Happy spring!

We've had a busy week of egg hunts and family gatherings and coughing kids. Added to the chaos is the puppy who is half jack-rabbit and life is as it should be here. The puppy is doing well. Just one training issue (there is always one huh?) that we're going to call in the professionals on, his jumping. He jumps on the kids mostly and it has GOT to STOP. I know he's just a pup but he's a big pup and this is behavior that requires immediate correcting, except that I'm not usually THERE when he does it. I need some tips from someone who's btdt in order to correct this and nip it in the bud now, before he gets even bigger. I think he doesn't recognize the kids as kids. To him they're puppies and he wants to play like puppies do. I need to get him around some other dogs so he can play puppy-style. I think that would help too.

Everyone is coming down with something, mostly gunky noses and post-nasal-drip coughs and sore throats. I don't have it yet but today's morning headache is probably an indication of it trying to get me too. I'm yoga-ing and taking supplements in an effort to head it off. I have tons to do for school, an observation to write up, another one to do, a project to start on and another observation to do in my other class. I signed up for one class over the summer, Music and Movement in Early Care, totally fun! I'm looking forward to it. I almost did 2 classes but the other was internet based and offered from Flo Valley campus. My brain was screaming NO at me but I emailed instructor anyway asking if there was any way around the mandatory orientation (since I've taken online courses a hundred times). I ignored the pit in my stomach saying "don't do it Gwen, don't DO it". Then the email got returned as "undeliverable" and I decided to listen to my gut after all. Not only do I not need that extra class this summer but I HATE Flo Valley. I've had multiple bad experiences there and whether it's all bad or I'm just unlucky I don't know, but I'll steer clear. Message heard.

I'm on my 3rd cup of coffee this morning. My goal is to complete the basement organizing on my own today so that NEXT Friday I can do the upstairs. We took out 6-8 boxes, mostly toys, to goodwill yesterday and organized the rest of the stuff a little better. We have several boxes of papers that need to be gone through but at least now I can grab just one and organize it instead of it being such a daunting task. We also have some MISC boxes to go through of stuff other than toys. They too are in one area so we can just grab one when the mood strikes without feeling overwhelmed.

I anticipate upstairs resulting in another 8 boxes of toys to the thrift store. I am excited at the prospect. Then, there will be much frantic getting-house-done-ness here.

We have 2 birthdays in the next few weeks. Zella will be 3, Oak will be 1. I am considering a joint party but Princess Zella may not be jive with that. Then again, she may not even notice. I don't want to make a habit of it but for a 3 and 1 year old I think it's ok, don't you? We've just done family-type birthdays this year. I have so much on my plate that big organized parties have been impossible. So much easier to grab a cake and show up at the IL's, lol. There are still presents, that's all that counts, right? I still have NO idea what to get Oak. He's got 3 bigger siblings, what more fun could a boy want? It's not like there is some great toy out there that I've never heard of. Or is there? If you know of one, I'd be happy to entertain the idea. I don't know what to tell my IL's to get either. That is perhaps the scariest part. Goddess knows what they would come up with. Sometimes they're really fantastic gift givers. Other times I wish they'd stuck to my list, lol. This time I have no list though, it would be a free-for-all. Scary, lol.