The Tooth Fairy's mailing address

Jason and I try to be the best Tooth Fairies we can possibly be.  However, sometimes, it's a pretty tough job and last night was no exception.
It sounds like an easy gig, I know.  Sneak in to a dark bedroom, trip over the only toys in the room that always hurt your feet (or make obscenely loud noises), feel around under a pillow, replace a tooth with a gold dollar (well, that's what this tooth fairy uses), all while trying not to wake a sleeping child.  What could possible go wrong?
What could go wrong is that the child might not be the calmest sleeper in the world and somehow lose the little bag the tooth is in from the time you put her to bed to the time you go in and try to replace it with money.  Such was the case last night when I tried to do my tooth fairy duties.  I could not find that tooth anywhere!  I searched until she started to stir and then the heck out of there.  I even sent my back up fairy (Jason) in to try to find it.  We had no luck.  We left the gold dollar under her pillow and knew we would have some damage control in the morning.
When we woke up, Kinsey was as happy as could be with her gold dollar.  It was Kaitlyn, however, that was distraught by the fact that the tooth fairy did not take Kinsey's tooth.  In a very sleepy voice, rubbing her eyes with one little fist, she holds up the little tooth bag with the other and says, "Do you know how to mail this tooth to the Tooth Fairy?  She forgot it."

The one where America's Funniest Videos makes me cry

I remember when I was young and would be watching an emotional movie with adults in the same room and someone would always be crying (usually my mom) and I never understood what there was to cry about.  Tears would never just well up in my eyes.  I could watch the most heartbreaking stories without blinking.
Fast forward to 2004 when I was pregnant with Kinsey.  I remember sitting in my room watching a tornado documentary special (I have no idea why...I'm deathly afraid of tornadoes).  All of a sudden, tears started streaming down my face while watching.  Since that moment, I've become a huge cry baby.  Hallmark commercials, any movie with the slightest bit of emotion sends me into a sobbing mess.  My girls watched the Disney movie Wizards of Waverly Place: The Movie, of course I totally cried at the end.  It's a kids movie for crying out loud!  Now, every time Jason and I watch a movie (or show, commercial, anything on TV really) together, I see him peek over at me to see if I'm crying.
I recently came to the conclusion that I've lost all control when I cried during a recent episode of America's Funniest Videos.  Yes, America's Funniest Videos.  The clip was about people telling their family they were expecting a child.  This is the clip that made me loose all control.  And I have no idea why.



And then, in the same show, I watched the following clip and laughed so hard I cried...again.  Luckily this cry was because I was laughing so hard.  However, my husband still thought I was crazy by this point.   



Really...it's the baby fart powder that gets me every time.  Even as I sit here and type this I am cracking up crying.  And Kaitlyn keeps asking me alternating questions, "What's so funny, Mommy?  Are you OK?  Is it funny or sad?"

This is why I should never drive

Let me tell you a little bit about how my week is going.
Yesterday, I hit a pothole.  Not just your regular run-of-the-mill pothole.  It was such a huge pothole that I had to immediately drive to the tire place and have both my front and back passenger tires and rims replaced.  I thought they were trying to scam me when they rang it up for FOUR tires and rims.  I quickly shot that down and explained that I only damaged the two on the passenger side.  There was absolutely no reason for me to buy four.  I went back and sat quietly in the waiting area until my car was finished.  John, the man fixing my car, nicely pulled my car to the door when it was finished.  It was at that moment that I realized why they thought it would be a good idea to get four instead of two.  Because now I have two different sets of rims on my car.  The driver side has factor rims, while the passenger side has brand new aluminum rims.  $211.86 later, I drive off with a half set of new wheels.  Awesome.
Also, yesterday I wanted to make my favorite southwest chicken pasta dish.  My plan was hindered when the deli was out of rotisserie chicken.  I did, however, get a coupon from the deli for a free one that I could redeem today.
As I set out on my way to redeem my free rotisserie chicken that was sure to make up for last nights pot hole gone wrong (although, I don't think pot holes can ever go right), I set my purse and keys on the passenger seat to put my coupon away.  Just as I shut the door, I realized my keys were still inside and the doors had automatically locked.  This problem was compounded by the fact that my spare keys were inside my purse along with my cell phone.
I've come to realize I would make a terrible burglar.  I tried everything I know, which is limited to the coat hanger method I've seen in movies, to break into my car to no avail.  Unfortunately, I had to call a lock smith to come get my keys out.  I watched him very closely to see how he got them out...apparently, all you need are two blood pressure cuffs and a long hook to break in and unlock a car.  $77 later, I have my keys back that I spent the previous three hours looking at through my window.  Double Awesome.

This is why you shouldn't go on a bike ride with me

I seem to have a history of telling people they are fine when they really are not.  I recall a time in high school after Latin class when my best friend, SarahRyan Brady, and I were rushing down to the cafeteria so we wouldn't get stuck in a huge lunch line.  I was focused and determined.  All of a sudden, I hear, "Cina...stop!  My stomach.  I can't walk."  I looked back to find her hunched over walking at a snail's pace.  I did what I had to do; I grabbed her hand and excitedly insisted, "Come on!  You're fine!"  And whisked her down into the front of the lunch line.  To this day, she never lets me forget that I did that to her when she was, in fact, not fine.

Since the weather has been so nice here lately, I decided that it was time to pull out the bikes and go for a ride with the girls.  I figured we would go around the block once or twice and enjoy the sunshine.  We got to the end of our street and Kinsey says, "Mom, we need to go back.  My legs are killing me!  It hurts."  I insist, "Come on!  You're fine!  We just haven't been outside all winter.  You just need some exercise."  And we continue our journey around the block.  When we got all the way around, she was still saying her legs hurt so we ended our bike trip.  The girls both ran inside and I began cleaning up toys outside.  As I was putting Kinsey's bike away, I grabbed the back tire.  Upon a closer look, I realized she had two flat tires on her bike.  Thus, the reason her legs were hurting so bad on our ride.  Oops!

Life altering

I'm not usually a crime show watcher.  They all kind of freak me out to know that there are people in the world that have that much disregard for human life.  It chills me to the core.
Recently, I found out that my husband watches Criminal Minds when I fall asleep early and my alleged snoring keeps him awake (I don't believe that I snore.  I refuse to believe this until I see it on video tape...with audio).  One night, I actually stayed awake and this show came on.  He was all like, "Oh, Emily and Morgan will get them."  And I'm all, "Who the heck is Emily?  And Morgan?  How do you even know these characters?"  Apparently, my husband lives a secret life of crime show watching when I'm sleeping.  I had no idea.
I digress...I watched one episode and my will to stay away from shows like this went straight out the window.  I found myself watching the reruns every night after the girls went to bed for the past few weeks.  I even mentioned something to Jason about buying the seasons to catch up.
Lately however, I am beginning to understand why I tend to stay away from shows like this.  I find the story lines intermingling in my dreams with real people from my life.  It's sort of unsettling when the people in my family become criminals in my dreams.
There was one particular episode that has altered my life forever, I think.  I won't go into detail but I'll just say it was about pigs.  Yesterday, I stopped at McDonald's for a bacon, egg, and cheese bagel.  I found myself completely unable to eat it because my thoughts kept flooding in, "What if they fed their pigs the same thing as on Criminal Minds?"  I couldn't finish it and wished at that moment that I was a vegetarian.
I might think about giving up the show but my new life long dream of being an FBI agent and analyzing behaviors is too strong now.  You know...if the whole teaching thing doesn't work out.

This is why I stick to a routine

I could not wait until Saturday to go to the grocery store...alone!  I knew Jason didn't have to work Saturday so I was looking forward to a nice, peaceful shopping trip all by myself.  Believe it or not, there are some weeks when that is my only "me time."  When we woke up Saturday morning, I told him I was going to the store.  Jason decided that he wanted to go, too.  I tried to explain that it is very difficult to shop with two kids and a husband.  I know you all might find this shocking (insert sarcastic tone here), but I have a very specific way of grocery shopping. Usually, just the girls are with me so I have to contain Kaitlyn in the cart and Kinsey has the job of looking for all of the items I call off on the list.  I keep diligent track of my spending on my calculator, make sure I've used all of my coupons, mark things off of the list, all while pushing the cart with a smile and maintaining sanity.  Usually, Jason is not with us.  So when he came along, it threw everyone off of their shopping trip routine.

As soon as we got into the store, Jason wanted to push the cart.  I thought this was fine...one less thing I have to do.  Kinsey wanted to mark things off of the list.  She is a proficient reader so why not let her mark things off?  Kaitlyn wanted to hold the coupons.  That's fine right?  They are all stored nicely in my filer.  What could go wrong?  Everyone had a job; it was time to get shopping.

Aisle one.  

I start putting items in the cart and tell Kinsey to mark them off of the list.  Problem 1:  she can't find them on the list as quickly as I am putting them in the cart.  Result:  We have to stop frequently and abruptly to find them for her.

Aisle two.

I open a freezer and turn around to put the items in the cart.  Problem 2:  Jason has put bonus items, not on the list (like $3.25 ice cream), in the cart without telling me.  Result: My diligent calculation of all items is not correct because my husband wants to sneak ice cream into the cart.

Skip to Aisle five.

I don't have my list in my hands.  My six year old has it.  Problem 3:  I realize that I forgot items on the opposite side of the store.  Result:  I run circle around the store at least four times.  

Aisle six.

Jason sneaks brownies in the cart.  Problem:  He couldn't just choose the $1 brownies.  He had to have the hot fudge lava brownies that were $3.50.  Result: frustration.

Aisle seven.

Going through my list in my head, I know I am about half way through.  I ask Kinsey what has not been marked off yet.  Problem 4:  She informs me that she has marked everything off already.  I took the list from her because there was no possible way we got everything.  She was right.  She literally marked everything off because I was putting things in too quickly for her so she just marked all items off.  Result:  extreme frustration.

Aisle...lost count by this time.

Miraculously, I realize that I am under budget and ask if there is anything else we need.  We decided that we need new toothbrushes.  That is great because I had a coupon for toothbrushes so we go pick them up.

Checkout.

I give the cashier all of my coupons.  She scans them all and wouldn't you know it...my toothbrush coupon is expired and she wouldn't take it.  Go figure!

Next weekend, I might fight a little harder to go alone.

For $40 it should be bedazzled with diamonds

Apparently, my file in HR is missing my Praxis II scores.  Let me tell you...they have been missing them for about five years and just now realized it.  Of course, now they want documentation of my scores.  This is annoying because #1 I have obviously taken and passed Praxis II because I have a valid teaching license and #2 I took this stinking test in 2004 #3 I got rid of my scores when I received my teaching license.
Because they gave a deadline as to when these had to be submitted, I panicked because the deadline was only about two weeks away! I quickly called ETS, the testing company, and asked if I could get access to my scores online.  I mean surely it would be that easy.  Wrong.  Dead wrong.
The customer service lady nicely explained that since I took the test so long ago, they would have to mail me a copy.  She explained that it would only take 10 business days for me to receive them.  Then, she continued with what felt like a final slap in the face.  It would only cost $40.00.
Seriously?  $40.00?  For that price, I'd hope they come laced in gold with my scores bedazzled in little diamonds and have a nice leather carrying case for them.  I sat on the phone with this lady fumbling for words for about five minutes after the $40.00 comment.  I went blank.  I told her I would call back if I needed them.
Obviously I needed them! There was a deadline! I sat with my phone in my hand and my credit card in the other for about an hour.  I'd call.  Hangup.  Call back.  Hang up.  I finally realized that there was no way around it.  I needed to call and order them right away so they would be here before the deadline.  At 7:50 I called back ready to order.  I got the following message, "We are currently closed.  Our normal business hours are from 8:00am to 7:45pm.  Please call back during normal business hours." Really?  Who closes at 7:45?  Why not 8:00?
I took it as a sign that I wasn't supposed to order them.  I decided that I would just order them in the morning.  When I got to school, someone mentioned calling the Indiana Department of Education.  That made sense because I had to submit my scores to them to get my license.  I called DOE and the extremely nice lady said it was no problem.  All I had to do was email someone and request my scores.  I checked my email yesterday and I received them in about two days!  For free.

Black Friday

Jason and I decided to brave Black Friday for one item.  Yes, one item in hopes that we would actually get it when we got there.  Kinsey has been wanting a Nintendo DS for over a year now.  When Walmart advertised they would have them for $89 from 5-11am only (while supplies last), we knew what we had to!  I admit, I kinda felt like we should have put on our war paint and dressed in camo for this!  I also have to admit that we've never been to Walmart on Black Friday so we really didn't know what to expect.  Armed with nothing but stories of experiences from friends and our bank cards, we set out and arrived at Walmart at 4am.
Madness.  It was pure madness.  After walking past it about five times, we finally found the line we were supposed to be in.  I walked up and got a wristband, which you must have to get whatever it is you're in line for, the lady told me I got the last wristband.  I truly felt like I'd won the golden ticket. We turned around and tried to find the end of the line...it only wrapped up and down three aisles and down a main aisle for what seemed like forever.  All we had to do now was wait in said line and as soon as they opened it at 5am, we would be able to cross this present off of our list.
Once they opened, the line actually went really fast.  We went up and down each aisle and finally made it to the final turn.  We could see the employees handing out each DS as we moved one spot closer.  So excited that we were the next ones in line!
"THIS IS THE LAST ONE!" some employee calls out.  As if those words didn't hurt enough, he hands it to the lady directly in front of us.  And I'm left standing DSless trying to show that I have a wristband too!  Where is my DS that I just waited in line for over an hour for?  The manager comes over and apologizes that something got counted wrong and they didn't have enough (No kidding!  I kind of figured that out when I didn't get one.)  The best he could do was take my name and number.  He said they would try to locate another one and call me if they found it.
So I walked out.  Defeated.  Nothing to show for the hour and a half I just spent waiting.
Something in my head told me, there is no way they will call me.  And if they do call me, will they still honor that amazing price?  Probably not!
Later that evening we went to dinner in Garrett with my mom.  Jason and I had to stop and get a birthday gift for our niece.  Since we were so close, we just went to the Auburn Walmart.  We decided to take a shot in the dark and ask if they had any of the DS's still.  The words coming out of my mouth sounded ridiculous since we waited earlier that morning for an hour and a half at a different location and they sold out by 5:15am with a huge line of people that didn't get one.  We also knew that the sale was only until 11am so we weren't expecting anything.  By this time it was after 8pm.
The woman behind the counter said, "Well, I just sold one when I came in at 5pm.  Do you want blue or red?"  Both of us kind of went blank and we didn't really know what to say.  We somehow managed to mumble out a color and she came back with it in her little hands.  She rang it up and it was still $89.
We laughed the whole way out and said to each other that next year we will not be getting up early for any sales.  But we will go to the Auburn Walmart around 8pm!

50/50

It's holiday season.  For me that means making my favorite cookies.  Well, really it doesn't matter what time of the year it is.  Saying that I make them for the holiday season makes me feel better about it, even though I tend to make them year round.  I have a love/hate relationship with these cookies because they only turn out right about 50% of the time.  They are the classic No Bake cookies.  I don't understand why, but I have such a hard time getting these cookies to set up.  Often, I have to put them in the refrigerator to get them to harden.  I made a batch last week and they were perfect!  I didn't even have to cool them in the fridge.  I was so proud and I thought that I really understood how to make them now.  Until I made them today.
After I made them today, I let them set and set and set.....and set some more, I realized they were not going to set up on their own and they, in fact, would need the help of being chilled.  Disappointed, I took my loss and pouted to Jason.
After sulking for about five full minutes, I decided that I wasn't going to let them get the best of me. I was going to make another batch right then and there to prove I know how to make these cookies!  My second batch turned out perfect.  I have no idea what in the world I do different but I sure wish I knew what it was.
I am absolutely positive that I'm probably the only one that has this battle with these cookies.  But I never let that stop me from making them.
Here's the recipe if you're up for the challenge of making these incredibly easy cookies that I can't seem to master:

Chocolate Peanut-Butter No Bake Cookies

Ingredients

• 2 cups sugar
• 4 tablespoons cocoa
• 1 stick butter
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 cups oatmeal
• Waxed paper

Directions

In a heavy saucepan bring to a boil, the sugar, cocoa, butter and milk. Let boil for 1 minute then add peanut butter, vanilla and oatmeal. On a sheet of waxed paper, drop mixture by the teaspoonfuls, until cooled and hardened.

*check out this and other fabulous recipes from www.foodnetwork.com

Good Luck and happy baking!

Light bulb hoarder

I tend to get really excited when I find coupons that are worth more than $1.00.  And there was no shortage of excitement when I received a coupon in the mail from my energy company for a free six pack of compact fluorescent light bulbs (the ones that last 5 years!) worth $11.88.  I was so excited that I assembled my coupons for the rest of my shopping trip and went a whole day early because I couldn't wait to see that $11.88 come off of my total at the register.
This coupon couldn't have come at a better time.  Both of my bathrooms have light fixtures with three bulbs.  The one in the master bathroom has had two lights out for about a month now.  The one in the main bathroom has had one bulb out for probably a month too.  So getting these means that I can replace them and restore the full brightness in there.
When I checked out, I ended up saving a total of close to $40.  Plus I used a coupon on Jason's birthday gift earlier that morning...so a total savings of about $50 with all of my coupons.  It was shaping up to be a pretty awesome day.  When I got home, I started putting away all of my groceries.  All the while I kept my shopping receipt on the counter staring at it and marveling at what a great job I did saving money today.  As I started putting things in my pantry, I noticed that there was a lot of stuff on the very top shelf that made it hard to put my light bulbs away.
I decided it was probably time to clean it out so I began taking stuff down.  As I began pulling things off of the top shelf, I started to see a recurring theme of things.  Everything that was on the shelf...were light bulbs.

And, no, this does not include the new light bulbs that I just purchased.  What made me feel really annoyed is that I already had a package of the exact same ones I was so excited about getting for free!
It did force me to replace the ones in the bathroom finally.

In other news:  I won't be buying light bulbs for another 10 years.

Switching to La Croix

This week I decided to make a switch and stop drinking pop.  I decided to switch to La Croix sparkling water.  One of my good friends that I work with has one everyday so naturally, I thought it would be a good choice.  There are no calories, no sodium, no sweetener, etc.  

Jason told me that it was horrible and I wouldn't like it.  I told him that I love sparking water.  I proceeded to tell him about when I was younger, I used to buy Clearly Canadian sparkling water all the time.  In my mind, this was going to be just like that.  I would love it.  And it would probably bring back some childhood memories of drinking sparkling water.  How perfect!

Then, as I was clipping my weekly coupons, I found two coupons for La Croix-$1.25 off a 12 pack.  Now it was like a sign from above that I should get this.  Each 12 pack is only $3.48 minus the $1.25 times two coupons.  So I would only spend $4.46 for 24 cans of this awesomeness.  That is so much cheaper than pop!  

When I went to the store last night, I bought my 24 cans and used my amazing coupons.  I put them in the fridge and let them get nice and cold.  Today, I opened one and tried it for the first time.

All of my excitement left at that moment.  It was horrible.  It must be an acquired taste...like beer.  But I still can't seem to acquire that taste so I might be out of luck.


The really hard part is that now I have to admit to Jason that he was right.  

Thank you for impulse buying

When I bought my car three years ago, I wanted a really low payment.  They did a great job of doing that for me.  They also did a great job of talking me into extra things like gap insurance and xzilon protection that made my really low payment go up to a kind of low payment.
I understand why the gap insurance is necessary and frankly, I'm glad I'm covered with that.  I've had my new car for three years now and I was really starting to wonder why in the heck I let them talk me into the xzilon protection. Xzilon is a sealant they put on the interior fabric and exterior paint of the car.  For the interior it is supposed to protect the fabric from any stains and damage.  If something gets spilled on it, the liquid or dirt just gets suspended in the fibers and doesn't set into the fabric.  The deal is that if there are any stains that I can't get out, I take it in and they fix it for free.
The sales person that was helping me talked a bunch of mumbo jumbo about having kids and how they spill stuff and I should really get it.  So I did.
But it's been three years and I've never used this service.  That is until this past weekend.
On the way home from Fort Wayne, a two hour drive, Kinsey got sick.  On the inside of my car.  On my stain resistant seats.  I don't care how well it suspends the stuff in the fibers so I can wipe it away, it didn't take away the horrid smell of sickness on my stain resistant seats that I had to endure for the remainder of the two hour drive home.
The next day I took out the booster seat and I could see some slight dirt around where her seat is from her stepping on the seat or putting her feet up.  I immediately called the dealership and told them I had some stains that I couldn't get out.  They took it in and had it back to me within a few hours.
My car smells great and all of my upholstery and carpet is like brand new...it looks so great!   It was so easy and hassle free, I don't think it will be another three years before they see me again.  I will definitely be bringing my car in more often for that service.  I'm so glad I went for that impulse buy!

The sports triathlon that nearly killed me

You know how they say things happen for a reason?  Well, I am pretty sure there was a reason that I decided to Google me yesterday.  More importantly, happy that I didn't find my address, city, and other personal information for everyone to find.
Yesterday Jason and I were outside playing in the yard.  Yes, playing.  He thinks I am some kind of sports idiot and I wanted to prove him wrong.  He got out his bat and of course asks, "Do you even know how to swing a bat?"  Who the heck doesn't know how to swing a bat?  If can accomplish the task of hitting the ball, does it matter how I swing the bat?
As if that wasn't fun enough, he decides he wants to get out one of his golf clubs. His golf clubs that live in my trunk...which are always.in.my.way!  I get my keys to open my trunk so he can get a club and then set my keys on top of his car while my trunk is open.  "Do you even know how to hit a golf ball?"  Of course I know how to hit a golf ball.  It may not always go where I want it to go, but the stinkin' ball gets hit.  I'm shocked that he even let me touch his club.  When I got him a new driver, he wouldn't let me use it, or hold it for that matter, because he said I would probably scuff it on the ground.  Which is probably true.
Then came the soccer ball.  "Do you even know how to kick a soccer ball?"  Yes, I know how to kick a soccer ball.  I'm not a little kid who is learning how to play sports for the first time.  I've taken gym classes before in my life.
After our sports triathlon, Ryan showed up to pick up Jason to run some errands.  They left.  I closed my trunk and garage door.  And went inside.
Jason left for work this morning and came back inside with something in his hand.

"You left your keys on top of my car all night."  Oops!

My car keys also have keys to my house on them. So if someone was looking for me and Googled my name, had my address been listed...they could have gotten me last night and I would be a goner.  Thank goodness the Internet can't track me down!

Google me

Hmm.  I'm trying to figure out a way to make, "I googled my own name" sound not so weird.  Only there isn't a way so I'll just explain why in the heck I did that.  You know how you can find absolutely anything on the Internet?   That is the reason I googled my own name.  I wanted to see how easy it was to find me.  
Here are the things you can find out about me on the Internet:  I am an elementary school teacher, I graduated high school in 2001, I was on the Dean's list at Manchester College, and I have a lot of responsibilities on our InSAI team at school.  And for $2.95 you can find out my possible contact information... apparently because I am so evasive even the Internet can't track me down.  There are some sites that will list your age, city, address and known relatives.  Luckily, they don't know my age or have my correct city.  
I don't like the fact that you can search and find out anything about anyone on the Internet.  There are some real creeps in the world...not that I think anyone is trying to get me because I think they'd bring be right back after a short time.  But I certainly don't want just any old Joe to be able to find my information.  I feel pretty safe in the amount of information I didn't find about myself.  However, I did stumble upon the fact that there is only one person in the United States with the name Kacina Pfeiffer, and that's me.  I also learned that the ancestors of my in-laws may have been pipe players according to this information:
Pfeiffer:  German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from an agent derivative of Middle High German pfif(e), German Pfeife‘whistle’, ‘pipe’, hence an occupational name for a pipe player.
Too bad your name doesn't represent your occupation still.  Because I would love to see Jason as a pipe player.  


What can you learn about yourself on the Internet? 

Bumper cars

I get it.  I completely understand that people don't like it when you bump into the back of their car.  But it's not like I meant to do that.  I didn't set out in the morning thinking, "Gee, I'd really like to rear end someone today.  Who's going to be the unfortunate one?  That old lady looks like she wants hit."  I swear I didn't think that.  Although, the old lady I hit slowly coasted into acted like I thought that.  It was such a minor tap, the girls didn't even know we hit anything and didn't understand why we were stopping.  I, myself, didn't think it was necessary to stop either but there's that whole hit and run felony thing I didn't want to mess with.
I immediately apologized but she didn't want any of that.  She looked at her bumper, rubbed off the dead bugs that transferred from my bumper to hers, and demanded to see my insurance information.  Wouldn't you know that the insurance card in my purse was expired.  Do you think she noticed?  Of course.  She so gently informed me by scoffing, "This is expired."  I told her that yes, it says it is expired on that card but my insurance is in fact up to date.  I just haven't printed a new card.  She kindly replied, "I'll have to look into that."  I thought about telling her I could pull up the up to date one on my Geico iPhone app but I didn't think she would care to see it.  I figured looking into my insurance would give her something to do.
After carefully inspecting my insurance card, she says, "I assume you are Kacina."  Which I proudly reply, "Yes, yes I am."  Normally, people comment on my unique name.  Not her.  She just said she wanted to see my license to verify I was who I said I was.  I was half way surprised she didn't pull out a handheld license verification tool like they use at clubs and casinos.
After she had everything but a blood sample from me, she told me she would get it washed (probably to get off all the dead bugs from my 200 mile highway journey to Fort Wayne and back) and make sure there was no damage.  She said she would call and let me know in a few days what she finds.
I can't wait for that call.

I promised I wouldn't photo shop him naked

I have spent the past three days at a workshop with some pretty fabulous people.  The workshop was all about Reading Workshop with Frank Serafini.  If you don't know Frank, basically all you need to know is that he is amazing.  Aside from keeping us entertained from 8:30-3:30 three days in a row, which is an extremely long time when you are sitting and listening, he had so many practical teaching methods to offer.  I highly recommend if you teach reading workshop to check out his site www.frankserafini.com to find great book lists, lessons, and books written by him.  Truly, it was one of the best workshops I have ever been to!

Of course, it wouldn't be a Kacina post if something embarrassing or out of the ordinary didn't happen.  So I won't disappoint all of you.  On the last day of the workshop, I told Julie how much I wanted to get a picture with Frank.  I mean he is a famous author of children's books and professional books and has lots of articles published about children's literature.   Who the heck wouldn't want their picture with him? 

We were sitting at our table during a break and he was just hanging out at the front.  Julie told me to go up and ask him but I wouldn't because I thought that would sound like a really weird request (obviously I prefer taking pictures of people when they don't know I'm taking one of them like my lawn mowing guy because that is much less weird).  I kind of put the idea out of my head as we began to talk about something unrelated.  Within about five minutes Frank was back around our table talking to the Barns and Noble representative behind us.  I turned and looked and accidentally made direct eye contact, basically inviting him over to chat.  I froze like a deer in headlights and my mind went completely blank.  I saw him say hi and move toward us like he was going to engage in conversation with us and everything professional that I would have talked to him about left my brain.  Instead, after a few seconds of awkward silence, I blurted out that I wanted my picture with him.  I felt the need to explain why and began babbling about blogging.  

He was so nice and told me he would oblige as long as I didn't photo shop him naked.  I promised I wouldn't do that, mostly because I don't have photo shop and don't know how.  Then he told me to send him my blog and he would TWEET it out.  That's right.  He wants to tweet my blog.  I'm pretty sure that qualifies as being somewhat famous.  Thank you Dr. Frank Serafini, thank you.  

This is why I hate mowing the grass

Since I am off for the summer with nothing to do extremely busy at home with the girls, which is a full time job, I picked up most all of the house hold chores. Including mowing. Yes, me! The one who hates being outside unless it involves the pool. I am doing all of the mowing at the Pfeiffer residence. And, well frankly, it stinks.
Of course we had to buy a mower that bags the grass because it looks so much nicer, which I totally appreciate when I am done and the girls are playing in the water and don't have grass all over them, tracking it in the house. That I like. Bagging it though, stinks too. I am sure that my neighbors get a real kick out of me when I mow the grass. I practically have to wrangle the lawn bag and the grass bagger to get the grass in there so it doesn't go all over, which it usually does anyway despite my valiant efforts.
Yesterday I really gave my viewers a show while I was mowing. As I was mowing along the side of the house, I moved the thing that catches water. I saw something move but I thought it was a frog so I was really careful not to run over it. A few seconds later I see something dart across in front of the mower and into my neighbors yard. As I turned my head I realized that it most certainly was not a frog. It was a mouse! A small, gross, black mouse! It dug a little hole in their yard and disappeared. I screamed so loud that the I'm sure everyone heard me. I let go of the mower and when I released the handle it stopped the motor. Instead of gathering myself in an adult way, I jumped in circles, waving my hands in a motion that looked like jazz hands, and screaming for about three minutes. I'm not quite sure what I thought that would accomplish other than me looking like a total idiot because anyone watching me would not have seen the mouse but just that I totally spazzed out for no apparent reason.
I would like to tell you that this behavior is not typical when I mow the grass but it is. Especially when I see bees. I always think they are going to get so mad at me when I mow over them, so I spaz out in the same manner when they fly close to me. So mowing the grass...really stinks for me.
I really want one of those industrial mowers that are huge and mow like five rows to my one. Kind of like this one that I took a picture of while the men were mowing around the pond beyond our yard line. I think I know I looked like a real creeper trying to take a picture from my sliding glass door at the person outside. I was trying to be sly but he saw me take a picture of him. I bet I'll hear from the association for stalking or something. I really didn't want him in the picture, just his nice mower.  I wonder if he spazzes out when he mows sometimes?

Dirty little secret

Did you know that you can read about how to wash just about anything? I found a site, while I was searching for the proper way to wash bathing suits, that tells you how to wash your clothes.

As I scrolled through the list of hundreds of things I have never even heard of, I clicked on the link "How to wash clothes." There it was. Plain as day. Rebecca, who I can only assume is an expert clothes washer, stated that you have to sort all of your clothes into darks, whites, reds, towels, special fabrics, colors, and wash them all separately.

I think I might email Rebecca and ask her what qualifies her to post directions for washing clothes. She didn't even give any other options (like my way) on how to do it. Given that I've had no color catastrophes, I think that qualifies me to tell people how to wash clothes in a much easier, simpler way.

I know it must be shocking to those of you who know me as a compulsively organized person to learn that I have a dirty little secret. But it's true, I do not color sort my clothes to wash them. That's right. No color sorting what so ever. Darks with lights, whites with colors, reds with whatever. What's the big deal? Our clothes are always clean and smell wonderful. Why do I need to take the time to sort them? I would like Rebecca from www.howtocleanstuff.net to answer why it is imperative that the clothes be sorted? In all my years of doing my own laundry I have never had a problem (maybe one time) but if you figured the ratio of mishaps to non-catastrophic loads, I'm sure it's pretty amazing!

This is why you don't let your husband pick out socks for you

Jason and I had to go to a birthday party this weekend at a bowling alley. I, however, was not thinking about bowling because I wore flip flops and had no socks. Jason told me he would buy me some socks if he could pick them out. I told him it was a deal. He mentioned getting me orange hunting socks and I begged him to get something a little more appropriate since I won't be hunting anytime soon. I waited in the car while he ran into the store. I started to get really nervous because we were going to be with his family and I really didn't want to look uncool in front of them with orange hunting socks.
When he finally came out, I was happy to see he didn't get orange socks but they might as well have been. This is what he picked out

He proceeded to tell me he thought I would like them because I could be an enviromentalist. Me? An enviromentalist. He must be blocking out one of the most major times in my life when I lied in an interview about loving the outdoors. That didn't work out for anyone involved. However, I don't support acid rain and I will wear my socks proudly to try to heighten awareness about the issue.

I am Michael Scott

So much has happened since my last blog post. Trying to find the time to sit down and write it all seems an overwhelming task sometimes.

Last week I finally made it to the doctor for some dry skin I had on my foot and elbows. I thought it was winter eczema because my skin always gets very, very dry in the winter. However, it is actually psoriasis. The doc gave me a new cream to put on it and told me it would best if I could wrap my foot with saran wrap at night after I put the cream on. Naturally, my first thought goes to The Office when Michael Scott burns his foot on his foreman grill because he likes to wake up to the smell of bacon. Of course he wraps his foot in bubble wrap. That's what I thought it would look like so I decided to just stick with the cream and not go all Michael Scott (sorry doc). The good news is that it is starting to heal and looks so much better. While I was there I also talked with my doctor about the horrible headaches I've been having for the past three months. They are worse than migraines and they make me sick. Of course they start as soon as I leave school and begin my hour commute back home with the sun blaring in my eyes and a chatty five year old in the back seat (Note: bright light and noise do not help migraines). The doctor found that my blood pressure was way too high and he was very concerned about it and started me on a medication for it. I went to school the next day and had the nurse check my BP and it was still too high. She and my principal sent me home to rest. I'm not sure which is worse: stressing at school or stressing at home because I'm not at school. Either way, I found it hard to rest. Day three of the medicine was like the clouds parting because for the first time in a very long time, I felt good and headache free.

In related news, Jason and I joined the Y. We have needed to get our butts in gear for a long time. The issues with high BP only pushed us harder to change our lifestyle. We have been going almost every night to work out. The girls have been taking full advantage of the open swim times, swim classes, and kids play area. It is so nice because it's something that Jason and I get to do together and support each other on. We took the girls to the aquatic easter egg hunt yesterday. They got to find eggs in the pool and practice their swimming. They had so much fun! They are like little fish.

Last weekend we bought a new kitchen table. There is an Ashley Furniture that is going out of business near us so we went to the show room and took advantage of the sale. The table we found matches everything perfect. The regular price was just over $900. The sale ticket had it for $404 and we talked them down to $300. We have black appliances and dark cherry cabinets. The table is black with dark cherry wood. It couldn't be more perfect. Jason and I put the table and all the chairs together last Monday and felt a real sense of accomplishment.



For my birthday Jason got me a Garmin GPS (which I use even when I'm going to the store because I love it) and three shelves that I've been wanting for our living room. I finally put the shelves up but didn't have anything to put on them. Yesterday, the girls and I went to Hobby Lobby in Carmel and they were having a huge sale. Almost everything was 50% off. I found these little monogram frames that fit perfect on my shelves. I'm still debating on whether or not I should take the ribbon off of them.


Well, we are off on vacation tomorrow for spring break so the next post will be of all the fun we had. Enjoy your week everyone!