 | Diary Navigation:
|
September 14, 2003
Wow! I never intended for it to be so long between entries. Time escaped me and I have no idea where it went to! I feel like so much has happened, but if I went into all the details this would take forever. But if I skipped to the present, then so much would be missed. I guess I should start at the beginning…..
Alaina’s first day of school started off chaotic! I had everything planned to the minute so it all would go smoothly. The best laid plans…..right? She woke up and was so excited that today was the big day! I woke up and wanted to throw the darn alarm clock out the window. But I got up and plastered a smile on my face. Thankfully she ignored the bloodshot eyes that were half-closed….. I got her all ready and we went downstairs so she could eat breakfast. She was a little too nervous to eat, but managed to get enough in her tummy to get her brain going. Of course, we had to take the annual picture out by the tree. We had been having a problem with our dog, Duke, all week with him getting out of the yard. But if we were in the yard with him, he would stay. Well, I was taking the picture of Alaina and he jumped the fence and took off. I was so mad! Alaina was upset and wanted to chase after him. I told her I would look for him when I got home from taking her to school. I got back and he still wasn’t home. He usually came home after about 15 minutes of running around. He never did come back and I have to confess that I was not heart-broken about it. I am an animal lover to the core, but this dog tried my patience like you can not imagine. So for the first time in years, I was without a dog. We lost our big German Shepherd named Trooper in May to an illness, but had Duke to fill in the gap. Well, after Duke took off, losing Trooper really hit. He was the best dog in the whole world. He would fly through the air to catch frisbees. When we first got him, he was the first shepherd in our village. Now there are seven because people loved Trooper so much and could see what good dogs shepherds are. Very loving and playful. And so smart! Anyway, it was a very lonely house for a while! Two weeks later a friend of mine called asking if I knew anything about Border Collies. I told her my grandparents had Border Collies when I was growing up and told her everything I knew about them. Then she told me her stepfather had one that he needed to find a new home for. I said OMG! You weren’t calling to see what I knew about them, you were calling to see if I’d like to have one lol!! It turns out her stepfather is a truckdriver and had Bo for five years and would take him on the road for weeks at a time. He got a new job and took Bo out on the road and when he got back his boss told him to not take Bo again. :-( How awful!!! So we now have Bo as a member of our family. And I have to say he is a great dog! He is such a sweetheart! And he likes to catch frisbees! Yay!!
Labor day weekend, Cincinnati always has a great fireworks display. Our family tradition is that we meet my mom and her boyfriend ( I hate calling him that when they are older!) at the Oktoberfest in Hamilton for the day on Sunday. Great food! I grew up in that German club where it takes place and it’s always so nice to see all the grownups be shocked that I have grown up. It’s so funny because I am 35 now and they think I should still be a teenager! In the evening we always go to my mom’s boyfriends’ getaway condo on the Ohio River so we can see the fireworks being set off in Cincinnati. Great view!!!! Bill had to work, so it was just Alaina and myself and we stayed over night at the condo. I could sit on the balcony and watch the boats go up and down the river all night. The next morning my mom came over to spend some time with us before we had to head home. She loaded the dishwasher and I started to leave. I turned around to see the dishwasher exploding! Bubbles everywhere!! She had accidentally put liquid dish soap in the dishwasher instead of the detergent. Let me tell you, ladies, don’t ever do that!! It looked like a scene off tv. What a mess, but too funny!
Alaina is thoroughly enjoying school. I met her teacher at Back To School night. She’s really nice. They are already having spelling tests and math tests. So far she’s getting A’s, so that’s good. The only trouble she gets into is for talking too much. I told her teacher that Alaina is the third generation to have that marked on her report card, so she gets it honest lol! What a tradition to have in the family! The bus situation was completely out of control. There are so many kids on the bus that they sit four to a seat. Alaina was the last kid in the seat one day and kept falling into the aisle. The driver kept yelling at her, but it wasn’t her fault. The driver is psycho. She told the kids that they had to line up by age (like they know everyone’s ages!) and stand beside the road until she drove away. She wasn’t even waiting to make sure the kids crossed the road safely! And she told all the parents that if we didn’t like it we could call the cops if we wanted, she didn’t care! Can you believe that?! Needless to say, all the parents were complaining. And I’ve been driving Alaina to school and picking her up every day. I didn’t work so hard to bring her into this world for some psycho to take her out of it! I think there is a new driver now, but the bus is still so crowded I don’t want her to ride it. If that changes, I may have her ride the bus. But at least I know that when I take her to school she gets there safely.
I’ve been working from home for about a month now and I like it. I’m busy, but it’s so nice to make my own schedule. It’s the perfect solution for me because I need to be available for Alaina in case she’s sick or school closes early. Bill can’t leave work too easily, so this way I can be available for her and still do something productive. And of course, I am already planning how I am going to spend my money lol! Bill would prefer that I make it before I spend it. I am working on it! Actually I am planning on saving it so we can take a cruise between Christmas and New Year’s. Since I was sick all summer and couldn’t take a vacation, this is going to be my reward. I am thinking of taking a Disney cruise. Have any of you done that? Do you have any advice or insights? I saw it on the Travel Channel and it looked so nice! I almost drooled at the tv. Ok, I admit it, I did drool at the tv!!
Alaina is going to be turning 7 years old on the 24th. I can’t believe it! I always get so melancholy this time of year. Being pg was the happiest time of my life. I just can’t believe she is growing up so fast. There are two things I would like to get her for her birthday. One is a bike. She really needs a new one. But then I think maybe I should wait until spring when she can ride it for months instead of now when it’s getting cooler and she won’t be able to ride it that much. What do you ladies think I should do about that? The other thing is I want to get her an American Girl Doll with the books and accessories. I was planning to get her one now and one for Christmas. But then I thought about how much it all costs. For the doll, books, and accessories it would cost about $200. And I don’t usually spend that much except at Christmas. She’s been waiting for about 4 years to get one of the dolls and I know she would just love it. I just don’t know that I should spend that much for her birthday. Again, what do you think I should do? We usually have a birthday party for her, but this year we are taking Alaina and her bf Meagan out to dinner and a movie and then Meagan is spending the night. It will be Alaina’s first sleepover. She is so excited! I usually spend about $100 on the party supplies. Since we’re not doing that this year, I kindof feel like we could spend the money on the doll. Bill says I can justify anything! I know I need to figure out what to do soon because her birthday is coming up next week. So answer soon ladies!!
I’ve also been sick for about a week and a half. At first I thought it was the flu because I was so achy and a little feverish. Plus the coughing and sinus problems. But then it dawned on me that for the first time in my adult life, I just had a severe cold! Whenever I get sick it immediately goes into a sinus infection or bronchitis, but not this time. I can’t help but think it’s because our house is healthier. I’ve been trying to avoid this my whole entry, but I can’t. I have been learning so much about toxins in our homes. It’s amazing what is in the cleaners and personal products that we don’t know about. I’ve become pretty passionate about this. I am not going to preach to anyone. But just like others who have found something they are passionate about and they talk about it, I can’t help but talk about this too. Since I took all the toxins out of my house we have been so much healthier. No constant sore throats or runny noses. No headaches. No rashes. I used to have to give Alaina Benadryl almost every night even when it wasn’t allergy season. I haven’t had to give her any since March. I am really looking forward to seeing how we fare this winter. I also threw away her shampoo because it had formaldehyde in it. It was under the name Quaternium. What a rude awakening! Anyway, I’m just glad it’s out of my house.
This week my Brownie Troop meetings are starting back up. Last year I had seven girls and this year I have twelve! Needless to say, the meetings aren’t at my house anymore! My kitchen is big, but I still don’t think I could handle 12 girls in my kitchen! We moved the meetings to another mom’s house. She has a room in the basement set aside just for the girls. That will be so nice so we don’t have to pack away everything and then set it up again for each meeting. I am really looking forward to this year. I am so lucky to have a great bunch of girls and parents.
Before I close this out, I have to tell you all a funny story of what happened when my friend called me about taking Bo. She told me his name is Bilbo. I said “What?”. And she said “Bilbo, like Bilbo Baggins from Lord of the Rings?”. I said “OH! Yes, of course I know who Bilbo Baggins is, but that’s not what it sounded like on the phone! (Replace the B’s with D’s for his first name and I SWEAR that’s what it sounded like!) She cracked up! I said “Oh, my gosh! I have to shorten his name! I can’t yell Bilbo out to the neighborhood and have everyone thinking I am saying D----!” And she said “You’d be the most popular person in the neighborhood lol!!!” I told her we would just call him Bo. I’d like to keep my good reputation with my neighbors hehe!!
Well, I left a lot of things out and it’s still the longest entry I have ever written! If you are still with me, I applaud you! I hope all is well with everyone and you are enjoying the coming fall weather. With all the rain we’ve had since spring, the fall colors should be spectacular!
Talk To Me:
1. Have any of you ever been on the Disney Cruise? Did you like it? Do you have any advice or insights?
2. Should I buy Alaina a bike or wait until spring.
3. If I don’t buy her a bike, should I buy her the doll? I’ve never had such a tough time deciding!
Take care,
Alicia
 |  |
|
want to keep a diary on iParenting?
Authoring a diary on the iParenting network allows you to chronicle your family's story, preserving it for years to come. It's also a great way to get the most out of the iParenting community. Click here to start...
|
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families. 
