Dear Diary...

Oh Happy Day

My favorite blog/party planner is living my dream.  Jordan Ferney moved to Paris for a year.  She's also running a contest to celebrate her new website, Oh Happy Day, which includes airfare, hotel, and a guided tour around her favorite hot spots!  I miss Paris exceedingly. 

You can enter her contest too, here- Join Oh Happy Day in Paris.

Here is where I'd include a picture of me next to the Eiffel Tower if I could find the darned thing.  Darned non-digital era visits to Paris!  (It's been that long since I've been- I think I had a film elph last time I went.)

June 2

Day after Cameron's birthday did not go as well.

First thing is that he asked to open more presents.  I was, "Uh, you opened your presents last night." *Beyblade, digital camera, Star Wars game of Life (high cost on eBay since it's out of production), expensive birthday party*  "What no more presents?  Didn't you get me more for my birthday party?" "Uh no."  BIrthday party is a $350 Game Truck for 2 hours, plus pizza, cake, and drinks for 25 people (12 kids and other adults.)  So no, no more birthday presents from us. Jerk.

Then he moaned about doing his chores.  No more moaning allowed.  Period. 

My mom and I picked him up from school and he was a jerk.  No hellos, or anything.  We've just about had it.  We walked him to the house and I grabbed him and said to knock it off, that he was being a jerk.  Jerk.  He got out his homework and turned on the television while his grandmother was there to visit.  AFTER I told him to knock it off. I sent him to his room and I took my mother back to her hotel. I returned and he was "asleep"- pretending.  Discovered it. Apparently he did fall asleep eventually and didn't go to lacrosse practice.

Mom and I went to the movies- Bridesmaids again for me- still funny. Then dropped her off at her hotel.  Arrived at home, no hello from the jerk.  It was his bedtime and he didn't say anything.  (Jeff had instructed him that he was to apologize to me when I got home.)

Long story short, we read him the riot act about his behavior improving or there will be nothing.  All that goes on in this house revolves around him- scouts, lacrosse, Rockstar.  If his general moaning doesn't improve, he will lose these.

He treats us (his mother and father) like shit and it won't be allowed anymore.  He'll lose everything- his room will be stripped (no toys, books, coloring stuff, toys, etc.) and he'll have one set of clothes and pajamas that he will learn to wash every afternoon.  He will spend all of his time in his empty room and earn his stuff back. I'm serious. Not to mention no television or video games.

We have had it.  Period.  Of course there is more, but this is more than enough dirty laundry aired for one night.

His party tomorrow night is still on, but if I get one tiny WHIFF of attitude, he will be spending all night in his room, under the covers while everyone else enjoys the party.

June 1 placeholder

Cam's tenth birthday.  Ten years.  I loved every minute and hated some of them.

Pictures to come.  They're on his first digital camera.  Repurposed, but still cool when you're ten.  He also got a board game and a special Japanese beyblade.  (We'll see how long the beyblade lasts.  Hopefully longer than the pokemon.  No more money is being spent on beyblades.

My mom picked him up for school and ice cream as a surprise. He was a jerk and all he wanted was to go back to school to play with his beyblade.  Jerk.

Then we went to the Palm for dinner. He had lobster- he named this one Lloyd. Last year's was Kevin. He unwrapped his gifts- those mentioned above from us, and then another board game from his grandmother and shorts/ rashguard for his trip to the Jersey shore.  I hope Ann remembers to take lots of photos (Cam too, since he's got the new camera.)

He got a the beyblade when he woke up.  He helped frost cupcakes for his class. Vanilla/vanilla with a sour patch kit.  Jeff took him El Pollo Loco for lunch when he took his meds at lunchtime.  He was pleased.

Kid is entitled.  Spoiled, dare I say.

lazy day

Went to see Bridesmaids and loved it. Watched Pirates 1 with the boy. He's still coughing up a storm, but going back to school after a week's absence nonetheless. He insisted that he wouldn't like Dr. Who, but it only took the opening notes of the theme song to get him hooked.  That and Roseanne are his new things.  He's watched all available episodes of Futurama.

Lazy day otherwise.  Folded laundry, emptied and loaded dishwasher.

Now watching Game of Thrones.  Put that one on my Kindle, all four.  Summer reading.  I've read about seven or eight of the Cherub books and have decided that the latest one, Mad Boys, is unsuitable for Cameron's consumption anymore (the others were questionable, but the lead character loses his virginity in a rather graphic scene to someone who is not his girlfriend.)  To appease him, I bought him the Henerson's Boys books- same author, but based in 1940s WWII- his forte.  I'll read them to preview and see if they're more appropriate. Of course I was reading stuff way out of my league at his age.  LOL- Dad's Penthouse and Playboys on the back of the toilet.  Times have changed.

Sunday

(lost post... not going to re-try.)

bbq at jeffrie's....

jeff was baking his specialty- lemon pies.  a whole pitcher.  they were a hit.

don't know where the pictures are.

ooh- I remember... I had jeff take one of me just about sleeping.

No Flags

Sadly, we were unable to attend the flag planting or the camping trip for scouts this weekend.  We'll make up for it by spending an hour or so unplanting flags one afternoon this week.

Otherwise it was a relaxing day- I did chores and Cam had 30 minutes of screen time and 30 minutes of other activity time.  We ended up spending some time in the sun around Jeff's new awning.  Of course I underestimate the whiteness of my skin and ended up with a nice warm sunburn- stupid- every year I do the same thing. Cam planted his chair on a fat bit of my arm and plopped down in the chair.  I ended up with a nice blood blister and bruise.  He hasn't stopped apologizing.

Humpty Day

Finally.  Or halfway to finally.  I started pulling stuff off my clotheslines.  Not going to take the stuff off the wall until the week before school ends.  Since I'm leaving my room, I have to get all my textbooks together along with the peripheral stuff.  So much junk!  So much stuff that the companies send.  Ugh.

Jef bought me 11 bins from Target and I have to pack up all of my stuff to get out and into the garage for the summer.

Cam had Treehouse and I cooked for the 20 kids- mac and cheese for dinner (from scratch!)  Cukes, grapes, and brownies rounded it out.  After coming home we played Ticket to Ride Europe.  I won, so it was very fun.  It has Risk elements, but in a way that I enjoy.  I think we'll be playing this one more often.

Open House Tuesday

Today was a normal day, but instead of doing math we put together our mini-science projects- Cleaning Dirty Pennies.  Ugh, some kids just have so many problems following directions and trying to get 22 students to cut out some 15 pieces of paper, glue them properly on a science fair board (small, made of manila folders), plus doing an experiment, copying correctly (we all did the same projects.)  It was more about learning HOW to make a science fair project rather than learning about science.  They came out fine, only one student did his project upside down- not a surprise. (Of course he didn't come to Open House... surprise- NOT.)

Then it was after school, and not enough time to go home before Open House.  Four of us went to El Segundo and browsed some shops and then went out to dinner.  We snuck in and parents already were knocking on doors.  I locked myself in with the lights out and changed into a dress, and just refused to start early, despite the walking.

I had a pretty good turnout 18/22.  It was a loooong day. By the time I got home, I was only ready for one thing- bed.  Okay- two- relaxing.

Now I'm watching Castle for the season finale.  I've heard a lot about it.  It's looking ineresting with fifteen minutes. Left

Apparently Brooks asked Jeff if Cameron would play STARZ lacrosse this summer. We're still waiting on the particulars.  We're still traveling- Cam to New Jersey and he and I to HMB.  It's got to fit into OUR schedule.  Jeff's so committed, I can see other things going out the window. My mom isn't going to be one of the things that will be foregone.

Also, Seneca Lacrosse is full- the kids run their own program and have put a cap on the number- they have four goalies, but no one dedicated.  I wish they could see him play.  Cam's only going to get better over the summer.  We'll work on his conditioning and his clearing- definite weaknesses, things that can be better.

knackered today

I came home after not feeling great all day long.  No particular complaint, other than a bunch of small things that have added up.  Sore uvula from snoring on my back all night (poor Jeff), runny nose all day and the resulting chapped nostrils, hot eyeballs, strong desire for a nap.  Sigh.  I slept last night from about 7:30-9 while cuddling with a sick Cameron.  He was feeling vomity and wanted to cuddle.  No actual vomiting, but he said his stomach felt like a nuclear war was going on inside.

I fell alseep cuddling with Cam before eight and barely woke when Jeff told me to take my glasses off.

Minorly sick mom. Cuddling in bed with the kitties.

busy busy sunday

The boys slept in until six.  Yes, six.  They got up so they could play games early before Matt had to leave to go back to site with me, in the rain.  Yes, rain. We didn't have any food, so I had to run to McDonald's for McMuffins for the whole crew. Then Matt and I went out to site through various degrees of rain, from a light mist to pouring, all in 20 miles.

We got there and it was pretty decent, but walking him to Commedia was in the downpour.

Then the bipolar weather changed and it got sunny.  All-in-all it was a lovely day.  I helped get the Tavern set up and went to the Bell for a while. I had a long red wig and Jeffrie's old bodice.  Jen took a picture that I'll eventually post. Tom D. from church saw me, actually it was his four year old daughter that said, "Hey, there's Cam's mom," as I'm in complete white face makeup and tarty clothes.  It was nice they came- dressed up and ready for fun.

I left at 1:15 and headed out to El Segundo for lacrosse playoffs.  Cam's team lost, as expected, but they made their opponents work for it.  Cameron had the game of the season.  He stopped at least 30 major goals and just about shut down the opposing star shooter.

We came home and Cam was so nauseated... he didn't even want to play video games, just cuddle and watch television.  We did, and I pretty much napped too.