We have a lovely new fence. An absolute necessity with kids and a dog. Especially a dog that runs off and kids that give her every opportunity to do so. In just a month without a fence, I thought I’d go crazy. I can’t tell you how many times I had to run down the street calling for the dog with my little ones following behind. A few times we had to get into the van to track her down. More than once she accompanied us to school because she chose to run off right when we needed to leave for a pick up or drop off.
The times I’ve had to give up tracking her down in the name of my kids’ safety she’s always come home after a short stint around the neighborhood, keeping me from worrying too much.
I thought our beautiful new fence was going to solve some of my dog/kid problems.
What was I thinking? I mean, it’s not like I had the fence guys install high-tech locks. And, since all of the kids are able to open the gates, I’m not sure that having the fence has improved our run-off to not-run-off ratio. It’s not that the kids don’t shut the gates (or close the doors), it’s just that they do it very sloooooowly. And, they have to hold the door/gate open allllllll the way so that they have plenty of room go go through it, you know? Which, of course, means that Cheerio has plenty of time and plenty of room to also go through.
Today’s run-off experience has to be in the top 10 worst. So far, anyway.
After school all of the children and the dog were playing outside in the beautifully fenced backyard. I was on the deck and in and out of the house keeping an eye out. So, I happened to witness the opening of the gate, the running off of the dog and the looks of two guilty boys. (Just because I saw it didn’t mean I had time to stop it.)
Off I went, leash and treats in hand, with my children trailing behind, to fetch the dog. She hit the park, though, and none of my tricks worked. There was too much sniffing and running to do. I gave up and headed back to the house, gathering my children as I went. After 30 minutes or so, I decided we needed to take the van on a Cheerio Hunt. We drove slowly through the neighborhood shouting “CHEEEER-I-O!” as my neighbors looked on in pity.
No luck.
We returned home dogless and I started to worry and wonder how much a dog catcher ticket would cost me. I also started to envision having to explain to four sad faces that the dog had met with some terrible demise. It didn’t take much imagination to know what Dan would say about it all.
After about an hour, the phone rang. It was the vet. Had we lost our dog? Yep! Okay, they’d give my number to the person who found her. I waited… no call. I called the vet back. It’s the police that have her, they told me and gave me the number.
Shit.
I called the police, got passed around, and then someone told me that a neighbor actually had Cheerio and she was going to bring her home. Just in case, they gave me her name, address and phone number. Great on the one hand - we’d have our dog back, not so great on the other - the police were giving out people’s addresses somewhat freely.
As my neighbors looked on, a very nice woman (with a dog of her own) brought Cheerio home. I thanked her profusely, of course, and then got Cheerio and myself back into the house and away from the onlookers as quickly as possible.
Whew!
Of course I called Dan. And, just as I launched into the story, I happened to glance out the back window. Some man was back there, shutting my gate. Weird. What was that about? I went to the front door and there he was (a neighbor) with my next door neighbor (who has a perfectly behaved dog that is never on a leash and always comes back. [Whatever - they have no kids]). They saw me standing there and told me they were just shutting the gate behind Cheerio - she had run off again and had come back. “No!” I said. “Yes,” they said in unison. “Uh, thanks,” I said meekly, shutting the door quickly.
I’m thinking we should have gone with high tinsle electric.
No, the kitchen isn’t finished. And, we didn’t win the lottery. And, I’m not whoopin’ it up because my in-laws just left. (I like my in-laws).
The “whoohooo” is because you can now order Uppercase Living expressions online via my website! Check it out at http://fourinarow.uppercaseliving.net. I’ve had a web presence for a few months, but customers didn’t have the ability to order and pay online. Now they do!
In case you’re new to Uppercase Living, be sure to browse, order and buy. These expressions apply to your wall, mirror, car, etc. easily and will remove just as easily - without damage to the surface. There are hundreds of catalog expressions to choose from, a plethora of colors choices and you can even custom design your own expression!
Orders for Christmas must be in by December 4th to ensure delivery by the 25th, so start shopping for your friends, families and teachers now.
Maybe I should have left Johnny Nash singing on my blog. Maybe a little more positive thinking and a light tune would improve the mood around here.
The kitchen construction has been underway now for a week. The tiled and carpeted floors have been ripped up… only to find too much damage underneath to save the oak. Which means more tile than expected… and more money.
The electricity has been run, during which several issues were discovered. Like covered up junction boxes. I don’t know much about construction, but I now know that junction boxes shouldn’t be covered with drywall. If they are, you can’t find them when you need them and when you do find them, holes must be cut.
The plumbing has been run, during which a “fixed” pipe was discovered. Let’s hope it holds.
The gas was run. But not turned back on. Lucky for me I’ve got a Handy Dan. I can live without cooking, but not without a hot shower.
There is dust and dirt everywhere, but things are moving along at a steady pace, for which I’m happy. Some walls still need to be built, but next week the dramatic stuff should start - the floors! Then the cabinets! Then appliances!
Here are some pics of what we’re doing. As you can see to the right, we have a long, narrow, dated kitchen.
And, the eating area (below) is separated from the kitchen by the stair walls. Not good when mom can’t see the four little monsters at the table while she’s in the kitchen. I’m sure you can imagine what happens.
Next, we have a living area - this is where the new kitchen will be located - right next to the eating area. Smart, eh?
Finally, we are opening the stairway to the front of the house and closing them to the kitchen area.
We might be going broke. We might be covered in dirt. We might be finding more problems with the house. But, the kids are definitely entertained.
Oftentimes, when one of our children chooses to display a “best of” series of his or her tantrum abilities, Dan will suggest that it’s possible we have too many children. My standard response is, “even if we only had one, he/she, would still be doing this.”
Siblings tend to come into play more often, I think, not during tantrums, but when Mom or Dad have their heads` turned. Sometimes, they don’t even wait for that - they just start conspiring right there in front of you. (Maria is particularly talented in this event.)
Anyhow, despite some consipiratorial doozies, often enough, the kids can easily think of and orchestrate enough things on their own to get them into trouble. No siblings needed. It must be in their genes (no doubt from the H side of the family, as I’m quite sure I never got into to trouble as a child. Unless my brother made me do it.)
This morning, after putting away a few groceries and changing a diaper, I put on some hot water to make myself some coffee. As I was pouring the water into my cup, I heard water running upstairs. A few minutes before, Sam had been trying to brush his teeth, so I figured he was back at it. Thankfully, after having had four children, I knew that I needed to investigate immediately and not after sitting down with my coffee for a peaceful moment.
Well, he wasn’t brushing his teeth.
He was filling the sink up with water, in which he had placed every single thing that wasn’t nailed down in the bathroom. All the toothbrushes. Both tubes of toothpaste. The soap. A towel. Several bunches of toilet paper. The kleenex box.
Not too much damage had been done. I cleaned up the mess and redirected his attention. Then, I wondered, “where did he come up with this idea?”
A couple of weeks ago, Mario, our kitchen contractor, told me he was running a week or so behind due to some major plumbing issues discovered in the house where he’s currently remodeling a bathroom. MAJOR plumbing issues. 100-year-old house. I was disappointed a little at the delay, but what’s one more week of waiting? I thought we’d still easily have our kitchen by Thanksgiving. (Very important, you know, since I always cook an elaborate dinner. Ha.)
Anyway, Mario called this morning. He said the homeowner on his current job had hired a plumber, but the person they hired will only be able to work on the weekends - dragging things out even longer. I started cringing inside, thinking he was going to tell me it’d be Christmas before he could get to us.
Well, halaluia, my luck must be changing, ’cause Mario wants to do our job first, while he waits on things to get straigtened out at the other place. Even sweeter, he’s starting TOMORROW! Tomorrow! Tomorrow! Whoohooooooo!
Oh, and did I mention we actually now have one, completely functional bathroom? Yep! We were finally about to get the tub upstairs taken care of. We had Bath Fitters come install an overlay and it looks like a new bathroom! And it works! All four children bathed or showered in it last night and nothing came crashing down onto the first floor. New tub, new toilet and working sinks - all in one bathroom!!!
Things are definitely looking up here around Casa Amarilla. As the song says, all the clouds have disappeared…
Is it a sign of cheap carpet when the vacuum clogs with carpet fibers each time you use it? I know it’s not my vacuum cleaner that’s at fault. I’ve had it for 8 or 10 years and I love it. Works great. Except when it’s clogged (which never happened previous to… Casa Amarilla!)
I can’t seem to get through one complete room without the vacuum clogging. At first it just gets a little louder. I ignore that. Then it sounds like legos are rattling around in there somewhere. I try to ignore that, too. (And, not it’s not legos. The legos are all in Jack’s room and you can’t vacuum in a room where the carpet isn’t visible.)
It’s when the vacauum cleaner starts spitting all the carpet fuzz back out at me that I have to give up. I mean, what’s the use in vacuuming when you’re spreading dirt rather than cleaning it up?
I keep hearing the Dyson guy’s accented voice in my head proclaiming that a Dyson vacuum won’t ever clog. Wanna bet?
Anyway, I guess vacuuming will have to wait until Dan gets home and can unclog the darn thing. I tried, and got a large dog’s worth of synthetic fur out of it, but it’s still clogged. I’d hate to keep at it and break the darn thing and never be able to vacuum again. *Ahem*
Are you accomplished? On your way to being accomplished? Accomplished in some things but not others? How about your friends? Your family members? Do you consider them accomplished?
Dan and I started a “discussion” last night in front of the fire. (What fire? You ask, since we have not a fireplace in Casa Amarilla. To answer your question, it was an outdoor fire. We borrowed a neighbor’s pit and burned some of our ever-present yard debris.) Beautiful night. Coupla beers.
Somehow, the term “accomplished” came up when discussing various people we knew. I pointed out several people I thought were accomplished, but Dan argued against them.
It quickly became apparent (in my humble opinion) that Dan has some extreme criteria for what counts as “accomplished.” For example, a straight-A student from a well-known university or college is not accomplished. Only a Valedictorian from an Ivy League institution passes muster with Dan. Maybe. If there was a lot of competition.
PhD’s, Master’s degrees, the number of degrees a person holds… none of those make a person accomplished. Medical school or law school? Yes. Doctors and lawyers are most definitely accomplished people if you ask Dan.
A successful writer? No. A writer that wins a Pulitzer? Yes.
A priest? No. The Pope? Probably.
Are you getting the picture here?
By the time our discussion concluded, I was seething. I still am this morning. I’m not sure exactly why I let it get so far under my skin, but I feel like Dan is failing to recognize many, many worthy accomplishments and the people who have achieved them.
I believe you do not have to earn a ton of money, attend an Ivy League school or be the president to be accomplished. Teachers, mothers, scientists, nurses, software developers, sales people… it doesn’t matter what your chosen profession is… anyone can be accomplished in a number of ways. My 6-year-old is an accomplished track builder, for example.
In my opinion, catching a bad guy is an accomplishment. In Dan’s opinion it’s only an accomplishment if it’s Al Capone.
What are your thoughts? Who are some people you think of as accomplished and why? Here is Dictionary.com’s definition of the word “accomplished.”
This morning, Luke and Sam were the first ones up (as usual). They came downstairs, ran into the kitchen and Luke informed me that he’d brought his clothes and Sam’s clothes downstairs. That way, Luke explained, I could help them get dressed without having to go upstairs! Lukie even thought to bring a diaper for his brother. Sweet.
Then you want to strangle them…
After dropping Jack and Maria at school this morning, I resumed my work in our backyard. I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it before, but the previous owners let a lot of weeds and wild bushes grow up around the side and back of the garage. In addition, they so thoughtfully left us a huge mound of… dirt/debris/trash/glass, etc. back there. I’ve been working to dig up all the roots, pull up weeds, throw away the trash and smooth things out. It’s a LOT of work.
Anyhow, as I worked, The Little Boys played. They threw sticks for the dog, dug in the dirt and played some imaginary games. Occasionally, things would get out of hand… someone would throw dirt in the hair of the other. Luke and Cheerio fought over a stick (Cheerio won). Basically, though, I was able to get some work done and they were able to get in some outdoor playtime (yay fence!)
However.
As I was toiling away at some cedar roots (damn, those are a bitch), I heard an awful lot of silliness going on. The we’re-doing-something-we’re-not-supposed-to-be-doing kind of silliness.
I peeked around the corner of the garage and found them grabbing ash from the Weber grill by the handfuls and dumping it onto Cheerio’s back. Then rubbing it in. (That blasted dog will get attention any way she can.)
Needless to say Sam was covered from head to toe with ash. As was Luke. No need to comment on the dog.
Furious, I put both boys in timeout along the new fence. As Luke claimed to disown me as a mother and Sam cried, I put some more work in. It’s amazing how much stronger you are when you’re pissed.
After the longest timeout they’ve ever had, I finished up for the morning and ordered them to the back deck to strip. I marched them to the basement shower (the only working one) and ordered them clean.
These photos represent my children 100% right now in their lives. You get to guess who is who.
Master track builder and train enthusiast:
Homewrecker:
No comment needed for this one (click if you need to see it bigger in order to read the words):
Budding psychopath (I hope I’m joking):
(You might be wondering what an apple has to do with psychopathology… When I complemented the artist on the terrific apple, I was informed very matter-of-factly that it was a poison apple.)
P.S. Just in case you don’t remember, the kids (in birth order) are: Jack, 6, Maria, 5, Luke, 3, Sam, 2
I just got my internet connection back after being down for several days. Nice. Here’s a quick rundown of what’s been happening at Casa Amarilla:
We discovered a new leak. At the same time this weekend, Dan had to “see a man about a job” and I needed to shower, so he went to the basement bathroom. I showered on the main floor. With nothing to read, he began to scope out the bathroom. And discovered a water stain on the ceiling just below where I was showering. We did a lot of running water and looking inside walls and running up and downstairs and we think we’ve discovered the problem. Water is getting in behind the faucets in the shower and water is leaking everywhere. These are the same faucets that the plumber removed, found that he needed to order parts, and put back.
We’ve been showering in the basement, anxiously awaiting the plumber’s return, scheduled for Tuesday between 12 and 4.
In the meantime, the fence people came. Yipee!!!!! A new fence.
Coincidentally (because all the lines were well marked, you know), the day the fence people started, our phone and internet went down. The good people at Comcast, though, were able to send out a technician - 2 days later.
The fence was completed yesterday and it’s beautiful! The dog and the kids and their mom love it! Dan, however, isn’t so satisfied. We added an extra gate so he could get his rider in the backyard and he doesn’t think the gate is big enough. Crap.
Since our phone was down and the plumber was supposed to call ahead, I checked in with them yesterday. Guess what? We weren’t on the schedule. Our kick-ass home warranty doesn’t cover any of the repairs. So, instead of calling us to see if we wanted to pay out of pocket, they just cancelled. Without calling. Thanks! (Remember: we still have no use of the tub upstairs and can now no longer use the shower on the main floor. Let’s hope nothing happens to the basement shower or it’s going to get a little rancid around here.)
I vacuumed out the van this morning and found that Sam has lost yet another shoe. This is the third time. (Jack and Maria have also managed, over the last two months, to each lose a shoe.) What is up with this?
Comcast came this morning and we’re back in business with the phone and the computer, thank God! However, there is a nice long cable in our newly fenced backyard that needs to be buried. No worries! It will be taken care of in the next 10 days. (10 days is a looooong time with kids and dogs and a cable, but whatever.)
What was I thinking? I mean, it’s not like I had the fence guys install high-tech locks. And, since all of the kids are able to open the gates, I’m not sure that having the fence has improved our run-off to not-run-off ratio. It’s not that the kids don’t shut the gates (or close the doors), it’s just that they do it very sloooooowly. And, they have to hold the door/gate open allllllll the way so that they have plenty of room go go through it, you know? Which, of course, means that Cheerio has plenty of time and plenty of room to also go through.
