KARL CONRAD!!!

That is what you could hear me screaming when I found him up on the bbq eating the dog food. So gross! Not only was he covered in grease from the dirty bbq, but dog food smells so nasty. I cleaned him off and as I went out of the room he ran out back and did the same exact thing. He gets out back real easy now, since he disconnected the screen from the frame.....I am pretending it is like a doggie door for KC. He is such a busy boy.....climbs on EVERYTHING! He pulls the kitchen chairs up to the fridge and floods my kitchen floor. I finally realized I can lock the dispenser...duh! Anyways, this all took place in less than 1/2 hour. I am not complaining.....I would so much rather deal with this stuff than teenage stuff. That I am not looking forward to.

I know this looks bad, but this kids is like Spiderman the way he scales up everything!

There he is....getting his supper!

I Got Me A Jacket!

You really don't have to tell me I am a dork. I recogize that about myself....it is one way I would describe me. With that being said......I am really excited. I now have an Oakridge Adidas jacket that has the words "PERSONAL TRAINER" on the back. I met with the fitness director at my gym and now that I am certified, I am an official trainer there. I am really excited about it. I don't have any clients there yet, but that is ok, because I have the jacket. I am also going to get two t-shirts as well. I am not being sarcastic when I say that makes me happy! I have worked hard, and this has been one of my long term goals, and I am kind of giddy about it. I am not looking forward to the picture and bio they are going to post in the workout area, but I'll get over that. I am not kidding when I tell you that when Brandi was showing me around all of the "trainer stuff" and telling everyone I got certified and am going to start training there, I was the biggest goof and would say, "yeah, look at my jacket" ....with a dorky smile on my face. So, it was a good morning...except for the hour I spent waiting to see the doctor for KC. He was a nightmare in the waiting area, and it took forever! Since there is no controlling him, I have gotten so use to people's looks when he is screaming his high pitch scream. I don't even get embarassed anymore. I did get to see my favorite midwife there, and she was so happy when I told her I wasn't pregnant. Is it bad when your midwife advises you to not have anymore kids....and not because of medical reasons? That makes her sound not very nice....but she really is.....she just knows how I am when I am pregnant and is the one that has to deal with me when I am. After a quick fix at the doctors for KC's rash I had to pick Charlie up for school, and his teacher actually told me how good he has been. So, today has been pleasant for the most part.

Right now, James is at his first middle school dance. When I got the permission slip it said that parents could go if they wanted. You should have seen James's face when I told him he could go, and asked him where he wanted to meet me for the dance. He didn't want to hurt my feelings, but he didn't hide his lack of excitement either. I wish I could be a fly on the wall and see what a goofball he is. If he is a punk, which he kind of has been lately, I will threaten to go to the next one and dance the whole time! He is really growing up, and it is just crazy to me.

My Kids Think I'm The Best

This is very rare for me, so I am going to document that right now my kids think I am fantastic! Why? Well, because we brought out all of the Halloween stuff and put it all over the house. I understand that it isn't even October yet, but the celebrating has begun. George absolutely lives for Halloween. He was born one hour after Halloween. At the time, I did everything in my power to prevent having a Halloween baby, but I now regret not walking around and trying to get him here on Halloween. George has had his costume for this year planned since 2005. He got mad at Charlie for wanting to be the same thing he was last year.....luckily, we were able to change Charlie's mind, because George just wasn't going to have it. George collects masks and loves wearing them throughout the year. George is a little odd, but I think he gets some of it from me, because our rule is you can wear masks anytime, except on Halloween. Halloween is the time to be creative and go all out! George use to wear his masks to the daycare at the gym, but they had to ask him to stop, because he would wear them and just stand still and stare at the little kids until he freaked the crud out of them. He is a bit odd, and that is one of the things I adore about him. Anyways, the Halloween stuff is out. So, if you come by my house and notice a bunch of dust and spiderwebs....it is part of the decor...ok......not that I am not cleaning!

It's About Time!

I can't even express how relieved, happy, and exhausted I am. I have been taking every spare moment I have to soak up as much info for my personal training exam that I possibly could. Children, meals, house cleaning has all been neglected. I wanted to retake my test as soon as possible....so, I made an appointment to take it this morning. I was so nervous. I was way more nervous this time. I felt pretty confident. When I am determined to do something, I consume myself in it until I get it done.....I hate failing, but I think it is good to fail. It made me learn more, and actually built my self confidence a bit. After taking the test you have to go to the main desk and get your results. I am pretty sure I was a little shaky....I know I was sweating....a complete mess. Then I heard the two most beautiful words...."YOU PASSED". I think I almost cried. When I took it the first time, and didn't pass, I was angry....now I was so happy I wanted to cry. Scott was overjoyed....he now has his wife back. Everyone had to sacrifice while I prepared, and I am so glad to get back to my normal life. Not that it is very normal. Anyways, thanks for all of the kind wishes....and gifts!!! Scott was very sweet and brought home flowers in the middle of the day to congratulate me. After picking the boys up, we took a trip to 7 eleven for celebratory slurpees. I had decided that if I didn't pass I would go take an afternoon spin class, but since I did, the kids and I are going to make cookies!

Update

It is so nice to know that my buddies have my back. Just wanted to let everyone know that the "KC" situation has calmed down a bit. The gym told me not to worry about it, and I hold zero liability. I am sure they are regretting ever hiring me there.....but I have been there almost 6 years, and this is the first legal dilemna I've caused...not bad!

As far as my testing goes, I have been studying like crazy, except for the last few days. I got hit with a yucky cough, cold, aches, you name it. I was really sick, and it was hard to concentrate on my studies. It could be all of the cold medicine fogging my head up. I have missed a couple of classes, but I am going to attempt to teach bootcamp tomorrow. So, I was going to take the test AGAIN this Friday, but I think I will give myself a few extra days to clear my head, and do it next week. If I fail I will need my friends to go eat something really fattening with me....heck if I pass we should go eat something fattening.....either way, it's a good excuse to have fun! Luckily, my kids are staying mostly healthy....KC is teething some more...uh oh, more weapons..haha!

And I Thought I Was A Jerk!!!

I have five billion things to do right now, but since I am totally distracted I am going to vent on my blog. We've been having a lot of George issues lately, and this morning was no exception!!! All morning long I listened to him freak out about anything and everything.....I was very proud of myself for keeping myself under control. He eventually calmed down halfway to school. After dropping the kids off at school, it was time to take Charlie to his first day of preschool. My camera broke recently, so thank you to Robbie for bringing over his camera for me to borrow. I am so lazy right now, I will post the pics later. Anyways, Charlie was great and could have cared less that we were leaving him. As I was there, I realized there was a parent picnic with the kids at 11:00. At 11:00 I was suppose to shower and wait for the groceries. Oh well, I was able to reschedule my grocery delivery (yes, I get my groceries delivered, and it is not expensive.....if you spend more than a billion dollars, you usually get free delivery...anyways...) I had to teach my bootcamp from 9:30 to 10:30, and that would give me just enough time to pick up a healthy lunch from Carls Jr. with french fries, soda and all!!! As I was walking into the gym, one of the managers took me aside and told me we had a slight situation. Well, Thursday night while I was teaching, KC bit a little girl on the cheek. I felt really bad for the little girl. I was going to wait to talk to the mother and apologize, but I was late picking up James, and had to leave. Apparantly, this mother was more than ticked off. If you remember, I posted not too long ago about another mother who was totally TO'd that he daughter's face got scratched. So, he is not a first time offender. Anyways, this mother has been complaining to the gym, and is claiming her daughter's face is infected, blah, blah, blah. Looks like it will be going to the legal department! When KC bit her that night, I looked at the little girl's face to see how bad it was. I remember saying, "oh good, I am glad he didn't break the skin, just looks like a bad bruise". So, how can her cheek be infected if there was no open wound? hmmmm? We are pretty sure this lady is out to get some money, and I am the problem causer!!! Not what I wanted to deal with. I would like to meet this lady and bite her!!! I am not sure where KC gets this aggression from....it's crazy! Luckily, I got to beat the crud out of the bags during my bootcamp class and didn't even care that I could barely breath from my yucky cold I got hit with this weekend. I have been on the other side of this before, and understand that kids are kids. Nobody likes it when their kids get hurt, unfortunately when you put kids together there are stinkers like KC that go on attack. Is it because he is the youngest of 5 boys and he wants to rule for a little......who knows. Anyways, I want to give a shout out to Stephanie Lovio for being super cool when KC attacked her sweet Syndey during nursery at church. I felt so bad, and Stephanie was so sweet and understanding.....thank you Stephanie!!! So, I thought my challenge today would be getting all of the laundry done and put away.....oh no, it's not that easy! Ok, thanks for reading my venting session. Is it possible that I could have a child worse than George? Oh No!!!

ps I don't mean to be such a complainer.....but I think this blog thing is helping me to not have to be committed. Hopefully I will have pleasant, beautiful things to write about soon! Life could be so much worse, it's really not bad, just part of life, right? Plus, I feel much better!

pss......watch out for this predator.....lock up small children and valuables.....

Scoring Big

So, I don't really want to dwell on my low score from yesterday....so I won't, because I totally scored today. I honestly did not write yesterday's post so everyone would feel bad for me, because I really am ok. I want to thank everyone for their kind thoughts AND kind gestures! I am so thankful for my friends and really appreciate you guys. It is so nice to know that I have such a great support system. I studied and studied AND studied as much as I could today. During my morning study session I had my phones turned off......Pam dropped off a sweet card, Diet Pepsi and a bag of Red Vines at my front door.....she knows me well.....Pam, how did you know that I am completely out of Diet Pepsi and licorice.....which are staples in my house! If my camera was working I would have taken a picture, because it was such a beautiful sight. I usually don't eat licorice for lunch, but today it was necessary. I picked the boys up from school, got them settled in and started my studying again. My doorbell rang, and there stood Lori with a gift for me. I couldn't believe it! How great are my friends?!? She gave me a very cute card and a bag of Tutti Fruiti Jelly Bellies! How fantastic is that? Especially after the trauma of Albertsons discontuing them. Just so you know, Lori found them at the Ralphs in Wood Ranch. Anyways, I was feeling really tired this afternoon, and a handful (or two or three) of those jelly bellies were like the best uppers ever. I felt renewed and ready to take on the gym, my kids, and this studying! I was joking with Lori how I should put a pity box on my front door and everyone can just drop off dinners and treats. I just want to clarify that I was totally joking. At first, I was very hesitant to tell the world about my recent defeat, but I wear my emotions on my sleeve, so I figured why hide it! It really was a nice day to feel everyone's support and vote of confidence....so thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

Confessions From.....A Not So Smart Girl

I have had 120 days to study for my personal certification test....yes one hundred, twenty days! I am a procrastinator. I think I work best under pressure. It wasn't like I wasn't studying, I just wasn't studying as often as I should have been. I had made an appointment to take my test this morning. Monday was a holiday, so I had scheduled myself to study ALL day Tuesday, and really cram! Well, while I was teaching my 8:30 am class yesterday, my cell phone kept ringing. I checked it right after and had a few messages from my mom and sister. Turns out my mom had to be admitted into the hospital immediately. She had her heart surgery 6 weeks ago, and was doing very well. Unfortunately, the night before, her heart rate was sky high.....140bpm. The average heart rate is 70-80. Just to preface....this totally screwed up my plans!!! Luckily, Scott was able to leave work and take over the house, kids and carpool. I got a sub for my spin class and went down to the hospital with the intention of studying while we waited. Anyways, there wasn't much down time....Mom ended up having to have her heart shocked, and that was successful in bringing her heart rate down. I was going to sit and wait for her to come out of anasthesia and hang out with her until she could get discharged.....meaning study time, BUT, I was starving and had to get some food. Came back to the hospital and hung out with my mom, and basically got zero studying done! Not good! After I got home, Scott took most of the kids to football practice. I kind of had a quiet house, made dinner and got what I thought was enough studying in. I was hoping I was smart enough to get a passing grade. Just so you know.....I'm not! I totally FAILED!!! Scott felt really bad for me, I don't feel bad for me.....my main emotion is anger! I am so ticked! I plan on retaking the test....hopefully by the end of next week. I am a bit compulsive....I plan on soaking up as much knowledge as my teeny little brain can hold! Now, if I fail next week I am sure I will be sad. I wish I could say this was the worst part of my day, but I think I have come to the realization that there are so many worse things in life....but I am still going to vent. Luckily, my mom's incident was successful, but still an emotional day. Today, was just a crappy day.....but also a good day, and I appreciated it. Like I said, Scott was sad for me, and since he knows food is my drug of choice, took me out to lunch....he even offered Tommy's, but I wasn't that depressed, plus it isn't Valentine's Day! So, we went to Carl's (yes, it is a bit healthier). I figured since I was going to be devoting my life to the personal training manual, I would need some power food to get me through it....what else besides Tutti Fruiti jelly bellies. So, I ran into Albertsons, and they are no longer selling them out of the bins. I spoke with the lady that worked there, I think she felt bad for me and could see the sadness in my eyes, or maybe because I told her that I was about to cry. Honestly, the fact that Albertsons is no longer selling my precious jelly bellys stung more than my failing grade! Luckily the 500 tootsie rolls I ate numbed that sting! Once the kids were home from school, I got to deal with a "George" afternoon.....constant fighting, whining, and zero reasoning. That just about did me in. I had my bootcamp class tonight, and was looking forward to releasing my aggression....I get to the gym and realize my ipod is frozen. ALL of my workout music is on my ipod! I scrounged up the last of my existing CDs to see if I could put something together. 2 minutes before my class started I was able to restart my ipod, and had my music.....yeah! I knew it would be a good class after jump roping to Run DMC....It's Tricky.......so good. I feel like it was a good class, and I really needed it. I've got more than half of my kids to bed...the house is kind of clean. I am ready to STUDY! So, if my phone rings and goes to the answering machine, it is because that is one of the rare moments I get to study without kid distractions. Just a few more complaints....my camera broke...hopefully we can fix it somehow......my computer broke....Scott ran out and bought me a new one, even though we are really trying to save money......it is one thing after the next. Ugh! I was a bit grumpy before I had to leave for the gym, and it is amazing how one experience can turn you around. It's nothing big, but I was bathing the youngest 3. While they were in the bath, the shower head accidentally turned on, and KC had the funniest, excitable laugh. It made me smile and made me realize life really is good. OK....I've gotta go study........I was so looking forward to getting this scrabble tournament put together.....looks like it will be later this month. I am smart at things that don't matter....watch out, because I play scrabble much smarter than I take tests! At least I think I do...at this point, who knows?