Snack Lady...

So today I stepped into the world of School Volunteer...I have always wanted to get involved with the girls' school, but I always thought of a million reasons why I couldn't commit...Fast forward to the post-cancer world, and I realized my girls are only going to want me at school for a little longer...There will quickly come the day that my appearance on the school campus will cause a panic attack and the silent treatment...

So I signed up to be a Snack Sale Volunteer.  Once a month the parent's organization sells snacks at recess to raise money for the school...easy enough, right??

I could KICK myself for not doing this sooner!!  Those toothless smiling faces were the cutest, most precious things in the world!  I can't count how many times I heard, "It's Morgan and Avery's mom!!" followed by a sweet smile or an even sweeter sweaty hug!!

Don't take this as a signal that I'm making a career change though...it was great for three hours...but I know that those 20+ cute faces, wouldn't look as cute to me after 7 hours in the classroom...It takes a very special person to be a teacher and my hat is off to them!  Today was a great reminder to....

Hope you have a great weekend!

Cancer Sucks...

There is a woman that I have never met...but she "met" me through my blog...a mutual friend sent her to my blog when her brother was suffering from cancer...

She placed this sign on her Spanish Town float...

she did this, and remember we have never met...

I found out today that her brother Kevin died this morning.  So tonight I cry for her and her family...because Cancer Sucks...

Cheap and Easy...

Imagine how many people will Google "Cheap and Easy" and be sorely disappointed when this blog post pops up....SORRY....

Back to the point...I really am Cheap and Easy...to entertain, that is...It started today when I left work early...and me leaving work early should not surprise you...I have the attention span of a flea!

So I am wandering through the book aisle at Sam's and I'm wanting to pile like 6 books into my basket...but I am WAY to cheap for that...6 bucks a piece times 6 books...oh no...not happening...now if I was purchasing books on children's anxiety or "How to raise a perfectly mannered child" I would spare no expense...but these are for me, and they aren't exactly the "classics"...so I decide to go to the library....which freaks me out a little if I think about the boogery fingers that have read the books before me...so I try to block those out...

I could easily lose a day in the library...I can't name one author or title that I checked out today...I generally end up choosing the books that are in the "NEW" section or placed strategically at the end of an aisle to entice you to read them...yep, those librarians get me every time...Today I chose two of the books on the end caps, and I REALLY wanted to put new books in their place, then I thought that maybe the librarians LIVE for that kind of stuff, so I didn't ruin their fun...Five books for Free for the next two weeks...SWEET...just enough trash to read before falling asleep at night, but hopefully nothing good enough to make me want to stay up all night reading...that is a VERY fine line, my friend...

After the library, I went to the card aisle at Walgreens...I do prefer Target for card shopping, but I figured Walgreens would do...and I was not disappointed...I could read cards for hours...again...cheap and easy...in fact, while I was reading... and laughing at cards, one man actually commented that I must have found some really good cards...I wasn't laughing that loudly...I don't think....but laughs are contagious and he started laughing simply because I was...that is my favorite part about a laugh...contagiousness (it's a word, I think...)

So now I'm home, ready to read a book for a little bit before the girls get home from school.  I really wanted to meet them for lunch today, but with the traffic I would have missed Avery's lunch time, and made it just in time for Morgan's...that would have been ugly...so I had to skip lunch, but then I REALLY wanted to check them out of school early, but I remembered this isn't summer camp, they are supposed to be present...damn...so here I wait for them to get home....

how can I not want to hang out with these faces....

after running off the bus on the first day, these are the comments I got:

Morgan: "School was awesome!!!!"

Avery: "There was no playtime...It was not fun at all..."

ahhh...the joys of school...hope you found something to laugh about today....

Camping....

Call it Peer Pressure, A Moment of Insanity, Post Cancer "Don't Miss a Thing" attitude...whatever...

but the Bellangers are going camping with 13+ other families... and by camping, I mean a cabin at Jellystone Campground in Robert, LA...I don't want you to think I'm sleeping in a tent...as Avery says, "that would be just plain silly..."

Now that packing day has arrived, I'm realizing that a room at the Ritz would have been a MUCH better idea...Bring your own toilet paper???  Huh?  Are you serious?  I am a CITY GIRL!  My idea of "roughin' it" is Motel 6... they at least provide toiletries and what I hope are clean linens!

My girls are having a similar problem grasping this concept...Avery dressed in a dress, fancy headband and a sparkly watch...until I explained to her that she had to change...poor Avery...

It's one step forward and two steps back with this packing thing...I had a laundry basket filled with towels and sheets for the trip, and my precious Morgan put everything away...she was just helping with the laundry...didn't know whether I should hug her or cry...so I took a Xanax...everything is good now...

Big Daddy may have taken care of the "outdoor" things:  fishing poles, firewood, oh hell, I don't even know what else...(it just feels right to call Shane "Big Daddy" when we are going camping)

But I took care of the necessities: Bug Spray, Sunscreen, Benadryl, Chips, Cookies and...Skinny Girl Margaritas, Firelfy Vodka and Michelob Ultra!!!  We'll be just fine :)

May the insanity begin!!

Overheard today...

As if I wasn't even in the car, Morgan and Avery had the following conversation today...

Avery: I wish Daddy could come home before we go to sleep.  He never does...
Morgan: Do you still love Daddy?
Avery: Yep...
Morgan: We spend a lot of time with Mommy and she makes all the rules and she punishes us when we don't be good, but I still love her...the same as I love Daddy...
Avery: I love Mommy too.  But I really love that Daddy doesn't punish us...

In Shane's defense, he normally gets home before bedtime, but it's just been REALLY busy at work lately.  And I would have corrected Morgan when she said "we don't be good", but then they would have remembered I was in the SAME car and my ears work!  And I really wanted to find out how I compared to Daddy in the "love" department...

Glad we are "neck and neck"...

Just one of my laughs for the day!!

PS - yesterday I took the girls to see Ramona and Beezus.  Have you seen it?  Did you cry through the second half of the movie?  Of course you didn't!!  I'm the only emotional wreck who did that...But don't try to tell me the Dead Cat scene wasn't a tearjerker!!!

Hope you are laughing this week!!

breakfast with the Bellangers

the girls have been awake for 2 hours...and they have eaten:

veggie sausage
Golden Grahams with Soy Milk
steamed carrots
wilted spinach
and edamame

And, no, I didn't force feed them...I offered pancakes and waffles, but they chose the sausage and cereal and edamame...I happened to be making the spinach and carrots, so they asked for that too...

I know I am lucky to have such good eaters, but they don't really know anything different...who says it's a crime that they have never eaten real sausage??

before you start feeling sorry for them...look at these faces!!

See...they are happy!!  I am loving these weeks with the girls...thank goodness they are going back to school, or I might never go back to work!!