3 4th Grade Wishes from Birk

If I Had 3 Wishes

Write: what you would wish? Why you chose what you did. Are there any negative consequences? What can you to to help each of your wishes come true?

Answer: My wish is to destroy all of the money in the world and burn it so everybody shares everything.

Enough said.

Lazy Dog, Lazy Teenager and Exhausted Mom

Our new puppy is a lazy puppy. She is happy to sleep in until noon with her new mistress, our teenage daughter. That is all well and good, but why go outside to pee when you can just use the convenient laundry room carpet?

Thinking I'm pretty smart, I out foxed the little Roxy and removed the rug. My strategy seemed to be working, until this morning.

It seems that it didn't bother Roxy that the rug was no longer there. Sometime over the weekend, she peed in her normal spot. No problem, until you realize that the floor is on a bit of a slant, and the pee was festering underneath our stacked washer and dryer.

I spent my Monday on hands and knees, trying to devise a way to clean underneath a washer with a mighty low clearance. Success? Won't know until later, I guess.

Years of iPhone Pictures Explained

These are the very first iPhone pictures that I took. My husband and two older kids were traveling to Ecudor. I was traveling to Disney World with Birk. I got the phone so that we could keep in touch.

It was also on that day, as we were delayed from SFO into LAX and needed to catch our Orlando flight, that I realized the power of the smart phone.

I googled the flight and the airline gate and airport map. We got off the plane. and knew exactly which direction to run in. Just made our flight! Whew!

Still Cleaning Up From Mother's Day...

Mother's Day at my house is an interesting thing. This year my husband claimed that I wasn't "his" mother, so he was not going to participate in the hoopla, it was up to the children.

OK, so I have pretty cool kids. Especially Birk, she brought me the beautiful breakfast in bed pictured above. If you remember another breakfast in bed (think Candy Corn Nachos), you will know that things are improving around here drastically.

Though, I am cleaning my kitchen counter with a dust buster today, that should tell you something, too.

May Madness

Here we find ourselves thick into May. I don't how I can be so busy, and yet have so little to say. My words of wisdom are non existent, if they are ever wise in any light or situation at all.

We are on our way to to the end of school. It is always pretty intense as everything winds down. I'm checking the to do list and have many items left to check. The kids are becoming excited and the weather is doing that annoying thing by making it seem like summer outside.

Roxy has blended into the family scene better than I could have ever expected. Kiki, Patch and Sara are putting up with her. Ruth is very responsible and takes the lion's share care of her dog.

High school testing for Ruth is on Saturday. She has chosen to attend a different high school than her older brother. Oh, brother! Her new school is amazing, and I know it is going to be a wonderful experience for her. Three schools for me is going to be an organizational test, but I'm sure we can do it if we all work at it together!

I cannot believe that John is going to be a Junior in high school next year. I cannot believe that this means Birk is in middle school. Middle school!

Old time keeps flying by. Just trying to resist the urge to give in to the sunny, summer day outside. That's all for now. I'll keep you posted!

London!

Here we are in London. For a weather forecast full of rain, every day has been clear and perfect for strolling.

We've seen two plays: Love Love Love and Noises Off. Both were very entertaining, but we apologize to the casts about our sleepy, jet-lagged attention spans.

We had a romantic Italian dinner at Aurora. It's just a tiny, cozy place, but the food is delicious.

The husband has been working as usual, but we've squeezed in lots of walks and cappuccinos at outdoor garden cafes.

We had an interesting wine tasting at Fortnum and Masons--I never realized there was a wine cellar in there! We had flights of wine and yummy cheeses for a couple of hours. Nice to get off our feet and hang out.

Mostly, I'm taking it easy and enjoying an open schedule. I'm not in full tourist mode, which is kind of luxurious all on its own.

We have one more day planned--and it ends with a dinner at Tamarind. It wouldn't be a trip to London without our traditional dinner at Tamarind.

Before I know it, we will be back on the plane and home again!