To Do: Get new Fire Alarms

Is there anything more frightening than having the fire alarm go off at 2am, 4am, etc?

I think not.

Ok, so occasionally (I admit) my cooking sends off the smoke detector.  That's understandable.  Though the other day all I did was preheat the oven and off it went!  While it's frustrating to have to go get a ladder just to shut the darn thing up, I can deal with it.

But these middle of the night fire alarms--I'm done with them!

Again last night, the smoke detectors--which are those electric setup fancy schmancy crap that if one goes off they all go off (and to add to it, blasts "Fire, Fire")--went off at 1:58am.  That's approximately that my heart goes into heart attack mode.  At 2 am, I'm dead asleep.  But that sound makes my heart stop and I jump so fast out of the bed you wouldn't believe it.  And needless to say, Parker doesn't sleep through them either.  We've got it down now.  I make a dash for Parker and Matt pushes all the buttons trying to get the darn thing off.

The first time it happened, I truly thought the house was on fire.  Matt actually slept through that one.  How, I have not idea!  I've since been telling him that I guess he wasn't fibbing when he says he can't hear the baby monitor going off in the night.  It's funny what thoughts immediately go through your head.  Ok, so one of my first thoughts was "oh lordy, why do I have on the ugliest pajamas tonight?  What if this was all I was left with?"  Then I worry about pictures, what's in the safe, where is the closest fire department, maybe I should keep the phone on the nightstand, etc.

Every single time this happens (I can almost fill my hand counting)...it reminds me so much of my days back in college at 4-H House.

The house of 55 girls slept in 2 dormers.  Because it was campus housing, every time the fire alarms went off, the house had to be evacuated.  I can still visualize many, many nights when we went down the emergency stairs, in our pjs and slippers and maybe grabbing a cover off the bed.  Seems like then, it was usually a cold, snowy night!  Many nights did we stand on the sidewalk facing the house, just wondering when we could get back to catching zzzz's.  I never imagined though that those nights would one day be good memories :)

So needless to say, on today's to-do list, is to call the new housing rep and request that these faulty electrical smoke detectors be changed out to just those old fashioned battery operated ones.  I've got a husband who will remember to change the batteries when the clocks change!  Because let me tell you, the Ervins need all the ZZZZ's we can get!

To Do: Find a Friend

I forgot how long it takes to make new friends.  Ugh--too long!

And I figured no one was just going to come ring my doorbell and say "hi, wanna be my friend?" (though I'm optimistic this still could happen since the street is only half built!)

So I'm reaching out of my comfort zone.

Last week Parker and I went to our first Mom's Group outing.  It was just an hour at a nearby park.  He loves to be outside and it was right after nap time.  Let me brag a bit: I had a trophy son :)

This week we ventured to our first storytime.  A storytime geared for kids birth to 18 months.  Score!

Again, Parker was a trophy son.  He laughed and smiled the whole time.  Attention seeker I tell ya!  Who knows--Maybe he too is seeking friends!

Oh I would have loved to taken a picture of his first storytime, but I didn't want to be THAT parent.  Yeah, there was one mother snapping away and she looked a little wackadoodle doing that.  (Funny thing: Her daughter was obsessed with my shoes and I'm pretty sure my shoes made it into every photo).

I always think I'm the only mom desperate for companionship, a friend.  But really, I wonder if the other moms were there for the same reason?  Let's just say yes to make myself feel better.

The cool thing is that there were like 8-10 moms there.  I chatted most of the time with one mom with a 6 month girl and another with a 9 month boy (an adorable Asian boy at that--if you know me, you know my love for Asian babies!)--both of which live in our adjoining subdivision.  I have a feeling we'll see each other again.  (If anything, when our kids enter kindergarten).  This made my day!

I have to admit, it was a funny feeling to be on the other side of storytime.  When I first graduated from college, I had the awesomest job ever!  I got to plan and lead all kinds of activities for families with kids under the age of 5.  Storytime was probably one of my least favorite activities.  Parker will tell you--I have 3 voices--my normal voice, a high pitch one, and a low pitch one.  That's all I got.  So being dramatic wasn't up my alley.

But anytime I was with those kiddos, I loved it.  Just this week as I was unpacking, I came across this photo that one of the mom's had taken (and no, she isn't wackadoodle!) at the end of a storytime.  The kids always got a free book for coming--yes, bribery works!

These kids--going to high school next year.  Eeks!

Oh I wish somedays that I could go back now, after 10-15 years of other experiences, and do those storytimes again.  I may still have to work on my voices, but I have a new understanding of why maybe those parents came--sure, they wanted their child to love books...but maybe too...they just needed a friend for an hour.

To Do: Laugh Out Loud

Oh kids, they say the darndest things!  (Not Parker...not yet!)

Example #1 (Jude, friend, age 5)
You've heard me tell you funny stories from our little friend, Jude.  You may recall he was slightly disappointed that we didn't name our baby "Usher."  Well, his family came to visit us a few weeks ago for their final trip to Little Rock. When talking about us moving, he asked "Are you moving to Big Rock?"


Example #2 (Anonymous, nephew, age 4)
I asked this particular nephew (identity not being disclose to protect those involved) to leave the bedroom so I could put my pajamas on.  He looked at me strangely and asked, "Why do you wear pajamas?"  I told him I was putting them on so I could get ready to go to bed.  His reply: "Oh, my mom and dad don't wear pajamas...they sleep naked."  Oh my!  TMI!

Example #3 (Natalie, niece, age 10)
Where you find Parker, you will find Natalie if we are all together.  So last weekend we almost always had Natalie in the car with us.  This once shy girl has really come out of her shell.  On one particular car trip, she informed Matt and I that her family was "gross."  When asked why she said that, she proceeded to outline at least one feature for each family member (except herself of course) which gave them the label "gross".  She told us about mom's bad habit scratching her head, dad's daily bathroom trip (and when Matt asked her why...she was like "duh..#2), and something about Nathan's underwear.  The best part was texting my sister to tell her that Natalie was telling us these family secrets...and watching them sweat over what we had learned!


Example #4 (Cole, nephew, age 6)
While dressing Parker one day, our nephew Cole watched.  We told him that the outfit Parker was wearing came from Texas.  He asked, "Has he been to Texas?".  I told him that he had, but he was still in my tummy.  Matt then told him that Parker had been to Arkansas, Missouri, Alabama, and Illinois.  Cole, who has speech difficulties, then asked "Has he been to Boobie?"  (meaning, the small town of Boody that is just minutes from our hometown.)

Example #5 (Nathan, nephew, age 8)
So I saved my favorite for last.  If you have ever met Nathan, this story probably won't surprise you.  The setting: my grandpa's funeral.  Since my grandpa had lived 94 years (quite amazing), his funeral wasn't a boo hoo affair.  I had the pleasure of sitting next to Nathan during the service --no, not because he likes me, but rather, he wanted first dibs on Parker after the service.  Near the end of the service, the minister had people in the crowd stand and share stories about grandpa.  After a brief silence, she asked "Does anyone else have any stories or memories they would like to share?"  Nathan leaned over and asked me in all seriousness, "Does it have to be about him?"  Oh thank goodness he asked!  Who knows what he would have said!!

To Do: Buy Matt a truck

Note: Pretend like this is a new development.

My husband is perfect is nearly every way.  (Yes, I realize it's almost Christmas time.) He's also nearly identical to his own dad, John...well, except for this one thing.  Matt loves to switch vehicles!  So when he got a truck at the end of October, he decided to keep it a secret until his dad came to Little Rock to visit us in November.  John just smiled...and likely his nose flared a bit (a trait they both share).

In the 18 years he has been able to drive, Matt has owned a few vehicles.  Here's the stats:

1. 1989 gray Pontiac Grand Am with 2.2L turbo

2. 1997 red Ford Ranger (later driven by his sister and converted to a monster truck)

3. 1999ish white GMC Sonoma

4 . 1996 red Ford Ranger Supercab (sold it to that identical dad in 1998, who yes, still has it)

5. 1994 white Pontiac Sunbird (sold this to his Aunt Kara)
     * Also had a work van during this time
    
6. 1999 white Chevy Shortbed

7. 2002 taupe Ford Taurus (formerly my car)

8. 2007 silver Dodge Ram
     * Sold this when CAT was doing major layoffs and we wanted to get rid of a vehicle payment.

8.5 2009 red scooter (couldn't make it up the hill to our house in Little Rock; sold to CAT employee who  still drives it to work daily)

9. 2005 taupe Ford Taurus (barely made the drive from South Carolina to Little Rock to South Carolina)

10. 2007 white Ford Edge (bought it in South Carolina to get cheaper taxes right before we moved)

11. 2008 Razorback Red Ford F150 (Matt swears that "Mateo" will drive this one day...he has to keep it awhile anyway...Mateo has to wear this shirt we got him)

Other Notes:

* We started dating in 1998 when he had #5

* We got married in 2003.  He has since gone through 8 vehicles in that 8 year period.

* Let's do the math: 33% were white; 33 % were neutral (gray/taupe/silver); 33% were red
* Matt's dad has had 6 cars in the past 30 years. He still drives and owns 50% of them!

* Matt has a very patient, understanding, loving wife.

To Do: Use my child

Happy Halloween friends!  My blog writing has been a little scary lately, or should we say ghostly!  But today is such a fun day.  But Halloween reminded me why I needed a kid after all.

Sure, kids are good to have around as little gophers--with a little praise, going to get the remote from the other side of the room seems like such a big and important job!  And yes, I plan to use my kid to their full go-getting abilities!  I'm an old parent you know!

But sometimes you just need a kid for other reasons.  Matt & I had decided we didn't want to go another Christmas without having a kid around (yep, cutting that goal close!)...I mean our cat, Shadow, gets excited about the tree being up for about 5 minutes and she seems to have no problem sleeping on Christmas Eve. And you may remember that I even tried to become a Big Sister so I could "borrow" a kid just for these reasons.  (See this post here ) But here is some other occasions when you seem like a weirdo if you go without kids.

Trick-or-Treating: I'm not talking Halloween parties.  I'm meaning the whole adventure of ringing the doorbell then checking out if the bowl is full of the cheap stuff or did they go all out and get Hershey products.  Oh, we have an entire bucket (well cauldron to be exact) full of the good stuff here at the Ervins!  But come tomorrow, we have nothing.  They say that 90% of parents steal candy from their child's Halloween stash.  You know the other 10% are either lying or are vegan.  Oh, I can't wait till next year to use our 10 month old to pedal for candy :)

Pumpkin Patch: I love going to a great pumpkin patch--one with pumpkin donuts or ice cream; a corn maze; gourds and mums every where you look; giant pumpkins, tiny pumpkins, lumpy pumpkins, white pumpkins.  Most adults love to go, but again, watching a kid scour the patch for that perfectly round, orange pumpkin (and then posing for a picture sitting on top of it) seems so much better than watching Matt do it. 

Elf on the Shelf: It's not a tradition I had as a kid, though I do remember my Grandma Stahl having those strange-looking, red suited elves around.  But I love the idea of it and can't wait to come up with plans for it.  My friends who are on pinterest have surely seen the awesome ideas! 

Circus: When Barnum & Bailey come to town, you have to go.  But go without kids...and you look like child molesters on the prowl. 

Carnivals: Sure, the carnies like to give men a boost of confidence as they tempt them to show off their big muscles or throw some hoops, but really, it's just not the same as watching a little kid get so excited to cash in their hundred tickets to get a dum dum sucker!  And Matt no doubt cannot wait for an excuse to go to Chuck E Cheese as often as he wishes!

DisneyWorld: If you know me well, you know that DisneyWorld is not my idea of a dream vacation.  Maybe I've just been there too many times as an adult.  But...I will be the first to admit that I can't wait to cast that video of us surprising the little ones with the announcement that we are going to see Mickey.  I'll wait in line for hours with them to get Goofy's signature or ride Dumbo.  I'll even buy them a souvenier shirt. I'm not that big of a scrooge!

Kids movies in a theatre: Speaking of Disney, have you noticed there are tons of cute kids movies out right now? OK, you aren't totally creepy going to the theatre for these, but you have to feel a little bad when the kids behind you claim they can't see over your head and you just wish your kid was your excuse to be drug into that seat!

Dig for Diamonds: The only place you can you go dig for real diamonds and keep what you find is about an hour away from where I live.  But I guess I'll have to wait for my little guy to master the shovel since I can't seem to beg anyone else to go with me.

Zoo: I have yet to go visit the new penguins at the Little Rock zoo.  I even went to Memphis for the weekend and didn't stop at one of the country's best zoos.  But I know the zoo is a reason I put a stroller on my baby registry :)

Children's Museum: You know that my dream job is to work at a childrenss' museum, right?  When I had an interview at the new museum in SC, the lady asked me to name what childrens' museums I had been to.  That question still haunts me to this day!  Oh lady if you only knew how I always point them out on vacation and I would love to visit every one I see, but really, how creepy would I look?  Why don't you just go ahead and ask me if I have kids!!

Library Story Time/Kindermusic: One of the best jobs I ever had was getting to lead story times, playgroups, family nights, and music class for toddlers.  Some of my readers sat through the torture as I tried to be animated while reading a story or worse, sing in front of a group!  But I loved it!  And there is no doubt my kid will be drug to them too!  And very likely, we will come home to make green eggs & ham for lunch, or put streamers on scrunchies and dance to some silly, made up song! 

Advent Calendar: Again, Christmas is for the kids.  And there is nothing like counting down the days till Santa arrives with a kid!  We will be sure to make cookies for Santa and have carrots for Rudolph.  We'll watch the sky and look for a red light.  And we'll get up early to look in the stocking and shake the presents.

Oh, we can't wait to have a kid of our own!

To Do: Embarrass myself just for this blog!

OK blog fans--I want you to know I did this all for YOU!  (and Matt)

While we were at the Razorback game, I was told that there was a certain Arkansas celebrity in our section.  I looked down, and there he was.  Guesses?  Here's a distance shot.

It's Kris Allen!

So, after much convincing (much!), I told Matt we would see after half-time about getting a photo.  Of course, by the time we got back to the stands, it was nearly time for the 2nd half to start.  Matt will tell you there was like 3 minutes left.  I will tell you that the crowd was seated, fired up and all eyes were on the field. So Matt yells "Hey, Kris.  Can we get a picture?"  Poor guy, just trying to enjoy the game.  I literally was squatting on a bench a few rows back because I was so humiliated.  It's not like we were the only ones asking for a picture, but I felt like it was something either drunks or 10 year olds did.  But Kris just nodded like it was no big deal and came to shake my hand.  Did I tell you I was embarrassed?  I think I told him that and then said "you know my friend, Chassity Jordan!"  I mean, I thought we would bond over having a mutual friend.  He just nodded.  Nothing.  (Chassity, have you been lying to me all this time???)  So blog fans...a drum roll please....

One shot.  That's all I got.  Matt was literally shaking like he had Parkinson's or something.  I can't believe the photo isn't blurry.  He will tell you it was from beer and then holding the camera (our small camera at that) up.  I will tell you that he was just as nervous. 

And of course, one of Kris' friends jumps in the photo.  I had no clue.  It wasn't like I could ask to look at the photo and tell him that it looks like I have a double chin, could we try again!  They told us to buy his new album.  Matt said something corny like "Hey man, I watched you on American Idol"  (No, I'm not making that up!).  Oh, it was memory.  All for you!

Note: We noticed as we were leaving after the game that many fans chose to ask for a picture after the game.  How lame!

Update:
* Matt would like for me to add that he had the camera in his right hand and nachos and a drink in the other, thus the shaking.  Oops, I forgot that detail.  I wasn't thinking about him!

* My friend Chassity has since sent Kris a text giving him crap about scoffing at her name.  Maybe Kris will now be a blog follower...ha!  I bet he is talking about me on Twitter right now.

* Chassity also noted that the guy in the background of the photo is Kris' brother.  That's what the dude told me, but I sure didn't believe him.

To Do: Pee in a cup

Pee in a cup. Simple. That's all I had to do today (well after giving blood, which I can now ace, thank you very much).

But no, it did not go so well. Let me just tell you. So I had an appointment at 10:30 for a physical, as Matt (our financial planner) wanted to up the life insurance on me. Note: Yes, my value has increased as a housewife.

You should also know that peeing constantly has already hit this pregnant lady. Every 1.5-2 hours for sure! (TMI I know, but it helps you understand the story). So when I was about to bust this morning at 9am, I decided that if I drank some water, I should be okay to pee in the cup at 10:30. I'm a pro now--do it at every doctor appointment!

Luckily, I did not hold my 9am pee, because the nurse lady did everything else first. I'm sure I would have been dying! But then came the time when she handed me the tiny dixie cup and asked me to fill it past the line. I can do this. I'm a pro remember. But, what felt like 30 seconds later to me, I hear "Miss Ervin, are you okay?" Give me a minute lady! She tells me to come fill out some papers then drink a cup of water and we'll try again in a few minutes. The only part that kept me from being totally embarrassed at this point is that the other lady in the waiting room had told me when I arrived that she had dropped her cup in the toilet after peeing, so now she had to drink up and try again. So here we both were, just waiting for our pee to arrive.

I think they gave me like 10 minutes and it was time to try again. I knew my shy bladder was not ready. But I had to try. Result: 3 drops. Failure!

So the nurse lady, Billy, told me to go get a bite to eat and drink more water and come back when I was ready. Great! I was going to wait until I was about to bust. I went to T.J. Maxx and walked around. No pee. I went to grab lunch and drank more water. No pee. I went to Target and walked around. No pee. Okay, it had been 1.5 hours by now. Surely I could do it. I figured Billy was probably wondering what happened to me! So back I went. Of course, Billy was at lunch. Another nurse gave me a cup and I was determined I wasn't coming out until I had success. Finally--Pee!! But...not enough to make it to the line.

I told her to call me if it wasn't enough. I still had perishables to buy at Target so back there I went. As I'm checking out, a strange phone number calls. OMG! It was Billy. Good news was that I did pee enough. Bad news was: I had to sign off on my pee. Back I went again. 3 hours later I was on my way home.

So if anyone would like to help me, I think it's time we as women put our heads together and make an invention to make peeing in a cup easier! I know I have a shy bladder, but seriously, trying to pee while squatting with your legs apart holding a cup (that you hope not to drop) and you hope you don't get pee on your hands, is not an easy feat. You must agree? This invention could keep me as a housewife for years to come!

Needless to say, my next ob appointment is at 10:30 and I now know that no matter what, I am not peeing that morning before I go! I learned my lesson!

To Do: Remember prom

Last weekend, two of my nieces got to go to their first prom. It's hard to believe that these girls here are that old already!

I may be a little biased, but I thought both of them looked absolutely stunning!! And their dress choices were just the best!!

Mackenzie

Kara

Of course, everyone wants to think back to how wonderful their proms were. Mine were just ok. I had fun and all, but it's not like I ended up marrying my prom date or anything. Oh wait, that's because he went with my best friend...

Trust me, I looked all over trying to find their official prom picture. It's somewhere in this house. I never will let Matt & Erin live it down! Unfortunately though right now the only proof I can find is this yearbook photo.

My junior year I was quite the rebel. I asked a guy, Ryan Young, from Macon--the school we were about to merge with. I went to Macon in the morning for classes and met Ryan in keyboarding. How romantic! He was actually a year younger than me so I didn't get to go to his prom. Ironically, I did get to go to his wedding...because him and Matt ended up becoming friends. Anyway, it was 1994, but my dress looks 1980's to me with those big ole' shoulder pads!



And what I remember most was that I was so darn sick that day. I remember when I went to get my hair done, I cried the whole time because it hurt my head so much. I was feverish and I just took a lot of drugs right before I left. I wasn't going to miss it. Let's hope that my illness is to blame for the extreme paleness!

My Senior year I opted to skip the date (or the dates opted to skip me), and I went with my friend Jennifer. Even though the rest of our group of friends had dates, I really just remember all of us hanging out. Especially at post prom--which seemed to be more fun for this girl that can't dance than prom.


Again, it's ok to laugh


Oh, the prom days. Fortunately, the dresses have come a long ways!!

The many names of ME

I heard I have a secret blog fan club -- the CAT team in Peoria!! Hi Fan Club! (We should give you an official name!) I've never met these people, and probably lucky for them, they've never met me. But we did get to spend 4 hours together two weeks ago as I drove us back to Illinois, while Matt conferenced called them. Somehow in that time, I became known as "Precious". But Peoria folks, just so you know, I have put on a few lbs since moving south, but I am no where near looking like the celebrity Precious.


(But I do love me some cardigan sweaters. And P.S.- I'm white...very white!...in skin color and dance moves)


Well, it got me thinking about all the names I have been called--well, you know what I mean--not behind my back kind of names--Proper Names. Here's my favorites:

Peaches--That was Matt used to call me in public to embarrass me
Sara Sue--Jennifer Kraft Norris always called me this
Sister Sara--Mr. Morr (HS Science teacher who taught all 5 Flamms) called me this for the movie Two Mules for Sister Sara
Sara F. -- Always had to go by that at 4-H House because there was two Saras
Sara Mae -- Only the great Cathy Allen!
Mrs. Ervin -- Official title on July 5, 2003
Aunt Sara -- The lucky 15 nieces & nephews, though only Matt's side adds the Aunt in front
Serv -- Brett Calvert's take on Dippin' Merv's wife Merv & Serv
Miss Sara or Miss Sawa-- Called that by my little kiddos at Growing Together and Ahead Start
Crush -- Camp name, named for Orange Crush cheering section at U of I
Sara Lee -- That's from my awesome Father-in-Law, John!
Peon -- I think I named myself that at Girl Scouts way back when. It hasn't changed.
Matt -- No that isn't a typo. Our then 2 year old neighbor in SC, Jude, always announced "Matt & Matt" are here!
The Baby -- I'm the youngest of 5 and some of my siblings are, uhm old!
Sharolyn, Sherry, or Susan -- Along the same lines, it's not uncommon to be called by one of my sister's names.
Ma'am -- Ya'll, I do live in the South!


And my dad's favorite story to tell is related to my name. Supposedly....When I came home from kindergarten I announced that it was a good thing that they named me "Sara", because that is what everyone at school called me! Clearly, I lived a sheltered life. That or I was well on my way to discovering what a genious I was/am!

To Do: Be a volunteer

I wonder how many times a day I use the word "volunteer"? I would reckon, a lot! While I wish I could say that my phone rang off the hook every day with people asking ME if they could volunteer...maybe next year!


I've had on my to-do list, oh for several years, that I needed to volunteer myself. The problem is---I keep getting DENIED! How's that for a boost of self-esteem!! When I was in South Carolina, I decided that I had valuable (more like useless) Girl Scout knowledge that I could put to good use. Clearly, I was over-qualified for the volunteer position. They never called me back!


But I'm not a quitter...unless it involves running, balls, sports equipment, etc. Today I decided I was signing up. I just knew that the receptionist would be giddy when she knew that she had someone on the other end who wanted to volunteer. She would probably run down the hall and tell everyone the news! Not so much. She seemed confused and had to put me on hold. I knew then she was getting the best staff member she could find to talk to me. "Ma'am (obviously a true-southerner), we aren't taking volunteers at this time." Excuse me? Did you just turn down a breathing & eager volunteer? You did not! Again, just write it across my forehead, DENIED!


You see, I'm helping our outreach department do a mini-troop this summer at the homeless shelter. It's a different sort of shelter. Families live there for an extended time, must work, and then are required to save 75% of what they make so they can eventually get out on their own. I may actually try to volunteer in the baby room on Friday afternoons, but honestly, I'm starting to question whether I'm volunteer material.


Anyway, I met a girl who is probably 8. She has that bowl haircut that we all had in the 80's. But, she's just the sweetest thing! I decided that if I joined Big Brothers Big Sisters, I could get her signed up to be my little sister. My head was spinning with ideas of things we could do together. I admit--She just may be my best excuse to sight-see all of those places that Matt refuses to go see (I can see her with her giant yellow diamond that we dug up!!). Sadly, BBBS told me they didn't need Bigs, they needed little. How pathetic is that? But since I had a little, I may get special permission. I'm not going to loose sleep over it tonight, but I think I'll make up an alias before I apply to be a volunteer any where else! Instead tonight I'll be thinking about how I can get BBBS to send over their scraps (those volunteers they don't want) my way!!


UPDATE:
The Boys and Girls Club called me back. They still don't want me. They don't have the staff to add additional matches. Really, is it that much harder? They told me to call them back in the fall. Geez--You think they would keep my name and number and call ME!! So disappointing!