner, I was able to get them to bed quite early. Unfortunately, I was also so tired that I went to bed early. I wasn't able to enjoy much alone time. :) But I did get a good night's sleep!!!

Second Birthday Cake Of The Day!!!

D And Little A Enjoying The Pool!

Big A And Friend Also Enjoyed The Pool!!

Big A And G, Trying To

Summon The Courage To Jump

In The Pool...

Hopefully today I can get some much needed yard work done. Right now I may try to sneak off back to bed while the kids destroy the house. Despite my night's rest, I still feel exhausted....

Nanny 911...

Today has been a particularly bad day... D woke up in an extremely foul mood. I have no idea why. He got to sleep at a reasonable hour last night and went to bed without much fuss. But this morning he woke up and immediately began whining, fussing, and just generally being a brat. It did not get better. I took him to work with me, and he spent the first 3 hours doing everything that he could think of to get into trouble. He whined, he screamed, he disobeyed and told me "no" whenever I told him do something (like be quiet...). He was a terror!!! As a consequence, he spent quite a while in "time out"-- of course wailing the entire time! I as livid!!! Fortunately the staff at the hospital is understanding. At least I hope they are-- I may be getting a "pink slip" soon if they aren't... He began acting better in the afternoon, but that was short lived. As soon as I picked up the girls, the attitude began again. I know he is bored and tired of going to work with me. Believe me, I am tired of him coming as well. I am SO ready for him to start school. I just simply can't afford the extra daycare right now. So he will have to remain with me until the end of the month. The last week of July, I plan to start him in "Summer Camp" with Big A. I dropped him off for the on Monday, and they said he did fine. If I could afford to spend an extra $155.00 a week, he would be there already... I think we have bonded plenty--we need a break from each other.


I think he is testing me. He is trying to see how much he can get away with. Maybe he is trying to see if I will get fed up and send him back. Who knows what goes through his little mind... But too bad he is stuck with me , and I am as stubborn as he is. I will win. Honestly, tonight I feel like a truck hit me today... It is the screaming and chaos that is getting to me. Normally (with the exception of today), D behaves fairly well when he is without the girls. But when they all get together, there is chaos. Little A and D constantly fight and scream and run around the house. Then Big A starts chiming in or aggravating the others-- then all hell breaks loose. As a result, I lose my temper, yell at the kids, and get a head ache... I am tired of it. Tonight I sat them all down at the dinner table and told them tat this kind of behavior is unacceptable... From now on, instead of yelling at them, I am just going to send them to bed. We'll see how it works. Frankly, I feel like I am at my wits end. Maybe I should call Nanny 911... :)

Family Reunion Fun...

Saturday was the much anticipated Family Reunion. Of course, my plan of getting up and out of the house early to get to Charlotte by 12:00 pm was not successful. First, I woke up late (7am), then the children did absolutely everything that they could possibly do to delay the process--D refused to get dressed, Little A knocked my cup full of coffee across the living room floor, etc and so forth.... But finally, at about 10 am we got out of the house and headed to Charlotte. Needless to say , we did not make it by noon...

The reunion had a great turnout. For the most part, everyone who said they would come, showed up. I do have to publicly chastise my cousin Karen for not going though---shame on you!! :) All in all we figured out that there were 51 people at that reunion, and 21 of those guests were children!!! Of those 21 kids, the majority were 10 years old or under!!! Let me tell you, that makes for quite a hectic party!!! I felt like I didn't get to talk to people as much as I wanted to, because I spent so much time chasing after and catering to my children's demands for food... I have never seen Little A eat so much... And needless to say, there were many children running around on a sugar high at this party.

One of my brother's boys urinated in the garden-- in front of the whole crowd. Another one of his boys, stripped down and streaked around the yard for a while. No wonder Gabe decided not to come at the last minute! Actually, I have to call him out for not showing up. My Mom did, however, show up. That was a nice surprise.

Poor Bryan probably had no idea what he was getting into when he volunteered to hold the reunion at his house. He has a great yard, so the kids had lots of fun playing basketball, soccer, and just running around being rowdy. Of course, every chance they got, the little ones tried to sneak down to the pond to watch the turtles and, perhaps fall in and drown... Fortunately no drownings or serious injuries occurred ( aside from Bryan's finger getting sliced by a spatula). He was a good sport about the kids reeking havoc on his place though. Everywhere you looked there were children running in and out of his house---tracking in lots of dirt and grime. I would have been having a nervous breakdown... remember, I am anal about not having shoes in the house. Little A kept going into every room of his house--especially upstairs ( he has a great house with lots of rooms to explore). I don't think she broke anything though.

It seemed like the party ended too soon... Hopefully we can keep up the family get togethers--instead of waiting another 10 years to have one. I have posted some of the photos I took. For a while the various families were getting together for photos, but apparently I was chasing after one or all of my kids during this time, so I only got group photos of a few of the families. Hopefully someone will email me more photos... Hint, hint!!!

Big Cousins Playing Basketball

HRC Watches Intently


This Is What He Saw
(I think there was only minor damage to the cars)

At This Point, Little A

Was On About Her Fourth
Juice Box

Chilling Out In The Shade...

Cousin A
Looking Like Her Daddy Matt

(Who didn't show up, btw---BOOO!)

Big A Enjoying Watermelon

D, Enjoying Life

Kiersten, With Daughter P...

Spiderman

(aka The Little Streaker)

Kiersten's Eldest Offspring, D

Uncle Kenny Attempting To

Look Cool

Gabe's Eldest Offspring

Look At Those Faces!!

Nana, Taking A Break From Chasing

"Little Chaps"

Theresa And Steve

Donna And Kenny Trading Family Gossip? ;)

Relaxing After Lunch

Uncle Gene--Always The

Wise Guy

Some Of Donna's And Amber's Offspring

They Moved Too Fast For Me To Get A

Good Shot

Better Watch Out...

Little T May Be The "Mike Robinson"

Of His Generation!!!

A Lot Of This Was Going On...

Bubbles Were A Big Hit!!!

A Really Big Hit!!!

Look What I Can Do...

Me Too!!

And We Too!!!

Look At The Concentration

Of Course Big A Could Balance Two!

Did I Say The Bubbles Were A Big Hit?

Hey HCR, I Told You I Got You!!! :)
Cheese!!!

Harriet And Robin Catching Up

The First Attempt At The Family Portrait

The Final Attempt At The Family Portrait

(Couldn't Quite Get All Family Members

To Cooperate-- Little A Is Among The Missing)

Our Generous Host And His Family

(Chili The Cat Declined The Photo Op)

Donna's Family

(Pre Mud --- Wonder What

They Looked Like On Sunday?)

Theresa And Her Hubby

Harry And Daphne's Offspring

Movie Star Material

After The Reunion, D And C

Had Some Male Bonding...

In Front Of The TV

It Must Be A Very Good Cartoon!!

Eventually, All Sugar Highs Must Come Down