My Average Life

Missing Him

2010-12-09T07:37:00.001-08:00

Scratch
Originally uploaded by shellyblake

When I come home each night, there's no one there to greet me at the door. No one peering through the stair slats to watch me come in. No one following me to the kitchen and getting under foot to beat me there.
There's no one wandering through the house crying loudly...just to hear himself echo in the foyer. No one racing up the stairs and chasing an imaginary toy across the room.
No one curling up on couch, the chair, the floor, the top step, or at the foot of my bed.
No one to meow at me to get up & feed him when my alarms been blaring for a half hour to no avail.
No one meows at me when I've stayed up too late.
I left a dirty dish in the living room last night...there was no one to protect it from since you weren't there to investigate it after I went to bed.
I keep seeing you saunter down the hallway when I'm sitting in my recliner. Keep expecting you to walk around that corner in the hall.
My kids remind me every night that you are missed. Not that I needed reminding.
We miss you Scratch. Rest in peace fatboy.

Blogs...

2010-12-03T10:45:00.000-08:00

So I "think" I'll make the switch to WordPress...but figured before I do...I should share some links.

Here's the blog I started after this summer...it's all about "old America". http://oldamerica.wordpress.com/
It's not so much a "word" blog as it is a "photo" blog. I don't plan to talk a lot - just post photos of old buildings respresenting old America. My original plan is to visit small towns & take photos of old post offices (before the USPS shuts them all down). But I realized, there might be more to this than just post offices. So if you have photos to share of old post offices, let me know...and if you know of old buildings that just scream "America", please let me know about them too! I also have a Flickr page for this purpose: >http://www.flickr.com/photos/shellyraeblake/sets/72157624818776972/ (hope that works, was expecting a shorter link!)

My "new" Average Life blog is here: http://shellyblake.wordpress.com/
This is where I'll start blogging from instead of here. What I can't manage to decide is if I should "import" this blog into there....or just start fresh. I guess I'll figure it out later!

And iffin ya need to reach me outside of the blogging realm...there's always Twitter & Facebook.

Outside of personal...I also blog for business!

Here's my company - The Mailing Department: http://themailingdepartment.wordpress.com/

And here's our new venture - Eco Print Mail (haven't really got this one going yet): http://ecoprintmail.wordpress.com/about/

So feel free to visit me online...or drop me a line & we can go have coffee (or in my case, tea).

Blogger Lag

2010-10-19T15:05:00.000-07:00

Wow, hard to believe that I haven't blogged on here since August! What up with that? I guess I haven't had anything insightful to say!

So here's what I've discovered during my Blogger lag.

I like Wordpress better than Blogger.

I started a new blog over on Wordpress to support a new idea I had while on vacation in August.

I like how my Flickr account ties in with my Wordpress account. I'm guessing it "might" tie in with Blogger, but not sure about that (since Flickr is Yahoo).

I really prefer how Wordpress posts to Facebook - Blogger turns it into a "note" which is okay, but if someone posts a comment - it stays in Facebook. Not that anyone (outside of family & friends on Facebook) reads my blogs...but hey, a girl can dream right?

I love my iPhone - of course, I loved it BEFORE this blogger lag....but I continue to find new ways to love it nearly everyday! Both Blogger & Wordpress have an app. I haven't successfully learned how to use either one.

Does this only have to be about blogging? Of course not, this is my blog & I can rant how I want to!

Started counting calories in September (found out Ian had started in August and I felt left out so I jumped on the calorie-counting bandwagon too). Of course, we have an app for that (which has been great). I've lost 7 lbs so far on this! Woot! First time I've checked my total loss. That totally rocks. Okay, very pleased with myself. Time to move on....

I've gotten out of the habit of running, yah, I know, I spent 10 weeks training, did a 5K and then what? Nada. Well, not totally nada. I'm still doing it, just not as often or as far. But would like to get it back up to 3x a week again so I can do more 5K races. Don't ever see myself running a marathon though!

Had a GREAT time with my BFF this past weekend. We did more movie watching & visiting than we did scrap booking because it has been SO long since we'd had a weekend together. We watched Julie & Julia (L.O.V.E. that movie!), Mamma Mia (ditto for this one) and Funny Girl (okay, it was great, but what is up w/ Barbara's freakishly long fingers? OMG).

I went camping earlier this month with My Boy for cub scouts. It was his last Webelos Unplugged campout & even though it was COLD, it was a lot of fun. It was 37 degrees on our last morning there. Brrrrr.

Since I'm working backwards...we also took a trip to Ohio in August. My mom, niece, nephew, my two kids & me drove through Ohio to PA, visited with family and then worked our way back, visiting with old friends the whole way. One of these days I'll post pix somewhere...but until then, well, you'll just have to wait.

I'm still on Twitter and do that nearly daily (or more than once a day). It's easy with an iPhone app! I guess I'm more of a micro blogger now that I am a blogger. Oh well, that's the way it goes! (Maybe I do need to figure out how those blogging apps work!).

Okay, so enough of my random musings. I must get on with my day - too much to do in too little time.

TTFN!

Office Musings

2010-08-04T13:56:00.000-07:00

Conversations overheard or experienced, certainly enjoyed...

You know, if you don’t shut up I might just have to hit you..or buy a gun…but I don’t own one and it takes 3 days…

And you’re a pacifist, right?

Yah, I’m not going to jail for you buddy!

EMAIL: Woulda.. Coulda.. Shoulda

2010-07-19T07:46:00.000-07:00

I received this email this morning and felt I needed to share it with not just my usual "friends" list...but with so many more. It's too long for a Twitter or a Facebook status update. So sharing it here seems like the best thing to do!

Subject: Woulda.. Coulda.. Shoulda

Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.
I got to thinking one day about all those people on theTitanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.

How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?

How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?

I cannot count the times I called my sister and said , 'How about going to lunch in a half hour?' She would gas up and stammer, 'I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty. I wish I had known yesterday. I had a late breakfast. It looks like rain.' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.

Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!

We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get Steve toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet. We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get two more kids out of college.

Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.'

When anyone calls my 'seize the moment' friend, she is open to adventure and available for trips. She keeps an open mind on new ideas. Her enthusiasm for life is contagious. You talk with her for five minutes, and you're ready to trade your bad feet for a pair of Rollerblades and skip an elevator for a bungee cord.

My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years. I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process. The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.

Now...go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to...not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?

Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask 'How are you?' Do you hear the reply?

When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi'?

When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift....Thrown away.... Life is not a race. Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.

'Life may not be the party we hoped for... but while we are here we might as well dance'

It's all about honor

2010-06-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

Here's a topic I haven't thought much on before, but after reading this article/blog, I'm going to give it a lot more thought. Lots of great quotes in that article too.

I've often had thoughts about how different it is to raise our kids today than it was when I was a kid. We as parents struggle with how to discipline our kids compared to how we were disciplined. When I was young my mother said on more than one occasion "Wait til your father gets home" and she wasn't the only one to use that phrase. It was so common across American households that they even had a TV show (cartoon) by that name. And in our case it was because dad was the designated disciplinarian.

I remember talking to a therapist about using spanking with my kids. She asked me if I wanted my kids to fear me. And at the time (and at other times) I thought, well, yeah, sometimes I do! It seems that most kids these days are missing that fear of mom & dad. I don't know about your kids, but mine certainly don't seem to have it! But she also added, that corporal punishment also leads to resentment and do I want my kids to resent me? Well, no, I don't want that. But at the same time, I don't resent my parents. They did their best with us and we turned out okay.

Alright, let me change direction as I don't want this to be a blog post about whether or not it's okay to spank your kids. I'm sure that argument/discussion can elicit the same amount of animosity/opinions as whether or not to vaccinate your kids!

Another reflection I've had is about how on television all Asian families are portrayed as being bound by honor. Honor of the family. Respecting and honoring elders, leaders, parents, etc. I really think this is the thing that is missing from American parenting. Now, I'm not going to lump all of American parenting into my own parenting, but lets just say it's missing from a strong majority (at least it's missing from the kids that end up being in the news for doing something wrong). I'm also not saying that Asian families have it all together - just that they tend to be portrayed that way on TV!

I do recognize that "Honor thy father and mother" (commandment #5) is what seems to be missing in my house. I acknowledge that we have not raised our kids to go to church every Sunday. We have our reasons so please don't let this start a blog post on the merits of church-going. However, I can see where this hole between Sunday School and corporal punishment has left my kids lacking in the understanding of honor.

I guess where I'm going with this is that I recognize that honor is not just a word, but it is a word that seems to be missing from dinner conversations in my home. Something that I plan to rectify right away. And with that, I'll leave you with a quote I skimmed from the article that got me started on this tangent...

“Rather fail with honor than succeed by fraud.” ~Sophocles (Greek playwright)

Jury Duty

2010-06-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

A recent e-newsletter I enjoy posted an article about being called in for Jury Duty. I agree with his sentiment that questions why everyone always complains about getting called to serve. I too have complained - but it's usually because whenever I get the call - it's to travel to the courthouse on California Ave in Chicago. Pardon me for complaining, but I don't want to go there! There are plenty of other courthouses...even in the suburbs, that would be a better fit for me.

Well, anyway, I did get called in again this year and this time it was in Maywood (I swear, I get served every year!). The drive was not a big deal, the parking was close and I wasn't nervous at all walking to & from my car. I consider Maywood a great place to be called to serve (I was actually excited to go because it WASN'T California Ave!). Of course, the waiting room was tiny, cramped and not nearly as comfortable as the courthouse on California...but I figured the trade off was worth it.

As it turns out, there aren't as many courtrooms in Maywood and all of the cases were settled or postponed because not a single person was called to serve (we were all dismissed by 11AM). Honestly, I was quite bummed! I think it would be cool to serve on a jury. And if I had to serve on one - Maywood is a much better location than California Avenue (IMHO).

Now if I can just get them to call in me in for jury duty in the suburbs next time - I can't understand why they wouldn't do that! Because really, a jury is supposed to be 12 of your peers - I'm thinking I have more in common with the folks out here than I do with people in the city. Wouldn't it make more sense to have me serve on a suburban jury?

I invite you to post your comments - I'm curious to know how YOU feel about jury duty. Do you groan about it? Do you try to get out of it? Is your displeasure dependent on the location of the jury duty? Have you served before? How was it to experience our great legal system first hand? Please let me know!

“ Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it.”

—George Bernard Shaw

The world, as we know it, has come to an end.

2010-04-19T08:05:00.000-07:00

I'm speechless.

Completely befuddled.

Pigs are flying past my office window and Hell hath frozen over. I kid you not.

The world, as we know it, has come to an end.

Oh, you haven't heard?

What is causing this apocalyptic event?

My husband, Ian Blake, has joined Facebook.

Wait, let me help you up off the floor...I'm there too.

Potato Soup in a Crockpot

2010-03-27T16:18:00.000-07:00

My husband bought a bunch of fresh parsley last week to make fish cakes (new recipe for us). All I could think is why fresh? It will go to waste in our house! So I wondered what I could make to use some. I remembered as a kid that we had parsley growing under our kitchen window...I'd go pluck some to make homemade potato soup...probably the only "from scratch" thing I knew how to make. I also have a bunch of potatoes that need to be used up...soup should be the answer to my dilemma. Problem is, I have no idea what that recipe is. Lucky for me...I have the Internet.
So I went online to find a recipe that doesn't include celery. My husband hates that stuff (I can't imagine soup without it). The one I found seemed pretty easy. Here's the original ingredients...and my substitutions.

Ingredients:

8 large potatoes, cubed - I used 10 potatoes because there were a few small ones.
1 cup chopped onion - I was going to use a whole onion but seeing that this only called for 1 cup, I opted to use a partial one I found in the fridge.
2 tablespoons butter or margarine - I used some European butter my husband likes.
2 chicken bouillon cubes - we don't use bouillon cubes in our house - don't like MSG and hate reading labels on those little containers. I substituted with a 14 oz can of chicken broth.
2 tablespoons dry parsley flakes - fresh parsley baby!! As for measurement, I used a handful.
6 cup water - took it down to 4 cups because of the can of broth.
2 cup milk & 1/2 cup flour, mixed with water - this comes at the end of recipe...hopefully I'll remember to use them!

Stuff I added:

Salt & pepper - no I didn't measure it out - my home economics teacher would say this is not a real recipe unless you say how much to use...but I salt & pepper to taste!
2 cloves of garlic - not in the picture because I thought to add them while I was peeling the potatoes!

Peel, wash & cube the potatoes into bite sizes pieces (I'm guessing they'll be mush later so make them a big bite size pieces). I got to use my new favorite knife...a birthday present from my hubby...I just love this thing! It's a Faberware santoku knife.
Of course I can't chop up potatoes and NOT slice myself some raw taters with salt & pepper to eat on the side! ;o)

Pour into the crockpot the chicken broth, water & potatoes.

I learned from Pioneer Woman that you cut an onion from root to tip & then slice & dice. Out of curiosity...and to keep my home economics teacher happy, I measured what half of a big onion is...and look, it's just over 1 cup!
Mince up the garlic & add it too (sorry no photo, didn't think you'd need one!)

Rinse, pat dry & de-stem the fresh parsley. Tear or cut in with a very sharp knife - if you use a chopper or mince it, it gets all squishy & might turn your soup a greenish color (that's what happened to our fish cakes!). From watching cooking shows I found an easy way to chop leafy stuff is to roll it up (not easy with lil leaves!) and then slice as if it were a sold object. Sorry no photo here...I had to use both hands!
Add to pot along with salt & pepper and butter.

Stir & set crock pot on high for 1 to 2 hours. Of course, as Murphy's Law would state...I got sidetracked and my errand running took a bit longer than planned & the soup was on high for 4 hours! Boy did it smell good when we got home.

I mixed the flour with a little water...it turned into a yucky paste...but I dumped it into the pot with the milk anyway. Now it's supposed to simmer for awhile longer and (hopefully) thicken.

After about a half hour I tasted it, and added some more ground pepper. Another half hour & I was too hungry to wait any longer. I made myself a bowl and sprinkled some shredded cheese on top. I read that some people also add some sour cream & chopped green onions. But I was too hungry to do anything more than add cheese!

Verdict: Flavor - Yum. Consistency - not creamy enough. Anyone got any suggestions? I have an entire crockpot full, so I can still add stuff to it to improve it.

...don't forget to click "View Original Post" to leave me a comment on my actual blog. Thanks!

Another Email Post: TWO WOLVES

2010-03-08T14:21:00.000-08:00

TWO WOLVES

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all.

"One is Evil - It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.

"The other is Good - It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather:
"Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee simply replied,
"The one you feed."

I love a good joke...

2010-03-04T07:21:00.000-08:00

One day a florist went to a barber for a haircut. After the cut, he asked about his bill, and the barber replied, 'I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.' The florist was pleased and left the shop.

When the barber went to open his shop the next morning, there was a 'thank you' card and a dozen roses waiting for him at his door.

Later, a cop comes in for a haircut, and when he tries to pay his bill, the barber again replied, 'I cannot accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.' The cop was happy and left the shop.

The next morning when the barber went to open up, there was a 'thank you' card and a dozen donuts waiting for him at his door.

Then a Congressman came in for a haircut, and when he went to pay his bill, the barber again replied, 'I can not accept money from you. I'm doing community service this week.' The Congressman was very happy and left the shop.

The next morning, when the barber went to open up, there were a dozen Congressmen lined up waiting for a free haircut.

And that, my friends, illustrates the fundamental difference between the citizens of our country and the politicians who run it.

Advice for a Teenage Daughter

2010-02-01T12:43:00.000-08:00

I came across this today...I really liked it & wanted to share...

Advice for a Teenage Daughter I Will Never Have

Even if you have just been shot with a tranquilizer dart for elephants, don't sleep in your makeup. Or contact lenses.

What separates a professional eyebrow arch from the amateurs is scissor-trimming. This is the least important item on this list, but It took me 38 years to find out, and I have to pass it onto somebody.

Wear the bikini every chance you can, and use the sunscreen.

Every year you can possibly delay having sex will ultimately make sex that much better. Think of it as the difference between spending every allowance on cheap shoes that don't last, or saving up for some really fabulous Jimmy Choos. Not that you have to go without even touching a pair of shoes in the meantime. Or marry your first pair of Jimmy Choos. Don't tell your mom I said that.

As long as you are in your teens, avoid dating anyone more than three years older than you. At your age, a romantic relationship with an older man is actually neither romantic or a relationship.
You look ugly when you gossip.

Throwing up drunk is not a good look for you.

Save this for later: the person you are now is not the way you behaved then.

Someday, a girl who is horrible to you now will request to be your Facebook friend. And though your cursor will linger a long and delicious moment above the "ignore" button, you will click on "accept" instead, and know that you have grown up.

Go to your prom. Wear the corsage. Stand under the arch. Get the pictures. Really.

Don't waste youth and resiliency. Have adventures. It will never be more appropriate for you to be inappropriate, and society will never be more forgiving. But avoid risks that will narrow your future. Skinny-dipping: yes. Filmed skinny-dipping: no.

Most importantly, hang around for womanhood. I promise, the best is yet to come.

If you liked it as much as I did, jump over to Kyran's blog and tell her!

It's the little things that annoy me...

2010-01-21T14:07:00.000-08:00

Okay, so I just need to let.it.go. I know, I know, get on with it. Don't let it get to me. Well, isn't that what a journal is for? Write about it & then get over it. So I'll share it with you...the blog that no one is reading (LOL...I'm laughing alone here, I know).

So today I receive in the mail a membership drive packet for an association for which I am a member. Not only that, I serve on the board. Not only that, I designed some of the original documents for last year's drive. The printing looks great. The color is good. The concept works. The design is screwy.

Okay, so I'm a stickler for detail...I'm picky about layout & design...alright, I'll admit it, I'm anal (that always looks so much worse in print than it does when you say it out loud).

You see, my eye is automatically drawn to typos (not my own of course) and layout flow. So on the very first page I see a bulleted list that isn't set correctly. Okay, so I designed this thing in the latest MS Word (.docx) and the new person needed old Word (.doc). So someone did a save-as for them (I knew it shoulda been me!) and they obviously didn't know how to format bullets.

Okay, breathe Shelly, it's okay, no big deal, let.it.go.

Next page, whew, not one of mine. Oh ick! It's a survey page and they used spaces instead of tabs to line things up, oh ick, they put the answer lines at the END of the sentences! Okay, visual needed here...imagine this...

Survey question number one.      _ _ _ _ _
Survey question number is longer.       _ _ _ _ _
Question for the survey.                _ _ _ _ _

Well, you get the picture. And why put them at the end? Never mind that they used some weird dotted line thingie - why not put them at the beginning of each sentence? ugh.

Okay, last "marketing" page is the application. This one WAS mine (& by "was" I mean it no longer is because someone else made changes to it). All of my check boxes were changed to some weird character (that I later learn is a Euro money symbol). So rather than checking the boxes for your interests, or for your payment choices, etc., you're supposed to what, circle your choice?

Oh the horror of layout and design!

Okay, I'm feeling much better now. Thank you for listening...er reading...er, who am I kidding, I'm alone out here! Well, if it weren't for the whole Facebook thingie, my blog would never get read...so thanks to all my FB peeps....but if you feel compelled to leave a comment, please click on the "View Original Post" link & put it on my blog. It would make me feel more loved. I'm just kidding folks! No really, I'm serious......Okay, I really need a fresh cup of tea now.

How will they improve it

2010-01-18T11:37:00.000-08:00

I've been condition to believe medicine won't make me well unless it tastes nasty. My kids enjoy tasty medicine.

We looked forward to days off of school so we could do nothing. My kids want to know what I'm going to do to entertain them.

McDonalds was a once a month treat, my kids don't understand why I refuse to only let them eat that once a week at the most (and we didn't get happy meals either!).

So many things that as kids we wished we had, so when we grew up we made it happen for our kids. What will they improve? What else did we improve?

And yes, I did walk a mile in the snow to school, up-hill, both ways...with plastic breadbags for boots! ;-)

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Sometimes it is the destination

2009-12-26T13:41:00.000-08:00

I got an iPhone for Christmas and all thru the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse (because we set traps).

The stockings weren't hung, because we couldn't find the drill, and for our trip to Texas we packed in a hurry because its a thrill (well, not really, I'm making a rhyme).

With my husband and children all bundled into the car, we started off for a long ride afar. We left at 20:50 which was way later than planned, but were excited to get started and at work had been slammed.

But what should my eyes see from above? A whole lot of rain, ice & snow in a blizzard coming down on our car (hmm, no rhyme there!).

With cars in ditches and trucks jack-knifed, we made our way thru the treachorus night (it was mostly during the day by then, really).

With many delays and blinding white outs, we pushed ahead until it was again lights out.

So much for our 18 hour drive, it turns out we're in for a record breaking 25 (okay, so it was really 23 but I'm rhyming here!).

But finally after those long hours on the road, ready to strangle my family from head to toe, we arrived safely in Clyde, Texas, grateful to arrive in one piece and ready to say, Merry Christmas to all and someone get me a drink!

Gift Idea: Journal in a Jar

2009-12-20T09:01:00.000-08:00

I came across this idea from an email newsletter I subscribe to and thought it was a great idea.

You've seen, I'm sure, stuff-in-a-jar kind of gifts (cookie mix in a jar, jams in a jar, etc), there's even a booklet from the same source I got this idea detailing loads of idea. Well, the premise of this one is to give someone a journal with a nice pen and a jar filled with ideas on what to write.

For a little kid, there would be things like "Draw a picture of your favorite pet or animal. Draw a picture of your favorite thing to do in the summertime. Draw a picture of your favorite place to go."

For an older child or teen the prompts could be more like: "Tell about your favorite pet–-what kind of animal is it? When did you get him/her? Tell about your hardest day at school. What is your favorite band? Why do you like them?"

There's even ones for adults: "Why was your name chosen for you? What was happening in the world when you were born? What is your earliest memory of home?"

Then the piece of paper would taped/pasted onto a journal page and let the memories and writing begin.

I decided I would try this gift for my niece and nephew this year (11 & 15). My nephew is not so much into writing, so his journal won't have lines so he can do more drawing than writing. I'll post a photo of the finished gifts...once I do the in the jar parts.

I'm sure you're thinking "how on earth will I figure out what to put IN the jar", well my source even provides this for you! She has links on our site to PDF & Excel files that contain plenty of ideas...so many that you'd probably be hard pressed to think up ones that aren't already provided...but feel free to add to it! Then you cut up each idea and put it in the jar.

My husband thinks the idea is cheesey, but I did confirm w/ my sister-in-law that she thought it was a good before doing it. She thinks her kids will love it, especially since I'm using nice sketch pad for my nephew instead of a lined journal.

Let me know what you think of the idea...cheesey? ingenious? love it? hate it? Feel free to leave me a comment.

...and of course, happy holidays to all!

As promised...pix of the journals...

My niece's journal - it looks dark, but it's actually a nice shade of pink

And this is my nephew's sketchbook/journal.

And this is what you get when you buy cute small jars...more journal ideas than you can fit in one...take my advice - buy a bigger jar! These are extras for each journal in a jar set.

Stories that make your heart swell

2009-11-16T08:43:00.001-08:00

I grew up reading stories from Reader's Digest, I especially loved those short quips at the end of the page. It made for a quick read, and they always lifted your spirits. I received the following story via email and of course, me being me, had to go to the Internet to see if it was a true story (it was!) and then decided I had to share it here as well. This story was originally printed in 1966 in Reader's Digest. If you'd like to download a text version of the story (for sending via email), you can download it here...or just copy it from below! Happy Monday.

A TRUE STORY
by Paul Villard

When I was quite young, my family had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember well the polished oak case fastened to the wall on the lower stair landing. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I even remembered the number - 105. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with fascination when my mother talked into it. Once she lifted me up to speak to my father, who was away on business. Magic! Then I discovered that somewhere inside that wonderful device lived an amazing person - her name was "Information Please" and there was nothing that she did not know. My mother could ask her for anybody's number and when our clock ran down, Information Please immediately supplied the correct time.

My first personal experience with this genie-in-the-receiver came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. Amusing myself at the toolbench in the basement, I whacked my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there didn't seem to be of much use crying because there was no one home to offer sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my throbbing finger, finally arriving at the stairway. The telephone! Quickly, I ran for the footstool in the parlor and dragged it to the landing. Climbing up, I unhooked the receiver and held it to my ear.

"Information Please," I said into the mouthpiece just above my head. A click or two, and a small clear voice spoke into my ear. "Information." "I hurt my fingerrr-" I wailed into the phone. The tears came readily enough now that I had an audience. "Isn't your mother home?" came the question. "Nobody's at home but me," I blubbered. "Are you bleeding?". "No", I replied. "I hit it with the hammer and it hurts". "Can you open your icebox?" she asked. I said I could. "Then chip off a little piece of ice and hold it on your finger. That will stop the hurt. Be careful when you use the ice pick," she admonished. "And don't cry. You'll be alright".

After that, I called Information Please for everything. I asked for help with my Geography and she told me where Philadelphia was, and the Orinco--the romantic river I was going to explore when I grew up. She helped me with my Arithmetic, and she told me that a pet chipmunk--I had caught him in the park just that day before--would eat fruits and nuts. And there was the time that Petey, our pet canary, died. I called Information Please and told her the sad story. She listened, then said the usual things grown-up say to soothe a child. But I was unconsoled. Why was it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to whole families, only to end as a heap of feathers feet up, on the bottom of a cage? She must have sensed my deep concern, for she quietly said, "Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in." Somehow, I felt better.

Another day I was at the telephone. "Information," said the now familiar voice. "How do you spell fix?". F-I-X." At that instant my sister, who took unholy joy in scaring me, jumped off the stairs at me with a banshee shriek-"Yaaaaaaaaaa!" I fell off the stool, pulling the receiver out of the box by its roots. We were both terrified--Information Please was no longer there, and I was not at all sure that I hadn't hurt her when I pulled the receiver out. Minutes later, there was a man on the porch. "I'm a telephone repairman. I was working down the street and the operator said there might be some trouble at this number." He reached for the receiver in my hand. "What happened?" I told him. "Well, we can fix that in a minute or two." He opened the telephone box exposing a maze of wires and coils, and fiddled for a while with the end of the receiver cord, tightened things with a small screwdriver. He jiggled the hook up and down a few times, then spoke into the phone. "Hi, this is Pete. Everything's under control at 105. The kid's sister scared him and he pulled the cord out of the box." He hung up, smiled, gave me a pat on the head and walked out the door.

All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. Then, when I was nine years old, we moved across he country to Boston-and I missed my mentor acutely. Information Please belonged in that old wooden box back at home, and I somehow never thought if trying the tall, skinny new phone that sat on the small table in the hall. Yet, as I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversation never really left me; often in moments of doubt and perplexity I would recall the serene sense of security I had when I know that I could call Information Please and get the right answer. I appreciated now how very patient, understanding and kind she was to have wasted her time on a little boy.

A few years later, on my way back to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half an hour between plan connections, and I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister who lived there now, happily mellowed by marriage and motherhood. Then, really without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, "Information Please." Miraculously, I heard again the small, clear voice that I know so well:"Information." I hadn't planned this, but I heard myself saying, "Could you tell me, please, how to spell the word 'fix'?" There was a long pause. Then came the softly spoken answer. "I guess," said Information Please, "that your finger must have healed by now." I laughed. "So it's really still you. I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during all that time...." "I wonder," she replied, "if you know how much you meant to me? I never had any children, and I used to look forward to your calls. Silly, wasn't it?" It didn't seem silly, but I didn't say so. Instead I told her how often I had thought of her over the years, and I asked if I could call her again when I come back to visit my sister when the semester was over. "Please do. Just ask for Sally." "Goodbye Sally." It sounded strange for Information Please to have a name. "If I run into any chipmunks, I'll tell them to eat fruits and nuts." "Do that," she said. "And I expect one of these days you'll be off for the Orinoco. Well, good-bye."

Just three months later, I was back again at the Seattle airport. A different voice answered, "Information," and I asked for Sally. "Are you a friend?" "Yes," I said. "An old friend." "Then I'm sorry to have to tell you. Sally had only been working part-time in the last few years because she was ill. She died five weeks ago." But before I could hung up, she said, "Wait a minute. Did you say your name was Villard?" "Yes." "Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down." "What was it?" I asked, almost knowing in advance what it would be. "Here it is, I'll read it-'Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He'll know what I mean'."

I thanked her and hung up. I did know what Sally meant.

Paul Villard
Originally published June, 1966 Readers Digest; reprinted with permission in the December 1999 issue of the Singing Wires newsletter, TCI club.

Daddy's Gonna Eat Your Fingers

2009-11-06T11:03:00.001-08:00

Received this via email...and just had to share...I love this one!!

This will make you smile!

This one is for everyone who...
a) has kids
b) had kids
c) was a kid
d) knows a kid
e) is going to have kids.
I guess that means all of us!!

DADDY'S GONNA EAT YOUR FINGERS

I was packing for my business trip and my three-year-old daughter was having a wonderful time playing on the bed. At one point she said, 'Daddy, look at this,' and stuck out two of her fingers.

Trying to keep her entertained, I reached out and stuck her tiny fingers in my mouth and said, 'Daddy's gonna eat your fingers,' pretending to eat them.

I went back to packing, looked up again and my daughter was standing on the bed staring at her fingers with a devastated look on her face.

I said, 'What's wrong, honey?'

She replied, 'What happened to my booger?'

My Boy, the Scholar

2009-10-19T22:09:00.000-07:00

My Boy has hated school since...well, forever. Even in kindergarten...he wasn't that crazy about it. He actually loves it for about the last couple of months of the school year...has something to do with the impending departure (he's going to miss his teachers, friends, etc). But ever since first grade, it really has not been good.

We saw the pattern - the first half of the year he would struggle. The second half of the year, his teachers would finally put a plan in place to help him (usually revolved around a behavior chart). I even inquired in the first and second grade (to his teachers) if he might be ADD or something...they both didn't think so. He was also seeing a social worker back then - they didn't see it either.

When he first starting seeing the social worker he was really, really angry. It was in the Spring of 2008 (or was it 2007?) we started reading about the side effects of allergy meds...depression and anger was very common in kids his age (although the doctors said it was not a side effect). We learned about these "unofficial" side effects by reading other parent's concerns on the Internet (thank goodness for the Internet!).

We recognized within weeks that the depression and anger started to subside when he went off the allergy meds. It was then that we decided that mental health was way more important than allergies.

But, even after that major change - he still struggled in school. Never mind the fact that he hated it - we know he's smart, but he just could not get into it. So this year we requested the behavior chart start on day one of school - no more waiting until the teachers decided it was necessary. We also started taking him to The Bridge, Youth and Family Services.

It didn't take long for the therapist at The Bridge to diagnose him with ADD. His pediatrician prescribed Focalin. Now I'm sure some parents are against giving their kids meds...but please refrain from slamming my parenting for trying it! (not that anyone reads my blog & would post a comment anyway! LOL).

I am here to say that as it stands right now, after 3 weeks of Focalin - I am pleased with the results. My Boy has admitted that he actually LIKES school now. His behavior chart is, well, off the charts. Nearly perfect days EVERY day. I'm starting to wonder if he still needs it. He's doing his homework BEFORE he gets home (at after school care) and tonight he was so excited about being in the sign language club at the YMCA that he was teaching My Girl how to sign too. Hello, my kid is IN a club and is participating!!

So don't let anyone tell you that its not okay to try meds. I was always concerned that if it came to needing them, that he was going to be all fuzzy and zoning out (reminiscent of my own college days!). The side effects for Focalin are supposed to be decreased hunger and difficultly falling asleep. It hasn't happened yet, and I'm hoping it won't because it is all going so well.

I am so proud of My Boy. He's making such great strides. I get emails/calls from his teachers about how proud THEY are of how he's doing. I always knew he was smart, I was always afraid he would never like school and would fail. I'm so pleased that My Boy is doing better...and is even enjoying himself. Who knew!?

Southern Astrological Signs

2009-09-30T11:32:00.000-07:00

Received this via email. Although I'm not all that into astrology...I thought this was cute...mostly because the "signs" would make for cute pet names - just call me Okra! LOL

Some people (especially Southerners) are pretty skeptical of horoscopes, and it has become obvious that what they need are their own “Southern” astrological signs.

OKRA (Dec 22 – Jan 20) Although you appear crude, you are actually very slick on the inside. Okras have tremendous influence. An older Okra can look back over his life and see the seeds of his influence everywhere. Stay away from Moon Pies.

CHITLIN (Jan 21 – Feb 19) Chitlins come from humble backgrounds. A chitlin, however, can make something of himself if he’s motivated and has lots of seasoning. In dealing with Chitlins, be careful. They can erupt like Vesuvius. Chitlins are best with Catfish and Okra.

BOLL WEEVIL (Feb 20 – Mar 20) You have an overwhelming curiosity. You’re unsatisfied with the surface of things, and you feel the need to bore deep into the interior of everything. Needless to say, you are very intense and driven as if you had some inner hunger. Nobody in their right mind is going to marry you, so don’t worry about it.

MOON PIE (Mar 21 – Apr 20) You’re the type that spends a lot of time on the front porch. It’s a cinch to recognize the physical appearance of Moon Pies. Big and round are the key words here. You should marry anybody who you can get remotely interested in the idea. It’s not going to be easy. This might be the year to think about aerobics. Or – maybe not.

POSSUM (Apr 21 – May 21) When confronted with life’s difficulties, possums have a marked tendency to withdraw and develop a don’t-bother-me-about-it attitude. Sometimes you become so withdrawn, people actually think you’re dead. This strategy is probably not psychologically healthy, but seems to work for you. One day, however, it won’t work and you may find your problems actually running you over.

CRAWFISH (May 22 – June 21) Crawfish is a water sign. If you work in an office, you’re always hanging around the water cooler. Crawfish prefer the beach to the mountains, the pool to the golf course, the bathtub to the living room. You tend to be not particularly attractive physically, but you have very, very good heads.

COLLARDS (June 22 – July 23) Collards have a genius for communication. They love to get in the “melting pot” of life and share their essence with the essence of those round them. Collards make good social workers, psychologists, and baseball managers. As far as your personal life goes, if you are Collards, stay away from Moon Pies. It just won’t work. Save yourself a lot of heartache.

CATFISH (July 24 – Aug 23) Catfish are traditionalists in matters of the heart, although one’s whiskers may cause problems for loved ones. You catfish are never easy people to understand. You prefer the muddy bottoms to the clear surface of life. Above all else, Catfish should stay away from Moon Pies.

GRITS (Aug 24 – Sept 23) Your highest aim is to be with others like yourself. You like to huddle together with a big crowd of other Grits. You love to travel though, so maybe you should think about joining a club. Where do you like to go? Anywhere they have cheese or gravy or bacon or butter or eggs. If you can go somewhere where they have all these things, that serves you well.

BOILED PEANUTS (Sept 24 – Oct 23) You have a passionate desire to help your fellow man. Unfortunately, those who know you best – your friends and loved ones – may find that your personality is much too salty, and their criticism will probably affect you deeply because you are really much softer than you appear. You should go right ahead and marry anybody you want to because in a certain way, yours is a charmed life. On the road of life, you can be sure that people will always pull over and stop for you.

BUTTER BEAN (Oct 24 – Nov 22) Always invite a Butter Bean because Butter Beans get along well with everybody. You, as a Butter Bean, should be proud. You’ve grown on the vine of life and you feel at home no matter what the setting. You can sit next to anybody. However, you, too, shouldn’t have anything to do with Moon Pies.

ARMADILLO (Nov 23 – Dec 21) You have a tendency to develop a tough exterior, but you are actually quite gentle. A good evening for you? Old friends, a fire, some roots, fruit, worms and insects. You are a throwback. You’re not concerned with today’s fashions and trends. You’re not concerned with anything about today. You’re really almost prehistoric in your interests and behavior patterns. You probably want to marry another Armadillo, but Possum is another somewhat kinky, mating possibility.

Did you notice that the dates are different than what you normally might be familiar with (if you are familiar with astrology)? I always thought Capricorns (a.k.a. Okras) started later than that and ended in February. Well, thanks to Wikipedia, I've discovered that there are different kinds of astrology...and you can read about the difference between Tropical & Sidereal here. Whats weirder is the Tropical is the one I should be familiar with (living in the Western Hemisphere), but it's not, I'm more familiar with the Sidereal dates! Whatever.

SPAM Emails

2009-09-29T12:21:00.000-07:00

It never ceases to amaze me the amount of SPAM emails I receive. And the lengths some people will go to to get me to read them (but I never get past the subject lines). Here's a few from the last week...

Meet the Famous Mr. X - I'll admit, I'm curious, but I still didn't read the email!

Super Advice Dog! - Really? Who needs advice from a dog??

RE: Safely Talk And Drive At The Same Time - this one made me think of that email that was circulating a few years ago (it was a joke email) - here's the product....

Given that I was able to find a photo of a product, I'm ashamed to say that someone took that joke email seriously!

Med that will make you feel more relaxed - I'm always up for something relaxing (do I take it or do I give it to my kids to make them go away??)

For guys only - they why send it to me??

Cash in with Facebook, Twitter and Email Sending - yes, because it's really working for you!

And the one that made me decide to blog this subject in the first place....

What s in Obama's butt - I don't know and I don't care!

What an appetite!

2009-09-19T14:31:00.000-07:00

My Girl fixed herself a snack today...she prepared all of these items herself and sat down to eat them. She ate them in this order:

meat stick
the cream inside vanilla oreos (she opened each one & licked them clean), then ate the cookies
salt & vinegar chips

Then she came up to me and said "my tummy hurts"

Really, she does have better taste in food than this!!

Interview with a Boy

2009-09-02T16:32:00.000-07:00

My Boy that is. I actually did this with him in May...and forgot to post it. He's 9 now...but everything still pretty much rings true!

How old are you?
8
When is your birthday?
August 22
What was the best gift you've ever received?
Nintendo DS
What didn't you get that you really wanted?
Pokemon Platinum (DS game)
What is your favorite thing about school?
art
What is your least favorite thing about school?
music
Who is your favorite person in the whole word?
Garrett
Who are all the people in your family?
My sister, my Mom, my Dad, my cousins, my Uncle, my Aunt, my Grandpa and Grandmas and my cat.
What is your favorite food?
tacos
What is your favorite toy?
DS
What is something mommy/daddy always says to you?
Mom: go to your room or be quiet
Dad: go downstairs to watch tv
What makes you happy?
playing my DS
What makes mommy/daddy happy?
Mom: me being happy
Dad: me being happy
What makes you sad?
getting a wack on the butt with a belt
What makes mommy/daddy sad?
Mom: me being sad
Dad: me being sad
How do mommy/daddy make you laugh?
Mom: tickle me
Dad: Tickles me & giving me wedgies
What were mommy/daddy like when they were little?
Mom: annoying (who did I annoy?) Grandma & Grandpa
Dad: British
How old are your mommy/daddy?
Mom: 41
Dad: 41 also
How tall are your mommy/daddy?
Mom: 62 inches (he measured me)
Dad: 72 inches (he guesses)
What are mommy/daddy really good at?
Mom: tickling me
Dad: tickling me
What are mommy/daddy not very good at?
Mom: math (his first answer was sports)
Dad: doing reading
What do mommy/daddy do for their jobs?
Mom: mailings
Dad: mailings
What is mommy/daddy’s favorite food?
Mom: tacos
Dad: KFC
What makes you proud of mommy/daddy?
Mom: playing with me
Dad: giving me outdoor jobs
If mommy/daddy were a cartoon character, what would they be?
Mom: scooby do
Dad: shaggy
What do you do with mommy/daddy?
Mom: watch tv
Dad: outside jobs
How are you and mommy/daddy the same?
Mom: we're both happy at the same time
Dad: we like to give each other wedgies
How are you and mommy/daddy different?
Mom: you're a girl & I'm a boy
Dad: he likes chicken wings but I hate them
How do you know mommy/daddy love you?
Mom: cuz you tell me
Dad: i have no clue
What is one thing you would change about mommy/daddy?
Mom: to be a boy
Dad: not make me do so much stuff so I can play with him
What do you like about your sister?
she's very creative
What don't you like about sister?
she's annoying
What do you want to be when you grow up?
detective
What is your favorite TV show?
spongebob
What is your favorite number?
2
What is your favorite color?
red
What is your favorite animal?
penquins (first answer was sharks)
What is your favorite time of year?
my birthday
What are you most looking forward to now that you are 8.5 years old?
getting Pokemon Platinum (for his birthday)

7/41: Grandpa Peedink

2009-08-30T16:22:00.000-07:00

My Grandpa Peedink (Sidney Lee Mahaney) was a cool old guy. He was predictable, stubborn, down-home and set in his ways. He was the kind of guy that would get stuck on something he liked (he could eat bacon & eggs for every meal if he felt like it).

He had the greatest gray hair. I don't think I ever knew him before he was gray and he had a great head of hair.

The only time he wasn't wearing a jumpsuit was if he was going to a wedding or a funeral (then he wore a suit).

He fought in the war. As a young soldier he climbed Eagles Nest in Germany (Hitler's hide-away...Hitler was gone by then). He came home to his wife a baby daughter (my mom). Had two more kids (my uncles). Started a second career as an upholsterer.

I can remember sitting on his front porch in Cisco, Texas...hot, dry, prickly Cisco...playing with the wild kitties, hearing the swamp cooler switch on, popping open black-eyed peas that we'd picked from the garden across the street. (The photo is Grandpa with my niece & nephew on that front porch).

I went to junior college in Cisco (CJC) and I can remember one time my roomate and I went over to visit Grandpa. We'd asked if we could come use his clawfoot tub (there's only showers in college dorms!). He said sure. As we took turns soaking in the tub, Grandpa cooked us bacon and eggs (and he made the best!) and had slices of melon (he always had that in his fridge). It was so nice to be pampered.

Of course, the end of any visit with Grandpa was a trip to the White Elephant. Everyone knew Grandpa. They greeted him when he walked in (a la Cheers). I think that years later, when he wasn't able to drive anymore, his fellow White Elephant buddies would pick him up! He practically outlived all of his friends (I think he was 96 when he passed away in 2002).

I miss ya Grandpa...you were one cool dude!

First Day

2009-08-27T14:35:00.001-07:00

Today was My Girl's first day of kindergarten. She did not let the icky weather dampen her mood - she was so excited. So much in fact that she gave herself the hic-ups (poor kid). She insisted on riding the bus today (I wanted to drive her to school on her first day).

We drove to the corner to wait for the bus - everyone sitting in cars because no one wanted to stand in the rain. We got out about 5 minutes before bus time (but of course, the bus was about 10 minutes late!). We stood in the rain talking and watching for that big yellow school bus. My Boy went to the neighbors house to sit on their porch and get out of the rain.

Abby was too excited to sit still. She paced and played with her umbrella. She grinned from ear to ear. A big contrast to My Boy's first day of kindergarten. He was frozen with fear. I guess it helps to be the second child...it's not as scary to do things that you've seen your older sibling do first.

My Boy's first day of school was yesterday. It's just as hard to believe I have a fourth grader as it is to believe my baby is in kindergarten!

He was not as excited as his sister was for the first day (well, he said he wasn't...but I could tell he was). It was a rainy day for his first day too. I think this year was the first time that it was a rainy first day of school.

He was ready to walk out the door WAY earlier than his bus. I was even finished getting ready yet and he was out the door. We walked to the corner 10 minutes in advance (and the bus was 10 minutes late that day too!). We found out that he must have started a trend last year because they changed the bus route and everyone on our street now has to come to his corner. Hopefully everyone will be nice to each other this year.

My goodness my kids have grown up fast! I can't believe they are now both in school. And yes, I did tear up after the bus drove away today. It all happened so fast that I didn't get a good photo of them climbing the steps into the bus. Oh well, there's always next year!

Time Travel

2009-08-13T10:16:00.000-07:00

I started reading The Time Traveler's Wife (also a movie) last night. A couple of chapters in, it tells of his first experience with time travel - he travels back in time to when he is 5 years old & interacts with his five-year-old self. This all happens at bedtime and when the boy returns, he goes to bed and in the morning tells his mom about his "dream".

This reminded me of a reoccurring dream I used to have when I was around 6 or 7 years old....

I used to visit my Grandma Sally as often as I could. But of course, that would require a drive to Pennsylvania (we lived just over the border in Ohio). My grandma lived in a little apartment above a garage owned by her in-laws (my great-grandparents). We used to sit in big squishy chairs on the little screened-in porch (well, they seemed like big chairs, I was pretty little!). It was definitely one of my favorite places to go - I just loved being at my grandma's house.

I can remember always asking to go to grandma's house...and many times my parents would tell me, we can't right now. We'll go soon. Maybe next week. Etc, etc.

One night, as I was lying in bed, I remember being frustrated because I wanted to go visit my grandma...and I wanted to go now! So I got up out of bed and knelt down in the corner to "wish" myself there. I squeezed my eyes tight and I wished really hard. My whole body was tense with anticipation. I really believed I could do it.

When I opened my eyes, I stood up and I was no longer in my bedroom. I turned around and saw grandma's bed and her things. I didn't notice that the room was not familiar to me (I was young and not that observent). I walked around to the foot of the bed. I looked out the bedroom door and could see all the way into the kitchen. I saw my grandma, standing at the sink, washing dishes. I thought to myself, "she's busy, I shouldn't bother her right now."

I walked back to the corner in her room, knelt down and wished myself home. When I opened my eyes, I was back in my own bedroom. I was tired from my travels, so I crawled back in bed & went to sleep.

I had this same dream a couple of times...but never gave it too much thought. It just always made me feel good to know that in my dreams I could visit whenever I wanted.

Flash forward, years later. I was 16 years old and visiting my grandma. It was a cleaning day and I was dusting the top of a tall dresser when I dropped the rag. I leaned down, into a corner to pick up the rag. I noticed there was something behind the dresser so I pulled the item out and went to go tell my grandma about my find. I stood up and backed out of the corner. I walked around to the foot of the bed. I looked out the bedroom door and could see all the way into the kitchen. I saw my grandma, standing at the sink, washing dishes. I thought to myself, "she's busy, I shouldn't bother her right now."

I promptly became dizzy and sat down on the bed. That had to be the biggest déjà vu I'd ever had. I immediately recalled the dream I used to have. I couldn't believe that the dream had come true! While I sat there thinking about it, I looked around the room and realized, grandma didn't live in this house when I had that dream. She'd only moved into this house a few years ago. How on earth could I have dreamed this room, this experience, when she didn't even live here yet?

It's still a mystery to me...but it's a fun story to tell! I would love to have someone that's an expert in dreams explain it to me sometime.

Out of the mouths of babes

2009-08-09T17:35:00.000-07:00

"I am not having a baby," my 5 year-old exclaims after watching a baby born on a TV show.

"Why not?" I ask her.

"Because it will hurt!" she says.

LOL - sounds just like I did as a kid! Glad I changed my mind.

14 years...wow time flies!

2009-08-04T11:32:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is our 14 year anniversary. Being the last minute shopper that I am, I of course have not bought him a gift yet. Come to think of it, I'm not sure I even bought him one last year (bad wife!).

Here's what my reminder email (which only came 4 days ago!) suggests...

Traditional 14th wedding anniversary gifts have a theme of Ivory.
A contemporary or modern 14th anniversary gift has a theme of Gold Jewellery.
The flowers associated with this anniversary are Dahlia.
The Gemstone list shows Jewellery and Moss Agate associated with this Wedding Anniversary.

This is the same email My Man received, but I'm sure he'll be much better at coming up with a gift idea for me (he's so good at this!)....me on the other hand, I suck at this. So basically my choices are ivory or gold jewelry (who spells it with 2 l's??). Neither of which makes sense for a gift for him.

Someone suggested I get him a frame for his desk (with a photo of me in it of course!) and I'm thinking, if I can find one with ivory in it, that would satisfy the traditional gift idea. BUT, that would mean I would need to (1) go shopping and (2) successfully find what I'm looking for when I go shopping. Have I mentioned how much I hate shopping?

Summer Camp & School Days

2009-08-03T20:07:00.000-07:00

Just cannot believe its August already!! Thank goodness for summer camp - I have no idea what I'd do without it! Well, yes I do - I'd be bald from pulling my hair out from having the kids at the office every day!

Thankfully I discovered (just last Friday) that the YMCA would be willing to take My Girl (who wasn't old enough) for the next 3 weeks of camp (score!). So both rugrats are now enrolled for sports camp (My Boy is jazzed, My Girl, not so much). But My Man & I are happy because the idea of having them at the office for the next 3 weeks was not something we were looking forward to!

But, with August, comes time to get ready for school. That means I have 3 weeks to squeeze in some school shopping (for clothes, shoes, backpacks and lunchboxes) before Meet the Teacher Day (August 25th). Meet the Teacher Day also means we'll be picking up the rugrat's school supplies. Take it from last minute shopper mom, buy your school supplies from the PTA in the spring. It not only costs pretty much the same as shopping on your own - you save gas & time by not having to run all over town looking for stuff! And it keeps you from buying those impulse items that inevitably end up in your basket when you to to office supply or discount stores!

To celebrate the beginning of the new school year, another mommy blogger I like to read is having a contest to give away a laptop (yup, an actual laptop!!). So if you don't already know Owlhaven - check her out...and register to win a really cool laptop! Just visit her website.

WTF?!

2009-07-26T20:47:00.000-07:00

So I thought my biggest problem with outside potty issues was trying to convince my son that it is NOT okay to pee outside.

Who knew that my daughter would think it was okay to do the OTHER thing outside.

There are just times in your life when you realize that maybe you do need to explain e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.... no matter how absurd (or obvious) you think a subject might be. Oy!

Summer Reading Update #2

2009-07-22T19:36:00.001-07:00

Well, we're down to the wire now...we only have another 9 days left to finish all of our reading. I'm done (I'm on my 3rd sheet now) but the kids have one visit left to go. We went this evening and picked up 10 more books for My Girl (we read TO her) and My Boy picked out a few more too. He's done pretty good - he has to read 200 pages each time and he's been doing it (with our help sometimes).

So as long as we get back there with our completed forms by July 31st, we're golden. And I think I mentioned this before, if we all wear our t-shirts into the library before the end of August, they'll give us a $30 movie gift certificate (woo hoo!). And of course, that's what the kids have been looking forward to (nevermind the free t-shirt too!).

I've been reading variety of books...and because I haven't been blogging I don't have the list to share. But I can tell ya I FINALLY finished the very short High Heels series I started last year. Just love Gemma Halliday's High Heels series!! It's about a shoe designer that keeps getting caught up in a murder mystery...all the while lusting after her hot Hispanic boyfriend Jack Ramirez and being tempted by the Brit tabloid report Felix Dunn. To check out the series, visit Gemma's website.

I'm happy to hear that Felix has his own series starting called Hollywood Headlines. I'll be happy to start reading this series very soon too.

I've also been enjoying books written by Mary Kay Andrews. I was smitten with the first book I read (Deep Dish). The next one (Hissy Fit) moved a little slower for me, but it was also enjoyable. Now I'm reading Savannah Breeze which is a sequel to Savannah Blues, but that one wasn't at the library so I didn't get to read it first. Apparently I forgot to read the jacket on Breeze because I was shocked (kinda) when the heroine got taken to the cleaners by a rouge beau. Now I'm eager to get through the book to find out if they catch him!

I have noticed a theme in most of the books I've been reading lately...they all seem to have a cantankerous old lady in them - I guess they bring a little comic relief to the stories. I thought it was just an Evanovich thing...but it seems to be in all the books I've been reading this summer!

At any rate - really enjoying all the reading I've been doing...just wish I had more time!

Summer Reading Update

2009-06-13T08:09:00.000-07:00

Well, this summer is proving more difficult for My Boy this year. He has to read 2 books totally 200 pages for each session. We went into this with excitement, but he's been pretty distracted by summer camp and his reading has slowed down quite a bit. He chose Diary of a Wimpy Kid (200 pages on it's own) and he hasn't finished it yet.

My Girl is doing pretty good, she's about halfway through her books (of course, she only has to have someone read TO her, so that's quite a bit easier).

Me, well I've been plowing through and have read 4 so far (the goal is 5 for each visit). Here's what I've read:

Hot Stuff, by Janet Evanovich & Leanne Banks
Plum Lovin' by Janet Evanovich (a between the numbers novel)
The Grand Finale by Janet Evanovich
Rocky Road to Romance by Janet Evanovich
Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews (just started this one yesterday)

Hmm, apparentlyI have a slight addiction to Janet Evanovich, LOL.

I do enjoy her old romance novels, but they're just not the same as the Stephanie Plum series. I was desperate to quickly pick another one (that's how I ended up w/ #5) but next time I'll do some more research before I go to the library to see if I can find something more mystery/romance (hey, it's no fun unless there's a hot guy in there!).

Time for the Summer Reading Program!!

2009-06-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

We love the Palatine Library's Summer Reading Program. I think in the beginning (for My Boy) it was all about the free T-Shirt at the end. Then last year it became more about the challenge of completing the form (because the year before that it was me reading to him & last year was his first year to be on his own). This year is different. Don't get me wrong, it's still about the T-Shirt and completing the form - but this time it's also about enjoying the books.

I had honestly started to think My Boy was never going to get into reading. But just suddenly he's decided to read for entertainment. He actually voluntarily decided to read INSTEAD of watch TV! I could NOT believe it. I'm still in shock!

We signed up for the library's Summer Reading Program last night and he is so jazzed to get through his first 200 pages (he has to read 2 books totalling 200 pages for each of the 4 visits before the end of July).

My Girl is also doing it again - she's still in the "read to me" group and so we have to read 10 books for each visit. My Boy has even volunteered to read to her too!

This is my second year to sign up. I got bit by the reading bug last year and didn't think I'd be able to read 5 books (the entire requirement for adults) but instead read 15 before the end of the summer! (adults have until the end of August).

So we stocked up on our books yesterday and I'm already almost done with my first book. I was bummed to learn that I've completed the Stephanie Plum series (I'm waiting for book 15 to come out this month). So now I'll have to find a new heroine to read about. If you have any suggestions - please let me know! I'm really into the romantic comedy/mysteries. If it can make me laugh out loud, has a mystery to solve and a hot guy in it - I'm there!

I also love love F Paul Wilson - I am desperately waiting for the 13th Repairman Jack novel to come out (due out this October). I would LOVE to find a copy of The Touch - can't find it anywhere (but online, but I'm a brick & mortar kind of girl!). I'm trying to read the Adversary Cycle in order (already read The Keep & Rakoshi, back when it was called The Tomb). May just need to re-read some of the RJ books before October - I felt out-of-touch when I read By The Sword last fall.

So is it weird that I now associate summer with reading? I love reading season! ;o)

Movie Review: Meet Dave

2009-05-23T12:15:00.000-07:00

Being home sick has its advantages...so does having an 8 yr old that can run into the library on his own to rent/borrow movies! While My Girl and I sat outside, My Boy ran in to pick up some movies for us to watch today. I know, I know, it's a nice day & they should be outside...but they just got a bunch of legos for a gift so I can't get them to stay out there! Anyway, I digress....

So one of the movies My Boy picked out (on his own) was Meet Dave. It's rated PG and Movie Mom gives it a C- rating. I like the Movie Mom site because I can check out movies to see if they're kid-appropriate before we rent them.

Anyway, she gave it an "okay" review...but mine (albeit more brief) will be different.

We were laughing outloud from the start. There were many funny bits (how could there not be with Eddie Murphy!). There were quite a few moments of potty humor (how they "made" money, butt-referencing names, etc.)

And with most "family" movies, there is a moral to the story. Some movies just hint at a moral and some spell it out. Dave spells it out at the end: it's okay to be different and take pride in your differences.

So I do recommend this movie when you are stuck at home with the kids. It's a laugh out loud fun movie and very enjoyable for me, My Boy (8 yrs) and My Girl (5 yrs).

Movies

2009-05-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

As I was getting ready to write a movie review, I realized that some people that read this blog (I know, no one actually reads my blog, but just in case) might not agree with the movies I let my kids watch. So I thought I'd better first say something about our choice in movies.

Our kids tend to see movies that are probably a bit more advanced than the ratings suggest, but at the same time, we're not the kind of parents that take our kids to rated R movies either. As a matter of fact, I deplore hearing stories about parents that take their kids, or rent movies for their kids that are rated R or worse (ie: horror movies, bloody gore action movies). Don't get me wrong, I love Quinten Tarentino, but it's not kid/family appropriate viewing.

But yes, they watch action fliks (ie: James Bond, Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park, Batman, etc.) and sometimes they are rated PG-13. Sometimes I cringe at some parts, but most of the time, anything that they see that is even close to innapropriate goes right over their head.

So IF you are reading this post AND you feel the need to post a comment that is in any way critical of my parenting abilities because I let my kids watch a movie that is rated over G, let me first say, feel free to say whatever you like. I can always delete your comments if they get nasty and judgemental and I don't want to have them connected to my post. Now if you want to leave a comment that disagrees with me but you are diplomatic and polite, I may decide to leave your comments posted. Because as long as you're nice and respectful, I can be too. But be nasty and act like a booger, then I'll flik you away without another thought (just like a booger). :oP

Who is THAT dude?

2009-05-17T20:28:00.000-07:00

So I wasn't that crazy of last year's (or was it the last two years?) Six Flags marketing campaign of "More Flags, More Fun". I way preferred the old guy dancing. He really cracked me up.

So guess what, he's back! But "who" is that guy?? That is NOT the same guy! AND he's saying the "More Flags, More Fun" slogan. Turns out the guy's name is Mr. Six - but I'd like to know - where is the real Mr. Six??

Can't anyone get more creative??

Coke vs Mountain Dew

2009-05-10T10:32:00.000-07:00

My Son: Can I have a Coke instead of a Mountain Dew?

My Man: No.

Me: Why? What's the difference, they're both full of sugar & caffeine (frankly, I'd rather he didn't have either!)

My Man: Because Coke rots your guts.

Me: What?

My Man: You can only have Coke if it's mixed with rum. It cancels out the gut rotting stuff.

You gotta be kidding me, right? LOL

Personality Clash

2009-05-06T21:29:00.000-07:00

My son drives me nuts. I mean literally bonkers. He drove me to take a 4 year old Xanax a few days ago (yes I still have them, I've hoarded them this long, I don't care that they are expired!).

Whenever I'm finally able to sit back and reflect, I can clearly see the reason we have such a personality clash is because we are so much alike. Of course this realization does not bring me comfort in any way - it only serves to annoy me more.

We got his blood test results back today. We had his TSH levels tested to see if he has a thyroid condition like me (his erratic moody behavior is reminiscent of my own). Turns out, his levels are fine, so that's not his problem! He has an appointment with his therapist this Saturday..and now that we have these results, I do think he will be diagnosed as ODD.

I have not been handling his moods that well this past week - I think a lot of it has to do with my own meds being adjusted. What a pain! It would be SO nice if I could just take a few days with a new dose to know if it's the right dose...but oh know, it's a 4 to 6 week process! Oy!

But I digress...

Our personalities are very similar. I think a lot of our hot buttons are the same. We both know exactly how to push each other's buttons (I swear I do not push his on purpose! If there was a way to avoid his horrible reactions, trust me, I would not push THAT button on purpose!). So here I am, a mom whose personality clashes with her 8 year old son's personality. Can we survive each other? Only time will tell!

Interview with a 5 year old

2009-05-03T19:20:00.000-07:00

1. How old are you?
5

2. When is your birthday?
April 27

3. What was the best gift you received for your birthday?
my bike, sleeping bag and Hello Kitty clock

4. What didn't you get that you really wanted?
a unicorn stuffed animal

5. What is your favorite thing about school (day care)?
playing with Ryan & Paulie in the blocks

6. What is your least favorite thing about school?
nothing

7. Who is your favorite person in the whole word?
Grandma Sally

8. Who are all the people in your family?
Mommy, Daddy, Scratch and my brother

8. What is your favorite food?
carrots (the raw kind - she doesn't like them cooked!)

9. What is your favorite toy?
my new Pretty Pony toy

10. What is something mommy/daddy always says to you?
Mom: clean your room (we're such slave drivers!)
Dad: clean your room

12. What makes you happy?
watching tv & playing games

13. What makes mommy/daddy happy?
Mom: putting me to bed and reading stories
Dad: I don't know, I'd have to ask him.

14. What makes you sad?
Not watching TV

15. What makes mommy/daddy sad?
Mom: I don't know.
Dad: I don't know.

16. How does mommy/daddy do to make you laugh?
Mom: You make silly faces.
Dad: Tickles me. (she first said he dances around...but he's NEVER done that! LOL)

17. What were mommy/daddy like when they were little?
Mom: you liked your room and played in your room.
Dad: he liked to play in his room with his toys

18. How old are your mommy/daddy?
Mom: 8
Dad: 9

19. How tall are your mommy/daddy?
Mom: 59 (not sure what measurement we're working on here - but if she means inches, she's got me pretty good!)
Dad: 98

20. What do mommy/daddy do when you’re not around? (she asked, like when I stay at Tia's?)
Mom: go on a trip
Dad: go on a trip with mommy

21. What are mommy/daddy really good at?
Mom: making dinner
Dad: making dinner too, he's really good

22. What are mommy/daddy not very good at?
Mom: doing bad stuff
Dad: cleaning **snicker!**

23. What do mommy/daddy do for their jobs?
Mom: typing on a computer
Dad: he works in the warehouse with a bunch of people

24. What is mommy/daddy’s favorite food?
Mom: vegetables
Dad: chicken

25. What makes you proud of mommy/daddy?
Mom: cleaning
Dad: nothing

26. If mommy/daddy were a cartoon character, what would they be?
Mom: police officer
Dad: policeman

27. What do you do with mommy/daddy?
Mom: get cupcakes
Dad: go to the office

28. How are you and mommy/daddy the same?
Mom & Dad: we all have skin

29. How are you and mommy/daddy different?
Mom: our hair is different color
Dad: he's a boy

30. How do you know mommy/daddy loves you?
Mom: give me hugs & kisses
Dad: he gives me hugs & kisses too

31. What is one thing you would change about mommy/daddy?
Mom: nothing
Dad: nothing

32. What do you like about your brother?
he loves me & lets me come in his room

33. What don't you like about your brother?
he doesn't let me in his room

34. What do you want to be when you grow up?
police officer

35. What is your favorite TV show?
Sponge Bob

36. What is your favorite number?
10

37. What is your favorite color?
red

38. What is your favorite animal?
unicorn

39. What is your favorite time of year?
Christmas

40. What are you most looking forward to now that you are 5 years old?
kindergarten

Happy 5th Birthday!

2009-05-03T15:57:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my baby girl is 5 years old! Of course, she turned five a week ago tomorrow - but today is was her official birthday party.

Not all of her friends could attend (probably due to my poor planning - I can never seem to plan enough in advance!) but she did have a great turn out.

We had 3 of her friends from day care (and 3 older siblings) and a neighbor friend. Instead of doing Chuck E Cheese again like last year (as originally requested), we opted for an in-home party instead. Gotta love getting an excuse to clean the house!

We had Noah's Ark come in to have the kids create their own "goody bags" - they stuffed toy animals - it was a lot of fun (even for the moms!).

Then all the kids played outside and then back inside for cake & presents. The cake rocked - it was an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins & it was in the shape of a pink purse - it was SO cute! The polk-a-dots were white chocolate buttons. I think this was definitely the cutest & yummiest cake ever! (turns out it was a Mother's Day cake)

Stay tuned for an interview with a 5 year old....

Home Rules

2009-04-19T22:10:00.000-07:00

I think I need to make a sign for my house - one with a list of the House Rules. Here's a few of the ideas I'm having...

No Whining.
When you're asked to do something, "Why" is not an appropriate response.
When you're asked to pick up/put away something, "It's not mine" is not an appropriate response.

It just occured to me - why am I asking? I'll re-phrase - when I TELL you to do/pick up/put away something!

There, that's better. And remember, no whining.

(feel free to add your own...I need help completing the list.)

Ladies First

2009-04-05T21:26:00.000-07:00

Here's another post I meant to post..and never got around to it...

Scene: Spring Break, walking my son into the YMCA for his all-day spring break camp. I'm holding the door open for him...and hoped that he would do the same for me with the next door....

"Hey Bud, you know you should always hold the door for someone when they do it for you. Have you never heard of 'Ladies First'?"

"Mom, that doesn't count for kids." He sits down to change into his slippers (it was pajama day).

"Yes it does, you still should let Ladies go first." I say. Just then a teacher walks by and says...

"Yes it's true, Ladies First".

(my boy does an eye roll here)

"Oh come on Mom, it's not like that anymore - that was the olden days."

"How old were those days Bud?"

"You know, it's not the 80's anymore."

(snicker, snicker. the teacher is giggling now too)

"Bud, it dates way back further than that!"

"Yah, well, Mom did you know that in the day of the Indians the women did all the work? They had to build the teepees and stuff."

"Yah Bud, did you know that women today still do all the work?" LOL

really, it's April?

2009-04-05T21:13:00.000-07:00

Oy, has it really been that long since I made a post? It's not for lack of ideas mind you....

A couple of weekends ago My Man and I were painting the basement apartment. The weather was nice outside. The kids (in shorts of course) were outside playing. They decided they "needed" water from the hose. Little did they know that the outside water was turned off...from the inside. So as they look down the hose and hit it on the ground to get it going...My Man is standing just out of view...being sneaky and turning on the water....trying to get them wet....in the face. Are we mean or what?!

Of course I took pictures! Of course I haven't downloaded them yet to share!

So the next weekend it snowed. And yes, I took pictures of that too. And yes, they are still in my camera. (and yes, we were still painting that weekend).

So now, it's another weekend later. I finally started tackling the laundry again (after two weekends of just doing one or two loads and NOT folding them). Nothing too cute or funny happened this weekend (that I can recall...or took photos of), but it did snow again.

Oh, I lie....we did take the kids into the city on Saturday. Me & my BFF Fran and I took our three monkeys on the Metra train into the city (of Chicago) to...well, have a picnic. I know, you're thinking - but it was only 48 degrees yesterday! But yes, we did it anyway. We had too - I have a 10 ride ticket that expires on the 16th so we didn't want it to go to waste!

So we (well, Frannie did it really) packed a lunch and hopped on a train. We got to Olgivie Station (which will forever be Northwestern Station to me) in time to be hungry for lunch. We walked thru the building to the river and found a nice sunny spot to spread out the blanket (on cement - it was too cold to find grass). It was nice that it was too cold for bugs and the birds had NO idea what we were doing so they didn't pester us either.

After lunch we walked thru the underground Union Station track area to go see the "other" station. Unfortunately there was some big function going on so it was not as I had remembered seeing it before. But the kids still had a good time and we took some cool photos (NOT in my camera, my batteries died...of course).

Then we walked topside back to "our" station to catch the train home.

So it was a nice weekend...and I have no photos availabe to share. But at least I finally got a post in! :o)

It's a flood!

2009-03-22T00:45:00.000-07:00

My Girl walks into the bathroom (while I'm "busy") and asks...

"Mommy, can I play in the water?"

Where I ask, and she points the window (she means in the backyard). I have visions of her running naked in the backyard and it's only in the 50s.

"No, but you can play in the sink."

She smiles & skips out to go to her bathroom "Okay, thanks Mommy!"

A few minutes later (or so it seemed) and My Man is yelling from said bathroom. Apparently she plugged the drain, put the water on full blast, put her toys on the toilet...and then decided to watch television in the living room.

Meanwhile, the sink overflowed, ran onto the floor, leaked down the wall into the downstairs bathroom...just as My Man had primed the wall for repainting.

I would've taken a photo to post with this blog...but My Man would not have understood. Needless to say, we'll need to caulk the floor and re-prime the wall down stairs.

Moral of the story - maybe playing with water in the backyard in 50 degree weather isn't such a bad idea!

Two Whole Hours

2009-03-15T20:53:00.000-07:00

I'm always running late and today was no different. My Boy had a birthday party to go to in late afternoon. But we also had a lot to do this weekend.

We'd spent the day (well, the latter half of the day since I started the day with a migrane) preparing to paint the basement "apartment" (2 bedrooms, bathroom, hallway and small kitchen). When it was time to get moving to the party I rushed to get changed and ran out the door without my cell phone.

So we show up at the party location (LaserQuest) and I drop off the boy (I love it when kids get old enough to go to parties without you!) and return to my car. I realized, without a phone, how will I keep track of time? I haven't worn a watch in years (not that I don't want to - just never got around to getting the watchband fixed).

So rather than go shopping (I can't afford to shop anyway) and rather than drive all the way home - to just turn around & come back - I decide to just sit in the car. I did bring a book. How often do you get uninterrupted time to just relax and read? I'm the kind of person that enjoys waiting in doctor waiting rooms - because it gives me a chance to read w/out any interruptions (that is until the durn doctor calls me in! LOL).

So I read my book for two hours. I'm reading New Moon and whenever I read at home I get "looks" from My Man like I should feel guilty for reading. It really bugs me that I somehow found someone to share my life with that does not like to read. It actually annoys him that I enjoy reading. He just feels that I should be doing something more constructive. So knowing this, can you imagine what 2 whole hours of uninterrupted reading time can be like? It was like h.e.a.v.e.n! :o)

Did you hear the one about...

2009-03-13T09:22:00.001-07:00

"Mom, did I tell you the joke about the 3 guys that wanted to be something else?"

"No, I don't think so."

"okay, there's these three guys that wanted to be something else, so they went to top of a cliff...

"The first guy wants to be an eagle so he shouts EAGLE and jumps...

and he turns into an eagle and flies away."

"the next guy does the same, he shouts HAWK and jumps...

he turns into a hawk and flies away."

"the third guy goes to jump and trips on a tree branch..."

(wait for it...)

"and shouts "oh poopy" and then turns in to poopy."

"LOL, that is very funny bud!"

His jokes are getting much better! :o)

"The" Talk

2009-03-07T14:31:00.000-08:00

Our regular bedtime routine always includes "cuddle time". This is when stories are over, the lights are out, the kids are tucked in and we lay down with them to talk about their day or to just lie quietly for a few minutes.

My Boy almost immediately started this conversation last night.

"Can boys have babies?"

"No, only girls can have babies in their tummies" I reply (nevermind it's "boys" and "girls" instead of "men" and "women").

"Remember when you told me that some boys want to marry boys?" he asks.

"Yes?" I wonder where this is going...

"So how do they have babies?" he inquires.

"If they want a baby, they would need to adopt" I tell him.

"And some girls want to marry girls?" he continues.

"Yes, and if they want to have a baby they would need to adopt or...." hmmm, how do I put this? "...or get a donation from a man." Oh boy, how far will this go?

"...a donation of what?" he asks.

"...well, you see, men have sperm inside them and women have eggs inside them. And when sperm gets with the egg, it turns into a baby." I'm thinking, thank goodness it's dark in here and he can't see my nervous smile and freaked out look.

He thinks about this.... "and where is the sperm?"

"The sperm is in.... in the scrotum which is that stuff that is below your penis..." I'm wondering now, does he have that? Isn't there some thing about boys "dropping" or something when they hit puberty? I didn't have to think about this for very long...

"hmmm, I wondered what that was" he responds. "And how does the sperm get to the egg?"

Oy! "well, when a man and a woman get married and want to have a baby...they um...have sex and when they make love the sperm comes out his penis and gets into the woman." whew, please don't ask me to explain HOW it gets in the woman...please don't ask, please don't ask....

instead he asks.... "and how does sperm get out of the penis?"

hmmm.....

"you know, that's a really good a question...and I'm not exactly sure how to explain that. maybe we should get a book at the library." whew!

"okay, that sounds like a good idea."

"sweetie, you can ask me anything you want to know...anytime"

At this point the subject changes and I'm off the hook.

And as I was thinking of this conversation and couldn't help but wondering - where on earth did this conversation come from? I know he's 8.5 yrs old so it's bound to come out eventually...but why tonight? After thinking about it I remember that we were watching Dirty Jobs on the Discovery channel. Oh right, thanks Mike Rowe for showing us how to castrate baby lambs tonight...that lead to the question of "what is castration" and I'm sure that had something to do with this! LOL

Grown-Up Vacation - Day 3

2009-03-07T14:16:00.001-08:00

Our last day started by snoozing in (no kids to wake us up!!) and then walking next door for brunch and the crew meeting. Helle laid out a great spread for us....

And then it was time for the crew meeting. Everyone gathered on the back porch as the a storm moved in. While the crew (that was still in FL) spent hours planning and discussing the coming race year, I lounged in the living room reading a book. After the meeting My Man and I went with some friends to have lunch. The weather wasn't nearly as nice on Sunday as the the days before. It was cool, windy and rainy.

We left for the airport in the late afternoon and caught our flight. We made good time...until we arrived at O'Hare. We spent 1 hour and 45 minutes sitting on the tarmac waiting to get into the gate. Suprisingly, all of my fellow travelers and me were very understanding about the delays - there were some pretty big winter storms on the East Coast causing delays. However, once we FINALLY got into a gate, our patience was awarded with major annoyance. We expected to be sitting on the tarmac for a long time because the terminals would be full of travelers. But imagine our suprise that the terminal was practically empty! None of us (even the pilot complained) could believe they left us sitting out there all that time when there were so many empty gates.

Overall - it was great to get away without the kids - I highly recommend it! And they had a great time too staying at home without us. We look forward to doing this again next year!

Grown-Up Vacation - Day 2

2009-03-05T21:16:00.000-08:00

On day two we got up - had breakfast and then drove south to __ to go for an airboat ride. Now I've never done this before - and always wondered what it would be like. Want to know? It's loud. And bumpy (at times). It's also a lot of fun. I wonder if it would've been scary during alligator season (summer)?

Mike, My Man & Me were in one boat & the others had to go in a different boat. I took a lot of photos of trees with wicked branches..and then afterwards we went to lunch and I took pictures of birds! (see the big fat pelican?)

To get to & from this ride we had to drive down Alligator Alley (again, not in season so we didn't get to see any). This highway is also a panther sanctuary so there were panther crossing signs! Of course, didn't see any of those either - but it was cool to see the signs.

Once we were back at the house it was time for more team building activities. Again, it was the red team vs the purple team (go red!).

The first game (the name of which I can not remember) involved throwing two golf balls attached to each other w/ a string at a PVC pipe frame. You can only throw holding onto one ball and the goal is to wrap them around the frame as many times as possible. Or in some cases, just get the durn things to land on the frame!

I was pleased as (spiked) punch to take 3rd place for the most points! And, of course, red won, again. :o)

Our third and final team building exercise was to transfer as much water as possible from one bucket to the other using two PVC pipes with strategically placed holes in them. But we couldn't use anything but our team members hands and the pipes. Of course our fearless leader (Helle) later told us we could've gotten creative & shoved a shirt or something in the pipe (we all swear she told us to ONLY use our hands!). This time the purple team won.

By the end of the evening prizes were given, stories were told and each crew was honored with an award for their dedication to the Can Can Duex.

Overall, Saturday was a much tamer evening than Friday - I think we're all getting to old for this! LOL

Grown-Up Vacation - Day 1

2009-03-04T19:15:00.000-08:00

My Man is a sailor and that means many weekends during the summer are spent racing on Can Can Duex. What does that mean exactly? It means many weekends alone with my kids. Which on one hand can be fun...and other times, pure torture.

So I consider this racing hobby of his to be his "summer job". Without this summer job we wouldn't have our "excuse" to go on little vacations (5 days on Macinac Island, a weekend in Michigan, etc.). So in all of our years together, I tolerate his weekend job.

Last year we were invited to the first (annual) Can Can Duex crew party at Captain Clem's house in Florida. But we couldn't go (because the kids were not invited and we couldn't get a sitter). But this year is a different story! So we got to go to the 2nd annual crew party...and we left at 6AM, Friday, February 27. We were the last ones to arrive.

We flew into Fort Myers and a taxi picked us up to take us to Ft Myers Beach where the Holiday was docked (& everyone else was already on the beach). We hit the beach and had lunch and met up with the rest of the crew.

Since everyone already had at least a day of drinking on us - we started right away. By the time we were ready to head back to Cape Coral we were ready to party. The boat ride back home was fun - we saw dolphins off our bow and there was a rumor of manatees (but we didn't see any of those).

When we got back to the Sands Blvd Inn (Capt Clem & Helle's house) we saw the 300 lb ice luge waiting for us. If you've never experienced an ice luge..then you are missing out! But this wasn't just any ordinary drinking game - this was a team building exercise (remember, this is a CREW party!). First, you take your shots on the luge, then you run up the hill to the side yard & have to lasso a post. And EVERYONE was doing this! We were split into two teams - the red team & the purple team - spouses on separate teams (I'm on the red & My Man on the purple).

I did pretty good on my practice toss - but after my shot on the luge & running up the hill to do the lasso - I was too far gone. So after my 3 trys (or did we get 5?) I hadn't completed a single toss. I think Capt. Clem made it on his first try!

This game went well into the evening so the only left to do after this was drink, eat, drink, drink and pass out (which is what My Man...and others...did).

It was great to have an entire day & evening where we didn't have any kids relying on us for anything - no one following us around asking for stuff, able to use the bathroom alone (you know what I mean if you're a parent!). Meanwhile, my kids were home with a sitter having a fabulous time - so much though that they didn't really even want to talk to me when I called to check in.

Tune in tomorrow for day two!

Family Game Night

2009-02-26T21:54:00.001-08:00

Do you have a family game night?

We used to - regularly on Friday nights. Then Robinson Crusoe started on NBC and it turned into family TV night. Which was bad since Saturday was already family movie night!

But then Crusoe moved to Saturday nights. We were bummed - because that screwed up movie night! But, that meant we had our game night back!

Of course, it took a few months for us to get back to it...but we're getting there.

Here's My Boy's 1st choice for game night - Monopoly...

Not just ANY Monopoly game - it's the one from England (so we all have to remember to demand our payments in pounds instead of dollars).

And of course, you gotta have dessert on a Friday night (tonight's choice is chocolate pudding).

Of course, this was LAST Friday's game night...and this Friday My Man and I will be in Florida....without the kids...on a couples-only weekend. But that's a blog for another night.

BTW, I highly recommend instituting a family game night. I think it's even more important than family dinner. Because it's the only time you know for sure you have everyone's attention (at least that's the way it is in my family!)

6/41: Grandma Snookie

2009-02-23T19:49:00.000-08:00

I didn't get to know my Grandma Snookie as much as I would've liked. She was born Willie Velma but was given the nickname Snookie as a baby. She once told me it was from a cartoon because when she was born she resembled Baby Snookums. I've searched for a good graphic to share - but this is all I could find online!
It's very common in the south (I'm guessing) that you have a nickname growing up. My Grandma was "Snookie", my Grandpa was "Peedink", my mom was "Punkin", etc. Given the choice - I'm not sure if I'd want to be known as Snookie all my life.

This is a photo of my grandparents on their wedding day (or was it their first date? I can never remember!). When they met and married they were older than most newlyweds at that time. Almost immediately my Grandpa went off to war. So he never even met my mom until after she was born (I think she was 2 years old by the time he came home).

I grew up in PA/OH but we would travel to my mom's home in Texas almost each year. I remember Grandma telling me once that my mom couldn't claim to be a "Texan" anymore because she lived up north too long. She was a character my Grandma.

So my senior year in high school we finally moved to Texas to be closer to my mom's family. I say finally because we kept saying we'd move but then change our minds. We even sold our house once...and then moved 2 streets down and stayed 8 more years!

In the Fall of my senior year my Grandma became ill. She died about two months before my graduation. I didn't get enough time. I do cherish all of our vacations at her house. She doted on my cousin and me. She took great care of my brother and I while our parents enjoyed some couples-only time.

I remember she always wore a housecoat - I think they only time she got dressed was to go have coffee at the White Elephant (a local truck stop where "everybody knows your name"). I remember that she had a cordless phone when they first came out - she used to carry it around in her pocket until the battery died (which back then prolly didn't take much). We always took a family photo on the front lawn before we'd go home (to Ohio). And she was always wearing that housecoat! :o)

She taught me how to play Scat (a card game). She taught me how to get rid of a headache without meds. She was a strong, loving woman that I wish I had more of chance to get to know better.

Treasure Chest

2009-02-22T22:07:00.001-08:00

I don't know if it's just My Girl or what, but she thinks her pillow is some kind of treasure chest.

So she sleeps on a Hello Kitty pillow that seems too big for her little head. And for quite some time she wouldn't use it - she was too used to sleeping flat (from her crib days). But now, she likes her big pillow.But I think it's for something more than sleeping. Let's see...we have a semi-naked doll (her clothes are there too), a doll brush and mirror, sleeping mask (because it does belong UNDER the pillow) and a book. Also a Happy Meal-Hello Kitty watch. Is it just me? I would not sleep comfortably on all that stuff!

Loads of Laundry (& I do mean LOADS)

2009-02-22T21:30:00.000-08:00

I loathe laundry. It is the bane of my existence. I used think dishes were the worst chore - but I've decided I kinda like it. It can be mindless. You can get lost in the bubbles. The sound of the water running drowns out the rest of the family noise (and why can't they seem to remember I.Can't.Hear.You.If.The.Water.Is.Running?!). It's kinda like yoga...but productive. Anyway, I digress.

My poor husband likes to joke that his pool table is called the laundry table (as this is where I dump all of the laundry for folding). Yes, I do have a laundry room. Yes, he did build me a nice built-in washer & dryer with a counter on top of them for this very purpose. No, he has yet to install a t.v. in there (which is a required accessory to laundry IMHO). Anyway...this is what the table looked like tonight when I transitioned from house cleaning, dinner, bath time and kids in bed time.

Yes, that is a styrofoam plane and a bunch of used dryer sheets under the table. Like Pioneer Woman says - I'm keepin' it real (I did almost move that stuff before I took the photo!)

Today was "cleaning day" at our house which means I spend the day going up & down the stairs, throwing in a load of laundry (when I can remember) while at the same time trying to scrub the kichen, yell at the kids to stop playing with legos and finish their rooms so we can "swiffer" them, sweep, sweep, sweep (durn cat hair) and swiffer & dust (not necessarily in this order). Meanwhile, My Man had an eye appointment so he cleaned our bathroom and then split. Now, don't think ill of him - he did do ALL the shopping today (cleaning products from Walmart, groceries from Aldi, Meijers and Eurofresh...or was it Caputos today? who knows!)

So after all of this was done and the kids were in bed, I retreated to the basement to fold all those loads of laundry I kept tossing onto the "laundry table" all day. This means I got to watch the Oscars - I never watch because I never get to see any of the movies before the awards (as a matter of fact, I usually don't get to see them until they've been on video for at least 2 years!).

So after 2.5 hours of folding, I finished with four heavy packed baskets (of which, two of them got filled up again once I emptied them upstairs). That one on the left was really dense - bend at the knees when picking up laundry!! Of course, I'm still not done, I currently have two loads going of towels (one in the washer & one in the dryer). Hopefully I will get the rest done before our trip to Florida at the end of the week.

Really, I do try to do stay on top of the laundry pile...but all you have to do is have one weekend away and it gets all backed up (oh crap, I'm going to Florida, that'll screw me up for another week!). It's not like I have a huge family - I don't know how those bigger families do it. But my family of four can go thru laundry like crazy (or so it seems).

I do come by my bad habit (of delaying laundry) honestly. I grew up in a home where all of our clothes were clean...but they were in a basket...somewhere. I can't even remember having matched socks in a drawer - they were always clean and in a "family sock basket". Because of that I do have my own weird laundry habits: I wash ALL socks & undies in their own loads and I try to wash the kids clothes separate from the grown-up clothes (makes for easy completion of a dresser-full of clothes).

I'm looking forward to tomorrow morning when I won't have to walk to the basement to pick out my clothes before taking a shower. When I won't have the kids whining that they don't have any socks in their drawer. Or My Man asking me to go get him an undershirt...again. It feels good to have the bulk of the laundry done and put away. If only it could last more than one week at a time.

Clutter Monkey

2009-02-17T11:54:00.001-08:00

I am a total clutter monkey. I used to say "magnet" but "monkey" is just more fun (and the kids get a kick out of it too).

Anyway - clutter just seems to collect around me. It's at home. It's at work. It's even in my bathroom for pity's sake!

I just read this blog post by the Organizing Diva. It's 6 tricks for getting started.

My problem is still just "doing it". Every now and then I get my monkeys (that would be my kids) to participate in a "10 minute clean-up". This is when we set the kitchen timer and see who can clean up the most in the least amount of time (because for some weird reason, we can't do anything in this house unless it's a contest).

One thing I finally did after many years of "saying" I would is to take all of the manuals out of my "junk" drawer and put them in binder. I used sleeve protectors in a really big binder. Now all I need to do is organize it by location (ie: kitchen manuals vs living room/electronics manuals, etc).

Now all I need to do is tackle the rest of the house!!

Christmas Letter 2008...revisited

2009-02-14T15:32:00.000-08:00

So I'm in a bit of a quandry. Yes, I did finish my Christmas Letter 2008 last month...but I never mailed it. I know, I know, I'm awful! I am the QUEEN of Procrastination Nation.

My first thought (back in early January) was to email them. Then My Man says "what about the people we don't have email addresses for?" (mainly our British family). My response should've been..."well, we'll get out what we can via email & mail the rest." But my response instead was "oh, well, I guess I'll mail them all." But did I? (well, obviously not, otherwise I wouldn't be writing this post!!"

So what to do??? I guess I can just send TWO letters out next year. But for pitys sake, I had family photos done! It took two years to get around to doing that and now they're going to waste!

Ugh. It's February already! What to do. What to do. Any advice? (I ask this even though I know NO ONE is reading this! LOL)

I'm supermom!

2009-02-11T19:59:00.000-08:00

I killed a spider.

My daughter starts crying for me that there is a "bug" in her room. We (the boy & I, dad is working late) turn on her light to find a big black spider on her wall. Body & legs it prolly measured the size of a quarter. It was u.g.l.y. And I looked at those big tears streaming down her face and I, well, squished that sucker & flushed him.

For the record, if spiders will stay in the corners of the wall/ceiling or in a window, they live. You come down the wall, crawl across the ceiling or on my floor...you're just asking to be squished.

Ooops - was that a traffic light camera?

2009-02-10T20:27:00.000-08:00

Yup, it was me, I got caught! By looking at the photos you'd be sure I stopped (see the brakelights?) but they actually had a video of it so I now know I didn't (unfortunately I wasn't able to download the video).

I always believed I stopped on right-turn-on-red stops - but apparently, in the early hours of a Saturday morning, I slowed down, checked for traffic and when I didn't see any, I started back up again. Yes, I'm a safe driver. No, I did not make a full and complete stop. Man was my face red when I saw the video (because with just the photos, I was swearing I did stop!).

You can bet I'm back to making sure I stop e.v.e.r.y time!!

Holy Scrap!

2009-02-09T20:41:00.000-08:00

I had my semi-regular scrapbooking weekend w/ my BF this past weekend. I actually moved up the clock a bit and arrived at her house shortly after lunch on Friday (as opposed to dinner time like last time). I swear, next time, I'm leaving right after My Boy is on the school bus!
We spent the afternoon/evening watching movies and prepping food for the next day's full day scrap event.
First we finished My Fair Lady (we didn't get to finish it during our last scrapping weekend together in November). Then we watched Paris - When It Sizzles with William Holden and Audrey Hepburn. It was an okay movie - we were pretty distracted and had to finish it later (I was happier with the ending than I was with My Fair Lady, which annoyed me). I was bummed we didn't get to watch the other Audrey Hepburn movies we had planned...but after watching her & William Holden together we're really looking forward to watching them together in Sabrina someday soon.
So on Saturday we got up fairly early, packed up our scrapbooking supplies, the yummy breakfast strata that my BF is known for and the potato soup we concocted for lunch and set off for McHenry for the all-day scrap. We arrived at 10am (an hour behind schedule) and got busy. We had a fantastic time and I got 16 pages done (all from our England vacation last Christmas/New Years 2008).
We left to go back home around 10:30/11 PM and boy were we tired. We even saw a coyote run across the road as we were leaving the "rural" area. By the time we got to the house we both collapsed into bed & conked out cold. We had a leisurely morning on Sunday and then I high-tailed it home to my family.
It was a great time and I wish we had more time....will definitely need to work my way up to an earlier Friday! I highly recommend every mom take a weekend off to do something they enjoy...even if it is to just sit around and read and veg for two days straight. It's totally worth it!
I almost forgot - I got the title for my post from a pair of sweatpants one of the other scrappers was wearing...we decided we totally gotta go to the scrapping expo in August and get us a pair of those - what a riot!

Found Money

2009-02-05T23:29:00.000-08:00

Hmmm, I'm thinking of starting a new blog (as if I remember to post on this one regularly)...maybe it's something I'll start later (afterall, I am the Queen of Procrastination!). Anyway, I found this blog and thought this would make an interesting family hobby - change hunting (she has links to other ppl doing the same thing). Of course this family is doing the noble thing & donating it to charity once they save up $10K (which will take awhile, they're still under $2K). I guess I could commit to doing something noble like that...but I'm thinking 50/50 as we're always so broke! Wonder if I could get My Man (the frugal-ist man I know!) to get on board with a hobby like this! hmmmmmm

5/41: My Girl

2009-02-05T07:20:00.000-08:00

My Girl is the bravest lil girl I know. To this day she amazes me.

She was born April 27, 2004. When she was 1 day old we found out that she had a congenital heart defect (CHD). She had a hole in her heart (we eventually found out that she had two). For her first year we hoped and prayed that it would heal on it's own. But in May 2005 we were told it would need to be repaired as it was causing problems with other parts of her heart.

She had open heart surgery on July 22, 2005. You can read all about this on her carepage (registration is required). I'm also planning to create a scrapbook/diary for her (I did keep a diary during this event).

This is a picture of her with her brother after she woke up from surgery...and then 3 days post-op. It's amazing to me how fast she recovered.

It seems that ever since this experience - even though she was only 1 year old, she can withstand just about anything.

This is not to say she doesn't get scared. She doesn't like to go into a dark room. She's not crazy about being alone in a room (other than her bedroom). She gets scared when a movie is scary.

But she is brave.

We went to Six Flags this year (for the first time) and My Boy could not wait to go on a rollercoaster. It was ALL he talked about. But once we get to the front of the line...or sometimes just seeing the ride up close...he would have nothing of it. But not My Girl - she was game (& she's only 4 for pitys sake!). As long as I was holding her hand - she was a brave as a 4 year old can be.

I've given it a lot of thought and I think it is a matter of trust. I'm not sure how much of her early hospital experience has affected her psyche - but she's very trusting and knows that I won't put her in a situation I don't think she can handle. And she trusts us. It's a great feeling to know that she is so brave and feels safe. Man, I love That Girl!

I want my money back!

2009-01-29T20:26:00.000-08:00

Everyday it's pretty much the same thing. My Man takes The Girl to daycare. He rushes in, drops her off, clocks in & then rushes out the door. And then at the end of the day, I rush in, pick up The Girl & rush out (usually cuz I'm late and have to rush over to the Y to pick up The Boy). So today was The Boy's first den meeting for Cub Scouts so he was at the office at 5. So I go to pick up The Girl at a leisure pace. I'm standing around in the foyer of Kindercare (I mention the name so if you use them you can check this out at your location), not really rushing...just kinda loitering (who loiters at a daycare center?). I notice there is a stack of postcards on the counter (where they usually put stuff for parents). It's an advertisement for a parenting magazine. I think "cool - maybe it's a freebie magazine for Kindercare parents" (just like when I first enrolled the kids at Children's World they gave me a free 1 year subscription to Working Mother). But then I read the fine print - apparently it's not a complimentary subscription (that I am about to start receiving in the mail). It's actually a discounted subscription. But here's the kicker - they've already taken the $10 out of my account with my December 15, 2008 tuition! Yes, you heard me right. I get to have a parenting magazine, courtesy of Kindercare, and it only cost me $10 that I didn't know that I spent. That I didn't say I wanted. And if I don't want it, here's what I have to do - send THEM a cancellation notice and a receipt showing I paid for it! What?? So I filled out the card and gave it to the Assistant Director & told her that if indeed corporate added $10 to my tuition last month, I want my money back. I don't have time to read magazines anyway - and I could use that $10 for something else! She said she didn't even notice they said that & that the cards had been there all month! What a flippin scam!! What do you think? Am I over reacting? I don't think so!

>>>UPDATE<<<<
They just told me last night that we were not charged - apparently that flier that sat out there for all to see was wrong!

Pet Peeves

2009-01-29T12:43:00.001-08:00

Oh yah, I got a few of them. Like when someone puts the ice cube tray back in the freezer, empty. When you let people cut in front of you in traffic & they don't even wave a "thank you". You know what I mean - everybody's got pet peeves!

So one of my biggies, especially when I had little (potty-training) kids was auto flushers. Okay, I get it - nothing grosser than walking into a public stall and finding out that someone forgot to flush (ick!). But when you're potty training, those things are scary! And the early ones were bad for short ppl (like me) cuz they would "think" you got up to leave & flush while you're still on it! (euuuu). Or when you do finish & you get up they flush before you even have a chance to get out of the splash zone....and you find yourself hurling your body into the stall door to try & keep from getting splashed.

I digress - let's just say - I hate auto flushers.

But last week (yes, I'm late in posting - I had to use my phone camera to take these pix so I'm behind in posting this) I found something that is "auto" in the bathroom that I totally love. Check this out - an auto soaper! Now I would totally take this puppy home with me. And an auto faucet - that rocks too. Oh yah, I'm loving the auto soaper. LOL

It's a strange, strange world my friends. And I'm easily entertained. ;o)

Sales Training

2009-01-28T21:46:00.001-08:00

So I attended an all-day seminar today sponsored by EO Chicago. The speaker was Jack Daly & he ROCKS!
I learned a lot about being a sales manager (of which I am not, but after hiring a couple of salespeople I found I am a lousy one) and about the sales process. I don't feel I know all there is to know (I can see more training in my future!) but am excited to get working on my new found skills.
One of my take-aways from the day was a list of books to read. One of my goals this year is to read more "self-help" type books. Some of these books sound great and they're definitly on my list so I thought I would share them with you:

E-Myth Revisited (I did start the original one - but like all entrepreneurs, Jack sez, I didn't finish it yet! LOL)
Nuts (really looking forward to this one - it's Southwest Airlines book on company culture)
Master the Rockefeller Habits
Managing by Storying Around (by David Armstrong)
How to make a buck & still be a decent human being (by Rick Rose - heard this is a hard one to find)
The Platinum Rule (by Tony Alessandra - think: The Golden Rule, revised)
Creating a Competitive Advantage (by Jaynie L. Smith)

He also said that watching the movie Rudy is a must-see (and I do like Sean Astin!) and to visit www.Gazelles.com and sign up for Verne's e-newsletter.

Brrr - it really IS cold in Illinois!

2009-01-25T20:40:00.000-08:00

I meant to post this awhile back but didn't get a chance. So in celebration of our balmy 30's weather we're expecting this week - take a peek at what the weather was on January 15, 2009:

Yup, day after my birthday, at 7:21 AM, it was -16 flippin degrees! And that is actual temperature - not with wind chill! And yes, my air bag light is on - we figured out later that it was malfunctioning because it was SO cold! jeez.

4/41: My Dad

2009-01-22T19:25:00.000-08:00

I've always been a "Daddy's Girl". I can thank my dad for giving me a love of Star Trek and veggies (that man can garden!). He helped me to appreciate how good it feels to work at something and see it grow (even if I did hate to garden). He taught me that sometimes it is good to just sit in silence (although I'd still rather do it with music). I can remember sitting on his lap while watching TV (Star Trek reruns no doubt). He worked hard - leaving so early in the morning we were still asleep and the sun hadn't yet come up. He showed me how when you have time off, you can also find time to enjoy family and fun. He took us camping and on car trips. Although my brother & I would try his patience and often times I think he wondered "why" he had kids (he's figured it out - it was so he could have grandkids), we always knew that he loved us. He was prolly to young and immature to have kids when he did (he's admitted this to me), but he makes a great grandpa and is young enough to keep up with them. He recently remarried and found a great mate. I'm so happy that he is happy and glad to have him in my life...even if he lives SO far away.
Sorry for not posting a picture...I'll have to do it some other time as I couldn't find one I wanted to use!

POTUS Obama

2009-01-20T20:50:00.000-08:00

A momentous day. Witnessing history.

Looking forward to a new year with hopeful optimism.

God Bless America.

3/41: My Brother Bob

2009-01-18T20:25:00.000-08:00

As I'm not going in any particular order - I'm just going to jump all over the place with my people posts!
Today I want to highlight my brother. I could also post a photo...but then I'd have to go find one...and I'm just lazy that way. Anyway, my big bro won't care.
My brother is 3 years older than me. He was your typical big brother growing up - he hated me following him around (and I did that a lot), he picked on me every chance he got, he helped me through difficult times (it helps to share history) and he made me proud when he served our country. When we were kids and would fight like cats & dogs my Gma Sally used to tell me that someday I would miss my brother. I never believed it. What a crazy thing to say! But now that he lives in Texas and I'm in Illinois, it's totally true. Too many miles are between us - thank goodness for technology, because he's always just a text message away. I love you Bobby Bobby PeanutButter! ;o)

Snack Time: Pizza-dillas

2009-01-17T13:01:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you're familiar with quesadillas - but they can get boring after awhile so we adapted the recipe to make them tastier - enter Pizza-dillas. These are good for a snack, or in today's case, my lunch.

Step 1 - Chop up mushrooms & pepperoni into tiny pieces. I guess you could leave them larger, but then they wouldn't be as easy to eat in the end.

Step 2 - Saute the mushrooms in a skillet. No need to add or oil or anything - they have their own juices. After they start to cook down a bit - add the pepperoni.

Step 3 - Remove the cooked pepperoni & mushrooms and put them to the side. Now it's time for the flour tortillas!

Step 4 - Warm up both tortillas & then leave just one of them in the pan. If one of them is bigger than the other, use the small one first. Spread shredded cheese over the whole surface...leaving a little space between the cheese & the edge of the tortilla.

Step 5 - Spread the pepperoni & mushroom mixture over the cheese. Spread it on thick! Then spread some more shredded cheese on top - you don't need to spread the cheese on the thick because of the double dose - but you have to have it on the top & bottom in order for the tortilla to stick!

Step 6 - Place the bigger tortilla on top. Flatten out the pizzadilla with your spatula. Once the cheese starts to melt, you can flip it. And here's why you do the bigger one second - because if you did it the other way, when you went to flip - shredded cheese & filling could go everywhere!

Step 7 - Once the cheese starts melting, you're okay to flip. Disregard the fact that mine looks a bit toasted - it was taking me too long to flip it cuz I was taking pictures!

Step 8 - Once both sides are toasty & the cheese is melted, remove from pan & let cool a minute on a plate or cutting board. I like to use a pizza slicer to cut into wedges.

Step 9 - Enjoy!

2/41: My Best Friend, Fran

2009-01-16T21:01:00.001-08:00

Fran is my BFF. We met in the summer of 1995, the year I got married. Of course, we had JUST met so she wasn't invited to our wedding (she never lets me forget that! LOL). By the next year we were good friends. We discovered we had a lot in common (we both liked to scrapbook, had husbands that sailed, we were both short, came from close families, etc.). As the years went on we became closer and became best friends.
For years I used to tell my mom that I wished I had a best friends like her. Especially like the friendship she had with our neighbor growing up, Barb. They spent loads of time together, learned from each other, raised kids right next door to each other, her kids babysat us, the list goes on. Well, Fran didn't move right next door, but after so many years of looking for a best friend, I finally found "my Barb".
Frannie and I share everything. And one of the great things about our friendship is that we can just sit next to each other and not do anything and we still have the best time (we're weird that way I guess!).
We do have our differences... she's a sports fanatic (I don't get it); I love John Cusack (she can't figure out why); she's now divorced (I'm not); she sweet & kind (I'm moody & lack tact). Just being friends with her makes me a better person. Thanks Fran - you rock!

1/41: Grandma Sally

2009-01-15T21:41:00.000-08:00

I miss my Grandma Sally.
I grew up in Ohio, just miles from the Pennsylvania border and Gma Sally lived right over that border. I got to spend a lot of time at her house. It was my favorite place to be.
Gma Sally never claimed to be an independent woman. When Gpa died in the early 70s, she was forced into becoming a "modern woman". My mom got her to learn how to drive so she could be more independent. When I was old enough to come stay with her she was living on her own and worked for a funeral home. I remember thinking how cool it was that she worked. I've had a lot of strong women in my life and she's one of them, not that she would believe me if she could hear me say that!
Gma always had a can of fruit cocktail in the cupboard when I came to visit. We use to make Chicken a'la King and play Gin Rummy. She let me watch whatever I wanted on TV (as long as it wasn't time for the news).
I was so excited that she was finally coming to live near me in the Chicago suburbs. She moved in with my aunt (mi Tia) in June 2006. Unfortunately we only had her for a few months as we found out in August she had ovarian cancer. Gma left us later that month. We just didn't have enough time.
I think about you often Gma and miss you terribly. I love you!

Happy Birthday to Me!!

2009-01-14T19:22:00.000-08:00

In celebration of my 41st birthday, I've decided to blog about 41 people that have touched my life in some way. One person each day and in no particular order. I actually stole this idea from another blogger. There's a project called "Project 365" which is about taking/posting a new photo every day. But I think her goal was to post about 365 people every day...but I'm not sure I know enough about 365 people to make a blog post for each one! LOL (I'm assuming, of course, that I actually KNOW 365 people!)

But, back to my birthday. It was TOO cold tonight to go out to dinner so we decided to stay home. But My Man did give me a great dinner - steamed snow crab and sauteed veggies. In the last few months our very picky-eater Boy has discovered that he loves steamed crab. Of course the Girl already knew how great it was. We've had it a few times as an appetizer, but this was our first to have it (at home) as a meal. And boy did we pig out! It was SO yum. We decided that it was actually better eating at home than going to our fav restaurant (Bob Chinn's Crabhouse). We prolly saved about $100.00 by eating in (woo hoo!). And did I forget to mention that our butter is totally better? My Man buys this sweet Irish butter from Eurofresh Market. Makes the best melted crab butter!

And for dessert, My Man bought me a small carrot cake (yum) and improvised when he couldn't find a "1" candle.

And now the kids are all snuggled in bed and My Man and I have assumed our regular nightly positions (side by side in our recliners with laptops dialed into work!). So now I need to get back to work as I didn't get everything finished today. If I don't post my first of 41 tonight, then I will start it tomorrow.

Good Food & Good Company

2009-01-13T22:38:00.001-08:00

Every second Tuesday is my Business & Professional Women's meeting/dinner. And what a great dinner we had tonight! We went to the Mint Julep Bistro in Palatine. A great new southern cooking restaurant. I was so enchanted with the evening that I forgot to take photos of all the food - by the time I remembered I had a camera (and that I blog), all I had left was the end of my (personal) pot of tea.

We sat in their semi-private room, complete with fireplace. The decor was simple and quaint. The staff attentive. And the food fantastic.

I tried fried green tomatoes for the first time (yumm!). Followed by chicken-fried steak (they called it country-fried, prolly as to not confuse the Yankees ;o).

I highly recommend this lovely restaurant in downtown Palatine.

A Few of My Favorite Things

2009-01-12T19:45:00.000-08:00

Not that anyone is reading my blogs to offer me freebies - but that doesn't mean I can't brag on the things I really like! So this will be the first installment of A Few of My Favorite Things.

I love the "smell" of coffee, but I've never been able to appreciate the flavor. And I have tried! When I met My Man I used to drink herb tea...but as a Brit, he had to teach me the proper way to drink tea before taking me home to meet the family (as it was already bad enough that I was part Welsh & Irish! LOL). So he started me on black tea with milk. But you don't make it like us Americans do - in other words, you can just pour hot water over a bag in a cup. You have to brew tea. When our business was home-based it was no big deal - I had a stove with a kettle and tea pot covered by a tea cozie. But what do you do when you work in an office? So for years I carted a thermos full of brewed tea back & forth. But then we discovered the Keurig.

I love this thing! This wonderful invention brews tea instantly & then pours it into your cup. No more wasted tea in that forgotten pot - it's just one cup at a time! And my favorite accessory is the Reusable Coffee Filter. I use the base for my tea bags. Although "they" say you can't taste coffee when you change out the K-Cups, I can (but when you hate coffee flavor so much that you don't even like Tiramsu for dessert (gasp) then trust me, the flavor is still in that K-Cup holder!). But with this accessory that problem is gone. AND if you do like your special coffee, then you can use your own with this personal size filter.

I love my Keurig so much I had to get one for home too. We packed away our coffee pot and only use this thing at home. And when company comes to visit - we just stock up on all the different coffees that we keep at the office. So if you're in the mood for a cup of tea (or coffee) and you don't want to go instant or make a whole pot - this is the invention for you!

Yummmm

2009-01-11T10:27:00.000-08:00

I'm well known (among my family that is) for my homemade banana bread. It's so easy in fact that I'm not sure why anyone would bother with a box for this!

Step 1 - Turn oven on & set for to 350 degrees. I have a really small oven so this temperature might vary for you!

Step 2 - Mix 3/4 cup of sugar & 1/2 cup of butter (I use margarine because it mixes so easy). Never mind the fact that I have 1-3/4 cup of sugar in this picture - I'm a total dork. Fortunately I'm making a double batch this time so I only had to dig out 1/4 cup of sugar from the bowl after throwing these two ingredients in together!

Of course this meant I needed to double up my butter too so I had to do that in two steps...did I mention I was a dork (insert mental head smack here). BTW, I love love my Pampered Chef measuring thingie - it's liquid on one side & solids on the other...and after you fill the solid side you just slide the liquid part to push out the butter. Stir butter & sugar until it is well mixed - like the consistency of really soft & creamy peanut butter. Also love my PC scraper spatula which is just flexible enough to get stuff out of a cup, but strong enough to not bend when mixing heavy stuff.

Step 3 - Add two eggs. I like to break my eggs into a separate dish first. I'm a bit squeamish because one time I saw something in an egg that I didn't like...so I always like to "see" my egg before I use it. It's also handy to do it this way in case a piece of shell makes it's way into the mix (not that this ever happens to me!).

Again, I'm making a double batch so there are four eggs in the picture! And that's also my cup of tea in photo - I like to "drink" while I bake.

Step 4 - Add 1/3 cup of milk (we use 2% but I'm sure any old kind will do) and 1 teaspoon of vanilla. Here's where I deviate from the original recipe (and I'm told this is "my secret" to good banana bread), always spill a little extra vanilla. And you should always use "real" vanilla - not that artifical stuff. It's just not as tasty.

About this time the batter is looking quite icky (that's a technical baking term, just in case you weren't familiar with it). But never fear - it's going to get worse before it gets better.

Step 5 - Mush up 1 cup of bananas - this is about 2 medium 'nanas. It's okay to go two-anda-half or three if you've got extras. In this case, we've got four (cuz we're doing the double batch, like I need to keep mentioning this??). It's best to use already smushy ones - if you want to use hard ones (read: not really ripe), then the mushing part will be more work. I like to dump these into a separate bowl and use a potato masher. This is also a good job for kids - albeit, I wouldn't let mine help today because I made it a requirement that they get dressed first - you can see how successful this request was.

If you're a nut-lover, you can also add 1/2 cup of nuts at this point (like walnuts). We don't because we have a nut allergy in our house...turns out, he's not allergic to walnuts, but I'm not about to change my recipe now!).

Step 6 - After all that other stuff is well mixed, it's time to add the dry ~~stuff~~ ingredients. Take 2 cups of all-purpose flour, 1 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of salt (this is apparently optional, but I've never done it without). I mix the baking soda & salt into the flour before mixing it into the wet ingredients. I don't know if baking soda ever goes bad..or if the age of your baking soda can make a difference in your baking - but our baking soda is really old. We bought it a (I don't know how) long time ago and put it in a stay fresh container and I just keep using it a teaspoon at a time. Lets just say we haven't had to purchase any baking soda for YEARS.

Step 7 - Always check the bottom of your mixing bowl to see that all the dry ingredients are completely mixed. It's really icky to be pouring this into pans and then find a big chunk of flour at the bottom (not to mention you'll have the wrong mixture at the end so the last loaf will be really flour-y...another technical term). See the white parts, that's the un-mixed flour.

Step 8 - Another (not so) secret step is spray cooking oil inside the pans and then sprinkle sugar onto the oil. Some people like to flour their pans - I like sugar (note: that's the rescued 1/4 cup of sugar) . Then pour the (well) mixed batter into pans.

We like mini-loaf pans at our house and this recipe will make 5 mini-loafs.

Step 9 - Put filled loaf pans into the middle of the heated oven for 30 minutes. My larger mini-loaf pan needs 35 minutes and the regular size loaf pan needs 50-60 minutes total. To test to see if they're finished I insert a butter knife all the way into the middle and if it comes out clean - they're done. If it comes out gooey then I put them back in for a few more mins. Some people think a little gooey-ness in the middle is good - but I don't like raw batter.

Step 10 - Once they're done, let them cool on a drying rack - you might need to let them cool in their pan for a few minutes - but don't leave them in there because then they will get stuck (whereas mine pop right out because of the cooking oil & sugar). You might need to take the butter knife & go around the edges to loosen the edges.

Step 11 - ENJOY!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup of sugar
1/2 cup of butter (softened)
1/3 cup of milk
2 eggs
1 teaspoon of vanilla (use the "real" kind & spill it a little)
1 cup of bananas (about 2 medium ones - make sure they're good & ripe)
1/2 cup of nuts (optional)
2 cups of flour
1 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of salt (optional)

Mix sugar & butter until completely mixed. Add milk, eggs, vanilla and smashed bananas. Mix well. Add nuts if desired.

Mix flour, baking soda and salt. Add to wet ingredients.

Mix well and then pour into prepared loaf pans (prepared w/ cooking spray & sprinkled sugar).

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes for mini-loaf pans or 50-60 minutes for regular size loaf pans.

Let cool on a drying rack (not in the pans).

P.S. You're welcome to use a big mixer for this - but take it from me, it's not as good that way. It smoothes out all the lumps and it just doesn't taste the same w/out banana lumps!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

2009-01-10T17:55:00.000-08:00

I LOVE snow - no, really I do! I didn't always, when I moved back north after living in Texas I hated snow. But after learning to ski (thanks to My Man) I decided that snow rocked. And as long as I have a car with all wheel drive, I'm golden.
It snowed Friday night through (mostly) all day Saturday. The Girl wanted to go play in the snow but her snow pants were in the car. She set out to go get them but the snow was too deep. So then she took the shovel so she could make a path to the garage. It didn't take her long to claim that it was just too far (she didn't even shovel past the steps).
Later I shoveled my way to the car, then had to go out. My Man snow-blowed the walk (and the driveway) and it's amazing to see how high that snow really is! This photo is our front walk. I guess I shoulda put a kid out there to give perspective...but the snow is about 1.5 feet deep.
Love that snow!!

Do I have a problem?

2009-01-09T22:30:00.001-08:00

My Man thinks I'm nuts - am I the only one that thinks it's a good idea to put lights away like this so that next year they're a breeze to check & use? We have 3 strings of lights that we haven't used for 2 years because My Man thought they'd be okay wrapped around a stick. Of course - they're a mess now so I don't want to deal with them (and one of the strings is out & who knows which bulb is the culprit!).

Spellcheck

2009-01-08T20:27:00.000-08:00

...or words I hate to type...

definitely - I think today is the first time I spelled this one correctly! Almost everytime I use it, spellcheck tries to turn it into defiantly (which is totally NOT the word I'm wanting to use!)

thanks - okay, so this one is not so much a spelling thing as it is a typing thing. Without fail, when I'm trying to type this word at the end of an email, my finger screw it up & type "tahnks" and for whatever reason, spellcheck doesn't fix it! grrrr

asthma - I can never remember where that "s" goes - thank goodness for spell check! I love that I can just start to type a word in my Google toolbar & it will pop up w/ (search) options that help me to figure out the correct spelling (I'm SUCH a cheater! LOL).

I know there are more of these...but now that I'm putting them down on "paper" I can't think of them all! Are there words that drive you nuts? That you just hate to use but find yourself needing them? Leave me a comment and share with me the ones that annoy you too!

Christmas Letter 2008!

2009-01-07T14:54:00.000-08:00

So I FINALLY got around to writing ~~this~~ last year's Christmas letter. This is what happens when you decide to jump in the car & speed down to Texas...you run out of time to do things. Now if I could just find time to print, stuff into envelopes & mail the durn things!
It turned out pretty nice this year - I used some of those great photos that my PMom friend took of us.

On another note - I came across Abby's journal this morning and read a few pages. Too cute!

Wednesday, October 17, 2007
I played outside.
I used the potty.
I played with Robert.
We sang songs and read a book.
I like miss Val and Miss Karen.

How did you & daddy meet?

2009-01-06T21:09:00.000-08:00

The boy asks that question. So I tell him the story...

"I wasn't living here long and I was taking a sailing class in the city and went sailing on a Wednesday Night..."

"when daddy sails?" he asks, "yes, when daddy sails" I reply

"did you sail on his boat?"

"no, I sailed on Lauren's daddy's boat" (Lauren is his Godmom & my cousin)

"I met a nice lady (whose husband sailed on that boat) that asked me lots of questions about where I was from and after the sailing was over I went to the bar and she started introducing me to everyone. There was no place to sit so I sat on daddy's lap..."

"you sat on his lap?"

"yes honey, I sat on his lap" (was a flirt or what?)

And then with his big brown eyes, he looks at me puzzled and asks...

"why didn't daddy just give you his seat?"

"hmmm, that's a darn good questions sweetie - you should ask daddy that question!" ;o)

When things don't work right...

2009-01-06T07:38:00.000-08:00

Don'tcha just hate it when you do everything right but the results still come out wrong?

I posted a job position on a website and specifically instructed the website to only have candidates contact me via the website. A few days later, in walks a candidate wanting to fill out an application. WTF?! Thank goodness it was for a position that is currently empty! I'd hate to think of the reaction one of my "current" employees would've had if they knew I was attempting to replace them!

And yes I noticed that I didn't blog yesterday, quit nagging me! (LOL, like anyone is actually reading my blog to nag me! LOL).

Guess I'm not random anymore...

2009-01-04T21:36:00.000-08:00

So my blog has been called Random Thoughts since the beginning..but I realized that if I'm going to post every day then I'm not really random anymore, right? Well, I guess my musings could still be considered random...but I decided to rename the blog anyway.

So my next post (remember I missed a day?) was supposed to be another resolution. But given that I didn't even keep my first one...I guess two for the year will do. Goodness knows I need to exercise more (I'm not overweight, I'm just under-exercised) and my goal setting and time management definitely need some work....but whatever.

Hmmm, guess I am pretty random...but does that make me average as well? ;o)

Broken Resolutions...already!

2009-01-04T15:00:00.000-08:00

That didn't take long, did it? LOL

So it's 11:30 PM on January 3rd. I've crawled into bed and realized "I forgot to blog today!". Do I get out of bed? Hmmmm, don't really have anything interesting to blog about (other than the fact that I forgot to blog and it's now 11:30 PM). Okay, forget it - I did warn that on the weekends I might miss a day.

So I was up early on Saturday (the 3rd) to take the boy to a 7AM orthodontist appointment. Then I spent the majority of the the day working in the warehouse and checked email a few times. The plan was to work on the computer when I got home, but just didn't feel up to it. Instead I vegged in front of the t.v. So is it any surprise I forgot to blog? Oh well.

So today I enjoyed a massage (bought a spa package thingie back in September with BFF Fran). I was SO disappointed to find out that it was only for 20 mins which means I had to keep all my clothes on and didn't get "lubed up" with lotion (my skin is SO dry and could really use a good massage). But any massage is better than no massage at all, right? Except this was like a tease. And the whole time I'm lying there getting rubbed & de-stressed, what am I thinking about? The fact that My Man gave me gift certificates in 2007 for a massage and I never took the time to make an appointment & then they expired!! I've been kicking myself the entire year about this one. And now that I've had my 20 minute massage tease, I'm really annoyed I never used those gift certificates! Unfortunately, after wasting the last ones he gave me, he swore to never buy them for me again. Bummer.

So after our massages (Fran & I did them on the same day), we went out for a cup of tea to catch up. We figured out that we hadn't seen each other for an entire month! Could not believe we went that long! Yes, we talked a lot on the phone, but I don't think we've ever done a month without a face-to-face visit! Consequently, we both have another reason to be glad the holidays are over.

So now I'm off to resume laundry detail. I am so behind in getting this stuff done. Actually, I think the last time I was actually caught up on laundry had to be last March when the pool table actually saw some play time for My Man's birthday. My domestic duties never end!

Resolution #2

2009-01-02T18:26:00.000-08:00

I will stop yelling at my kids so much.

I've already started making great strides on this one. For a few months I've been working on being calm in the face of ~~grouchy~~, ~~nasty~~, ~~back-talking~~, grumpy kids. It helps me to know that my son has a possible behavior disorder (we're still working on a diagnosis). It seems to give me more patience in dealing with outbursts (knowledge is power).

I might should reword my resolution to just stop yelling at anyone...it seems the less I yell at my kids the more quickly frustrated I get w/ My Man so I seem to yell at him more! But hey, he's a big guy, he can take it. After all, he knew I was a moody woman when he married me (grin).

I have noticed a change in my son since I've started yelling less. Whenever he yells I calmly remind him that he doesn't need to yell (he seems to yell more at his sister than he does at me these days). I have also noticed that he has been much more polite and even nice to his family (sister included). He shows more concern and empathy than he used to. I guess there's hope for him yet! ;o)

Happy New Year...resolutions

2009-01-01T08:43:00.000-08:00

I've never been much for New Years resolutions - I always thought it was like setting yourself up to fail (guess I'm a pessimist!). But during the latter half of 2008 I started working on goal setting and time management. If you want to achieve something, you need to write it down...and set a deadline.
So one of the things I've always wanted to do was write. I'm a bit on the wordy side...and I write in run-on sentences...but ever since I could read and write, I've journaled, written in a diary, wrote stories and essays and loved the printed word. I was even a blogger before blogging was the "in" thing to do. But as I've gotten older I've found I just haven't had time. So I started a blog and still only wrote sporadically. So my first New Years resolution for 2009 is to write in my blog once a day. Pretty ambitious huh! Now there are days (usually on a weekend) where I am completely unconnected (it's true, there are days I don't even check email! gasp!). So if that happens, I guess I'll need to blog more than once a day to make up for it! But my goal is that by December 31, 2009 I will have blogged at least 365 times.
Now I do not make any promises that my blogs will be insightful, interesting or even worth reading - but at the very least it will be written! I'm always telling my son that if you want to be good at something, you have to practice. It's not enough to just have a talent, you still have to work at it. So I do not pretend to have the talent of writing, but I do think I used to be pretty good at it in high school and college, so maybe with practice I will improve (and by the end of the year, maybe my blogs will be worth reading! ;o)
So here's to a new year...and blogging...

Happy Holidays

2008-12-29T09:58:00.001-08:00

Hard to believe it has been SO long since I blogged. Although I think about blogging often, finding time to actually sit down & type is another issue altogether!

We had family photos done earlier this month...the plan was to frame & give them as Christmas gifts to family...but then forgot to take them with us when we went to Texas (our Christmas gift to ourselves). We left for Texas on Saturday the 20th - squeezing our departure in between winter storms. We made good time and got there in 17 hours. The kids were real troopers.

Our "big" gift for the kids this year were digital cameras so they've been taking pictures like crazy - haven't had a chance to upload them to our family photo site - but will do that eventually.

We left to come home on Saturday the 27th, one week is just not enough time! We chased a storm all the way home as we wanted to get here before the temperature dropped and everything froze. Again, made good time & got home in 16 hours.

We don't currently have plans for New Years so we'll probably just stay home and rest. Looking forward to a new year and hoping for a better economy too! Also hoping to finish our Christmas cards as I haven't had time to write the "letter" or compile all the photos yet (let alone mail them out!).

My little angel & devil

2008-11-04T13:24:00.000-08:00

Happy (belated) Halloween!!

The Girl really wanted to be an "Indian Jones girl" she said - but after The Boy announced he wanted to be a devil...I convinced her to be an angel. Honestly, these are the best costumes for my kids! ;o)

The Boy's was easy - red turtleneck and red sweats (clothes he can wear again), last year's vampire cape and $1.00 mask from Wal-Mart. I had hoped to buy him horns & a tail but all I could find were girlie accessories (I convinced him he really didn't want those). Did pick him up a pitch fork as well. His total costume costs (not including the clothes) were $7.00.

For The Girl I picked up an angel accessories set (halo & wings) and I made the robe. I had an old white fitted sheet I had considered tossing just last week. I cut it up, sewed it into a gown, bought a gold & white cord for a belt & voila! The cutest little angel in town. She already had white pants so I bought her a white turtleneck. Her total costume costs (not including the clothes) were $8.00.

So my first try at "making their costumes" instead of buying them went pretty good!
(okay, so not everything was homemade - but at least I didn't buy one of those cheapie things!)

The photo is from my phone because my blasted digital camera croaked on me last month! argg!!

Mean Mommy

2008-09-14T23:40:00.000-07:00

So by the end of the day, after spending the entire day inside with the kids (it's been raining since Friday) I had had enough. So I declared to The Boy that I would become what he's always calling me..I am now officially a mean mommy.

He blinks at me with shock...not sure what that means. I explain, all toys must be picked up & back in your room at bedtime. I will no longer cook special meals, you will eat whatever we happen to make for dinner, or starve (or fend for yourself...this is why he's been taught how to make his own quesadillas). I will no longer allow whining or back talking (I've had it w/ the "no" & "why" stuff).

So he grumbled & cried and apologized and begged for "nice mommy" to come back. "I don't want you to be a mean mommy!"

But guess what.... my living room floor is clean. He actually ate (and LOVED) the grilled pork chops we made for dinner. He brushed his teeth without a fight. He happily read with dad. And it worked on The Girl too. She cleaned her room. Brushed her teeth. And went to bed without whining.

I am SO loving this mean mommy idea!

Really, where do they come up with this stuff?

2008-09-14T12:07:00.000-07:00

Water balloons filled with blue gel toothpaste and water.

Splattered down the wall of the tub (at least it was the inside of the tub and not the painted wall).

Also on the toilet and floor.

Where do they come up with this stuff?

They're both currently grounded to their room...more for their protection than anything else. And no, I didn't take pictures. I considered it...but my digital camera is broken and I also didn't want them to think that after I get past being angry and dismayed that it's actually pretty comical. I swear, it's the idea of blogging these episodes that keep me from breaking open a bottle of Xanax.

P.S. Is it just me or is it extra comical that as I type "kid" into the post labels box that an auto-fill-in feature pops up "kids behaviour"?

what i learned today

2008-09-12T11:21:00.000-07:00

Children laugh about 400 times a day, while adults laugh on average only 15 times a day.

I need to start laughing more. :o)

where do they get it, really?

2008-08-27T22:23:00.000-07:00

were do kids get their attitudes? really, where does it come from?

is it true, do they get it from their role models (namely mom & dad)??

i try SO hard to control my reactive nature, to talk in a pleasing voice, to use good manners, blah, blah, blah

but without fail, my son (8 yrs) has these bouts of pure monster. disrespectful. rude. whiny. nasty. mean. hateful.

i swear he is becoming 90% monster and 10% sweet kid that used to hug me. cuddle with me. say nice things to me. smile sweetly from across the room.

oh wait, i think that was his sister. how can two kids be so vastly different??

yes, those are my kids...

2008-08-23T15:03:00.000-07:00

After convincing The Boy that he does not need a $15 haircut at Kidsnips (and that it costs that because those toys really are not free), we (The Girl, The Boy & I) walk down to Fantastic Sams down the street. They're having a special - $6.00 kids cuts. So of course, I saved so much..I had to stop at the resale store on our way back.

Really, I have a good reason - we have one glass that the kids fight over who gets to use it...and we now have a schedule to ease that dinnertime stress (The Girl gets it M/W/F and The Boy gets it T/TH/Sat OR Sun, his choice). Anyway, I digress....

So I go into the resale store to see if they have a glass like it because those kinds of places always have lots of mismatched glassware (where on earth did I get that glass to begin with? I have no idea!).

So as I'm roaming the store my kids find the toy room. And what is the result? They get kicked out for making a mess! The lady gives me a hard time and I scold the kids & tell her we'll clean it up & she says "no, that's okay", she wanted to redo it all anyway (insert eye roll here). Then I apologize to the other owner as we're checking out and she gives me a spiel about how they prefer their customers to better supervise their kids (insert another eye roll here). I apologize, again and promise not to bring them "next time" (like I'll go there again after that embarrassment!).

Okay, I've decided my kids are in for some majorly embarrassing times in their teen years for putting me through crap like that! ugh.

BTW, that $6.00 haircut was every bit as good as the $15.00 ones!!

You Said What?

2008-08-08T15:19:00.000-07:00

What's the strangest thing you ever said that you never thought you'd say (until you were a parent)? That's the topic of a fellow mom-blogger...check it out: http://michellekemperbrownlowwrites4kids.blogspot.com/2008/08/my-top-10-things-moms-never-thought.html

She posted her top 10 (pretty durn funny too!) and it got me thinking...hmm....(ouch)....

Okay, I have one (& I posted it on her site as well)...when we went on vacation to the Bahamas in 2007 w/ our friends, we took along our teenage babysitter Kate (because there were four little kids between us). It was great having help on our vacation...not to mention us adults got to go out w/ out the kids! So the funniest said was when we were driving to the hotel...in our extended van to fit us & all our stuff....and one of my kids had a booger emergency...quick thinking resulted in my shouting out "Give your booger to Kate!!" LOL - I still crack up when I think of that!

First Day of School

2008-07-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

Is it too early to start talking about the first day of school? Let's see, I haven't made Matt's 8 year checkup yet (and August is always the busiest time of the year), I will of course put-off shopping for his new school clothes until it's late because...well, because that's what I do! And thankfully I ordered his supplies through the PTA again this year, so that's one thing OFF my list (wow, it's like Christmas shopping early!).
Well, the real reason for my post, is one of my new fav blogs is having a contest & you can view it HERE. I hope I win something....because it's for a really cool backpack...which is one of the things I'll put off shopping for until it's too late...again!

Race to Mac - 100th race!

2008-07-27T20:39:00.000-07:00

It was the 100th Race to Mackinac Island this year and we all raced up there (My Man on Cancan Duex & my mom, the kids & me in our car). It was a race for us because we got a late start, hit some awful storms & only just made the last ferry to the island (at 8:30 PM ET).
We caravan'd with fellow sailor/wife-to-sailor Jolly Roger. We drove up the Wisconsin side as we are fairly north of Chicago and driving around the city is SUCH a pain. Technically it's like the exact same time/distance - but Garmin wouldn't switch the route via IN/MI until we hit the Wisconsin border! What a trip! Like I would drive from Gurnee thru the city and around the south side of the lake to get to the island! Yah right!
At any rate, we arrived LATE Sunday, drove the thru the pouring rain, then decided to hoof it to the hotel and got caught in the rain & had to walk half the trip in a downpour that reminded me of Texas (where the sky opens up & it just pours). We were drenched to the bone when we got there, started to strip out of wet clothes when we realized, our luggage hadn't arrived yet! So we were in towels when the guy brought the stuff. Too funny.
So Monday rolls around and they guys still aren't in - looking at midnight so we make plans to go to the movies in the Mission Point theatre. Then My Man calls - they're getting in at 10, bring the kids to the beach to watch the finish. Not easy to talk them into it - but they gave up the movie to watch Dad cross the finish line. Hmm, looks like rain? Well, it's not in the forecast so we leave the umbrellas behind. Guess what happened? You betcha! it RAINED...make that POURED, again. So we're huddled under someone else's umbrella at the finish line, hoping to get a picture in the pouring rain. Note for future reference, when the kids mess with your camera, check your settings before using it. All set up for night time shot, lovely shot of rain as the flash goes off & reflects off the rain drops and boat can't be seen (jeez!).
The rain continues, the boat can only do touch & go & then go to the mainland (did I mention it was the 100th anniversary? Too many boats for the island, Cancan Duex had to moor at St Igance). This means we DO NOT get to see My Man so we catch a cab (horse drawn carriage) back to the hotels. Kids proceed to tell me that it was NOT better than going to the movies. Oh well.
So My Man joins us at breakfast (last ferry was at 11:30 so he didn't make it and had to catch the morning ferry). We spend a few hours dialed into the office (after all, we'd been gone a WHOLE day at this point! [insert sarcasm]) and then rented bikes for a short ride before the rum party.
We arrive at the rum party late, but it was still packed & they weren't out of rum! The kids had a great time sliding down the hill (hello grass stains) and then we walked back to the hotel to leave the kids with a babysitter so we could have a "grown up" dinner.
The plan was to get up on Wednesday, have breakfast & do some shopping...but work had other plans. We spent the ENTIRE morning dialed into work (grrr) and didn't get to have breakfast until noon (and yes, all of us, except My Man, did eat breakfast as soon as we got the chance). Then we did finish up our shopping before hopping on a 2PM ferry to the mainland. Since we had such a late start, we didn't get home until 10:30. It was a long day and a short vacation. But we did have a blast! And yes, we did buy fudge! LOL

and the vacation continues

2008-07-14T21:11:00.000-07:00

So the next day we had a leisurely breakfast and a walk around Rich's neighborhood (did I already say I could TOTALLY live here?).
After breakfast we started our journey to the other side of Denver to visit our friends Simon & Donna in Highlands Ranch. Finally got to see their house & meet their kids in person (TOO cute they are!) and meet Si's parents who were visiting. Then the four of us (2 couple out without our kids, woo hoo!) went to an amusement park in downtown Denver. It used to be a Six Flags once upon a time so that means they had a wooden rollar coaster (which of course I will NOT go on) and some other fun rides. Just as we were ready to take pix of the guys riding the wooden coaster, bad weather forced them to cancel the ride (bummer too because I had the perfect spot to catch them on film...well digital pixels that is). After that Donna & I went on a crazy ride that spins you around & around upside down. It was too much fun.
We also rode some rollercoasters and then went out to dinner.
After parting ways with the Facers, we made our way back to Longmont. After a fun filled day, we settled down with drinks & a movie at Rich's home. We watched Walk The Line about the life of Johnny Cash - what a great movie! I can't believe Joaquin & Reese did all their own singing!
Our last day in Colorado started with breakfast at an outdoor cafe, without a view of the mountains. Then Rich took us to a park so we could walk and see the mountains (yes, I whined during breakfast that I couldn't see them). Then he gave us a little tour of the surrounding area, a cute little town called Niwot and some of the really expensive homes in the area (some of which he built).
Upon arriving at the airport we discovered the flight before ours still had not left. By the time we got to our gate, our flight was delayed too. Nasty storms over the mountains (which we sat in the airport bar & looked out the window to watch). 3 hours later, we were on our way!
Tired & slightly cranky, we pick up our kids from my Aunt's house & head home.
I still want to move there...what a great place to visit!!

No Kids Vacation!

2008-07-08T14:05:00.000-07:00

For the first time in 8 years, my husband and I ventured out, on our own, sans kids, for more than one evening! We had airline tickets/vouchers we needed to use so we waited around for a year to do something with them...and then scrambled in April to turn them into a vacation. The vacation we used them for was a trip to Colorado for the 4th of July. Woo hoo!

So we handed over our offspring to family around noon on Thursday...finished working out the day...ate a leisure dinner of veggie & steaks on the grill (no complaints about "no burgers? no french fries? I want the [insert special description] glass!!!")...then we went to bed early because we had to get up at 3AM to pack & catch a 6AM flight (I know, I know, why didn't we pack on Thursday night? well, cuz we didn't wanna!).

Damn 3:30AM comes around fast! (I know, I said 3AM, but at my house, we always hit the snooze button for at least a half hour before rising).

Okay, pack all the weekend essentials & out the door....oops, feed the cat and out the door.....oops, check that all the windows & doors are locked and then out the door....oops, left the bedroom light on, damn it, back into the house, turn off the light, lock the door & on our way!

Drive to long term parking. Missed the tram by 1 minute (damn bedroom light). Monitors say Gate C23...no problem, plenty of time to go to the FAR AWAY gate. Read all advertising in tram station waiting for train. 20 minutes later.... .... board tram for Terminal 2.

Leisurely walk to gate C23. Hey, where is everyone? Jeez, always check the monitors AFTER you get off the tram as well, gate's been moved to B6 (oh for pity's sake, back to the other concourse). On the plane...and on our way! Well, not quite...apparently the maintenance crew "forgot" to load the new software into the airplane flight system. "Sorry folks, that will take 30 to 45 minutes to load..then we'll be on our way." hour later...and we're off! (for real this time.)

Colorado is B.E.A.U.T.I.F.U.L (that is not easy to type let me tell ya, but its a perfect description).

We rent a car & head for the mountains (literally). We decide to first go West to Breckenridge - want to see what the ski hills look like without snow. Boy has it changed! We got stuck driving sloooowly through town (4th of July parade) and got to really see how much it had changed. We saw the old brew pub that was brand spanking new when we were there about 10 years ago...it was built way out of town and was a bit of a hike...and now it's completely surrounded by shops. We barely recognized the place!

Next stop - Keystone and A Basin. Turns out if we had come 3 weeks earlier - we might have been able to go skiing at A Basin - but they're closed now. At Keystone we parked and walked around. I don't remember it looking like a little town so I'm guessing everything we saw was new there too. They were having a street fest kind of thing which was cool...we had just missed the bike parade. We walked over to the ski hill and saw all the crazy extreme mountain bikers riding the lift up to go biking down the ski runs. Looks like fun (but not the kind of fun I'm interested in - looks way to dangerous for me!). We took a few photos and hopefully can return again sometime to ski and take photos in those same places...but with snow.

After the ski hills we decided to take the scenic route OVER the mountain to get to our friend Rich's place in Longmont. And when I say scenic, I mean scenic! Thank goodness for Garmin - we couldn't have done it w/out a GPS (only because I would've chickened out & made My Man turn around & go on the highway). We were barely out of town (don't remember what town it was, some old mining town) and the pavement ended. And then there were signs to let us know that there is no maintenance beyond this point (oh fun!). So a bouncing we did go up a dirt road. Then another dirt road. Then a very rocky dirt road...okay, we turned around to find a better dirt road - no need getting a flat tire just for the sake of an adventure! Next time we'll rent a Hummer and take the rocky scenic route!

I don't take too kindly to scary heights..and these scenic back roads definitely had them. Mountain on one side...tree tops on the other. But we got some great views!

Once we were on the other side, the pavement started again and we began our descent. More beautiful views of snowy mountain peaks, motorcyclers, lots of bicyclers and the occasional hiker (or rather, the car they left behind on the side of the road). As we got closer to Boulder we followed the fast moving water coming down the mountain along the side of the road. Brrr, it looked cold! And when we got to Boulder, we actually saw people swimming in it! yikes!

Boulder is beautiful and had I known about it years ago...I would've planned to go to college there instead of po-dunk Texas! LOL

Not long after we found our way to Longmont and our friend Rich's house. After a nap, a few drinks (and some really good North New Mexican food) and some fireworks (it was the 4th of July still), we called it a night.

More still to come...on another post.

and a spider sat down beside her...

2008-06-04T12:40:00.000-07:00

So there's a spider living under my tub. I'm weirdly afraid of spiders, but I try not to be for my kid's sake. So as I'm sitting in the bathroom, without my glasses (so everything is fuzzy), out he comes & runs near my feet. I freak...and put the plunger on him. I figure, he's trapped, I'll deal with him later.
So later I think, should I lift the plunger? What if he's freaking & starts running all over? I may have to kill him (as I'll be freaking out). Or what if he's already escaped? Will that freak me out too (not knowing where he is)? Okay, I'll give it more time. I'm sure he's escaped by now (afterall a spider can get thru a screen door, surely he can get out from a plunger on a tile floor).
Next day...I'm in the shower obsessing about the silly spider. Why is he in my bathroom anyway? Mom always said, if it's a window spider, leave him in the window, he's eating the bugs! I think to myself, there's no bugs on the floor. Oh wait, there has been in the past. Ah hell, he's eating the bugs on the floor! I gotta let him go!
So, after showering, I lift the plunger. Fully believing he won't be there anyway.
Oh crap. A shriveled up black thing. Ah man, he died! Durnit, I killed a spider...why do I feel so guilty now?

Happy 40th Old Man!

2008-03-31T11:17:00.000-07:00

So my husband has been picking on me since my birthday (in mid-January) and now it's finally HIS 40th birthday (never marry a younger man if he's the type that likes to poke fun at your age!).
But this post is not to rag on him about his age (I do that in person) but to share what might be one of the best presents I've given him in a LONG time! This year I contacted a fellow blogger (not sure I can call myself a blogger just yet!) Rick Green of Organized Doodles. He does caricatures from afar (he lives in Oregon) and I think he does a bang-up job! Here's a link to his post on my dear husband's illustration:
http://organizeddoodles.blogspot.com/2008/03/shellys-gift-some-difficult-lessons.html
Apparently I am a high-maintenance client...but that's a whole 'nother post for another day!

I think My Man was sufficiently surprised & pleased by his birthday gift. :o)

women vs men - the clothing size debate

2008-03-21T12:06:00.000-07:00

It's like the age-old debate of why hot dogs come in a package of 10 while the buns come in a package of 8 (my own personal opinion is that they expect you to either drop a few in the fire...or you have kids that like to eat w/out a bun).

But here's my question....why is it that men can go out & buy pants w/out having to try them on..and women have to use a dressing room? If you're a working wife..you'll know what I mean. You go out to buy clothes, you try on 5 pairs of pants...you might buy 1 that fits the way you like. Let's say you wear a size 8 or 10. Depending on the pants, you'll take a size 6, a size 8, a size 10 and even a size 12 into the dressing room...because who knows what size this "brand" of pants decided to conform to. BTW, when I said you took 5 pairs in with you - I didn't mean 1 pant in 4 to 5 sizes...I mean 5 different pairs of pants...possibly in many different sizes.

Now, switch gears...it's the men's turn to shop. They walk into a store. They pick up 2 to 3 pairs of pants...look them over. Walk to the register. It's no wonder they can shop faster than us..they don't have to try on clothes! AND...why is that you ask? It's because THEIR clothes are not sized with one number....their pants are sized w/ waist & length measurements! So as long as they know how round they are & how tall they are...they're set to go!

So how come women are forced to use Small/Medium/Large ...or a number to figure out what size they are? Why can't they just use the same measuring system as men (or something similar)?

Case in point...I'm a short but normal sized person (my butt is the same size 8 or 10 as someone that is tall and wears a size 8 or 10). So I know what you're thinking...buy a petite, right? Well, I'm NOT a petite. A petite does NOT mean short leggs - it means short legs & skinnier waist and smaller butt.

So, my question is...why can't women's pants be sold using a waist & length size...or even better yet, waist, butt & length for those of us w/ a little more junk in our trunk?