Too Much Drama!

Friday Jhett & Sterling both had their Terrific Kids Awards. I have pictures, but I can't seem to get them to post on here. I'll put them on whenever I can get it to work. I think I have a computer bug. My computer keeps doing funny things. After Jhett's Ceremony, we went outside to leave to go & get Pud & my truck wouldn't crank. After further investigation, I discovered that the terminal post to the battery had rusted out & broken off in the battery. So, I took Emily back to work, kept her car, & went to get Sterling & then drove to Santee to meet PawPaw so the boys could go back to Barnwell for the weekend. Then I drove back, went to the auto parts store & got a battery & a post, & Emily & I went to fix the truck. But to no avail. I didn't have the right tools. So we decided since the parking lot of the school was well lit, we would leave it there until after our weekend getaway. We ended up just staying in Florence at a hotel. It turned out quite nice in spite of the drama. What really hurt my feelings about the whole thing was that my daddy didn't offer to help me one bit. What kind of dad is that? I know if Mammie & Papa was still alive, Papa would have made sure that the Avalanche was fixed the same day it broke down. But oh well. Coulda woulda shoulda. He hasn't even called to see if it's fixed or not. I know if Emily's car broke down, Mr. Ben would have asked her if she needed help in a heartbeat. Anyway, we went back over there today to try one more time, & I almost got it, except I couldn't get the bottom bolt that was securing the battery loosened. So, I called my Uncle Manley who is a mechanic & lives here in town. He's meeting me today after work to fix it for me. He didn't hesitate a bit when I told him what happened, & that I already had all the parts. Makes one think about one's place in a family. The truth hurts.
Yesterday Sterling came home from school with the stomach virus. He threw up twice, but was back to normal this morning. Kids are so resilient. Tomorrow we will get back on track with the word game.

Kiwanis Terrific Kids Awards Today!!!

Sterling had his Terrific Kids Ceremony this morning! He looked so handsome. Here are a few pictures we took this morning....well..I cant get it to work....be back soon!

I've Created Little Monsters!!!

When I began the word game, I had no idea it would be such a big hit!!! As soon as my feet (& Meana's) hit the floor, the boys are all over us wanting the new word. They are some brave children, because they do this before I have a cup or coffee or a cigarette!!! They like to live on the edge! So the word for yesterday was jovial. Here's what we came up with.

Jhett - Have a holly, jovial Christmas! (1 point)

Sterling - Santa is always jovial. (1 point)

Meana - I would be jovial if the kitties would stay off of the counters! (1 point)

Mom - I wish the jovial spirit of the holidays could be felt all year long. (1 point)

The word for today is salutary \SAL-yuh-ter-ee\, adjective:
1. Producing or contributing to a beneficial effect;
beneficial; advantageous.
2. Wholesome; healthful; promoting health.

This should be interesting.

The boys are supposed to go & spend the weekend with Nana & PawPaw so Emily & I can have our romantic weekend together. I guess it will kind of be a Valentines, & almost 3 year anniversary all rolled into one. We wanted to go see BrokeBack Mountain, the story of two gay cowboys. It won several Emmy's. But, of course they aren't showing it here in the Southern Baptist Bible Belt. Oh well....guess we will just have to buy it when it comes out on DVD. I am so looking foward to some alone time with Emily. We sometimes let life itself get in the way. Not on purpose, but just because. Sometimes I think you need to step back, let the waters flow, & bury your toes in the sand. Not worrying about tracking sand into the house, or how much money we owe, or what tomorrow may bring. Sometimes we need to just....be. And there is no one in the world that I'd rather just "be" with than my sweet Emily!

Donuts for Dad (Meana)

Today at Jhett's school they had "Donuts for Dad". Meana & Jhett went. He was so excited that she went with him. She let him have coffee with his donut & he thought he was a big man!!! It was too cute. I am so thankful that the boys get along so well with Emily. They think she's great, & I second that motion.

Now on to the word of the day sentences for yesterday. They were pretty good. Judge for yourself.

Jhett : I go to school to titivate. (1 point) He chose to use the "to smarten up" definition.

Sterling : When my room is clean, I can titivate by dusting my furniture. (1 point) He chose to use the "to spruce up" definition.

Meana: Tomorrow I will titivate my desk. (1 point)

Mom: We can titivate the kitchen table by putting an arrangement of fresh flowers in the center. (1 point)

Not too shabby, huh? Thanks Mary Roach!

The word for today is jovial. (adjective) -- Merry; joyous; jolly; characterized by mirth or jollity.

Isn't this fun!!!???

Jhett got a note sent home last week saying he was going to be receiving the Terrific Kid award from the Kiwanis club this Friday. This is his second year receiving this award. Teachers & principals nominate 1 student out of each class each month to receive this award. Only 9 students per class are selected all year long. So it is quite an honor. Anyway, Sterling got a note sent home yesterday that he was going to be receiving the Terrific Kid award from the Kiwanis Club this Friday, too!!! Thankfully, not at the same time! I wonder how many siblings have been awarded this honor during the same month at different schools? I am so very proud of them!!! If I never accomplish another single thing in my life, I can say with dignity & pride, that my boys are the greatest kids a mother could have. I love you, boys!!!

Vocabulary Update

Yesterday the word for the day was probity. Here are the sentences:

Sterling : Abraham Lincoln had a lot of probity. (1 point)

Jhett : Abraham Lincoln had probity. (1 point)

Mom : Many so called Christians are severely lacking in probity. (1 point)

Meana: Mom keeps forgetting how to say probity. (no points) Thanks Meana!

I thought it was cool the boys were thinking along the same lines. The came up with their sentences independent of each other.

The word for today is titivate. It is a verb that means to smarten up or to spruce up. Jhett already gave me his sentence before school this morning, but I will wait until everyone has given it to me before I post.

The Word Game & The Vent Trolls

Today we started a new vocabulary game for all of us. You're never to old to learn, right? Here's how it works....Every morning I give the boys a new word for the day. By the time they come home from school, they must have thought of a sentence using the word of the day...& it must make sense!!! Meana & I have to do it also. Then the next day, I will post the sentences so I can keep track. They get a point a day. I haven't figured out the reward system yet. We are still working on that.
So the word for the day is probity. It is a noun & it means complete & confirmed integrity; uprightness. Tune in tomorrow for the sentences!
Jhett was out of school on Friday, & Sterling was out today. So Sterling & I went & got our haircuts. He is such a good little fellow. She cut his hair first, & then while she was cutting mine, he sat there in the chair & read a magazine about Spongebob & Nickalodeon. Other than the subject matter, he looked like he was about 15! How did I ever get so lucky to have such wonderful children?
I know you are wondering what in the world are The Vent Trolls? Well, Sterling has absolutely no fear of anything. So this weekend, he decided to take his a/c vent cover off of the a/c vent in his bedroom & stick his hand down in it. Never mind that both of the boys think that the a/c duct system is their own personal intercom/secret communication portal, there for the sole purpose of their entertainment!! So in order to deter them from sticking toys or, heaven forbid, the kitties, down the duct, Meana & I told them that they shouldn't do that because the Vent Trolls would bite their arm off. Well, it didn't phase Sterling a bit. He went on to sleep almost immediately. But not Jhett! He kept coming down the stairs worried to death that the Vent Trolls would come out in the night & get him. We told him, they didn't come out. They just stayed in their to guard their territory. Well, he was not convinced! So after about 3 hours, we were getting ready to go to bed, & we told Jhett that we just made it up to keep them out of the vents. That made him a little better & he finally went to sleep. I told him not to tell Sterling though. So, what does he do? The next morning, Jhett whispers to me "I told Sterling that the Vent Trolls weren't real, but he didn't believe me." So much for Jhett keeping a secret!!! But, Sterling hasn't taken the vent cover off since then!
I am working on a Clemson Tiger cross stitch for Emily. I worked on it most of the weekend. When I get a little further along, I'll post pictures of my progress.
We skipped family movie night this weekend, because I had major PMS--the cramps, crying at the drop of a hat from something on TV, the moodiness, & of course the ever faithful migraine. Thanks Mother!!!

Catching Up

Wow..it's been a while since I posted. Let's play catch up. Let's see....hmmmm...on the 4th we had family movie night & we watched Charlie & the Chocolate Factory. It was a cute little story. Of course, the boys fell asleep before it was finished. Then I woke up around 2:00 AM with the stomach flu...both ends...yuck!!! By 8:00 Sunday morning, I thought I was dying, so Emily took me to the emergency room. The doctor proceeded to knock me out with an IV, to let me sleep it off, because I was already dehydrated. He pumped me full of fluids, pain meds, naseau meds, & antibiotics. But it still took me until Friday to feel like I was once again a contributing member of society!! The bad part was that Emily got it too, which I totally didn't realize. She got over hers a little quicker though, but now she has a head cold, which she gave to Jhett!
Nana & PawPaw came Thursday to attend Sterling's Grandparents Day at school. They got to meet his teacher, & have breakfast with him & his friends. He was so excited! Sterling is Mr. Social Lite (wonder where he gets that from). Nana said that everyone Sterling passed in the hall, including the seniors, all said hello to him. He just spoke back & acted like it was the most natural thing in the world that these older kids were talking to him. He's so funny!
On the 11th, we watched The Incredibles for family movie night. The boys had hockey practice, which wore them out. So after supper & baths, they both passed out about 15 minutes after the movie started! So we'll probably have to do The Incredibles this Saturday too.
Hockey season is back in full force after a brief hiatus for the holidays. We have hockey 4 times a week. They both have improved tremendously!
Tuesday was Valentine's day. We bought the boys their Valentines to give to their friends, but Jhett didn't want any. Sterling has a girlfriend named Grace, & he wanted to buy her a Valentine heart full of chocolates. We made him buy it out of his allowance. I asked him what he was going to say to her when he gave it to her & first he said, " Thank you." Jhett informed him he should ask her to be his valentine. To which he replied, "I know what....I'll say....You're beautiful!!!" I told him that was sweet. So he gave Grace the candy, but forgot to tell her she was beautiful. He said he was the only one who gave a special valentine present! He was very pleased with himself! Jhett, on the other hand, wanted to save his allowance for Yu-Gi-O cards. I always thought Jhett would be the ladies man, but he's more into sports!
Emily gave me roses, & a box of chocolates, & I got her a box of chocolates, & a weekend for 2 at the beach. We need a vacation!!! We'll probably go next weekend or the week after, depending on the hockey schedule.
Sterling is on a health kick as of yesterday. Ms. O'Brien told him that drinking 6 glasses of water every day was good for him. So when I picked him up from school, he informed me that he was going to start drinking 6 glasses of water every day!!! I have been after him for years to drink more water. Way to go, Ms. O'Brien!!! He even actually ate his supper last night. We have Italian from Stefano's. Usually, all he wants is cereal, Ramen noodles, or macaroni & cheese.
On a funny note, remember the old saying "Step on a crack, break your mother's back"?. Well, Jhett told us the other day his version of it. He asked Meana, "Meana, did you know it's bad luck to step on your mother's crack?" Meana said, "Yes, I've heard that it is!"
The boys are studying about Abraham Lincoln & slavery & Martin Luther King, Jr. this month. One of those commercials for a childrens fund came on TV asking for money to donate to these kids in some country. Jhett thought they were for sale like slaves. He told us, he wanted to buy one. We had no idea what he was talking about! Then we realized, he was trying to assimilate the slavery times to today. We quickly explained what the commercial was really about.
As you know, we are the least prejudice poeple in the world, being lesbians & all. We teach the children that although we may not agree with other peoples life choices, we should love everyone, just as Jesus loves us. Well, having said that, Jhett told Meana on the way to school the other day that he wished Martin Luther King wouldn't have said he had a dream, cause he did not like going to school with the black people. (There are only 5 in his class.) She asked him why, & he said because they talk to much, & they don't do their work fast enough. She reminded him that Jesus loves all children, & that he should do the same. He said fine, but he wasn't marrying them! Out of the mouths of babes!

Children Say The Darndest Things

All children make up words for one reason or another...either their little mind can't really grasp the "real" word, or maybe they just say what they think you are saying. So, here is a vocabulary lesson courtesy of Jhett & Sterling!

"Yun-Yens" -- onions (Sterling)

"Gotti-Gotti" -- a sippy cup that has a straw. (Took me a month to figure that one out!) (Sterling)

"Ala-Caboose" -- the caboose on a train (Sterling)

"Crouton" -- feminine hygeine product also known as a tampon (Jhett & Sterling)

"Lasagna" -- the private parts of a female (V-----) (Sterling)

"Stew-be-doo" -- Potato Stroganoff Hamburger Helper (Jhett & Sterling)

"Fridge" -- a bridge (Jhett)

"Ba-Fridge" -- a bridge after lessons (I tried to teach Jhett how to say bridge with the emphasis on the "B" sound. So fridge became "Ba-Fridge".

"Funder" -- thunder (Sterling)

"Specious" -- Swedish (When Sterling was just learning to talk, he spoke jibberish & because he was a blue-eyed blond, I would ask him if he was Swedish, to which he would reply "Yes, I Specious!"

"How to make the Perfect Taco by Sterling"
Last night I made home made tacos for supper. I asked Sterling what he wanted on his taco, & he took the box (ok, so not real home-made) off the counter & said while looking at the picture, " I want the taco (shell), meat, salad (lettuce), cheese, no pomatoes (tomatoes), no whip cream (sour cream), & no hot sauce (taco sauce)." Doesn't that sound delicious? Maybe Martha Stewart could feature it on her show!

Speaking of Martha Stewart, last October Jhett was sick with the stomach flu, & was out of school for 3 days. He fell in love with Martha's new show. So now, every day I have to tape her show on the DVR so he can watch it after he does his homework! Interesting!!!

Since Sterling was a small child, he has been fascinated with the Emergency Broadcast System. You know, the annoying test that comes on in the middle of your favorite show with that horrible monotone sound & says "This is a test of the Emergency Broadcast System....". (Why didn't it work when 9-11 happened?) Everytime it comes on, he stops what he is doing & comes & tells me that it is an emergency. Also, any building he goes into he has to locate the emergency exits. If he can't find one, he panics. He continues to do it to this day. He's either very cautious or anal...the jury is still out on that one!