Weekly Update--- Summer Plans!

It's been a crazy busy week here in the Bug household. We've had a few contractors come over to talk about designs to have an additional room added on to the house. If we decide to do the room addition which is what I really want, it will be the girls shared bedroom. Then we gain 2 rooms to do whatever we please with. One would be a play room for the kids and their friends. The other... we have no idea yet. It will probably double as a guestroom/rec room for us. At least, that's the plan anyway.

We've been planning a beach trip too. We've found a lovely villa to rent \and have been awaiting the rental agreement to come in the mail. The Villa actually sleeps 10 people, which obviously, we won't have that many people but the price was right, and the days we could go were open.  Redmosqui has been planning for summer.... ontop of my planning! It's kind of exciting. I am usually the planner of the family. My plans for summer involve the beach, trips to my hometown, to farms for fruit picking. Going to various farmers markets. There is a really big one inside Charlotte, NC. I have been on my own when I lived in that area. I've been waiting for the kids to be older since it is on a busy street and for us to have more time to go to it. Last Summer, I was still working 6 days a week. My one day off was on the day that it was closed. So we didn't have the opportunity to go.  We also are planning on going to Lazy 5 ranch so that the girls can feed the zoo animals from the Tram. Redmosqui plans on movies, concerts, and a dinner cruise out on Lake Norman. I was hoping to have time to do a Mystery Dinner Theatre Train but I don't think we'll be able to do that this year. The other thing I wanted to do that is iffy--- I want to take the bugs to the mountains to ride on Thomas the Tank Engine. I've been looking into that for a couple of years now, since Bug has shown an interest in trains but we may have to wait until next year. So those are some of our Summer plans. We'll see. It seems like we have enough on the books for now.

Another reason we were so busy this week--- I registered the Bug for kindergarten! We went to the school. Walked around a little bit, and filled out all of the paperwork. She's signed up for kindergarten camp which is about 2 weeks before kindergarten actually starts. Essentially, it is a kindergarten training camp. The couple of the ladies in the Elementary School office recognized the girls. They attend church at the Preschool I have the Bugs enrolled in. She has a month and a half left of preschool. Soon she'll be taking her little cap and gown pictures and doing her little graduation ceremony. Her picture will also be in the newspaper. I have her first week of kindergarten off of work so I can be home to ease her into it. I can say she has turned into a well rounded young lady. Generally, I think she's like me but I also see a lot of her uncles in her as well. She doesn't have too many temper tantrums anymore but she can argue her point now with precision and valid reasoning. You can tell that she wants to use more complicated vocabulary that she has, so she struggles with that a little bit. She's so helpful. She gets up in the morning. Get's dressed. Makes her own bed, and attempts to let me sleep. She gets Bee up and dressed as well--- Except she uses her own clothes instead of Bees clothes. But it's the thought that counts. She knows that I come home well after she's been in bed. Although, I end up getting up with them anyway instead of trying to sleep longer.... I know that she tries. She does other chores in exchange for a small (very small) allowence, and for stickers on a chart. Once the chart is full we will go to Xtreme Play. Which is one of those centers filled with bouncey houses. I've always called her my little Sugar Plum Fairy and she really is.  But she's starting to grow out of my calling her that. As long as bee still lets me call her my Sweet Pea or Baby Doll for a little while longer, I'll be content. I am not sad at this point that she's going to kindergarten, I am actually happy to have a healthy, thriving child. Perhaps closer to that date, I will feel differently. We'll see.

 There were thoughts about taking Bee out of the preschool so I would have less running around to do, but I know she would be disappointed. She's doing so well and is upset on the days she doesn't have school. She's so attached to Bug that I am sure she will struggle with bug being gone from about 7:45am-2:40pm. That's a long day even for Bug to be away from her sister that long. But Bee is doing so well. As for paying for it, we're lucky that this year we were able to apply and obtain scholorships for both of them which cut the cost, literally, in half. We would actually still qualify for it next year for Bee as well so she'll get to stay there for another 2 years. It is income based but it would be ashame to take Bee out of school when we've met so many amazing people/parents there. I've become close with most of the mothers as well since me and Bee hang out there for an hour waiting for Bug.

I am very ready for summer though. I am ready for having Redmosqui home all the time. We've been talking on the phone several times a day since we only see each other 2 days a week. Luckily for me, the job is going great! I've get my bonus for March on tomorrows check and you know... I feel lucky to have a job with the bonus. The bonus itself more than triples one of my checks from my old job (that has now buld een outsourced and everyone in the division was laid off). My father in law and I were talking and I am lucky. He hasn't gotten a raise or a bonus in the last 5 years. I will be getting a 10% raise next month. It took a lot of effort of my mom and my friends to help get me into this job. Get me trained, licensed, etc. I am thankful that I am doing well and excelling. I don't want to waste all of their hard work and contribution to my family, my need for health insurance and our financial stability. Financial stability is hard to come by these days and we're lucky at this point. Very lucky. Seems like things really do fall into place when they need to.


I've been reading a lot of books lately, and have watched a couple new movies. We bought Avatar today but Game 5, of the first series of hockey games for the Pittsburgh Penguins was on tonight. We were going to watch it afterwards, but the game was on from 7pm-midnight. So maybe Sunday. When my husband saw it in the theatre, he told me it was like Dances with Wolves. I guess I will see. You'd think I wouldn't have time to read or watch movies, but somehow, it happens! This passed month, I've read / watched:

Dresden Files- Book 12 "Changes" (Redmosqui is reading the series now!) by Jim Butcher
Twilight -- New Moon (Redmosqui finished reading the series!)
Codex Alera (Books 1-4) -- Another Jim Butcher series. May wait until I finish the 5th and 6th books though. (Redmosqui won't be reading these because I've already told him all about them.)

I do miss blogging and reading my favorite blogs. I didn't even have time for a Wednesday post this week, but it's okay. Summer. Is. Coming! I hope everyone has had a good week so far!