Pictures from Joe's Games last Saturday

The Rainmaker

We have a little rainmaker.

This weekend we realized that we have another rainmaker in our family.

Typically, it’s been me that’s been the rainmaker. I have been known to bring the rain EVERY SINGLE TIME we have EVER gone camping, hiking, or up to the mountains. Don’t take me along…perfect sunshiny weather.

Now it’s Joe’s turn. Every weekend we have made plans to do some work outside in the yard, it has rained. Joe joked one day that it rained because he asked for it to rain so we wouldn’t have to do the work.

So, yesterday we were supposed to get our back yard all picked up and mowed and the garden started, etc. We told the kids we would go get some frozen yogurt after we were done to give them a little incentive to help more. Plus, hey, we like the frozen yogurt, too!

So when it started to rain, we gave Joe a pretty good ribbing for asking it to rain. He took it really well, I think he liked the extra attention, and joked once about how he had really wanted that yogurt, so he didn’t ask ‘THIS TIME’ for it to rain.

He’s so cute.

OH MY GOSH! A link...to me!

OH MY GOSH!

OH MY GOSH!

OH MY GOSH!

OH MY GOSH!

OH MY GOSH!

One of my absolute favorite blogs of all time, Reluctant Entertainer, actually wrote about something funny I said on Facebook and then linked back to my blog! Woohoo! Can you tell I’m a little excited? Go on over and take a look for yourself!

Another Great Craft from 4 Crazy Kings

Joe's dream catcher has broken a couple of times, and so when I saw this, I thought it would be a great idea for the kids to make.
I found it here at 4 Crazy Kings.

Things that make me laugh while stuck in traffic

This one is...interesting. Obviously a lot of care and $$$ went into this car, but...really, faux painting on a car? And, that's just the start.

This one sort of speaks for itself...

Joe is back on his game

So far I am enjoying this season of flag football. Joe definitely needed a little break from it all as it has really helped his attitude towards the practices. He's learning a lot again, and is enjoying himself again. Joci has found a few new little friends, too, to play with at practices, which is always nice. I like that although she's shy, she still goes up to other little kids and asks to play with them.

Of course, the only downside is the on-the-go schedules that are challenging, but, it's worth it.

Here are a few pics from this week's practices. Saturday is Joe's first game.Joe looked right at me to show me he had pulled two flags so far during practice. Ü

Dr. Seuss Week

This week was a celebration of Dr. Seuss at Joe's school. Tuesday Dad, Joci, and I joined Joe at his school to eat green eggs and ham. It wasn't bad for cafeteria food, but the kids still didn't like it. There were a ton of people there, too.
Wednesday was crazy day...we forgot. But, Joe got to buy a Dr. Seuss hat from school, he chose the purple (his favorite color) and white.
Thursday was wear red and blue...easy. He was given more money to buy Jocelyn a Dr. Seuss hat...Daddy is a SUCKER! But, he forgot it in our babysitter's car.
Friday is wear your Dr. Seuss hat day...covered.
I was able to catch a couple of pictures of Joe with his hat on Wednesday.

Crafty Rainbow - Future Kid Project

I am so going to do this with the kids. I found it at 4 Crazy Kings. Reminds me of when I was a kid.

Sick Again!

Jocelyn has been sick again! This time, luckily, it hasn't affected her breathing and asthma. But, her glands are so swollen, she has a fever even with Tylenol, and she's been laying around a lot more, which is REALLY not like her. You can see it, a bit, in this picture. Her rosy cheeks and sore eyes. Here her fever is 101.6.

Her pediatrician is sending us to an allergist to do some allergy and immune testing to see what is going on with her and why she is almost constantly getting sick.

Today she was swabbed for strep. The quick strep test came back negative, and if the one they send out also comes back negative, we will then have to have her tested for Mono!

I tell myself that we are lucky. In the grand plan of it all, she does not have a life-threatening disease or a disfiguring injury. I know that we are giving her the best care we can, and that we are so lucky to have the amazing medical insurance and coverage that we do. But, my heart literally hurts with worry as I watch her struggle through one infection after another. As I sit up at night with her, rocking her in my arms while she complains how badly her throat is hurting, I want to cry. Instead, I stroke her hair and tell her how much I love her.

Worry, worry, worry. I had no idea that I would worry so much as a parent. I had no idea that I would feel so helpless at times or clueless about what to do. I'm hoping that we have some answers soon, but I am also trying not to get my hopes up and pin all my expectations on that appointment coming up soon.

Home Composting - New Project

Ok, here we go! The Hooge house is going to start composting. Granted, this is entirely my project, but I am excited to share it with the kids, and who knows, maybe I will be able to get Jon on board too!

I was online looking through our town's web-page when I came upon their composting program. Believe it or not, they offer composting machines, free (!!!), to residents to encourage local composting. They also have an awesome recycling program, hazardous material recycling program, and bulk trash pick up program. All I did was fill out a form requesting two composting machines and, poof, they were placed on our lawn this morning during our regular trash pick up. Talk about efficient! They even include a little handbook that comes with the machines, and these are brand spanking new, too!

So, why do I want to compost? There's lots of reasons, really. The first, of course, is that any little thing I can do to help the environment is a good thing. I mean, I don't think I'll be one of those that can go without my electricity or cars, but I can at least compost my kitchen waste. Frankly, I'm a little appalled by how much trash our family generates, so hopefully, this will make a little dent in that. Also, last year we did our own little victory garden in the backyard, and being in Arizona, anything you can do to help the soil you are growing in is definitely a step in the right direction. I've started planning our spring garden that we'll plant here soon, and so I was inspired to start composting while doing a bit of research for that. Speaking of which...anyone have any ideas how to keep the birds off of my tomatoes? Last year we lost a lot of them to the birds.

So, if you live in Gilbert, please check out their composting program, it's well worth the 10 minutes a week you will invest in it. Or, if you don't live near me, keep an eye on your town's website. Who knows, you may be surprised what all your town is doing to make this a greener planet.

I'll keep you updated on our progress!

You've Got to Watch This!

I just watched this on Just a Girl...WOW.
It IS so good. Please watch it.

Quick Photos

A couple of quick photos of Jocelyn as we were heading out the door the other day...

MOM to the Rescue!

I got this email this morning and just had to share it. If you know who took these photos or perhaps the story to go along with it, please let me know, I would love to give credit where it's due.
MOM TO THE RESCUE

Look at the dog's face ...

He has to be thinking...

"What the hell just happened? Did I just get my *ss kicked by a squirrel!?"

Things You Never Knew About Your Cell Phone

Wow, wow, wow!

I ran across this posting at The Craft Junkie and thought I would spread the love. If you get a chance, be sure to check out the rest of her blog. It is amazing!

I don't know the truth of all of this, but it might be helpful. At the very least it's worth printing out to try, and it will make for good dinner conversation! ;)

5 Things You Never Knew Your Cell Phone Could Do

There are a few things that can be done in times of grave emergencies. Your mobile phone can actually be a life saver or an emergency tool for survival.

FIRST
EmergencyThe Emergency Number worldwide for Mobile is 112. If you findYourself out of the coverage area of your mobile network and there is anEmergency, dial 112 and the mobile will search any existing network toEstablish the emergency number for you, and interestingly, this number 112Can be dialed even if the keypad is locked. Try it out.

SECOND
Have you locked your keys in the car?Does your car have remote keyless entry? This may come in handy someday.Good reason to own a cell phone: If you lock your keys In the car and the spare keys are at home, callsomeone at home on their cell phone from your cell phone Hold your cell phone about a foot fromyour car door and have the person at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the mobile phone on their end. Your car will Unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away, and if you can reach someonewho has the other 'remote' for your car, you can unlock the doors (or thetrunk).

THIRD
Hidden Battery PowerImagine your cell battery is very low. To activate, press the keys *3370#.Your cell phone will restart with this reserve and the instrument will showa 50% Inc! Rease in battery. This reserve will get charged when youCharge your cell phone next time.

FOURTH
How to disable a STOLEN mobile phone?To check your Mobile phone's serial number, key in the following Digits onyour phone: *#06#. A 15-digit code will appear on the screen. This number isunique to your handset. Write it down and keep itSomewhere safe.When your phone get stolen, you can phone your service provider and give them this code. They will then be able to block your handset so even if the thief changes the SIM card, your phone will be totally useless. You probably won't get your phone back, but at least you know that whoever stole it can'tuse/sell it either. If everybody does this, there would be no point in people stealing mobile phones.And Finally....

FIFTH
Free Directory Service for CellsCell phone companies are charging us $1.00 to $175 or more for 411information calls when they don't have to. Most of us do not carry atelephone directory in our vehicle, which makes this situation even more ofa problem. When you need to use the 411 information option, simply dial:(800)FREE411, or (800) 373-3411 without incurring any charge at all.Program this into your cell phone now. I personally tried this one, but the recording on the other end told me this service was unavailable - maybe it's available where you live. (?)This is the kind of information people don't mind receiving, soPass it on to your family and friends.

Wedgie Salad Bar

What a great idea from Reluctant Entertainer today!

A Wedgie Salad Bar.

Go here to get the details.

Please, no, not the ROMPER!

I was in Walmart today and came across this:
That little girl inside me suddenly yelped in pain at the thought that these could actually be coming back.

Then I though, hey, maybe it's just a Walmart thing, and so I went online and found these:

The only reason I can imagine that the romper would ever come 'round again is if the people that decided this was a good look did not actually live through the period of wearing them in the 70's and 80's.
Needless to say, Jocelyn will NOT be getting a romper for spring.

Miniature Golf

So this last Saturday after running errands and having mini meltdowns, we all needed a little down time. Miniature Golf at Golfland was a great stress reliever for all of us.
Joe had a blast, he was enthusiastic the whole time. Joci had a bit of a hard time until we realized what she really wanted to do was hit it herself, even if she did ask for help.

“Life moves pretty fast. If you don’t stop to look around once in a while you could miss it.”
― Matthew Broderick as Ferris Buller,

"Ferris Buller’s Day Off"

Jocelyn

Tomorrow morning Jocelyn will go under and have her third set of ear tubes put in. Last time she went under, a little over a year ago, she also had her adnoids out.

I believe everything will be fine, but I am still nervous.

On the grand scale of things, ear tubes is not a big deal.

But, I am still nervous.

She is my baby, and I worry endlessly about her.

My little Lulu.

Remembering Babies

Lately, I have been missing my little babies. Don't get me wrong, we aren't planning on any more, but there are days when I miss this little guy:And I miss this little miss:I miss holding them in my arms and nuzzling their sweet little necks that smelled faintly of the milk they drank. It's sometimes hard to see these kids of mine growing so fast, up and out of my arms, not wanting me to intrude in their lives so much, and starting to question all of my motives behind the things I ask them to do. Where did the time go...

My Little Ham...