This girl is three!

Happiness.

I woke up this morning with a bee in my bonnet.

Who says that?  Apparently I do.

I came down this morning and started cleaning out the pantry.  We had some electrical work done and the electrician man made a huge dusty mess in there.  We're talking a layer of white powder on everything.  Shit I hope it wasn't anthrax.

I had two huge bags of trash, one for Good Will and the rest is organized goodness.  It has only taken me ALL DAY LONG to complete, but I tell you what...

HAPPINESS.

I think I have issues.

On a similar note, I have no laundry to do and only one small basket to put away.  We have clean towels and sheets too.  I'm on fire!

And another thing that makes me happy:

COMPLETED PROJECTS!!

And here's just a reminder of what she used to look like.  Like a wrinkly old lady with the wrong color red lipstick.

And the deck progress:

We're doubling the size of the deck!

The tiny garage.  I'm thinking it needs a trellis or something.  

Here's the house again.  I'm in love.  I have to move the urns back on the porch and the mat and we will be pretty much good to go.

Until the landscaping starts.

Issues, I tell you.

At least I'm happy! :)

Pool play dates with good friends and silly keiki make me happy too.

I started my day with a tennis match with Lisa!  We haven't played in forever. We started off 0 and 4 but came back to win 6-4, 6-0.  It felt so good to be on the court again.  When I get mad or annoyed at ladies being stupid ladies and not just coming out to play a fun match, apparently I take it out on them.  Lisa is the best partner.  We really have fun.  We really have fun beating stupid ladies.

She had to carry my tennis shoes.  Murphy had to carry the racquet.

 Millie is something else.  The new haircut is darling.  The dress is precious.  The sunglasses are classic.  The boots I got Murphy for the fall!?  Typical.

 Charlie did great in the child care!  There is a new girl there, and she was awesome.  The kids (and Lisa's) played hard and everyone was happy.  After tennis, Lisa took her two boys, Murphy and Millie to her house to play.  They're best buddies and we haven't seen them much at all this summer.  They were stoked.  I thought perhaps Charlie would sleep at home and I could even take a nap.  Not so much.  She had her power nap and was up and ready to go for the rest of the day just as soon as I pulled in the driveway.  No big deal.  We played and I got a lot done.  So did the painters!

progress

 Shae had me move the urns to the front of the pillars.  Big difference I think.  Tomorrow the red will be GONE!!!

L: regular banana bread, R: chocolate chip banana bread (Alice is proud)

The house smells amazing.  I'm sitting in bed right now at 11:30pm DROOLING......

Fun day.

This kid is in to everything.  I don't know how much toilet paper she has consumed..

I got Murphy and Millie new sheets (TJ Maxx).  I don't mind making their beds. :)

I'm loving my hair cut.  So easy to do!!

Please excuse the special picture...and the need for Botox.  And a nose job.  And a chin reduction...

I came around the corner to see this.  They're such buddies.  And in such trouble for letting Charlie play on the stairs! 

Waiting for their hair cuts!

D-I-V-A

"I actually feel older!"

We ate lunch with Trevor and afterwards, Georgia got to stay and work!

So serious.  She is dying to go tomorrow again. 

House painting progress!  It's supposed to be finished Friday!  YAHOOOOO!  I better get my house tour post ready!

New hobby....

Well, Trevor and I hit the driving range, and I'm sorry to say I may have a new addiction. Behind horseback riding and tennis of course.

Summer stroll

Charlie's first skinned knee.  

Headed to their (double) sleepover.

Georgia and Sophie.  Best friends.

Can we please note: a) Millie's hair (she got a cut today!) and b) her grip on Charlie's arm.

This is what I love about summer.  Walking around the block.  Nowhere to be.  No worries if we take the long way.  Lots of sounds and smells and sights to see.  Way better than watching tv.  Although, there is less chance of skinned knees sitting on the couch....

Country of the Month

I just read about the best idea:  a Country of the Month Club with the kids.  How great is this!?  Choose a country (at random or meaningful), and go to town.  Read books about the country, make food, look at the traditions, language, accent, where/how people live, how the lives of kids there would be similar or different than ours....

Wow. I'm excited.

I think I will let Georgia choose the first country.  I can't wait to get started!!

From thepolkadotumbrella blog:
Do you want to start your own Country of the Month Club?  Here's how:

1. Decide who to invite to your club.  Is it your entire family, just you, you and your significant other, you and your friends or extended family?

2. Get a world map.  Each month as you "visit" a country, label it using a method of your choice.  We are sticking little pins in each visited place.

The CIA Worldmap is really great.  (Image via the CIA World Factbook website.) I printed the 2011 version, but the pdf is interactive and won't load as an image here.

3. At the beginning of each month, choose a new country.  (Can be random or meaningful - it's your club, so do what you want.)

4. Decide what you want to do to learn about the country this month.  Some ideas include:

• Read a book about the country.
• Read a book by an author from the country.
• Cook a meal native to the country.
• Eat dinner at a restaurant which serves the country's food.
• Learn about the history of the country on Wikipedia.
• Memorize a few facts about the country - capital city, neighbouring countries, leader, population size, major exports, famous citizens, etc.
• Look at art from the country.
• Watch a movie set in the country or made by natives of the country.
• Listen to traditional music from the country.
• Learn a few phrases in the country's language (if it is different from yours).

5. At the end of the month, label the country as "visited" and get ready for your next trip.

Three days of bliss

We finished three days of Millie being wonderful.  No fits.  NONE.  Some attitude, but what three year old doesn't have attitude.  The two of us went to the store tonite and she was on fire.  A total crack up.  Case and point:

got my hair did

I promise I won't wear a pony every single day...

How has she gotten so big so fast!?

drum practice

faux pas

This girl is three!

Never a dull moment with this girl.  Right when I think I can't take any more of her...sass...she morphs into the sweetest girl you could even imagine.  Seriously Splenda sweet.  Aha!  Click!  I just had a lightbulb moment.  Millie has a new nickname.  Sweet n' Low.  That about sums up this child.

Millie hoarded the toys at gymnastics while waiting for her class was talking to herself while "at piano practice."  She picked up the phone and said, "What!?  I said not to call me at practice!"

I wish I could bottle her up and sift out the naughtiness.  I reached an all time low the other day when I told her she was going to boarding school, and I hoped her new family was nice!  This came after a few hours of her antagonizing her siblings (now, Murphy and Georgia being antagonized is one thing, Charlie is totally unacceptable).  She taunts them.  She is a brat.  Half of the time she starts dinner by sitting at her seat saying "I'm not eating this.  I want marshmallow cereal."  Side note: Trevor is no longer allowed to pick out the kids' cereal!  She pushes her chair back and that's that.  The other half she sits with the rest of the family and talks story with Trevor and tells him about her day.  Pleasant as can be.  You never know who you're going to get.  Sweet or Low.

I have really tried positively reinforcing Millie when she's being good.  I've tried giving her treats: "I don't want Twizzlers."  I've tried taking her on special outings to the store: she returns to Low the second we walk through the door.  I just have to keep trying.   Today is day three of her being wonderful.  She's funny, silly, and an acceptable naughty.  No evil.  I'm praying this lasts a long time.  I told her that now that's she's three, she can't scream!  Um, that lasted an hour.