Chaos today after a snow day. Not only was it free dress at school but the kids had to take in their Halloween costumes for the school class parties and school parade.
I was also due to help - this time in Paddy's classroom. Even his teachers were dressed up - as a Doctor and banana respectively. As always there were some amazing photos - but I can't really show you all the other kids....
There were lots of games in the classroom. I was put on the 'you have a name put on your back - something to do with Halloween - and you have to get clues from those around you to guess it' game. Some of the written labels must have been v American as they made little sense to me.
I was also allowed to dole out food.
This was Rory weighing up the 'eyeball shot' (1/2 a grape in jelly) which reminded all the parents about doing boozy jello shots at school. Again, felt I was missing out!
This was Paddy's costume (his choice) - the Burger King King. I drew the line at letting him carry a burger around with him though.
And his head (the mask) is too big. But he did really well with the white tights!
This is Paddy's best pal. Who came dressed as.......
Ozzy Osborne. He did really well. And he kept going up to everyone saying ''Ave you seen Sharon?' and then shouting 'Shaaaaaa-ron'. Needs a bit of work on the brummy twang but it was all a great idea.
There were American footballers, rappers, clowns, 2 Cleopatras, a bear, a jockey, a few fairies, a few witches, some excellent outfits.
We were all on a sugar high by the time it came to the actual parade...
Woody had had enough.
And me - my wig was itching BIG TIME...
When I went down to the school gym, Bee was (I learnt later) mortified to see me like this.
Apparently her friend told her that I looked a bit like Barbie, to which my darling daughter replied that Barbie was a good 6 foot tall and I was short -maybe 4ft 10.
I am 5 ft 1 1/2 for the record.....
A few laps around the hall and it was all over....until the real deal tomorrow that is!
So Bee is growing up. She is in the moody, 'woe is me' tween phase. There is much rolling of eyes and slamming of doors. It's a bloody nightmare some days.
In some ways (size of clothes/shoes) she is growing up fast and then in other issues, she is a hormonal almost 12 year old child. It's an awkward time for her and a learning process for us. Of course I go overboard and try and give her a lot of what I never had. It's all quite alien to Hubby as he never had a sister and this is, of course, 'his little girl.' But she is also, in many ways, a carbon copy of him and when there are disagreements they are both as bad as each other.
Yesterday I finally agreed to straighten her hair for her seeing as we were home all day. I did it all wrong apparently but she was very pleased with the finished look. And she did look more grown up with it....
But she was just so proud. She sat at the table looking at her reflection in the glass of the patio door and it was like watching a L'oreal commercial (but without the voice saying 'because I'm/you're worth it'). She was just so thrilled with the results of something so very minor - even though people are forever telling her how wonderful her curly hair is.
This was the outfit she put together for school this morning as they had free dress. I thought she looked pretty good (and she didn't go out in bare feet). She was ready by 6.50am and raring to go - because she felt good about the way she looked.
I remember the odd time feeling like this as a tween. I recall specifically getting a semi-fashionable pair of shoes and thinking that THIS made me a far trendier person all told. That my boring school shoes and my rigid must follow the rules uniform, were all forgotten because of these new, picked by me, shoes. Probably made very little difference truth be told - but to me - it was everything.
Bee is lucky in having decent clothes to wear. Sometimes too lucky. Because I don't want her to be the practical but unfashionable kid in the same way I was. So for her, maybe it was something as simple as straightening hair that did it. But I must not forget that this 'it's so not a big deal' attitude of mine means the world to you when you are in this awkward growing up phase.
(But she still isn't getting an iPhone or an iPod touch much to her disgust!).
Home all day long. Our roads were eventually ploughed at about 6pm tonight. School was closed - there was no real
need to drive. Only got dressed *late* morning.
The kids played out a fair bit. Got soaked to the skin each time but enjoyed it. Their main game was to take as many chocolate snacks out to the cabin and scoff them watching the snow.
Whilst it is still crisp and white outside, I think the beauty of it could wear off a bit if I had too many house bound snow days . . . .
I think we got about 17 inches in the end....
Tuesday night there was talk of a 'winter storm' moving into Colorado. I heard various people talking about different expected snowfall levels. One friend was worried she wouldn't be able to make her Wednesday night 'advanced ticketed' screening of the Michael Jackson movie..... Another was hoping she could still make her spin class at the gym despite any snow.
We OFTEN get these warnings. I watch the weather a little - am always amazed how *sometimes* the forecasters can worry us to death and then nothing happens - or rather the stream of whatever goes elsewhere and NOTHING happens.
I went to bed after midnight and there was light snow - sort of settling.
When I woke up at 5ish I looked out to see more snow. I got up at 6ish and saw that there was maybe 4 inches of snow. Thought I had better check about snow days before getting the kids up.
Different schools do this in different far better ways. Our school is a bit stupid quirky in its approach.
You can tune in to local radio (NEVER!) or watch the 'local news' on tv. Something as simple as phoning the school and listening to a recorded message? OF COURSE NOT!
So I stand in the kitchen eating melon and flick between 3 local news channels. All whittering about snow/roads etc. There is a 'ticker' that runs along the bottom of the screen listing the schools closed in alphabetical order. My kids' school begins with G. It's a bloody long wait to get to G sometimes. Especially when they go to adverts at E or F which happened several times - hence flicking of channels.
I was also checking the local news websites....refreshing them every few minutes. It is a time consuming thing this snow lark!
Almost ALL the Catholic schools were closed. The one across the road from us - closed. Several other school's on the way to ours - closed. So I REALLY thought ours would be shut....it was just a matter of time before it came up. I texted my friend who is A TEACHER at our school...she too was waiting to see what happened.
OFFICAL line is 'we follow what the city's public schools decide', which is great - except for this week when they ALL have vacation. Our school also says it will make sure local tv/radio stations are notified BEFORE 6am which I know is BS from the occasions I have watched, seen nothing, got kids dressed only to see it posted finally at 6.45am.
So... mad rush when I realise that our school is going to be THE ONLY SCHOOL still open. Worse rush as we scramble for snow boots... first time we've needed them all year (some still up at the mountain house). "What do you mean they don't fit? Take your socks off. No, not forever, just until you get to school and swap into your shoes!" (they were fur lined Uggs- he only had to walk into the attached garage to get into the car - it's not child cruelty - honest).
So we set off, Rory in a pair of boots too big... ("are these new?" he asked brightly - they are 2nd time hand me downs) and Paddy in his boots too small. And Bee in boots of mine she's claimed seeing as our feet are now the same size.
We skidded a bit in the car. Don't have snow tires on as of yet. This always makes the kids shut up in the car. I don't panic, but I concentrate more. The roads were still busy. It was a case of drive slowly and leave space. The lines on the road were hard to see.....
I got the kids to school. There was much huffing and puffing. From kids and parents. The road outside school (unlike these photos) had not been ploughed. Some cars were stuck.
The Principle was waving people into school. The staff were giving her looks to kill. The parents were quite surprised that the school was open.
The whole taking off of boots and finding 2 matching inside shoes proved too much for some in Kindergarten.
The trees looked beautiful - but the paths - even the shoveled ones, were slippy.
Rory and I drove home via the store and picked up some food. It is remarkably hard to steer a shopping cart through snow. When it's still snowing. Who knew?
We made it home in one piece. And then we stayed warm.
Idea is that if school opens, it STAYS open but you are welcome to go and collect the children earlier if you feel it is necessary. I considered it but then spoke to Hubby on roads and he said they were being ploughed out.
So we had normal school pick up at 3.00 and 3.11 respectively and then we dropped off some groceries for a friend on the way home.
The boys wanted to play in the snow (it had remained below freezing all day) - as they had not been allowed out during school. Mac was the most eager to get out. But I managed to get some shots of them all for a while. (The deal was then Bee could make hot chocolate AND take a long bath).
You would think that getting 4 people, even kids, to looking in the same direction, would be, y'know, not rocket science.....
but...
with this lot, it seems
it IS!
THEN they start getting silly...and of course snowballs are made, people fall down and within seconds the only innocent one is.....
So promises, promises... HOT CHOC.
AND just now I was on the local news page, looking at the weather forecast. More snow due. All night. We should get a foot in the end.
And SCHOOL has ALREADY BEEN DECLARED CLOSED FOR THURSDAY!!!!
Yay. So a pyjama day will be the State of Play chez Mumof4.
And we can just stay in - and look at the gorgeous views,
and tell Mac not to stay out TOO long......
..was just great. It is a good....6 years since I have seen my friend - this maybe explained why I almost hugged complete strangers (they looked like her from the back) once I arrived at the airport. But it was great to meet up again and we clicked straight away. We joked that staying in our swanky hotel
was different,but lying on our beds and chattering away was really just like the olden days in halls of residence. Except now we were discussing husbands and children, not boyfriends and tutorials. And we were also experiencing better food..... no more so hard they could bounce off walls eggs or the soft rolls we used to smuggle back to our rooms. No baby! It was the most delicious French Vietnamese cuisine. It was amazing American dining...and puddings. Lots of puddings...... Our excuse being that we walked all over the city. For miles. Often in heels (burns more calories?) and holding an umbrella (a workout in itself for the windy city).
We shopped and shopped and shopped. Then some more. We went to see a show. It was amazing. It was just SO GOOD. (Jersey Boys). We even got over the $75 mark up on our tickets - that is how good it was!!
We also went to The Chicago Art Institute (a maze). We again, walked and saw, but didn't shop. We avoided the rain in doing so and worked up an amazing appetite that morning....
I have never spent time in Chicago before. The architecture (which I had heard about before) was really quite impressive. The theater where we saw The Jersey Boys was from 1908 - which for America, is really old and full of history. It is a beautiful city and I hope we can visit again.
Apart from a couple of taxi rides, we walked all over. Getting directions from the Concierge, or a stranger with an iPhone on the street. We hardly got lost at all. We went to the movies, we visited some of the historic landmarks (who knew the Sears Tower was now the Willis Tower after a British Insurance Firm ???????). We took photos for passers by and had lots of cheesy snaps ourselves.
We had a blast.
We talked kids, we spoke to kids - we worried about whether they would remember things for sleep overs or school projects.... But we did a very good job at relaxing. We slept 11 hours straight the first night. I started talking gibberish when we were discussing home...'I said 20 rows....' and then I just dropped off.
We had a hot stone massage and a mani/pedicure a piece. And my friend's toes had to dry before she could wear her shoes again.... luckily there was, yet again, pudding....
We went to the movies....we went to a famous Chicago burger place where the waiting staff have to be rude and cheeky to the customers.... took some getting used to! We had window seats in our hotel room where we sat and nattered and watched the rain.....
.
despite being avid readers though, we didn't open a book all weekend!
We even started our Christmas Shopping for goodness sake!
This morning, we ummed and ahhed about getting to the airport. My flight was a few hours after my friends but we decided to stick together and in true ER fashion, we hoped on the L for our $2.25 ride to Midway.....
And also, in true tourist fashion we laughed at some of the adverts on the train. And even took snaps. Can you guess which 'offence' we were guilty of ourselves???
It was sad to hug and say goodbye but it certainly won't be 6 years before we see each other again. No husbands or children were harmed in the making of this girls' weekend so we're already talking about a destination for 2010!
I am nearly ready to go. I am semi - packed. Lists are made for sitters/husband. Food made for tomorrow night at least.
Hubby suggested I get this new case. He said it was 'very me.' It is, I think. Hopefully won't get lost :)
I spoke to my friend I am going away with. We are only going away for 3 nights but she too is checking in a case - without question. Hubby finds this unbelievable. He has been making thoroughly sarcastic comments all night along the lines of...
'Take another pair of jeans - you never know.'
'I'd take another book, just in case.'
'What about the hoover - in case the hotel room is dirty - you need to think ahead,'
Then when my back was turned, he put a adult size flipper in there - just to see if I would notice (I did).
Who knew flippers flew through the air SO EASILY and hit their target?
...So Chicago, here I come.
See you in a few.xxxx
I really love Fall/ Autumn. Well actually I adore all the seasons for very different reasons but fall is the biggest change perhaps and I think it's fair to say I am 'more of a winter person'..so it means we're getting there.
Having said that, Colorado is a whacky place (and not just because of the boy in the balloon...).
Monday it was 86 degrees here. Flip flops.
Today - Wednesday it has been high 30s/low 40s and sleet and icy all day. Now below freezing.
You just never know.
I love watching the trees change on my drives. Ignoring the fact we just shelled out over $1000 on tree work/ maintenance and the clearing of leaves will also cost a silly amount, I love the story of the trees and their foliage. I see the changes daily the routes I drive. It was something I really missed out in California.
So here is a selection of today's trees in my garden...and one across the road - a Burning Bush (no comments please) which is just divine....
I so wish a friend were here with her fancy camera as she would capture it so much better :)
Yesterday Bee went off with Hubby for a bike ride. It was a beautiful day - warm even by our autumn standards (it got up to 86!!). I stayed home with the boys and was in the midst of making a Sunday Roast when I got a call from Hubby. Bee had fallen off her bike - was bleeding, wouldn't be able to ride home. Could I drop everything and go and find them? He *thought* they were maybe near Orchard Road but seeing as they had been taking the separate Bike Paths near the canal, he really couldn't be too sure.
Got the boys in the car and off we went. Didn't like the sound of the fall, but didn't sound as though she had any broken bones at least. 2 phone calls and 2 U-turns (legal of course) we found them. Her bike was thrown in my boot/trunk and she hobbled in the car, trying to keep her blood congealed leg straight. Drove home wondering about cleaning it - how best to go about it - and if she needed stitches, which Emergency Room I should take her to.
Got home and I let her get out of the car before I drove in the garage so she would have more room to manoveure manky leg. She limped away into the house. The boys watched - quite concerned (Rory offered her his Batman to hold, Mac sighed and said, 'Poor Bee - she's lumping." - Yes again, his semantic mix up had me laughing out loud).
Had her sit and basically poured warm water over her wound - dabbing away with wet flannels trying to get the 'set' blood away to see if it was a clean wound (it wasn't) - whilst she freaked out and tried very hard not to say bad words at me. Dettol was brought out and I didn't even tell her what a vile smell I find it - we just kept pouring and dabbing, pouring and dabbing....... The hand wound was a little easier to clean up - and her hip graze minimal.
But the knee worried me. It didn't keep bleeding when we cleaned it but I persuaded her to go and soak it in the dettol laden bath which she did....and it did look better after this. Huge plasters/band-aids later and a few Tylenol after the roast and she seemed ok - she even went off to her Cotillion evening here www.brownpalace.com.
When she got back though her knee seemed to be leaking through the plaster - which she removed in true drama mode - she is no candidate for waxing right now I tell you .....to let it breathe during the night - her hand plaster had also come off. Another quick neosporin spray and she went to bed.
Today she Tylenoled up before school and had a new plaster on each wound. Worst seemed over.
Then this afternoon she called me from school with a garbbled message she needed a Drs appt stat - even THE SCHOOL SECRETARY agreed. So on the way to pick her up, I called our pediatricians and explained the predicament. They didn't want to see her. I said that she thought it was infected, I was worried that maybe it was closing without being fully clean - maybe they would see her Tuesday they suggested. Well to me, if it was closing and not clean it needed to be seen sooner rather than later but the nurse seemed quite unconcerned.
It was only when I asked about Tetnus being up to date (I thought it was good for 10 years) that the nurse pulled up her file and looked and told me she needed a booster and THEN agreed to see her this afternoon.
The nurse saw her and got her on the Doctor's schedule immediately. I tried to explain the concept of the Tetnus booster to the 11 year old, mistakingly using the words 'In the olden days, people died from such wounds from not having a Tetnus shot.' Which Bee heard as 'Well if you hadn't called from school, we would not be here and you could be on death's door.' She freaked at the idea of the shot and even the nurse lost her temper with her....it was all just awful and I felt immense guilt for not having taken it more seriously yesterday and not being a better nurse.
It is her hand and the puss like stuff oozing from that cut (not the deepest) that the Dr was worried about. So we're on antibiotics. Doctor told me to keep a close eye on it (Ker-ching - another bad mum moment) in case she needs different antibiotics - IV ones (if she does her dad can take her next time). The Doctor dressed the wounds with industrial bandages, which seemed to make Bee limp (lump?) more.
We headed to the pharmacy to pick up horse sized tablets and invest in more bandages etc. As soon as Bee started milking our 10 minute drugs wait time for new hair accessories, I knew she was going to be fine.
Tonight she was out again with a stylish purple bandage wrapped around knee wound and a huge re-usable bandage around her hand. The way Ricky Hatton is probably bandaged up under his gloves before a fight - that is Bee tonight.
And her first words to Hubby when finally got in tonight? 'I needed a shot - the needle was huge. If I hadn't gotten it, I could be dead right now.'
When do I need to get Oscar nominations in by?
Can STILL smell Dettol everywhere - just to make sure mother's guilt affects seceral of my senses at once.
And it's STILL only Monday......
