It's TAKS time, yay, my kid is in bed early-- and catching a cold.  Not good!  She has taken just about every single test sick, every year.  I'm pumping her full of every homeopathic remedy that I know, vicks, vitamin C, humidifier, she even tried the neti pot.  Hate to give her much medication since everything that works, also makes you pretty groggy.  I'm sure it is partially allergies, since about 3,000 acres burned right next to us the other night.  Ever since, the wind has been blowing our direction and it smells like a cedar mill.  At least we didn't have to evacuate like all the neighbors.  Luckily, no houses were destroyed, God bless the firemen!!

I should be working on my taxes, but of course, I'm not.  I did download all the software, so see, I'm productive.  Actually, I'm just tired.  I subbed at school today, for the Secretary. ( We like her so much, she gets a capital) That's a long day of sitting, answering the phone, it really drags.  Tomorrow I have first grade-- I'll be thinking about you Mom.   C. C. said to tell you hello.  She was at school testing a student. 

Busy week, tomorrow we actually get to come home.  Wednesday, Sam has pitching practice, then softball practice.  Thursday, art lesson and basketball practice. Friday, SPRING BREAK YIPPEE!!!

Sam went to a friends house for the night so I have the house to myself.   It's too quiet. I should go to bed early, but I'm not. Silly me.  Been really busy lately.  I spend so much time at Sam's school, I feel like I'm a student.  Trying to get ready for softball, so we've been pitching alot.  My hand feels like it has a permanent bruise.  I  really need to breakdown and buy a catcher's mitt.  This year she wanted to play basketball.  So now she is dribbling the darn thing constantly in the house.  I have dreams of that basketball locked in a small room together with an icepick.  Friday, I got my nails done, and am now deciding that it was not one of my brighter ideas.  I can't do anything!  Thursday night one of the dogs found her first skunk-- at 10:30 at night-- next to the porch!  The whole house reeked!  It was 20 degrees outside, so I was up bathing the !@# dog till late.  All day on Friday I felt like I smelled, even had a friend sniff me to see if I did!

Jeff got to come home for Valentine's.  It was really nice to have him here for awhile.  His next project will be in Big Springs, so he will be a lot closer to home.  Although, Sam and I really wouldn't have minded spending the summer at the beach.  He and Sam played golf on Sunday, and I got to follow them around like a big goober!  I should learn to play, but I keep refusing because I want that to be their thing.  I get to do enough sports with her.

Sam won the valentine box contest at school.  They had to make one out of recycled materials.  She made a paper mache dog out of an oatmeal container and newspaper, with roses made out of aluminum cans.  It turned out really cute.  She could have cared less about winning, just wanted to beat the one kid in class that she can't stand!  Victory was sweet.   Trying to post pictures so you can see it (Mom),  this is taking forever.

Okay, finally finished the pictures, I'm going to bed.  Love Robin

  The weather here has been wonderful, not too hot yet.  On Tuesday,  Sam and I went and flew kites.  We had a great time.  So did the dogs, they had to "help" by barking at the kites and trying to attack them if they fell.  Today I 'm taking Sam lunch 'cause they are going on a field trip.  They are going to sing at a couple of the nursing homes in town.  It will be a long day.  After school she has art lessons and then softball practice, so maybe we will be home by about 8:30. 

  I need to get off my butt and get her birthday party done.  I am such a bad mommy.  We were sick around her birthday and couldn't do it then, and now finding a free weekend is not easy.  I think I finally came up with an idea of what to do.  I think we are going to make a giant sprinkler out of  PVC pipe that the kids have to put together, after they find all the parts on the scavenger hunt.--think giant tinker toy.  Now I just have to clean the house, get the sprinkler built, get the invitations done, make the cake, plan the scavenger hunt, and go to the grocery store, I'm not worried, really!!!  We stupidly have a reputation for having great birthday parties and every I'm supposed to come up with something even more exciting.  We make and do everything at home, so it doesn't cost alot, just alot of work.  One year we made a giant dinosaur skeleton out of cement that the kids had to dig up and put back together.  For goodie bags (world's stupidest tradition) we made dinosaur eggs out of plaster with the treats inside.  The kids had to go on a hunt to find them.

I better get to work, gotta leave soon to go be Supermommy!!  I really want a costume with a cool cape and invisible plane.

Have a great day,

Robin