Just talk, I'm right here!

There is a new phenomenon in my home. My loving husband has a new appendage. It goes with him everywhere and takes several forms. I've seen him with it during the day, but now it is ALWAYS there. What could it possibly be? One of the children? Facial hair? Return of the Jedi shoes? Not even close - it is his laptop/blackberry/phone.

He found this application called Meebo. He is now always logged in to all his IM sites and they go to one place. He has it linked up to his UCM webpage and I think he's always on it. Between this and Facebook, I'm a distant third when it comes to evening conversation once the kids go to bed! I know this will slow down and his students need him too, but I think I'm figuring out an alternative.

This week, I am having trouble with speaking and have been using IM and email more than usual. I've taken advantage of him having an electronic appendage since I couldn't have a good phone conversation while he was at work. However, later one evening, he happened to be sitting on the couch working with his laptop and I had mine and was chatting with friends on Facebook and IM. Just for fun, I wrote to him. I wrote again. He's grinning and also a little annoyed. So, of course, I do it again and again and again. I was having a good time.

Keep in mind we are RIGHT NEXT TO EACH OTHER! My excuse is that I can't speak well and am just picking at him. He can talk just fine. I about fell over when he writes back that he is going to go to bed soon. HE'S RIGHT THERE! Why couldn't he just say it? I truly believe he didn't even realize the humor until I fell off the couch laughing!

April Fools

I love April Fool's Day. Time for playing all the jokes you wanted to all year long, but didn't dare. We have the added benefit of our children loving this day as well. There have been years where pranks are planned months in advance.

This year was somewhat uneventful. We got a few people, but nothing significant. I had someone (to be left nameless to protect her identity) at Odin's office tell him the NCATE reviewers had a problem with his program, but he didn't fall for it. I got him later by telling him 2 of our kids were getting suspended for fighting at two different schools and he needed to go get them.

The best joke of all was on a homeschooling friend of mine and a teacher friend. I told them both that a one-liner was stuck into a bill and it had passed both the house and senate. This one line said that to homeschool in MO you had to have a teaching certificate. Both friends flipped and were upset. Quite an interesting reaction, huh? The reasons behind the reactions would be a whole other post.

FYI - here are our simple rules for pranks:
1. you can't hurt anyone or anything
2. you can only play a prank on someone who can take the joke
3. minimum amount of time between the joke and letting the person off the hook

Pretty simple, but so much fun!

Kalina switched all the cereals to different boxes, Cordelia put fake food in the kids' lunches, and somehow, I got Byron to hold a cup of water to the ceiling with the broom handle. Lots of little things, but we'll have to plan big for next year.

The DROID

I'm going to bed now. The droid (the family's name for the scooba) can stay up and clean my kitchen floor for me! Gosh, I am such a good housewife and so good at multi-tasking that I can wash the floor and sleep all at the same time.
Goodnight.

Getting older, but still having fun!

Check out Odin playing around on a Sunday morning. No special effects, this is how the light saber shows up on camera.

Odin as a Jedi Video on MySpace

Not quite two -

On Wednesday, Valen will be two years old. It seems to me that this child, the youngest of the six has come into his "twoness" quite early. The words and signs have been there for a while. He is able to get into the treehouse, able to get up on the trampoline, gets onto the counter to get into the upper cabinets and last but not least he knows how to get on the computer.

This last one is the reason I have been so quiet lately. Around December 20, Valen climbed up and opened my closed laptop and proceeded to rip 21 keys off the keyboard, and chew on a few before I realized what he was doing. To make it a little funnier - I WAS IN THE KITCHEN - 10 feet away, with no walls between us. Needless to say, he did this in record time. I have been without my laptop in the dining room since then. It came home fixed and with a big price tag on Friday.

Odin has up a group shot of the kids at Christmas, and as soon as I catch up and get the photos downloaded, I'll get more up!

Why baby-proofing your house is not enough!

I have locks on certain cabinets, the medicines are out of reach, small things are kept out of little hands and mouths. You would think this would be enough.

THINK AGAIN - I have two words for all of you: CHRISTMAS SNOOP

I was the queen of snooping at Christmastime. My kids are getting there earlier than I was and they are blaming the little ones. "I didn't open the door, Valen and Cordelia did it." When I ask who told them to do so, and who helped, I get the truth. "I did." Hey, at least they're honest!

So now is the season for snoop-proofing on top of the baby proofing!

Magic Driveway

I'm not kidding! We really have a magic driveway.

We were in the process of cleaning out and getting rid of stuff as we thought we were heading out of state. What we have found out in the process is that almost anything, not wrapped in a trash bag, will disappear from the end of our driveway very quickly.

We didn't actually see the stuff disappear, but what else could it be when the stuff is gone within an hour or so?

We had 2 beat up dressers, a queen size mattress and boxspring, a framed print that was stained and the glass cracked, an extremely old treadmill, as well as various toys find a new home via the magic driveway. What is so funny is that the neighbors' driveways aren't as magical. At least one has asked if they can use mine to see if their stuff would magically disappear instead of ending up in the garbage truck!

Plans change!

The last several weeks have been a roller coaster of activity and emotion. This time last week, we were waiting to see if Odin would be getting an offer from SUU. For my own sanity, I pretty much had written off that possibility. Tuesday an offer comes through and Odin and I do the math. Even if they came back with nothing more, we would take it. So I quickly jump on planning the move.

Keep in mind that I can work fast when needed. Talk to the schools, turn in my resignation at the church, figure out where we will live, get the movers, and so on. I am amazed at how much I got done in such a short amount of time. Odin comes home on Wednesday and tells me that UCM may have a better offer for him and that now, once again, we wait. WAIT!?!? I have 5 weeks if we move to Utah, and he says WAIT!?!?

Friday night, Odin walks in the door and tells me we are not moving. His program will be moved to another department and he will be made the chair. Good for us both financially and for his career.

However, the moral of this story is not that good things come to those who wait, nor is it that slow and steady wins the race. Instead, I should learn that sitting back, relaxing, and planning things thoroughly in my head can sometimes be better than racing around and actually accomplishing something! Just kidding. Even though all this week I get to spend reconstructing the life I so efficiently was deconstructing!

Wolfman spotted!

It's probably time I open up and publicly declare that I am married to a wolfman.

Odin is showing signs of transformation daily and it won't be too much longer until his ruggedly handsome facial features are indistinguishable from those of his cousin, the wolfman. So, if you see a hairy man wandering around in a suit, don't follow your instinct and run, it's just Odin showing off his ability to grow facial hair! He's promised that just like many furry creatures, the hair will disappear in the warmer months of spring.

Mt. Washmore

I told Byron to come back to my room last night because I had something for him. I pushed a full basket of clean laundry his way and told him it was his very own Mt. Washmore. I don't know why, but he got very giddy and started talking about his mountain and how he had to conquer it. I have never seen him fold and put away laundry so quickly. Maybe I should have had him do the towels too!

Cordelia's idea

Cordelia did fine while were away, but now that we are home, she wants Valen to step aside.

According to my 3 1/2 year old, "You had enough baby boy time when you went on your trip. I want Cordelia time." She just doesn't understand that he needs to nurse every day whether we are at home or out of town!