Grandparents Day

Today Thomas had Grandparents Day at his Elementary school. The students got to invite their Grandparents to lunch and had special tables decorated for them, and had a special hot lunch menu and tell them about their day and what goes on in their day as an average Elementary student at their school. My mother in Law was unsure how to get to Thomas' school, so I drove her, and the three of us had a nice lunch together. At first Thomas was like "where's Brendan?" I said " well You're here to spend time with Grandma, Brendan can have lunch with you anytime- today is you and Grandma's special time, I just drove her here, so ignore me and tell Grandma about your day today and what goes on here with your classes". He focused alot on me, but finally got the hang of things and talked and hung out with her- I kinda felt bad he didn't do it to begin with, but he's only 7, He doesn't think things through sometimes, and when it was time to go to recess, he thanked her for coming and gave her a big hug, before running off with his friend and out the door.. But it was nice . I'm glad we went and he always loves it when I go have lunch with him. I think he was just out of sync with the whole "bring your Grandparent to lunch for Grandparent's Day thing- *rolleyes he'll grow up one of these days... maybe next week...LOL

Humane Hubby's New Friends

Recently Tom has taken a shine to some of the neighborhood dogs that have been romping around unattended in our area. This has me concerned, but yet not so concerned. It's nice to see him take on a bit of a hobby and stress reliever, when his day gets a bit hectic, and he can turn to these dogs that have been coming around and make his day go away; even if it is for just a moment to pet them or feed them or whatever he does when they come around,- they seem harmless enough. It looks like someone kicked them out of their home, or moved away and just abandoned them or left them behind- {the jackasses}because Tom once tried to follow then home once and they { there's two - a black poodle and a Jack Russle who looks like a beagle} ducked into a backyard. But they seem to come back around every couple of days looking haggard as ever and more starving than the last time we saw them. There's another one now that looks like a black whippet-who also looks starved to hell- {almost greyhound skinny} It's beginning to piss me off that someone could do this to their pets - if its all one owner I'll be REALLY mad! If that person passed on, then it would be different.... Anyway, Tom has tried to catch the Jack Russell, but it won't let you anywhere near its collar- abuse? The black one runs away if you try and approach it- VERY skittish! He tosses our leftovers to them to feed them - hence why they keep coming back- Hey at least they're eating the poor things! But my steak and Turkey roll and chicken leftovers? I kinda WANTED them! Call me selfish! Money's kinda hard to come by these days and they're going to feeding strays that aren't letting you go near them to catch them to give them a home! I tried calling animal control, but they have crappy hours- never open! Then witnessed the oddest thing yesterday- the black one is apparently a boy as it had sex with the Jack Russell on a neighbors lawn and got STUCK ass to ass for 10 minutes!we tried luring it away with fod, but it was dragging the poodle behind her still stuck to her , then learned he was in mating stage and had to go " down " in order to become "undone" and that it was common for dogs to get stuck ass to ass like that! Okay! learn something new everyday! So Tom enjoys feeding strays, but hardly fed our dog when we had her- go figure! He did at times- I shouldn't say that. I don't know if its a safe practice . And he said he didn't want another dog after Brandy- now he's trying to catch a stray? I'll never figure him out! I'll just keep searching for my Pappillion...;) white named MiMi- thats my next dog I want- I decided- mama wants a new dog. LOL When that;ll happen I don't know , But I do! for now, i thought It was cute seeing the softer side of Tom and his new little hobby feeding the neighborhood stragglers. Couldn't he just get an RC car or something or be a craftsman of sorts?

Back to School

Today's the day my little man went back to school. Second grade. Gettin up there! I was all teary eyed when it came to preschool, but he's moving up into the big leagues where they actually take books home now! When we went for Open house, he whispered to me " Mom,what are those? I said those are text books hon" He goes textbooks? I'm gonna have textbooks? " I said "yup! and probably, most definitly, you'll have homework in them too, every night, so kiss your X Box good bye" ! He said " I thought you said Second grade was gonna be easy!"I said " I did , It all depends on how you look at it. - If you do your work on time, and not be lazy, it will, If you don't , and wanna be a slacker, it'll be hell. -From me and your teacher!" He just went "ARRGH!" Anyway, we started the morning off good, on time, up early, full of energy, so that's a plus! Brendan on the other hand was sad to see his sidekick go! He wanted to be in the picture, with his little Diego backpack.. { that has his essentials inside- {toys, sippy cups, snacks, potty seat and pull ups, } While Thomas took his Off to school picture. When we dropped Thomas off at his classroom, Brendan's heart sank when he couldn't go in! He cried "open da door! open da door!" I pried him away and explained Thomas has to go to school now, we can't go in... we'll pick him up later after lunch.. " he was too upset to understand. The poor thing. But I said a couple magic words to cheer him up- "how about the park?" He mumbled "park" So we went to the Boo- Hoo breakfast the school has every year on the first day of school where they have coffee and juice and bagels and coffee cake, and all sorts of yummy breakfast treats and all the moms and dads get to say hello to new and old friends and comfort each other or catch up on each other,or look forward to another year.. it's a nice gesture- food kicks butt too! ;) Brendan ran around with a couple little boys his age while I met up with some new moms and some I recognized from last year. Like I said - fun - then we went off to the park per his reminding me and my promise. We played for about an hour until me and my jeans wearin self started to roast- { the cafeteria is usually freezing for those of you wondering WHY I was wearing jeans at the end of August in Florida!} I was planning on getting a quick bite to eat then home, but Brendan getting so upset didnt come into plan, so I didn't accomodate the outside weather... Then it was off to home for a snack and out of the heat and a nap for my littlest of little men. My how they grow so quickly. If only there was a slow button on them. Why do they have to grow up in such a hurry? If only they knew what was in store for them! They wouldn't be in such a hurry!

3 Years Smoke Free!

Today marks the 3 year anniversary where A- I learned a week after our 5th anniversary where we went on a cool gambling cruise {and unfortunately I had a few to drink!- How was I to know?!} That we were going to be expecting our second little spitfire Brendan Michael March 21st, 2006! Now that's what I would call a hell of a belated Anniversary present No??! Was I surprised? Hell yeah! Excited? Triple hell yeah! Tom stunned? shocked? taken aback? all those things guys feel when they're told they're going to be a dad whether the first or tenth time? Hell yeah! When I found out, I was back on the wagon smoking again at the time. When I first found out I was pregnant with Thomas, I threw the pack away but snuck a few for a couple weeks, but this time I said , I'm going cold turkey and not looking back. I had been meaning to quit anyway, and this was my perfect opportunity!SO B- It is also the 3 year anniversary where I am smoke free! Yes! On August 15th, 2005, the day I found out I was INDEED 3 months pregnant with Brendan, I literally threw my pack of Marlboro lights out the window, and never looked back! I'm so much better without them too! I can taste things better,when I excercise say on the treadmill or do cardio,I don't get out of breath and can go longer durations, I have a keener sense of smell, my clothes don't smell like smoke, my breath doesn't smell like an ashtray, and I probably put 10 years back on my life or more! And the best part is I'll be around later in life for my kids to see them grow up and be a part of their lives when they get older. Who'd a thought a little piece of paper with shredded leaves in it could do so much damage ? Had I really known then when I was 15, I probably never woulda picked one up, but funny what peer pressure does to ya! I got hooked for the next 20 years! I'd say I was due to quit , and what a nice round number to quit at too!Now if only I can get Tom to stop too, Our family would be all set with all the pesky second hand smoke, but that's an ugly battle in itself.. He's trying- he's got the patch on as we speak - all we can do is pray and send vibes and hope it lasts forever! God Willing! I won my battle- His Journey's Just begun....

Not My Couch!!!

This morning as I was potty training Brendan, I took a break to make the boys breakfast. As I was in the midst of doing so, Brendan decided to repay me by getting curious and sneaking off with the pen I used to chart his Output and times in the bathroom in the notebook and stickers I used to be creative on my tan leather couch and express his creativity! I flipped! I only noticed he had done something, because he had pen scribbles on his knees that gave him away. I said " where did you get these from"? he said I " mydonno".... I said " Brendan, where did you get the pen sweetie? he said dere" and pointed to the sink- I was like "Oh crap!" and immediatedly started searching the walls for artwork as he liked to do that with pencils from Thomas' pencilbox when raided { yes this has happened before!} quite the budding artist he's becoming! I finally found his artwork on my tan leather couches of all things!!! I was like "BRENNNDANN!" I couldn't help myself, he got a swat on the cheeks. I tried EVERYTHING to get it off- windex, leather cleaner, baby wipes, clorox wipes, axe body spray, hairspray, perfume, rubbing alcohol, the only thing I found that semi worked was the hairspray- and only to a point where if used a little bit with a damp cloth then the the color was stating to come off . theres still pen mark on it, I was referred to the perfume and the body spray and alcohol, but it takes the color out of my couch , so i stopped. the other things - the wipes, ad leather cleaner did nothing. Tom's gonna have a fit. He already knows- he called to see how I was doing and I let him know- NOT happy Man, why couldn't he just have an accident on the couch or something- something I could clean up that wouldn't leave a mark?? damn! Blue pen? Seriously? Have a been that terrible of a mom you had to pull this? Thanks buddy, I love you too! What else you got up your sleeve for this week???....

Animal Kingdom

Took the Kids to Disney's Animal Kingdom today.. went on the Safari Jungle tour, and Brendan met Jiminy Crickett { although he didnt seem to keen on it..think hes like Thomas who has a Mascot aversion..} The animals were just fantastic to see! Thomas' favorite was the gianfruit bat, while mine were the Giraffes! Brenda, he didnt make it past the safari tour without passing out on Daddy from being so overwhelmed..;) Whadda ya want? hes only 2! ;) Will Have to come back for Brendans Birthday and meet Mickey n Minnie n see Disney when he doesnt want to nap at the best times of his life! :)

Fort Spongebob

Lately the kids came up with the idea of making a fort in the living room.{Fort Spongebob for the name] that was a no brainer since they watch like EVERY episode like a MILLION times! At first, I wasn't too keen on the idea, since Tom telecommutes right in the adjoining dining room,and the kids are ANYTHING but quiet when they play! But nonetheless, I caved and agreed. We took an extra comforter from an old bed set, and a folding stepladder in between our couch set and clipped a clamp on to keep the comforter from slipping and viola! a fort! I have to say,it's quite roomy under there! I didn't expect there to be so much room- either that or I'm shrinking day by day! We fit me, Thomas AND Brendan under there, and a folding stepladder, so If Tom calls me fat one more time , I'd like to see HIM crawl under there! HMPH!Anyway, Thomas liked it so much he actually spent a night under there in his sleeping bag. I checked on him in the middle of the night and he was fully stretched out and at total peace.So sweet. Today we Battled Daddy who tried to attack us, but we won by blinding him with the flash of the camera -who hoo! {I'm not permitted to post pics of said event :( although I am permitted to post the attack- ah well cant win em all! ;) The night before Thomas pitched a tent in our living room- I think he's getting a bug for camping what do you say? Brendan even was hanging out with him of course- he goes EVERYWHERE his brother goes.. Even in the tent . You wanna talk about best buds? I love the way they keep each other company- theres not alot of kids to play with around here, and they just seem to be just right for each other depite their age difference- its great- theyll play any game, its like in home babysitting. Only sometimes I have to be a referee. ;) I love it when the boys find something in common and can get along so nice and the house just runs like one of those commercials- even if it iS for a couple hours! Helps ya catch your breath for a bit and smile at life's pleasures. Like the two you created running around laughing their little heads off..

Work w Daddy Day

Today Thomas went to work with Tom. He has been dying to go work with him for as long as I can remember. We had been using the excuse that he had school, and school was important, and big people go to school and little boys go to school, and just plain no, you'll be bored theres nothing for you to do there, Daddy's going to work , and that's that! Well, now Thomas is out of school, and last night he said to me, "Mom?does Dad have work tomorrow?" I said "Yes, " He said "Is he going to the office or staying home?"I said "he's going to the office" So his eyes lit up and he said 'Mom! I have no school! that means I can go to work with Daddy!" Aww man! Now what? so to get it out of his system, we allowed a bring your kid to work day to let him see just how bored he was going to be! He got up this morning,got dressed, had breakfast, packed his Gameboy and some snacks and lunch and some drinks, and they were home by noon because he was bored! Thank you very much! We tried to tell him all Daddy does is talk on the phone all day just like he does at home- he can't spent much time with him, and he got his wish- he finally got to go to work with Daddy-his buddy..I gotta get this boy into camp before he thinks of something else to con us into! The summer just started!

Cheezer Awards

Thomas recently got the awards of Shining star of the week and award of effort from his school. Ahh more awards! Kid just keeps pullin em in! This time for the shining star award, he got to take home this stuffed rat named "Cheezer " whom he really took a shine to and had to write in a journal everywhere he went with it and what they did, and make up a board of 6 -10 pictures that describes him to honor him for the week which I though was very nice! He also go to bring in 3- 6 items for show and tell that describes him as well pictures, trophies, awards, etc.. no toys. so we did that on Monday. He came out of school all upset because he wasn't allowed to keep Cheezer. He said on Tuesday, His teacher said whoever she felt did their best could keep Cheezer . So he had this in his head that he wasn't smart enough. Nice to give him a complex !So He asked for a healthy breakfast Tueday morning of eggs and toast and juice to make him smart so he could win Cheezer that day. - Hes funny. At least I got through to him that a healthy breakfast is brainfood and he needs it for school in the morning- he's listening to me at least! Doesn't eat one, but at least I know he's listening! Needless to say, Tuesday I am met with again tears when I picked him up at the bicycle gate. - No Cheezer. he's heartbroken.:( his friend Ethan won Cheezer. I said well, don't cry . I'm sure the others wanted Cheezer too. That's what being a good sport is about. You should tell Ethan congradulations, and that you're happy for him, and to wish him a happy Summer and hopefully get to see him and play with him this summer. and he lightened up and went off to look for him , but couldn't find him. so we agreed to tell him tomorrow as it was hot as hell out and to go home and have some fresh cookies I made before daddy eats them all. Then i noticed someone backed into my van in the parking lot and didn't bother to leave any information which really pissed me off! I 'm on the search for a white pickup with baby ble paint on it and get their info.. Othe than that That's the latest here at the Higdon house. One day left of school. It's gonna ge awful noisy here in the next few days.. swim school starts in the next week , then off to dad's for 3 weeks WHOO Hoo! I've been looking forward to that! we all have !God I mossed him! and the rest of the family! seeing them every two years or as long as I have just doesnt cutit any more I want more! until then, I can't believe schols over, Whered the time go? Here comes second grade already. WOW.

The Wandering Pony

The things that show up on your doorstep or front lawn these days are something else! Today I was tidying up around the house, cleaning up after my little trashmasters, when I get a knock at my front door, and wonder, " who could that be? " So I of course go to answer it, and it's my neighbor Pam from next door saying "come see what wandered onto your lawn" so I wonderingly wander out my front door like " okayy.... what is it? and look to my left and there's this 18 hands high chestnut HORSE mindlessly eating my lawn!! I was like WHAT THE !$%!!!?? Where did HE come from?!! I've had alligators, snakes, florida softshell turtles, birds, {cranes} lizards, opossom, raccoons, tortoises trying to SLOWWWLY race each other across the road, but NEVER have I imagined a HORSE on my front lawn! Out of our complex and down the street there's a cowfield and I know theres a single horse that grazes in the field there, I wonder if he somehow got out of the pasture? But WHOAH! It was VERY friendly and tame- I walked right up to it and started petting it and stroking it, it gave me a big PBBBBBBBand shook its mane and decided to walk off. Pam tried to hold it off while we called the sherriff's office to come get it, but it walked of and into a trot down the street. The kids followed it to the main road where I prayed it didn't get hit or cause an accident! Not your everyday a horse goes trotting by free! These days I coulda used it to get Thomas to school with the gas prices the way they are! I only hope the police caught up with it and brought it to safety and home to it's proper home . I have to say I was half tempted to keep it had We owned bigger property given the finders keepers rule! I always wanted a horse!BUT they can be expensive to keep, maybe one day, just not now... Beautiful horse though Someone owns and is missing one beautiful horse...