Yes, I know it is in the DVR recording, but I am DYING to interrupt Sean & Collin's viewing of Friday Night Lights (the movie). It is 9:19pm afterall; Sean should be in bed but I am eavesdropping on the neatest conversations about football, bad parenting, etc. Don't they realize that American Idol is on right now?!&*%!
.........fingers crossed for David Cook! David Archeleta can take his lip gloss and go sing on a Disney cruise ship.

A Wicked Afternoon

Time spent getting there on a busy Sat. afternoon: 1hr.45min.
Cost of parking: $15
Random sandwich to share from hole-in-the-wall Hollywood Blvd. shop: $8
Program (that she hasn't gotten her nose out of): $20
Bottle of gold, I mean water: $4
Having your 10yo grab your hand in excited anticipation as the lights dim & the curtain rises: PRICELESS

I'm willing to bet good money that I'm the only woman in Irvine that cut the grass/ used the weed eater/ pruned the roses/ weeded the flowerbeds/ blew all the debris together for final clean-up. AND it's 85 degress outside.

Yes, yes, FLIP ME A FISH!

Just about everyone I know (seriously, I only know of two other people who do their own lawn) has a gardener. Of course, I did it b/c I'm having a scrapbooking workshop tonight and I wanted the yard cleaned up a bit, but you can still flip me a fish.

JOY'S Edition of TV Talk
So I was wrong.......Parv wasn't a dead woman walking. She walked away with the money. I'm sooooo disappointed, but still can't wait for GABON. I'm hopeless when it comes to Survivor.

Now, What about American Idol? GO DAVID COOK! It should be a tight race next week. I don't think David Archeleta is the AI powerhouse type that will be a hit; unless they put him on Radio Disney and make him their next merchandise machine. He has a nice voice, but I'm not digging his appeal. I would listen to David Cook any day of the week. He is not Chris Daughtry, but he is so talented in comparison to Archeleta. David Cook can find a nice niche and run with it. I can't wait to see what he does for the finale.

Shows officially deleted off of my DVR -- Lost and K-Ville. Gone; bye-bye. I could never get into K-Ville and Lost had me barely dangling on to be interested so I just made the grand decision to erase,erase.

Up next on the DVR list -- So You Think You Can Dance! 5/22 -- must watch.

Grey's Anatomy and House are finishing up. And for the red-neck girl hidden deep within my soul, Collin and I watch The Deadliest Catch. We each have our favorite captain and watching these guys battle the elements for amazing crab is riveting.

All hail the DVR! What's in your cue?

Happy Mother's Day to everyone out there; we just got back from our annual camping El Capitan Canyon weekend. It was FABULOUS, relaxing, and just plain fun. I have tons of pics, but that will have to wait b/c TO-DAY Miss Maggie is 10! My biggest girl.

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Sorry I don't have any pictures on my computer from her toddler years to show you b/c she was just absolutely squishy. She still has the most amazing light blue eyes; she still loves anything to do with dance & drama (sometimes she creates her own drama, lol). She is definitely going to give me gray hair, but she is working on it. Her bond with Ian remains strong and recently they have started spending bedtime together with her reading to him. It is just precious and I don't ever want that to change.

Right now she is playing the viola and doing really well. We want to have her start taking piano b/c she definitely has an ear for music. Dance recital is coming up and this year she is doing an acro/jazz number and a tap dance. And her first resident camping trip is this summer. She will be gone for four days. It will be weird for both of us and probably harder on me than her.

As time continues to roll on too quickly, I try to appreciate the small stuff like the fact that she stills wants to be tucked in at night. Happy Birthday to my loverly.

Princess Bride. Monty Python. Caddyshack. The Godfather. Austin Powers. What do they all have in common? Well, if you are a movie lover (and geek) like me the answer is simple. MOVIE QUOTES!! My main movie to quote these days is PeeWee's Big Adventure. You see, it was all the rage for my best friends in high school. Kat could do a mean Pee-Wee Herman imitation; I am laughing just typing this and thinking about it. We imitated the bar/dance scene at all of the dances; walked around chirping 'la, la, la' for no apparent reason; and repeated "Shhhh, I'm trying to use the phone" until everyone around wanted to smack us I'm sure. There are so many downright hilarious scenes --- like this and this. How can I pick a favorite?

Just like music, movies bring me back to certain times and places in my life. I LOVED Grease as a young girl and now as a Mom I'm having a hard time letting my kids watch it b/c of the constant sexual overtones. I remember my Mom taking us to see Blue Lagoon in the theatre and two old ladies chastising her about it (lol!). Oh how I wanted to be on Fame or in Flashdance. Then Dirty Dancing came along and I wanted to vacation there so I could sneak out just like Baby. (don't laugh b/c you know you wanted to too)

So what movie quotes are your favorite movie quotes that you occasionally toss about? any movie that bring you back to your childhood?

Now I gotta go rent PeeWee's Big Adventure.

Quote of the day:
Ian to his 3yo friend "My Mom is allergic to noise."
I love that little dude!

LAME! It's my new word of the week. Really, it applies to so many things......

ME -- I'm lame b/c half-way through CA Adventure yesterday morning I realized my skirt was on inside out. Patterned and cute, just looked a little more hippiness with the seams showing.
ME -- b/c I couldn't get my act together to get a cake in advance for my son's 1st Communion dinner with friends. So we had cake on Sunday.
ME -- b/c I forgot my credit card on the kitchen counter and had to beg Costco to keep my cart while I ran to get the card & Amanda from school; which made me LATE to get Ian.
ME -- b/c it took me forever and a day to get the dryer vent cleared out and now it works like a charm. GO FIGURE, queen of lameness, laundry goes much faster when you aren't doing a double dry cycle.

Enough about me, many other things are lame too.........
Bad drivers = LAME -- thou shalt not honk at me when I am trying to turn left and there is traffic. I don't care if you are trying to turn right and squuuueeeeeze by my monster Burb. Get off your cell phone and wait your turn! And DO NOT honk at me. I was quite happy with myself when I turned and hollered "Dude, chill!" instead of showing him how beautiful my middle finger is.
Bad baseball parents = LAME -- if you are going to beam your kid in the batting cages during batting practice (on purpose) know that I WILL tell the people in charge. You are a psycho parent and are deserving of the King of Lame Crown.
Gas companies = LAME -- I get that they want to make a profit and all that other stuff but WHY is there such a varied price with the actual cost of a gallon of gasoline; even within the same company? Why is it that a gallon of gas costs $3.95 right off the interstate in the middle of nowhere/$3.50 in the middle of AZ/ $3.80 at the store on the corner/ $3.70 10 miles down the road. Answer: b/c they are LAME. Profit is one thing but selfish is another.
Stupid rules = LAME -- ex: the rule that the kids cannot be on ANY of the school equipment after school. Period. Not even to have a shady place to sit while waiting for your older sibling to get out (with your parent standing right there). They have to wait in the grass or sit at the picnic tables in the hot sun. Lame.

I promise -- I really try not to be grumpy. I'm just pointing out assorted lameness b/c if I didn't I would really go crazy. You really have to laugh at the insanity around you.

So the other day I was saying how scrapbooking is good for your soul. It still is. But so is shopping.

I like to shop but I wouldn't say I'm a shop-a-holic or an over-spender. I don't pay full price and I'm pretty practical overall. I mostly shop for the kids (of course) and like most Moms out there I hardly ever buy for myself (unless you are talking about a random apparel grab at Costco). With Sean's 1st Communion coming up this weekend, I decided to get myself something. Well, truth be told, I had to return a sundress that I had gotten when I took him to get his outfit on Sat. So I was really going to use the return credit to get something else. (details, details)

I started with this skirt and then I saw another one; so I got two. Then I came across this top to match the 2nd skirt. Then I saw these fun pants; not for this weekend, but I need some new bottoms. And these bermudas dress down the yellow top so of course I had to get them (the outfit looked great on the mannequin). And then I saw this dress; it's a bit of a stretch for me b/c I'm not that fashionable, but it's fun and different. Oh look, a cami tank for $4.99; I'll take one of those. And wow, basic shirts for $6.99....ah, junior section; so what, I'll just get a large.

I grabbed a couple of pieces of random chunky jewelry (yeah, 80% off) and headed to the register.............total time 40 minutes! But I didn't have time for cute shoes, bummer!

I headed off with my new duds and one of those "here sucker, come back next week for $30 off" coupons. B/c THEY NOW I'll spend more than $30. Just like the sundress that started it all.

Let's play a game -- WHAT'S THAT SMELL????????? It's not the dog, it's not coming from the bathroom, it's not something I have burned in the oven. It's coming from my kitchen cabinets! Yes - my new, beautiful kitchen.

I first noticed a weird smell in the tupperware cupboard. I searched and searched to see if one of the kids had put a dirty bowl in there or if by some weird chance (I have a 4yo, remember) someone put a damp rag in there. The smell is a musty one that I can't put my finger on. Now, the smell is under the sink too. The problem is that I can't really smell it there b/c Zicam has ruined my sense of smell. I can't smell much of anything so the fact that I'm detecting anything must mean it is really gross. So, I'm thinking it a water/drainage issue b/c the lines for the dishwasher run along the back of the tupperware cupboard. If not, is there some critter back in there dead between the outer wall and the cupboard? Is there a leak that I can't see (I hope not!)?

Who do I call? Do I shoot for a leak detection company? Do I call the handyman who installed the pipes & drain lines? Do I call a company that seeks out dead vermin? HELP!

There is something about spending some time scrapbooking that is so therapeutic. It is good for your soul. It just is.

I spent some time at my workshop on Friday evening assembling a small paper album for Maggie's 10th bday and I did lay-outs for nine pages in Sean's album. Then on Saturday after baseball, I proceeded to organize more photos for the next round of pages for all the kids; ordered some photos for Maggie's bday album; ordered some photos to update the school albums; and looked at many, many albums with the kids. While dh watched I Am Legend on Sat. night (great movie to scrapbook with b/c I could look away during the scary parts & not feel like a complete dork), I completed the nine pages I had jumpstarted for Sean. When I told him that I worked on his album, he responded with "cool, thanks - can I see?" Treasuring their stories is why I do this and they truly love their albums. I couldn't pick something better to be passionate about.

The main question I get about scrapbooking is 'when do you have time?' Well, I don't have time. I make time. On Saturday, I had five baskets of laundry to fold. I always have laundry to fold or some random chore to do. Knowing that I could (& would) do the laundry on Sunday, I focused on my photos.

I have to focus on the positive, right? B/c if I focus on the fact that I'm up to summer 2005 in my scrapbooking I might die.

Let's talk Survivor why don't we. HOLY COW what a great season it is. The weather is pretty nasty; the beaches were incredibly different (poor pathetic fans); the personalities crack me up and the challenges have been pretty cool.

I will admit that our whole family watches. It's not your typical family show but we just love it and overall it's pretty harmless. Everyone has their own favorite(s) and it's all drama all the time. Maggie mostly goes for the girls (and the occasional cute boy); Sean immediately gloms onto the strong boys. Who would have guessed?

Now, last night we laughed out loud numerous times. First of all, Cerie being sent to Exile was perfect. What was she going to do --- go there and talk about people to herself? Ha! Go sit in the rain and sulk you non-swimming non-competitor. Then, Eric gets the 'deer-in-the-headlights' look around all the topless natives. I, mean seriously, grandma boobs, DUDE......eeeewwww! Poor sweet naive little boy couldn't handle the native beer & betal nuts. Come on, THAT was funny. Moving on to James waking the LAZY campers with his branch whacking and ax sharpening..........I would have thrown a coconut shell at Parverti for even looking at me sideways much less telling me to be quiet. Get up you lazy bums and tend your own flippin' fire. Now, the immunity challenge -- yikes! I would have lasted two minutes before I was whining about my arm being numb; b/c I'm wimpy like that. James spilling his water required a rewind it was so funny. And Jason is STUPID enough to cave after six hrs.; what on earth? And are they in 4th grade with all the crossed finger promises. Hilarious, just hilarious. Dude; I'll tell you whatever you want if you just hand over the chocolate & peanut butter. And finally, Ozzy. ::::shaking my head::::: I'm so disappointed b/c I really, really like him but I thought he was smarter than that. Cockiness did get in his way afterall. Eliza's bug-eyed surprise was the final laugh of the night. Parv is a dead woman walking.

Enough trash talk for this week.

I love my kitchen! I can't believe I lived for so long with 1/2 functioning electric burners/a stove hood that didn't fit and was FUGLY/drawers that were falling off the runners.

Here's a little before and after: we had already pulled out the cabinets over the peninsula and the circa 1970 light panels.........

to this.......
Voila!

Time for gardening again. Imagine my surprise when I went back to look up my post from last year about my annual gardening fest and it was exactly one year ago.

So I am officially done with planting now. The weather has been perfect spring weather and I've been trying to get outside whenever I can. (my deepest sympathy to all you snow bunnies out there) It's my little escape from the daily routine of insanity.

This years total: 1 pack of cilantro seeds; one beefsteak tomato plant (salsa anyone?); a 12pk. of marigolds; a 12pk. of Ajuga; a 6pk. of Voila; 1 gal. Scilla Peruviana (a pretty petite lavendar flower); and 3 1-gal. Cyclamen. I have mostly shaded areas with a few full sun spots. I'm hoping the marigolds will ward off the snails that like to eat my gerber daisies. I heard snail pellets are poisonous for dogs; and my silly dog likes to eat snails too.

Now, could someone please tell me what that orange plant is that is pictured above. It blooms like little cherry balls and then blossoms into these beautiful orange bursts.

In addition to the assorted pictures I owe you, I have also included Sean's bday surprise to meet NO Saints player, Reggie Bush; Amanda lost her two front teeth; and Ian has decided to be training-wheel free.

Enjoy......................

Good Times of winter/spring 2008

Label me the laundry princess! As my dear friend Amy would say, "well flip me a fish". That big empty space you see on the bed was piled HIGH with laundry and there you have it all folded. I have since added two more loads to the piles.

I'm sure I would earn the label laundry Queen if I actually accomplished putting it all away. Ha, one can wish.

Holy guacamole...........has it really been two weeks since I posted and hardly any at all in March. Well let me grab my calendar so I can give you a thorough update. My Mom brain smooshes all the days together and I can't remember what happens when.

Well, let's rewind back to Sean's 8th bday (2/22). The Cadillac arrived safe and sound. The kids were beyond THRILLED to get a ride home from school in it. The 6th grade boys were drooling and wondering if they could touch it, lol. Everywhere the Cadillac goes it draws a ton of attention. The funniest comment so far... "that's a pimpin' ride". I'm not sure Gpa Z. would even know what that meant. Sean chose Disneyland for his b-day; so we spent a great day there and I'm proud to announce that Maggie is now no longer character phobic!!!!!!

We moved through Girl Scout cookie season; had Opening Day for baseball; and Maggie and I finished up with the play, The Promised Land. We were both sick for the closing show, but nevertheless enjoyed every minute. We are taking a theater break and looking forward to the Sound of Music this summer.

On Monday, 3/17/08, I had a little party here for Ian's bday. It was his first 'party' and he loved every minute. It was the perfect party ---- 10am-1pm; 7 kids total; bouncy house; sticker craft; pinata; snacks & cake. I kept it all outside and by 1:30pm there was no evidence that a party ever occurred except for the bouncy in the driveway. Ian had a blast; the big kids bounced for hours afterschool and it was all good. Even better for me -- as of this day the play was over; GS cookies were done; and Ian's party was behind me. ahhhhhh.................don't get me wrong, we are still waaaaay busy with baseball (Sean & Amanda are both playing, seperate teams/practices/game locations); dance classes; and religion classes. Sean is prepping for his First Communion this April.

My friend Sandee and her kids came for the Easter weekend. We had a great time. Collin took her son and Sean fishing on Sat. AM and they only caught one spotted bass. Oh well, such is the adventure of fishing. Sean was so distracted by his extra fans that he didn't get on base once during his Sat. afternoon game; he was sooooo sad and frustrated. Of course, this past Tues. he went 3 for 3 again, lol. He is currently batting around 700. Amanda's game was too cute for words and we laughed at the little ones running in all directions and chasing the ball.

My nasty cold wound up being a killer sinus infection; I'm almost over it. I finally got the last touch done needed to complete the kitchen. I got the grout steam cleaned and we are in the process of sealing it all. (blech!) The kitchen is officially done. I've been a planting fool but that is another post in itself. On Tuesday, I got my hair chopped off (and I love it); Amanda sprained her wrist on Wed. sliding down the inside of the banister. Tonight is the Talent Show at school. Maggie and two friends are dancing to the new version of The Tiki Room. They choreographed it; it's pretty cute. Collin would rather have nails pounded under his fingernails but he is going to watch the talent show tonight; Maggie's act is in the late 2nd Act so his wait will be a painful one.

Blogger isn't letting me updates pics. right now so I'll try to get a slideshow together of all these adventures. Next week is conference week at school - oh yeah.

The boy crashes.

This week, this is exactly how I have felt. Between the STOOO-PID time change and a nasty cold/flu that has hit our house, the bed keeps calling my name. Sleep is good; waking up at 8am when kids need to be at school in 25min. isn't. The tardy sign-in excuse officially read: "Mom is sick/she overslept". Naps are good; waking up from them and discovering that your 8yo got out of school 30min. ago isn't good.

I don't get sick often, so when wishing illness away doesn't work and the germs take over I crumble. And when the germs take over two of your four children along with you it just gets uglier. I'm not the best sympathetic Mom when my kids are sick, but the poor things don't stand a chance if I'm sick right along with them. The best I can muster is "here come lay down with me" or "last call for lunch, I'm going to lay down".

This is my LOVE Thursday. I love this amazing lady in the photo.

My beautiful friend is doing a beautiful thing......she is helping Shave the Way to Conquer Kids' Cancer.

Read below and please help her support this amazing cause.

"I'm shaving my head. Yes, you read that right. I'm going under the clippers during a St. Baldrick's Foundation event to raise funds for childhood cancer research. Since it's inception in 2000, St. Baldrick's has raised more than $34 million and grown into the world's largest fundraising event for childhood cancer.

While battling cancer children not only lose their hair, but years of their childhood, and sometimes their lives. In comparision to their struggle, shaving my head is a small sacrifice, and the money raised with make a difference for children with cancer now and in the future.

No amount is too big or too small. To donate online, visit www.stbalricks.org and click on 'donate' and search for me by filling in my first and last name (Sandee Skversky) under 'Find a Participant'. Then click on my name to complete the transaction. You can also donate over the phone by calling 888-899-BALD."

Spread the love; everyone can donate something small --- sacrifice your lastest Starbucks or your next trip to a fast food restaurant. Let's work together to help my dear friend meet her goal of $2500.

My friend Lisa posted this on a Mommy board that I read. It's like a little music lesson wrapped up in comedy. I think it's awesome.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdxkVQy7QLM



What isn't so awesome --- when your son delves into his parents' red-neck roots and decides to poop in the grass at the park. Yep, you read that correctly. And he wasn't playing doggy either. He dropped his britches right within eyeshot and I couldn't believe my eyes. He was proud of his offering; I wasn't so proud of being his Mom at that moment. If you think picking up dog poop is gross, try picking up almost 4yo park poop. Add that one to your 'ya might be a redneck' list of jokes.