Phraseology

I have been taking it pretty easy this past week, because I can feel myself gearing up to get sick. The past three days or so, my mouth has been going numb and having a metallic sort of taste, and I've been extremely tired and achy. There's been a few other issues as well, so I've mostly checked out of life, and have only been doing the things that need doing. (Which is: go to work. make dinner. switch laundry. nap.)

And if anyone is wondering how our new routine is going, well. It's going. Some days are harder than others, and we need reminders to "knock it off". Knock it off is in my Top Ten Phrase list. It's probably like, number two or three on the list. Speaking of which, these are the things I say OVER and OVER and OVER again.

1. Shut the door. 
2. No. 
3. Knock it off. 
4. Get out of the kitchen. 
5. Pick up your socks. 
6. Have you done your list? 
7. Asked and answered. 
8. Set the table. 
9. Dinner time. 

 Those ten phrases up there are quite literally the words that fall out of my mouth 98% of the time. And I'd like to talk about #3, the Knock it Off. We have a ground floor apartment, which is to say, I never have to walk up any stairs ever. (MAGIC!) But the building is on a hill, so there are two basement apartments below us, which makes our porch a balcony. And instead of using the front door, my boys and their friends have taken to climbing up the drain pipes to enter the house via the balcony. Now, I'm not opposed to my own children entering the house this way. Fine and dandy, and if they fall and break their arms, well, THEY DESERVE IT. Also, I *may* have been in the whole "climb up the pipes and play on the roof" club. What I DO have a problem with is the fact that some of our friends have now taken to climbing up onto the  porch and walking right in to the house via the back door. Because A) I don't want to be responsible for any one else's broken arms and 2) knock on the front door so I can decide whether or not I want to admit you into my home. Don't assume that you can just come in... which isn't a problem most of the time, but seeing as how LATELY I have been feeling sickly, I am not dressed for company. And EXCUSE ME if I don't want to lay on the couch in my jammies surrounded by ice packs and jacked up on pain pills in front of you. I mean, REALLY PEOPLE.

But I do have to admit, that I am a teensy bit proud of my kids for shimmying up the pipes. One of the first roofs I ever played on was at Lindberg Elementary school. I would ride my bike over, and climb up the roof and play tag, or pranks on people. Climbing has always been one of my favorite activities. (Sidenote: When I was growing up, and had a babysitter I didn't like, I would throw a fit and "run away", but I would actually be sitting on the roof of my house, watching the sitter freak out as she searched around the neighborhood for me. Sidenote #2: I was a monster. My other "trick" was to give myself a haircut. I always had interesting bangs after a night with someone I did not care for. Also, I feel well suited to effectively parent my hellion children because they try and do some of those same things, and I have BEEN THERE DONE THAT SIR.)

I am really enjoying my new job. Like, I can't WAIT to get my degree and my license and be a full time teacher. I am having so much fun, and I love when I see my students get it! On Tuesday, my kids didn't have school (all the schools are polling places, so they just have an inservice day), so they came to work with me. They loved it, and are now begging to be in my class. Which I would totally consider for SOME of my kids, but not others. Plus, we get special services at the public school, which I would have to pay for out of pocket if we went the private route. So for now, the kids are going to stay where they are.

And I will try to get some Halloween pictures up on the blog soon. We have misplaced our camera, so we took pictures with Troy's phone, but he has to send them to me or put them on the computer, and he hasn't gotten around to it quite yet. ;)