Please Don't Ruin Sarah's 4th of July

Last year, Lenny and Sarah were both in Public Service Announcements for the city of Lakewood. I just found out that Sarah's commercial is going to air again this year for 4th of July. It will be on the Lakewood channel from June 20 through July 4.

She is at the very end of it. Her one line in it became very famous for her. Everyone was asking her to say it. So... ask her again. It is cute.

edukatin stoodents

I was reading an online article about public vs. private schools. At the end of the article, there was a comment section. Most of the comments were thought provoking. But this one from a 7th grader made me sad. She said she is not being challenged enough. I think she is overestimating herself. Take a look at the grammar, spelling and punctuation.

05/22/2007:"ok well, i am in the 7th grade a public school. i am a very social person, have a lot of friends and i have good grades. The only things that are keeping me from liking my school and staying is that i am not being challenged enough and the fights and stupid arrguments in my school between girls over guys and people fist fighting over where they are from. The cirriculm in my school is way to easy and i am not being challenged at the level i would like to be. I have heard from my family and my friends that private school give u more of a challenge if you need it, but if u dont then they dont give it to you. I have also heard that private school doesnt give you a look on the real world, the reality. Is these true?"

This struck me more so because I had just read a similar type post about education from Michelle's blog. Read it. You will laugh.

Blogging is bad for my health

This morning, AS I WAS BEGINNING THIS POST, I smelled this "burning" smell. Hmmmm, I wonder.

I go into the kitchen and there is a small little teeny little fire in the toaster oven.

HEY LOVER...IT WAS NOTHING. I PROMISE. DON'T WORRY!

I had preheated the oven to bake some little quiches for Sarah's breakfast. It was early, much too early for her to be getting up (she still has 15 more minutes to sleep right now) so I thought I would come over and blog a bit. I got so in to uploading the following carpet pics that I did not realize that there was a 6 day old piece of toast in the toaster oven. It had been cooking while the oven was heating up and while I was sittng on my rear writing to you.

Crisis averted and everything is fine.

But, the quiches are cooking at this very moment so..... I will let you know if I burn the kitchen down.

Anyhooooo, remember the carpet pictures from last week? I thought we would be getting new carpet yesterday. I am sure you have guessed that the carpet is not here. Ron, the fabulous carpet dude, called me the day before and said that the mill in Georgia hasn't even started our order. Hmmmmm. Does he realize what my current carpet looks like? I tried to tell him that we had writing all over the carpet but, for some reason, my pleading did not make the carpet magically appear. I wish my kids would realize that when they beg for something.

So, what do I do? Laugh about it, and tell the kids to do more grafitti. And, when Jacob has his birthday party this weekend, we are going to let his class scribble all over it. Cool mom or just weird?

slap in the face

Found this in the mail today.

Yeah, we miss it too! Whhhhaaaaaaaaaa!

Apollo Wins

Sooooo know I am a nerd! I do know that. I am not a book nerd, or a science nerd, or even a math geek. I am a complete nerd and fool for Dancing With the Stars. I LOVE THAT SHOW.

Two seasons ago, a woman from our Life Group jumped up suddenly before the evening was over and stated "Gotta go, Dancing With the Stars is on at 9" and just took off. What???? How nerdy she is I thought.

How much crow I need to eat now?, I am wondering.

Jacob and I are so into that show. He knows the names of all of the stars and their professional dance partner. He knows who is doing well, who is improving and who should go. He even votes online for Apollo each week. Then he crosses off the name of the star who got voted off...each and every week. Check it out....

Each week we watch the Monday night show. Then he goes online to vote and we wait for the results on Tuesday night.

So this week, the FINALE WEEK, Lenny and I went away together to Bolsa Chica in our love trailer. Ooooh how romantic. Jacob and I did not get to see DWTS together because he was staying with Grandma Linda and Papa John. I did not see the finale - as I thought we would watch it together online when we came home on Wednesday. I had no idea who won at all.

So today, when we picked him up from school, he says to me "I have exciting news for you Mom. Apollo and Julianne won."

They won. We are happy and we love Dancing With the Stars!

By the way...that chalkboard is actually the closet door in the front bedroom. Lenny painted it about a month ago with chalkboard paint. It is very neat!

No Guarantees

We knew when we moved into this house nearly 4 years ago, that we would would replace the carpet SOON. Did you read "nearly 4 years ago"? It all became urgent when our wood floor guy came to refinish the floors before we even moved in. The whole house is wood except for the living room. We asked him to cut back about three feet for a walkway from the entry to the back hallway and then refinish the wood underneath that cut carpet.

Well, he did do what we asked but he cut about 6 feet back. He took too much carpet. In his defense, he did say that we said that we were going to replace the carpet SOON. He thought that "soon" actually meant, well, SOON. "Soon" to us means "in all likelihood, a really long time from now, but we are thinking about it". And, being a wood guy not a carpet guy, he did not tack down the edge. So for 4 YEARS we have been tripping on the loose edge of the carpet as we walk into the living room.

I wish those were the only reasons why we want new carpet. The carpet is really GROSS. Really it is. Last year, we remodeled our kitchen in February, March and April. Rainy months. We had to track into the house through the living room. We TRASHED it. And of course, I would be remiss if I did not 'fess up to my mishaps. Notice the spot near Sarah's hand? That is from me spilling my 64-ounce Diet Coke on the carpet 3 years ago.

Well, almost 4 years TO THE DAY, we are replacing the carpet. Now, I must say that the carpet is not actually installed. We did pay the down payment, but I know that until the actual job is done, it may never get done. Not a pessimist. I just know how we work.

So, to insure that we really do get the carpet....I let the kids do something to the old disgusting rag of carpet that is still here. I LET THEM DRAW ON IT! How crazy is that? If we do not get the new carpet...well, I will be sorry.

Next on my list....countertops for that kitchen remodel from last year and a van. You'd think that getting a vehicle stolen would be a shoe-in for getting a new car.

We Go Together Like Shamalama Ding a Dingydong

Ok, I SOOOOO know I look pregnant here. I am wearing Lenny's shirt and much to my dismay, this is the ONLY photo I have of us today. Arghhh I wish I let other people take more pictures with my camera. He is not punching me, he is flexing his very studly arm here for the picture. And, I wish we had switched sides for this. His other "tattoo" says "Donna" with a heart under my name.

I wish we lived in the 50's. I really do. I would give up microwaves, cell phones, DVD's and yes, blogging to go back to a time when things seemed better. When families still had the respect of their fathers, when mothers did everything they could to make their kids turn out ok, when people kept their body parts out of public view, when teachers still commanded respect and things were safer in the neighborhood.

And clearly, the music from the 50's ROCKS! How many of you can sit still when you hear a song from Grease? Not me, I want to hand jive, slow dance to Blue Moon and Go to the Hop. I can not contain myself. It is catchy.

Today is the much anticipated Sock Hop at the kids school today. It was a 50's dress day and the kids all looked adorable. I got some great pics of lots of kids but I will only post the ones of my own kids. Tonight is the school carnival with lots of 50's themed stuff. Can't wait.

So check out these pics of the new Danny and Sandy!!!