I was going to start off my blog with a snippet from Wikipedia about squirrels. However, there's a lot more information about squirrels there than I anticipated. For instance, I knew about grey squirrels, naturally, and black squirrels.
I've seen only one black squirrel in all of my town since I've been here; approx. 20 years. I used to see them frequently in the neighboring county where I grew up.
There are also albino squirrels with pink eyes. Pretty freaky looking, if you ask me. Apparently, there are also white non-albino squirrels which are not as white as their albino cousins, as well as red squirrels in England.
Squirrels like to chew on things to hone their ever-growing teeth. I guess that explains why they chewed holes in my plastic trash can lid. Aside from the obvious reason of getting at what's inside said trash can.
They are members of the rodent family which I feel makes them no better than their rat cousins. Even if they are cuter and their tails are fluffier. There is one picture on Wikipedia of a squirrel in Washington, DC that's the fattest squirrel I've ever seen. I guess not only people can benefit from the largess of the Nation's Capitol.
When I was about twelve, a squirrel started hanging around my grandparents yard. We stupidly started feeding it. The squirrel's favorite snack was not - surprise - nuts but dog treats. Specifically, "People Treats." I don't know if they still make these as a couple decades have passed since I was 12 but they were brightly colored dog treats in the shape of people such as mail men. Hence the name People Treats. The squirrel became very brazen and would climb up on the trash can and knock on the kitchen window for treats and attention. We stopped feeding it when it climbed up my arm. I guess it mistook my twig-like arm for a tree branch.
Earlier this year, we began having a problem with squirrels in our trash. Seeing as how we'd lost several lids on windy days, this was a real problem. However, it became a larger problem when they chewed a hole in the top of the only lidded can we had so they could get in the trash. I had know idea squirrels were such scavengers. Raccoons, yes. Squirrels, no.
We discovered that the squirrels had built a nest in the partially-finished ceiling of our carport. DH had a friend come and help him take the ceiling to discover a squirrel city condo going on up there. I'd like to say that that got rid of our squirrel problem but there were about 5-6 having a pow-wow in our yard today. Maybe it was the first day of summer camp.
My son received a bird feeder for Christmas from my uncle. It was a craft at some sort of event that involved wood, nails, glue and a humongous glass mason jar. It was very cute and recently we decided to hang it up in a tree for the birds, knowing that it would have been more useful in winter when food is scarce. I knew the squirrels would probably eat most of the food anyhow so whatever.
After two days, the *(^!#!%^^ squirrels had ripped the thing apart. The bottom half, including glass jar, was lying upended on the ground with seed scattered. The roof remained hanging uselessly in the tree. How sad a picture that made. I picked up the jar and put it on the table to try and repair it later on. After dinner we noticed several squirrels sitting on the table eating the seed. The kids thought it was cute but all I could think of was that squirrel butts were sitting where we put our food.
The next morning I opened the blinds and discovered that the squirrels must have gotten mad when the seed was gone. There was glass *everywhere*! Stupid @##%^Q!#! squirrels. I was disappointed at the loss of the feeder for my son's sake but now there was broken glass all over the patio. I've cleaned it up but am leary about broken shards remaining and getting stuck in little toes and feet. Hence, I insist the kids wear their shoes at all times when outside. They get aggravated when they're swimming in the wading pool but I figure some grumbling is better than trying to fish glass out of raw flesh.
To the squirrels -- thanks a lot. NOT! This is an open invitation to find a new place to play.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Friday, June 6, 2008
Summer Vacation Part II
So, we survived the first week. Tried to stay somewhat on schedule.
Highlights are the freakish storm Wednesday. Downed trees and limbs everywhere. Thursday the power went out around 1-ish after our trip to the library. P's mother picked her up early so I took the little girls to my dad's for the night.
So nice not to be care-taking two toddlers. I've really enjoyed my time with my older two. We ran some errands, picked up by 2 week old nephew for a visit while his mom rested, enjoyed pizza lunch and Rita's.
Tonight I'm meeting to help plan a World Walk for Breastfeeding Celebration planned for August 3 I believe at the Sykesville Fire Station. On a breastfeeding note, I'm sick of pumping. I can see now how much milk C is still drinking from me which is a lot more than the other two did at this stage. It's okay in general but when she's away for any length of time, I need to pump. And then what to do with the pumped milk? It's not like I need to stockpile any longer. I think I'll give it to her at meal times. There's over 23 ounces and I'm not just throwing it out!
They'll be back this evening. I sure do miss them especially after spending time with Baby D. Almost makes me want another.
Almost...
Highlights are the freakish storm Wednesday. Downed trees and limbs everywhere. Thursday the power went out around 1-ish after our trip to the library. P's mother picked her up early so I took the little girls to my dad's for the night.
So nice not to be care-taking two toddlers. I've really enjoyed my time with my older two. We ran some errands, picked up by 2 week old nephew for a visit while his mom rested, enjoyed pizza lunch and Rita's.
Tonight I'm meeting to help plan a World Walk for Breastfeeding Celebration planned for August 3 I believe at the Sykesville Fire Station. On a breastfeeding note, I'm sick of pumping. I can see now how much milk C is still drinking from me which is a lot more than the other two did at this stage. It's okay in general but when she's away for any length of time, I need to pump. And then what to do with the pumped milk? It's not like I need to stockpile any longer. I think I'll give it to her at meal times. There's over 23 ounces and I'm not just throwing it out!
They'll be back this evening. I sure do miss them especially after spending time with Baby D. Almost makes me want another.
Almost...
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
Summer Vacation Part 1
So far so good. We have a loose schedule so we're having fun and getting things done here and there.
P is her for this week and next so that is nice. I'll miss her when she's gone but without any babysitting this summer, we'll have the freedom to pick up and go at will. I will miss having a paycheck, though.
Funny things kids say: Mia's been talking about "Handsome" and Gretel today!
Matthew had his first official ortho appointment yesterday. They took molds and pictures of his teeth. We go back on the 24th, I think, to discuss the treatment options based on what comes back with his molds and pictures.
Our house is finally back in order. I'm working on putting away the last box of desk stuff. We still have things under the house that need to be sorted through and put away again. That's mostly just reorganization of stuff that should have already been done.
Supposed to have DN on Friday to give them a break since mom is ailing. Looking forward to that but sad that they're having such a rough road right now. Sending prayers that everyone is up to par soon!
P is her for this week and next so that is nice. I'll miss her when she's gone but without any babysitting this summer, we'll have the freedom to pick up and go at will. I will miss having a paycheck, though.
Funny things kids say: Mia's been talking about "Handsome" and Gretel today!
Matthew had his first official ortho appointment yesterday. They took molds and pictures of his teeth. We go back on the 24th, I think, to discuss the treatment options based on what comes back with his molds and pictures.
Our house is finally back in order. I'm working on putting away the last box of desk stuff. We still have things under the house that need to be sorted through and put away again. That's mostly just reorganization of stuff that should have already been done.
Supposed to have DN on Friday to give them a break since mom is ailing. Looking forward to that but sad that they're having such a rough road right now. Sending prayers that everyone is up to par soon!
Friday, May 30, 2008
Last Day of School!
Well, that ubiquitous time has come again. The last day of school. It seems so far away and abstract in the middle of August when school begins for my biggies. Then we get through the winter holidays. Then the spring holidays. Then all of a sudden, we're putting end of the year activities on our calendar such as the annual Strawberry Festival, Adventure Club Investiture, Piano Recital, Fun Day which consisted of a zoo trip this year.
The end of the year always seems to come so fast for me as a mom. Although, I do recall as a child that those last few weeks draaaaaged endlessly LOL! My son has been waiting not too patiently and I couldn't get Madison out of bed this morning. At least it's the last one!
They came home with all their school stuff yesterday. I always forget about this part. The bits and bobs that helped them learn and grow throughout the year, finished art projects, journals, graded papers and just trash and bits of toys and junk they collected over the months.
It will be nice to kick back and relax. Summer plans include trips to the library, Rita's, pool, Grandma and Grandpa Q's camper and house, Granny and Pop Pop's house near the ocean, various playgrounds and hopefully a couple short trips to PA and VA to visit family and amusement parks. Play dates, of course and lots of time outside when the weather cooperates.
Last year at this time I was petrified because I had a new baby and was going to be home all summer with four children. It turned out to be a nice summer and I'm really looking forward to it this year. I think the kids will really entertain each other (and fight LOL) so perhaps I can do a few of my own things. Plus I can send them all to the grandparents for a couple days at a time and get some much-needed mommy time.
I plan to have a loose schedule that they can help devise that includes some learning time with their workbooks, arty time, outside time, reading, quiet/rest time, tv, games/computer and the like. I'm afraid if I don't do that then we'll all just sit around loafing. I need to be proactive and keep a bit of a schedule and plan weekly outings.
I also want them to learn two skills this summer. One of my choose which includes Madison learning to tie her shoes and Matthew learning how to fold and put away his laundry. I want them to pick their second learning goal themselves. Matthew's piano teacher is offering summer lessons this year but I told him he could take the summer off if he chooses. I think everyone is ready for a break!
Here are their school pictures. I never intended to buy the spring pictures but they came out so nicely how could I not. And how could I tell my children that I wasn't going to buy their pictures after they sent the package home in book bags. Those picture people are squirrly!
Happy Summer, everyone!
The end of the year always seems to come so fast for me as a mom. Although, I do recall as a child that those last few weeks draaaaaged endlessly LOL! My son has been waiting not too patiently and I couldn't get Madison out of bed this morning. At least it's the last one!
They came home with all their school stuff yesterday. I always forget about this part. The bits and bobs that helped them learn and grow throughout the year, finished art projects, journals, graded papers and just trash and bits of toys and junk they collected over the months.
It will be nice to kick back and relax. Summer plans include trips to the library, Rita's, pool, Grandma and Grandpa Q's camper and house, Granny and Pop Pop's house near the ocean, various playgrounds and hopefully a couple short trips to PA and VA to visit family and amusement parks. Play dates, of course and lots of time outside when the weather cooperates.
Last year at this time I was petrified because I had a new baby and was going to be home all summer with four children. It turned out to be a nice summer and I'm really looking forward to it this year. I think the kids will really entertain each other (and fight LOL) so perhaps I can do a few of my own things. Plus I can send them all to the grandparents for a couple days at a time and get some much-needed mommy time.
I plan to have a loose schedule that they can help devise that includes some learning time with their workbooks, arty time, outside time, reading, quiet/rest time, tv, games/computer and the like. I'm afraid if I don't do that then we'll all just sit around loafing. I need to be proactive and keep a bit of a schedule and plan weekly outings.
I also want them to learn two skills this summer. One of my choose which includes Madison learning to tie her shoes and Matthew learning how to fold and put away his laundry. I want them to pick their second learning goal themselves. Matthew's piano teacher is offering summer lessons this year but I told him he could take the summer off if he chooses. I think everyone is ready for a break!
Here are their school pictures. I never intended to buy the spring pictures but they came out so nicely how could I not. And how could I tell my children that I wasn't going to buy their pictures after they sent the package home in book bags. Those picture people are squirrly!
Happy Summer, everyone!
Monday, May 5, 2008
The Great Flood
We had a very interesting week of last. Tuesday we had some new tile laid in the kitchen, about 75% of it. It wasn't anything special, just some cheapy peel and stick to have a nicer looking floor for C's birthday party on Sunday.
DH came to bed about midnight. I was up off and on with the baby because she was sick. About 2:30 I went to get a drink of water and heard a strange hissing noise from the kitchen. It sounded like the ice maker when it fills the tray only louder. Turns out the water line to the ice maker snapped clean and was dumping water for a couple hours.
Water everywhere on two floors of our home! Two hours before dh had to leave on an overnight business trip! Oy!! We spent about an hour cleaning up and dh making some phone calls. I went back to bed but it took quite some time to get to sleep. DH delayed his flight and came back the same night.
We had water restoration people here for six hours. We have eleven blowers and two gigantic dehumidifiers going. It got really hot in here but they said that means it's working. So now it's cooling off so I suppose the drying process is near complete. I can't wait to get the equipment out of here.
They were supposed to return this morning but were running late and I couldn't wait. Now they are scheduled to come tomorrow. Damage includes flooring and a removed wall in the kitchen, carpet in the den, pad, drywall and ceiling in the basement along with some other holes cut into the drywall. All in all, we didn't lose much personal property so that was good. We'll see how the estimation and repairs go.
A couple pictures to remember our flood.
DH came to bed about midnight. I was up off and on with the baby because she was sick. About 2:30 I went to get a drink of water and heard a strange hissing noise from the kitchen. It sounded like the ice maker when it fills the tray only louder. Turns out the water line to the ice maker snapped clean and was dumping water for a couple hours.
Water everywhere on two floors of our home! Two hours before dh had to leave on an overnight business trip! Oy!! We spent about an hour cleaning up and dh making some phone calls. I went back to bed but it took quite some time to get to sleep. DH delayed his flight and came back the same night.
We had water restoration people here for six hours. We have eleven blowers and two gigantic dehumidifiers going. It got really hot in here but they said that means it's working. So now it's cooling off so I suppose the drying process is near complete. I can't wait to get the equipment out of here.
They were supposed to return this morning but were running late and I couldn't wait. Now they are scheduled to come tomorrow. Damage includes flooring and a removed wall in the kitchen, carpet in the den, pad, drywall and ceiling in the basement along with some other holes cut into the drywall. All in all, we didn't lose much personal property so that was good. We'll see how the estimation and repairs go.
A couple pictures to remember our flood.
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Wednesday
Sometimes I like to do this to remind myself of how much I actually do in a day, even when it seems I get nothing accomplished!
Nurse C
Shower
Breakfast
Whiney preschooler and infant
Answer breastfeeding questions
Scan emails/boards
Start blog ;)
Make Home Depot list and discuss w/ dh
Fruit salad for LLL
Rescue baby from preschooler
Make snack for preschooler
Dress baby
Dress preschooler
Get myself ready to leave house
Attended LLL in EB and helped
Changed diapers x2
Helped w/ potty x3
Made lunch
Nursed baby x5
Ate lunch
Update calendar
Work on layout
Clean up and sooth bleeding baby
Work on banking basket
Make snack
Go to hardware store
pick up recycling trash
Pick up kids at school and drop off carpool student
collect and go through Mail
Go through backpacks
Oversee homework/piano practice
Afterschool snacks
finish Cleaning fridge and put back together
balance bank accounts x5
Fix and serve dinner
Feed the baby
Take a walk
Played two hands of Uno w/ M
Two baths (biggies)
Read some LLL stuff
Okay, that's it. I'm going to bed soon. Tuck the kiddos in, do my Bible study, crossword, read for LLL and catch some TV.
Is that enough for one day? Tomorrow is bring your child to work day. The kids are going to spend each a half day with each parent. DH - goodness I love him! He was concerned that the kids didn't appreciate that what I do around here is my job, i.e. work. They still don't get it, but I'll enjoy me some slave labor tomorrow :D
Nurse C
Shower
Breakfast
Whiney preschooler and infant
Answer breastfeeding questions
Scan emails/boards
Start blog ;)
Make Home Depot list and discuss w/ dh
Fruit salad for LLL
Rescue baby from preschooler
Make snack for preschooler
Dress baby
Dress preschooler
Get myself ready to leave house
Attended LLL in EB and helped
Changed diapers x2
Helped w/ potty x3
Made lunch
Nursed baby x5
Ate lunch
Update calendar
Work on layout
Clean up and sooth bleeding baby
Work on banking basket
Make snack
Go to hardware store
pick up recycling trash
Pick up kids at school and drop off carpool student
collect and go through Mail
Go through backpacks
Oversee homework/piano practice
Afterschool snacks
finish Cleaning fridge and put back together
balance bank accounts x5
Fix and serve dinner
Feed the baby
Take a walk
Played two hands of Uno w/ M
Two baths (biggies)
Read some LLL stuff
Okay, that's it. I'm going to bed soon. Tuck the kiddos in, do my Bible study, crossword, read for LLL and catch some TV.
Is that enough for one day? Tomorrow is bring your child to work day. The kids are going to spend each a half day with each parent. DH - goodness I love him! He was concerned that the kids didn't appreciate that what I do around here is my job, i.e. work. They still don't get it, but I'll enjoy me some slave labor tomorrow :D
Saturday, April 12, 2008
New Creation
Jeez it's hot today! Okay, so it's in the 70's. However, our a/c appears to be on the fritz and it's 81 in the house. Feels cooler outside. Think I'll take the kids out after dinner.
My new digi class began a couple weeks ago. It's called Digi in Deep and it's hosted/created by Jessica Sprague So, I'm currently on Day 4, which is the first Thursday. Today I received Day 13 email LOL! I'm so far behind. In my favor, Lesson 1 had 10 parts so it took me longer to finish. Also, each part was a bit complicated. We're really exploring some of the features of Photoshop and it's so cool.
On Day 4, the lessons are called "Cre8" and it involves making 8 pages with a common theme; a mini-album, if you will. The assignment was to make eight pages using a specific set of materials and each page was to contain a quote of some sort, instead of a photo. This project scared me but it's only 6x6 and I actually decided to do mine of meaningful Bible quotes like: Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. So, I'm excited about that. I made the cover page and one inside page thus far. I'll post when I'm done with it. Hopefully, I'll get somewhat caught up before the end of class. It's a four week class.
They're also doing an organizational class for ACDSee which I hope to take but that will have to be later this summer or whenever they have it again. An additional task this go around is to do something inspirational and then either use the scrapbooking technique or create a layout about it or do it. I chose organizing my photos on the computer. We'll see if I get that done, as well LOL!
I mean, I can't even keep my blog up to date, even though I think of stuff all the time. Too bad there's not mental telepathy into your computer. I'd have blog entries every day haha!
Well, I don't know where the toolbar is right now for posting pictures. Will come back later.
My new digi class began a couple weeks ago. It's called Digi in Deep and it's hosted/created by Jessica Sprague So, I'm currently on Day 4, which is the first Thursday. Today I received Day 13 email LOL! I'm so far behind. In my favor, Lesson 1 had 10 parts so it took me longer to finish. Also, each part was a bit complicated. We're really exploring some of the features of Photoshop and it's so cool.
On Day 4, the lessons are called "Cre8" and it involves making 8 pages with a common theme; a mini-album, if you will. The assignment was to make eight pages using a specific set of materials and each page was to contain a quote of some sort, instead of a photo. This project scared me but it's only 6x6 and I actually decided to do mine of meaningful Bible quotes like: Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. So, I'm excited about that. I made the cover page and one inside page thus far. I'll post when I'm done with it. Hopefully, I'll get somewhat caught up before the end of class. It's a four week class.
They're also doing an organizational class for ACDSee which I hope to take but that will have to be later this summer or whenever they have it again. An additional task this go around is to do something inspirational and then either use the scrapbooking technique or create a layout about it or do it. I chose organizing my photos on the computer. We'll see if I get that done, as well LOL!
I mean, I can't even keep my blog up to date, even though I think of stuff all the time. Too bad there's not mental telepathy into your computer. I'd have blog entries every day haha!
Well, I don't know where the toolbar is right now for posting pictures. Will come back later.
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