I was going to update everyone on CamMad...

Last night I was going to quickly update everyone on the latest going ons with CamMad but blogger was done and now I've got to get ready for the long work day. Hopefully I can squeeze some time in tonight.

Child2 is another year older

Yesterday was only 24 hours long right? It seemed like it was 36+ hours long. As a family we had a birthday party with a lot of people over, we had the Pats game, and we still needed to get ready for the school week ahead. Fortunately we got everything taken care of and Child2 was so happy to open up the gifts that the generous members of the CamMad family bestowed on this child. We had all of the food that one should have at a child birthday party: Pizza, fries, cake, and ice cream.

We mixed the party and the Pats game so we had some good beer and sausages on the grill. The apps included popcorn and peanuts (doesn't it sound more food for a baseball game). Everyone had a good time and the Pats won the game. I was not in normal game mode due to the party (oh the sacrifice I make for my children) but next week the Pats have a Monday night game so there will be no interruptions!

Child2's favorite gift was the guitar that Grammy got this tone deaf child. All we've heard since the gift was open was the sound of plucking strings making a strange noise that the cat won't even be around for as well as the sounds that might be construed as singing. This child will not be the next Billy Joel, Bob Dylan, James Taylor, okay just insert any successful musician/singer. Today Child2 brought the guitar to spread the enjoyment, thankfully my grandfather is able to turn off the hearing aid when he feels like it.

There were times thoughout the weekend that Child1 was jealous with all the atttention sent on the birthday child. Fortunately Child1 was able to deal with the attention and waited for the meltdown until everyone left. Child2 was so overstimulated that the wakeup time that is normally between 5-6AM was 3:15AM! Yes, I said 3:15AM!!

Why 3:15? Partially because Parent2 had to complete an evaluation at work and thought that was going to be the only time to work on it. The report was complete but tonight Parent2 crashed before Child1 fell asleep. Child2 did fall asleep at 5:30 which made for a quieter ride to work.

Tonight was the first night of an online conference so I may not be blogging as much this week as my mind is being stretched and the only time I can keep up with the content is to do it at night (when I do my blogging). So I'm apollogizing ahead of time.

Until later...

You missed a great posting

Blogger ate my posting tonight. The posting might have won a Pulitzer if I had it in a newsletter. I'll try to recreate it in the morning.

Why does the domino effect sting so badly?

The CamMad household is tired. For some reason everyone tonight was really grumpy and short-fused. The littlest thing seemed to set off a meltdown for the kids. Their meltdowns would start a domino effect with the other child, then myself, and Parent2. No one had the energy to be the solid brick while the dominos starting falling. Unfortunately the week is getting any better with gymnastics and a birthday party hosted at the CamMad casa. We will get through this stage and move on.

It was nice to have the temperatures in the 60's this afternoon. Please come back I would much rather see those temperatures versus the temperatures to come!

I hope everyone has a great Thursday. There is a good chance you won't hear from CamMad tomorrow as the social calendar is pretty full. So I mind as well say have a great Thursday and Friday!

Yea Me!

That was the cry I made when I didn't feel any discomfort in my back throughout the day. I only had to take one dossage of medicine.

I would have to agree with Sheepish that this seems a long week. It is not an unusual week work wise it just seems long. I guess the honeymoon of school has worn off and I know realize the school year is a marathon not a sprint!

CamMad both had good days. Child2 did have an accident but this evening we had a successful trip to the bathroom. Child1 has such a good disposition around school that it helps me realize how lucky we are as a family.

This may be the week of VoIP. Sunday we had to deal with the router interrupting our Internet, not good for someone who's job it is to be "connected". Yesterday things seemed quiet but today we were not so lucky. Parent2 tried calling me to let me know where things stood work-wise. I could hear Parent2 but it was not mutual. After spending a half hour trying a variety of things (changing the chord, trying a different phone, moving the physical location of the receiver, etc.) I called the service provider and I had to reduce the bandwith, THANKS TIMEWARNER! I'm hoping this will be the last I mention about VoIP.

Have a great evening everyone, just remember tomorrow is "hump day".

Whoa!

Today was an interesting day. I know it was a good day but at times it seemed surreal. I tweaked my back racking yesterday. I knew I did something to it while raking but it wasn't that bad. The problem came this morning taking back all of my stuff to school. My backpack was heavy and I strained the back. Throughout the day I could feel the muscles saying, "You idiot! Why didn't you wait until most of the leaves had fallen!" I'll be fine, don't worry about me. Alleve and Tyenol are on the night time menu!

Child1 had a late night and an earlier morning. By the ride around the southern part of the state this afternoon I was fighting the battle with Sleeptown. Fortunately I won but we were all on pins and needles as the smallest thing would set of the sleeping grouch!

Child2 is making a push for a change in undergarmets. We did have an accident but we have used the Sheepish philosophy to undergarmets so we should be all set. Child2 seemed to feed off of Child1's sleepish grouchiness and was exhibiting behavior that less than ideal. When it did come to the ride to Sleepytown the Child fought it but the Child is sleeping now so all is good in the world.

Parent2 got home from work late and went grocery shopping so we all were a little off but we were able to keep it together. I'm putting off the house work that needs to be done partially due to the back and partially because I want to keep up on an exciting online conference that got underway today.

For those who care the VoIP router seems to be working fine. 1 day at a time I guess. At work someone thought my computer was a DHCP server so who knows what might be going on tech wise at the house of CamMad.

Until the next time you read this blog I bid you adieu.

Frying Food Does Taste Better

Let me start off by saying I hope I can finish this post in one sitting. This time it would not be CamMad that get in the way (notice the time stamp) it is our high speed Internet that has been inconsistent all day. The troubleshooting shows that it might be the VoIP router (great).

Today was a weird day. The Pats took the week off, I'll let them especially when they are 4-1! We got the cousins together at the Matriach's house. My brother thought he was going to clear the leaves at her house in 20 minutes. After 25 minutes I went to the local hardware store and bought a rake and the two of us were out there for another 45 minutes. The sad thing is that half of the leaves hadn't even fallen yet and we'll have to do it one more time, at least! I'm not sure which is worse shoveling snow or raking leaves. They're both tasks that have to be done but we definitely don't enjoy it. The only good side was the fact that I didn't feel guilty about what I ate at lunch.

After the raking we decided to take the Matriach out for lunch and thank her for putting up with the events of Friday the 13th. I'm not going to blog about the specifics as there are so many little stories that make up the day it wouldn't translate well in the written word. We decided to go to TGIFridays because of the kid-friendly atmosphere and the kids got to eat free! We decided to get some apps and my brother joked about the Fried Green Beans. More specifically he didn't think I would enjoy it. To his surprise I said "Sure let's get it!" I have to admit I enjoy green beans more now than I did when I was a kid (thank you Bentley College and your Chicken Bentley, Rice Pilaf, and Green Bean Almondine meals I lived off of my junior and senior year). The app was quite enjoyable. Child1 didn't know what to make of it. The whole concept of Fried Veggies was something totally out of the realm of reality.

We finished our meals and parted ways. Our next stop was to make our way to the Circle store and pick up some odds and ends. By the time we made it home most of the afternoon was gone and we had a lot of stuff still to do in order to face the fact that Monday is the next day. We did the absolute minimum and I'm not looking forward to the next few nights as we play catch up with the chores.

Well I just had to unplug the VoIP and I think I will be making a phone call to my VoIP service provider or making a trip to the local office supplies store tomorrow. Yeah me!

What's New...Nothing!

I know it has been a few days since I've blogged but I've actually been blogging quite a bit (professionally) so I haven't been as motivated to blog personally. There really hasn't been much going on with CamMad to blog about but here is a summary of the week.

Child1 is wrestling with the idea of Scouts. I think it may be a year too soon but it is not totally my decision. School is going well however we are facing the "cool" factor. Why can't kids let kids be kids?

Child2 can not stop talking and it is driving everyone else bonkers. I know it is the age but even Sheepish would agree that this is a little excessive. With a birthday looming all we are hearing about is what presents would make this little child happy. I don't think an 18-wheeler from Toys R Us would make this child happy.

We all survived Friday the 13th. It was an unusual day with a lot of little things going on but it is now history and we are going to leave it there.

Maybe tomorrow (no Pats game) I'll be more focused mentally to personally blog until then...

Thank You Columbus!

Today is the observed holiday celebrating Christopher Columbus. Everyone in the CamMad family had the day off, I know that not everyone is so lucky. We wanted to take advantage of this beautiful fall day prior to the cold weather that is luming in the coming months.

Child2 decided to make the waking day as long as possible by waking up like it was a regular work day (ugh!). I got up with Child2, I will admit that I lounged on the couch half awake-half asleep which turned into 20% awake 80% asleep at times. Child1 woke up later and I made cinammon rolls for the family (don't bother asking for a recipe it was store bought ones that you put in the oven). I took a quick siesta and then we put a plan together for the day.

The plan centered around the corn maize at Pumpkin Valley Farm, in Dayton. Here is a picture of the challenge the family endured:


There are 10 stops along the way to help you navigate your way through the maze. We found 9 out of the 10 stops. We missed number 9 but we weren't willing to go back to find it! It took us about an hour + to complete the maze and to our knowledge we didn't get lost. Why didn't we heed the weather forecast and wear short sleeves or even shorts? It was warm in the maze. Who would have thought it was October?

Due to the timing of our trip we went home to relax. The kids got a chance to play outside and I was able to get some school work done (ugh!). Tonight we have to face the reality of getting back into the swing of work. Our next scheduled day off won't be until Veteran's Day, November 10th. Birthdays don't count as a day off!

It's Sunday and the Weekend Is Not Over

So far this weekend it has been quite enjoyable. We've socialized, we've had physical activity, we've ate good food, but sleep has been a shaky situation.

First off the weekend started with a bowling outing with Sheepish. It was great to see Sheepish and CamMad was more excited. It was nice for the 'rents because we were able to get a brief break from the constant attention that CamMad demands. I'm sorry Sheepish if you felt abandoned at times. Unfortunately Sheepish made a wrong turn and she could not join us for lunch (or was it an intentional wrong turn?). For the record I won the first game and Child1 won the second game (granted the computer gave the child a strike in the last frame that was not earned but we're not too competitive).

We did some shopping in the area and made our way home. Nothing else to report about Saturday (oh yeah we should have a moment of silence as the Yankees lost).

Sunday came and it represented the socialization of CamMad. The House on the Hill was the hub of neighborhood as kids came over to play today. I got to enjoy the Pats game without the worry that work was calling my name. I've taken the attitude of my sister-in-law it can wait until tomorrow. Tonight we are going to appreciate the fact that Columbus came to this country and the powers that be determined we should celebrate with a day off. I'm hoping that CamMad goes to sleep prior to 9 pm but I'm not holding out hope as sleep patterns say differently.

Now I need to remember to back up my hard drive before something bad happens to it.

A rare Thursday entry

Due to the fact that forces that align the life of CamMade were kind to me I have a little time to blog before I have to dive into my lesson plans for tomorrow that I had to scrap thanks to my last class that was watching the government's immediate reaction to Katrina.  I digress...

Child2 had a very busy day today as the second cousins came over for a visit.  When I did the pick up today everyone was wiped out!  Fortunately Child2 has been in good space that we went to Child1's gymnastics lesson and ate a decent dinner.  Knock on wood, the child is asleep right now.  Sssshhhh, we need to be very quiet!!!!!

Child1 seems to be like a sponge at school lately.  They are studying Nursery Rhymes right now and everyday Child1 has learned new material and spends time in the car teaching Child2 new material.  From the front seat it is quite funny listening to the mini-classroom in the backseat.  Child1 has stated on numerous occassions that the career pathway includes teaching.  I'm trying to talk the silly one out of that decision.  I've aged more this year than the last 3 combined!

This weekend I've got to talk a closer look at all of the bells and whistles with this blog editor, WriteToMyBlog.com.  It is still a beta version but so far I'm impressed with the possibilities with some of these buttons.

Speaking of the weekend, Sheepish you better get your bowling shoes ready, watch the movie "King Pin", and stretch because CamMad is gearing up for the bumper bowling barrage (did you like the alliteration or was it assonance I don't remember).  THe weather is looking great and I hope everyone can take advantage of this great fall weekend!

Trying out a new blog entry service

This is not a CamMad blog entry.  I'm trying out a new web word processor for a blog called WriteToMyBlog.  How does it look?

When Did They Grow Up?

Not a whole lot of new news to report on the CamMad front as the school week usually monopolizes all of our time. There were several points during the course of the day that I didn't feel like I was talking to CamMad at their ages but I was talking to the 20-something version. I felt like I missed them growing up (I may look back and wish for that when they are in their teens).

One particular conversation I had with Child1 after school and I swear that this child was grown up and we were having a thoughtful conversation with genuine insight and purpose. It scared me quite a bit because I was talking to my child was is not a 20-something.

Even though Child2 can not tell time I swear the internal body clock is accurate to the minute. In trying to put Child2 down tonight I stated that I would be back in 10 minutes. To the minute this little one was calling out asking for me to do a check in. I wish the internal body clock would have the snooze button at 3:40 in the AM!

Hey Sheepish, CamMad is getting ready for the bowling showdown this weekend.

Weekend Recap

Sheepish complains about being in a rut in her blog. CamMad is in a rut. Our rut is not one by design, although I'm not complaining. We had the best of intentions on taking the kids to the Trolley Museum for their Pumpkin Patch Ride and/or go apple picking on Saturday before the bad weather came on Sunday.

Here's what we did do on Saturday. Child2 woke up with a runny nose. We made an executive decision to stay home and not have the runny nose any worse. Then came the long discussion around Mikey. We wanted to see how Child1 would handle additional responsibility around the house as a litmus test. In our eyes Child1 should a willingness to do more around the house and we made the necessary arrangments to bring Mikey to CamMad's house.

The interesting benefit of our work on Saturday was the fact that we have a much cleaner house as we all pitched in a started to make things "kitty" proof. The logic I'm selling is if we can have the house picked up for Sunday night then we need to maintain Monday-Friday. We need all hands on deck to keep this goal going as CamMad has the habit of making clutter appear from nowhere.

Sunday was a traditional Patriots Sunday. Work in the morning and dedicate the afternoon to football. The only problem was at 12:45 when I was getting everything ready I realize the game is not until 4:15, ugh! I made lemonade out of the situation and did some great curriculum planning around my first grade Nursery Rhyme unit.

4:15 rolled around and everyone was doing something different. CamMad was playing and stalking the cat. Parent2 was doing something (I was too focused on the game) and I was getting ready for kickoff. The game was the way I like it, tough first half but the Patriots dominate in the second half.

As I type this I'm starting my transition to a long week full of stuff (politics) at work. Have a great week (with a long weekend as a reward).

Meet Mikey

Can everyone say hi to Mikey?An interesting side note. Thanks to the stalking that CamMad has done to the cat. The cat has seemed to find me a calming influence. The cat has sat next to me and rubbed my leg, which is more than what the cat has given CamMad.

The Newest Member of the CamMad Family

No we are not telling the world of a new child! CamMad welcomed home today Mikey. Mikey is a cat who's previous owner had to give him up due to allergies. Those of you who know me know that I'm not crazy about pets. At this point I did it for the kids. I will tolerate the cat.

As we speak CamMad is following the cat around the house as Mikey is trying to get accustomed to the house. The poor cat must feel like CamMad is the papparrazi stalking him. Later in the day I will try to get a picture of the cat to post.