Saturday a.m.  Well I'm pretty proud of myself.  I've made it through the week as a "single mom" still managed to add 4 new routines to my Zumba class.  Macy did great with the new dentist although she did have a cavity.  Nick had an appointment on Friday but they squeezed him in after Macy.  He was cavity free:)  We drove through Taco Bell on the way home (the thought of making dinner was pretty unappealing).

Thursday was calm until about 4:00.  I had my Zumba class and quick had to rush to get Macy to softball practice.  Again, we did drive through on the way home.  I really need to get better about planning dinners!

And Friday... 9:15 Zumba & groceries filled up my morning then we all went to the Tincaps game last night.  It was Perry Hill night for their reading program so pretty much all of Macy's classmates were there.  We had front row seats behind first base and a lot of the kids ended up coming down and hanging with us so they could stand by the fence.  I had to put the kabosh on that though (they were in my way!)  I was nice about it though and suggested they all sit in SEATS... what a concept!  It's always fun to watch Macy with her friends.  She has such a great personality and likes to have attention and be in charge.  Nick isn't shy either about joining in on the fun.  Stephen still has a little bit of shy in him around strangers but I'm thinking that will change in a year or two and he'll be just like his brother and sister.  I was so painfully shy as a kid I'm just amazed at their confidence.

Macy and Claire talked her mom in to letting them have a sleepover (at Claire's house) so I let the boys sleep with me.  I woke up at 3:00 in the morning with a sore throat, chills and aches.  Geesh... I almost made it through the week.  Mike's plane comes in at 9:30 tonight so I just have to suck it up til then.  I promised the kids a trip to the Dollar Tree (they think it's so cool that EVERYTHING's a dollar!)  I give them each a couple of bucks and they have the time of their life picking stuff out.  I also need to go get a new phone as mine is officially "unresponsive."  Bring on the DAY!!! ouch.

Wednesday a.m., Tuesday in retrospect...

11:00.  I have 45 minutes before I need to pick up Nick from preschool and head over to the Y for my Zumba Gold class.  Ah, a nice, relaxing hour of Zumba.

We had a fog delay this morning.  We also had Jack and Emily so it was two and a half hours of fun in this house.  I couldn't believe the damage they could do upstairs.  Alas, they are kids.

Yesterday was a nice little day.  I donated at the Plasma center in the morning (my iron was high enough - yay!) hung out with the boys, did laundry in the afternoon and had my 7:00 Zumba class.  Other than that, not much to report.

Mike should be called to the witness stand in Kaufman this morning.  Then off to Tyler.  I know he's looking forward to seeing his Tyler friends.  I wish me and the kids could have joined him but it really didn't make sense this time.  Hopefully we'll have a good reason to visit in the near future, although I probably will try to avoid the Texas summers - aiy!

I've been in good, calm spirits lately. I wonder if my return to (almost) daily writing has anything to do with it? In any event, all is well. Besides these pesky allergies, that is. On my list for today... hmmmm? oh! Macy has a dentist appointment at 4:00 so that will eat up a few hours. Other than that, I'll be mommin' it up as usual:)

In retrospect:

KOMETS!!!  Saturday's game was awesome.  Our boy - Guy Dupuis - scored the winning goal.  I think I enjoyed that game more than any other.  The Komets games are fun, but they need some work on their crowd-pumping music.  No hockey venue has yet to compare the the Lincoln Stars in that aspect...

Sunday - Mother's Day.  I slept in until 9:30 and awoke to my sweet kids showering me with their home-made gifts.  Macy and Nick made theirs in school, and Stephen gave me four of his very favorite books.  Collectively (and thanks to daddy) they also gave me a china place setting to add to my collection.

Mikey gave me a serving bowl from the chirp collection and a lovely brunch of french toast with fruit and whipped cream:)  Unfortunately, he had to fly out on business in the early afternoon so we grabbed a quick lunch at Subway on the way to the airport.  After dropping him off I found myself wiping away a few tears.  He's such a great guy, I miss spending time (alone) with him.  I understand the kid situation and all that, but I really miss our carefree days.  Being without the kids, though, for any length of time is unfathomable.  The irony of parenthood.

So we sent him on his way and returned home.  The afternoon wasn't so bad.  We made "sugarmen" (sugar cookies cut like gingerbread men) - which the dog took the liberty of sneaking off the counter later - arg!  But at least I got pictures.  Of course, two of Nick's creations were Suh and Manning.

Monday (today) has found us doing just as well.  After sending Macy on her way to the re-scheduled-because-of-Friday's-rain Zoo field trip, and dropping Nick off at preschool, Stevie and I took Sam to the vet for a nail trim, stopped by SportsClips for a Stevie-haircut, and headed to the requisite Target trip for various and miscellaneous items which brought us right up to preschool pick-up time.  The afternoon was going quite well.  I had just finished a game of one-on-one BB with Nick and we were starting our touch-football game in the front yard (Stevie was holding his daily garage sale... ie: lining up all of the bikes, scooter, skateboards, etc. in the driveway) when Sam decided to break through the invisible fence.  We tracked him down for, oh, five blocks or so before cornering him in someones back yard.  I was within inches of grabbing him when he made a quick jump to the right.  I dove (in somewhat of a catch-a-greased-pig fashion) only to be knocked in the knee by said naughty dog's head.  Oh, snap!  He yelped and I fell to the ground in agony.  Seriously, it really hurt.  As I sit here, it is swollen, bruised and very painful when I bend it - which I really kinda have to do CONSTANTLY!!!  So Samuel has been grounded all day, only allowed out to tinkle on a leash.  Dang him though.  He was having so much fun running, chasing birds.  I gave up then and there.  I was angry, hurt and so very frustrated.  I could have cared less if he did run away.  In fact, I was just daring him to try to come home now.  So me and the boys (Nick in tears saying, "now we don't have a dog!!!") headed home.  I figured, he has a tag with our phone number... someone is bound to catch him sooner or later.  Half way home I turn around and he's a block behind us.  I just keep walking.  Long story short... he did eventually get tired enough to allow me to grab him by the collar.

So here I sit alone for the first time since 6:30 a.m.  Kids are asleep and no one needs anything from me... aaaaah!  But there's the swollen leg and the new Zumba choreography and the dishes and that really good book I've been dying to get back to and the bath and good ol' mindless TV in bed. I wonder what will win out in the end.

Saturday...I always hope that one of these days the kids will start sleeping in on Saturdays.  They made it until 7:30 this morning.  Eventually we'll get there.  So I've fed the boys, Macy declined breakfast for a spot on the couch watching Full House and Mike's still asleep.

Still dealing with these annoying allergies and the zyrtek makes me sluggish.  I didn't get much done yesterday besides my 9:15 Zumba class - which I had to cut a little short because of a strong need to run to the bathroom (if ya know what I mean).  Geesh, I'm falling apart here!

Looks like a cloudy, cool, wettish day out there.  Besided getting the yard mowed and planting a couple of trees, we have nothing definite planned until tonight's Komets game.

Friday... woke up to rain this morning.  Personally, I love rainy weather - it relaxes me.  But it's kinda a bummer when you have stuff to do that requires leaving the house, which I do.  Also, Macy had a field trip to the Zoo planned for today but not sure if that's gonna happen.

Directly after my 4:45 Zumba class last night Macy had her first Softball (lob pitch) practice in Huntertown.  She didn't say much about it but didn't complain either so we'll see how the season fares.  Nick found friends while she practiced and spent the entire hour in an intense and very aggressive game of soccer.  By the end of the night he was as dirty and sweaty as a boy could be - but very happy:)  Stephen insisted on swinging most of the time and wasn't even deterred after a nasty fall off the swing.  I picked him up as he was crying but he cried even harder as I walked away from the swingset.  He wanted right back on.  Mike joined us later (after getting lost on his way to the park) so it was a happy family night.  I picked up Subway on the way home and we ate on the picnic table - it was a super beautful night.

Why hello, there back muscles!!  I'm a little sore today... the two hour Turbokick/Zumba Cinco de Mayo party last night really worked it out!  I have to say I enjoyed Turbokick and didn't do tooooo awfully bad.  If I attended regularly I might just get pretty good at it.  But following that, the Zumba portion seemed a pretty lax and chill workout.  Most of the attendees were my Zumba people - God love 'em!

Afterwards I replenished my lost calories by meeting up with a group of Pine Ridge Zumba gals who so graciously invited me to Cebollas for a Margarita and burrito.  I'm happy to report I just had one of each though - yay me!  It was a fun and interesting group of gals... everything from a vegan cat-lover to a couple of MILFs:)  I also got to see one of my new friends, Jackie, a Facebook friend who just had a baby, and meet a fellow Zumba instructor and several die-hard Pine Ridge Zumba students.

This morning I'm sitting in my office still downloading CDs, checking up on emails and balancing the checkbook.  I purchased tickets for the family for a Indy Fever (WNBA) game in June where I will be able to perform Zumba at halftime.  I just got the email invite today so I jumped right on it.  It should be fun:) 

Nick came up with another creative endeavor (see image below) which I had to put together for him - a story about the Super Bowl (yes, he still thinks about it) with the incorporation of he and his friends.  I'm amazed at what he remembers!! 

I know... it's pretty cute, right?:)

So otherwise, Stephen has made a clubhouse under the table here in the office, and Sam is at his usual spot by the window.  I'm trying to summon up some energy to do something productive - sigh!  I feel pretty unorganized, scattered, crazed, etc. etc...  I'm sure once I clean something I'll feel better.

WEDNESDAY - Another busy day ahead of me but I'll write real quick like...

Already took Nick to school, picked up a couple new batteries for Sam's collar (still doesn't work!) and browsed through Dollar Tree with Stephen.  Home now printing out a grape salsa recipe for the Cinco de Mayo fitness party tonight at the Y:)  I'll pick up Nick @ 11:45, Zumba Gold @ 12:30 then home til 4:15 at which time I'll head back to the Y.  I was invited to join up with a group of Zumba ladies at Cebolla's for a margarita tonight... we'll see if I can swing it.  It would be nice to meet some new people with a common (zumba) link:)

Stephen's out playing in the flower gardens - he's gonna be our outdoorsy one I believe.  I'm a bit out of sorts gastro-wise.  I had a fried egg and toast for breakfast but my body seems to be telling me I need some good things; perhaps some fruit, veggies and lots of water are in order for today.  I'll try it out and see how it goes.

Grocery list:

green onions

cilantro

FRUIT

VEGGIES

Milk

OJ

Anonymity... did I spell that right?

I'm just about Facebooked out.  I realize this blog is open to the public but let's face it.. no one comes here anymore.  But the Facebook thing... it's fun sometimes, a good networking tool, but I'm honestly tired of trying to keep up with everyone.  Sometimes I sit and wonder what it would be like not knowing all I know about everyone.

That being said here's the lowdown on myself.  I spent the morning vacuuming and dusting the kids' rooms.  Currently I'm re-downloading my CD collection onto iTunes.  I had one of those "purge" days a while back where I deleted all the music except Zumba stuff because it seemed that was all I was listening to anyway.  Now I want the other stuff back.  As soon as I'm done with my collection I'll add Mike's.

Nicholas has a fever today.  He's sitting in the living room chair (has been all day) watching Dora.  Stephen had the same thing last weekend so it's just running its course.  Not puking, no diarhea, just lack of energy and fever.  I'm thinking I may have had something, too but I thought it was allergies.  Alas.

Stephen is now watching TV as well but was outside playing earlier.  He was so cute in his new blue and orange rain boots (it's not raining) "mowering" the back yard.  He's gonna be an outdoorsy type, I'm thinking.

Macy's at school, wearing her new skinny jeans and artsy tank, complete with black flats and a sparkly headband.  She looked adorable walking out the door today.

Mike's at work and Samuel is lying here next to me.  Life is good in the Miriovsky household.  To end, I'm going back to the ancient art of list-making to take me and my summer goals into spring...

1.  less FB more BS

2.  prepare summer activities for kids/family

3.  finish office

4.  novel outline "funnelhead"

5.  hang pictures

6.  plant vines

7.  date nights

...more to come.