Nerds

Now that Wm is a Giant 10 Year Old Tween of Hormones and Doom and Grumps, we decided to get him a phone for his birthday. Mostly because we don't have a landline and he needs to be able to make calls if he's home alone, even if I am just running to the store. And we told him, at 10, he will be old enough to stay home alone for short trips like that. After much research, we found a cool provider that will work well for Wm's needs and won't break the bank. Since we ordered the phone and started paying for it, it seemed stupid to leave it in a drawer for another week, so we gave it to Wm early. He's thrilled. THRILLED. It's like we gave him the greatest treasure of all time. So, it was a big hit. However, there is a consequence....

I looked over at The Two Nerds and this is what I saw:

 

Now BOTH of them are constantly on their phone. What have I DONE?!?  

Wm's sleep over is this Saturday. And Steve got my germs. He actually left work early yesterday - which NEVER happens. He did say this morning, after his nap yesterday and a good night's sleep, that he's feeling better. So he should be back in action for The Big Sleepover this weekend. THANK GOD, because he is on Kid Duty. I am on Chatting with Parents duty at drop off and pick up. It works out well since I do not care for children and Steve does not care for adults. Everybody wins!

Redeeming Myself

Wm was supposed to turn in a check to his school this week. But he kept forgetting and left this money floating around in his backpack for days. When it came home for the 3rd time, I told him I was disappointed in him. That's like a nuclear bomb for Wm. He can't handle it. So shortly thereafter, an email arrived from upstairs:

Subject: Redeeming Myself. 
Ten things that make you the best mom:

1. You cook good meals

2. You are very nice

3. You are always there for me when I'm hurt in any way

4. You always come to my soccer games

5. You never yell at me

6. You make good jokes

7. You let me make my own decisions about my life

8. You guide me in hard times

9. You can always make me laugh, even when I'm mad

10. You are the best mom in the whole world! 

XOXO

ヽ༼◕ل͜◕༽ﾉ        hugs & kisses from a distance!

Love,

William

 

You can't stay mad at him. He makes it impossible. And he turned that GD check in finally!! 

Plague

I am back at work today. And it's not going well. I am leaving soon. This bug has knocked me down!! Wm laid in my bed yesterday and goes, "this blanket smells like sick Mum." (Which is basically unwashed body and fever sweat.)  But, both Steve and Wm remain totally healthy! I have managed to quarantine my germs. Which is good because Steve works next weekend and can't afford to get sick. And now Wm is in the home stretch of 4th grade! He has assignments and projects coming fast and furious.Only 4 more weeks to go! Then he is officially a 5th grader on the top of the elementary school heap!!

Schroeder has been my napping buddy the last few days. I bet he misses me today....

 

 

Don't go back to work!

Soccer and Sickness

This was the most gorgeous weekend of all time. And Steve had to work the entire time and I got sick. Awesome. 

Yesterday, I was OK and managed to get Wm to his first soccer game of the season (even though I pulled in, realized I forgot his cleats, and had to drive home and was a bit late because there was no more parking). Suzanne came with me (thank GOD) and then we all went out to lunch afterwards. It was super fun!! 

Action shot!

non-action shot

Wm excited about Happy Hour specials at lunch

Sadly, yesterday evening, I started feeling sketchy and was up all night with a sore throat and achy body. I have some kind of virus and I'm not pleased about it. It's 80 degrees out and I have the chills. Steve and Wm are fine, so far. But, I am SUPER bummed, because I had just passed the 1 year mark of any illness at all! I think I got cocky. I was all, "I AM THE HEALTHIEST MAN ALIVE!" I mocked Wm and Steve for their various ailments. So the gods have cursed me. They waited until it was the perfect weekend of all time to strike me down. Lesson learned. 

But, because I am a goddamn warrior, I got a ton of stuff accomplished anyway. Wm was very helpful!! We went to Whole Foods and he was a super helper. Then I baked banana bread and put a really good dinner in the crock pot. We took a potted plant over and met our new neighbors. I packed up all my winter clothes and put out all the spring/summer clothes. And, with help from Wm and his muscles, I flipped the mattresses and put on our warm weather sheets. HADUUUUKEN!

Steve has also been strangely productive for a tournament weekend. Usually, he's dead on his feet. But he even preemptively put out ant traps (we will conquer you this year, ants!!) He did say he's waiting until later this week to mow. So we are those neighbors.  BUT - he brought me a funnel cake from the tournament and so he can pretty much do whatever he wants. 

I am staying home from work tomorrow, so Wm is thrilled with life because he gets to sleep in and just walk up to school. Steve and I are off together on Wednesday for a Party Day because of all his weekend work (and I'm a state worker, so I never really work). I hope I am all better!! And Steve remains healthy.

Friends

Wm has the cutest little nerd friends. I love them. So, yesterday, his curmudgeonly Music teacher (who is often snappish with the kids), yelled unnecessarily and rudely at Wm. As soon as she walked away, Wm's friend leaned over and whispered to him, "that says more about her than it does about you." LOVED IT.

P.S. But I am still planning to start a new life rather than deal with them all in my house for Wm's sleepover. 

Returned

We are all officially back at work and school. Sadly. Wm returned yesterday to a full day of state testing. Thanks, Standardized Tests! Poor Wm. He was very happy to regale all his classmates and teachers with tales of his international travels, though. And to use his "Canada" light up moose pen. Wm also came home with a GREAT report card. He is excelling academically and socially. Yay Wm! We are super proud of him. He's also fun - he had this to say at breakfast this morning...

Steve: [painstakingly cutting a small piece off his apple]
Wm: What are you doing?
Steve: There is a gross spot on here.
Wm: It looks fine.
Steve: I don't want to eat it.
Wm: I would eat that. So if you won't....that doesn't speak well of you.

'Murica

We are back home in the good 'ole US of A! It was a loooong drive back! We stopped at Niagara Falls on the way, which was VERY COLD, but pretty cool! We also ran into all kinds of snow and craziness around Mansfield (after driving through Toronto, Buffalo, and Cleveland, the only place we saw snow was an hour out from home!) 

Wm said he had a GREAT trip and loved Toronto. He turned nearly Canadian while we were there. When we hit up the pool, Wm came up sputtering and said, "I just swallowed a liter of water!" He said Toronto has been his favorite trip. He is now up in his room, on his computer. Ahhhh, to be home.

And, without further ado, here is picture roundup:

The tunnels of Casa Loma

The fam in the atrium

The fam at Casa Loma

Wm at Niagara Falls

The fam, cold,  at Niagara Falls

What is this aboot?

I had my last conference session this morning - WOOT! It was the best one, but it was just on mindfulness. Which wasn't really related to advising, but was good. And now I'm DONE. Never going to a conference again. Blah. BUT...now I am free to DO TORONTO. So here we are doing it:

The fam lighting up Toronto

Me and Suz celebrating the end of the conference horrors

We went to lunch at the only castle in North America and then took a tour. Wm said it was his favorite thing he's done the entire trip. (And Steve took him to the Ontario Science Museum this morning!) He LOVED listening to the guided tour on a little device. He said his second favorite thing was the CN Tower. Least favorite: the Aquarium.

The great hall. 

The atrium

Green house

Amazing ceiling of the atrium/greenhouse 

Lord's bedchamber with tiger head rug

Wm heading up the turret  

We are about to hit up the pool and float around like albino walruses. Bright and early tomorrow, we head out to Niagara Falls. Expect pictures!! By dinner time...we shall be home to snuggle Schroeder!

Take Off Hosers

Wm and Steve had a glorious day - and I...I had a terrible day. I am not a conference person. SO BORING. I started off excited to show off my OSU spirit:

O-H!

Steve got into the OSU spirit as well:

I-O!

Then it was all downhill from there. But, while I suffered, Steve and Wm had a glorious day! Here are some of their adventures:

Wm at the CN Tower - glass floor!

Steve was scared of the tower, however.

Then they went to the Natural History Museum...

And then Ripley's Aquarium:

Wm and a Mountie Mouse:

Wm asked if he was wearing a sombrero

And this is how I spent my day:

Torture

Mimi sent a picture of a very lonely Schroeder...who is probably the only creature more upset about this trip than me:

WHERE IS MY FAMILY????

Tomorrow should be way better. I only have one session, that I'm actually excited about, to go to tomorrow and then it's PARTY TIME! Steve and Wm are going to the Ontario Science Museum in the morning and then we are all going to Casa Loma in the afternoon. We DID go out for a really good dinner tonight and are all stuffed with Italian food. As soon as it digests a bit, we are off to hit up the fancy hotel pool!

Oh, Canada

We have arrived! It took us about 7 hours, drive time. Crossing the border was ridiculously easy. There wasn't even a car in front of us and the guy was just kind of like, "why are you coming, how long are you staying, don't roll through stop signs...welcome to Canada." I have no idea why so much emphasis was placed on proper stop sign usage, but whatevs, they let us in! I won't be super bummed if the USA doesn't let us back in. That place is falling apart.

At the empty border 

The hotel is SUPER nice and we went out to dinner using Toronto's underground tunnel system, which was AWESOME. Because it is still February here. Canada apparently didn't get the memo that it is supposed to be spring. Tomorrow I start conferencing and Wm and Steve go off to party. Steve has promised pictures!

Wm and I heading to dinner

Hittin' the Road

We roll out bright and early tomorrow - Toronto, here we come! Wm is super excited! This will be the biggest city he's ever been to. He and Steve plan to go to the CN Tower, Ripley's Aquarium, the Natural History Museum, the Ontario Science Museum, and Casa Loma (a real castle). They have a very full agenda! On the way home, we are hitting up Niagara Falls. Schroeder has grown suspicious since the suitcases came out last night. I piled him up with wet food, so that distracted him. But he remains wary. Steve has promised to take lots of pictures of Wm at various locations, so expect updates!!

Wm brought this home from school yesterday. Apparently it was how he passed the time after Reading. It made me laugh A LOT.

Carpet

The carpet guys arrived at 9:30am...and I was as awkward as ever. But they were really nice and did a great job! Best of all, Wm was an AMAZING helper and spent 2 hours helping me put everything back to rights. We carried bag after bag of "smalls" from the basement and put them back on shelves and into closets. The carpet guys moved all the big furniture, but we were supposed to remove lamps and tchotchkes and the like. Thanks to my intense minimizing, that wasn't really bad. But we had to take everything out of the closets since they are carpeted. And we have weirdly large closets for an old house that we have them stuffed with things like off season clothes and toiletries. So after we spent all the afternoon marching and up down stairs with heavy bags of books and clothes and shoes, Wm says, "I don't know about you...but I am BEAT." Haha!!

BEFORE

AFTER

The biggest difference is actually in the bedrooms - the carpet in there was older than me, I swear. But, of course, no one really sees them or cares besides us. Steve is in hog heaven. He loves him some soft carpet. 

We also took this opportunity to "big kid-ify" Wm's room. He is super pleased with how it turned out!   Since he spends 99% of his life in there either clacking away on his computer or playing with his "guys," he is delighted with the updates. His favorite thing is a night stand to keep his book and "reading lantern" on next to his bed. (Now that he's big, he is allowed to read in his bed until he's sleepy and makes the "time to go to sleep" call himself. He's never been awake past 9:30 in there, so he's handling the responsibility well.) He can also set his glasses right there so they are easily accessible in the morning. 

We are going to sleep well tonight!