I Had A Super Title For This Entry

But my Mom reads my blog, and well, Ill be seeing her soon.  So, I don't need to be using such vulgar vernacular. 

My Husband got his butt kicked at Jiu Jitsu today by a large well trained officer of the law.....  The Hubs says that if a large cop is trying to arrest you, it is best not to resist the arrest. 

So far, only his butt hurts.  But I have a very strong suspicion that his right shoulder is going to hurt a lot too.  Being that it is all red and swollen and covered in welts from being slammed into the mats.  He had fun though, and can't wait to go back for some more....  "Please Sir, May I Have Another?"

But that is enough about him.  That is unless you want to hear all about his PMP courses on audiobook narrated by the ever so astute Cornelius!  Oh yeah, they are as enthralling as it sounds.

Alex had his first day of tutoring today.  When I picked him up, and asked him how it went; He was quite upset.  They gave him generic Cheetos for snack.  Now being that The Hubs used to be employed by the Cheetos Manufacturer.  Nothing but the name brand will do in our household.  Izzy assumed he meant store brand cheesie poofs.  Nope.  In Alex's words "No, they gave us that Dollar Store Crap".  Oh lovely, my son has inherited my penchant for words!

I have pictures to share today! 

Isn't it cute?  It flew into the window at my brother's girlfriends place of work.  So, being the humane person that she is, she stuck him in a box and gave him to my brother to care for.  My brother was then tasked with picking up a cage from my Grandmother.  But before he did that, he felt the bird needed more room, so he attempted to transfer him to a larger box.  This is when he learned the bird could still fly.  A few minutes later he called me, because I am exceptionally skilled at "catching birds".  The truth is, I don't catch birds, they usually fly at me, and I learned to hold up a sheet to prevent impact.  Im 1500 miles away though, so my brother was on his own, in regards to catching the bird.  Last I heard, it took several hours and 3 of my siblings to secure the bird into the cage. 

***UPDATE*****  My brother was kind enough to inform me that the bird died the next day.......

 This Playground is AWESOME!  Better yet, it is completely fenced in and is next to impossible to escape.  I call it Alcatraz Land.

 There comes a point in time when you realize your kids have outgrown playgrounds....

 This is their attempt at My Version of how to use a tire swing...

 Yeah, well they dont like most of what comes out of my mouth anways...

 Izzy in a pleasant moment. 

 This is where I watched my 2 younger ones use their brains differently.  Moops went all out and took the difficult approach to getting across the tire bridge.  Ike watched him.

 Ike decided Moops' approach was too much effort.  So he just zipped on up the side, and back down the other.

Moops going Tarzan on me.

 Moops Going Army Ranger now.

 Still working on his Ranger Tab

 I foresee more training in his future....

 Izzy isn't going up.  She is going down...

 Ike says "forget the rope, Ill just climb it like a ladder"

Then he realized he is afraid of heights, and hopped back down.  Alex was contemplating jumping, I had to remind him that he didn't have enough money saved up to pay the copay for the ER.

This Ain't Yo Ordinary Froo Froo Martial Arts.....

"They train to fight here, not pamper your confidence".  At least, I think that is how The Hubs describes our new Dojo.  He started Stick and Knife fighting on Saturday, afterwards he declared that it is really easy to kill someone with a knife.....  And then Sunday he woke up and realized he had muscles in his shoulders again. 

Meanwhile, back at the house on the hill that we again refer to as home front.....  I have come to the realization that we no longer should aim for finishing the basement.  Instead we should just set up a wrestling ring.  The Hubs can start his own Stepford MMA Circuit.  And in between bouts, I can send our 3 sons down there to wrestle, so then they stop wrestling upstairs where I have material possessions that I am relatively attached to, and in some instances are irreplaceable.  Im pretty sure we could park at least 15-20 golf carts on the back lawn, 10 on the front lawn, 6 in the driveway.  That way we are not breaking HOA Covenants...

Speaking of Dojos.  Alex has BJJ (Brazilian Jiu Jitsu) 4 days a week, so I have turned our Swagger Wagon into a Mobile Education Station aka MESS (I added and "S" for asthetic purposes).  I have all the supplies necessary to educate my children, while on the move.  I have books, paper, pencils, crayons, and more than likely an award winning science fair project growing somewhere.  Better yet, the kids are quite literally a captive audience, and being that I am too cheap; no TV to distract them. 

Admittedly though, the Swagger Wagon or aka MESS is not conducive to Trumpet Practice.  We had to squeeze that in before BJJ, as well as the argument as to whether Izzy was  playing hacking Mary's Little Lamb, or going Merrily Along The Way.

And of course, no day would be complete unless Mommy learned something too.  Today's lesson involved my Driving and it was led by the ever so experienced 11 year old Daughter of mine, better known as Izzy.

Now, that I have adequately meandered off course and reasonably got you all distracted.  Back to our originally scheduled deranged commentary.  Moops had issues with his rhyming homework, somehow the works of Dr Seuss just dont toggle his brain in an effecient manner.  It wasnt until he found Alex's gaming magazine and found an ad for Red Dead Redemption that he caught on to the whole rhyming scheme.  He grasps rhymes if you rhyme it with Dead, but rhyming anything to King, Cake, or Mouse totally escapes his capacity for competent thought. 

And tonight I vetoe'd The Hubs' ban on red meat.  For one, I scored an awesome Rib Eye for an incredible price.  And two, he handed me instructions on the proper care and maintenance of his new Gi.    Funny how he didn't seem too upset by my veto.

Like Moths To A Flame

My children were magnetically drawn to the punching bags at Alex's new Dojo.  I wish I had my camera ready, because it was just so perfect.  Im pretty sure had I not pulled them all off the punching bags, one would have been taken out by the punching bags, just like the moth when it gets too close to the flame. 

Alex had Grappling today, he alternates between that and striking.  At least that is my current understanding, I could be totally way off on that.  The words The Hubs spoke never really penetrated that evening.

Now, it helps to know that there is no Jolly Green Giant DNA floating about in either The Hubs or I.  And well, Alex did not hit the genetic lottery when it comes to coordination, or athletic anything.  He is that kid that looks like a bobble head on the peewee football team, who can barely stand up right, when fully padded up.  Oh who am I kidding.  He is the kid on the peewee football team that has absolutely no business being on the field at any given time.  And yet, for 3 years, it was the ONLY sport he was willing to play.

The Hubs finally convinced him that he should at least TRY something else.  And then signed him up for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu.

And today was his first class.  Granted, yesterday was supposed to be his first class.  But again, when the The Hubs spoke and gave me directions, the words they did not penetrate.  In my defense.... OK, at this time I really don't have a defense.  The Hubs just started talking about martial arts, and I couldn't keep my attention.

So, back to Alex.....

Today was his first class.  As he meets the teacher, he tells him straight out.  "I'm small and kind of puny.  So, Ill suck at this."  What can I say, he doesn't boast much optimism either, he is more of a realist. 

The Instructor then tried to convince Alex that Jiu Jitsu would be perfect for him, because small dudes are often better at it than big dudes.  Alex just said "OK" and settled into the group.

And this interaction continues on.

I think the instructor was hoping he could kind of boost Alex's moral.  He really engaged him in conversation, and I am pretty sure now, that dude is sitting back and downing a beer as he attempts to wrap his brain around that conversation.  It goes a little something like this....

Instructor: "so what other sports have you played?"

Alex:  "I played Football and Soccer"

Instructor: "Oh?  Which did you like most?"

Alex: "Football, I only played Soccer because my Mom made me."

Instructor:  "So, what position did you play in Football?"

Alex: "the one where they put me in front of a really big dude and then tell me to knock him down"

Instructor:  Long perplexing pause  "uh well was that offense or defense?"

Alex:  "Defense, because usually I just ended up holding onto him while he dragged me"

That was about when the Instructor decided it was time to change the subject.

From then on, it was relatively awkward to watch.  Alex having no experience whatsoever, usually just went limp when he was supposed to engage.  And when he needed to go limp, would stiffen up like a brick wall.  And then there was distinguishing his left from his right, and back from front, and up from down....  He was having fun though, you could tell because he wasn't complaining about how much it sucked.

And then came the wrist moves, which Alex took too immediately.  Something in his little brain just clicked, and he knew exactly what he was supposed to do and how.  And with in about half a moment, he had a kid a head taller than him on the ground and saying "OK YOU CAN STOP NOW PLEASE!"

This pleased Alex enough that he started with that smirk of his.  It is his "Im pleased" smirk, he tries to hide it because he is convinced he must maintain a dark and sinister demeanor.

At the end of class his instructor asked if he enjoyed the class.  Alex's response was "Yeah, I liked it well enough, Ill be back....."  Which translated into English would be "I had a lot of fun, and may just become obsessed."

I guess it helps to understand that Alex is instinctively sarcastic and pessimistic.  Lastweek I made Dinner, and Alex told Moops that my Food was not nearly as bad as hospital food.  That was his way of telling me he liked Dinner that night.  He inherited this lovely trait from his Dad, who is also the master of a Back Handed Compliment. 

It Is With Great Regret

That I announce the passing of a loyal and aged friend. 

On this day of September 18,2011, we say goodbye to The Hubs' Chevy Crapalier.  It was a loyal car, and stuck with us through thick and thin.  We enjoyed 8 solid years of no car payments, low insurance and minimal car repairs.  It may not have been a looker, or even all that remotely comfortable.  But it did serve us well, consistently and efficiently.

Being that the Crapalier died on the 285/75 interchange during a time of heavy traffic.  It was a traumatic death to say the least.  The Hubs, being stranded in the center lane, was not able to resuscitate; and found himself relying on the help of others blocking traffic, while he pushed the Crapalier to the side of the road. 

It was decided that implementing Life-Support was not a rational approach.  And so the Crapalier was towed to the dealership, where it was probably sold for scrap. 

I think it would be proper to take a moment of silence, as we fondly remember our loyal form of transportation.  The Crapalier.. 

RIP Crapalier
2001-2011

.........................................................................................

With that said.

It is with Great Joy

That we introduce you to the newest addition to our family!

Her name is Gladis.  I think.  The Hubs hasn't really put much effort.

While we are now faced with a new car payment, higher insurance and a reduction in our bank account.  We do want to point out the 30-40 MPG that Gladis does provide.

And she still smells new too!



In other news..........

My Beautiful Daughter has come out.

It was with a great deal reflection, and acceptance that I announce.

Izzy has a calling for Beauty Pageants.

and not just any kind of Beauty Pageants, but all out full Glitz Pageants.

So, not only will I be adding Dojo Mom to my storied work history.  But also Pageant Mom.

I'm assuming this would not be a good head shot to submit......

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished.

Yesterday I was very close to accomplishing the impossible.  Compacting the life cycle of a juvenile human spawn into an 18 hour span.  Had I only encountered an infant and a screaming toddler, I would have set a new record.  And I even got up early too!

Starting at a ridiculous 5:45 am in the morning, I woke my Beautiful Daughter up so she could finish the chores she blew off the night before.  She was none too happy with waking up at such a ridiculous hour, BUT she did get her chores done.  And in record time.  And with very little resistance.  Wait a sec, I might be onto something here.  Hmmmmmmmmm

Izzy had a field trip that required our arrival at her school an hour earlier than usual.  That is where I encountered 500 some middle school students.  It was also where I realized why middle school exists.  There is just a level of awkward with in that environment that requires an educational quarantine.  Lots of gentle giants who have yet to hone in their skills in a vertical and upright position.  And too many very small angry little dudes frustrated with their lack of spurts in the growth department.  There is then that discombobulated lab experiment of too much deodorant and not quite enough.  And a stunted bewildered dose of puberty. 

*Just A Little Side Note*  I now understand that Izzy's teacher wasn't being funny when she literally wrote out "make sure your kid is wearing deodorant" right after the sunscreen reminder.

You have to keep this sort of creature out of the elementary schools where most of the kids are still cute and close enough to the ground that their center of balance is not dangerously compromised.  And there is just absolutely no way you could herd them into a high school without a very definite adverse reaction.  Think Chrenobel by way of Band Camp, with a heavy dollop of B.O.

With Izzy off on a major excursion with 500 of her nearest and dearest middle school buddies.  It was off to the elmentary school.

2 hours, 300 copies and a stiff debate with a 5 year old about the poop in his pants.  I experienced the lower half of elementary school.  And I realized excell is a necessary skill to learn, if one is to be an effective room parent.  It was a fun time, we learned the Tasting Poem, I mastered the copy machine, and I watched as the nurse convinced the Pooper that his elbow would stop hurting if he changed his pants.  I wonder what her conversations are like with her Husband.

I came home long enough to realize that I almost forgot that I had a meeting with some of the teachers of the upper classmen for the school.  That too was entertaining, and from what I understand 5th Graders seem to prefer to protest rather than debate. 

With 5th grade tackled, I went for a repeat session with the middle schoolers.  My Beautiful Daughter brought along her friend, who amazingly enough has more in common with my 5 year old in regards to TV Show preferences.  Unlike Izzy, she has not bought into the whole Toddlers And Tiaras craze and has no desire for big hair, or bedazzled heels.  She is more of a mindless cartoon dribble kinda gal.

From there, I felt invincible.  I had lasted 12 hours without even so much as twitch developing.  So off to the grocery I go, with all 4 of my kids in tow.  And I encounter the highschool student pretending to be an effective employee specimen.  He too still struggled with vertical standing, but he did at least grow into his head, and almost his ears.  I think another year, and he might actually walk upright.  He was polite enough, and even muttered a few conversational phrases.  But then he called me "Mom, I mean Ma'am" and all was lost.  Le Sigh.

There is just so much to kids, it really is overwhelming.  And to observe all the various degrees of evolution, in such a short time span.  It is really quite exhilerating, that is until you wake up the next day and realize around 4 in the afternoon that you are not sore from all the productivity you accomplished the day before.  But because you over exposed yourself not only to human spawn, but also the germs that associate themselves with such densely populated environments.

Le Sniffle. 

Take Me Out To The Ball Game.......

Get Me Shot In Front Of The Crowd......

Buy me some percocets and applesauce.  Then I wont care if I ever get back.

For its root root for the home team.

And if we don't win its a shame.

For its 1, 2, three strikes your out!  At the old ball game.........

Izzy is going to a baseball game tomorrow at Turner Stadium.  Home of the Atlanta Braves.  And them dudes cause some nasty traffic at game time. 

I live only 20 miles from the airport, it should NOT take me 2 HOURS to pick up my MOTHER at 1 AM, because of Darryl Strawberry, or whatever fruit of the month is in their line up.......  Im just sayin......

This was no cheap feat.  We are forking over $30 for her to attend, and taking the risk on not purchasing the addititonal $12 t-shirt that coordinates her to the rest of the school. 

In my defense, I just bought her a damn trumpet.......

And well the kid KNOWS my cell phone number.  If she gets left behind, she and all 2000 of her closest friends can call me and let me know.

As it stands today, I had more people call me to talk to her than me.  And its NOT HER PHONE!

In other news, Ike has figured out how to PM a Tonka Truck.  PM would stand for "preventative maintenance".  And apparently PM means to take the thing apart.  That way, you dont have to worry about it not working in the first place.  Hmmmmmmmm.

Fun times in the ATL.  Fun times......

To the Grandparents, there WILL be a trumpet Solo at Xmas time!

Failure To Launch

It was a fun afternoon.  An afternoon filled with sunshine, pleasant temps and several little girls attempting to defy gravity.  These girls are aspiring to be the next generation of Dallas Cheerleaders.....  They got their pyramid built, they got their smallest cheerleader to the top.  They then launched her headfirst into the landscaping......  I sure hope what she landed in was just black mulch.  She is tough though, she got up, brushed herself off, and then informed Mom that it was time to go home.  Not even a flinch, although Im sure once with in the safe havens of her Mom's Suburban, Tropical Storm Cheerleader took hold.

Across the park were different circumstances.  Them being of the fearless boy kind, and a zip line.

 Here he is charging up.  Had I known what 10 seconds could provide, I would have only counted to 2....  I should develop a concept car based off of the energetic youth and then sell it.  Oh wait, I would have to go back to college and become an engineer of some sort.  Ooooohhhhh, I'd have to go back to college.  Uh, hmmmmmm.  You know what.  Ill build a Fred Flinstone Car and market it!  Yeah.  That is what I will do.

 No failure to launch here......

In Fact.

He keeps going.

 and going.

 and going.

 and going.

 until I tell him I am tired and moving on.

 Izzy had a falling out with her BFF. 

 She really had a good strong hold on my heart strings this afternoon.  I ended up cheering her up with some Taco Bell, and a carbonated HFCS laden soda. 

The boys had a good time in the sand.

This is their interpretation of the Moon Landing.  Ok, actually this is Alex's interpretation of a pothole in Texas.......

Oh and did I mention that my Dear Husband bought himself Brass Knuckles.  Yeah, apparently there is a violent part of Stepford I haven't encountered yet.  He then tried to convince me to join him in Martial Arts training.  When I shot him down, he accused me of expecting him to fight all my fights for me.

I refrained from the comment of "Im A Lover, Not A Fighter" because, well my husband is a man.  And he would take that comment out of context.

Then I thought I should retort with "Well, Brass Knuckles Aren't Going To Do You Much Good On The Back Nine"

But then I realized who I was talking to, and I knew he would have an equally abrasive retort to follow.

So, I finished off lame with "I try to make decisions that keep me out of conflict"

And as I ended that conversation, I realized I should have said "Well, I Am Too Damn Busy Ironing Your Khaki Pants And Button Up Shirts To Get Down And Dirty"........

But knowing my Hubby, we will have a repeat of this conversation.  And now I have a good one to dish out, for our next round. 

And if all else fails, I will cross my arms and pout!

My Conservative Stepford Behind Can't Make This Up!

I have to share this, because it is just too entertaining not to.




It has been GORGEOUS here the last week or so. Which is a little early, and makes me nervous for Winter. But Ill take it, regardless.



We went to a state park this afternoon. Again gorgeous weather, beautiful scenery. It was a great afternoon.



We will be going back in October for the Moonshine festival. Apparently, we live on 30 minutes away from where NASCAR was originated........ This is not the entertaining part, but it is mildly pertinent. The city hall for the town we were in is attached to the NASCAR/Moonshine museum........ Im building, there is more.



We then drive through the town, on our way home. And we pass an adult video store. Which, being Georgia, is closed on Sundays.



BUT, whomever owns this store is GENIUS!



He has his landscaping done on Sundays.....................







By a woman in a bikini and thong, weilding a weedwhacker.







I kid you not! It's like a free look on Sunday when you can't buy porn!







It took a while for my prude behind to figure it out. But here I sit, almost midnight going "DUH!!!!".







You gotta love the South, if only for the irony!

The Intent Was

To Tire Them Out!

 We Failed~

 You know it's gonna be an uphill battle when the sparkly sunglasses come out.

 The natives were miffed when we refused to let them get into the water.

 See the shirt on the tallest boy?  That would be an ORIGINAL Super Mario Bros shirt he obsconded with on our last trip to Texas.  From my not so little brother, the 6 foot something one. 

 That would be a shot of Amicalola Falls in Dawson County, Georgia....

 Again with the falling water.....

 Check out the view!

 Next time we bring Ella.  She would be my sister's dog, she is spoiled.  Especially when she comes to visit Auntie and that weird husband of hers.....  There was no sitting under the table waiting for scraps for this pup. 

This is why she likes to visit!

It's Raining Men

Which is what happens when you keep your 5 year old home, due to the ectoplasm that has started oozing from his nose.

He feels fine, great even!  He gets to stay home on a school day, and create scenarios that involve chucking little green men from the landing of our stairs, all while his little brother provides sound effects.  Ike felt screaming in varying to decibels was appropriate for this scenario.

I just thought I'd share.  Because Ike has calm cute moments, and I have evidence to support that statement. 

 On occasion we come home to find the homestead surrounded.

We had a shootout right on the dining room table.

 There were a great many involved. 

And only a few left standing....

And then I decided I should give Izzy's trumpet a whirl.  That was interesting, and all evidence was destroyed in an unfortunate incident involving the clearing of space on my camera for documenting future evidence.

Oops.  My Bad.

It's A Good Thing.......

Alex scored a whopping deal for his tank.  Capitalism is alive and surging through his veins.  He can't wait to reinvest his money elsewhere, take what he can get from it, and then sell sell sell!  Yeah, there is very little (I mean none) variation in the genetic makeup of The Hubs and Alex. 

Moops is about to experience an influx of funds himself, as he sets off to discover the exotic yet elusive Tooth Fairy.  Yes, Moops has his first loose tooth.  And in true Fatherly Fashion, The Hubs has successfully freaked Moops out.  We discovered the loose tooth while noshing on Warren's favorite food, Corn on the Cobb.  This discovery required quite an extensive explanation, which The Hubs happily volunteered to knock out.

The first question being "Can you pull it out?".

The first answer being "sure thing, Ill just run to the garage and grab my pliers". 

The second question being "Will it hurt?". 

The second answer being "Oh heck yeah!  And it will bleed too".

Moops has not let Daddy Dearest near his mouth.  Moops is smart like that.

And I will soon be adding yet another notch into my Mom Belt.  Having extensive experience in being the Ballet Mom, Cheer Mom, Cheer Coach Mom, Soccer Coach who has no idea how to play the game but got roped into coach because "no one else is willing to do it" Mom, Football Mom, Room Mom for Kinder through Medical School (hey a girl has dreams), FRG Leader, Mean Mom, and wife to The Hubs.  It has been decided that my next venture as a Mom will be Dojo Mom.  And being who I am married to, it will be for Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, that kind that was used by some short dude who wow'd the MMA world.  Although, there is apparently a new kind of marital art out there inspired by Batman, and involves 2 people attempting to kick your butt simultaneously...... 

While the kids do the Jiu Jitsu, The Hubs wants to take up some other from of MMA that I don't know how to spell or pronounce.  I just know that is involves big sticks, knives and me attempting to explain to the ER DR that my Stepford Husband shunned Golf for climate controlled coached violence.

We had a lovely conversation about how my afternoons will be consumed with searching for the various pieces of gi's with in Mount Idontwanttofoldlaundry, spraying down sparing gear, and most likely the occasional injury given our lack of coordination.  I wonder if anyone would notice my sneaking substitution of Mom Juice in my water bottle?

Now, off I go to assist in the creation of a 3D model representing both a plant and animal cell.  At least we have already knocked out decimals for the afternoon.  You know what, Izzy hasn't practiced her trumpet yet.....  Yeah.  Background music!

Mommy. You Were WRONG!

That will be the very first statement my lovely daughter will make, as she returns home from a full day of puberty infested education enrichment.

I should give a shout out to Tropical Storm Lee, who has so kindly drenched the Deep South and spawned a few twisters to keep it interesting.

I should also thank The Hubs for announcing "Look We Are Under A Tornado Watch!" just loud enough for the kids to hear.

To which I replied instinctively with "Thanks A Lot!  Now we've got panic control to deal with"

I then reassured my lovely daughter that there would be no tornados.  We were all good!

So, what happens.  A tornado.  Yup.  Because Mother Nature has some serious PMS going on, and Murphy informed her that I have challenged her with my statement.

But see, she being female, knows how to play the game as well.  So, while we slept peacefully and I sincerely thought we actually did avoid tornados.

Just a mere 2 exits south of us, was a tornado........

And of course, since it did happen in our county.  There will be commentary made at school.  Because at least one kid will have heard it via radio/tv/facebook/parents talking......  And being that my lovely daughter revels in proving me wrong.  She will find out!

I know this seems so minor, and not worth mentioning.  But see, lovely daughter absolutely revels in bringing me down a notch.  And so I won't hear the end of this, until I redirect her focus back onto her and cause a major distraction.  Like threatening to put her on weed pulling duty if she continues.

So, today I am wrong.  Which, if I think about it enough, is a refreshing respite from being MEAN!

Date Night!

I like short jaunts across the beack to a fully loaded cabana complete with a sexy mostly naked cabana boy and drinks with little umbrellas in them........

I dont like heels.  And fyi, it hurts less to walk barefoot on southern heated concrete, than it does heels.......

I also like nights out with the hubs, and no kids.  Nights that start off ridiculously early, and do not necessarily include getting lost in a deparment store where I can not afford to shop.  Although, I wont refuse it, if necessary.  The stroll through Armani and the $600 camisole encounter, though, I can totally live without. 

I was wearing my most expensive top, topping out at $70 and on sale at 60% off.........

But it was a fun night, which started at 4:30 and we were home by 9:30.  We tackled 3 bars and a high end restaurant.  All before most yuppies make it out of the house.  We also beat out most of the geriatric crowd as well.

And we like it that way! 

Oh and double score, we were able to secure Bass Ale Pint Glass for The Hubs' enjoyment.

On the menu:
Delmonico Steaks, at a whopping 22 oz each.  The hubs inhaled his, and looked for more cow.  I polished off maybe 6 oz of mine. 
Lobster Macaroni and Cheese.  Which was just bleeping awesome
Some sort of fancy oranic green bean, which was also bleeping awesome.

And because we were sentimental.  A Dark Chocolate Tort, Strawberries and Feta macerated in balsamic vinaigarette, and Champagne.

It was AWESOME!

The kids?  Well, they had pizza.  It was probably delivered by a guy who scores $2 in tips, if he is lucky.  And now they are all tucked into bed.  We paid our waitress, at dinner, a $35 tip......  She totally earned it.

And in about 2 minutes, Im going to join my sister/babysitter on the couch and enjoy a big bowl of cookie dough ice cream.........

The Shit List

The Moops decided it needed to be updated.....  Then Izzy got ahold of it, and it some how "ripped".  So, in true Moops fashion, he created himself a new "shit list".  BUT, instead of listing out those who were behaving badly, he went ahead and made the list about those who were in good stature with him.........  This was genius......   We experienced a complete 180 in regards to cooperation then.  Ike, Izzy AND Alex were all interested in being on the "good list".  For the first time EVER, chores were done BEFORE I even had to ask.

What I want to know......  What is it, that a 5 year old has, that I dont.  Because I have implemented the "good list" in the past, and all I got were groans and eye rolls.

A five year old implements a "good list" and all of a sudden my house is down right immaculate.

Im down right jealous!