He Survived....

Thing One= No problem with the dentist. We borrowed a friend's sleep mask to block the light and with that in place, he sailed right through the process.

Thing Two= Definetly our more sensitive thing. He requested Hubby to be by his side during the numbing portion of the visit so I can't give full commentary on the experience but I understand it was not a pretty sight.

I'm tired and just want to share with the world that most days he is a happy thing. Unless the day involves a trip to see the dentist!

Look Ma, More cavities!

Lucky things: they inherited their dad's good looks but their Mom's crummy teeth. They brush, they fluoride rinse, they've even been sealed and still they get cavities. Poor guys! Also, Thing Two has lost a couple baby teeth but right now, he's got three teeth sharing the space designed for just two so when we take them back for their fillings they are going to "wiggle" that extra baby tooth out. Yep, grown ups, just so you know: dentists use code lingo to avoid announcing "we're gonna yank that sucker right out of your mouth you poor little thing!".

It should be a fun day around these parts come Wednesday when we get the cavities filled and the tooth "wiggled" out. I'm just grateful they could fit the boys in this week while they are off track for just this one week.

But the beauty of it all: with Hubby's new work schedule, he's free in the mornings and thus will get to come and experience all the joy that comes with taking children to the dentist for fillings! He doesn't have to be at work until 11, their appointments are at 0930 and the dentist is but a hop skip and a jump to Hubby's office.

Gotta dash: the guys are at the school "shootin' hoops" and I've promised Beef and Snow peas for dinner. Join us around 5 if you are hungry...

Now Remember Kids...

No Running, No Diving and No Salt on My Margaritas...

Not too long ago, I found some napkins that had this printed on them with a vintage photo of a mom and some kids. They seemed perfect for our circle of friends here in the Land of Sunshine!

Hubby has been working the evening shift the past couple of weeks. This has meant that the Things and I are home alone in the evening. And, well, ya know, when the Cat is away, us mice like to PLAY! So, last night I hosted what will hopefully be the first of many Friday Night Happy Hours.

Grownups know what Happy Hour is. And even if it has been years since we've gotten to go to a real happy hour, we know that it involves something to nibble on, something to sip on and some friends to chat with.

When I told the Things about my idea, they were very excited. I'm not sure what they thought it involved but they sure were happy for the hour and then some!

It was a perfect Fall evening here in the Land of Sunshine so the things and their gang spent most of the time outside. Now for those of you who have seen our backyard, you can easily agree that we could be hot contenders for "America's Most Boring Backyard" contest. But, that never seems to stop the kids from having fun.

Last night, while us mommies (and one brave Dad) sat at the kitchen table discussing hot topics, the kids created a new game. They called it Bumper Buddies. It looks sort of like Sumo wrestling crossed with human bumper cars. Strap your back pack on your front and charge after your friends. Experience not necessary!

And is often the case, Happy Hour turned into Happy HourS and well, that is indeed a very good thing!

I want Mommy to walk me to school today...

Ah, yes, after declining my offer to trim his nails, I though "Yeah Baby, he does want me after all!"

Nope, hold your applause until you hear the rest of the story....

Thing Two, when asked, who would you like to walk with you to school this morning said
"I want mommy to walk me because, well, you know, she's got the bigger belly and " At which point he caught himself and stopped mid-sentence. Uh oh: the truth just slipped out! We said "go ahead and finish". Which he did "well, walking is good if you have a bigger belly, right?"

Children sometimes are TOO good at telling the truth!
And yes, after I got home from school, I showed him: I ate his leftover doughnut!

Bits and Pieces

First up, of course, has to be the picture of the day (or every other day, or every third day or whenever I get tired of this blog craze). Thing Two and I went on a kindie field trip yesterday. A beautiful day here in the land of sunshine. Lots of walking and exploring and miracle of all miracles: we came back with all 51 students that we took with us! :) Not sure if all the parent chaperones made it back: but as one of the teachers said "you grown ups are all on yer own" (close your eyes and imagine a Tall Texan with a bit of twang delivering this message!)


Next up: I gotta get a REAL job! Ok, of course, I have a really important job: caring for hubby and the things. But, with them both in school, I am finding I want a bit more structure to my week. I thought volunteering would be a good fit. But, after an afternoon with Nurse Nit Wit, I realize, if I'm going to be subjected to ditzy on a regular basis, then perhaps a pay check at the end of the shift might help with my coping skills. For those of you who know Nurse NW, you can appreciate how she set down some papers on her desk that I had given her (and yet was still adding info to) . About 3 minutes after I gave them to her, I went to get them (to add that additional information that I had) and they were GONE! At first I thought it was my sometimers kicking in (you know, sometimes you remember stuff, sometimes ya get a bit confused). So, I retraced my steps. Nope, couldn't find them. I asked Nurse NW. "Well, they were right there, wonder where they went?" was her scatterbrained response. After 15 minutes of searching, I found them in her emergency phone card system. I think she put away one piece of paper and didn't realize she'd put away 20 others sheets with that one piece. Of course, we can all see how you can confuse ONE sheet of paper with a stack of over 25 right, right? NOT (can you feel the sarcasm I'm chanelling?)

Give me strength or a good Merlot...either one will help me get through
And lest you think she'll see this post and get mad...fear not, she has been in the job for 3 school years now and can't remember how to turn on her computer! The office ladies print off her email for her! She needs to retire/resign/ride off into the sunset so I can have her job...
But until then...I need a different job!

Duties as assigned: Devil's manicurist...

Yes, in every job description there is that "duties as assigned category". For hubby, his latest task is that of manicurist to our house devil. That would be Thing Two sporting an old Tazmanian Devil costume. When I asked him "can mommy trim your nails?" I was firmly told "No, Dad needs to do it because you pinch too hard!". Funny, that's what some of my former patients used to fuss about when I gave shots. Glad to see I haven't lost my touch! Haha!

It takes so little to amuse us..

Yes, we're not America's Most exciting family and that was proven again last night. We've not watched a lot of network tv this summer as everything was in reruns. Well, hubby was clearing out our saved tivo programs and said "hey, we've not seen this one, have we?" Imagine our surprise and joy when we discovered that for some of our favorite shows: it is new episode time! YAHOO! The long wait is over...

And because of that, I'm guessing you might expect to see a slow down in the blog posting hubby and I do on our respective blogs.

Off to watch some shows...

Murphy's Law for Tuesday..

Why is it, after weeks of not being inspired to do any scrapbooking or stamping, am I finally getting a burst of creativity...and now I have to stop and go to the darn dentist? Grrrrr...
Oh well, it is supposed to be a short visit as I"m getting delivery of what will hopefully be my last crown. 40 years of teeth grinding left me with lots of cracked teeth. Now they are all beautifully crowned with gold! Oh joy: yep, we've paid for the dentist's mortgage a time or two these past couple of years.

Here's hoping that I'll still have the urge to scrap/stamp once I get back. And if not, I hope my Muse doesn't fly away for another indefinite period of time!

In Honor of International "How to Talk like a pirate Day...

I bring you the ThingTwo as a Pirate!
I am wondering if anyone else knew that today was international talk like a pirate day?
Here's a little pirate themed poem that I thought I'd share with ya:

Dear Lord, I pray fer wisdom, t' understand a man, t' love an' t' forgive th' lads, an' fer patience fer his moods. On accoun' O',lord, if I pray fer strength, I'll just beat him t' death!

I found some other PG-13 pirate humor, but since this is supposed to be a family blog, I'll let you do your own googling!

Dude, where's my post?

Ok, I guess it was just a sign that I needed to not write such a long winded post. I went to preview it. Tried to correct a typo (ok, there were several, and will always be several. If you are a member of the grammar police, you may step away from this blog immediately!).

And then POOF! Half of my stuff disappeared.
I know, user error but still...
I'll take it as a sign that I need to step away from this computer and go clean up the kitchen.
Hubby and things are off golfing...
HOME ALONE and I am still on the computer.
I gotta get a life...
Off in search of that life...or at least off in search of a cleaner kitchen

If you Give a Thing a Moose...

It all started quite innocently when some friends sent Thing One a book called "If You Give a Moose a Muffin". And with it came a stuffed moose, just like the one in the book. That was almost 2 years ago. That small gift sparked what has become a long lasting interest for Thing One. He's just plain moose crazy!

When Grandpa G. visited us this summer and we were enjoying photos from his trip to Alaska, guess which picture got the biggest response from Thing One? Yep, the one of a moose sticking out his tongue (ok, well, it really was just eating but Grandpa caught him mid chew and well, it was a huge hit with both boys). We've read the book a thousand times at least. Aunt Ling and Uncle Carlos provided us with a bit of respite by finding us another Moose themed story book that we've read several times over as well.

As for the stuffed collection, original moose has continued to add more members to his family. No, silly, not through natural reproduction but through Mommy's love for shopping and friends and family knowing about the Moose Crazed Boy that lives in the House of Chang.

Today was Thing One's Star Student day. It is the one day of the year when the child gets to bring in items to share with the class that tell something about who they are. Of course the ENTIRE moose family got to go to school today and meet the class. He also took in his favorite CD: the soundtrack to Madagascar. When asked "what do you like?"...he broke out in song "I like to Move It, Move It"...just like in the song from the movie.

As a mom, it is exciting to see Thing One blossom and take an interest in being center stage. He was so proud to take his bag full of stuff and was so excited when retelling me all about the days events. Yep, today was indeed a good one for all of us!

Picture Day...

It's picture day, it's picture day, oh yeah! Ok, so when you are a mom to male things, picture day isn't quite as fun as when there are little girls in the house. Or so I would assume...since well, we've only got male things being raised in this house. So, here's how you prepare them for picture day: make sure they've had a recent hair cut (or buzz as is the case in our house). Check face to ensure no toothpaste is joining in the fun. Shirt: inspect for cleanliness and make sure that today is not the day they decide to provide free advertising for Cartoon Network or other assorted characters on their clothing. Pick out picture package: always tough since you have to order without seeing the proof. Place order in boys backpack and hope they don't loose it between now and the start of school. Then you just wait...and wait and wait...When in a couple weeks the pictures show up and you are either happy or sad. I'm learning though: try not to be too picky. Last year, Thing One's first picture looked "goofy". I had them retake it on retake day. The second set showed up and they were REALLY bad. So much that the receptionist for the school called me aside and said "we got Thing's pictures back today" followed by a long pause and then an immediate offer to call the photographer for me and arrange for yet another retake. This was BEFORE she even showed me the pictures. Oh yeah, they were BAD, really bad. I laughed and said "lets just see if we can get those first ones back, they were ok, I was just being picky". HA: Imagine that, ME, picky? That'll teach me, eh?

So this year, I'm just hoping for open eyes, hair sort of in place and no lunch being sported on the mouth. Anything beside that and we'll be pleased.

Just in case, I pulled out my digital camera (ok, wait OUR digital, even though I'm the one using it 90% of the time) and snapped a couple pictures before they left for school. Not bad for a mom, eh?

Here's hoping that third time is the charm...

Ok, hold your horses! Nope, the Chang Gang is complete. We ain't talking about "that" type of 3rd! No, I'm referring to Thing2's teacher count for the school year. We're finishing up the 5th week of school and we learned on Monday that his class has yet another new teacher: Mrs. V.
The first teacher was about 40wks pregnant at the start of school and BIG surprise, she lasted all of 2 days before the maternity sub showed up. This woman, as pleasant as can be, sort of looked like a deer in headlights and acknowledged her last teaching gig was with 4th graders. BIG difference between kindies and 4th grade. Apparently, the long term sub the school had hired took a different job at the last minute and this sub agreed to pinch hit. Oh joy: just what you want for your baby's first experience...a pinch hitter? (read: HEAVY sarcasm!). Now, we've learned that pregnant teacher has opted not to return for the school year and pinch hitter wants to work only part time morning which brings us to teacher #3 for the afternoon class.

I want to rant and raise a fuss: how dare they do this to our children? Flipflopping teachers. These kids need stability. But, I've peeked in the class and I've watched the new teacher greet her students at the start of the day and say goodbye to them at the end of the day. Why fuss when the end result is a jewel? It took awhile but I think these kids finally got someone who is as excited and enthused about kindergarten as they are! Now, let the fun times begin...even if it is 4 weeks late.

Man, these nights in Fall sure are long...

Poor Thing2 had a restless night last night. "Bad dreams" he said. After the second awakening, I said "come crawl in our bed". It has been a long time since we've had any wake ups, much less 2 in the same night. As he snuggled down under the covers, he said "Man, these nights in Fall sure are long aren't they?".

Yep, we're thinking the Indian Days of Summer might be drawing to a close here in the land of Sunshine. Yesterday the boys had to put on jackets for the walk to school. Hubby wondered where his new jacket was but hey, they don't carry his size at Gap Kids! By afternoon, more clouds had rolled in and we were thinking perhaps wearing shorts wasn't such a great idea!

But fear not, the forecast for tomorrow is mid 80s! So, no, son, the nights in Fall aren't long, but rather the weather is quite perplexing!

Here's hoping tonight's sleep is a bit more peaceful for Thing 2 and his momma! I'm getting too old for those wake up calls in the middle of the night!

Hey, where are the pictures your promised?

Ok, so lets be honest. You really won't be checking our blog to learn about what I'm fixing for dinner and whether Hubby liked it, right? You want to see pictures of Thing One and Thing Two. I'll see what I can do. Lord knows I take enough pictures of those handsome boys and am hopelessly behind in scrapbooking. So, at least on a blog I can share them with the world. That is assuming I can figure out how to attach an image? Lets see if this works...

Welcome to our family blog

Yes, both hubby and I have caught the blog craze. Okay, geeky housewife that I am, I'm the one who had the first blog here in the House of Chang. But, I'm a bit shy about letting people read what I post on my personal blog. Yet, as hubby pointed out, "then what's the point?" He's right (and yes, it is here in writing, I admit it!). A blog should be shared. So, I've decided to create a family blog. A spot for us to post some of our activities, a few photos and just have a spot to keep in touch with family and friends.

We admit we are probably not going to make any top 10 lists for most exciting families in America. We can't guarantee that it will be updated any more frequently than the web page. But, at least I can take some responsibility for updates on a blog. A web page: nope, I know NOTHING about how to update such a site.

This is the internet after all, so in order to maintain some level of privacy, I'll use a bit of code. You know the boys, right? Well, we'll call the oldest one Thing One and the younger one, Thing Two. You know where we live right? Well, we haven't moved nor do we have any intention of relocating any time soon. So, no need to disclose our exact location. We're still here, in that state that has lots of sunshine. I don't work outside of the home so I shouldn't have to worry about getting fired from my job for venting. Nor do I plan to vent about my loving husband: that's what phone calls and girls night out is for, eh?

So, here we go...we hope you will stop by from time to time and see what we're up to. Feel free to add a comment or just say howdy!