Pet Peeves

Disclaimer: Sorry for the lame topic, but it's a new blog post! Hopefully once I get back into the swing of blogging I can get back on track with some really good stuff. Until then...my apologies.

Just call me the Queen of Pet Peeves. I was laying in bed the other morning and was thinking, "Boy I really have a lot of pet peeves. I wonder if my blog readers would like to know what my top five are?" So, if you want to know, read on. If not, check back at a later date for something a bit more (or less) interesting.

1. Sticky spots on my floors. My main floor is mostly wood and my pet peeve is to step in something sticky. I grumble a lot when I see the spots, but grumble even more when they go unnoticed until my socks get stuck in them. If you've ever stepped in honey with your socks, you can understand.

2. Toilet seats that are left up. Isn't this a pet peeve of every woman? Yes, the good ol' up or down debate. Because I am a woman, I prefer it left down. Sadly, I have experienced (on more than one occasion) the uncomfortable nature of not looking before sitting in the middle of the night. Without going into too much detail, I'll share my dialogue. First I say, "Ouch." Secondly, "Burr, that water is cold." And finally, "GRRRR!!!" (Okay, truthfully, I probably say something worse than "GRRRR"--only because it can be a very rude awakening.)

3. People who stop my DVR recordings. I know. A very minor detail. But picture this: My husband is travelling (for days at a time) and the house is noisy, really noisy, for about 15.5 hours. I cook, clean, homeschool, break up fights, drive kids, fix ouchies, give kisses, etc. etc, and so on, all by my lonesome. I look forward to to getting the kids to bed, and enjoying a quiet house. I get extremely excited just thinking about watching the newest episode of my favorite TV show and am utterly disappointed when I see my 1 hour show was stopped at 38 minutes.

4. When someone puts a milk carton in the fridge with about a tablespoon of milk left in it. Please, just use it up, dispose of the carton properly, and replace it with a new jug from the basement refrigerator. That's not too much to ask, is it?

5. When there are dirty dishes on the counter above an empty dishwasher. Why not check? What are you afraid of? Finding a dishwasher full of clean dishes and then feeling guilty because you don't really want to put them away?

6. Oops, I was going to stop at five. But now that I've held your attention this long, I'll share one more. Finding dirty socks in the cushions of the sofa. It doesn't stop with just finding them. The more irritating part comes later when I have to listen to the Royal Offspring complain because they have no clean socks in their drawers.

There you have it. Not just five, but six of my top pet peeves. Do any of them surprise you? Do we share any pet peeves? I'd love to hear yours!

A New Blog Post

Okay, it's been 15 days since my last post. I have been informed by friends and family they are not impressed with my inability to keep up with my blog. No excuses. I just got out of the groove. I didn't think it was that important to people, but now that I've been informed it is, I promise to try harder.

My camera is acting up so I don't have any updated photos to share. I am a strange blogger. I have a phobia about posting without photos, so here is one for you:

This is when we were infected with H1N1 (we were some of those 'unconfirmed' cases because I don't believe in running to the doctor for every fever, cough, and body ache). All but two members of our family came down with the bug, and we all survived. I have never slept for so many consecutive hours in my life, and we were all pretty miserable.

I know. Random photo. Random info. But I am being pressured for an update, and this is all I can think of right now. A new blog post, hooray! Like I said, I promise to try harder in the future.

Have a blessed day!

XC Girls

My middle boys have been running Cross Country (XC) this fall. Even though we homeschool, they are able to participate in school sports. It has been a great activity for both of them.

On Saturday they had a meet in Willmar. There was a special category at the end of the day for elementary aged kids. I thought it would be fun for the girls to run.

The morning of the race, the girls were very concerned about what they should wear. They wanted to look good, but still be comfortable. They didn't want to be too cold, yet they knew they'd get hot while running. They finally decided on these matching outfits--because all the teams wear matching clothes. Oh, and we had to fix their hair 'just so'.

Here they are before the race. I hope you can see Maiden's lips in this photo. When she heard the announcement that it was time for the Mighty Mites Race, she pulled her lipstick out of her purse and quickly applied it. Priorities, you know. A girl must always be prepared!

All the elementary aged kids ran together. The Willmar XC team ran along side the children in the 800 meter race. Here they are at the starting line.

Maiden toward the end of the race.

Duchess heading toward the finish line.

Everyone who finished the race received a participation ribbon. Duchess was a little disappointed that they were both given the same ribbon, since she finished far ahead of her sister. It really wasn't fair. She would have like to have been given a special award for her outstanding running skills.

On the way home Maiden complained of her legs hurting, but quickly forgot the pain when she realized her lipstick had worn off. Duchess was disappointed she got mud on her new running shoes and was trying to figure out how to get the stains out of them. I just sat back enjoying their conversation. After four boys, it is such a delight to be able to experience little girls. They are definitely different than boys!