Great comments, all!

So the wallet is back, the bad days are hopefully behind us.  The old man was nice, but weird.  For instance - he found the wallet in the bread store parking lot, told me he had seen me leave the store with donuts so he knew I HAD shopped there, yet he took the wallet home instead of returning it to the store.  Why?! When he was trying to find how to contact me to get the wallet back there's no phone number in my wallet (lesson learned), so he thought about returning the wallet to the LIBRARY since I had library cards in there.  Again, WHYYYY!?!?  It was less then 10 feet from the bread store entrance, where he had JUST seen me shopping, and you want to return it to the LIBRARY??  I returned to the freaking bread store like a normal person, since that's where I dropped it, but I would never head to my nearest library to look for a wallet I didn't lose there.  While I appreciate, with deepest gratitude, that there are good and honest people out there (as many [MANY] times as I have lost my wallet it has ALWAYS been returned and NEVER had cash or cards taken from it), I am a little disappointed in the sheer lack of common sense in this situation. Also, dang it for dropping my wallet in the first place, and dang it for not checking my phone messages! That was all my fault.

And now, comments to the comments:

Kari: Yep, getting back money that you thought was gone for good, even $20, can make your day :)

Angela: You CAN renew online, but only if you do it before your license expires.  Mine expired in December, which I was dumbfounded at, and only discovered in January.  Joe's was issued a year earlier and doesn't expire until 2014! I thought maybe he flirted with the DMV ladies.  Turns out, they changed policies and USED to issue 10-year licenses but changed it to 6 years instead (more revenue? They love sticking us in lines and laughing? The DMV chairs need warming? Who knows).

Amy: (about the last post) You're right about TV time - it's a balance.  Like how much chocolate to eat during the day, you have to find a happy medium :)

Sheesh

Monday was rough.  We had an awesome morning, ran TONS of errands, I was being SO productive and then.... I pulled a Kirsta.  Like I've done at least a dozen times before, I lost my wallet. I put it on the hood of my car and drove off, onto 120th Ave in mid-afternoon traffic.  Before I even got home I realized my mistake so I whipped the car around and searched.  I searched and searched and SEARCHED.  I got out on every instersection, running up and down the side of the road and even sometimes the median; I went back to the parking lot TWICE (in case I'm blind) and went back into the store we were at when I'd been such an idiot... NO WALLET.  So after an hour (all 3 kids in the car the whole time, mind you) I gave up, went home, and called the credit card companies to get everything cancelled.  There's certainly nothing good about losing a wallet, but the silver lining is that I didn't have much cash in it, my drivers' license was already expired, and I wanted to buy a new wallet but hadn't gotten around to it.

Today was rough. I needed to get a new license, and there is NEVER a good time for that, so we bit the bullet and went.  First, though, I called to make sure I had the documentation I needed, and they gave me their location, which I mapquested before I left: 11900 N. Washington.  So prepared!  We were even out the door by 9:00.  I got to about where the DMV should be (on mapquest), and it's the post office.  So I went into the post office to ask, it must be next door or something and I'm blind (still considering that as an option), but they assured me it was down the road around Washington and Malley.  I drive down, and my empty light comes on.  I drive around and around, it's a dilapidated old strip mall and the parking lot is EMPTY so surely this ISN'T the DMV, where it's always packed.  I have to get gas, so I head down to the nearest gas station.  There happen to be a cop, he assures me the DMV is IN the dilapidated old strip-mall parking lot, so I am SURE of it this time.  I drive around a minute, and THERE IT IS - with a sign on the door, last week it relocated to 11900 N. Washington!! Just opened up yesterday.  I've been driving around for an HOUR by now (again, 3 kids in the car) and we finally find it - ACROSS THE STREET from the freaking post office. In yet another dilapidated strip-mall parking lot.

It's packed, of course, but because I don't have an old license to surrender I have to take a ticket rather than stand in line.  I'm watching the ticket ticker, watching the line, watching the ticker, watching the line... if I'd had my old license I would have been done in an hour, flat.  With my ticket it took TWO hours (with 3 kids, mind you) to get my stinkin' license, which was expired anyway but I didn't have it to surrender.  We ended up taking a side-trip to Walgreens before my number got called to pick up snacks since what should have been one hours somehow turned into three... so it cost me $21 for a license, $6.50 for snacks, $15 for gas (I only have cash, you know, what with no credit cards and reserving $21 for that license) and $4.40 for a bottle of aspirin for the headache that has become my life.

I got a phone call at 3:00 today from some nice, old, honest man that he HAS MY WALLET and has been calling me since Monday (I seriously stink at checking my messages - WHY?!?!?) so I can come get it.  I could have saved myself one hour on 120th driving up and down, plus one hour at the DMV in line instead of with a ticket, and probably another hour on the phone, calling about cancelling my cards, PLUS my tank would not have been on empty from all that stupid driving around.  GARRRRR!!!!

I really hate it when I pull a Kirsta.

sad panda

Patrick has been on a movies/TV hiatus for a couple weeks now.  There was an increasing correlation between the amount of screen time and amount of wah-wah-woe-is-me time, so we said he no longer gets to watch movies every day.  Hey, it was a lifesaver while it lasted!  Movies and shows are now an exception, so every few days he gets an hour or so, and it's been a really nice change - he and I work on "projects" together (I scrapbook and he cuts up old photos and makes messes) or play games or read and it's our "alone time."  Still, there are times when exceptions are nice, like Sunday morning mom-and-dad-sleep-ins, and Sunday afternoon dad's-feeling-lazy-and-snuggly.  Sunday exceptions can lead to Sunday evening that look a little something like this:

Sleeping in was still definitely worth it :)

working hard, or...

...hardly working? I think not.  The Children's museum has a work area where kids can use actual tools (hand drills, saws (?!), clamps, hole punches, etc) and then provides "materials" (donated empty recycleables like egg cartons) for the kids to put together with the tools. We usually avoid it like the plague (saws?! seriously?!) but we went to the museum on a whim last week and it was PACKED!  5 school buses, zero free parking spaces, PACKED. We did whatever areas were least crowded and guess what? Teachers didn't want their elementary students using the real-life saws, either! So we tried it out, and actually had a very nice time.  While there, I discovered screws screw in nicely to upside-down egg crates, and it kept Patrick and Eli busy and entertained.  In the end, Patrick nicked his finger with the screwdriver, which is what he refers to in the video, but it was seriously mild... so I thought, "I have egg cartons, screws, and screwdrivers at home, why don't I just do this there?"  So today, we did!  Take THAT, wet and windy weather!

Oh, Joy

In spite of the fact that we have been doing it twice a week, every week, since September of 2011, I've never mentioned on the blog that we do Joy School.  Patrick and his friend Michael are the students for the moment, while we wait for Eli and Michael's brother Benson to catch up age-wise (probably this fall).  Anyway,it's been SUPER fun!  Fun for me the weeks I teach and Michael's mom takes the tots; fun for me to have the tots and not have to worry about a lesson when she teaches.  The lessons are great, the songs are great, the activities are great... it's been great!  Highly recommend it, find out more at valuesparenting.com. For now, though, just had a few pictures from "school" I wanted to post, from back when it was all snowy.

Sag's

Working on Caroline's 1-year scrapbooking page was an unusual challange because her picture is so gosh-dang pretty I wanted to do something special, but being 3rd in scrapbooking line (ok, 5th, I scrapped Joe and I a decent amount before we had kids), I often feel that "special" has already been taken.  I'm out of new ideas.  So I browsed a scrapbooking idea file (thanks, Debbie!) and came up with adding their horoscope of character traits - so fun!  She's a Saggitarius, and so are Joe and I, so I was curious how "on" the description was for us, and how "on" it might be for her.  I about fell out of my chair when I read it.  I'm not into daily horoscopes or 5-star days or anything, and I know you can make generalized statements that people from all backgrounds might attribute to themselves, but seriously - this was so awesome! Here is the description, in its entirety, and I italicized things I feel are SO RIGHT about us. 

Here goes.

Sagittarius is usually the soul of the company. The reason people are attracted to them is their inborn ability is to act in a very relaxed and honest manner. Sagittarians are tolerant and open-minded, they will never judge someone just by physical appearance and they tend to accept environment without any preconceptions.

Sagittarius trusts other people easily but he/she expects the same trust in return. When they communicate with other people Sagittarius people are usually open and forthright, so you just know that such people won’t talk behind your back (one of my HUGE pet peeves!). This quality makes them very reliable companions, beloved friends and family members. In addition, they are never selfish or proud, so their generosity is usually something to be admired.

One of the most positive qualities of Sagittarius is a great sense of humor (I think so, at least). Such people are not likely to cry alone at night because someone said something bad about them. (This is true about Joe but not about me! I'm a sensitive soul). The Archer accepts everything with a smirk upon the face and they don’t take themselves too seriously as well.

Sagittarians are natural-born optimists; they believe that nothing can bring them down. This ability not to be stressed by every little trouble allows them to go further no matter what. Their energy always saves them from misery because by the time they realize they failed, there is already a new adventure planned. (I laughed out loud, this is so true!)

Sagittarians don’t believe in deceit and they trust people dearly, they are rarely ever suspicious of anyone (almost to a fault). They also expect others to trust them in return. Such people think well of other people, as they think well of themselves too.

They have very high standards, always aiming for more than it is possible to achieve, and this quality makes them respectable in the eyes of society. All in all, Sagittarius is the most enthusiastic, positive and energetic of all Zodiac signs. (Go Saggitarius!! [See? There's that enthusiasm again]).

Negative Personality Traits of Sagittarius

Negative qualities: carelessness, impulsiveness, forgetfulness, tactlessness 
ME TO A TEE.

Many Sagittarians have problems with controlling their egos. They are used to thinking they have all the right answers and sometimes other people are put off by such attitude. Much like other Fire signs, Sagittarius has own set of rules and doesn’t like to be told they are wrong. *Amen*

They prefer to be always in control of the situation and people. However, no everyone likes to be controlled so there are situations where Sagittarius can be considered to be obnoxious and egoistic.

They also often expect full recognition for every accomplishment. Like a true fire sign, Sagittarius is quick to get angry and their energy can transform from positive to negative in a heartbeat. Those people can be very insulting when they don’t think before speaking their mind, which is exactly what happens to them most of the time.

In many cases Sagittarians simply don’t consider the effect their words can have on other people. Sometimes, their lack of tact and dark sense of humor goes too far and other people can be offended.

Because they are so restless and impulsive, sometimes their energy is wasted which leads to temporary cases of depression. This happens when the Archer (the Saggitatius person) doesn’t focus the stream of energy into one direction. They can also be quite irresponsible because they want to do everything at the same time. Consequently, some projects are left unfinished.

Sagittarians are quick to come up with ideas but they have no patience and concentration to complete them. Such behavior can irritate other people, especially when Sagittarius is irresponsible in the work-place. When their work doesn’t bring them enough satisfaction, they can become inconsiderate and even tensed.

Sagittarius tends to take risks without thinking it through. As a result, sometimes those risks turn out to be foolish. Their inability to handle finances is can also be considered as a flaw, especially in a marriage. Sagittarius is also a sign known for passion for adventures and risks, so many of them indulge in gambling, leading to dangerous lifestyle (thank goodness we don't gamble!).

Party time!

 We fell down pretty hard on Eli and Caroline's birthdays, but they didn't care (or know enough to notice).   Being 4, Patrick sure knew it was party time, we we sure didn't miss Patrick's!  I had to work at noon today, so we needed to have the birthday party early in the morning, so I went with it and themed it "a PJ party for PJ."  Guests showed up in their pajamas and we had a pancake breakfast, where the kids got to decorate their breakfast with strawberries, bananas, grapes, and chocolate chips.

Alli made an awesome smiley face :)








Our neighbor friends, Chelsea (the big kid) and Andrew, had fun at the party with us!  We're so lucky to live next to such fun kids.

We played a few games, but mostly the kids were WAY too distracted by all the toys, so we gave up and let them play around until it was time for opening presents and eating cake. 

Yep, pancakes AND cake in one very early-morning party.  Kids who skimped on breakfast sure made up for it with this concoction!  Since Eli's birthday Patrick has been requesting an oddly layered birthday cake, from his own imagination: brownies, strawberries, cake, and chocolate frosting.  My big "win!" of the party was actually making this dream-cake, AND it actually looking good! Here it is, mostly consumed: