where have all the people gone?

This is going to be one of those days I use this blog to VENT. Where are all the Customer Service people? I was supposed to start my on-line classes on Monday, today is Thursday, and I still have not been able to get online. I've tried my current student ID number, my obsolete-because-they-changed-their-system old ID number and my social security number and I can't get on, I've tried lower and upper case, I've tried getting on through my home school (Arapahoe CC) and the Online school (the community colleges of Colorado combined online classes effort-ccconline). I've emailed every day and have called and left messages everyday. The local number is a constant busy signal and the toll free number basically says they will NOT call you back but will email, I have yet to see said email. So I tried the tactic of emailing to the general question people rather than the technical people and I DID (miracle of all miracles) get a return email that told me to wait a couple of hours and try again.....so I waited and tried to log on and I STILL CAN'T LOG ON! I did try admissions twice to verify I was indeed a student and was enrolled in the classes (like my cancelled check wasn't enough proof) but I really was questioning my sanity here. I was told my one admissions person that no one was able to get on and not to worry, but then told by someone else that it was up and running and it had something to do w/ my log in, but rest assured (and I wasn't) that others were also having problems.

My latest email was to beg and plead for the names and emails of my instructors so I can at least let them know I'm trying to get online and maybe get a syllabus.

I really think I should start these classes with extra points!

blogger challenge...purse inventory

This week's blogger challenge is to inventory your purse and comment on it. I was very tempted to forgo the challenge as no one really needs to see into the craziness that's in there, but what the hey, pretty much only my friends read this and they love me anyway.

My purse is a woven one out of some synthetic material in soothing colors of blues, taupes, black and beige. It's from Wallmart and one of my least expensive purses, but my favorite.
Inside:
One very well loved black wallet with lots of compartments to stuff things. It's pretty self contained and I often just take that along with me. The leather is nicely worn and very soft.

My keys, with a little blue frog flashlight, and a bunch of store discount cards hooked on to them, and my Arapahoe library card....I pretty much know what every key belongs to except two.

My mortgage statement....I don't know why, I think it's because I got the mail on my way out and stuffed that into my purse for safe keeping, given that my car is a black hole for such items.

A tube of Excedrin Tension Headache Pills.

Three ball point pens (two others in my wallet) I have NO idea why I can't find anything to write with.

Hotel key for Hotel Colorado (oops)

Receipts for: Albertsons, Chilis, McDonald's, postal service, Tuesday Morning and Arapahoe Community College

Shopping list

A scrap of paper for an address of someone I don't recognize

A pamphlet for Cold Stone Cakes and a packet of invitations to Jump it Up (Zac's birthday is coming up)

And a business card for Bud's Warehouse.

Oh and a bunch of crumbs?????

I have no idea what that says about me except I need to be more organized! This is pretty much a reflection of my house too, bits and pieces everywhere that I would like to think, should they ever come together, they would be a completed puzzle. Alas, I have never been good with puzzles. I'm not sure I've every completed one over 100 pieces.

While Jake is at School

Don't tell Jake, but we have a lot of fun at home while he and Abi's sister are at school. Abi's the little girl I watch in the mornings and she and Zac go to preschool in the afternoons. But I DON'T DO DAYCARE if anyone asks.

The other little girl dressed up as Blue is Abi and Zac's buddy Ag. She came to play for a week with us.

hum drum unremarkable life and I like it!

So, I was given the challenge from fellow blogger, Martha, to write about my life. My suburban, drag my kids to school, do homework with them, drag them to sporting activities, add a cultural event or two in there, clean the house (ok sort of) make dinner, take a couple of classes, sit on a couple of committees, go to church, volunteer in the nursery, go to birthday parties, make small talk with other parents....life. And I wondered oh my gosh, who has time to be remarkable? Here's what she sent:

"My students were middle-class kids who were ashamed of their background. They felt like unless they grew up in poverty, they had nothing to write about...I felt sorry for these kids, that they thought their whole past was absolutely worthless because it was less than remarkable."-David Sedaris, from an interview in January Magazine
Admit it. You've said, "I have nothing to blog about. My life is boring." Haven't you. Haven't you?
Your challenge is to write about it anyway.Write about your less than remarkable life. Write about your routines, your habits, your schedule. Find the unremarkable things about your life and CELEBRATE them.
Go - be remarkable!"

So I go back to my childhood, which was not one like I have now, nor was it as bad as some of the kids who grew up in poverty. We lived in a nice home, with furniture a bit shabby, we got one or two of the cool clothes (izod, levi) but mostly had Target clothes (Wallmart wasn't around then), but my parents were divorced, I lived with my dad (who made questionable life style choices) and I felt different and all I craved was a middle class suburban lifestyle. But looking back (and it's so much easier to look back then having lived it, too bad teenagers don't have more insight I would have been much happier) I am happy for the experiences my family gave to me and I know that I was loved....Auntie Mame style (if you haven't seen the movie, it's a lot of fun, and definitely the Roselyn Russell one, not so much the Lucille Ball remake one).

So what I find remarkable about my life, is that I'm giving my children what I had wanted. But have, hopefully, still imparted that Auntie Mame spirit of loving life, different cultures and a love of travel. We shall see. I can only hope that my children will look back and realize that I only did my best. And I hope that I will beable to handle the eye rolling of their disdain of their middle class existence as they join a commune, artist colony, presidency, CEO, car mechanic...Whatever.....

Birthday Parties and Happy Hour

So we went to one of Jake's friends birthday parties, and thankfully I enjoy friend's mom (mom calls him Thing 2 --- which may sound a bit weird, but cute story involving Cat in The Hat) so friend-mom and friends-moms of friend-mom and I had 'happy hour' while kids did root beer and pizza. So Jake takes a satisfied sip of his root beer and says to host and hostess...'wow, a cigarette would be great right now' My little jokester.

The moms got mango mojitos...Wow, who knew, better the margaritas, conversation lively, nice group of moms.

The rest of the evening was nice, a trip to home depot, bought new door knobs, the kids may actually get a door on their room this weekend! Then we watched movies and ate popcorn, nice and low key family night.

I will be going off to Glenwood Springs for a 'girl's weekend off' with Jason's Mom and Sister. We're staying at the Colorado Hotel, which I believe is supposed to be haunted...oooooh.

Party In The Park

yummy BBQ
Paramedics, Firemen and Police brought their 'toys' for the kids to play in.
Whee




Our neighborhood does this great huge party every summer. Bounce houses, Barrel Trains, DJ, BBQ-Pig roast (catered), it's really an amazing neighborhood get together....I finally got the pictures downloaded into the computer.

So Jake woke up with some weird bug bite (probably a spider) and half of his lower arm is swollen. I'm torn between being over-anxious mom and calling the Dr. and bad mom and just seeing what happens. But frankly I'm only bad mom if his arm falls off.....This mom thing, you just can't win! Last time I was over-anxious mom and took him to the Dr. twice in one week...Pretty much convinced he had Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever..It was just a virus and cleared up in a week. I really need to stay off the internet. Well only after I freak myself out by looking a websites on Brown Recluse spider bites...Do they even have that spider in Colorado?

Cool Water Park

Jake never was still enough to get his picture facing forward....He's playing with his buddy, Caitlin.

Zac, getting his groove on....
My friend, Martha, took a much better shot than this but I don't have the techno-savvy to save it off of email.....
Cousin Bridget, Zac and Jake enjoying the play ground near the water park










There's this cool 'spray ground' in Aurora that we heard about and have been playing in off and on this summer. I finally took my camera last week and got some fun shots. It was a fun day to go as others from Jake's school made the journey also.

I've decided to have a thought to ponder each day and today it's "You can preach a better sermon with your life than with your lips"

Family Day at St. Mary's Glacier

Jason trying to win the Darwin Award and being a very bad example for the boys! But they were cheering him along


Jake and Zac...boy is it hard to get them to smile at the same time!
and ok I was trying to be artsy with the camera but it's a beautiful spot, easy to get artsy.















We took a hike yesterday to St. Mary's Glacier. We are so blessed to live in such a beautiful state. The weather was just perfect, even a bit of picturesque drizzle. The boys had a blast. They skipped stones in the lake...well not really skipping stones as much as finding the biggest stones possible and making the biggest splash possible. Jason found some wild raspberries and we had a taste. Other than my complaining that the hike was not really as easy as Jason told me it would be and Zac taking a little tumble and scraping his knee it was a pretty perfect day. Particularly, stopping at Beau Joe's Pizza in Idaho Springs, a favorite apres ski place, also good for an after hike spot too!

First Day of School

Zac, first day of preschool

Jake, my little first grader

Making bus cookies to celebrate going back.

Zac, having a slice before starting preschool








First day of school was a couple weeks ago, but hey I just started this blog so I should be forgiven for waiting a bit. We made sugar cookies that sort of looked like school busses with their names on them and we gave some away too. Jake actually did not even tear up...very unlike the first half of kindergarten and Zac, never a sentimental one, pretty much waved to me at the door and marched right in. I'm not sure what's worse, the 'please don't leave me' or 'don't let the door hit you in the rear on your way out mom' ....

I spent the first day crying and wanting to call Jason to reverse his vasectomy, but by the next day I was fine and happy with the time off!

Then that evening, the boys decided to play with water balloons in the house and Zac fell and cut open his foot, needing three stitches....his second visit to the ER this summer (first one was from a black eye when he fell off his scooter and banged his eye on the handle). I'm beginning to wonder if he's a bit clumsy -- or maybe it's just trying to keep up with his big brother.

I have no idea why I've decided to blog, except it may be the way I'm able to journal and remember the wonderful witty things my two children say. I'm on the computer all the time any way. And hey, it is fun looking at my friends' blogs (thank you Martha and Colleen). Oh and I just did spell check and 'blogs' comes up as incorrect ----on a blog spot, go figure.