My Alligator Purse

This world is not made for a family of more than 4. Its really aggravating. I get strange looks while driving the Monster Van, well more like smirks, like they have some private joke that I don’t know about. Most restaurants are filled with booths that seat 4, so we are always stuck waiting for a table for a large party. You can just imagine the hassle we will have when we take out our immediately family for dinner after Connor-man’s K graduation. We will number 13! I guess I better make reservations.

In traveling to Florida again I had to make reservations for 2 hotel rooms. I have already battled with the Grand Californian (Disney Hotel) over the need for adjoining rooms, and I lost. The easy fix then was simply to drive back home and not give them our money.

But in Florida we weren’t going to have that option. But they assured me that as long as I checked in early it would be okay. Well, that would not be okay since our flight didn’t land until 6 pm. So I begged and pleaded and threatened. I suggested that they provide a babysitter since they thought it was a good idea for my 7, 5 and 3 year old to sleep in a room apart from me. Finally I got a supervisor who said I could in fact have adjoining rooms. The only rub was I had to pay for the room in advance, well that’s a small price to pay to ensure that I would have access to my young children.

I just can’t imagine the problems we will have when we become a family of 7.

This year Mother’s Day was extra special. Yes, I got his very laptop 2 years ago for Mother’s Day, but it was hardly a surprise as my hand-me-down laptop was fried. This year I got the usual bead necklaces and foam frames from preschool. I got letters about “my wonderful mommy” and cards with handprints. But my favorite gift was from Lainy Ann, not because it was made at Brownie’s and had a professional look. Lainy Ann likes to give gifts. About 10 days before Christmas I actually had to tell her “no more gifts”. She was spending hours in her room (with the gang of boys) making pictures and wrapping them up as gifts for all the family members. She has such a generous spirit that I pray will follow her for the rest of her life, but at some point we ran out of paper.

So this year she had many gifts for me, but my favorite was her homemade gift. She traced, colored and cut out hand prints of each child. On a separate piece of paper she drew a flower without leaves. Her gift to me was a game of “pin the leaf on the flower” with the kids handprints as leaves.

It is such a creative gift that she organized all on her own. I was incredibly proud of her.

Glendale Unified School District
Elementary Schools
Rankings by API for 2008-2009 school year

Mountain Avenue
Monte Vista
Valley View
Dunsmore
La Crescenta Elem
Lincoln
Verdugo Woodlands
Freemont
Jefferson
Benjamin Franklin
White
Glenoaks
Keppel
Balboa
Columbus
John Marshall
John Muri
Thomas Edison
Mann
Cerritos

We have never really believed in giving the kids an allowance. Occasionally we give them money for chores, but they have to go “above and beyond” as we feel that helping out the family is just part of family life. As a result it takes the kids ages to make a little bit of money. Not that they need money. My kids are spoiled rotten; new bikes last summer, Nintendo DS’s for Christmas and Happy Meals whenever I feel like it. I rarely leave the store without buying a little something for the kids.

But this week Lainy Ann has to pay for her own school lunch. I don’t like my kids to eat school lunch. I have a host of reasons from expense to crappy food. Instead I make them mostly organic, definitely all natural lunches. Each day I make PB&J then the older kids are responsible for packing their lunches. They can choose from several different fruits, granola bars, crackers, fruit leather, yogurt, cheese, etc. The boys do fine with just a sandwich and fruit since the school provides them with milk and an afternoon snack. But Lainy Ann, well, she has been able to out-eat me for a long time and she uses all that energy. She ends up taking 5 things for lunch.

At the beginning of the school year I put $60 on her school lunch card, that would get her 30 lunches through out the year in case I was out of bread or just wanted to give her a treat. She used it up pretty quickly and then we got a bill for $20. She had been buying lunch even though she was taking her lunch. She got in trouble for wasting food and lying to me. Occasionally she has taken not enough food and then eaten school lunch. Again we talk to her about proper food choices and about how its too expensive to buy lunch all the time.

Today she brought home another bill, $10. She tried to work up some tears so I would be sympathetic and not punish her. Instead, she said, “I”m sorry mommy, I will pay for it.” And I decided there was no better punishment than it directly affecting her pocketbook. She had to scrounge up her last dollar bills to make it work.

I’m hoping this really drives home the fact that she needs to be responsible in packaging her lunch each day. Making good financial choices starts early on, hopefull we have begun that process.

Alexander is the 4th child and the 3rd boy. He has been “wrestling” since he could hold up his head and chasing since he could walk. He regularly plays outside with his big siblings and gets hurt. After a quick hug he runs back outside for more play and more injuries.

I have wondered about his pain threshold for awhile. When he gets a slap on the hand for hitting, he just giggles and hits again. But today it was confirmed. Today he needed vaccinations. He laid down on the table, happy to be drawing his circles on the paper. The nurse went about her business of swabbing and readying his leg. He ignored her. She poked him. He frowned and said “ow”. Then went back to drawing circles. So she poked him a 2nd time. Another frown and an “ow”. More circles.

That was it. No tears, no holding him down. He is so easy going. I hope this high pain threshold doesn’t mean more broken bones in the future. *knock on wood*

It continually amazes me how compassionate and caring Connor is. Now that I am pregnant with #5, well, its just harder. I don’t know if its because I am older, its always this hard and I have forgotten or because I have 4 kids to take care of. It doesn’t matter why. But as with all my pregnancies I get evening sickness. About 4 pm I start feeling tired and ill and it lasts until I fall into bed about 8:30 pm.

Last night Connor asked me to tuck him in. I sighed and said, “really, I’m feeling really bad”. My strong little man said, “Its okay. I can do it myself.” It melted my heart and I hopped right up to tuck him, while he still needs me.

Lainy Ann just walked out here and said, “will you always remember me?” I asked her what she meant, she said, “When I am a grown up, will you remember me?”

So overly hormonal me starts thinking about her growing up and leaving and tears start to well up. I think there is no way I could ever forget one of my kids and I am now fighting the tears because she will think I am a fool. So I tell her, “I could never ever forget you, baby girl.”

She says, “okay” “Knock, Knock”

Me: “who’s there?”

LA: “I thought you would never forget me.”

LOL She totally got me.

Out of nowhere Caskey is getting a new job for Google. Since he has to be in Mountain View for training what better way to fit in a little family time than drive to Madras, OR and visit the relatives, then drive to SF, CA for some touristy stuff and then drop Caskey off in Mountain View and drive home in the big van by myself. Sounds fun right!

So, I am running my trip plans by you, the internet world. Let me know if you have any additions or suggestions. We will only be in SF for 2 1/2 days. We arrive Thursday evening after driving 13 hours from Oregon. We will be in San Francisco all day Friday and Saturday. Sunday I will need to leave about noon to drive 6 hours home. The kids, after all, have school on Monday morning.

On Friday we plan on touring Alcatraz, Angel Island (which technically are on the same island) and Fisherman’s Wharf. Any suggestions on restaurants would be helpful. Perhaps we could take the Cable Cars to Union Square for dinner . . .

Saturday will be Yerba Gardens and Fort Point. Maybe Golden Gate Park and a visit to the Tea Garden . . .

Sunday as we leave town we will stop by Coit Tower and drive down Lombard Street.

I think we will stay at the Hilton near Fisherman’s Wharf. But please comment or suggest on places to eat or must see things.

Outside of California

Covered Wagon Train Vacation
http://www.wagonswestwyo.com/thetrip.htm

Largest Indoor Water Park
West Edmonton Mall
1755 170 Street Northwest
Edmonton, AB T5T 4J2, Canada
(780) 444-5200
http://www.wem.ca/#/play/home/World-Waterpark