For this?!

This is what I rushed home for?!



-- out & about, courtesy of the wonderphone

Don't go breaking my heart...

It's the start of a new school year, which means life's pretty busy around here. I've been working a LOT this past couple of weeks, and even though we've tried to keep things pretty calm and orderly...we haven't fooled our kids. Noble cries when he sees my work clothes, and if I'm around, he's clinging to me. Kayci's teacher called thus morning, she was crying because she didn't know if I'd be there to pick her up or not...which didn't bother her before, dang it. So I'm 2 hours away, working...well, waiting at the moment...and my heart is 90 miles away. It'll get easier...it'll get easier...



-- out & about, courtesy of the wonderphone

woot!

James loves woot!, and today he sent me a link to kidswoot!--we may be in trouble, now. Check it out (you gotta look daily, that's the joy of woot!).

www.kids.woot.com

First Day "Back" At Work...

I've had very, very little computer time this summer, so I'm sitting here working...and blogging...and checking facebook...and "talking" to my boy. Here's a glimpse into why we work--we're still best friends, all these years later. It all started with James' blog, wishing Granddaddy Curtis a happy birthday (he'd be 85 today, and I am SO grateful to him for the man James is today!)...by the way, we used to take him pie to try to entice him to eat a bit. Not a problem for me, ahem...

girl: Granddaddy wants me to have a piece of cake for him at lunch. Well, he said PIE, but I doubt Ernie's will have pie, so I'll take one for the team. Happy birthday, Granddaddy! :)

boy: Pie, huh? Are you SURE it wasn't your grandma you were listening to???

girl: Um...well, it's 6 years yesterday that SHE died, so if she wants me to have some pie for her, I guess I'd better. Crap, that's a lot of pressure. What if they have cake AND pie?

boy: silly old girl.

girl: you wouldn't have me any other way. except, perhaps, skinny. but i'll get there. i bought 2 magazines with my blow money today--one was "shape." :)

boy: I don't want you to get all buff like some of those ladies in Shape. You'll kick my ass!

girl: dude, i could kick your ass now. and i just laughed so hard, spit flew out of my mouth. sexy, right?

boy: niiiiiiice...

girl: yeah, baby. and all YOURS!

Oh, Lordy!

There goes my budget...


-- out & about, courtesy of the wonderphone

Ahh...

After a sit-down at Starbucks with girlfriends and my boy, I just sat here & read an US magazine cover to cover. I'm a happy Mommygirl!


-- out & about, courtesy of the wonderphone

Where to begin?

Today is the first day of school! I know my teacher friends are probably tossing and turning right now, dreading the unknown. In our field, you just never know who--or what--is going to show up the first day of school. So my heart's with you, girls. But today, what I'm feeling most is excited, and hopeful. Kayci is SO excited about first grade, and loves her teacher already. She has SIX friends in her class already :) and has her outfit all laid out and ready. Daddy and I left her a happy on the table this morning (thanks, Auntie Lynn, for the happy call last night!) and I can't wait for her to see the necklace we got for her. Her first day outfit is neon green and white, and of course Justice was nice enough to have a neon green K necklace. She's going to love it! So, we'll all take Kayci to school, then Daddy and I will take Noble to school, and then, hopefully, Daddy and I will go to Starbucks and celebrate a great first day. And as for me, well, I'll be celebrating my first kid-free work day in almost 3 months. It's been a wonderful summer, but I'm excited about this school year, too. I have a lot of work to do and a lot of opportunities...I was looking at the balance of our loan/debt yesterday and thinking, if we're gonna pay this off by March we're going to have to HUSTLE. So we will. It's a blessing to work so that if we need more money, we just say yes to more jobs. :) The downside is that we both work--a lot--but the upside is that again, there's HOPE. We can change our circumstances, and that's pretty exciting. Not that things are bad, but we know that living without debt has got to be better than this, right?

My mind kind of keeps walking right up to the door of "after"--after we drop off the kids, after James goes to work...I can't even, even imagine what my day will look like between 9:00 and 3:00 (or whenever I get in car line). I have this fantasy of getting a pedicure (my toes need it!). And I just might, just for me. I just might go buy a People magazine to read in car line today. But here's what I WON'T do...I won't spend 2 hours this morning cleaning house and putting away laundry. I won't spend an hour cooking and cleaning up lunch. I've got to learn to get my work-work done during the day while the kids are gone, and get the housework done in that hour before they get up and after they go down. It can be done, I've done it before. I've just really, really lived like a housewife in the past year...great for my home and family, horrible for the bottom line and my level of work stress. So, it's time to re-prioritize and put work BACK on the list. First things are still first...but the things I was spending my work day on last year weren't important things, just Kristi things that had a false feeling of importance. Back to "good enough" as far as the floors and the amount of dust on the piano. :)

So, I don't know what this day will bring. I know it will bring a happy 6 year old, possibly a tearful 1 year old when we leave Kayci and walk away, and as for me...well, it better bring a finished guest blog, a great start on another writing/building project and some e-mail time with my teachers. And hopefully a pedicure and a People. Ooh, and my first Starbucks in MONTHS! It's going to be a great day!!!