contentment

it's quarter til 8 on sunday evening and i thought i'd update since it's been a few days. i don't know if it's because it's (sort of) spring (though it is supposed to get down in the 30s at night this week and 50s in the daytime) and we're out in the yard more or that i feel like i've run out of anything exciting to share, but i've not been blogging as much lately.

i poked around today, reading other blogs, looking for inspiration. i ventured outside of my usual reads a bit and didn't find anything fantabulous that struck my fancy.

plus i feel like when i read other blogs it sort of influences my writing. i never started this as a parent blog, but it seems like that's what i've been writing about a lot lately. parenting.

i mentioned that the boy got in trouble earlier in the week right? not raising his hand, playing when he shouldn't be, etc. well, friday afternoon his teacher called me after school. he got in trouble again. first he got in trouble in reading (she didn't know exactly why cos he was w/ the reading teacher) and had to flip his card twice. then, when they came back to class from reading and that teacher told his teacher, she made him flip his card (three strikes a note goes home) and the boy got mad and flipped a chair over. he also brought a star wars figure to class (they aren't supposed to have toys in school).

his teacher called to tell me this instead of sending a note home since he'd had trouble earlier in the week. when i picked the kids up from daycare the boy was very honest and before i could even ask how his day was he told me he'd gotten in trouble. he said the reason he got in trouble in reading is that they didn't have any books on his level and he didn't want to read the ones they had. the girl piped up and sort of defended the boy by saying the reading teacher is a bit strict and she's known for making you flip your card. really, that part i didn't have too much of a problem with. if they don't have books that will entice him or that are too easy for him that's not his fault. the chair flipping/mismanagement of anger bothered me.

so, starting tomorrow though friday the boy has lost his tv privileges. at 8 and 11 i think my kids are too old for spanking, plus, once they were old enough to understand punishment (as in they weren't toddlers when they got swatted on the hand or butt for doing something (sticking fingers in light sockets or whatever) that would hurt them) spankings didn't really work. taking away something (tv, toys, computer, allowance) works better on them.

we'll see how he does this week. cross your fingers.

saturday my bro came over and helped the hubs w/ heavy lifting/manly stuff. they went to pick up our new couch and love seat. our previous one was 11 years old and though you might sit on a cushion next to someone, in short order you'd both sink to the middle of the furniture. plus, there was a big going out of business sale at a local store. plus the new set matches the kick ass recliner i got awhile back. pseudo suede microfiber luscious chocolate. the boy said now the den is the brown room. they also went to pick up my new friend, the yard machine 19 horsepower red lawn mower. as you may recall, my other one died.

saturday night the bro, my nephew and donut and ninja came over. my sil wasn't feeling well so hopefully she got a little peace and quiet w/ the boys out of the house. it was a pretty spur of the moment thing (else i would have invited you all over) and my first thought really was more about getting the pregnant women together. : )

that was great fun too though. i woke up this morning w/ my sides still hurting from laughing so much. i think i've said this before, but ninja is like one of the funniest people on earth and it's like he doesn't even try to be. the hubs said you could be having the shittiest day ever--get fired from your job, get hit by a truck, lose your house--and then after 30 minutes w/ ninja you'd be like, yeah, this is cool. high praise indeed seeing as how the hubs doesn't generally like a lot of people.

today i tried out my new lawn mower. well, actually i gave her a spin yesterday but actually mowed the yard today. i felt like i was on a first date.

you know how it is, you don't yet know the other person's moods or expressions. you don't know what each look means or if you push this button will they do this. so i'm learning. she's different than my old friend. her seat is smaller (and no, it's not that my butt got bigger cos my bro and the hubs said it was smaller too). she's much more powerful, though why you'd need to speed (really, she can go very fast) around the yard i have no idea. the blades are sharp. the pedals are different. the blade lowers differently. i will get used to these changes. eventually, when i win the lottery, i will have a mower w/ a zero turn radius. you laugh. it would make mowing so much easier. let me explain for those of you still reading. our front yard slopes. a lot. i have never found a way to go back and forth in a straight line to get that nice look you see on well manicured lawns. i just basically keep going around and around the perimeter until it gets smaller and smaller. i tried mowing back and forth today but you have to swing---holy shit i'm not even going to finish this train of thought because it's utterly ridiculous and boring. suffice it to say i have wet dreams about zero turn radius lawn mowers.

sweet t---i got sweeny todd today so think about a time when you'd like to come over for a special viewing : )

i truly am in blog limbo---i can't even think of anything dirty or scintillating to talk about.