Blissfully Unaware of the Chaos the Surrounds Me

San Francisco Field Trip . . .

I just returned from an amazing two-day adventure with Dylan's 7th grade class. What fun! (Although I am still beyond exhausted. Far beyond . . . )

We spent time at California Academy of Sciences, the Japanese Tea Gardens, the Botanical Gardens and the de Young Museum. Our accommodations? A beautiful campground in the middle of the Presidio! Who knew? The only downside to the beautiful Rob Hill Campground, hidden within the city? The traffic copters circling over our heads beginning at 5:00 am to report on the Golden Gate traffic flow. Ugh. 

I failed to take the GPS unit and instead relied on the printed directions given to us by the teachers and my iPhone. Oh, and the 7th grade boys in my car. Let's just say that I'll be taking the GPS next time! I was sailing down there . . . easy-peasy and then managed to miss the exit off 101 into the Presidio. Ouch. So I pulled over, looked at Google maps and somehow drove up the steepest hill in the city and then back down it. With stop signs at every block. Awesome! I did, however, find where we were supposed to go.

Then . . . drumroll, please . . . I screwed it up AGAIN on the way to the campground. I MISSED THE EXIT TO THE PRESIDIO AGAIN . . . this time, going the opposite direction. Which in laymen's terms means? I had to cross the Golden Gate, turn around in Marin and Cross. The. Golden. Gate. Again. That'll be $6, please! Lesson learned? Don't hesitate to exit just after (southbound) or just before (northbound) the bridge. Do. Not. Hesitate. Oh, and don't forget to bring your GPS.

Highlights?

The giggles and whispered discussion of above-mentioned 7th grade boys when reading about banana slug penises at the Science Museum. Apparently, those slugs can be pretty well endowed . . . their goods get to be about the same size as their bodies! And sometimes, that can get them into trouble. In which case, another banana slug has to gnaw his friend's penis off to de-tangle him from wherever it is that he is trapped. By his big penis. As you can imagine, that was very humorous to a group of 13 year-old boys!

Fireside skits by the students. 95% of them mocking their teachers. Some of them? Spot-on!

Being verbally attacked by a woman in a Volvo, who took the time to stop in the middle of the road, lean over and ROLL DOWN HER CRANK-STYLE WINDOW, to yell at me for being stopped on the side of the road. God-love, my friend Susan who was with me at that moment. I would definitely want Susan on my side if I were to ever get in a bar-fight. That's all I'm saying!

The reason Susan and I were in the car at that moment? Was to pick up a few supplies at a neighborhood market. Foil, specifically. Susan decided that the kids needed to have milk in the morning. So we grabbed 4 gallons of milk. Didn't check the date. Whoops. Fortunately, only a few sips of the spoiled milk was consumed before someone piped up about it tasting funny. Yeah. Three weeks past it's date. Ew. Our intentions were good though!

Watching how well-behaved our students are. Really, truly . . . what a great group of kids!

The view from the observation deck at the de Young.

The bantering in the car and in the tents and along the way. Again . . . great kids! (And chaperones, too!)

Being completely absorbed in an amazing petroglyph exhibit, only to be forceably pushed along because someone in our group was a little gassy. It still makes me giggle to think about it. And yes, I am sometimes as immature as that!

It was great fun and I'm very glad that I decided to skip my statewide staff workshop in order to go. I was on the fence, and really should have gone, but hey, you can only be in one place at any given time. And I love that I was able to choose my child. I am so fortunate to be able to have, or at least try to have, that much balance in my life. Even if balance means repeated trips over the Golden Gate, banana slug penis jokes, being accosted by Volvo-driving women and gassy art exhibits. 

Weekend Wrap-Up . . .

so our full-of-fun stuff weekend is almost over and all I want? Is to go to bed! I am so stinkin' tired. Next year I really, really need to ship my early-waking child off to a sleepover on the night of the auction. Because when I go to bed after 1:30? 6:00 am was way to early to peel open my eyelids!

All in all, the weekend was good. Had dinner at my Mom's on Friday. That was interesting. Set-up for the auction yesterday morning. Had a couple of play-dates along the way. John and I headed out the auction last night and had a blast. We drank a little too much and therefore spent a little too much. Like usual.

Today we laid low. Ran a few errands. Did a few projects around the house and yard. Watched some movies via the Roku which John hooked up this morning. Did laundry (like always). Played Barbies. Did art. And not much more than that. Because we are all tired. Tired with a capital T!

Bring on the bedtime, please!

Mountain Top Leadership . . .

In about two hours, I'll be heading up to Tahoe with a group of middle school leaders. 10 kids, 3 adults . . . lots to do between 12:30 today and Sunday morning when we'll come back. Actually, I still have lots to do between now and 12:30 so we can leave!

Halle and John are going to have a great weekend together. I'm excited to be able to go and focus on Dylan for a weekend. But I'm going to miss John and Sis. (I'm so ridiculous, really!) For the next 10 days, I'll only be home for 2. And that gets me all bijiggetty.

On the 17 Day Diet front? I am down 4.5 pounds since Monday. (And yes, those are the same 4.5 pounds that I've gained and lost 1000 times.) Now we're getting into real weight. If I can get down 5.5 pounds from here? I'll officially be getting down to business! This weekend might be tough because I planned a teenager menu . . . not a dieting Mom menu. So I'll be eating lots of lean meat, eggs, nuts, fruit and greek yogurt. I will survive! If I can come back and be a pound less on Monday, I would be pretty damn stoked. Because at this point, it's all a numbers game. I'm ready to play!

Now, although my car is fully loaded with all of the food and drinks for the weekend? I haven't packed any type of clothing, toiletries, camera, Nook, etc. I'd best be getting on that since I need to leave to take Halle to daycare in an hour.

Peace out! I'm Tahoe-bound! I'm sure gonna miss this little cutie while I'm gone:

(It's as close to a first-day-of-school picture as I was allowed to get. First day of second week of school? Maybe it'll be a new tread!)

Grades 2-7 . . .

Uploading his back-to-school photo yesterday got me all bijiggety. This man-child is my baby. MY BABY!

Look at this man-boy. I remember taking that photo in 2nd grade like it was yesterday. (Although I cannot, for the life of me, remember why I didn't take the traditional in-the-front-yard photo. I may have to photoshop it. Because it's driving me batty!)

Once I do a little scanning, I should also have three years of Preschool-1st. Crazy. Just absolutely crazy. 

Now I'm even more determined to force Halle's picture. So help me, God-of-all-ridiculously-stubborn-children.  (She's insisted on wearing the same shirt to school for three days in a row.) This is after the new dress she picked out just happened to have a bow on it. God-forbid. That little bow-situation almost imploded our entire first-day-of-school departure. And yes, I've actively considered that she's more than just stubborn. 

Back to School . . .

Isn't he handsome? I sure think he is! And isn't that a nice shirt from American Eagle? I was so excited that he finally busted out of Gap/Old Navy that I paid full price for it! Crazy, I know . . . 

As for Halle, she blatantly refused to be photographed. That girl. I swear . . .

Yard Sale . . .

haven't I said that I'd never do another yard sale again? Yeah. I think I have. But still, because I try to be a good Mama, I did another yard sale. For Dylan. For his DC trip fund raising.

Like all yard sales I've done before, I thought I'd get really organized a long time ago. But instead, we pulled it all together in the last 24 hours. Of course.

This year, just to mix it up, I may (or may not?) of had a few Vodka cocktails last night. While prepping and pricing.

This photo was taken by me. Of me. While wearing a Darth Vader mask. Holding a light saber. With a talking Yoda on my shoulder (parrot-style). While balancing on a hippy-hoppidy ball. On our insanely slanted front yard. At 11:00 pm.

Take that, boring yard-sale prep!

Special thanks to Robyn, who disuaded me from driving to Bellachino's to borrow (temporarily steal) some orange traffic cones, which I was sure would help us manage the crowds at our busy little yard sale. That probably wasn't my best idea to date. It's always good to have a responsible friend to keep you on the straight-and-narrow whilst you have imbibed too many grapefruit infused vodka drinks.

(As an aside, albeit a very important one, Dylan made over $600 today. 1/2 way to the $1,200 he needs to contribute towards his trip. It was fabulous!)

As for my iPhone photos, I can't really leave out Robyn . . . crazy eyes and all . . . 

And my friend, who will seemingly never leave, Poison Oak. Rotten bastard. He's now spread to the entire left side of my body after ravishing the right side last week. I feel pretty, oh so pretty . . . 

Done ...

with the (boy's) 6th grade. Done with the hustle and bustle of the end of the year stuff. Gifts. Lunches (albeit a successful one . . . 209 lunches sold :)). Crazy. Busy. (Also done with my budget, FYI. Passed. Adopted. Not a comment said, not an amendment offered . . . amazing!)

Anyway, this was what my boy flashed on his way by me, as he "crossed the bridge" into 7th grade.

Man, I love that kid!

And this one? What a trooper she was today! From 7:40 until she (finally) fell asleep at 9:30 tonight. That girlie can GO!

Now, it is officially summer. Even if it DOES rain for the next four days. Ugh!

Drinking my Dinner . . .

because I am too tired to put food into my mouth. So a vodka/juice/Fresca cocktail it is!

Between the catch-up from our three-day camping (rainy) trip, the Fair (x 2), our backyard camping adventure, cleaning up the disaster that is my house, countless loads of laundry (6+) and today's field trip to Six Flags Vallejo? I am beyond certifiable. That doesn't even go into the fact that my Final Budget Hearing is on Thursday. And I've been out of the office for the last week. Freakin' A. Beyond good times there, people.

I. Am. Officially. Overwhelmed.

But here are some pictures that help make it all happy. Right?

(Please note that (a) I hung with the cool/brave kids at Six Flags, (b) "our" Shannon came and hung out with us for the day, (c) Halle really loved the fair and (d) all of the above contributed to how tired I am right now! Good night!

Rainy Days Camping . . .

We just returned from Dylan's 6th grade environmental camp. And like most things, our school doesn't do them in the traditional sense. So we don't go to Woodleaf where there are cabins. Nope. We pack up 55 kids in the pouring down rain and drive through the pouring down rain. And we drive some more. And ultimately, we arrive in the rain forest. (No, really!) 

God blessed us with some periods of clear(ish) skies. Most importantly, on about 10 of the 12 miles that we hiked on Thursday. It didn't rain until about the last 2 miles into camp, so it was a major, major blessing! It also stopped raining long enough for us to set up camp, and although it had poured all night and much of the morning, it cleared long enough for us to actually take down our muddy and wet camp.

Laying in my tent at night, listening to the rain pound down on the canvas just above me, gave me lots and lots of time to think. Here's some of the thoughts that I encountered:

• I really do love to camp.
• I really am a fair-weather camper.
• But the inclement weather didn't kill me.
• I love that our 6th grade teachers are so committed to their program that they would undertake something this labor-intensive, in the pouring-down rain.
• Although I don't agree with everything they do or how they do it? I love, love, love our staff.
• And although there are 100 things our school could do better? They got it right in 6th grade. 
• I remembered how much I love kids. Yep, even kids that are not mine!
• I realized that not only do I like these kids, for the most part, they like me. Even though I can be a real hard-ass at times. (There are definitely a couple of kids that DON'T like me. And actually, the feeling is mutual. But I won't name names. Or even initials!)
• I remembered how drama-filled 6th grade can be for girls.
• I don't mind being the mom that these girls come to, crying about their hurt feelings. I love to give them a hug, tell them "chin up" and "let it go". And I love that at the end of the day? I don't have to live with all that drama. At least not for several years!
• I miss tent camping. Although sleeping on the ground really does get harder as you get older. 
• I really wish that the drive to the North Coast was just a little bit shorter. And straighter.
• I am a little bit of a control freak. Coordinating a food plan that was pre-determined by someone else? Was a little hard for me. But not as hard as it was for my dear friend, Robyn. The difference there? I'm medicated! Otherwise, it could have made me bat-shit crazy!
• I am a badass Mom. So are all the other Moms who made the trip. Badass Moms rock!

Altogether? Amazing trip. The kids loved it. All the boys in my car declared it was their favorite field trip ever. That made every muddy, wet minute worth it. 100x over.

And just a little FYI, if you're traveling 101 in the North Coast? According the boys in my car, the fact that the Arcata Chevron had a milkshake "machine", was one of the coolest parts of the entire trip. f'real milkshakes, to be specific. One of the boys even said he was going to ask his mom if they could come back this summer so he could get another milkshake. (I'm thinking they aren't worth the 9+ hour round trip and fairly certain they exist in other gas stations as well.) But it was funny nonetheless. And yes, I had one too. It was pretty delicious!

Now, back to getting all of our gear dried out and put away. 

Mama Down . . .

This Mama got hit hard by the flu. Or by some nasty virus floating around. Given Dylan's positive Influenza A result, and given our close proximity this week, it's not a large leap to assume that I would test positive as well. (But I watched them swab his nose and I'd prefer to avoid that swell little test, if possible.) Whatever the exact name of this viral beast? Doesn't really matter. All that matter is the final score is Viral Beast 1: Mama 0. 

I managed to rally enough to take care of the kids Friday night - Saturday afternoon while John had to run down to the military base for a class. And then I pulled it around long enough to go to our school auction. All I can say is, thank God I was not on the committee this year. Between Dylan being so sick, me trying to hire someone at work, John being gone and then me succumbing to the Viral Beast? It would have put me over the top to be responsible for something at the auction.

It was probably too much for me to try and do, given that I had to sleep for the majority of the day today and am teetering on the edge of sleep as we speak. I seriously cannot remember ever being so damn tired! I struggled to sleep last night because of my coughing, but then slept until almost 10:00 this morning (thank you, babe!). I went back to bed at 1:30 and was woken up at 3:30 . . . otherwise I could have slept even longer. And it's now 9:00 pm. Nothing like a strenuous sleep schedule!

The auction itself was fine. A very different vibe than in year's past. A part of that was due in part because I was sober, I'm sure. Some of it had to do with most people being way more sober than usual. (The bar was in a separate room, causing people to have to work harder for their drinks AND creating a separate place for people to congregate . . . and not bid in the auction.) The good 'ole economy may have finally caught up with the bidding as well. There were lots of new families there and we were missing lots of "old" families, so things all reasons combined, things went for a lot less $$$, or so it seemed. (Again, since I did not have an official capacity, I didn't have to keep track!) We walked away with our spot in a poolside Italian dinner for eight, Zoom teeth whitening, a cute (ruffled) purse, a spot at a Poker party, a facial and a waxing gift certificate. All for around $500, which is much, much less than we've spent in years past. Given that we are headed on vacation in 12 days? That is not such a bad thing!

And now, I am going to bed. We have a big day tomorrow. It will be Dylan's first day back to school in over a week. I have my very first mammogram (squish!) And frankly? Just the thought of getting from one place to the next is overwhelming and exhausting right now! Here's to feeling better in the morning.