Carol's Corner

We could not have asked for a more perfectly beautiful day than today. Wow!

Bob installed a doggie door on our porch. Radar figured it out right away. Jake still has some doubts about it. Radar kept going out trying to show him what to do. Such cute doggies. They keep us entertained.

Andrew scored a goal in his basketball game today. Thank you God!

David scooped all the poop in the backyard and learned how to get it off his shoe.

Eric and David are back into making ductape wallets. Want one?

I was very proud of my Cub Scouts yesterday. We talked about recycling. We went around the school grounds picking up trash. They were disgusted by the things they found. One boy said, “Who would ever do this to such a beautiful place?” Kids are great!

Today at our Cub Scout meeting we will paint the shelves Dad helped the boys build. We will paint them Cub Scout blue and finish them off with a strip of Cub Scout yellow ductape around the edge.

We are also playing a Japanese balloon game where you pass a balloon around a circle until the leader (me) blows the whistle. The person with the balloon has to sit on the balloon in the center of the circle until it pops. A note inside will tell them some silly action to do.

I know Dad wishes he could be here!

I have just returned from a very successful field trip to Dinosaur World. If you have ever visited me you have noticed the large dinosaurs on the side of I-4. They have a whole park full of every kind of dinosaur they have discovered so far. The 2nd graders have been studying dinosaurs and just completed book reports and models. It was like I had my own tour guides explaining everything to me.

The kids participated in a fossil dig where they all went home with some type of fossil. We ate lunch and the kids played on the nice playground. By the time we got back to the school, they all looked like they were ready for a nap.

I don’t know how this happened. This must be my lucky day. I haven’t been able to get in here in months. I hope it works again next time.

I found out that I have low iron. They wouldn’t take my at the blood bank because my iron was too low. I have been researching this and found out that it is a very common thing for women my age and other child bearing ages. I am not eating enough red meat. I went to the store and bought lots of red meat. No lamb for me though. It’s also high in iron. I would rather hold one than eat one.

For lunch I had a roast beef sandwich with garlic salsa and high fiber multigrain bread. I had a red pummelo for dessert. That’s like grapefruit only not as bitter. The citrus is supposed to help the iron get into the blood stream faster.

Continue reading I got In!

Thursday September 2, 2004

5:30am Wake up, go to gym for weight class

7:00am back home, make lunches, get kids off to school

8:15am back home from taking kids to school, eat breakfast, start laundry

9:15am leave for tennis

10:45am head to Lowes for tarp (incase house gets hole from Frances)

11:15am go to grocery store for more water and supplies

12:30pm back home for lunch and more laundry, house cleaning, packing

3:00pm go to school to pick up kids, sign says Hurricane Day tomorrow, no school.

3:30 back from school, more laundry and preparation for MY trip ALONE

5:00 husband comes home and says I should leave for Atlanta in the car with all the kids and the dog.

5:30 mad packing

6:30 head out with 20 million other Floridians

Midnight- pull into Georgia welcome center, pray that there will be one spot to park, God provided. Close eyes for 40 minutes. Back on road

5:00am pull over in dark Crackerbarrell parking lot. Close eyes for 20 minutes.

7:45am Good Morning Atlanta! Arrive at Mom and Dad’s, SAFELY! Thank you God!

Another hurricane is on the way. This time I have a new plan. I’m flying out of here on the first flight tomorrow morning.

I feel really bad about Bob and the kids, and Jake of course.

I hope they don’t blow away.

There are some basic things you should do to prepare for a Hurricane. You need plenty of bottled water. You need lots of batteries and flashlights. Make sure you have plenty of canned food and other shelf type food. Have on hand a radio that will run on batteries. Fill up your gas tanks. Fill your propane tank. If you have a pool, either throw all your pool furniture in it, or like Bob did, bungy cord everything together (our only hurricane injury was from the bungy cord snapping off and popping Bob in the jaw). Remove any objects from outside that could fly off causing damage. Send your husband to the store with a list of ingredients to make your own Hurricane.

Wait.

Continue reading Charley, the Hurricane

I planted a small bush next to our lamp post in the front yard. The leaves are supposed to turn purple in the summer. It was purple when I bought it. The problem was that it was so happy where I planted it and grew so fast that it had to be trimmed all the time. The outside leaves that would have turned purple never had a chance. So what I had was a giant green bush. I just spent 2 hours carefully taking it apart. Mainly because it has huge thorns. Also because lizards were jumping off every little twig trying to find somewhere to go.

While I was doing this, a man came by walking his dog named Pooh. He told me that Walking Bones name is Flanagan.

It’s funny how you just don’t get some things until you’ve lived them.

Yesterday David, Andrew, and I were swimming and playing in our pool (which we are always thankful for). Andrew decided it was time for dinner.

Eric is in Cincinatti, and Bob was working late. Andrew decided on hotdogs.

David and Andrew sat at the table outside drying off and talking while I went inside to make their dinner. I watched them through the kitchen window, talking and laughing and enjoying each other. I brought their dinner out on a tray and got the usual “thanks Mom”. I left them and went back in to clean up. I watched them talking and laughing and eating their dinner all up.

My heart was so happy. I thought of my brothers and how much they enjoy each others company. We have shared so many meals together and happy times. Of course it didn’t start out that way. We fought like all siblings do. We fought a lot, and it wasn’t just verbal!

But watching my young sons together last night gave me a glimpse of the future. I thought about our parents and how happy they are when we are together. It must be one of the most satisfying and fulfilling successes of a lifetime when you see your children enjoying each other and getting along.

I know it made my day. I told my boys how happy they made me. I got some funny, insightful kind of looks as if this never would have occurred to them. But then, I’m 41 and it just occurred to me.