Washing Machines

I am just going to start this post by saying I HATE LAUNDRY!!! Ok I feel somewhat better. My washer has been a good machine for almost 12 years now, but like all good things it is coming to an end. My washing machine has been acting a little strange lately. First let me say that it is located in the laundry room aka the garage/computer room, and once I have started the load I walk/run as fast away as I can. I try not to think about it till it is time for the next in a line of never ending loads.

For the past few weeks it has been doing some very weird things. When you start it on regular cycle it will end on the very last cycle which is delicate. At first I thought my husband (lol yeah right!) or (funnier yet!) my kids had been changing it. The spin cycle has been failing, so we have been moving the dial to get it to spin. Sigh, one more thing on the long needs list!!

To make a long and not so funny story short, my washer has been going through all three wash cycles for about a week. Can't wait for THAT water bill!! Now I have to wash all the clothes on delicate cycle or set a timer and run out to stop it before the next cycle begins. And let me just say the delicate cycle ain't much help if you have dirty stinky soccer clothes! It's either wash them twice on delicate or just let it go through all three cycles. I HATE LAUNDRY! My friend Carrie pointed out the this commercial on her blog with Kelly Ripa and the new Electrolux washer. It is now occuping my dreams THANK YOU VERY MUCH! That lovely aqua color, that was the color from our so 1988 wedding. Peach and Aqua all the way!

Hey, that is just the plan I can use. Dear Wonderful Hubby, if you please, please, please, with sugar on top! buy me the AQUA matching set of washer and dryer I will think of our wedding day each time I do our laundry. That is saying I can remember much from the wedding 2o years later!! Oh yes and please note the aqua colored flowers in the homemade (by me of course!) bouquet below. Gotta love the 80's!!

PUBERTY

OK, so this is not my first ride on the puberty train. I have already graduated one out and through it onto his own. It has been a few years though since I went through the beginning of it with my first one, but just like a bike you start to remember as you get back on.

The other night while my 12 year old and I were lying in bed watching TV (big secret but we like John and Kate plus eight, shhhh don't tell) he puts his arms up behind his head. And low and behold if he did not have a big patch of arm pit hair! How did that get there with out me knowing! All summer long I have not noticed this, I have noticed the change in attitude though. So not without some laughter I asked him "Do you have hair in other places?" He said MOM!!!!!!! Well......just making sure.... boys never tell you anything. My husband let me know that that is NOT something to be shared with moms, and my time is coming with the daughter.

This middle child may be my downfall. The first day of school the head PTA mom tells me that my 6th grader had his name on the school reader board. I asked how can that be on the first day of school? Apparently over the summer the school reader board was vandalized and the letters were re-arranged to spell out I LOVE COLTON D****. When I asked Colton if he knew this, he said his teacher had told him, but he did not know who would do that! Great! It is funny and strange all at the same time.

So our latest trip down the puberty trail has led us to THE BIG TALK. Don't get me wrong we have had many little talks. Colton is the youngest of a long line of boys brothers/cousins in our family. This time curious boy, 12 yr old puberty victim, is hanging out at the local skate park with a bunch of his friends and a couple girls. He decides to ask one of the girls older sister (hmmm my face is red thinking of this) what she would do if the said girl lifted up her shirt. The older sister being the good sister she is, did what she should have. She told her MOM!

So begins the phone calls between parents. Not the best way to meet a fellow classmates mom I must say. Luckily this mom is very nice with a teenage daughter and 3 more girls behind her. Our conversation went something like this...me -I am so sorry, that was so inappropriate for my child to say or even suggest.....her saying-She understands, she is experiencing the girl puberty and just wants to make sure that nothing inappropriate is going on...me-Reassuring her that it will never happen again and that a talk will be had. Ending the conversation on a nice note. I am thankful this is a nice down to earth mom who is on top of things with her girls. I really appreciate her following through and being so kind to me during this embarrassing parent moment.

So the beginning of the BIG TALK, in a long list of talks has started. We discussed appropriate questions. Respect for girls, how every girl is someones daughter/sister/cousin. Curiosity, and who it is OK to talk about these things with. (I can bet I am not the first on the list, but luckily for him he has his Dad and older brother and cousins.) The best part is that I know that he will come to me in times of need for other things if not for this one.

BIG SIGH, I am getting old now. I have another one behind him to ride the puberty train with, and a girl no less. HELP!!!!! I am just hoping that I make it through with all my senses intact.

Wine Country

I found this contest at Stop screaming I am Driving's sight last month and could not resist joining in this month. I am not the best of photog's but loved these pictures from our Wine Tasting weekend in Yakima. I could have stared at this view for hours, a glass of wine and a nice breezy day, RELAXATION.

Moving Out

So the big day finally came this month. I thought I was prepared, I knew that my oldest was working up to moving out, but really I was not as ready as I thought I was. My heart hurt when he told me they had found an apartment. All those months of wavering between I can't wait for him to move, to I never want him to go, came down to that one single moment when he broke the news to me.

It was so sweet when they found the place. My self assured kid who has the world by its tail seemed so unsure and young for just a moment in time. It brought me back to all those sweet times when I could make him feel better with my reassurance. It is scary to move out of the child comfort zone into the adult world. For just a moment I got to be the person he needed. The approval he was looking for. I miss those days as the kids get older. He actually wanted me and his dad to see the apartment before they leased it. It was such a happy/sad day!

The apartment is beautiful. I love his girlfriend (not happy for them to move in together, but what can you tell the 19 year old, believe me when I say he knows how I feel about it) she is a beautiful person and they fit so very well together. She makes him a better person in so many ways.

I can honestly say that I am so very proud of the person he has become. When Darrel and I went to see the apartment we also met the landlord. The landlord told Darrel how impressed he was with both of them. He said he was nervous when they said they were 19, but after meeting them and speaking with them he was so impressed that he let them rent without a credit check or references. The landlord just thought they were so well spoken and put together for such a young couple. Let me just say that my heart about burst with pride for that compliment. I worked hard on that kid and so far he is fantastic!!

Now the excitement has begun at our house. The younger two are sad to see him go and actually miss him alot. But now the room shift begins. We are limited in our space and need the room so I can have an office now instead of my bedroom. Colton is moving up to Anthonys room (the big room), which is going to be a challenge because he is not very good about keeping his room clean. I let them each pick a color for one of their walls, Colton has chosen fluorescent green! After we have made his big move we will paint his room and Mariah will move on up. Anthony was a little upset that we were moving so quickly, like we were going to keep his room empty and waiting for him.

Sorry Charlie but the world keeps turning around here and the move is on!!!

Look of Determination

Soccer Cleat Fiasco

Life is funny the way it works sometimes. Our middle son Colton is playing on a select soccer team the NW Nationals Blue team. In celebration of making it on to this team (about 70 players tried out for the A and B team this year) we decided to splurge on

new cleats. In our house splurging for us is considered spending $90.00. I know that might not sound like splurging to some, but for us that is alot, we usually try to buy the $40 or less shoes.

So Colton and I go to the Soccer store and spend (not kidding!) almost an hour trying to pick out just the right pair. Decisions, Decisions!! Finally, the perfect pair. Not to flashy, black and white Umbro SX. Colton is walking on air, so excited to have his first really nice pair of cleats, and no hand me downs!

Fast forward a couple weeks into practice. I am on a clean the closet binge, all old shoes are out. In the living room is a go to the thrift store box. I have not taken it to the collection box as I am still sorting out some closets. In steps help full husband, out goes the box, and somehow in the box is the brand new cleats (you saw this coming right!?!)

So 10 phone calls later, 5 trips to the thrift store, 6 different employees (that all know nothing!) and no cleats. Let me just tell you that the pre teen, pre puberty tween can be a little dramatic. Even the most laid back, no drama boys. So yes, this was a very stressful time. So upsetting, I just want to fix it right now. At my house though I don't just have $90.00 to go purchase a new pair, it seems like not much money, but some weeks it is enormous!! We opt to use the cheap pair till we can purchase another nice pair.

So two weeks ago we are at a soccer tournament in Tumwater (we won our age group! Woohoo!). At the last game was a booth from the local Soccer store with sales galore on shoes. Colton and I looked through the sales and found a pair that was super nice and in his size (hard to do, he is a men's 6.5). Great price, I am so excited. We purchase the new cleats and all seems to be happy in Colton world again.

This week help full husband moves the new cleats into the house instead of on the front porch. He and Mariah decide to go run errands for a little bit. Max the naughty puppy is left unattended (again I am sure you can see where this is going). Max is a chewer, he had a little snack. Coltons brand new cleats!! Wow, what are the chances. I can understand why Max choose the new ones, the old ones are PHEW!!!!

So back to the drawing board, I should say the budget board. These soccer stores must love us!!

There are many lessons to be learned in this fiasco........I am going to ponder them now, I think a vodka drink of some kind will be help full!

Bad Tuesday

Have you ever had one of those days when you woke up and knew you should not have gotten out of bed? That was the last two Tuesday mornings. I woke up and just wanted to stay in bed. Last tuesday work was calling me and so at 6:15am I hopped (well not really, more like dragged) my happy(un-happy) self out of my bed. Two steps across the room to my ball and chain ie: desk and computer. Plop myself down and turn on my can't live without technology. Only to have it refuse to log on! What! How can this be happening. It has turned on everyday for three years now with no problems what so ever.







I am not sure how within 7 years this thing called a computer has become a necessity instead of
a luxury, but it is at my house now. Especially seems I work from home and sign in on to this contraption everyday. Frustration does not even come close to describing the feelings I had at that exact moment. And I am sure the air around me was black with the words I had to say at that exact moment. So being the computer dummy I am I call my husband in a panic to see if he has any save the day ideas. He being the computer genuis he is says, nope sounds like your screwed!!





Screwed! That is how I am going to refer to Tuesdays from now on!




So to make this long story short, 2 days no work =2 days no pay = 1 soccer payment short this month. My genuis of a husband had to reload all my programs (bye bye 6 months of pictures and documents I did not back up!) Big THANK YOU to Carrie for saving the day with the cd of work
programs I needed. And finally thursday morning I was back in business to work again.







Whew! That was some major life drama and to top off the whole week my 2 youngest have come down with swimmers ear.





Life just keeps getting better! This tuesday the same feeling, pull the covers over head, do not get up. But nooooo! I do not listen to my self preserving instincts and up I go. Only to have one more great day!




Mid tuesday morning this week my middle child Colton, in a near panic waves to me to come quickly mom! Something has happened! (I love when they use those words in a panic!) So with the quickness of a mom starting to panic I rush to the front room to see the spider cracks going up the very large front plate glass window. SWEET!!! As the lines go further they look just like dollar signs......Next week I am skipping tuesdays all together!