The cleaning lady that couldn't clean

This is what happens when you have a more than fabulous cleaning lady for 5 years and she finally graduates from DU and gets herself a better gig, leaving you desperate to find someone just like her to clean your house.

This is what happens when your third try leaves your house after a day of cleaning and you just don't think she does a very good job for the $125 she charges and you decide to run the swiffer on your tile floors

This is how much filth you will see just before you decide to fire her.

The end result won't be pretty because now 3 years later you still don't have a fabulous cleaning lady, you'll still be cleaning the house yourself and you will still be missing fabulous cleaning lady number 1.

What I learned this week

It is Tuesday again. Time for What I learned this week...

This week’s lesson wasn't really something new in my world, rather a gentle reminder from our oldest daughter Lauren, who has always been one step ahead of from birth (which came a couple weeks early too)

She had a couple things to say to me this week that make me smile, laugh at me and marvel at her...

Tuesday Morning:

Mom: Hey the sun is finally coming up
Lauren: You know mom the sun doesn't "come out" we just tilt and rotate around it
Mom: I know that honey, it is just something everyone says and is widely accepted to say
Lauren: Yeah, but it is not true

Wednesday Morning:

Lauren: I wanted to tell you about the Marley book you bought me
Mom: Yeah, do you love it?
Lauren: Well, I read a couple chapters then put it up on my shelf, I decided it was NOT the kind of book I want to be reading right now.
Mom: That's OK, what are you reading? (hiding all signs of disappointment)
Lauren: My new Space book from Paige, the Secret Garden and Quirks and Quarks...

So, my lesson learned is: Watch how you say what you say to your smarty pants 8 year old, and don't assume she is going to love a book you buy her just because you did (and you probably should bring her to the store with you next time).

LAUREN I love you just the way you are, all smarter than me and all! I LOVED watching the ISS fly over our house with you and I marvel all that you will accomplish in this world. You go girl, never let me catch up with you!

Hailey's Word Book

Little Hailey...poor thing, always wants to do what her big sister does. Sometimes she can. Sometimes it just isn't possible.

Lauren's class at school made picture books and I had them home last night to laminate and bind.

So today Hailey "needed" her own picture book. She was SO proud after I punched the paper and tied the ribbons she carried her blank book around for half the day, and I let her do it.

The lazy mom in me thought about leaving it that way - I mean she was so happy, why fix what ain't broke right?

But my better judgement took over and this afternoon we started "Hailey's Word Book" She would say a word, I would write it and draw (ha) a small picture then she would write it and draw a small picture.

Sadly, my pictures are no better than hers...mine border on horrible...BUT - that is not the point. I am so proud of Hailey's writing! she is doing very well and it makes me smile just thinking about it!

THE COVER

FISH - the first word she picked...likely because Lauren got a fish for Christmas and we have had to tell Hailey she could not get her own pet till she was older...Hailey made a Paper Pet yesterday - How sad is that?

CAT - Word number two...and a blob with legs to go with it
DOG - I was proud of this G but have NO idea what she drew.

SQUARE - are you kidding me, that was the next word - UGH. At least I can draw one of those...Hailey's is a rectangle...but hey - she tried! MOON - I can handle that. I think. Full moon, crescent moon. Hailey's second moon was her first try at a crescent moon - she got better on her second try though!
HEART - I Love hearts. Usually when Hailey draws a heart it looks more like a slice of bread but she did OK tonight.
CAR - Easy word - IMPOSSIBLE for mom to draw. Hailey too apparently...the lollipop looking thing is a car key with all it's buttons. the colored in circles are wheels and the hollow circles are the doors...the rest - I have no idea.

And a future blogger among us. She had to use her knew camera to take pictures of her book too! How cute is that?

All the while, Lauren was busy doing her homework. She rarely has any - but tonight she had to do her spelling homework. Usually she does that on weekends but with the holiday break - we never thought about it!

On the 11th day before Christmas

Eleven. Eleven. That is a funny little word isn't it. Oh well, 11 more days! Today I bring you pictures from our favorite "Light House". We visit it every year and well actually their are two on virtually the same street. These guys go all out! They even have donation boxes out front to help cover their electric bills! Next year I might post all the previous years visits but not this year. Poor little Hailey had to live out a punishment and had to stay in the car with me while daddy and Lauren visited the houses but daddy was kind enough to take some pictures for us!

We also recently finished our letters to Santa - though the girls have NOT been getting along well lately and I am not sure how kind Santa is going to end being this year...HA. I couldn't stand to see disappointment on their faces Christmas morning it would kill me, but you do have to wonder... Anyway their letters were cute, Hailey was going to confession and Lauren was brown nosing...

Wordless Wednesday

Not so wordless is what it should read!

Make sure you check out this mornings post too!

Here is a sign Lauren made for Grandma Mary! She did it last night when I was busy in the kitchen! It is TOO cute!

We can't wait for you to get here! Just a couple more hours! We are ready!

Remember this? Someday Story

When Lauren wrote a "Someday" story for the Wellsfargo Someday Story Contest? Well, she wasn't eligible to win but I submitted it anyway...

AND

Today she got a package in the mail from Wellsfargo! Imagine her surprise to receive a package from the bank? It even came addressed to Ms. Lauren Emerson. Inside was a very nice letter from an executive at Wellsfargo Bank that took the time to acknowledge Lauren's submission! The package also contained a very nice metal stagecoach bank!

Lauren was grinning from ear to ear. She knew a long time ago that she didn't/couldn't win, and NEVER expected anything from it but it sure does feel good to be acknowledged every now and then doesn't it!

A great big shout out to Wellsfargo for going the extra mile!

NUTCRACKER UPDATE

Lauren is going to do the International Youth Ballet Nutcracker this year.

We were very close to being able to do both of them without too much hassle…but there is one weekend in November that both Ballet’s need her all day both days and well….I don’t have a magic wand…

Lauren made the decision and said the following:

“I am going to do the IYB Nutcracker this year because I will get more experience, next year I want to be in the Colorado Ballet so I will only try out for that and I will hope I get a part.”

LAUREN you are amazing. You made a great decision and we are so proud of you! Best of luck in the performances we know you will be fantastic!!

Someday Story

Some of you know that Lauren dreams of fixing up the old mountain towns she sees on our drives to Beaver Creek. She has talked about for two years now. Her plans keep getting more detailed and more elaborate. She wants them to be beautiful and a place for poor people to live. While I have no idea where she dreamt this up I know it to be on her mind just about constantly.

Well, last week while at WellsFargo she picked up an entry form for a contest. at the time I did not know what it was but she was excited about it. In the car she read the whole packet, then told me about it. But she was bummed because you had to be 18 to enter. The contest is called "Someday Stories" and the goal is to write your "someday" story and the winner gets $100,000 towards their "Someday" goals. The story has to be under 250 words and words like I and a count! She was so excited and so bummed at the same time.

Well, that night she wrote a "someday" story in a tiny spiral notebook.

Tonight I added two sentences to the beginning and submitted the story. I don't think she has a chance of winning - might even be breaking the rules - not her best "story" but it what she has been talking about for sure. It is also hard to tell the separation between my 2 sentences and her story on the online entry (no way to add enters) but I did it anyway -

Here is Lauren's Someday Story:

My someday story comes from my 7 year old daughter and a dream she has had for two years. She really wanted to enter your contest.

Someday I will fix the old towns in the Rocky Mountains. I want to make them nicer than ever, and I will sell them to poor people for around twenty dollars. I will have to buy the land, tools, wood, paint, screws, nails, TV’s, Dishwashers etcetera. I’ll build stores, jobs, houses and banks. For the back yards I’ll do mini pools, sod, and porches. Indoors I’d like a casual family room and living room, a pretty and nice dining room, clean looking kitchen, a basement that’s full of space to have a guest bedroom and space to store stuff, a craft room that could be converted to an office, three decent bedrooms. In each house there will be all those things I just said. There will also be one big Welcome Home present and a note per month. Each house will be three dollars. When I said around Twenty Dollars I meant to sell it. In the present will be the note and some free DVD’s, CD’s and Books. The note will say: Your monthly fee is Three Dollars. I’ll give you three times each month; every time you can’t pay three dollars it takes one of your chances. If you lose all three chances you lose your house. Please choose me for your winner; I’m doing good things for poor people. Please.

A full week since my last post

So sad. It was a tough week though. With Hailey sick and back at the Dr on Friday then mom got her turn on Sunday and I just have not had the motivation to post! I do have a fair amount to post! I plan to edit this post later this evening and get a bunch of stuff up so check back tonight or tomorrow morning!

UPDATE!!::

Ok first...Hailey is still a bit under the weather. She has a few more days on her antibiotic and I am holding out hope! I got the thrill of antibiotics too...but am feeling pretty decent overall at this point!

First I want to post two drawings from our beautiful girls. Explanation: Lauren used a step by step to draw a Garfield in Uncle Brad's Birthday Card on Saturday! It was great. Mom threw away the instructions and she drew this one free hand on Sunday in spite of me!



Then I asked Hailey to draw me a ballerina. Why you ask? Because she was driving me batty on Monday and I wanted her to "do" something...this is what I got (look closely and you can her eyes and nose and mouth and her curly little legs are in first position according to Hailey)


It is a stretch I know. But she was proud of it!

Next:
Grandpa helped the girls plant these pansie pots on the 24th of June (just over a week ago) they were supposed to take 2 weeks to sprout...well - Laurens are Huge - took these pictures on Monday and not hers are a good 3 inches taller. Need to repot hers. Have a black thumb so going to take them to the nursery tomorrow and let them do it! Hailey's are in the purple pot and Lauren's in the red!





I have more to post but it is time for me to check out...find a good book and curl up for the night. I will try to post more tomorrow!

Thanks for stopping by!

Lauren's Analogy

Background update: Lauren has "friend trouble" as she puts it. One of her many troubles is that they tend to hover (and I mean hover)...

So we are on our way to school today when Lauren announces "My friends are like Crows and I am a shiny thing"

To which I begin laughing out loud. Really giggling. I said "Lauren that is a fantastic analogy"

She says "whats and analogy?"

GO Lauren.