Technically I should first be doing a meme that I got tagged for at the beginning of this month, but when I was tagged with this meme a la Nobody You Know I realised that today is actually a 10 year anti-versary for me. So here goes.
5 Things Game
What were you doing 10 years ago?
Feb 28th 1996 my divorce from Mr. Thatguy was finalised. It was a Leap Year and my lawyers office thought they were cute when they asked me if I wanted to wait till the 29th to file. I thought "deleted delete, I can't be divorced from this delete fast enough, so delete NO I don't want to wait a deleted extra day to be divorced from this delete!"
What were you doing 1 year ago?
Taking pregnancy test after negative pregnancy test and feeling grumpily and unplan-edly PREGNANT! because I was, well... pregnant.
Five snacks I enjoy:
1. Caffeinated Soda Drink Treats...esp Diet Dr. Pepper and Coke Zero
2. Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough.... 'scuze me I'll be right back....had to go grab a spoonful.
3. Popcorn
4. Jerky...turkey, beef, chicken. I love jerky, esp. green chili beef jerky.
5. Salt and Vinegar Potato Chips
Five songs to which I know all the lyrics:
1. Theme song of Scooby Doo
2. Institutionalized- Suicidal Tendencies
3. Blister in the Sun- Violent Femmes
4. Wheels on the Bus
5. Rock of Ages
Five things I would do if I were a millionaire:
1. Build a nicer house two blocks down.
2. Pay off the van.
3. Invest
4. Pay for my parents to serve a Mission.
5. Get Lasik for Dadguy and myself.
Five bad habits:
1. Picking my nose.
2. Pee-dinkeling around online.
3. Second guessing myself.
4. Comparing myself to others.
5. Does "not working out or exercising" count as a bad habit?
Five things I like doing:
1. Blogging (the reading, the writing, the social aspects of it... I love me some bloggin')
2. Artsy crap... cake decorating, quilting, painting, drawing, writing poetry.
3. Talking... sometimes I drive poor Dadguy bats with the constant yap, yap, yap. But I grew up in a family of six kids and two parents who ALL talk. Social, political, scientifical, psychological, philosophical, religious... we don't shut up till someone is crying. Then we say "sorry" and keep talking some more.
4. Spending time with my family. I like my extended family on both sides and I like hangin' with them, but here I mean the Dadguy and the girls... especially the Dadguy.
5. Counting my blessings. I know it sounds all sappy, but for reals I like to sit and cogitate about what is so great about my life and how much better I have it than I even dreamed of. I have enough and then some, plus there is some other stuff that I want to do and have to keep me sharp.
Five things I would never buy, wear, or get new again:
1. I will never buy illegal drugs again, I don't think I need to explain this one.
2. Wear a black bra under a white shirt, again no explanation.
3. Wear a nose ring... especially not a nose ring connected to an earring via a chain, I have no reasonable excuse for the first time.
4. A vinyl album... a record, like music before tapes and CD's.
5. A house with all dirt and no landscaping for a yard.
Five favorite toys:
1. My iPod.
2. The family computer or Dadguy's laptop, whatever is available for my Internet fix.
3. My sewing machine
4. My Wilton paraphernalia.
5. Digital Camera... not that I love my particular camera... actually it's kind of a pain in the keester what with the two second lag from the time I push the button to the time it takes the picture. I love to have digital pix to keep and view and share immediately.
Here's the deal: Remove the blog in the top spot from the following list and bump everyone up one place. Then add your blog to the bottom slot:
1. Just for Future Reference
2. Pointless Drivel
3. Disparate Housewife
4. My Blog Is About Nothing
5. The Mama
Then select five people to tag:
1. Mama D
2. Soggy Cheerios
3. g r o n c e
4. any of my crayzee sisters or SIL's
5. Mother Superior (yeah Ma, that's YOU!)
Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Shoot Me
It's a good thing that I don't drink. I cannot even think the word "hangover" and listen to the high pitched yammering that begins precisely at 7:23am every morning. It goes and goes until we hit a snag at 7:32am and at least one of the Chaos girls will be screaming "miiiiiiiiine!"
Oh, my head. Somebody please just shoot me in the head.
15 minutes toward better race relations. Enjoy.
Oh, my head. Somebody please just shoot me in the head.
15 minutes toward better race relations. Enjoy.
Monday, February 27, 2006
Basement Adventureland
Dadguy is so proud of me.... he says I am getting geekier by the day. His heart goes pitterpat when I talk about "browsers" and "downloading some new code" for my blog template. Although I used to make a living doing computer graphics both in the sign industry and freelance, I have kept myself as much out of the nuts and bolts of the ones and zeros as possible. The possibilities are endless. I have endlessly kept myself aloof... till now.
It is with a surprising lack of sheepishness or chagrin that I announce to the Internet that I want my very own laptop. I'd REALLY like an awesome laptop that can run Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator smoothly, but I'd settle for my very own blogging hook-up that I don't have to fight the Chaos Girls for (to say nothing of World of Warcraft). I want a beauty that I can take with me into the bathroom and lock the door. We already are a wireless household, it shouldn't be that hard.
Sigh, how spoiled am I that instead of a laptop I am getting a family room in the basement. It's a sacrifice, but as a family of 5 we now could use the space. So Wednesday night we are having our very first contractor come to give us a bid. Wish us luck. Wish our funds sufficient to the task... and if you want to come and visit us... wish us enough to somehow finish a guest room and bath down there too!
Photos to come.
*Until I can get to changing my template around again, we will go to a larger point size for the type... the Mother Superior A.k.a. Grammy is getting her eyes upgraded, but in the meantime... I hope this helps.
Saturday, February 25, 2006
Water Chaos II
See, here's what I'm talking about... I need to just turn my blog over to the per-fessionals. Can we do some guest blogging? Check out these sweeeeet graphics a la g r o n c e . I love me some Internet!
* click on the image and view it full size and it'll be clearer... I need help with blogger and images. meh.
Friday, February 24, 2006
Water Chaos
Birdie: Ok, so you distract the grandparents and then I'll get into the travel treats Mom and Dad have stashed.
LaLa: Fine. But I get first crack at those chips in the round can.
Birdie:Deal, but the puffy Cheetos are mine, yo!
LaLa: Word.
LaLa:...and yer sure that when we turn this all the way that the big bubble overhead will collapse?Birdie: Naw, but wouldn't that freak Mama the everlivin' heebies out!
LaLa: She'd fully make that goofy squeaking sound!
Birdie: Word! (harharhar toddler laughter)
Pearl: (thought bubble) If the chuckwagon had thought to bring me a suit and some floaty muscles we'd have this whole popsicle stand down around their ears. Go fetch me a binkey woman!
Thursday, February 23, 2006
Rock-a-doodle
If you eat anymore raisins you will have the runs for days! I repeat. No more raisins for you!
It really is time for a post. I was going to give more reasons I don't advertise my religion on my blog and then I realized I am done thinking about it. I'd already talked it out with Dadguy, with my sister Taymee and with a few others... it's old business and none-of-yer business. *wink*
VIVA LA ROCKS!
1. I sure love Mr.Dadguy. I tried to write about this "epiphany" or "God wink" that I had this weekend in regards to how deeply I love and am in love with the guy... but it turns out that it's a little too personal and close to blog about. So we'll just say Dadguy ROCKS!
2. Travelling for three hours straight in a van jam packed with treats, coloring books, toys, iPod playlist of kids songs and stories, double screen DVD player and yet miraculously NO KIDS (except the sleeping and/or mild mannered Pearl).... well that ROCKS too.
3. Grandmas who somehow manage to stuff three carseats into a Camry backseat to accommodate little girls dyyyyyyying to ride with her? That ROCKS!
4. Indoor waterpark in St. George on an ice cold freezing day after you have solemnly promised three little girls they can swim no matter what? ROCKS my socks!
5. Soft hearted pre-school teachers that find a way accommodate a sweet little Bird who has had her feelings hurt by some rougher kids? They ROCK and I blink back my own little tears.
6. Starting the process of taking bids to finish the basement? That ROCKS!
7. Killer new (for me) blog-reads? They ROCK!
8. this website in general is A-mazing! But these hats uber-ROCK!
It really is time for a post. I was going to give more reasons I don't advertise my religion on my blog and then I realized I am done thinking about it. I'd already talked it out with Dadguy, with my sister Taymee and with a few others... it's old business and none-of-yer business. *wink*
VIVA LA ROCKS!
1. I sure love Mr.Dadguy. I tried to write about this "epiphany" or "God wink" that I had this weekend in regards to how deeply I love and am in love with the guy... but it turns out that it's a little too personal and close to blog about. So we'll just say Dadguy ROCKS!
2. Travelling for three hours straight in a van jam packed with treats, coloring books, toys, iPod playlist of kids songs and stories, double screen DVD player and yet miraculously NO KIDS (except the sleeping and/or mild mannered Pearl).... well that ROCKS too.
3. Grandmas who somehow manage to stuff three carseats into a Camry backseat to accommodate little girls dyyyyyyying to ride with her? That ROCKS!
4. Indoor waterpark in St. George on an ice cold freezing day after you have solemnly promised three little girls they can swim no matter what? ROCKS my socks!
5. Soft hearted pre-school teachers that find a way accommodate a sweet little Bird who has had her feelings hurt by some rougher kids? They ROCK and I blink back my own little tears.
6. Starting the process of taking bids to finish the basement? That ROCKS!
7. Killer new (for me) blog-reads? They ROCK!
8. this website in general is A-mazing! But these hats uber-ROCK!
Tuesday, February 21, 2006
raisins
I haven't disappeared, I have been down to St. George on vacation. It was a cold and rainy vacation but we went swimming every day anyway... the timeshare condo place that we go to keeps their pool very warm indeed.
In the meantime I have been thinking some profound old thoughty thoughts. Like why as an LDS (that's "Mormon" to you in the back there) woman I don't discuss my faith in my blog very much. There has recently been a dust-up regarding religion and blogs and the nominees for a blogging award. If you don't already know what I am talking about specifically don't bother trying to figure it out or unravel it. The whole fol-de-rol is just so much more of the same yakkity-smak that has been going on for years, it just happens to be playing out in the blogommunity. Suffice it to say that the pot has been stirred by a hand that, apparently, has at it's fingertips the same tired lies, half-truths and misinformation that has been spinning around in hard copy for as long as the Book of Mormon has been translated into the good old Queen's English.... blah blah blah. I have no time for folks who will sit and insist that they know better than I what it is that I believe, think or feel. What DOES deserve my time is the question of why, if my faith and Faith are so central to my life and so important to me... why is it not in my every post? It is in my every day. It is there and influencing my thoughts and actions when I arise, when I eat, when I speak and when I retire at night.
That stirring person? They had their own ideas of why it was that I (not necessarily me personally) don't advertise in two foot high boldface type about my religion. Whatever. I won't even bore you, it was just too stinkin' silly. But it did get me thinking. Why didn't I?
I've got my raisins.
1. The primary point to this blog is to leave a record of some of my thoughts, and to serve as a sort of journal for the benefit of the Chaos Girls when they grow up. I have a wretched memory and severe Mommy-brain, and unless I write it down I will lose it. For me I cannot seem to keep a real journal, but I do seem to be able to get it together if I think that someone is interested in reading RIGHT NOW. I think that is because I have a great big old case of the "notice me's," hardly flattering but I'm working with what I got.
2. There are members of my family who are interested in keeping up on the doings of my goofy-headed family but are not interested in being sermonized.
3. There are people well meaning and flamesque both who are armed with anti-mormon propaganda the likes of which would curl yer nose hairs. You start using certain words too much and your blog becomes google-able to those who are looking to pick a fight. I ain't looking for a fight.
4. My natural writing style is chatty. I like for my blog to be overall a lighthearted and silly affair. When discussing my Faith I tend to be none of these things and I think that's a good thing. Sacred is as sacred does.
5. This blog and blogging is pulling double duty as a social outlet. When you start off by whomping all of your beliefs on a person unasked and up-front all that stands out are the differences. Who wants to be friends with a set of beliefs? I am looking for dialog in my monologue if you can wrap yer head around THAT!
it's late. More reasons tomorrow.
In the meantime I have been thinking some profound old thoughty thoughts. Like why as an LDS (that's "Mormon" to you in the back there) woman I don't discuss my faith in my blog very much. There has recently been a dust-up regarding religion and blogs and the nominees for a blogging award. If you don't already know what I am talking about specifically don't bother trying to figure it out or unravel it. The whole fol-de-rol is just so much more of the same yakkity-smak that has been going on for years, it just happens to be playing out in the blogommunity. Suffice it to say that the pot has been stirred by a hand that, apparently, has at it's fingertips the same tired lies, half-truths and misinformation that has been spinning around in hard copy for as long as the Book of Mormon has been translated into the good old Queen's English.... blah blah blah. I have no time for folks who will sit and insist that they know better than I what it is that I believe, think or feel. What DOES deserve my time is the question of why, if my faith and Faith are so central to my life and so important to me... why is it not in my every post? It is in my every day. It is there and influencing my thoughts and actions when I arise, when I eat, when I speak and when I retire at night.
That stirring person? They had their own ideas of why it was that I (not necessarily me personally) don't advertise in two foot high boldface type about my religion. Whatever. I won't even bore you, it was just too stinkin' silly. But it did get me thinking. Why didn't I?
I've got my raisins.
1. The primary point to this blog is to leave a record of some of my thoughts, and to serve as a sort of journal for the benefit of the Chaos Girls when they grow up. I have a wretched memory and severe Mommy-brain, and unless I write it down I will lose it. For me I cannot seem to keep a real journal, but I do seem to be able to get it together if I think that someone is interested in reading RIGHT NOW. I think that is because I have a great big old case of the "notice me's," hardly flattering but I'm working with what I got.
2. There are members of my family who are interested in keeping up on the doings of my goofy-headed family but are not interested in being sermonized.
3. There are people well meaning and flamesque both who are armed with anti-mormon propaganda the likes of which would curl yer nose hairs. You start using certain words too much and your blog becomes google-able to those who are looking to pick a fight. I ain't looking for a fight.
4. My natural writing style is chatty. I like for my blog to be overall a lighthearted and silly affair. When discussing my Faith I tend to be none of these things and I think that's a good thing. Sacred is as sacred does.
5. This blog and blogging is pulling double duty as a social outlet. When you start off by whomping all of your beliefs on a person unasked and up-front all that stands out are the differences. Who wants to be friends with a set of beliefs? I am looking for dialog in my monologue if you can wrap yer head around THAT!
it's late. More reasons tomorrow.
Friday, February 17, 2006
Wolley Bully
Birdie has a best friend. These girls are amazing, playing together for hours without over-bossing each other or getting into a tiff. Mind you they boss the crap out of each other, just not past their tolerance levels. We will call her Rianne. They even tolerate LaLa playing with them to a certain extent so Rianne is welcome in our home anytime except for naptime, because hey... four year old girls are incapable of restraining the high pitched squeals that come out of their mouths when they get into close proximity to each other. Like they have this internal Geiger counter, and their girlfriend is the motherload of all uranium deposits.
They are so dang funny, Birdie and Rianne will spend an entire afternoon putting on sparklies and dress-ups and having this mutual admiration party.
"Oh, Birdie... you are SOOOOOooo pretty! You are a pretty princess in that dress!" Rianne will say breathlessly.
Birdie coyly looks at herself in the mirror and bats her lashes, "I am, thank you!" Then she turns to Rianne, taking in her Snow White dress and 80's hooker pumps, "why, Rianne you are the most beautiful Snow White!"
"Thank you! Do you think I'm pretty?"
"Yes! You are so pretty! Am I pretty?" Then they switch outfits and so it goes ad nauseum, ad infinitum.... eeeeesh!
This would probably become intolerable, except when they get tired of the dress-ups they gather up mounds of books and spend the next hour reading books to each other. Yowza! Party on, sez I! Plus I really dig Rianne's mother. I finally learned the fine art of not waiting till I can get the house perfect and I just invite the two of them over for lunch and a play date no matter what the state of chaos is. This saves my sanity. Friends are good.
A few days ago while the girls were bulldozing Rianne's room Kari (her mom) told me about how for the longest time they had not finished unpacking because of the problem with bullying in the neighborhood. Her son who is now about eight years old was taking it in the pants on a regular basis from some of the local boys, and then in first grade there was a bully who picked him out for special treatment. I guess it's not a shocker, her boy is a sweet and bookish fellow who is a touch high strung. Exactly the kind of kid who got the short end when I was a kid. But the neighborhood boys? I know them, for the most part they are pretty fun and likable kids, but I could easily see how they would turn on a quieter boy who was not into giving as good as he got. I only can see it based on my child hood experiences... I don't understand it. And I know their parents. I just don't understand bullying.
sigh.
I have been thinking alot about bullies... there has been some internet hoo-rah lately with some flamers and trolls on one of my favorite blogs, so the author turned off her comments for the time being. I respect her decision, and more than understand why... I just hope they don't stay off forever. I have found a number of friends and some sweet blogs via the comments people leave. Apparently there was also a to-do in regards to some pretty unkind "blog awards" some blogger decided to hold. Don't bother looking for it... it either got permanently slashdotted, or more likely the blogger holding the awards just folded up shop. I understand that some very bad e-mails and threats got sent to her. Lots of hurt feelings and bad blood.
I know that in Real Life I've taken it in the pants a few times, in High School there was an entire group of "New Wave" boys who would laugh hysterically and point at me every time they saw me in the hallways. It troubled me and it hurt, but it did not destroy me. Nor did it, I suspect, hurt as much as they thought or hoped it did. Frankly it was a little too over the top with the knee-slapping and doubling over howling. One day during classes I saw the ring-leader walking across the quad by himself. No one else was around and we were walking right toward each other. He was looking down as he walked and I felt very strongly that it was to avoid my eye. That gave me heart to do a thing I have always been amazed at in retrospect. It changed my life. I walked up to him and said his name. I asked him point blank why he and his friends would laugh and point at me in the halls. He mumbled around for a bit, and then told me that I was too sensitive... too soft for this world and that they were "toughening me up."
"Toughening me up? Toughening me UP? Who the "eff" do you think you are to "toughen me up?"" I know that I started yelling... I was MAD! I mean I could understand if they thought I was ugly or laughable or dumb or just wanted to mess with me. I believe that he really did in some way think he was doing me a favor. I ended up by telling him off and telling him to not "worry" about me because I was just fine. It stopped, and the ring leader guy and I ended up becoming friends of a sort in our Junior year . To my knowledge he never tried to "toughen" anyone else up.
still...
I have never knowingly bullied or tried to "toughen" anyone up... and I don't really understand why kids do it... or adults. The main thing that I am saying is I might just die if my own kids bully. I'm not talking about toddlers pushing each other down or normal kid stuff. I'm talking about intentional, on-purpose hurting of others. Their feelings, their bodies.
I'm asking people to weigh in... how do you raise kids who don't bully. How do you bully-proof them from the unkindness of others?
They are so dang funny, Birdie and Rianne will spend an entire afternoon putting on sparklies and dress-ups and having this mutual admiration party.
"Oh, Birdie... you are SOOOOOooo pretty! You are a pretty princess in that dress!" Rianne will say breathlessly.
Birdie coyly looks at herself in the mirror and bats her lashes, "I am, thank you!" Then she turns to Rianne, taking in her Snow White dress and 80's hooker pumps, "why, Rianne you are the most beautiful Snow White!"
"Thank you! Do you think I'm pretty?"
"Yes! You are so pretty! Am I pretty?" Then they switch outfits and so it goes ad nauseum, ad infinitum.... eeeeesh!
This would probably become intolerable, except when they get tired of the dress-ups they gather up mounds of books and spend the next hour reading books to each other. Yowza! Party on, sez I! Plus I really dig Rianne's mother. I finally learned the fine art of not waiting till I can get the house perfect and I just invite the two of them over for lunch and a play date no matter what the state of chaos is. This saves my sanity. Friends are good.
A few days ago while the girls were bulldozing Rianne's room Kari (her mom) told me about how for the longest time they had not finished unpacking because of the problem with bullying in the neighborhood. Her son who is now about eight years old was taking it in the pants on a regular basis from some of the local boys, and then in first grade there was a bully who picked him out for special treatment. I guess it's not a shocker, her boy is a sweet and bookish fellow who is a touch high strung. Exactly the kind of kid who got the short end when I was a kid. But the neighborhood boys? I know them, for the most part they are pretty fun and likable kids, but I could easily see how they would turn on a quieter boy who was not into giving as good as he got. I only can see it based on my child hood experiences... I don't understand it. And I know their parents. I just don't understand bullying.
sigh.
I have been thinking alot about bullies... there has been some internet hoo-rah lately with some flamers and trolls on one of my favorite blogs, so the author turned off her comments for the time being. I respect her decision, and more than understand why... I just hope they don't stay off forever. I have found a number of friends and some sweet blogs via the comments people leave. Apparently there was also a to-do in regards to some pretty unkind "blog awards" some blogger decided to hold. Don't bother looking for it... it either got permanently slashdotted, or more likely the blogger holding the awards just folded up shop. I understand that some very bad e-mails and threats got sent to her. Lots of hurt feelings and bad blood.
I know that in Real Life I've taken it in the pants a few times, in High School there was an entire group of "New Wave" boys who would laugh hysterically and point at me every time they saw me in the hallways. It troubled me and it hurt, but it did not destroy me. Nor did it, I suspect, hurt as much as they thought or hoped it did. Frankly it was a little too over the top with the knee-slapping and doubling over howling. One day during classes I saw the ring-leader walking across the quad by himself. No one else was around and we were walking right toward each other. He was looking down as he walked and I felt very strongly that it was to avoid my eye. That gave me heart to do a thing I have always been amazed at in retrospect. It changed my life. I walked up to him and said his name. I asked him point blank why he and his friends would laugh and point at me in the halls. He mumbled around for a bit, and then told me that I was too sensitive... too soft for this world and that they were "toughening me up."
"Toughening me up? Toughening me UP? Who the "eff" do you think you are to "toughen me up?"" I know that I started yelling... I was MAD! I mean I could understand if they thought I was ugly or laughable or dumb or just wanted to mess with me. I believe that he really did in some way think he was doing me a favor. I ended up by telling him off and telling him to not "worry" about me because I was just fine. It stopped, and the ring leader guy and I ended up becoming friends of a sort in our Junior year . To my knowledge he never tried to "toughen" anyone else up.
still...
I have never knowingly bullied or tried to "toughen" anyone up... and I don't really understand why kids do it... or adults. The main thing that I am saying is I might just die if my own kids bully. I'm not talking about toddlers pushing each other down or normal kid stuff. I'm talking about intentional, on-purpose hurting of others. Their feelings, their bodies.
I'm asking people to weigh in... how do you raise kids who don't bully. How do you bully-proof them from the unkindness of others?
Thursday, February 16, 2006
Close Up
any spots or smudges you may see are the remains of her big sister's Vday candyYaaaaaaayyyyy!
* Edited to add...The spots. They were itchy and burn-y and vile... but the first I saw of them was at 7:30am Monday, and we were in the doctor's office by 10:00. The first dose of Clarinex was at 10:30 and that helped a bunch. As did the other antihistamine we picked up at the pharmacy on the way home. By the time the really horrible looking spots were visiting the drugs were in full swing and as long as she was busy she didn't even scratch at them. But Monday night....ooooooooo. My poor sweet baby. meh. it's over (hope hope hope!).
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Monday, February 13, 2006
Did I Say POX!??
HA Ha. The joke is on me. LaLa, my Valentine baby has developed an allergic reaction to this second, more potent round of antibiotics. This morning we awoke to the itchy-scratchies in a polka-dot theme. I swear I thought it was chicken pox this morning, but just in case, I waited to dose her with her morning Augmentin. Glad I waited. Happy Birthday to YOU! a day early.
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Sugarbaby
Birdie and I went to the mall to return some pants and buy her a new swimsuit. Next weekend we are going down to southern Utah for a few days, and my in-laws timeshare has a pool that is kept heated. There is green all around and I. cannot. wait. I am so done with wrapping my kids up in a ball of fleece/boots/wintercoat just to go outside. We need a vacation. I would already be in NM visiting my Mom & Dad if I thought for half a second I could survive the drive alone with three kids. It's a nine hour drive. With small kids it's ten hours and that's with a DVD player. Nursing it takes twelve to fourteen. It's a doable proposition with two adults but Dadguy hasn't the vacation days, My little sis Aunt Tay-mee now has a real job real far away and I'm no rockstar with a nanny. I am homesick for New Mexico, and I miss my parents and there really isn't anything I can do about it. At least we have next weekend and a new suit.
The swimsuit...
Clutching her J.C.Penny bag with her garish new swim attire Birdie climbs into her car booster seat and announces, "Mama, I have sugar in my ear."
"Sugar in your ear?" I ask as I secure her seat belt.
"Yeah, it's in my ear," she says as she picks at her ear.
"Huh." I walk around the van to get into the driver's seat. Opening the door, I slide in and fasten my seat belt. I thought we were done discussing sugar... heck, this is the kid who remembers driving our van. According to her she drove too fast and the man gave her a ticket.
"I have some sugar. Sugar is in my ear, mama."
"How on earth did you get sugar in your ear?"
"It's from the doughnuts." She has her index finger in her ear and is scratching around.
"How did you get the sugar from your doughnut into your ear?"
"Because I did!" (clearly her mother is an idiot)
"But how did it get to your ear? Did you stick your doughnut into your ear and squiggle it around?" By this time I have turned around in my seat to look at her and try to get her full meaning.
She looks at me earnestly and nods her head as she speaks slowly and clearly. "I ate my doughnut and the sugar went into my throat, then into my ear and now there is scratchy sugar in my ear!"
"OOOoooooooh, " I say with a sigh... "your ear hurts. It feels like you have sugar in your ear."
Another permutation of this cold she has been foxtrotting with all week? Ear infection? Great, now I think I have sugar in my ear.
The swimsuit...
Clutching her J.C.Penny bag with her garish new swim attire Birdie climbs into her car booster seat and announces, "Mama, I have sugar in my ear."
"Sugar in your ear?" I ask as I secure her seat belt.
"Yeah, it's in my ear," she says as she picks at her ear.
"Huh." I walk around the van to get into the driver's seat. Opening the door, I slide in and fasten my seat belt. I thought we were done discussing sugar... heck, this is the kid who remembers driving our van. According to her she drove too fast and the man gave her a ticket.
"I have some sugar. Sugar is in my ear, mama."
"How on earth did you get sugar in your ear?"
"It's from the doughnuts." She has her index finger in her ear and is scratching around.
"How did you get the sugar from your doughnut into your ear?"
"Because I did!" (clearly her mother is an idiot)
"But how did it get to your ear? Did you stick your doughnut into your ear and squiggle it around?" By this time I have turned around in my seat to look at her and try to get her full meaning.
She looks at me earnestly and nods her head as she speaks slowly and clearly. "I ate my doughnut and the sugar went into my throat, then into my ear and now there is scratchy sugar in my ear!"
"OOOoooooooh, " I say with a sigh... "your ear hurts. It feels like you have sugar in your ear."
Another permutation of this cold she has been foxtrotting with all week? Ear infection? Great, now I think I have sugar in my ear.
Thursday, February 09, 2006
Circus Worms
oh dear.
So I joined a web ring. This sounds creepy to me... like a cross between ring worm and web worms and I get a particularly nasty mental image because I add to that worm list, rounding it out less-than-nicely with pin worms. Worms? I don't know why. It's the word association thing and I cannot help my pscho-self.
Luckily the ring itself is not disgusting.... actually it's even cooler than I though that it would be. Too cool. How can I read all this gloriousness!? It's called Cirque des Mamans check it out... you may want to join up. There is a button over to the right below my archives that will take you to the main page and arrows on either side of the button that will act like a "next blog" button. Go surf the circus ring if ya dare! They are a great bunch of blogs and before you know it an hour of your life has been sucked away into Internet Land and there are still blogs to go!.
Also... Show and Tell has been moved to Thursday, a pre-school day. Which means that I am back in the show (and tell). Here is my favorite lamp. We have two and they sit on either side of our bed, we picked 'em up at Target on sale. You touch the base to turn it on and it has three settings, the lowest of which is perfect for late night feeding action a la Pearl. These lamps are the exact overlap of my style and Dadguy's, but the one on Dadguy's side is busted. That's because he let me trade it out for the one on my side after LaLa was dinking around with it one day and there was a loud "pop" then... nothing. We changed the bulb, but now if it's plugged in it's on. No "off," no three speed action. Heart broken. We picked 'em up at Target on sale.
So I joined a web ring. This sounds creepy to me... like a cross between ring worm and web worms and I get a particularly nasty mental image because I add to that worm list, rounding it out less-than-nicely with pin worms. Worms? I don't know why. It's the word association thing and I cannot help my pscho-self.
Luckily the ring itself is not disgusting.... actually it's even cooler than I though that it would be. Too cool. How can I read all this gloriousness!? It's called Cirque des Mamans check it out... you may want to join up. There is a button over to the right below my archives that will take you to the main page and arrows on either side of the button that will act like a "next blog" button. Go surf the circus ring if ya dare! They are a great bunch of blogs and before you know it an hour of your life has been sucked away into Internet Land and there are still blogs to go!.
Also... Show and Tell has been moved to Thursday, a pre-school day. Which means that I am back in the show (and tell). Here is my favorite lamp. We have two and they sit on either side of our bed, we picked 'em up at Target on sale. You touch the base to turn it on and it has three settings, the lowest of which is perfect for late night feeding action a la Pearl. These lamps are the exact overlap of my style and Dadguy's, but the one on Dadguy's side is busted. That's because he let me trade it out for the one on my side after LaLa was dinking around with it one day and there was a loud "pop" then... nothing. We changed the bulb, but now if it's plugged in it's on. No "off," no three speed action. Heart broken. We picked 'em up at Target on sale.
Tuesday, February 07, 2006
The Pox on My House
right...every time I think that I'm going to get on top of the game around here it is plague time. Can it be a plague if every child in the house has a different malady? I may have to rethink my semantics.
Birdie - sore throat, tested negative for strep... just a heavy duty cold.
rest, fluids soup ya-da-ya-da.
LaLa - the return of the ear infection plus a cold to boot.
tougher antibiotics plus what Birdie is getting.
Pearl - Bronchial-itis possibly RSV
nebulizer with a wee pediatric fish mask... she is now my fish faced baby.
Tonite was going to be our very hard earned datenight. We were going to drop the girls off at my girlfriend/hairdressers house and go out to eat then shop for LaLa's birthday presents. So it figures that I would be stuck with three flavors of snot instead. That is not to mention Pearl's horrendously putrid gas. Only I mentioned it just now, huh?
Yeah I know! A three month old should not have rotted plumbing. But I finally hit on the solution to the sick-baby-not-sleeping-thing. It was rather serrendipitous y'know... with the farting and all. This afternoon I had her in her carseat while running a few errands and picking up meds. She would stir and grump, then hack her poor little lungs out, which in any other forum? Would totally wake her up screaming.
Ahhhh, but the toots! I had the carseat covered with a blanket because this is the land of the vile freezing inversion, and she is my delicate flower infant. But the blanket also served to hold in the noxious fumes that would seep and pop out of her bummy, expelled by the sheer force of her explosive coughing. I know they were because everytime I would lift a corner of the blanket to make sure she was still ok, I would be hit with an eyewatering waft of green. Appearently she has sleeping gas percolating in her system. I am so putting her to bed in her carseat tonite.
Birdie - sore throat, tested negative for strep... just a heavy duty cold.
rest, fluids soup ya-da-ya-da.
LaLa - the return of the ear infection plus a cold to boot.
tougher antibiotics plus what Birdie is getting.
Pearl - Bronchial-itis possibly RSV
nebulizer with a wee pediatric fish mask... she is now my fish faced baby.
Tonite was going to be our very hard earned datenight. We were going to drop the girls off at my girlfriend/hairdressers house and go out to eat then shop for LaLa's birthday presents. So it figures that I would be stuck with three flavors of snot instead. That is not to mention Pearl's horrendously putrid gas. Only I mentioned it just now, huh?
Yeah I know! A three month old should not have rotted plumbing. But I finally hit on the solution to the sick-baby-not-sleeping-thing. It was rather serrendipitous y'know... with the farting and all. This afternoon I had her in her carseat while running a few errands and picking up meds. She would stir and grump, then hack her poor little lungs out, which in any other forum? Would totally wake her up screaming.
Ahhhh, but the toots! I had the carseat covered with a blanket because this is the land of the vile freezing inversion, and she is my delicate flower infant. But the blanket also served to hold in the noxious fumes that would seep and pop out of her bummy, expelled by the sheer force of her explosive coughing. I know they were because everytime I would lift a corner of the blanket to make sure she was still ok, I would be hit with an eyewatering waft of green. Appearently she has sleeping gas percolating in her system. I am so putting her to bed in her carseat tonite.
Monday, February 06, 2006
Skilz
First off let's be 100% clear about that cake...I ain't Martha Stewart and this ain't TV. The cost of that cake in terms of time, money and frustration would never be worth it for a four year old birthday party. I kid you not that I was up til 3:00am making that thing. OK, actually it was only until 2:30am, and the last half an hour was spent with Dadguy... ahem. I had to get him to sign off on this deal too remember?In reality Birdie would be thrilled to n'th degree to get herself the most basic grocery store cake with a few gooey sugar roses on it, or even better yet a cake from Target with one of those applique Disney Princess abominations slapped on top. What was important to her was the overall party. She wanted balloons and cake, a party hat and dress-up's... she wanted her friends to be there. She got all of that, and I got to do an art project for the first time since Pearl was born. The cake was easily as much about me as it was my kid. More even.
It is very important to me that you know that this is real life, and for the party?.... although I'm sure that not one single rugrat and possibly not even one parent or grandparent noticed... but my kitchen floor was swept yet filthy. Had not in fact, been washed since the night before Pearl's blessing when my MIL did it. I just checked my archives and it will have been exactly one month tomorrow, because ummm... still untouched by mop. Keep in mind that this is life with the Chaos Girls, it wasn't pretty. I'm not saying that the house was a filthy wreck, I'm just saying that perfection is no part of my life because you can bet yer booty it was not the only thing left undone.
Surely you are nothing like me when I read these blogs kept by beautiful and hip smartie-moms, and you already know that they are not perfect and totally together. Yeah, I know that these are the same moms who are telling all their foibles and awkwardness' online, it's just that when I read about how someone is having a bug infestation, or their son pooped on the kitchen counter, or their laundry is in a massive unwashed heap at the bottom of the basement stairs (oh, crap that's me too), I have this mental editor that shows them dealing with all of this with sweetness and aplomb. In my minds eye, it is an exaggeration and they are just exhibiting more of the wit and cleverness of their superior Mommy skilz.
Well huh.
So you have seen my highly refined Mommy Skilz of birthday cake decor, and hopefully you will also get to see it again in one week when I shall attempt the difficult "Bow-uh-wayyy-nuh Pin-theth" cake for LaLa's two year old Birthday soiree. I also am good at reading books and telling stories and making up words to imaginary tunes that will satisfy a two year old's desire to have a ballerina song sung to her. So tell me what are your superior Skilz? You know you got 'em!
and look... it's the "designated chair!"
Saturday, February 04, 2006
HAPPY BIRTHDAY...
... little Birdie! My first born, helper girl and pony.
Last night as I went in to the room you share with LaLa to replace the ladder to the top bunk, I looked at you sweet sleeping self and your sister and wept. Maybe I was just overwrought from staying up till 3:00am the night before finishing the new addition on the house a.k.a. your birthday cake... but it seems to me that it is going too fast. You know your own phone number and how to write your name and you can count by 10's up to a hundred. There is never enough time, my little lovebug and it is breaking my heart into bigger pieces.
and the cake.... gadzooks the thing needs it's own zipcode.
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Haute Cuisine Neuveau
If you live in or around Utah I guess you felt it, huh? Whaaaa...? you didn't feel the earth tremble? Maybe the laws of physics have changed then, because something is different around here. I shall elucidated.
We have a few dietary ummm... issues? restrictions? Those of my readers who are family are already laughing, and well they should because if ya don't laugh about what goes on at our dinner table then I'm sure you would be crying. I tell you that someday I shall post about what the crap goes on here in regards to what will or will not be eaten. But if you think I'm gonna spill all the beans in one post well, HA! I got enough here to make last at least three posts. Suffice it to say that it goes beyond the simple toddler food picky-ness' that plague the soul of many a mother... 'cause I got it coming from ALL directions. Luckily I am unusually equip to deal with what goes on in the kitchen.... I come from a long line of folks who suffer from Celiac-sprue disease as well as every imaginable food intolerance, allergy and aversion. Yo, Mom!
Really it's too bad because some people think I'm a fairly good cook in my own milieu ie., quasi Mexican, and comfort food. I make a mean guacamole, green chili chicken enchilada, enchilada, chili, spaghetti and meatballs, meatloaf, cole slaw, various veggie dishes... all to naught.
Not that it would matter right now even if we weren't so freaky about what we eat. My "plate is full" right now with three wee kids, who has time for more than baked chicken and tater tots? You do? That's nice.... stuff it, ok? I mean that in as nice a way possible but did I mention that I do not multi-task well?
The upshot of all this is that last night I thought I'd shake it up a bit and make tacos. Dadguy wasn't going to be home for dinner anyway so If I managed to feed LaLa and myself (therefore Pearl by booby default), then good. Birdie could have some cheese and a taco shell. Once upon a time she ate black olives so I'd offer her some of those too. After dinner if things worked out worse than I thought they would I'd make her a PB and honey.... she hates jelly and jam.
She ate a taco.
No, she actually ate a taco and a half. It had cheese, meat, beans and chopped black olives. I had to excuse myself from the table and go to the bathroom to cry while she crunched away. We have just added an entire meal to a very short list of non-confrontational foods. She ate black beans with joy... she is, after all, of my loins and not the changeling I had suspected her to be.
Hallelujah!
Amen.
We have a few dietary ummm... issues? restrictions? Those of my readers who are family are already laughing, and well they should because if ya don't laugh about what goes on at our dinner table then I'm sure you would be crying. I tell you that someday I shall post about what the crap goes on here in regards to what will or will not be eaten. But if you think I'm gonna spill all the beans in one post well, HA! I got enough here to make last at least three posts. Suffice it to say that it goes beyond the simple toddler food picky-ness' that plague the soul of many a mother... 'cause I got it coming from ALL directions. Luckily I am unusually equip to deal with what goes on in the kitchen.... I come from a long line of folks who suffer from Celiac-sprue disease as well as every imaginable food intolerance, allergy and aversion. Yo, Mom!
Really it's too bad because some people think I'm a fairly good cook in my own milieu ie., quasi Mexican, and comfort food. I make a mean guacamole, green chili chicken enchilada, enchilada, chili, spaghetti and meatballs, meatloaf, cole slaw, various veggie dishes... all to naught.
Not that it would matter right now even if we weren't so freaky about what we eat. My "plate is full" right now with three wee kids, who has time for more than baked chicken and tater tots? You do? That's nice.... stuff it, ok? I mean that in as nice a way possible but did I mention that I do not multi-task well?
The upshot of all this is that last night I thought I'd shake it up a bit and make tacos. Dadguy wasn't going to be home for dinner anyway so If I managed to feed LaLa and myself (therefore Pearl by booby default), then good. Birdie could have some cheese and a taco shell. Once upon a time she ate black olives so I'd offer her some of those too. After dinner if things worked out worse than I thought they would I'd make her a PB and honey.... she hates jelly and jam.
She ate a taco.
No, she actually ate a taco and a half. It had cheese, meat, beans and chopped black olives. I had to excuse myself from the table and go to the bathroom to cry while she crunched away. We have just added an entire meal to a very short list of non-confrontational foods. She ate black beans with joy... she is, after all, of my loins and not the changeling I had suspected her to be.
Hallelujah!
Amen.
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