Pictures

Here are the pics I promised.

We went to the Kindergym picnic at the park and the first thing Allison wanted to do was ride a pony. Here she is on Moe. What a big girl!

She also LOVES the bouncy bounce! She spent quite a bit of time in there!

This is at Allison's preschool graduation. All of the children marched in with instruments. Some of them, including Allison, looked a little nervous when they saw the crowd of parents watching them.

The kids are sitting on their circle rug watching a slide show of pictures of themselves throughout the year. They LOVED that! Each time they recognized who was in the picture they would say, "Hey, so and so, THAT'S YOU!" Very cute!

And here she is, proudly displaying her hard earned certificate! We took Katie and Becky out of school for an hour so they could be there. Allison was so glad to have them there too.

Sick of Being Sick!

Okay. Time for me to whine a bit... I have been catching every little bug and virus my children have been bringing home lately! I'm currently on Amoxicillin for an ear infection and strep throat. I've had conjunctivitis, fever, aches and chills, ALL OF IT! I'm glad I finally went to the doctor and got some medicine. After dose number two I began to feel better. My throat is still VERY sore but the advil is working for that. Hopefully I'm on the mend!

Allison and I are going to the Kindergym picnic in the park this morning. Last year they had a bouncy bounce, pony rides, snacks, sprinkler, etc. all for free! She's excited about going! Tomorrow is her pre-school graduation. She has another year of preschool but her school does an end of the year ceremony for each class regardless if they're going onto Kindergarten or not. It should be really cute and I'll post pics so you can see how sweet they all are! I can't believe the school year is just about over. I can remember the first day of school so clearly! Time to prepare for the laid back routine of summer. I'm not sure I'm entirely ready to have everyone home everyday. It may take a few days to get used to! We have some fun things planned already for summer so that will give them something to look forward to!

Katie is on a canoe trip with her science class this morning. I'm not sure how they are tying science and canoeing together but I think it's great that she's getting to go. The weather is perfect for a nice trip down the river! Katie has a good bit of canoe experience thanks to her weeks at Camp Good News. She's been looking forward to going!

We were at a soccer tournament over Memorial Day weekend. It was in Huntington, MA. Talk about being in the middle of nowhere! Huntington is very beautiful but it is literally at least 30 minutes away from anything. They have an adorable country store that serves delicious ice cream and the school where the tournament is held is really nice. They put on a great tournament and the weather was fantastic! Our girls took first place! Katie scored a goal in the second game and she had an awesome shot on goal during the final game. She did everything right and made a hard shot but the goalie was right there and stopped it. The final game ended in a 0-0 tie so we went to two five minute overtimes and still no one scored. Being the final game it couldn't end in a tie so it went to a shoot out. Five players from each team take a direct shot on goal. It's just the kicker and goalie. Whoever scores the most times wins. We won. It's such a stinky way to have to lose though. The other team was certainly worthy of first place, that's for sure! We have a couple more weeks of regular games and then spring soccer will be over.

Check back for some cute pics soon!

A Good Wife

Many of you may have read this before but it's so HYSTERICAL that it's great to read again and again! It's from Housekeeping Monthly, May 1955.

Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have be thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they get home and the prospect of a good meal is part of the warm welcome needed.
Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you'll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.
Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.
Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives. Run a dustcloth over the tables.
During the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven of rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering to his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.
Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Encourage the children to be quiet.
Be happy to see him.
Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.
Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first - remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours.
Don't greet him with complaints and problems.
Don't complain if he's late for dinner or even if he stays out all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through at work.
Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or lie him down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.
Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice.
Don't ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.
A good wife always knows her place.

This and That

It's another beautiful day in the neighborhood. Even the constant noise from all the house building going on and our neighbor's yappy dog can't take away from the gorgeous day it is outside. What makes it even nicer is that my husband is home from work until Tuesday. He got back yesterday afternoon from a week long trip down south and is staying home today and through the long weekend. YAY!

We'll be headed to a soccer tournament this weekend. It's always more enjoyable to be outside watching a game when the sun is out! I hope Katie's team does well. They were the team to beat last season-we'll see if they are this season as well. I coached Allison's soccer practice by myself on Monday. I really liked it and I think I will coach my own team this fall for Allison's age, of course.

I'm happy about Jordin winning American Idol. Let's face it, Blake is going places even though he came in second, no doubt. LOST wasn't quite the cliff hanger I expected which is fine with me. I'm sad that they killed off Charlie, though. Once again I'm not sure what I'll be watching for summertime TV but I know something will catch my eye and get me hooked!

I got my first assignment back from my writing instructor. She had nice things to say and also some super suggestions to make the piece better. I think I've decided to go with a patriotic theme for my next short story. Having Memorial Day and Fourth of July right around the corner it seems appropriate. We'll see; I've changed my mind about five times so far!

Allison has developed quite a fondness for caterpillars. The passed two days she's been carrying them around with her, either in her hands or a small bowl. I'm not sure if I'm crazy about it but it sure is cute. Isn't it funny how a caterpillar with LOTS more legs than a spider is somehow a LOT less scary!? I've got to take some pictures of Allie and her new friends!

Happy Memorial Day!

O HAPPY DAY!

O Happy Day! Melinda is out of the running on American Idol! I couldn't be happier that the final two are Blake and Jordin! YAY YAY YAY. Season finale next Wednesday!

We had a tornado watch yesterday. You read right...a tornado watch in New England. I know! I was surprised too! Allison and I were at Becky's school for our Wednesday lunch and recess duty and one of the ladies from the office told me about the watch. Then a few minutes later the principal told me too. I, of course, wanted to know what kind of safety plan the school had in place for this sort of thing. He assured me of the school's severe weather plan and I felt lots better. For a brief nano second I considered whisking Becky out of there and bringing her home with Allison and me but logic returned quickly and she stayed right where she was. Katie's school has not practiced any drills of any sort (other than fire drills which are mandated by the state) and this is concerning to me. I will have to ask some questions and find out why not.

Time to bring Allison to the doctor AGAIN! She is complaining about her ear again and her eyes are red and goopy!!! I'm guessing this may be one of those VIRAL cases where meds just won't work. But, you know as well as I do that I'll be walking out of that office with a different prescription to fill!! Docs and their meds! FRUSTRATING! Not to mention my poor little pickle just doesn't feel good!

We are enjoying a GORGEOUS spring in western MA, I hope you are enjoying spring where you are too!

Mother's Day

We went to the most beautiful spot to letterbox today. It's called Field Farm and it's in Williamstown. There were gorgeous fields and mountains all around. There was even a nice pond. The weather was perfect.

My children made me breakfast in bed which consisted of a bowl of cereal, waffles, toast, tea, and orange juice. They're so sweet. They even did the dishes and put everything away. I hope you all had a special mother's day too!

One More Thing...

Top Ten Reasons to Adopt a Black Lab:

10. They are so easy to find in a snowstorm!

9. If you like to wear jeans a lot, black fur doesn't really show up as much as yellow!

8. Black and white photography is so much fun!

7. Their coats are so shiny and their teeth look whiter on a black background!

6. You and your new black lab will make a great fashion statement, as all the new hot collars look great on a black background!

5. You never know if they've been rolling in mud!

4. Makes a game of hide and seek in the dark, oh so challenging!

3. More likely to scare off a bad guy, before they lick the intruder to death!

2. You look so chic and accessorize so easily with a black lab. They match that little black dress or black pants that go with everything!

1. Walking a black lab makes you look 10 lbs thinner!

On a serious note, black Labs are the last adopted and are the first to be put to sleep...based on coat color alone. Please help change this. At Labs4rescue we say "Save a BLACK Lab, have a friend for life!"

I copy/pasted this from the Labs 4 Rescue website. I thought it was cute and it also reminded me that Lucy was once an unwanted dog. I can't imagine someone looking passed her sweet face and kind eyes. Apparently she was brought to adoption events and was overlooked, maybe because she was black vs. yellow or chocolate. It makes me feel sad for her. On the other hand, God was knew all along that she was meant for us that's why no one else could see how special she is.

On another note; Becky has strep throat. I tell you, I'm not getting any better at this being a mother thing that I've been doing for 12 plus years. The signs were there and I missed them. Poor kid. It's a good thing we were headed to the doc today. I wonder when it would've occured to me that she needed to go, if we hadn't gone today! Good Grief! And Allison has another ear infection. Same ear. We're trying a different antibiotic this time. The thinking is that maybe the Zythromax wasn't completely wiping out the infection so given enough time it comes back. We'll see. So two kiddos on medicine, FUN! I usually don't do a real good job of remembering to give it to them, especially for 10 DAYS!

Now click on the Labs 4 Rescue link over there -----> and admire the beautiful labs who need homes.

Thunder

We had thunderstorms last night. My children freak out during t-storms. Apparently so does my dog. Lucy must've heard the thunder hours before we did because she was uneasy all evening. At bedtime she wouldn't sleep on her bed in my room, maybe because it's under the windows. Instead she slept next to Becky's bed on the floor. She even let out a bark or two. Silly pup. Then around midnight the thunder was loud enough to wake up sleeping children. Ed and I always wake up because we know we're about to see at least two of our girls standing in our doorway! Ed got up to close Allison's bedroom windows and when he went in she was already awake. "Daddy, I'm scared," she said in her sweet little voice. So he brought her to sleep with me. Poor little thing was trembling! She snuggled right up next to me and fell asleep almost instantly. Ed went to sleep in Katie's room because Katie is the biggest chicken of the three of them and she knows it! Becky was content to have Lucy in her room.

I hired someone to mow our lawn today. Ed doesn't know yet. He's been crazy busy at work and the riding mower we have is out of commission at the moment. I could get used to having someone (or two someones in this case) show up, weed wack and mow, and even blow away the grass clippings. They've been here about 15 minutes and they are just about done. Hmmm...Ed may like it TOO much!

Becky is home again today. She seems much better but she had a fever this morning. Since Allison is going to the doc today for an ear recheck I asked if Becky could be checked out too. I'm sure she's over the worst of whatever it was. I had a fever early last week and was achy but I was over it in a day or so. Maybe she has the same thing. Who knows.

Survivor was pretty good last night. I like Yao Man. I want him to win the million. He's played a smart game but he's been a nice person at the same time. Go Yao!

More sun and warm weather today. I hope this is just a taste of how nice a summer we're going to have!

Pet Peeve

Rebecca is home sick today. She has a slight fever and is generally not herself. She just wants to lounge around, she's dozed on and off, and she has no interest in getting off the couch. I hope it's nothing and she'll be better in the morning.

How about this weather, eh? It's been in the high 70's all week with full sun. YAY! It's even a bit muggy - my kind of weather! I've been working like crazy to get the pool cleaned up. There was quite a bit of debris that needed to be taken care of. My STUPID aqua bug is not working FOR SOME REASON and that's frustrating me ALOT! And I can't seem to get the chlorine up where it ought to be but I guess that's normal for the beginning of the season.

This weather is perfect for tank tops. They're just so comfy on a warm day, don't you think? I like tank tops but I do have a pet peeve when it comes to wearing them. Listen carefully. I'm telling you this because I care. Bra straps ARE NOT supposed to show. This is especially true if you are wearing the spaghetti strap kind of tank. It totally takes away from the tank top's cuteness if your UNDERWEAR is showing. Even if your bra somehow 'matches' the tank it's NO GOOD! Good grief, wear one that's strapless or something! I think Oprah needs to do some sort of intervention for bra showing tank top wearers!

I haven't gotten my first writing assignment back yet but I have started the next one. I'm having a little bit of trouble with it. Coming up with a good story idea seems to be the hardest part for me. It's so much easier if I'm told what to write about. The point of this assignment is to make sure we understand the fundamentals of story telling. I understand perfectly; getting going on a story is the hard part. I'm working on an idea and I keep telling myself that I may need to revise it a few times but I need to plug ahead and get the bones written down. I'll keep you posted.

No real surprise in Lakisha going home last night. I felt bad for her but she'll probably get her recording deal anyway. No we need to see Melinda go! DON'T VOTE FOR MELINDA! Don't you think every song she sings sounds EXACTLY the same?

I think it may be time for some ice cream. Edy's Drumstick is calling me from the freezer!

This and That

Every weekday I get an e-mail from Girlfriends in God. It's an online bible devotional. I love it! It always has something relevant to our lives as mothers and women. Today's was especially good. It was about how to pray for our children. I've been involved with different studies on the topic of prayer for our children but this one was so concise and to the point that I really liked it! I think I'm going to print it out and tuck it in my bible. Check out the link, I know you'll love it too!

I read that next Tuesday is National Gas Out day. That's May 15th. I guess we're supposed to refrain from purchasing gas in order to put a dent in the pocket books of the oil companies. Maybe it'll work and maybe it won't but it certainly won't hurt to try. So. I won't be buying gas on May 15th. It would be interesting to see if it has any impact whatsoever. Join me and participate in National Gas Out Day on May 15th.

Allison is home this morning from school with pink eye. She has quite a cold too! Fortunately I had eye drops left over from Becky's pink eye a month or so ago. I know, I know, we shouldn't share prescriptions but I honestly don't think it's a big deal. Allison has a recheck of her ears on Friday so if anything else comes up we'll be headed to the doctors anyway! Check out this picture of Little Miss in her soccer duds. Her shirt says it all!

Firsts

Katie, Becky, and Allison all had their first sports game this weekend. Katie's first soccer game of the season ended in 3-0 win! Becky had her first softball game and hit two home runs one being a grand slam! I should explain that in the league she's in each player has a chance to bat and there are no strike outs. She was the last player up both times and therefore got to run all of the bases! She insists she doesn't like softball but she did GREAT, with two nice hits and she even stopped a couple of grounders to third! Allison had her first soccer game ever! What a riot to watch a field full of pre-K and K kids trying to move the ball around the field! Allison did very well but she kept wanting to head to the sidelines for a drink! I also had a first this weekend...I coached my first soccer game! Actually I am the assistant coach for Allison's team. Funny, huh? Me coaching...I know. Fortunately, at that age level it's mostly directing them and I don't need a full understanding of ALL the rules to do it! We don't have referees or anything, the coaches run the game. It was really fun. I'll have to get some good pics of everyone playing and post them!

Can you believe it is already MAY!? I think this week is actually suppose to start to feel like late spring weather! I'm so excited about that! We've started to clean up the pool. It was a horrible green last Friday but that's all gone and now it's just a matter of filtering all the winter grime out of it. It's looking 100% better than it did a few days ago! And with warmer weather on tap for this week, who knows, maybe we will be in it by Memorial Day...

So Eric and Danielle won the Amazing Race. I wish the blondes had won but I'm glad that Charla and Mirna did NOT win! They annoyed me. Eric and Danielle were a little annoying too but whatever!

Have a great day!

Our Trip to Niagara Falls (Finally!)

Okay, so I've been promising to tell about our trip. In a word...Fantastic! We got to Niagara Falls, Ontario on Saturday afternoon and drove to the hotel we had reserved. Ed parked out front and went in to check us in. A few minutes later he came out and said we were staying at a different hotel. I, of course, was confused. He seemed a little confused too but the guy inside had asked Ed if he'd rather stay at the Fallsview Marriot right down the road instead of this Courtyard by Marriot. He assured Ed that we'd have a family suite (2 queens and a pull out sofa) and a view of Horseshoe Falls all for no additional charge! So we decided to go for it - it sounded purty good! First impression of the Fallsview Marriot was -- WOW! The place was gorgeous. Crystal chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, marble floors, floor to ceiling windows overlooking the falls, valet parking - - it was really nice. Our room was equally as great. The extra space for a family of five to spread out is ALWAYS appreciated! And the beds were SO COMFY! The view from our room was awesome! We spent lots of time just gazing out the window at the falls! We could see both the Canadian Horseshoe Falls as well as the American Falls. Quite a sight!

Our first afternoon there we, of course, went down to the falls to check them out up close and personal. It was cold and wet but, oh so worth it! Seeing the large chunks of ice falling over the cascade of water was really cool.

The next couple days of our trip brought us to different area attractions. There's a whole area called Clifton Hill that has yummy restaurants like Rainforest Cafe and Planet Hollywood. There's also great shopping at places like the Hershey's store and tons of Canadian themed gift shops. We also enjoyed the different attractions they had like Ripley's Believe It Or Not museum. The girls loved this goofy little fun house with silly mirrors and fun obstacles to make your way through. Each day we would visit the falls and just gaze for a few minutes. We had intended on visiting attractions geared around Niagara Falls like Journey Behind the Falls or the Whirlpool Aero Car but it was really too cold and blustery to do that stuff. I don't think any of us feels like we missed out on something though. We all had lots of fun. The girls got to swim at some point everyday which I'm sure was a highlight for them.

We were supposed to come home late Tuesday night but we decided to head north to Toronto to catch a Blue Jays/Red Sox game. Tickets were only $2.00 a seat so we HAD to go! Ed was the only one who'd been to a major league baseball game so for me and the girls it was all new! Pretty cool. I'm not a huge baseball fan and I could go on about how I don't really think baseball is all that it's cracked up to be but maybe that'll be a different post. Before the game we strolled around downtown Toronto for awhile. What a beautiful city! Granite sidewalks, granite buildings, clean, clean, clean and sparkly everywhere! We even visited the Hockey Hall of Fame which was AWESOME! I liked it better than the baseball game. Hockey is a real sport with real athletes who aren't paid millions of dollars to sit on a bench or stand in a field waiting for their turn to play...no, no, no, I'm not going there! Anyway, the hall of fame was gorgeous and really interesting. Lots of interactive things there and a great gift shop!

Wednesday morning we headed home. It was about a seven hour ride which really wasn't too bad! If you ever have the opportunity to go to the Canada side of Niagara Falls or Toronto - DO IT! It was a great trip and we didn't even scratch the surface of all there is to do there!

In other Cook Family news, I think I've found my 'thing.' Some of you know what I'm talking about, while others are scratching your heads. Your 'thing' is something that is just for you, not your kids or your family, something you can claim as yours that brings you a sense of accomplishment; something that is challenging, yet rewarding. I've often wondered what my thing was. Well, recently I've decided to try my hand at writing for children. I saw an ad for a writing course and filled out the 'send me more information' thingy. They sent me an aptitude test to see if I had what it takes to be a writer for children. The test had a couple of essay questions and a few fill in the blanks of the story type questions too. I took the test and sent it back in. A couple of weeks later I got a letter congratulating me on 'passing' the test. The letter said that only about 1/3 of all test takers pass, so I felt pretty good about that. Once you pass the test, they offer you the opportunity to enroll in the course, which I did. It's pretty intense and chalk full of fantastic information! I mailed in my first assignment yesterday. It was a 720 word story I made up based on a picture in the text book. I'm loving the course and feel like this is my thing! I would love to write freelance for children's magazines and hopefully someday, write picture books! My husband and children are so excited for me. Katie is so encouraging and she loves to suggest ideas for me to write about! I hope I'll make them proud!

I presented my 'speech' to the school committee about our school resource officer. They were all very complimentary of my speech but they already had their minds made up -- No Resource Officer! "No Money!" They kept saying. There were a few of them who insisted that the committee meet again to make a way to fund the position but, being the democratic society that we are, the motion was out voted! I will continue to make my voice heard - it's all I can do! Eventually they'll listen. I was working the book fair at the middle school on Tuesday when the school was evacuated due to a bomb threat. Fun. It was obvious that the administration wasn't overly concerned but it was also good that they went through the motions of securing the building. Police, fire, ambulances - the works, showed up to make sure the building and grounds were safe. I'm glad I was there to see first hand how such a thing is handled. I'm so thankful to be able to be involved at my girls' schools. As Martha Stewart would say, "It's a good thing."

Proud Mama moment -- Katie made High Honors this quarter! She got 5 A's and 1 B. She's so lucky to take after her mom!! LOL!!! Becky also did awesome! Her report card is graded using 1's, 2's, and 3's, 3 being the best. Her report card was full of 3's! Smart cookies, I tell ya!

American Idol disappoints me. Chris gone! The injustice! Jordin should have left this week. I know in my heart that Melinda will probably win and that is AWFUL! I loved Phil too. His geekiness had a sort of pathetic appeal. Sad. I guess I'll be voting for Blake all the way. By the way, I loved Bon Jovi week! It was my favorite week so far, even though Chris was voted off.

Amazing Race All Stars is getting good. I want the blondes to win. As annoying as they are I like them the best of the final three.

I'm trying not to be too attached to LOST. The season finale will leave us with a cliffhanger and it will drive me crazy if I get too wrapped up in it. I think Juliette will turn from the dark side and help Jack and Co. battle against the Others. We'll see.

I'll try to post a little more regularly. Time management just got a little trickier since I started my writing course but I'm figuring that posting to my blog must count as a writing exercise, right?