Not a Fan of the "Nicey Nice"

Max brought home a flyer for the Boys Scouts yesterday. He had it in his jacket pocket which I thought was odd compared to being in his folder like all other things that come from school, so I figured perhaps it was something he was interested in.
I never signed him up for the scouts because they were so dad-emphasized and I didn't know how that would work with scheduling and all plus he never really showed any interest after he found out about their activities. But, when I saw the paper, I figured maybe it was a good way to meet new kids in the hood.

Me: So, do you want to join Boy Scouts this year? Sign ups are tomorrow night.
Max: Do you think I should?
Me: I think it could be fun and maybe you will make new friends.
Max: I was thinking that, but they are way too much nicey nice.
Me: What?
Max: Nicey Nice, you know singing and stuff...Nicey Nice.
Me: They do other things besides singing.
Max: Yep, and it is mostly Nicey Nice, I'm not a fan of the Nicey Nice.
Me: It's not like I asked you to join the church choir.
Max: Oh, don't even think about that, I'm not a fan of the churchy church either.

If I hadn't been laughing so hard, I would've tried to make a better case for the scouts, but he knows what he's a fan of and apparently it isn't scouts or the chuch choir. I have added "I'm not a fan" onto the list of things I need to stop saying, right under "Oh Crap!".

Swaps!

Here are a few of the swap cards I have received to give you a little peek:


This fabulous card was made by my buddy Connie. It has a MM plaque and beautiful ribbon. Also, the background is stamped with presents for a subtle look. I love the colors on this card.







This is my card. While I was making I knew it looked EXACTLY like the Birthday card I gave my little sister back in March. Oh well, when it is a memorable card I guess it is worth re-creating!
The olive has a little bit of sparkle, but you can't tell in this photo and the background is stamped with the HB stamp from Stampin' Up! The ribbon is from Michaels, I am seriously addicted to the black and white ribbons.


This great card that is obviously made with the fabulous Basic Grey papers came all the way from Washington. It was created by my blog buddy, Mimi. I love the simplicity of the design and that it is so unisex. There are a few variations to the 8 cards but they all feature this line of papers from Basic Grey. They are wonderful!


Just a little look at some of the cards, so far. There are more coming in this week and I am looking forward to some more great stuff.

Also, if you missed this swap....Jealous?? Then, sign up next time and join us!! I promise we are nice and don't bite, plus...Aren't these great!?!?!?

Here Comes the Vent...

I have wonderful pictures of the swap cards I have received, except blogger is a jerk and wouldn't let me upload them yesterday, so it will have to wait til this afternoon.

This is just one of the many things making this week completely crappy so far. Included in my long list of gripes this week:

* Max is still mad at me for thinking that a 10 year old shouldn't have a cell phone. I am now officially the mean parent and from what I hear he is "never gonna forget this". I thought for sure my promise of teaching him to use a pay phone would win me some points but shockingly it just made him angrier. Seriously, he is 10!

* Men suck.

* Washed Max's new white Hanes Tshirts, they are now 1/3 the size. The other Tshirts we already had, also Hanes, are perfectly sized but these new ones will only fit a 5 year old now. They were size 10-12.

* Car broke down again and this time it is definitely gonna cause some serious cash. I thought it was the battery so we replaced that and now they are replacing the alternator. Whenever it is a part I haven't a clue about....I know it is going to be costly.

* Got a couch in my living room finally, so I can stop living like a single guy who just moved out of his parents basement. No more milk crates for me! Except, I seem to be allergic to the new (used) couch. So far my attempts to spray it with allergen Febreeze and cover it with a pricey $50 slip cover has not worked, so I may have to go back to the milk crates.

* Along with the couch, I also got a cool red chair which really helps the white wall situation in my apartment except with the green curtains that are in the living room it looks like I am ready for the holidays a little early.

* Went to Officemax this morning to get a catalog bound like I did last year and apparently not every employee is fully skilled in the art of binding. This guy told me that I should go back to the same store that did it last year and have them do it again, he wasn't that trained. What?!?!?

* After Officemax, I made the mistake of going to Target to exchange the unopened package of Hanes Tshirts that I had not shrunk yet. The extremely helpful employee who wouldn't get off the phone will she helped me because apparently she was right in the middle of a "she was like, he was like, I was like" recap, wouldn't just let me exchange them as I wanted for a larger size, she had to give me a refund. Fine. I was too scared of being clawed to death by her 5 inch green nails, so I just took the refund. After I walked to the very farthest part of the store to get another package of tshirts, I returned to check out. I saw the Express Lane, no one there....Aha! I thought this was going to be my little treat of the day, fastest time in and out of a Target ever! I was wrong, way wrong. Apparently, the lovely older gentleman checking me out took that opportunity to figure out more features of his cash register. He called over a supervisor to show him how to suspend a transaction. I didn't need suspending. I needed to pay and leave. Then he brought it back. Voided it. And then rung it up again. What the hell? I was ready with cash in hand 5 minutes before he even told me a total and stop playing with the damn machine.

* Did I mention men suck!

* My computer and dsl line here at work are behaving badly. My computer has been shutting itself off when it feels like it and our internet connection just drops without warning. Real nice when your entire business is computer and internet based.

That's about it for the venting. Glad it is Hump day, only 2 more days left, thank goodness. I am getting ready for a Workshop on Sunday to support American Heart Association. I know I probably said it here before, but I will say it again. Heart disease kills 5 times more women every year than all forms of cancer combined! Be Heart smart and take care of that ticker ladies.

Cards later, promise.

Oh April.....

Happy Slightly Belated Birthday to my buddy April!!

April's birthday was yesterday and I know last week when I saw her she was already dreading the day and all I have to say is... Girl, you will always be younger than me!! I hope you birthday was awesome and contrary to what you said last week, you left the house and had some super birthday fun yesterday.

See you soon, Carol and I have a present for you!! For that reason alone, you should be thankful for birthdays!

Another Post coming this afternoon...How I am the most evil mother on the planet, Swap cards galore, Road Trip Report and A Shopping Spree Review. Unfortunately I have work to do....Boooooo!!!

Dream Killer

It's that time of the year again at school....Fundraising!

They got their "packets" Friday and the second I walked in the door, I was greeted with, "Mom!Mom! Mom! I'm gonna win an LCD Tv."
I knew right away this was going to be trouble. I knew this wouldn't happen, I knew he had set his sights way too high.
"Oh really, what do you have to sell?"
"Tons of stuff, even scrapbooking stuff. You like scrapbooking."
"Wow that's great but what do you have to sell for the TV"
"Only 150 things, that's all."
We don't even know 150 people!!
"We don't know 150 people."
"Well, it's not the top prize, it's lower than that."
"Maybe you should lower your goal a little."

I am sure Moses' mother never said that to him, "Parting the sea is nice, but maybe you could start with a puddle." Or Abraham Lincoln's mom, "Freeing the slaves would be good, but maybe you could build a library instead."
I am horrible.
I guess he knows now not to tell me he wants to be president or cure world hunger!

He's not motivated anymore.
Way to go mom! Now guess who will be selling the stuff...

Breathing is Highly Overrated!

I have been so busy lately I can barely breathe these days. Do ya ever feel like that? Like there is so much going on and so much to get done, that you feel like you could possibly suffocate?

So far, this has been the busiest my Stampin' Up! business has been since I started over a year ago. Mostly because I never really "work it" that hard, but with the holidays quickly approaching and inflation, I need to be more business-minded and that means more work. Fortunate for me, it is work I actually enjoy as opposed to my other job. I have 10 classes on my schedule for the next two months, hoping there is something for everyone. Plus, with the success of the craft show last week (I made money, booked a home workshop and met tons of women with an interest in stamping), I will be trying to do as many craft shows as I can for the next few months. In order to be successful though, and at least break even, I have to sell some crafts, so that means daily crafting and assembling. I am also getting my swaps done this weekend, I have all the ideas, just gotta get them down on paper, literally.
If I didn't have a job, I swear I could just work all day on my crafts and stay quite busy and I wouldn't even complain a lick.

With the start of school, I also have homework every night and unfortunately, if mom isn't right in the room, it just doesn't get done. Most of the time, I have to assist as well, so that means at least an hour every day of homework for me.
Plus, there is soccer and cleaning. Then, that never-ending laundry. Someone should invent disposable clothing, seriously. And unfortunately, work is still pretty busy. I really can't believe people are buying some of these houses and condos, they are crazy priced. But they are and that means I am not doing as much of my personal business at home. I never realized how much stuff I actually got done at work until I was unable to do it.

So, I'm busy.
I think a lot of it has to do with where I live too. I live in a go-go-go city where everyone is stressed and busy. There is an aura of insanity here. No one stops to smell the roses because they have a bluetooth in their ear and they are making business plans while driving 10 miles over the speed limit and eating lunch. Everyone is busy and I swear even if you weren't busy in this town, you would still feel the aura of stress, it's in the air.

Max is doing well in his new school, thanks for all the well wishes. I went to parent night last night and he is in the top of his class. The teacher told me that most of the kids are way behind so it really makes Max look like a genius. (which he is) He has an awesome special ed teacher that comes to his room and helps him out, makes sure everything is cool and he's a guy which is even better. I guess all the kids want this teacher to help them, so Max is lucky to get all the help he wants all he has to do is ask. The difference though of just being a mediocre student to being one of the smartest is the huge ego booster we needed with all this change and I couldn't be happier. Plus, for the first time in three years we have a teacher who has experience! The last couple years the teachers were either brand new or had just a year experience and Max would just try to walk all over them. And they would freak out about everything. So glad we won't have any of that this year.

That's about it.
Work.
Work.
Craftin'.
Homework.
Messy house.
My brother came and helped me out at work a couple weeks ago and told me about this awesome online radio, Pandora. I love it. You put in groups and songs you like and it finds other music based on your preferences that you may also enjoy. You can tell them what sucks and they adjust the content or skip a song you just don't wanna hear. I have heard groups I have never even heard of before. The only thing that freaked me out was that the other day it tried to play Ashlee Simpson. What does that say about my preferences?
And on youtube, the funniest thing I have seen in a long time, Chad Vader, Day Shift Manager. If you haven't seen this, check it out, too funny. I just wish there were more episodes. I love smart funny and this is it!
Ok, back to work, there is a $735k house waiting to be typed!

Why Ritalin is so widespread!

New school, new rules, new classes, new ways of doing things.

Old school = 2 recesses every day, gym 4 days a week.
New school = recess once a week and gym once a week.

This is why kids are so antsy!
Who likes to pay attention for that much time in a row?
Not me!!
I don't think I could.

This schedule is definitely gonna require a higher dosage.

You Want Microwave?

The first week of school has kept me running about the city every night this week. There is something new we "need" every day and it has been exhausting.
Well, last night we found ourselves scouring the earth for navy blue gym shorts that are not shiny, basketball-like, or weird feeling. Doesn't seem that hard, right??
In the middle of the hunt, we had to eat something because Max insisted that his stomach was "eating itself", so I hear, "there's a chinese buffet, let's go there, I could eat the whole thing."
Still feeling that gnawing mom guilt, I gave in. Plus, it seemed cost effective if in fact he could eat "a whole cow".
We walk into the Chinese buffet and I really didn't think it was open because in the window I could just see table upon table of no one. But in we went. And lo and behold, there were two people in there. The nice man sat us and contrary to customary buffet etiquette got our sodas for us. Max thought that was way weird and disappointed he was unable to make his crazy soda concoction.
Then it was off to the buffet.
I walked around and it all looked pretty pathetic but I tried to make the best of it.
I scooped up some noodles, chicken and some sort of beef dish. Max looked way disappointed in the lack of his favorites. But then something happened. I accidently touched the noodles on my plate with the side of my hand and they were ice cold. So I began to poke my finger into the rest of the food on my plate and it was all cold. I don't mean room temperature, normal buffet cold, I mean...burrrr!
I stop Max from trying to find something he may enjoy eating, and touch his sweet and sour chicken and that is freezing too.
I tell him, we can't eat here, the food is cold. We're out of here.
He just looked at me in disbelief, "Really??"
Yep!!
I go to the nice man who was kind enough to pour me a diet pepsi and tell him, the food is cold, we can't eat this, sorry.
"You want microwave?"
I swear my jaw hit the floor, I was speechless.
Then I realized that my look of disbelief must not have translated well because he is waiting for my answer. I tell him, "No thanks."
"We have microwave, I make hot."
Getting my purse and preparing to leave didn't translate either, I guess.
"No thanks."
We promptly left as another man came over and the two of them began chatting it up in chinese, I am sure cursing me, probably literally.
Oh well.
If I wanted microwave I would've stayed home and had a lean cuisine.

Back to School Week

Yes, it has been a long time.
Yes, that is bad.
Yes, I promise to blog better.

Yesterday was the first day of school and other than being busy at work, that has consumed most of my waking hours. I put off all the necessary school shopping til the very last second (I know...bad bad bad) and had quite an ordeal trying to find navy blue uniform pants in 10 slim for the super skinny leggy boy. I did however, get to visit the absolute cleanest Old Navy Store in the Chicagoland area and that was nice to see for a change.
The first day of school has caused me so much stress and worry over the past few weeks, I had been chomping down Rolaids like they were candy. We were having quite trouble with his placement and the Chicago School District but hopefully it will all work out now that I was the loud abnoxiuous demanding mother. There goes my plan to keep a low profile at the new school. Oh well.
Max was seriously stressing about school and was so anxious, he was up at 6am and ready to go by 7:30a. Too bad school didn't start til 9am. While I watched him, looking as though he could hurl at any moment, trying to get acclamated in the new surroundings outside school yesterday, I thought back to my first day at a new school in 4th grade.
And what I remember most is that it sucked.
I had already met my neighbor and been best pals with her for a year, so I already had a built-in friend, but it was still bad. Trying to fit in. Trying to meet people. Trying to find out what "cool" is in a new school. It was hard for me and I knew someone.
He saw a couple kids from camp, but of course they weren't in his class. And it seems that the afluent suburb that we came from is a little behind in its studies and caused him a major freak out. There are about 4 things in the first chapter of his math book that are intended for review, that he has never even seen before. Plus, all the kids in his class write in cursive and he was never taught it.
So, it will take some adjusting, hopefully, and in the meantime, I have felt so guilty about moving him away from the only school he's known and his friends, that I have been trying to compensate with extra attention, favorite meals, and maybe a Cd. I gotta buy back my good reputation!! Ha!

Also, I am trying to get ready for this Vendor Sale this Saturday. (East Prairie School, on Howard in Skokie) I want to promote upcoming classes and workshops, but I can also sell items under the new SU! policy, so I want to sell enough to make back the cost of the table. I am almost done with all my little projects (cheap items) and just have to finish some paperwork stuff.(I will post pictures!) I figure once I get all the basics out of the way, I should be well prepared for the Craft Fair season. Also, I have to send out my September Newsletter which is now 5 days late. Oops!
See how time flies when you have too much going on.

Well, I hope everyone else's first school days have been smooth sailing.