She is ten. OMG she is ten.

     I have so many ideas of things that I want to share with everyone.  Like my trip to Vegas where we watched an Ed Sheeran concert from the 10th row, went to Gordon Ramsey's BURGER, ate free hotdogs at our awesome hotel located in center strip, went on a giant ferris wheel of drinking, posed with some wax figures, stayed in a luxury suite on the top floor of the Luxor, won enough money to cover all of our gambling, meals, and parking at the airport, drank a lot (but not to excess), spent $65 on socks, and spent our layovers on the way home in the exclusive Admirals Club.  I want to share these experiences because for 4 glorious days we were free to do grown up things in the the city known for being a playground for Grownups.  But that is not my life.  That was my magical vacation.

    So just a quick side note before I get to the point. I now have a ten year old.  TEN years old.  And she has an attitude.  A nasty one.  But I'm not entirely sure if that comes from the age, the grade (5th grade, what!), or the fact that she pretty much runs our neighborhood gang of kids with an iron fist (or a sweet little Gwiny face that convince the kids to do her bidding). But happy birthday to my sweet little face (9 days late) and remember if you won't be a good girl, "I will destroy you."   

  Okay, I started this blog with my sweet sweet vacation and I would like to give a contrast that describes a day in the life of my family. 

6:00 alarm goes off and I reset it for an hour later.
7:00 alarm goes off and I reset it for 10 minutes later. 
7:10 alarm goes off and I drag myself reluctantly out of bed, finding that surprisingly my husband and I are the only ones in there.  Weird. 
7:15 all the girls are out of bed, but no one can find clothes. 
7:25 my husband needs some tylenol so I try to find that in addition to the clothes but can only find tylenol PM.
7:35 I have helped the girls all find clothes but they don't like them, and I find one lone advil. I yell at all of them and go make lunches.
7:45 The girls are all dressed, but Gwiny can only find one size 2 shoe and one size 4 shoe and Izzy is missing with the other two shoes.  We have to leave for the bus in 5 minutes. 
By 7:52 I have found Izzy, the girls have traded 1 shoe so they are all in shoes, they have on coats and gloves and I realize that I haven't given them breakfast so I pour some crackers in their hands and make them eat them on the way to the bus stop.  
While the rest of the day wasn't nearly as exciting as the morning, I followed quickly by making myself coffee (this could be why I snapped earlier, I hadn't had any coffee), theraflu for the husband, and milk for the Emma.  I made grilled cheese for lunch, mailed some of my etsy store orders, picked up the pre-ordered Disney Infinity 2.0, folded clothes, watched Captain America with Emma (she decided the movie was interactive and we had to use our finger guns to shoot the bad guys every time they came on the screen), got the girls from the bus stop, took Isabel for a checkup at the doctor,  made bacon for dinner, folded more clothes, forced my children to bathe, made the kids lunches and set out their clothes for tomorrow so I don't make that mistake again, and now I am writing this blog.  After I put the girls to bed, I will attempt to do some dishes and read the bible.  Yes I am reading the bible.  For the first time ever, from cover to cover.  And taking notes.  I'm only on Exodus and I started it last week, so I am going at a rate that would make my grad professors cringe.  But I thought that was noteworthy. 

Anyway, my vacation was wonderful and magical and child free.  My life with my family is also wonderful and magical and full of children. Parenting is hard and I am almost always sure that whatever I am doing is probably the wrong thing.  I beat myself up daily for not having a tidier home, or making my daughters eat healthier, or letting them watch to much/the wrong kinds of things on TV.  But I think that that is the curse of a mother or maybe its just Genesis getting to me. 

The Farmers Market and Other Saturday Things

     We had a rather weird day today. It all started when RJ and I woke up at 6:45.  Yeah, 6:45 on a Saturday morning, while the kids were still sleeping, and continued to sleep for another hour and a half.  With our early to rise bit we decided to get everyone ready, after the appropriate amount of coffee of course, and head down to the farmers market.

    It was glorious, glorious I tell you.  I know I have a bit of hippy hiding inside, I mean I'm no birthing a baby at a birth cottage or anything like my best friend but it's there.  And my hippy was so happy when I saw fresh fruits and veggies, freshly baked artisan breads, home made soaps from goats milk and meat in coolers marked as special grass fed beef from such and such farms.  We sampled Maple flavored orange sodas, maple rum, and elderberry rum.  We purchased blueberries and tamales. We saw a special street performing act where the performers juggled things on fire, rode a unicycle, and wore unitards.

   Then we decided to walk around town.  We found two small book shops one of them had a book on display called " You Just Don't Duct Tape A Baby."  We met a turtle named Nemus and walked over a wrought iron bridge. When it was over, I ate my tamale and life was good.

   Later in the day the girls went out to play with some friends.  They came back to ask for a ziplock bag to catch some tadpoles. I thought that was weird but gave it to them anyway and we continued on our merry way.  Isabel came back to wash her hands and I asked how the tadpole hunt went.  She replied, " We didn't catch any. I picked them up, but they were leeches."  Commence the parental flipping out. " Let us see your hands! Did they bite you?"   " No, they didn't bite me, I got them off really fast.  But they were leeches. Also there was a lobster. And we killed it. But it had a red body and pinchy claws."   We did the only thing we could do after the hand inspection. "Show us the leeches."  Guess what!  They weren't leeches.  Guess what! It wasn't a lobster, it was a crawdad. Guess what!  Our kids stoned it to death. Thats right.  They admitted it.

" Well we were watching it go down this ditch, and then we got board of watching it so we threw rocks at it."

 And then we taught the girls a lesson I would never have thought I would ever have to teach someone.

"JUST BECAUSE YOU GET TIRED OF LOOKING AT SOMETHING DOESN'T MEAN YOU CAN KILL IT!"

  And that sums up our Saturday.  A day of fire juggling, rum sampling, turtle meeting, tamale eating, life lessons.  Today was good.

The Creepy House

   I apologize yet again for a lack of pictures.  I really wish I would have taken one for this blog entry, yet I did not.  So you will just have to get in the right mood and summon your recollections of your favorite creepy house from any given horror movie. Me, I picture the house in Woman in Black or that one where Johnny Depp is writing a novel in an old white house. 

Backstory:

   So we are having issues with our apartment. One issue after another. We have moved from one apartment within the complex to another because it was so unclean RJ was having allergy attacks, and there were bugs.  We couldn't get the dog hair out, because it was stuck in the cracks in the linoleum. And it smelled like sewer. Seriously. 
   Now we are in the new apartment.  First sad story, our bed wouldn't fit up the stairs.  So we have a cool downstairs loft like thing going on where our bed is the first thing you see when you open the door, oh, it's actually not that cool.  But hey, I can adapt. 
   Our full bath is upstairs and our shower isn't hot. I mean, Florida people, turn on your cold water, and that is how hot my shower gets.  Unless you flush the toilet and then it gets warm, and sometimes a flush will make it so hot it scalds you.  Like I have said before, it is like playing shower Russian Roulette. And also someone has to be in the bathroom with you flushing the toilet.  I guess thats why I had three daughters with no regard for personal space.  I have complained, and no one has done anything about it.  

But then.... dun dun duuuuunnnnn.  

   It started leaking from the ceiling directly under the bathtub.  So in my weird living room that houses my bed it is raining, drywall tape is coming down, spackle is coming down and water is driving it all. A plumber came out, cut the ceiling open, and tried to fix it.  Then he came out and tried to fix it again. And last night, I filled up the tub with 2 pots of boiled water that I trudged up the stairs and then RJ yelled up to me that it was raining down from the ceiling again.  So thats fun. 
   Oh and there is mold.  Lets not forget about the mold.  Anywho, we don't want to live here anymore. So we are looking at houses.  Rj found one that he liked.  It was cheap enough to do some renovations on so last night we drove out to see it.  We didn't meet a realtor, we just went to go look at it.  We get there and it is creepy.

Okay, get that horror story house in your mind. 

   It is white, about a hundred years old, it has peeling paint, and old white window treatments on the inside so that you can't really see in unless you go up to the window.  We are sitting in the car, Izzy and Emma are asleep, and the house is obviously vacant.  I contemplate going to look in the windows, but I am afraid that I am going to look in there and there will be an old rotten lady body sitting in a rocking chair.  And then she will open her eyes and say a curse and I will freak out and have nightmares every night for the rest of my life, that is if I don't die of a heart attack from the creepiness of it all.  But I guess I wasn't that worried because I got out of the car, opened the creaky patio door and looked in!  And there it was. A house with beautiful wood floors, really ugly floral wallpaper and a piano.  I let Gwin come look, we looked around, and then got back in the car.  I told Rj it was his turn to go look while I sat with the kids. 

 He asked "Should I?" 

 I said "There is no one in there, just go peek." 

Gwin added "Unless you count the dead person in the closet." 

So I guess it wasn't just me that thought this house was super creepy.  I thought about waving to the house ghost as we left but, humm. Better not. 

Return of the Blog

   It has been far too long my friends.  I wish I could give you a flashback summer blog, but really it's just not going to happen.  No one wants to " Know What I Did Last Summer." 
   I have been considering a return of the blog ( Please sing this to 1997s 'Return of the Mack') but just didn't have a good story.  Until today! Friday the 13th!  Dun Dun DUUUUUNNNN. 
   Today was Gwiny's first field trip in 2 years.  So RJ took her on a field trip to see an IMAX movie.  Isabel was so jealous that Gwin was not only getting a field trip, but got to spend extra time with their dad, AND got to come home from school early.  So RJ and I agreed that he would pick Isabel up from school on their way home so that she got to do something special too.  
   RJs plans fell through and he was unable to pick Isabel up after the movie. So the girls and I ran to the school, picked her up early and RJ went back to work.  I decided the girls and I would drive around a bit looking for boxes.  We hit a box jackpot behind the Family Dollar!!  I go to put the car in park I get a fun surprise; the car switches to reverse but won't go to park.  Luckily I was able to reverse the car into a field behind a store.  Where I try the ever popular " Try turning off and then back on."  Well, it didn't go back on.  Not like I was going to try to drive home in reverse anyway. 

  *** Fun fact:  While we were sitting in the car trying to figure out what to do.  Someone came and took the boxes. 

   After AAA tow truck came, and we got all of that sorted, it was time to take a walk.  A 6 mile walk, with 3 kids. And no stroller. And no sidewalk, on a busy street. And all of my friends out of town. And my husband in a meeting.  But I had a camera and a couple kids that weren't too grumpy.  So we played Photo Scavenger hunt and this is how it went down.  

   10 steps in, " Lets pick flowers."  

   100 steps in, " Lets pick berries."  

   1/2 a mile in, " OMG, Its Friday the 13th and here is a Freddie Krueger shirt! And a diaper." 

   1 mile, " We are getting tired, but at least the weather is nice."

   1 1/2 miles, " I've gotta go potty in the woods." 

   1 3/4 miles:  " I dropped my toy, can we go back?"

   2 miles, " Let's carry some rocks." 

   2 1/4 miles, " Izzy, stop poking that dead bird with a stick!"



   2 1/2 miles - A very nice lady offers us a ride home.  Which I accept.  And yes, I do realize that its not the best idea to take rides from strangers, but she seemed harmless and I am overly trusting.  

   And we made it home!!! No one ran Isabel over as I constantly screamed " Stay away from the road Izzy!" and maybe once hit her with my purse as she veered into the traffic.  Emma didn't cry at all.  And only once did she make a complete stop because she felt the need to stretch.  And Gwin kept saying " I am looking at the bright side.  We got ice cream at McDonalds and it is a beautiful day outside." 

I love my crazy kids.

 

  

Disney Pictures!

 Here are some of our Disney Pictures, all in no particular order.

Flower and Garden Festival, Silvermist Topiary. 

Just Chillin' with Snow White and the 7 dwarves. 

I've always wanted to visit Oz! 

Darth Vader Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcake.  

Sci-Fi Drive in for Dinner!  We got to eat in a car table! 

Jedi Micky and Leia Minnie

My attempt to take a picture of all 5 of us on the Magic Carpet Ride.  I might have missed a few.

I think she fits right in.  - Cinderella's Castle 

Rockin' the mouse ears.

Had to get the mickey ice cream sandwich. 

This is a sorcerer game where you take cards to find the magic portals that give you clues to defeat Disney Villains.  Its like a scavenger hunt in Magic Kingdom.  I think this was their favorite thing in Magic Kingdom.

They are of to find the next clue, who cares where mom and dad are.

Things overheard at Disney

   I fully intend to do a super blog about our family trip to Disney.  However, I can not find my SD card adapter so that will have to wait.    So I am going to make this first Disney blog about the top 10 things that were said by or to Miller family members during our three days at Disney.  

1)  " Neeigh"  As Gwiny got to act out the part of Phillipe in the Beauty and the Beast Story Time.

2)  " I am so hot mommy, I'm sweaty. I am sweating like a cheetah."  Izzy at Epcot

3)  " I wanna build a Droid, lets go build a droid.  Lets Go, Lets Go!"   Gwiny at Star Wars Weekend.

4)  " I LOVE THIS!  Let's do it again."  Emma on The Little Mermaid ride

5)  Random friend I made in line "  It's so sad no one wants to stand in line to get the autograph of the clone wars actors, maybe they should tell people they get a free pin or something if they get the autographs."  RJ:  " But then they don't get one."  Me, in my best Admiral Ackbar " It's a Trap!"  

6) " Its like I was swimming, I was just holding my breath and kicking my legs."  Emma on how it felt to fall into the swimming pool. 

7) " I bet you are looking at me like, why does everyone care about this old guy?"   Jeremy Bolloch ( the actor that played Boba Fett) to Izzy. 

8)  " I want the storm troopers and Darth Vader to win the dance off, Go bad guys."  Gwiny

9)  " Tiff, Geez you could have your choice of any of these nerds if I wasn't here."  RJ after the 10th guy stopped me while I was walking to tell me how awesome my shirt was. 

10)  " I don't want to leave Disney, I love disney, I want to be back at Disney.  Oh, I am so tired, I need to go to sleep."  Gwiny 

Cell Pics

   As it has been a long time sense I updated on what my little family is up to I would like to share these cell pics and a little about the lighter side of life.

Gwiny:

She is getting ready to take her first important standardized test.  This probably stresses me far more than it does her.

She loves loves loves riding her bike.  She wants to ride it up and down the road all day every day and told me she wants to run away because I wont let her ride her bike where I can't see her. Turns out she wants to ride her bike around the block until dinner time and then come home.  So I guess that doesn't count as running away.

Izzy:

   She is as always, a challenge.  She just memorized all 64 of her kindergarten site words in 6 days!

Here she is with her awesome reader shirt and hat she got for knowing all of them.

   But she does fun stuff like in this picture.  Taken while she was playing in the car while Gwiny was riding her bike.  Izzy does not have a bike yet, but she is saving for a monster high bike she saw at Walmart.

Izzy hates driving.

Emma:

  Emma has turned 3!!

  She also really likes wearing swimming suits, even in winter, even at friends houses.

I don't know how to turn this, But its super cute and her hair looks really long.

She also likes riding her bike, but she doesn't really know how/the tires are flat and we can't find a tube small enough to fit the tiny tires. So I push her around until my back starts to hurt. And then we play chalk or playdough with Izzy.

And thats whats up with us.  Also I have a video of Emma wearing Giant sunglasses, headphones, and a purse singing the phrase " I've got 20 dollars in my pocket " over and over.