My little Hoarder

Over the past few months I have watched my daughter evolve into a hoarder. It all started when I was taking her jammers off one morning and found 3 whole cookies in the foot of the pj's.  Guess she was saving them for later?
The next week I was changing her diaper and found about 5 Lego's stuffed into the top of her diaper.
From there the trend continued and I have found countless toys, & food items shoved in her diaper or clothing.  Like fruit loops, doll clothes, &money (which I can totally understand...since she doesn't have a bra to shove it in).
This morning I witnessed the phenomenon first hand.  Anytime she sees me use tape she thinks it's a sticker (which she calls "pretties" ).  She held out her hands said pretty and so I put a piece of tape on each hand.  She then pulls the tape off and shoves it down her diaper!  This leaves me a little baffled!
I would love to know what she is thinking.....I do throw those diapers out, so the point of saving for later is kind of obsolete.  Either way, it sure is funny!

Eli at the Ballet Coppelia

Just an update to the Ballet Coppelia field trip with Eli's class.

Eli was so excited that he woke up himself bright and early and came and asked if he could get dressed.  So I got up and fixed his breakfast and then we assembled him nicely in his "handsome" clothes.

Then he asked if he looked like his daddy...too sweet!  Since he looked so handsome and dressed like his daddy, they wanted a picture taken together....both in their ties!

Sissy Lou saw the camera and came running....and had to have a picture too with Mr. Handsome.

Andrew was feeling a little left out so he jumped in for his picture moment as well!

I sent Eli on to school and told him I'd meet him at the Ballet later that day. 

When I arrived at the Fine Arts Center downtown, I walked out to meet the buses as they pulled up.  Out poured kids and I was handed the four that I would man for the day...3 boys and 1 girl. 

We marched inside in a straight line and headed straight for our seats.  Once seated we began our wait of 30 minutes until all the other schools loaded in.  By this time my rowdy boys were getting anxious and wiggling a lot!  One even told me that if they didn't start soon that he would be leaving. So of course I asked "how exactly are you going to get back to the school?", and with that he looks at me and says "on the bus" (Why didn't I think of that?) HA! 

Then it was time, time for the Ballet to begin and the roars of the children could probably be heard for a mile!  They were whooping and hollering and so excited!

I have to say, the Ballet Coppelia was very entertaining and captivated everyone in the room!  Eli even wants to go back and see the whole production.  We only saw Act II. 

Eli did decide that while he likes to watch the ballet (the girls in short skirts and tight, tight, tights) he would not like to be in the ballet....WHEW...close one!

However, I think he will be my artsy fartsy child...and I LOVE that!  He loves to sing and dance....at least I might have a chance of one of my children doing what I love to do....maybe......

This past weekend I sang at our church and the Red's were asking me why I did that and if it was hard.  I told them that I sang because that is the gift God had given me and I needed to use my gift to serve Him.  When I said that Andrew responded: "What's my gift?", and I told him that would be something he needed to figure out.  He then told me that he hoped God gave him the gift of being a scientist?

Eli got up and was walking off when he said "I want God to give me the gift of being a transformer". 

So maybe I will hold out hope a little longer for my little artist to appear ; )



The Dumper Is Back.......

Wow, it's been so long since I've reported a dumping story that I thought the phase had passed....guess not! 
Yesterday after returning home from picking the kids up from school, I sat down to do some "catch up" work. 
After school it is always snack time around here so I let them choose their poison and locked the pantry.  The reason I locked it is because I had bought some fruit snacks for the kids and they have become Sissy Lou's new obsession causing her to frequent the pantry.  Then I got busy with my "work" (that's code for ebay selling....I'm a little addicted at this present moment of selling Sissy's clothing....okay, okay, and buying too).
Later that afternoon Jesse arrived home from work and for some strange reason UNLOCKED the pantry leaving it vulnerable to my innocent yet rather sneaky, fruit snack addict.

Then I heard something...wasn't sure what it was, but knew I shouldn't be hearing it.  So I hopped up, ran to the kitchen only to find this:

That is a whole bag of cornmeal that now graces my floor with it's presence. 

And this is my little angel who was so extremely proud of herself!

At least I caught her before it became a mixture of flour and sugar ; )

Seriously, does anyone else have kids that dump as much stuff as my kids do?  And why must all three of mine be dumpers?  I need answers...if we were to have another, would that child be a dumper also?  And yes I am well aware of the underlining humor in my statements.....I'm just trying to type "dumpers" as many times as possible!Stay tuned for the next dump.....ing story.......

Ballet???

Eli's kindergarten class will be attending the Ballet tomorrow for their field trip.  They were suppose to go in December to see the Nutcracker but we got snowed out.  So to make up for that missed trip they will now be seeing Coppelia.
I have assigned myself as a chaperon for this trip and I have to say I am pretty excited. 
I had the most awesome experience to perform with the Alabama ballet in the Merry Widow Opera when I was in College.  Singing wise...not dancing and background at that, but it still was so amazing to be part of such an amazing production.  I had a wig, costume and a "short" dancing scene with a lead character *gasp*!  Here's just a quick peek at what my outfit looked like...wig, makeup and ballgown.  Scene was set for Paris early 1900's.

This totally isn't what this blog was about, but I digressed!  Any who....Eli is so excited and the ballet has been all he could talk about since he got home from school.  He even helped me pick out his "handsome" outfit to wear and then questioned me on my attire.  So I let him also help and meet his approval with what I am going to be wearing.  At first he didn't like what I had picked and asked me if I had a princess dress to wear : )
Then he looks at my shoes and notices a pair flats that resemble ballet shoes (I guess).  He picked them up with such excitement and said "Mom, this is what the ballet people wear". 
From there he followed me from room to room explaining things about the ballet to me *chuckle*...it was very cute and amusing.  They have really been discussing this a lot in class so they would know what to expect.
Next he started with the ballet dance moves and had to show me each one.  He jumped up in the air and turned around and said "see mom, they do the Mario move".  It was then that he said it....what every Mother/Father....um......never wants to hear......
"Mom, am I the best ballet dancer you've ever seen?"
So I swallowed my pride and answered: "yes son,.......just don't tell your daddy".  ; )
So here he is my handsome ballet dancer:

Up on his toes and everything! Hopefully I'll get a story out of this field trip tomorrow! 

Tornado!!!!!!

SO...we received a phone call at 5 a.m. with "emergency" lighting up in the caller id.  Jesse stumbled to grab the phone and when he picked it up he was greeted with a message from the weather center announcing that we were under a tornado warning and need to seek shelter asap!
I sat up and turned on the the TV to see what was happening and saw that indeed there were multiple sighting of tornado's all around us *YIKES*!
So we got up, grabbed a flash light, cell phones and the kids (okay, I grabbed diapers and wipes too...plus a sippy & blanket), and we headed to the basement.
The kids were so groggy that they didn't know what was happening until they saw the lightening and heard the thunder.  We turned on the television downstairs to see the weather and when they said "tornado" the Red's start freaking out!  I mean, question after question after question!  "Is the tornado going to get us?", "Is the thunder the tornado?", "Is the tornado going to take our roof off?", "what is a tornado?". 
Then the weather man reported that there had been a tornado in the town right next to ours that is literally 2 miles from our house...freaky, freaky.  In the next county over, which is about 10 miles down the road, there was a house that was flattened by an F3! 
Finally the storm passed and we were able to return to our bed (plus a few kids), but I couldn't sleep.  My mind was racing, thinking back to the last time I had to "take cover".  You see I am no stranger to tornado's.  I grew up in Alabama where it's ranked to be the state with "highest percentage of tornadoes rated as of significant intensity" (tornadochaser.net). 
And on April 8, 1998 that percentage turned out to be true as an F5 tornado ripped through the middle of the state.  The towns in it's path were Oak Grove, Sylvan Springs (where I lived), and Edge water  leaving a path of destruction 19 to 20 miles long in it's wake.  It looked like a bomb exploded....homes were completely demolished, people I knew lost everything.  I had a friend that lived just down the street that I grew up with and their house was completely wiped out.  They only survived because they went into the crawl space under the house.  We were about 10 houses down from where this tornado ripped through and were thankfully left untouched. 
I happened to be at a friends house that night and was right in the path of this devastating storm.  Luckily they had a storm shelter that we took refuge in and all I can remember is complete silence followed by the loudest roaring sound I've ever heard.  Then the shelter's door began to shake and we all coward low.  After what seemed to be an eternity the winds finally calmed and we climbed out.  My dad was so worried about me that he drove through all the destruction to get me.  On the way home I got a first hand glimpse of the "aftermath" of this F5.  There were people wandering the street in utter shock, debris was everywhere and the town I grew up in was unrecognizable.
The military was brought in and I had to show my license everyday just to get home!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J5xMESViHKs&feature=related

It is unreal the damage these storms can do!  So please make sure you have your "safe place" and be prepared and BE SAFE!!!  This is an event that I would never like to experience again!

I didn't think the weather could be so bad here in Louisville, but in the 5 years we've lived here we've experience a hurricane (weird I know), a devastating ice storm, an earthquake (again, weird)....and now a tornado....and let's not  talk about the allergies they are a catastrophe on their own!
I would like to know if there is a state I could move too where I could avoid any natural catastrophe?

FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!

Well the Red's have now had their first official fight!  *Sigh*  We knew this day would come and I thought I'd be prepared for it, but I wasn't.  How could I ever be prepared to sit back and watch two of my darling children, who I love so dearly, beat the living snot out of each other?

Here's the low down:
The bickering began early in the evening over trivial stuff.  Then the name calling began, which turned into some hurt feelings.  With the hurt feelings came anger and with the anger...well punches started flying and legs kicking like ninjas and then I see my sweet little Eli on the ground Christmas Story style with Andrew straddled over him.  Andrew was sitting on Eli and throwing punch after punch after punch.  Finally Eli was able to maneuver Andrew off and the fight ended with Eli getting his tail handed to him. 

I sat them both down and we had a LONG talk about how to respect each other, how to deal with our hurt feelings and how to manage our anger.  I then explained how much it hurt Mommy and Jesus to see them fight with their words and fist.
Since I was totally ill-prepared for this event (and left to man the fight myself) I thought I'd make a few purchases for future events.  See what you think:
First I will need a uniform, just so there is no mistaking who's in charge!

and Sissy Lou will need one as well.....because she is the boss!

Let's not forget my whistle for when my voice is not heard:

and if that doesn't work:

Then I will have Jesse build a ring in the basement...just to keep them contained:

Finally, I will need this:

Not for their eyes....to eat....breaking up fights makes me hungry.....and I'm an emotional eater ; )

Jewelry Sabotager

I tell you.....I have been in the muck knee deep around here.  Some sort of bleak, blah-ness, rainy, cold, non-inspiring stuff, surrounded by sickness, place..ugg!
I realized the other night that all my blogs are sort of redundant, repeating the same sort of happenings with different things.  Like for instance:  Sissy Lou did ________, or The Red's said _________, or Jesse....well Jesse's just funny (in the head)!
However, the thought entered my mind that, that is exactly what I started this blog for in the first place.  I mean.....it's suppose to be about the "what's next" of our family....no matter how redundant, since we seem to be "that" family that EVERYTHING happens to!  With that being said I would like to now get to the "what's next" part of this story.....which is another Sissy Lou did______!

I have this very lovely jewelry case that my father bought me years ago.  It's beautiful and plenty big enough to hold all my jewelry.

Along with my shoe addiction I have a jewelry addiction....but not the real, cost a lot, shiny gold, lots of diamonds type of jewelry.  Nope, I LOVE costume jewelry....just love it and I LOVE to accessorize.  Okay, don't get me wrong, I'll take the real, cost a lot, shiny gold, with lots of diamonds type anytime, but the bulkiness of the costume world just overwhelms me....it's like a magnet to me.  With that being said my jewelry box is nearly filled.

Since I have been knee deep lately, taking care of Andrew and Jesse all the while being the "single mother" of the week, taking care of the house, etc.... Sissy Lou has felt a little deprived.  So she has taken matters into her own hands to get noticed.....by raiding my jewelry box!

The other night while running from bathroom to bathroom trying to get the Red's ready for bed, Sissy Lou slipped quietly in our room (we call her the sniper because she always strikes without you knowing) and SABOTAGED my JEWELRY!  There were beads everywhere, and broken necklaces just lying around.  8 necklaces to be exact....these are just the fragments of what is left.

I slid to the floor and wept for a while for my fallen, beautiful pieces that were no more......okay, I'm kidding about that last part, but it did break my heart....just a little. She stripped one side of my jewelry case almost completely!

Good thing it was just the fake stuff...I have always stashed my finer pieces in another place where little sticky hands can't reach!  I learned that lesson back when Eli was little...I seem to have a reoccurring theme, except he was more into my bracelets!

So if any of you know a good "costume" jewelry fixer, I would love to know who to call!

I Am Sick of February!

Alright, I am officially nominating February as the "sick" month for the Richardson household!
It all started with Sissy Lou getting a cold/fever virus that turned into an ear infection that we couldn't get rid of with two rounds of antibiotics.  Then The cold/fever virus found it's way into Eli and caused him to have an ear infection (weird, I know)!  Oh, and let's not forget the head injury!

Then it was Andrew's turn....I reported in a few previous blogs that Andrew had a Flu "look alike" virus...turns out I was wrong.  After a few days of battling a fever that wouldn't budge from 102 with Tylenol and Motrin (which freaked me out a little considering our past incounter with Kwasaki's...I should write a blog on that later),  I caved and took him to the doctor.  Good thing I did, because it turns out it wasn't the Flu....it was STREP!

So we started him on antibiotics on Friday.......and that puts all three of my kids on antibiotics for the month of February!

Today, low and behold, Andrew's fever returned : (  since he is still on his medication it is only to be reasoned that he now has a fever virus on top of strep..GREAT!

To make matters even worse, Jesse came home from work today early....HE'S NOW RUNNING A FEVER....the evil Germies got him!!!!

Here's my sick crew for February!

Jesse went to the doctor and he has the FLU....SHUT UP!!!!!

I need to take my "well" kids and get the heck out of here before it gets me......I'm the only one who hasn't been sick in February....I feel the germie little creatures all around me clawing their way into my immune system...HELP!!!!!

Lysol and hand sanitiser have become my closest companions over the past month and have remained loyal and steadfast in my time of need.
I am leading the charge in the Richardson household to cleanse us of all evil germs that seek to destroy...wish me luck!

Winner of the Giveaway of Great Street CD

Thank you all for checking out my friends CD, and if you didn't win one of these awesome CD's then you can download from itunes, buy from Amazon or go directly to their website:http://www.greatstreetmusic.com/home.cfm

AND THE WINNER IS:

#6

JILLI WORTH

It's a toss up for me between Harry Connick Jr's My Blue Heaven and Somewhere Over the Rainbow by Israel "IZ" Kaʻanoʻi Kamakawiwoʻole (yeah I totally copied and pasted that, don't be impressed) ;)

Jilli

Look for more giveaways next month!  Love you all!

Little Treasure's Kid Sale

I have got to say that this time of year is one of my favorites.  Maybe it's the good deals, or shopping, shopping, shopping, or both, but I LOVE "LITTLE TREASURE'S CONSIGNMENT SALE".

Every year they host a sale twice, once for the spring/summer stuff and then once again for the fall/winter stuff.  I guess you can already imagine that it's time for the spring/summer sale ; )
For the past 4-5 years I have been attending this sale and I have found some amazing stuff.  Things that you can't find in the store like: Ninja Turtle Figurines, or Care Bears.  I'm telling you that they have it all!
Last year I purchased a beautiful Strasburg dress for Sissy Lou for $5.00 that was only worn once!!!!
I have also made it out the door with some awesome designer clothes for her like: Tea Collection, Baby Nay, Baby Lulu, Cach Cach, Petit Ami, Amanda Remembered, Peachs n' Cream, & Ralph Lauren etc....
Lot's of boy stuff as well...but that never gets me as excited as the girl clothes!
And did I mention the SHOES!!!! OH HEAVEN'S the SHOES are galore....baskets and baskets of shoes spilling over in every size...

I get so excited before the sale begins that I have a hard time sleeping...I know I'm sick....but if you could take a glimpse of this sale and what it has to offer, you (my fellow shopaholics) would understand! It kindof feeds my addiction in a not so break the bank sort of way....and for that it makes Jesse happy!
If you live in the Louisville/Southern Indiana area and you have never attended this sale and you have kids (that's a big one) then you need to check it out!  You will not be disappointed....you WILL be overwhelmed...in a good way!
http://www.littletreasuressale.com/louisville/index.php

You will find:  books, toys, baby stuff, strollers, car seats, bikes, high chairs, pack n' plays, bumbo seats galore, clothes, shoes, bedding...you name it and they have it!  And most of the stuff is brand new/slightly used!

The sale starts Wednesday Feb 23 from 9am-9pm and runs through March 6th.  It is located in the former Circuit city building 4600 Shelbyville Rd.  just North of the mall of St. Matthews.
The best deals usually get grabbed first, so try to get there close to opening day as you can.  They also have a restock day later  so that's a good time also.
Happy deal shopping..hope to see you there!!!