...And you thought your life was fun!

Lack of feeling...

2009-04-08T22:36:00.004-04:00

So I was waiting patiently for the sadness of realizing my dad is dead to kick in and for a breakdown. It never came. As a matter of fact, it was quite the opposite. I was going on each day thinking of all of the things about him that made me mad, and I would get myself worked up and angry. It wasn't helping anything, nor was it in any way therapeutic. So, just out of the blue, as I was driving along one morning on my paper route, I went to start thinking unhappy thoughts, and it hit me. I realized that he is gone. I will never see him again. I will never feel guilty for not being a perfect daughter to a man who didn't care. I will never go visit and have to put on an act of happy Christi who cares that her father knows her children. I will never have to ponder what my children should call him, b/c "Mommy's Daddy" just sounds stupid, but I refuse to call him "Paw-Paw". I will never call him a month after Christmas b/c I waited for him to call me to wish me a Merry Christmas, and he didn't, and I feel like I should at least apologize for not calling him. I will never feel awkward wondering what his wife thinks of me and says about me when I'm not around and she's turned her act off, too. I will never have to deal with any of that stuff again. I will never have to be mad at him for what he's done and the father he hasn't been. He's gone. Now, any anger I have would be directed at no one, nothing. It's the most wasteful anger I can imagine. It's officially over. 100% over. I no longer have a father to worry about my relationship with. It's not upsetting at all. It's actually cathartic. Who knows, maybe one day I'll have that breakdown I was waiting for, but I don't think so. Aside from someone mentioning his death here and there, and writing this, since the day I came to this realization I haven't even been able to make myself think of him anymore. I tried the next day to do it, have the angry thoughts, and I couldn't. My brain just said, "Nope, it's done," and it wouldn't go further. I had to think of something else. So, naturally, I brooded over my financial situation. You know, sometimes you just have to get your unhappy thoughts out!

So, it's over.

There's so much more I wanted to write about, but I can't for the life of me think of any of it right now. I'll try to write again tomorrow when my brain can focus a little better.

Guilt?

2009-03-24T13:42:00.004-04:00

Okay, so my dad died on Sunday. He had pneumonia that had been going on for a while, and that was on top of hip cancer, or something like that, that was eating up his bones and slowly killing him. In my opinion, after having seen him in the hospital a couple of weeks ago, he was probably better off. I don't keep in touch much with him, but from what I heard, he's been doing a lot of suffering for a while now. That's certainly no way to live. Of course, I also know that he brought a lot of it on himself (this cancer was just one of many he had) through his wild and reckless living all these years.

Anyway, I have yet to, as my mom put it, "grieve", and seriously doubt that I will. Honestly, I think I was on the best terms with Daddy out of his four kids, but that's not saying much. I would go and see him on occasion, but for the most part, I kept my distance. I have a LOT of bitterness that I hold against him for many, many reasons that I don't care to go into. Let's just say that he was by far not the best dad, or even a good one at that. What's worse, though, is that I am not even as upset at him for his treatment of me as I am his treatment of his other children. He was bad to me. He very obviously cared very little for me, as well as his other three children, but he did seem to think of me as a smart girl, and openly said so (usually in front of another sibling while he was drunk, therefore putting me in an awkward situation).

For some reason, though, his actions didn't affect me like they did my older sister and little brother. My brother, although he keeps to himself for the most part, was really upset about Daddy's death, and has always been deeply affected by what he does. Daddy actually went to the trouble of trying to bond with him while he was a teenager, then abruptly left him high and dry to go pursue other lives he'd rather live. He also consistently shit on my sister at every venture, even though she has always been the most loyal and giving to him. She, too, was upset at the news of his passing, and espoused to me that she feels guilty. I can't imagine why she would, as she has always been the best daughter he could ever ask for, while he has been the worst father she could have been dealt. My older brother and I don't seem too upset over this news. Wesley has moved on with his life. I don't blame him.

So that brings this to me. I'm not sure how to feel. I mean, I know how I feel. Still bitter. I'm not upset that he died. I've tried to be. I feel like I should shed a tear or something. At least feel some level of sadness for a minute or something. Trey thinks it just hasn't settled in yet, but I really just think I don't care. I know he's dead. My life doesn't feel like it's missing anything, except maybe the twinge of guilt I'd feel every now and then that I never go to see him. Now I don't have to, so if anything, I'm actually relieved that he died.

Is that wrong? It seems wrong. I mean, like it or not, he was my dad. I got my brown eyes and moodiness from him. I got my extremely dry skin from him. There's a little curly-cue on the back of my head that I'm pretty sure came from him. I can't tell a joke or story w/o going on for days, that definitely came from him. Shouldn't that factor into my feelings and make me feel a little at a loss? Cause I don't. I feel a tiny bit guilty that I don't feel guilty, but only b/c I feel like I'm breaking some kind of social rule. Oh, I dunno. I don't guess I can make myself sad if I'm not. Siiiiiiggggggghhhhhhhhhh.........

Bad Mommy...

2009-03-12T19:39:00.003-04:00

We went to the playground the other day, and while we were there, there were some baseball games going on on the fields next to us. I decided it might be fun to take the kids and let them watch a game. So, while we were watching, I was explaining to TJ how everything in the game works, and he became interested. He decided that he wants to play, but not till he's eight (he's six), or ten, depending on how old you have to be. I told him he can play now if he wants, but he was intent that he has to wait till he's eight.

So, anyway, flash forward to today. Julia found out about a throw together baseball game that they were having through a homeschooling group she's in, and told me about it. So we went to Walmart last night and picked up a little glove and ball for TJ, and rode up there today to give him a try playing baseball. There were about 12 kids, all w/in the ages of about 6 to 13, mostly 8ish. He was excited, and I took him to the outfield and explained what he had to do as he stood at second base. All seemed well.

So the game started. TJ stood quietly at second base, looking around and trying to figure out what to do. The kid on first was 13 and about twice the height of TJ, so he was doing most of the work. About five minutes into the game, a little boy hit a ball right to TJ. I yelled, "TJ, look at the ball!" It was too late. It flew right at his head and bounced off of his forehead. TJ was just standing there with a blank look on his face, and had never seen it coming. He, naturally, was very upset and wanted to give up and go home (we had a talk, and I wasn't having that...not after I bought a new glove and everything!). I, on the other hand, couldn't stop laughing! I feel so bad, but it was SO FUNNY looking when the ball bounced off his head! It just went, "BOOP!" It was like a cartoon or something!

I told Trey about it when we got home, and again, all I could do was laugh hysterically the whole time. TJ screamed at me "IT'S NOT FUNNY!" over and over again, but that doesn't change the fact that in my head he's a little cartoon, and everytime I think of it, I get uncontrollable giggles. I'm such a bad mommy....

I will add, though, he went on to play kickball after that game was over, and did quite well--two homeruns! I told him we'll practice this week, and next week, maybe he'll be able to actually play baseball....we'll see!

I don't have pics from today, but here are some just b/c:

This is Taryn in makeup. Oh lordy she looks older! I'm not down with that!

For posterity's sake...

2009-03-08T21:12:00.002-04:00

I was talking to Trey yesterday, and I realized that I never really did a good job of filling out the babies' baby books. I told him it upsets me that I don't remember all the little things that TJ did when he was Cole's age, and already my memories of Taryn when she was tiny are withering. It came to mind that this blog helped me keep up with a lot of those memories. Although I didn't start it till after TJ was already almost two, I have put a lot of stuff on here that will help me to keep those memories longer.

I do love the archives! It's like reading about a whole different life when I go back and look at just a year or two ago. Especially now that Trey is no longer employed. The entire time I've known him, he's worked at California Dreaming, and now it's just....over. Oh, btw, even though I doubt anyone's reading this, in case you are and don't already know, Trey got fired from CA Dreaming on Feb. 3rd for "poor job performance". It was the most bogus reasoning EVER for firing him, but it may just have been a blessing in disguise. I'm still waiting to see...

So anyway, I've decided to do my best to try to keep up with this blog better from now on. I don't really care if anyone's reading or not. It's just nice to have it out there and in writing, so I can go back and look at it later, and remember what was going on when.

A quick list of things that have happened of late:

TJ's officially reading now. He's still got some sounds and stuff to figure out, but for all intensive purposes, he's reading. He's also rocking it out on math. His school stuff bores him, so we go ahead most of the time.

Cole's starting to talk, and he's popping out words left and right. He's fighting potty training hard, but I've got him using pull-ups now, and he thinks it's very cool that he can pull his diaper up all by himself (and change it himself, which kinda sucks when he pooped!).

Taryn sings all the time now. She's so cute, and she picks the least likely songs you would expect from her. The other night at dinner, she was like, "Come on Barbie, let's go party...Oh, Oh, Oooohhhhh!" just completely out of the blue. Last night, she sang, "I'll keep you my dirty little secret..." to me. She's also all about makeup now, and when she's got it on she looks SO much older! Very creepy.

Trey is jobless, and in need of stuff to do. Once we finish grouting the kitchen floor, he's going to be w/o a project for a while. Hopefully he will get a job soon! He is very helpful in the dishwashing and clothes washing areas now, though!

He's also taken up going shooting with my parents now. Still don't know how I feel about that, but...

My dad is in the hospital w/hip cancer and pneumonia, and supposed to be very bad off. My older sister and younger brother are going with me tomorrow morning to see him. He's supposedly on his death bed, so this could be a very harrowing visit. I just don't know what to think right now. It's not the first time we've been told his days are numbered, so I kinda feel like I'm in the middle of "The Boy Who Cried Wolf" right now.

Anyway, gotta get the kids to bed now. Hopefully I'll be back soon.

I bet you thought I'd fallen off the face of the earth!

2009-01-10T21:58:00.006-05:00

Well, as far as blogging goes, I pretty much have. I have ZERO time to write on here anymore. I wish I could say I could just give something else up and do this instead, but really, I have nothing else to give up that would give me the time needed. I want to get my life in order, but I swear, everytime I try, something new comes up that throws all that planning into disarray!

Since I last posted on here:
Cole turned 2
TJ turned 6
Trey had life-threatening pneumonia, and is now out of work for two more weeks (started w/1 1/2 weeks at first)
Thanksgiving
Christmas
I had an accident in my car on the way home from work
I flattened two tires mysteriously while working one morning, NOT cool
Everyone in our house has taken turns being sick, then sharing it for a while, then taking turns again...
Butch, the nephew, is moving out this week, unexpectedly, to live with a lesbian couple (???), much to the dismay of his family and friends
My gorgeous niece turned 1, and had her birthday party at my house!

DAMMIT! I want to look back at my blog to figure out what else has been going on, but I haven't been writing on here! That sucks! Oh well, that's the gist, I suppose.

Anyway, I'm gonna put some pics on here now, in case anyone cares to look.

Halloween 2008

2008-11-01T20:34:00.002-04:00

A Typical Day

2008-10-12T22:51:00.003-04:00

3:00 am-get up to go to work

6:30 (7:30 on Sunday)-get home from work and get milk and "breakfast" ready so Taryn and Cole don't attempt to do it themselves!

7:00 am-go to bed

~9:30-10:30-wake up (depends on if Trey has to work early or not)

10:30ish-get breakfast for me (and the kids if Trey didn't)

11:00-clean up the kitchen/dining room and tidy up living room so I can maneuver through it!

11:30-get TJ's school stuff together (sneak in some email checking, and read a couple blogs while no one's looking)

12:30-clean up from breakfast, sweep and wipe down the table (no, really, it takes a WHOLE half hour to clean up from a meal!)

1:00ish-begin TJ's school work

1:45ish-snack for the kids

2:45-hopefully finish TJ's school work

3:00-make lunch

3:15-attempt, unsuccessfully, to get Cole to take a nap

3:30-try to sit for a couple of minutes, and accept that doing so will include Taryn on one leg and Cole on the other, and usually accompany reading a book to them

4:00-make some attempt at doing some kind of chores, but usually end up playing "persons" with the kids

5:00-assume the kids have finally given up on eating, and clean off the table and sweep the kitchen, again

5:30-think really hard about what we might have for dinner, as cooking is my nemesis

6:00-play with the kids for a bit

6:45-start dinner

7:00-7:30ish-serve dinner

8:00-8:15ish-finish eating and get the kids to clean up the living room and their rooms, bath time sometimes (sometimes Trey gives them one in the morning)

9:00ish-brush teeth and put kids in the bed

9:15-clean up dining room and kitchen from dinner, finish up living room and office

9:45-sometimes attempt to wash dishes, sometimes give up and get on computer or watch tv

10:30ish-Trey gets home (usually), talk to him for a bit, hang out

11:00-take shower

11:30-get ready for bed, chill for a few minutes

12:00 midnight-go to bed

3:00 am-get up for work

and it starts all over again! I'm tired just writing about it!

Yep, I think McCain won that one!

2008-10-04T21:50:00.002-04:00

1st presidential debate video in 1:30

You may only watch this once you've finished going to the link above and watching that. This is freaking HILARIOUS!

To quote Trey...

2008-09-29T20:32:00.001-04:00

"Christi, did you ever think you'd be a Republican?"

"Nope, but this sure as hell cracks me up!"

On television today a Democratic operative pointed out that when Obama holds a rally 25-30,000 people show up, whereas when McCain holds one he only draws 10-15,000. The Republican spokesman replied, 'That's because McCain's supporters are at work.'

I try, I really do...

2008-09-24T22:17:00.008-04:00

Lately, my blog posting has hit its worst point. I have slowed down since having three kids, but now, I might as well not even try...

But I do, I really do. Sadly, I just have to prioritize, and time does not usually allow for blogging! I have a serious mental problem about filth in my house, and it's all I can do to just try to keep on top of it (unsuccessfully, of course!), so I spend a LOT of time on that. Perhaps one day I will get back to blogging again on some sort of regular basis. Till then, though, I'm sure the two of you that actually still bother to check will manage to go on with your lives and move on w/o much of a life change!

Soooooo, today Taryn and I had "Best Girl Friend Girl Time" together. We went and got our hair cut, and we went shopping for a tiny bit (I got her a little Polly Pocket doll, and after that she could have cared less what we did!). Then we came home and played Barbies together while the boys were at karate class. She really enjoyed it, and I'm really glad I got to spend some one-on-one time with her, even if we were mostly just getting our hair cut! Speaking of the haircuts, we went pretty drastic. I don't know if I mentioned before that TJ cut our hair a while back, but he did, and he botched Taryn's up something fierce. I'd been trying to let it grow out, but it was just driving me up the wall. Her hair, no matter how many times I brushed it or put it up, just looked like a big rat's nest b/c a large patch of it was missing. She now has a pixie cut, and it is SUPER cute!

Trey, of course, hates it, but that's just too bad. This is not the ideal haircut I would wish for her. However, b/t her putting candy in her hair, and TJ chopping it, as long as she keeps this up, she'll be stuck with the best haircuts we can get to repair her messes! My kudos go out to the awesome hairstylist, LeeLee, who fixed it for her. She ROCKS!

Someone else who rocks is my hairstylist from today. Sadly, I can't keep her name in my brain, but she was very cool. I wanted something that is less heavy in the back, since I sweat profusely from my head, and ponytails are starting to get very heavy. I asked for a wedge, I think it's called, b/c I saw a woman with one yesterday that I thought I MUST have. She delivered, and I like it. She put a lot of products in it, so I'm not exactly sure how it will look once it's left to my devices. I didn't take this pic till after I'd been cleaning the garage for a few hours, then cooked dinner, so I'm pretty sure this is how it will always look.

Please forgive the awful pictures. I took them myself, and I'm not the best at self-portraits!

Something else I find completely adorable, and that has nothing to do with the previous subject, is that Cole has a tendency lately to fall asleep on the couch whenever he's tired and TJ plays Guitar Hero. He'll sit with the controllers or the other guitar we have on his lap, and watch TJ play until he completely passes out. He's particularly susceptible to "Fire and Flames", or something like that, which doesn't make me want to do anything but pull my hair out! It's funny b/c TJ turns the music up VERY LOUD, but he's totally oblivious to it. When he's not tired, he dances like crazy to it. I'm ready to move on from Guitar Hero, but both TJ and Trey are addicted to it, and when they're not playing it, they're playing the music as just background music in the house. Yeah, it gets VERY old after a while!

If you happen to notice the tape on his waste in the second pic, in case I haven't told you this before, we have to tape his diapers on now (under clothes or not), b/c otherwise he'll take them off and pee all over the place! Nice, eh?

Cole also loves the cat. They are BEST friends. He'll sometimes let her in and put food on the floor for her to eat while he hangs out and talks to her and pets her.

I know the third one is awful, but I wanted you to see how he lays with her.

Btw, I really do dress him. He just takes his clothes off whenever possible, in the attempt to get to his diaper faster to take it off! He's beyond obsessed with his, ummmm, "man parts". Great!

While I'm on it, TJ is doing great in school. He's learned about the seven continents, and is now learning about each in detail. We're flying through his math lessons, b/c he already knows all of the stuff in them. We finally just yesterday got the last of his school supplies, so we are cookin' now! I was getting a little discouraged about the online classes he has to take, b/c they are LONG and BORING, but I think if we can just work through those, we'll be well on our way to SUCCESS!

Anyway, I guess that's it for now. Oh, I guess I'll update on Trey, too. He cleaned out the garage today, and it looks FABULOUS! I tell ya, I'm a busy woman, but man am I lucky to have the great family I've got! I hope you have a great day, and I'll see you soon...or later!

Oh so guilty!

2008-09-15T00:00:00.002-04:00

I have a confession to make. I need to get it off of my chest.

I like cheesy teen movies.

Yes, that's right, you read that right. I just finished watching three Bring it On movies in a row. Mind you, I saw the first one a long time ago, and loved it, which is why I wanted to see these. Every one of them was more lame than the last, and yet, I could not stop watching. A few weeks ago, I got stuck watching Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen, and also delighted in Mean Girls, both with Lindsay Lohan. I also love all of the funky dance movies, like You Got Served, and Step Up and Save the Last Dance. You know what, I'd be willing to bet that if I were to sit down and watch it, I would probably like New York Minute, or whatever that train wreck of a movie the Olsen twins made a while back was called. I don't know what's wrong with me, but I can not be torn from these lame movies. They are my guilty pleasure. My guilty, guilty, sad, pleasure. Somebody shoot me!

So, do any of you have a guilty pleasure? I'm sure I have others, but I think I've done enough admitting here. Come on, spill the beans. What do you do that you'd rather not have the whole world know?

I LOVE this!

2008-09-10T22:58:00.004-04:00

I know they're my issues, but...

2008-09-03T15:56:00.005-04:00

I'm pissed, and I can't stop.

So, Monday, what should have been didn't really happen. It all started innocently enough. TJ has asked me over and over and over again if he can have his karate teacher, Mr. Billy, over to play Guitar Hero with him. Finally, to appease TJ, I told Mr. Billy of the request, and he sounded genuinely interested and said he'd really like to come. When I told him, I assumed he would give me the whole, "Oh, yeah, that sounds nice, we should do that sometime," thing, and all would be forgotten. Since he didn't, I took that as a cue to run with it.

I planned a "game night" for this past Monday, which I later found out was Labor Day, a day that most people didn't work. Kewl. I invited everyone I ran into, in the hopes that if even some of them came, it would be a pretty good gathering and lots of fun and socialization. Everyone who was invited, with the exception of a couple, enthusiastically stated they would be there with bells on, and were looking forward to it. Even Trey had a couple of people from work that wanted to come. It was looking like it was going to be bigger than I had planned!

Now, first I want to say that I have a tendency to get a little too much into things. I put all of the emotions I have into everything I look forward to, and thus, set myself up for disappointment, time after time after time. I should have kept this in mind this time.

Monday came. Trey and I spent the day getting ready by cleaning the house and running to the store to pick up gathering essentials. We told everyone to either bring booze or a side dish, and we would supply the meat and chips and stuff, and some booze. I planned it to start early-ish, around five, b/c I knew people had to work the next day, and I wanted to have plenty of time to have fun and stuff.

First, I heard from a friend I haven't seen in a while. He was in town at a wedding I was at Sat., and supposedly was looking forward to coming and hanging out with old friends. Apparently, his grandmother had heart problems, and was at Trident getting checked out. No go for him.

Then, I heard from Trey's boss, whom I was really looking forward to having come. I don't know why, other than the fact that I really like the guy. He's fun, and funny. His wife had a migraine. (yeah, I've never had one of those before when I didn't want to do something!) Two down.

I couldn't get ahold of Ashley, who had been telling me that she wanted us to have another "game night", and who had promised she'd be there. Conveniently, her phone was not where she was able/wanted to answer it. She was out.

Another friend, Ramona, called later, to let me know that her grandmother-in-law was also in the hospital with heart problems...Trident even! Hmmmmm, I wonder if she ran into James? Surely they put all old people with heart problems at the same place? What got me was that neither one of them could say for sure what was wrong with the grandmas...the dr's. couldn't figure either one of them out for sure. Strange, eh?

Oh, and then there's Mr. Billy. Well, when I called to make sure he knew where he was going, "Something came up." That was the best he could do. I should have expected as much. Did I tell TJ he wouldn't be coming? No. I was hoping he would forget as he played with his other friends.

Speaking of friends, there were others that didn't show, either, but you get the point. However, Julia and clan DID come, and I couldn't be happier b/c of it. I love them, and I know I can always depend on them to come when they can and bring the fun. And we did have fun, and fantastically delicious lasagna that she made. So I don't know why I'm so upset about it all. I just am. Still. Angry.

I think it makes me feel kinda crappy, like we're no fun to hang out with. I don't think that's true, b/c people have come over before, and they seemed to have fun. I don't know, I'm just really let down. I wouldn't mind making new friends and having a group to hang out with sometimes. Lord knows that now that we have kids, it's too hard to go out to have fun, so I'm more than willing to open up my house to have others over to be social and let the kids play. I also wouldn't mind having friends that don't have kids, you know, for a change of conversation. I dunno, though, after this, I just feel shot down, and I have no desire whatsoever to try anymore.

You know, I really enjoy hanging out with Julia and her family, and the kids LOVE her kids, so maybe I'll just stick with that. Sure, I'll open the invitation to everyone else if we do stuff, but I'm never expecting anyone again.

(I say that now, but I also know that next time, I'm going to act the same way when someone doesn't show that said they would!)

So is this something that would bother you? Have you had this happen before? How did you feel? What did you do to get over feeling angry?

I don't think I've told you yet...

2008-08-28T22:57:00.002-04:00

So, TJ started school last week. He is now officially a kindergartener. I haven't received all of the supplies yet, but for the most part, we are getting by just fine. AS a matter of fact, he knows most of the stuff I'm supposed to be teaching him in math and phonics already. I have been quickly going through two of those lessons a day to get to the harder stuff, just as a little review, you know.

He's also learned a lot of new and fun stuff, too. We've read three timeless fairy tales, "Cinderella", "The Frog Prince", and just today, "Jack and the Beanstalk". They are the old versions, complete with big, strange words, but even that's pretty cool. TJ asked me just yesterday what 'savory' means, and he now knows what an ogre is, and what it means to 'bulge'. He and Taryn both enjoyed making crowns and decorating them during the "Frog Prince" lesson, and when we act out a scene in "Jack and the Beanstalk" tomorrow, I'm pretty sure they'll love that, too.

In Science I think he's had the most fun. Already he's learned that he has five senses, and can name them all and what they do. He knows what the word "observation" means now, and "attribute" as well. We had a scavenger hunt on Tuesday, which he and Taryn loved, and then brought in the stuff they found and looked at it all through a magnifying glass. That was fun. Tomorrow we're going to play "I Spy" to use his sense of sight some more, and I'm sure he'll love that, too.

Also in Language Arts, I read them poetry and have them do stuff like act it out and the like. Today we did one about apples, and Taryn LOVED pretending she was eating a purple apple that was "jooo-ceee"! TJ's, of course, was a rotten one, and it was not very crunchy. The most fun they've had so far, though, is when we read a poem about a ship made of pillows, and then got to make our own pillow ship. The lesson said to pretend you are making a ship out of pillows. I said to myself, "Ummm, we're at home, why can't we just really make a pretend ship out of pillows?" And so we did, and it was great...well, till TJ hit Taryn b/c she wouldn't drive the ship for him to find the treasure...

Oh, and in history, TJ has learned there are seven continents. He's not 100% on what their names are and where they are, but he's getting there. Considering a week ago he didn't know ANY of this stuff, I'm beyond impressed!

What I love the most is that this stuff is sticking so well. If he were in school, I may not know what he was learning during the day, and thus, couldn't bring it up later to help practice and remember it. However, I know what he's doing, and it's almost like him having homework when I quiz him later at Mimi's to show her what he learned that day. Plus, I get to show off how much of a genius my little boy is, when he'll play along, that is! Also, Taryn is picking up on a lot of this stuff. As a matter of fact, since TJ knows all of the math stuff I'm supposed to be teaching him (colors, right, left, before, b/t, after, etc.), I kinda focus it more toward Taryn while we review it, and she's getting a lot of it. She really likes the stories, too. I think she gets more out of them than TJ...but girls are all about fairy tales, so maybe it will change when we get to better stories. Surely the next theme will be super heroes, right? I really can't wait till everything else comes, supply wise. Then we'll have books, math manipulatives, flash cards, etc. I had some little foam shapes I used in place of shape blocks today for math, and it was all I could do to get him to stop making patterns! I was just sad that I didn't have more, b/c I know he could have done awesome stuff with them! That kid can really pick up on some patterns, too!

I'm loving this program he's in, too. Like I said, I know it will be even cooler when everything finally gets here. Plus, pretty soon he'll start taking classes for an hour each day online, and there will be field trips and the like. He goes to Frankie's Fun Park in Sept. for his first field trip, to meet his homeroom teacher and others doing this in our area. I've already met one girl who's doing the same thing, her youngest of three in this in first grade. We've vowed to get together and offer each other support and human contact. It's easier said than done, though, with nine kids b/t the two of us (yes, that's right, I still only have three kids, leaving the other SIX to her!). I love that it's all set up for me, though, and I just have to teach it. I think that once I'm more comfortable with it, I'll start changing it up some, taking stuff out and adding stuff in. I've already cut a lot of stuff that I know TJ won't do and doesn't need, and changed some lessons around a bit to more fit his likes and interests (ie-real pillow ship). It helps some that I don't have all my stuff, so I don't feel any guilt about using my own ideas to teach the same skills...b/c I really don't have a choice at this point!

Don't get me wrong, there have been some challenging days already. Each day he's getting a little more used to the whole routine of going from the complete chaos of summer to a set routine of daily schooling. However, he's still not quite getting that it's pretty much everyday, and fights a bit. Today was one of those days, and we didn't get nearly as much done as I would have liked, b/c honestly, we all feel sick, and I wasn't up to the fight! I know, though, that it's all going to get better and better and better. Just the other day Trey told me he thinks TJ's been a lot cooler lately, and I agree. He's definitely calmed down a bit. Unfortunately, he and Taryn still fight like siblings are known to do, and that sucks!

Anyway, this has gone long, and I have to go to bed. I'll talk to you later. Have a great day!

You should totally check this out...

2008-08-21T23:57:00.002-04:00

I got an email today, talking about what an honorable, yet private, man McCain is. That led me to snopes.com, to check and see the truthfulness of the email, which has yet been undecided. As I was searching around, I found one about his wife, Cindy McCain, that had glowing things to say about her, and was all true. It mentioned that they had adopted a little girl from Bangladesh, something I was unaware of, b/c she was desperately in need of a family. I was curious, and looked for a picture of his family, as he has seven children. However, as of yet, I have not found one with them all, or one from recent times.

Anyway, I stumbled upon his daughter's, Meghan, blog, where she blogs about the campaign trail. She puts a lot of pics up, too. I liked it a lot. I think it shows a side of McCain most people don't see. If you have a chance, you should check it out:

http://mccainblogette.com/

Have a great day!

The fun's over...

2008-08-20T21:33:00.003-04:00

I don't think I mentioned this yet, but for my birthday, the kids went to Nana's house. It was niiiiiccccccceeeeeee. I got some much-needed rest, which will come in handy this week coming.

Saturday Trey and I took the motorcycle and sped around town. Richard, Julia's hubby, came with us. We ate, bowled, ate some more, shopped. It was good. Trey tried to teach me how to ride the bike, and apparently, I can't keep the damn thing up! That's not good! I really want to have my own motorcycle one day!

Sunday, after sleeping for what felt like FOREVER, we went out to eat w/my mom and Bo at Outback. On the way home, Trey told me I looked pretty. I was checking out which shirt I had on, when he said, "No, it's more your face than anything." He said I had a different glow about me. I told him it was most likely b/c I actually got some rest, and hadn't had to yell at anyone or tell anyone what to do all day! I did feel better. I didn't have to drink coffee to wake up that day, I was in a great mood...kinda made me wonder if this kid thing was the right way to go...

Yeah, yeah, I know that one day it will pay off, and I'll be so glad I had kids. I mean, I already am, but man! They came back yesterday afternoon, and w/in two hours, my nerves were already shot again.

However, I see a light at the end of the tunnel. TJ started his new online school today, and I think that once we get in a routine, things will get a LOT easier. I'll go on more about the school once we've got everything and I'm sure what's going on exactly. It's all very exciting stuff, and I do want to tell everyone I know. I have good feelings about this.

Well, Trey's calling me to come watch a movie with him now. I'll talk to you later. Have a great day!

By request...

2008-08-11T22:43:00.002-04:00

I am a bitch.

Today Trey's work had a party at the beach. I was awakened to, "Do you want to go to the beach w/my work?" and hastened into the shower to quickly shave my legs (and of course, missed 90% of the hair anyway!). We immediately hopped in the car and set off for a full, fun day at the beach.

We played for an hour or two when we first got there, and we all started to feel a little hungry. There was quite a spread of good eatin up at the picnic area that the restaurant had supplied. We stuffed our faces to the max, and started to head back out to the beach.

As I was walking in the general direction of the stairs to get there, I bumped into a fellow coworker of Trey's who had some cool tattoo's. He started telling me about a plan to get a smiley face with "Have a nice day" that he wanted to get tattooed on his butt. That way, when he gets up after his random trysts with hoo-ahs, they get to see that on his way out. He said his girlfriend vetoed the idea (good), and we started talking about his random girl-visits and if his g/f would go for that (ummm, no). I told him of my old idea to get Cole's head tattooed w/666 when he was born, and not tell him. That way, one day when he was older, he could cut his hair and see it and think he was the devil's son...That would be SO GREAT! Anyway, I digress...

So he goes to walk away, and I notice a tattoo that is a bunch of small words on his inner upper arm. I go to look at/read it, and he starts to tell me what it says (b/c, apparently, it's easier than standing there holding out your arm while people take time to read it). I ask, "Is that, like, old English or something?" He tells me no. "Really" I continue, "Then why is appeal spelled wrong (apeal)?" "No, it's got an 'a'," he responds. "I'm aware of that, but it should have two p's" "Really? I didn't know that," he quips.

I look again, and notice that the word 'assailant' is also misspelled. I again ask if he copied this quote from somewhere, perhaps a Bible, or some old school writing. "No, I made it up myself," he tells me. I, again, point out the word, and he reassures me that it's correct. "No, no, Dear. Assailant has an 'a' and not an 'e' before the 'nt'," I retort. "Ohhhhhhh...." His voice seems to be a little on the embarrassed/shot down side. I'm starting to feel like a bitch for even mentioning it. I mean, the poor guy has this tattooed on his arm. It's not like he can just take an eraser or white out and fix it. I tell him he might want to hit up his tattoo artist for a little touch-up.

I really do want to read the tattoo, so I hold his arm out so I can see it. He lets me know that I'm squeezing his wrist so hard it hurts. Yeah, I'm so used to holding the kids still while they wiggle and squirm that I've adopted a kung-fu grip at all times. Oops! I let off a little, and realize that it only gets worse, and for sure I will never see this tattoo through to the end. I ask him, "Hey, spell 'himself'." He does, correctly. I ask once more, "Are you SURE this isn't in some kind of fancy old language kind of thing?" Nope. Dismayed, I say, "Here, look at this: 'himeself'." He tells me he's never even noticed it before. It's glaring at me like it's written in all caps on a NY City billboard. How could he miss that? The tattoo was not new. I say, "Ummm, have you ever actually read this tattoo yourself?" He has, or so he says.

I tell him, first, that I'm a bitch, and I really shouldn't have even mentioned this. The damage has been done, though. He lets me know that no one has ever pointed any of this out before. You know why? Everyone else is nice. They also realize that there's not a whole lot he can do about it now, so why bring it up. Not me, though. I'm a bitch, and I take pride in cutting him down to size. He must know what an idiot he is.

Really, though, I didn't mean to be a bitch. I'm such a spelling nerd that I couldn't stop myself from saying it all. He told me that it was a free tattoo, and I told him that he got royally screwed. I have been working for years now on having better social graces, and overall, I think I'm doing quite well. However, today was a step back on the scale. I do feel bad, and Trey told me as he walked away that I shouldn't have told him. He was right, and I knew it. It was too late, though. I've been trying to think of something I could say to make him feel better, although I doubt he's losing sleep over it. I got nothin', though. Later, I saw him out on the beach, and I told him that I really, really like the tattoo he has on his tummy. Yes, after I bitchily pointed out his spelling flaws and showed him who was the more intelligent of the pair, I used the word 'tummy'.

Why didn't he just punch me so I'd feel better? I mean, though, don't you think the guy kinda deserved to know that his tattoo is all dicked up? Oh, I dunno. I do feel pretty bad about it, though. Most of all, I've learned a very important lesson from this all:

Don't get words tattooed on your body.

Have a great day. I'll talk to you later.

Fear and Loathing in Summerville

2008-08-07T22:33:00.004-04:00

I'm scared. And excited. And terrified. And thrilled. And confused. And anything else you can think of, really.

I talked to the whoever guy today, and it's set. TJ will be "attending" the online school K12. He starts August 20th. That's in just 13 days! I'm not ready! They will be sending me all of his stuff in the mail very soon, and that will be that. I will have to meet with his coordinating teacher once a month or something, log in his attendance daily, and he will have to meet with the teacher once a week in a group setting where they do field trips and activities and whatnot. We will have to follow the school calendar, which begins on the 20th, and ends on June 5th. He will technically be a Berkeley County student. I can't believe this is actually going to happen. I'm totally freaked out. I mean, just a couple weeks ago I was going on about how I was considering unschooling, and now I've done a complete 180 and I will not only be unschooling TJ, but I will be following a set curriculum with accountability and everything.

In a way, I think it's great. Now I know I will be forced to work with TJ, and I won't be able to decide from day to day whether or not I'm feeling in the mood to do it. If I'm not doing a good job, or I need help, I will have someone to ask questions to, and who will let me know I need to get on the ball. I won't be able to make excuses. It'll be like being a teacher like I wanted to be, but w/o having to get up at the crack of dawn and put up w/other employees and the drama. I will have everything already picked out for me as far as curriculum, and all I'll have to do is work out the time and teach it. Plus, TJ will get to see a set group of kids each week at a set time, so it will be like school friends for him, and I know they'll be his age and on his level, I think.

In a way, I'm going to hate it. Doing this takes away a lot of the freedom I so love about the idea of homeschooling. What if I realize shortly in that some of the set curriculum is just not working for TJ? Can I then change it, or adapt it to better fit him, or do I have to stick to it and do it their way? As far as daily attendance, what if we decide to go out of town? Can I just bring the stuff w/us and check in from any computer? Can he just take the days off? If he's sick, do I have to send in a note? What if the teacher is domineering, and wants everything done by the book and completely thoroughly? I'm not really that kind of person. I hated doing the paperwork when I was a teacher, b/c I never wanted to do it their way. What if TJ just won't do it the way it's supposed to be done? If it's not working, can I withdraw him before the school year's over and just start homeschooling him some different way that works better? I assume I'll be hearing from the teacher soon to figure all of this out. The guy who called me today may have said so already, but I was busy making dinner and trying to avoid my kids who had the sudden "interest in Mommy b/c she's on the phone" kick. This is all so freaky to me.

Anyway, it's late, and I'm POOPED! I'll talk to you later. Have a great day!

Oh boy!

2008-08-04T22:52:00.005-04:00

Soon, my baby will be in the redneck pictures that you get in your email and shake your head at! (not sure why they came out so bad, but still, you get the picture!)

Yesterday was Trey's 32nd birthday. Man, he's OLD! We didn't do much, but we did go out to eat at Carrabba's, and we were told by our server that our kids were well behaved. That made my day! The kids and I also made Trey a cake:

I'll make the rest quick, b/c I am TIRED!

The other day I decided once and for all that there will be no more naptime on the days that Trey works. Why, you ask? Well, b/c for one, I had kinda known for a while that I needed to stop b/c the kids had figured out that when I was sleeping, they could get away with things they knew they shouldn't do. So everyday I'd wake up wondering what I'd have to be mad about and clean up. However, Saturday was the last straw for me. I was awakened by TJ cutting my hair! Yep, that's right, he cut a neat little chunk right out of the front of my hair. When I got up, I noticed he'd also cut his own hair and large chunks out of Taryn's freshly cut cute little bob! Needless to say, I was NOT a happy camper! Now, I will have to wait for the part to grow back in the front of my head, and look like a dope while it does. Taryn has two big baldish spots in the back of her hair. Naturally, TJ's was a pretty easy fix, and should be back to normal w/in a few days. Sometimes I wonder what I was thinking when I decided that sex was a good idea!

Talk to you later! Have a great day!

Son of a biscuit-eyed monkey toad!

2008-07-29T18:46:00.002-04:00

Have you met him? He's a really nice guy, but man, monkey toads are UGLY!

So, I had this whole post planned out to tell you all about the sleepover TJ and Taryn had last night. Then, I got to thinking about it, and basically, the most interesting part to you would be that five children were invited, all of which came, and that there were 8 small children running rampant in my house from about 6 pm last night till about noon today. I am WORN OUT! One little boy was pretty "aggressive", and he made for some pretty tough moments, but other than that, we had fun.

I had to go throw papers this evening, b/c Trey has to work tomorrow (he's usually off, and I do it then). So I go to pick up my papers, and my boss is still up there b/c apparently the truck came very late today. We get to talking, and he says something that struck me. I have no idea what the conversation at hand was about, but at one point, he said, "My wife is a terrific mother, and a wonderful woman all around." He had already told me they will be celebrating their 47th wedding anniversary in September, and that really got me to thinking. I wonder what Trey would say about me, or I should say, what he does say about me? I didn't hear another word for the rest of the conversation (well, something about her working, and having good lingerie sales at Belk, blah, blah...) b/c all I could think about was whether or not Trey would say something like that about me. I mean, I would hope he would. I definitely try to be a good person, and a good mom as well. I think I do okay. Lord knows there are definitely days that I fail in both categories, but most of them are good. I have that natural tendency to compare myself to other people and parents when I'm out and about, and pass judgement on myself as to whether or not I'm doing things right. I have to say, many times I'm left feeling pretty good! Usually I think I'm at least on par with everyone else I know. My kids are not too rambunctious or anything, and sometimes they use the manners I've tried desperately hard to instill (still gotta work on ma'am and sir). I'm sure I must have seemed neurotic when I sent them to camp, b/c I kept asking their teachers and counselors how they had done. Taryn's teacher got a barrage of questions about her socializing and performances. You know, you gotta keep up with these things!

Don't get me wrong, I'm not writing this so anyone who might read this will write in and say, "Oh, Christi, you're a great mom and person." I just sometimes wonder about how Trey (and everyone else, really) sees me. Honestly, I'm not sure how I see him. I mean, I know I really like his work ethic, and he definitely deserves great things. He loves his children, there's no doubt there, and sometimes I wish he didn't work so hard, so he would have more time and energy to show it to them. I have that tendency to only talk about him to people I know when I'm pissed off, and that's probably not so good. I think I definitely need to point out how great he is more often, when I'm not necessarily happy or mad with him. So, small world of readers, I think Trey is great. I often stop and think about how lucky I am to have found him. I absolutely kissed a LOT of frogs to find this prince. We were joking around the other day about something, and I was telling him I didn't think some couple would last that long (probably some famous couple or something). He asked me if I thought we would last. Without hesitation, I told him, "Absolutely not." He wholeheartedly agreed, adding that it's a wonder we've made it as long as we have together already, and haven't even killed each other. And that, my friends, is why I have no doubt that we one day will be celebrating our 47th wedding anniversary, and I will be telling some young whipper-snapper how fantastic my hubby is.

Oh, and in case I don't get around to it before then, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TREY!!! (he turns 142 on Sunday!)

Revelation

2008-07-22T23:32:00.003-04:00

I was watching the movie Mockingbird Don't Sing tonight, and it made me realize something. It's a movie about a girl who was kept alone in a room from about 18 months old until her mom ran away with her when she was 13. Her father kept her either strapped to a potty chair during the day, or strapped up so she couldn't move in a makeshift crib with a metal top at night. She never learned to speak, and, obviously, had a lot of problems once they were able to try to help her once she was freed from him. The movie doesn't focus so much on the actual abuse, but more on the trials and tribulations they went through to try to teach her language and how to be "civilized", for lack of a better word. It's a very moving movie, and definitely worth the watch. It will make you hug your children that much harder, and vow never to let something so horrible happen to them.

Anyway, at the end of the movie, the mother was talking to one of the researchers that had been working with the girl from the start. She told her that they had used her daughter as nothing more than an instrument to do science experiments on her, or something like that, and that they didn't see her as a human with needs (which is really not true, from what I got from the movie, but...). Basically, she said they treated her like a lab rat. It made me think. It made me think about education. It made me realize that perhaps education is much the same, in that we are all lab rats in a giant experiment.

The girl was labeled "Wild Child", as she was feral and lacking in many areas. So, of course, they approached teaching her in a special way. I thought back to when I was a teacher, and how we used to label children. I taught special education, and if ever there was a place where children are labeled, it's there. We would spend our days trying to figure out what label to affix to each child in order to be able to pick and choose what specific learning styles would be appropriate for teaching said child. It's done in regular classrooms, too. You have your nerds, your idiots, your preppy jocks, your dumb jocks, whatever...Each kind of person is expected to learn differently and behave differently. Their interests are all different, and yet, they are expected to learn the same things. Most of the time, although there are similarities, you can't exactly just toss a bunch of people into the same classification and expect them to learn the same things in the same way.

Then I got to thinking about education itself. I remember how, in school, they would stress that one day you would have to use all of these skills we had to learn. If I had bothered to remember them, I could make pages of lists of things that I have never, ever recalled in real life. Sure, some of it is cumulative, and you kinda have to know it to know stuff further down the line. However, sometimes you don't even have to know the stuff further down the line, much less the beginnings of it! In the movie, they were very intent on getting the little girl to learn language, and use it properly. She had a hard time forming grammatically correct sentences, even though she had the vocabulary to do so. Eventually, they taught her sign language, which she did quite well with, and was able to communicate with until she reached a point where no one else around her knew it to "talk" back. I thought about people who are mute, and how they are not able to communicate through speech, and wondered why it was so very important to prove that she could speak clearly and correctly. (the premise of the actual research was to disprove a hypothesis, and thus, her education really was, at its core, all part of an experiment in which she was the lab rat!)

Are we all lab rats, too? I mean, why did I have to learn how to write perfect essays? Do you know how many essays I've written since I left school? Yep, you got it, NONE. Do you know how much trigonometry I've used in real life? None again. I thought about standardized testing, and public education, and how everyone has to fit into this mold of what a student should look like. I just don't like it. Why did the little girl have to learn to talk? Why did I have to learn chemistry? Sure, it's a few more things that I barely understood, but kinda knew more about for a little while in my life. Please, whatever you do, don't ask me to ever recite anything now that I learned in there, though! It was a complete waste of my time. I'm sure someone got something out of it, but it certainly wasn't me. That little girl in the movie, she wasn't interested in learning how to speak. She managed to convey her thoughts without conventional speech, and she got along fine enough.

Which leads me to what all this thought has brought about. It helped me realize that my education of my children is going to have to be different. There is a thing called "unschooling", where children learn what they want to learn, when they want to learn it (in a nutshell). In other words, let's say that I'm unschooling TJ. We wake up, and I ask him if he'd be interested in reading books about the ocean today. He says, "No, but I would really like to learn how to add and subtract." So be it, today we add and subtract. Instead of using typical curriculum-based books with set order and time frames, you follow the child's heart, and let them learn at their own pace, and what they want to learn at the time. So what if TJ is seven and doesn't know the color green (he does, btw). He'll learn it when he's ready. Perhaps he never, ever gets interested in writing. Sure, he'll have to learn the basics to get by, but I won't force him to write extended essays that basically fill time and will get thrown out no sooner than he's forgotten the skills learned in the lesson. Maybe later he will become interested in writing. Then, while he is ready to suck in the learning like a sponge, I can teach it to him. I can only imagine that that would also make the learning process go that much faster and more smoothly. Sure, I would have to expedite the process to an extent, and encourage learning (perhaps pointing them in the right directions), but overall, their educations would be chosen by them.

It's late, and I could go on and on about this, but I'll save it for another time. I just wanted to write this while it was fresh in my mind. I'm kinda excited, and I'm eager to get going on how I'm going to do this. If you happen to have any tips, comments, whatever, feel free to let me know.

CREEPY!

2008-07-18T21:47:00.002-04:00

Okay, so the mom's group I'm in has had this loop going on the message board for a few days about dolls. Namely, creepy dolls. I think I may have started it by mentioning the movie "Dolls" from wayyyyy back when, and how it totally creeped me out. People have been putting links to different kinds of dolls up to check out.

(Actually, I believe the main loop started when someone asked something about where they could find American-made dolls for their daughter or something like that, but...)

I've been going to said links, and I can honestly say that dolls are 100% creepier to me now than they ever were! I can't believe that there are people out there that make some of these things!

Link to article
These "reborn" baby dolls are apparently made to look and feel just like real babies, right down to their chests rising and falling like they're breathing. Supposedly, people collect them, and some grieving parents get them to replace lost babies. That just seems kind of sick to me. Please correct me if I'm wrong...

Here's Blythe. She apparently came around in the early 70's, but her eyes that changed color scared little girls (uhhh, really?), so they dropped them. Then, some chick made them popular again through photos or something, and now you can get them again. Uhhh, no thanks.
Link to Blythe website

WTF!!!!!!!

Oh, and do check this out. One chick said she actually saw him, Robert the Doll, in Key West, and it was freaky as hell.

We are not alone...

2008-07-11T22:33:00.003-04:00

The other day I was invited to a "Mom's Night Out" where we moms got together sans kids and watched horror movies. Since this is a mom's group that focuses on nursing, homeschooling, attachment parenting and the like, the crowd was not large. However, it was enough to make it fun.

We started in the dining room of our friend's house with an appetizer of dark chocolate pudding. Apparently, she is on a raw food detox diet that requires her to eat nothing but raw foods. So, when she walked into the room with a bowl of what looked like poop that you might want to call your doctor about, I was not too enthused at the thought of eating said pudding. Some of the other girls got to theirs before I managed to get mine. They began to ask what was in it, and exclaim how good it was. When she replied that there were avocados, honey, dates and cocoa powder all mixed together, well, I knew everyone there was a liar! Still, trying to be the good guest, and wanting to test my poker face to see if I could believably hide my disgust, I got a scoop for myself. My tummy was apprehensive. I would have considered this a mousse before I would have called it a pudding. It was thick, and, again, looked like a diaper that even I wouldn't want to touch! So I made the leap, thinking, "Well, they eat bugs for treats in other countries...at least this stuff is all relatively normal foods," and took a bite...

It was DELICIOUS! It was thick, rich, and sooooo chocolatey! I literally began gobbling it up. I ate just a small amount, and was completely full because it was so rich (which sucked, b/c I had just picked up my dinner, chinese take-out, and had no room for it!). I was in love.

Today, I'm not so sure. I have been on the toilet (with a magazine, if you get my drift) at least three times a day since, and I have a feeling it has something to do with the magical pudding I ate! I'd do it again, though, b/c damnit, that was some good wacko pudding!

So after puddin' time, we went to the tv to watch a movie. We started with The Blair Witch Project. I discovered that that movie is not one single bit scary when you are in a room with a bunch of other women running your mouths about everything but the scary movie on tv! I also learned that some people think that Ewan McGregor is super-hot. I disagreed, adding that I once thought that Josh Hartnett was hot, but now has grown up and is, well, not so hot. I also found out that Helena Bonham Carter nursed her child till it was five years old. Ah, the education of time with others!

The crowd thinned after the first movie screening came to an end. So, it was time to pull out the liquor. I also learned that night that Capt. Morgan's and 7-Up taste JUST LIKE cream soda when mixed, and thus, will be purchasing my own bottle of the Captain very soon. We joked around and talked shit for a while, and it was nice to see the moms I'm so used to watching keep up their p's and q's around their kids come out of their shells. Why, I haven't used the word "fuck" in mixed company so much in a very, very long time! It was liberating! (Oh, wait, does it count if you're talking about your kids and how you've taught them to curse through your own bad behavior?) Later, we began to watch another movie, this time House of 1000 Corpses. I love that movie, and was thrilled to get the gorefest going. There is plenty of gross killing and mind-blowing ummm, creativity, in that movie, so you think I would have been equally as excited about the next conversation. One girl there, whom I've hung out with a few times and seems pretty cool, decided to tell a joke, much like the ones she used to share in college. It went like this: (Oh, excuse me, I have to run to the bathroom now...damn pudding!)

"What is the worst thing about fucking a dead baby?" Silence, mostly b/c we have no idea where this came from, and it's quite sickening. "Wiping the blood stains off your clown suit!" I see where she got this from, as there is a preponderance of clownage at the beginning of the 1000 Corpse movie. The girl throwing the shindig immediately mentioned John Wayne Gacy, who was pretty well known for dressing as a clown and raping and killing small boys. It was an attempt at changing the subject, somehow. However, before that could happen, another girl there got upset and decided to tell us about how she had been raped as a four year old by her stepdad or something. Talk about an uncomfortable and awkward moment! So, after a few minutes of the joke teller apologizing, and the rest of us staring at the ceiling trying to pretend we were somewhere else, we got back to watching the movie. Apparently, though, the girl was not really that sorry about her joke, b/c she later told us this doozy: "What's the difference b/t a truck full of dead babies and a truck full of bowling balls?" "You can get the dead babies out with a pitchfork." Yeah, still had a hard time laughing...Btw, you can look up "dead baby jokes" and find TONS of them online (thank you, Julia, for sending me in that direction...my life will never be the same again).

I managed to stay up that night talking and watching movies until I had to go to work at 2:30 am. I am proud to say that I managed to rock out my paper route pretty much completely asleep! I don't remember a thing from that day of work, especially the drive home. Well, that's not entirely true...I remember waking up and wondering where the hell I was a few times as I made my way home! I'm pretty sure, though, that God let me live through that and is making me pay for my stupidity by getting the joy of taking care of my three insane monkeys every day! That's another story for another day, though...

Happy Fourth!

2008-07-04T11:36:00.004-04:00

I hope you all are having a wonderful Fourth of July, out celebrating the spirit of freedom that our ancestors fought for. I think we're going to do something...just not sure what yet!

The other day I was working on laundry...you know, the never-ending pile that grows everytime you blink. I usually make my little piles of each person's stuff all over the living room floor, which really isn't practical, since little people find it entertaining to walk all over the nice, neat little piles and see how much they can mess them up! So I got up to go to the bathroom, and when I came back, I met "Panty Girl". She came out of nowhere, with stealth that could only be compared to that of a wounded horse as it tries to run off of the side of a mountain. She stumbled into me, her face in mine, and announced her title, and that she was there to save me. "Thank goodness," I thought, "I was just looking for someone to save me." Here I was thinking that she was going to take over laundry duty and I could go take a nap or watch tv or something. I mean, she was "Panty" Girl, after all--don't clothes stick together?

As quickly and clumsily as she arrived, she wiggled and stumbled her way out of the room. I wondered what was her purpose in alerting me to her presence and her motive, but, alas, I was not to find out then. Later, I ran into her sidekick, "Underwear Boy", who also shared the same quick and bumbling ways. Perhaps it was the under clothing wrapped around their ankles...perhaps it was just how underwear super heroes are supposed to be. I may never know. I tried in desperation to ask Underwear Boy why they had come. Was it to save me from my laundry when I wasn't looking? Was it to save me from myself? What, what were they here to save me from? I was not graced with an answer to these questions. The only response I got was, "Mommy, can Cole-Cole put diapers all over him?" Yes, perhaps there is a hidden power in covering yourself in your under clothes. (Later, I wrapped myself in my bras and panties and tried to fly...no, no, there is no power in that!)

I often think of these wonderful beings of underwear fortitude. I wonder, "Did they, in fact, save me without my even knowing it? Have they brought me closer to myself, closer to God, closer to unfettered love?" I don't know, but I do know that I will never, ever forget my special visit from those unmasked superheroes.

Man, summers are BUSY!

2008-06-26T22:50:00.003-04:00

This week, so far, we've been to the beach twice, the water park once, and out to eat twice. Igh! I'm worn out! I've been running around doing that, then Trey and I have been going to the chiropractor, which has been helping greatly, but running up quite a bill. I rarely find time to sleep much anymore with all this and work! I thought summer was when you slowed down and took some time off or something!

So Taryn worries me a little, but excites me at the same time. I think that girl is going to be WILD! Today, for instance, we were at the beach, and while TJ was scared to go in past his knees, Taryn was going in all the way to her neck and totally getting taken out by the waves. She'd come back up from out of the water laughing, and when I'd check on her (b/c it was terrifying me!) she'd be all, "I'm okay Mommy!" A little water would splash in TJ's face, and he would cry till he could get to a sand-soaked towel to dry his face off, where he would then cry about the sand in his eyes!

But back to Taryn...so I got Trey a motorcycle, you know. He decided to take the kids for a ride around the neighborhood shortly after we got it. TJ was first. He put some pants and his bicycle helmet on, and ran to the bike. As soon as it was time to get on, he freaked out, screaming that he was scared. At the time, I was standing next to Taryn, who proudly proclaimed, "I'm not scared, Mommy. I wanna ride the motorcycle!" She did, too, like she'd been doing it her whole life. I was worried at first, b/c she was scooted back too far, and could barely reach, much less reach around, Trey. Once he moved her up some, though, she held on alright. He said the whole time she was pointing at things and talking his ear off w/o a fear in the world! Later, I asked her if she wanted a motorcycle when she grows up, and she answered with a resolute "YES!" Now that's my baby girl! Do you think it's too early to go ahead and get her a "Biker Babe" t-shirt? As she grows out of it, it can just become a baby-doll shirt, or whatever it is chicks wear these days.

Everyday she shows how utterly fearless she is. She's also a funny little person, too. The other day we were in the car w/Julia and her kids, and Alison was telling her to say "Holy Cow!" She'd go, "Holy Cow, Mommy, look at that tree!" She kept us laughing. Many days I'll wake up by rolling over to a little girl dressed in a hodge-podge of dress-up clothes, with her normal clothes intermixed, and singing a silly song as she attempts to get to my face to "give you a kiss, Mommy." Her emerging imagination is pretty entertaining, too. The other day she told me all about the ghosts that live in our house (they're nice ghosts, of course). We went down the list of them all, and who they haunt, and she even let me know what sound each one of us makes when we see them! I say, "OHHhhhhhhh!"

Did I happen to mention just how smart she is? TJ caught on much more quickly to the spoken language thing, and seems to be very, very mathematically inclined, which is great. Taryn, however, is constantly amazing me with her artistic abilities. It took TJ till he was four before he even would try to draw a circle, and he just started being able to draw people. Taryn is already drawing people, and she started drawing circles at two! She also started picking out her clothes (which she matches quite well, sometimes better than me!) and dressing herself somewhere around the time she turned two. You can never appreciate enough how great it is to have your child dress herself, especially when you have to dress not only her little brother, but her older one as well! I also find it amazing that she has the memory she does. She still remembers everything she got for her second birthday, and everytime she sees it, she'll go, "I got that for my happy birthday!" She does the same thing for Christmas presents, and gifts in general. She'll tell you, "Mimi gave this to me," and it'll be something she got years ago. I can't even remember what I ate for breakfast this morning (which is pretty sad, b/c I eat the same thing every day!)!

I could go on and on, as I'm sure anyone could about their child. I say that she worries me, b/c I can just see her being a wild-child that has no problem letting her hair down and having fun. I foresee trouble, and I can only hope that she picks the right friends. She excites me, though, b/c I also see her being the life of the party, and standing out in the crowd. I think she'll be a unique person, with a personality all her own. She's social, yet completely able and happy to hang alone, which I think will definitely benefit her. She's already shown that she's fiercely independent, which I'm quite sure will help her and hinder any attempts by me to hold her back! I do love, though, that she's such a loving little girl, and the she's 100% Momma's Girl! She tells me at least 1000 times a day that "I love you so much, Mommy." It rocks, even when it gets on my nerves b/c I'm in the middle of doing something! I am a very, very lucky person! I couldn't be happier that I have the special little girl that I have, scary crazy or not!

Three years for Taryn!

2008-06-15T21:30:00.007-04:00

How happy was Taryn about the cool make-up and art sets she got yesterday at her birthday party? See for yourself:

She had a princess party, and there was quite a showing. I was actually pretty surprised at the amount of people that came. All the girls came looking like princesses, and we made tiaras and jewelry to go with their beautiful dresses! The boys had pirate stuff to make, although most of them showed very little interest in doing so. TJ, Taryn and I made a pinata...sorta. Later, I'll tell you a story about Friday night that had a large bearing on why we didn't have time to finish it, and it became a table centerpiece instead. It worked, though. They just took it outside and beat it to death on the ground. Either little girls that are three like art a lot, or Taryn somehow made it apparent that she does, b/c she got a lot of art sets (which she is loving) and make-up, which, as you can see, she has put to good use. Overall, it was an awesome party. Oh, and my mom made the cake, which was not only cool looking, but moist and tasty to boot! Even Taryn's much-too-old boyfriend Justin came. I only allow their relationship b/c he seems like a good guy...even though 22 seems a bit old for her. (forgive the poor shape of the pics...apparently someone smudged something all over my lens, and I didn't notice it till it was too late!)

See that gorgeous baby up there somewhere? That's my neice Jadyn with her mommy, my sister Susan, and Uncle Patrick. Oh, and I was busy helping Taryn open presents, so all the pics of those don't exist, b/c I wasn't taking them!

If you're still here, I'll tell you why we didn't finish the pinata. We were busy Friday getting the house cleaned up for the party, and Trey bent down to turn of the shop vac he was using to suck up corner dirt. The next thing I know, he's on the kitchen floor looking like one of those dead people outlines and screaming for me to help him. In the tiny bend he made, he managed to throw his back out entirely. He spent the good part of the day lying on the kitchen floor, until he finally got sick b/c I gave him too many Tylenol, and decided to go to the hospital. We spent the entire night there, and thus, I was not able to finish the pinata as planned. Oh, and he is still pretty bad off, and it sucks, b/c I have learned that although I feel strong, carrying a 200+ lb. guy around is not easy or fun. Poor Trey, though, you can tell he's really frustrated with the whole deal. We're going to hit up a doctor's office early tomorrow morning, and hopefully they will get him on the path to wellness. What sucks even more is that he's on his vacation right now, and he had planned all kinds of projects to finish around the house, and instead he's wasting it sitting around in pain. I will say, though, we're getting the most time spent with him than ever before...although the fact that he's in pain and not able to do much or be touched much makes it not quite the "quality time" I'd hoped it would be!

Oh, and Happy Father's Day to any guy who might happen to read this and have kids!

Have a great day! I'll talk to you later!

Experimentation

2008-06-10T22:47:00.002-04:00

I've been trying something new lately, and so far it's working. I bought a bar caddy from a restaurant supply store. Usually, they are used in bars to hold the garnish that goes on/in the drink before it's served...you know, like the cherry, olive, celery, stuff like that. I cut up celery and strawberries, and put them in it along with baby carrots and grapes. I then told the kids that they are welcome to eat as much of the food in the caddy as they like, whenever they want. I also got a water filter thingy that has a little spicket thing on it, so that they can get water whenever they want. It has worked well so far. The kids are eating more healthy snacks and drinking lots of water. The downside is that they are also opening and closing the refrigerator a lot, using a LOT more cups, and spilling a LOT more water. Overall, though, I'm happy with the outcome. Now let's just hope it stays that way!

An experiment that has not gone so well, so far, is my decision to make a pinata instead of buying one for Taryn's birthday party this weekend. I made a castle shape out of poster board. Not bad. Then, today I was going to paper mache it with the kids. Yeah, it was messy and gooey, something I was not looking forward to, but that I thought they'd love. Apparently, not even Taryn, the messiest little girl in the world, wanted to mess with getting goo on her hands! I ended up doing the whole thing myself. So far, it looks alright, but it's not quite dry yet. Tomorrow I have to do the bottom, and once it's dry we can paint it. That seems to be the only part the kids want anything to do with. I guess we'll see how it turns out. I had to put the candy in before I finished putting it together, and I think it might be too heavy to actually hang up...so it might just end up being a center piece for the table!

I had pics of this stuff, but I can't get my computer to download them, so you don't get to see. I know you're very upset. Oh, here, here's a picture of the bar caddy. Now that should make everything better.

Gas effects

2008-06-01T11:39:00.003-04:00

So, how has the rise in gas prices effected your life? It has certainly had a large effect in many ways on ours.

Let's see, the main changes would come in the actual purchasing of gas. I have a paper route, and the whole thing is about driving, so of course I have to still keep buying gas. Honestly, the whole round trip is only about 35 to 40 miles, which is less that Trey has to drive round trip to and from work (50 miles), but it's full of stopping, starting, turning, slowing down, speeding up...all the stuff that not only burns gas faster, but wears out your engine and tires quicker. It used to take me $40 to fill up my tank, near the end of last year. Now, it takes $65 to $70 easily. The remedy? I bought Trey a motorcycle, as I mentioned before, and I was driving his car to do the route during the week when the paper is small enough to fit in it (not Sundays, too big). It sucks to drive a stick-shift on a paper route, but I made it work. Of course, now I have to wait a few days, b/c the other day his window, driver door of course, decided to die. Can't do a paper route with the window shut, so I've been back to driving the van. Man, what a difference I've noticed already! It would also be nice if Trey would get his guts about him and actually start driving the damn motorcycle to work. That would help...

Food has also become a problem. It seems as everything at the grocery store has escalated in price. For a while it was just the milk, which was killing me. I had to cut the kids to just one sippy cup a day, whereas before they were having it with every meal. Cole gets more, naturally, since he still needs it the most, but the other two now have to drink a lot of water, which they're kind of getting used to. TJ doesn't mind so much, but Taryn HATES it. I bought a fridge water filter, with a little spicket on it, and that seems to have made it more fun for them. They call it "Fresh, Cold Water" (always), and can get it themselves, and the liberation and control has definitely helped! As a matter of fact, Taryn just brought me a cup, how sweet! Anyway, as far as other foods go, I've really had to cut back on a lot of stuff. The kids love snacks, but they can't have as many as they used to. Oh, and produce! Am I the only one who's noticed that fresh food is harder and harder to afford? I really want to start eating better, but damn! I bought a little bag of grapes the other day, on sale, and it still cost me over $4! Bananas used to be $.48 a pound, now they average over $.65. I'm sad that it's cheaper just to buy a frozen pizza, although not much, b/c even those have gone up!

Have you heard, too, that electricity and water are going up? Well, at least here they are. Yeah, that's what I need. I can barely afford my electricity bills as it is, but definitely raising the prices will help. I am on the verge of telling Trey he can't take two showers a day anymore (he needs them with the stinch that sticks to him from work), and telling the kids that there will be no more sprinkler play.

Also, I've slipped into further depression. I literally feel sick to my stomach on a daily basis as I think about everything going up in price, and our pay going down. You know, both of us work in areas that depend on people spending their extra money. When experts start talking about where to cut costs to save money and make your budget work, they first say "cut out eating out and getting the paper--you can read it online". There go our incomes! I just lost my small paper route, which was bringing in a little under $300/month. Sure, it's not anything major, but it definitely will be missed. I hate driving by gas stations, b/c it makes me feel more dismal. The only thing that brings me a feeling of hope anymore is when I hear these articles and stuff about cars that run on water...yeah, as if I'll be getting one of those anytime soon! Yeah, so this sucks.

I realize it's not all that bad, and it's only going to get worse from here, but man does it feel awful already. So, has the skyrocketing of gas prices effected your life in any ways? How have you dealt with it?

Gee, where have you been?

2008-05-23T22:09:00.003-04:00

Might be something someone might ask were they the type to read my blog. Since I don't know of anyone like that, then I'm sure that question has not crossed anyone's mind lately.

Ha ha! No, no, no...I know there are still a few of you out there, and I more than appreciate your reading and seeing what's going on in my life!

So anyway, this has been a BUSY past couple of weeks! The kids came back from Nana's last Wednesday, and it took about three or four days to get them back in the swing of things. TJ seemed to think that telling me "No," whenever I told him to do something was okay. I had to readjust his way of thinking. Taryn threw some fits for no reason as well (ie-she wanted her headphones, and I was going to the bathroom...she cried herself to sleep freaking out that I wouldn't get off of the toilet to get them!) They are for the most part back to themselves now.

I bought Trey a motorcycle. Yep, yep. We've wanted motorcycles for a while, and my goal is to have this one once we can afford a new one for him one day. However, as much as I'd like to say this was just for fun riding, it's not. The gas is so high now that I got it for him to drive back and forth to work, and I'm now driving his car to do my paper route. It's not fun driving a stick shift to throw papers, but the Honda gets almost triple the mileage that my van does, so I'm just sucking it up. Trey hasn't started actually riding it to work yet, b/c he doesn't feel totally confident riding it in traffic and on the interstate. Of course, he's on a search for the perfect helmet now, and we're in a disagreement about it. I told him that under no circumstances would I agree to anything but a full helmet, but he wants a skull cap so he can look cool. Who knows, the motorcycle may become mine after all!

We have spent TONS of time outside, playing in the pool and the sprinkler, and going on field trips with the moms group I recently joined. I really enjoy doing stuff with them! They are all so nice, and the kids love their kids. Yesterday they learned about the moon, and today they learned about local marsh and sea creatures. Very, very cool.

Oh, and did I mention that DAVID COOK WON AMERICAN IDOL!!!!!!!!! I'm so happy! I had to DVR it, and I didn't get to watch it until late Wed. night. Needless to say, I'm sorry to my family for screaming out at the top of my lungs at midnight, while they tried to sleep!

I'm sure there's more, but really, do you have the time for all that? I'll try to get on soon and maybe I'll have something of interest on here. Here, let me take you out with some pics of my gorgeous babies, b/c that's what I certainly love to see!

Knock down, drag out Mother's Day!

2008-05-13T23:48:00.002-04:00

Julia got breakfast in bed. My mom got dinner out on Saturday night. My mom took dinner to Grandma. Nana got dinner, and a weekend with her three grandbabies from me. I got to work 11 hours at Trey's restaurant!

Yep, that's right, I worked. Last year, Trey asked if I wanted to come in and help out on Mother's Day. So, I shipped the kids off to Nana's house, and in I went. This year, I was asked if I was coming again, and I said, "ABSOLUTELY!" Do you think I'm crazy? So do I. It was fun, though. If you don't have to go into work and kill yourself everyday in a restaurant, it's not so bad. It's also the busiest day of the year there, and after not having worked there in over seven years, it feels pretty good to still be not only good at my former job, but much better than a lot of people who are doing it everyday now. Plus, I got lots and lots of "Happy Mother's Day"'s from people working there, so that was pretty neat. Don't get me wrong, I could have crawled into a hole and spent a week there once it was all over with. I was so sore and TIRED, but it was fun, and I can't wait to get to do it again next year!

Guess who didn't tell me "Happy Mother's Day"? My brother. Get this: He calls me as we're driving out of the parking lot from work (around 10:45 pm). I smile, thinking he's called to tell me "HMD", and pick up the phone. Apparently, he wants to do something nice for his girlfriend, and since he himself has just gotten off of work, he wants to do it then. He hints to me (ie-asks w/o coming right out with it) no less than three times that he needs someone to watch her son. "Uhhhh, oh, so you don't have your kids, huh? I don't guess you'd want to have Cyrus over to sleep on your couch then, huh?" Uhhh, NO! Something about not having my own kids to watch, and having just worked a LONG shift, which I'm not accustomed to, AND being asked to babysit at 11 o'clock at night...What a DICK! Yeah, and he didn't even bother to bust out a "HMD". Screw him, he will NOT be getting a "Happy Father's Day" call from me.

We did celebrate Mother's Day, though. Last night we went out bowling with my mom and Bo. It was a lot of fun. Bo had never bowled before last night, and he did really well considering. I think the games he lost, he was only behind by a few pins. Not to brag on myself...oh, who am I kidding, this is MY blog!...but I was the one to beat. Well, at least on the second game! I made a 141! Whoo hoo, go me! I was very proud, and have told everyone about it over and over again today. Yeah, it doesn't take much! I had been thinking we'd go see a movie or something, but I'm really glad we did that instead. I had a lot of fun, and so did everyone else.

Anyway, gotta go to bed now. Have a great day, and I'll see you later!

I cut my baby's hair!

2008-05-05T22:35:00.002-04:00

Cole needed a haircut. That I was sure of. I waited until Trey was home b/c I thought for sure he would freak out like he did the last two times he had his hair cut. Strangely enough, he didn't this time. As long as Trey was touching him, he was fine. He did a thousand times better than TJ, who almost ALWAYS freaks out like I'm going to cut his head off! Anyway, I used the second highest guard on the clippers, thinking that they would leave a decent amount of hair on the top of his head. I was wrong. It's so short now! My baby looks like a big boy now! I think he likes it, though. His hair was getting shaggy, and in his eyes, and I think it was getting hot for him. I know he's going to love it short now. Oh, but he looks so much older now...a LOT like Trey, even more so than before! As much as I love short hair like his, I kinda liked his a little longer, at least in the front. I think I'll work on growing out the top some and keep it longer next time. Till then, though, my baby is now one of the guys!

How do people sleep at night?

2008-05-04T15:15:00.002-04:00

I am just in shock over this. Have you heard about the man who locked his daughter in a basement 24 years ago and impregnated her with seven children? It's horrifying!

Go here

It really makes me want to cry.

Huh...

2008-05-02T22:39:00.002-04:00

Hey, did you know it's Friday already? And it's May? WOW! When did that happen? I'm not even sure what's gone on this week, but I do feel like I was pretty busy.

TJ went to the doctor the other day, and got a glowing record (as I expected, of course!). I did ask the doctor about him walking on his tippy-toes, and he said just to keep trying to get him to stop, and if it continues, we'll worry about it on his next checkup when he's six. I think he wasn't worried b/c TJ can walk on his feet the right way, he just chooses not to, b/c it's habit. I am constantly on him about walking correctly, and you'll commonly hear me say, "TJ, FEET!" I thought it was rather amusing today when we went to a playdate and Andrew (Julia's son), was getting on TJ to walk the right way. It really struck me when he started in on Taryn later. I tend to forget that she does it, too. I think she does it b/c she sees TJ doing it, b/c she doesn't do it often, but just every once in a while. At least he saved me from having to be the nagger, right!?

TJ informed my stepdad, Bo, the other day that he does not like Math and Reading. Huh, who knew? It could be that I can't get him to sit still for three seconds while trying to do his lessons. However, yesterday, after they finished their work, they got to paint pictures. TJ did a stellar job on his work. When he finished, he told me that he did so well b/c he was going to get to paint afterward, and that if I want him to always do well, just tell him he gets to paint when he's done, "even if I really don't get to, Mommy." Uhhh, yeah, please, tell me how to manipulate and lie to you, TJ. I appreciate the help.

Oh, I know what I did this week. I did Taryn's hair. She seems to be very interested in that now, and I'm kinda torn on growing it out. I think she looks mega-cute with it shorter, and I think she might look strange with it longer. Julia said it would be pretty longer, but I just can't picture it. Trey wants it long, so perhaps we'll just have to let it do its thing and find out.

He's growing up!

2008-04-28T12:33:00.002-04:00

Yesterday we baked cookies from scratch. They had half the butter that regular chocolate chip cookies have, and they were DELICIOUS! They were chewy and soft, but not quite as greasy as regular cookies. MMMMMMM!

We then took said cookies to a homeschooling group I recently joined, thanks to the invite from Julia and Kim (a mom from TJ's karate class). There were about six of us, plus kids, and it was really cool. The woman who hosted the meeting had a HUGE yard, complete with beautiful landscaping and fun kid stuff everywhere. Unfortunately, we also learned that there were plenty of spots that were maybe not so kid-friendly...or kid-safe would be a better word for it.

She had a giant see-saw made out of a wooden pole that looked like one of those ones they use for power lines. The kids were having a great time trying to balance on it, and early on a little boy fell off of it, but was fine. Later, TJ was balancing on it. He fell off as well. He immediately jumped up and yelled out, "I meant to do that!" Then I watched as he skittered off behind a tree with a big, sad look on his face. I went to talk to him, and he said, "My eyes keep trying to cry. STUPID EYES! STOP DOING THAT!!!" He rubbed his eyes over and over and hid his face, trying to hold back the tears. Oh, it's making me cry all over again! He was so embarrassed. It was cute and sad all at the same time. We talked, and after a few minutes he was fine, once I finally convinced him that no one was laughing at him. Oh, but it just broke my heart! My baby is getting so big! He's actually old enough to get embarrassed now, and he cares what other people think of him. I don't even know what to think!

So, we went back to talking about homeschooling and the kids went back to playing. Shortly after everything was settled again, a little boy fell and hit his head on a BIG rock. I heard it, from like, 15 feet away. It was LOUD. He cried, as expected, and his mom comforted him. After a couple of minutes, she asked him if he wanted a cookie (one of mine, oh yeah!), and he took it and was fine. I tell ya, the healing powers of good chocolate chip cookies! Makes me proud.

Pretty much the whole time we were there, Cole had been obsessed with the small pond with little fountains she had over by where we were all sitting. He played with the fountains every chance he got. After a while, he started to get gutsy, and was going to try to climb into the water. I put a stop to that. However, he wanted to put his hands in the water, so he'd lean over the side wall around it. He always bounced back just fine, so I thought nothing of it. Julia asked me if he was going to fall in at one point, and I said, "Nah, he's heavy enough on the bottom to hold him down." Yeah. So, naturally, two minutes later he would of course fall entirely into the water. He was DRENCHED. And upset. I think it literally scared the shit out of him, b/c minutes before he was fresh smelling, and after, he was pretty stanky! He was fine after a few minutes, and the host brought him a towel. Taryn must have thought he did it on purpose, b/c I looked over after I got him calmed down, and she had all of her clothes off, save her panties, and was trying to find the best spot to jump in! Well, at least they were feeling comfortable there!

Oh, and someone said, "Well, I guess he (Cole) won't be trying that again!" Yeah, that person didn't know my kids that well! Minutes after he was happy again, Cole was trying to reach into the water. Ahhhhh.....

So, we had a good time, needless to say. I think I got a few words in there with the actual meeting topics, but really, kids falling into/off of things, much more fun to talk about! Well, there was the one moment where one conversation ended while I was in mid-conversation w/someone else, and everyone else heard me say, "One of my kids was a murderer..." but that's another story for another day, I suppose!

Have a great day! Talk to you later.

I swear!

2008-04-22T14:11:00.002-04:00

I blinked, and look what happened:

Oh my goodness they've gotten so big!

Not the right thing to say to a newby...

2008-04-18T19:51:00.004-04:00

So, I've begun my "MARATHON TRAINING". Not even a week in, and I'm bushed! What I find funny is that I actually have cut my regular workout down some, and yet it is killing me. I used to go on the elliptical machine for 15 minutes, then work my arms, legs, and abdomen on the weight machines, then go back to the elliptical for 15 more minutes. Now, I'm just walking on the treadmill as fast as I can handle for 20 minutes, then going to do the weight machines. By the end of that, I can barely make it to pick up the kids, much less go back to do more cardio! The treadmill KILLS me, and I'm scared, b/c next week I begin walking/running alternated, and I just know I'm not only going to look like an idiot, but I'm sure I'm going to fall off the end of the treadmill! I was proud of myself today, though, b/c I walked for a little over two miles, and I was on the treadmill for almost 35 minutes. Can you believe that, though? It took 35 minutes to walk 2 miles?! I was walking really fast. At the rate I'm going right now, it would take me four years to get all the way through a marathon!

So, I started on Monday, and after I finished walking and went to the weight room, I saw the trainer that I love who knows everything their is to know about exercising. I was talking to him about marathon training (his dad was a big marathon runner), and he was giving me some pointers, etc. As I was walking away to begin working out, he said, "Yeah, it's gets a lot easier once you get used to the pain." Uhhhhhhhh, what? Did he just say the word "pain"? Okay, okay, I realize that it is going to hurt, and that I am going to be sore, a LOT. I mean, already my legs hurt, and my feet were not liking me this afternoon. However, just hearing him say it did not make me feel good. I now envision days of excruciating muscle soreness and giant blisters on my feet. I see myself limping around the house and talking constantly about all my various aches and pains. Ummm, ewww! He really did stop me dead in my tracks and make me think really hard about whether or not I want to do this. I have decided, at least at this point, that it is worth it, and that I will carry on...but he did get my mind racing. It probably wasn't the best thing to tell the new chick!

Anyway, I was feeling quite crappy all day, and once I finished working out, although I was tired, I felt much better. So, it's already showing me benefits! The kids are also loving my renewed motivation to go to the gym. They love going to the childcare room.

As for what else has been going on this week: My dad and his wife, Wanda, came for dinner the other night, and the kids finally got their Christmas presents from them that I haven't quite made it over to their house to get quite yet (yes, they live about fifteen minutes away, but...LOOK, I'm a busy woman, okay!). Taryn got a makeup kit and a dress-up dress and slippers, and she could not have been happier. That night, she put on her lipstick and eyeshadow, and when I went to kiss her goodnight, she got upset b/c I was taking her lipstick off of her face! She slept in the dress, and within the first hour she was awake, she must have applied her makeup at least four times! I'm pretty sure she used her lip gloss as eyeshadow, and it was smeared EVERYWHERE! Later that day, I painted her finger and toenails, and then painted mine. We were so GORGEOUS! The makeup is now mostly gone, as she has used it at every moment she can find a second. Fear not, though, I got her a new set for her birthday in June!

I think my body hates me

2008-04-11T22:00:00.004-04:00

So, for the whole week now, I've been wanting to go to the gym. Everyday I've planned to go. However, I have not made it once. Honestly, I probably could have gone and been okay, but I'd rather not take the chance. It seems that last Saturday, I pulled a muscle in my shoulder/neck (again).

See, what happened was I was playing boxing on the Wii for the first time. I really got into it. I can proudly say that I played Julia, Trey (twice) and my sister, Susan, and remain undefeated. However, in the process of kicking their asses, I wore myself out. Technically, I don't think I pulled the muscle then. I was very tired and sore when it came time to throw my Sunday papers a few hours later, though.

The next day we went to the Flowertown Festival. It's a local annual festival thing where people sell their wares and they have lots of food and little kiddie rides. It used to be a lot more fun when it was actually "local", but now that people come from miles and states around, it's mostly just crowded and hot! Trey's parents came b/c Trey had never been, and he thought they might enjoy it. I'm pretty sure they did. After we looked over the crafts and fudge and the like, we got to the kiddie rides section. The kids, although tired, were overjoyed. They rode a couple of rides, then we got to a giant blow-up slide. I thought nothing of it, since we frequent the bouncy house all the time. I handed over the three million tickets to get on, and up we went. Cole was too small to climb it himself, so I carried him. Taryn began to have trouble near the middle of the ladder, so I had to push her, too. At the same time, I was struggling to hold myself up and keep from falling. Little did I realize that this slide was much, MUCH higher and more steep than the ones I'm used to playing on! I believe it was then that I pulled my muscle...b/c I don't think my arms were made to hold small people, push them, and hold big people all at the same time! What sucks even more is that Cole did not enjoy the slide in the least!

Since then, I have been sore. It is not fun. Luckily, I happen to have some medicine left over from a few weeks ago, when I went to the doctor complaining about the same ailment. I do not think I have healed from that one yet. Needless to say, I'm trying desperately to get better (which is not helped by the fact that I have to throw papers every single day with the arm that is hurt!), so I can begin my MARATHON TRAINING on a good note come Monday. Wish me luck!

Oh, wait, on a more positive note, here are a few pics from the festival...mostly just of the kids riding rides, of course!

Can I, really?

2008-04-05T13:08:00.002-04:00

Okay, check this out. I am not a runner. It pains me to run to the other end of the living room. I am slowly becoming an exerciser in general, but have not yet ventured into the running arena.

The radio station I listen to, Free Beer and Hot Wings, runs in this marathon every year to benefit AT research. There is a marathon in Disney World in January that they run, and you have to earn money by getting sponsors and all that jazz. I want to do it. I do not want to do it this upcoming January. There is no way in hell. Not only am I literally not able, but I want that to be our big family trip to Disney World, and by this upcoming year the kids would not be old enough yet. I figure if I wait until the following Jan., then Cole will be three, and that should work. That gives me over a year and a half to prepare and train. In the meantime, I could perhaps run other marathons if I felt ready, or something like that. It seems pretty do-able.

So, I looked up training for a marathon on the internet. I found different programs, but the one that I liked the most was a 26 week one, which I'm sure would take me longer. No problem there, I have well over a year! I think it would be a great idea. I think I can do it.

Oh, but can I? How daunting this idea of mine is. I think about how if I started running and training how I would lose weight and get skinnier and be fit. How wonderful that would be! Then I think of how I have a gym membership, and how most days I don't make it just b/c I don't have time, I don't feel like it, or some other excuse. I was doing really well for a while, but since we came back from vacation, I haven't been able to get on board again with my exercise and diet routine. Do I really think I'm going to stick to a training routine that involves having to run at least every other day? I don't know. I feel like maybe if I tell people about it, and sign up and really dedicate and commit myself to it (ie-fill out the paperwork and tell people I don't even know that I'll be there!) that I'll do it. At least, that's what I hope! Also, there's a new group a different radio station I listen to started called the "Fit Club". They meet once a week and exercise together and diet or something. They seem to be doing great and all of the people are losing a lot of weight. I thought maybe I could join that and find someone of like mind. I also thought maybe, just maybe, I could convince Julia to train with me, since she is also trying to lose weight, and our families could all go together. I know, I just know, that her kids would LOVE to go to Disney World, and there is plenty of time to save up!

Okay, so tell me what you think. Do you think this is possible? I think it is, but man, it's scary to think about. I really do want to do this, but I feel like I'm really going to have to have some kind of support system set up to actually stick to it. Any ideas?

2008-04-03T20:24:00.001-04:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ALISON!!!!!

He's gonna kick my ass!

2008-03-30T22:04:00.006-04:00

Taryn has taken up a new hobby. It involves going through her ENTIRE wardrobe each day, mixed in with her actual dress-up clothes, and making the most interesting and garish outfits she can. She calls herself everything from a princess to a ballerina to a grandma (???). Usually, she'll start out in one outfit for about a half an hour or so, and will go to her room to play, then come out w/a new one on (usually inside-out). This goes on several times throughout the day. She does seem to understand that they are not "street clothes" though, b/c if we leave, she will immediately run to her room and put on normal clothes...that, surprisingly, she picks out on her own and not only match, but look great together! I wonder if this is a sign of something to come?...

All three of these were taken in the same day...and yes, she is wearing ONE sock outside in the dirt (mud)!

Trey is going to kick my ass, but I have to do this. I think it is the cutest thing in the world! He can't close his left eye w/o actually pushing it shut right now (due to the bells palsy thing). So, everytime he blinks, his left eye stays open. When he does, the pupil or whatever shoots upward. I love it! I chuckle when I see it, but I swear it's from excitement!

Tom Cruise is a psycho!

2008-03-27T21:38:00.003-04:00

Okay, okay, so I'm just now getting around to watching the video of Tom Cruise that was all the rage in January. Yeah, he's NUTS! What I gathered from what he said was that Scientologists are the only people who have consciences, and are good people. The rest of us choose not to do good in the world, b/c it's too much work. He swears that he's out to fight the good fight and "help people", yet I can't think of a single work of philanthropy he's done in recent times to "help people". No, wait, I looked it up, and here's a site that says he donated $20,000 to Jackie Chan's Hong Kong scholarship program? There you go, $20K...What's that, a couple days' income? Most of what I hear of him and Katie are how they attended this party and that....What a whack job!

The video

News of the weird...

2008-03-26T23:00:00.002-04:00

So, yesterday, Trey was taking a shower before work. I overheard him say, "This does not seem good at all." I wondered what he meant, so I asked. He said his face felt like it was going numb on one side, and told me about when he was little how the same thing had happened. Shortly after getting out of the shower, his arm on the same side went numb, which really freaked him out. So, he went on to work and told them the story. Then they sent him on to the doctor. The diagnosis: Bells Palsy, which is what he had before. Now, the left side of his face is completely numb (his arm is fine now, though...thank goodness, b/c he was worried it was a stroke!). He can't close his eye all the way, which is making it dry out and seriously bothering him. It's weird, his cheek skin is all saggy and soft, while the right side is tight. I keep putting my hand in front of his face and saying, "Trey now, Trey later. Trey now, Trey later. Trey now...." you get the point. Other than saggy face, he seems to be fine, though, thankfully. The dr. said he caught it early enough that he shouldn't have any problem. He has to take some medicine five times a day for ten days, and then some other med. twice a day. Igh! Supposedly, this should last about ten days or so. Unfortunately, he's going to have a problem w/his eye, especially when he goes to work tomorrow, since the heat from the lamps will really dry it out. Soooo, he might have to wear a patch. I say he goes all out and plays the best damn pirate California Dreaming has ever seen!

Anyway, that aside, I have to take TJ to the dentist tomorrow morning to get his cavities fixed. It will cost $400-something up front. Then, I'll have to take him back later to finish the job, and that will cost $300-something, also up front. I'm squirming just thinking about it! Anyone want to make a donation? I don't know what happened to just tying a string around a tooth and hooking it to a door to slam. Much, much cheaper. That kid better love me!

Well, gotta go to bed now. Busy day tomorrow, what with spending my life's savings on a couple of teeth! I hope you have a great day, and I'll see you later!

PS-Watch the video in my post under this one. It's crazy!

Whoa!

2008-03-26T12:40:00.001-04:00

Watch this (don't worry, it's short):

video

Kurt, this is clearly a misuse of such a wonderful website!

Let the weekend begin!

2008-03-22T14:07:00.006-04:00

Our weekend began yesterday. It was supposed to be my semi-day off, but it really didn't end up that way. My mom and Bo took TJ and Taryn to the zoo in Columbia (where, apparently, TJ's main concern was his candy and the person cleaning the tank in the aquarium!), leaving Cole with me.

(note Taryn's butt in the first pic! It seems to enjoy hanging out of her pants!)
My plan was to go grocery shopping, hang out, and take a good, quiet nap. I got my nap, but that's about it. I ended up having to work for a couple hours, but it wasn't so bad. However, before the kids left, we realized that the hamster had gotten out of her cage, and we couldn't find her. Butch found her while I was working...in the back yard! (I can not for the life of me figure out how she ended up outside!) Turns out something tried to eat her, and she was barely alive by the time I got home. I had to take her to the vet and have her put to sleep. I never realized how much it would bother me, but I was very upset about the whole ordeal. She had a seizure while I was on the phone with the vet, and it just made me want to cry. When they took her away to "put her out of her misery", it just felt, I dunno, wrong, weird, something. It was a very sad moment for me. Needless to say, as far as TJ knows, Snoopy is still out there somewhere, and we'll find her someday. We did, nonetheless, get a new hamster last night. Her name is Annie. She is a teddy bear hamster, and she can supposedly eat through metal. Wonder how long she'll stick around?!

Today has proven so far to be another emotional day. We got up early to go to an Easter Egg Hunt at the Y. Of course we were running late, then I went to the wrong place. We got there in plenty of time, though, and managed to get right through the line to take pics w/the Easter Bunny. Taryn refused to pick up her head, so TJ was so kind as to hold it up for her!

After that, they had the hunt for kids 1-3. For some reason, they felt it necessary to actually hide the eggs all over the playground for this age group. Cole found one, which was cool b/c he was more than happy with it. TJ helped Taryn find hers, and she got about six or seven. Good enough, I suppose. It was a little scary in there!

Then came time for TJ's age group, 4-7. I had to stay w/Taryn and Cole, so he had to go it alone. I noticed he didn't look very happy when he was heading out, and when he got to me, he started crying and said he only found one egg. It broke my heart. I almost cried, too. I told him the Easter Bunny's bringing him lots of candy tomorrow, and that we're having another egg hunt at Nana's, which seemed to help. Then Taryn shared some of hers by giving him all but two of them! However, I am still not over it! I still keep thinking about it and wanting to cry for him!

We made it though that, and decided to go to Julia's to play for a bit. We didn't stay too long, and as we were leaving, TJ said his ears itched. I just figured he was hot from running around, and didn't think twice about it. However, as we were driving home, he kept saying he was really itchy, and I noticed, as he was wiggling around and his shirt came up some, that his stomach was covered in bumps. Yeah, so it seems that Julia has poison ivy that will sometimes pop up in her back yard, and TJ managed to find the smallest possible poison ivy plant and get it on him enough to make his entire body break out in hives. The poor kid is just having a rough day! He's now covered in Cole's Desitin, and full of Benadryl. He seems fine, but man, I am just feeling awful for him! I guess that means I have to now put "poison ivy" in the blank at the dr's whenever it asks if he's allergic to anything, eh?

I hope your weekend is going well. We still have tomorrow left, when we will be traveling to Nana's house for church and Easter dinner. I hope you have a great Easter, and I'll see you later!

Other meanings...

2008-03-19T14:26:00.003-04:00

"Take it where you shake it", a popular new phrase out on the "streets", has now made its way into the Urban Dictionary. Here, the definition means to "go away". However, I may have found a different meaning for this phrase that fits my own life.

Last week, we went over to Julia's mom's house and played on her new Wii. It was instant love for Trey. We had already talked about getting one in the future, b/c it's much more active than most video game systems, and the games look like fun. We'd considered getting one w/the tax relief money we're supposed to get soon. That was the plan.

However, since Friday, Trey has thought of nothing else. We ran to Wal-Mart the other day, and he was supremely dismayed to find that they were sold out. Sam's, too. Best Buy, too. Target, too. The man who can't pick up a phone to call his own mother on Mother's Day actually picked up the phone to call Circuit City and every other place he could think of to try to find one. All sold out. Even online. I figured it was over.

Little did I know, someone decided to sell theirs on craigslist for a steal. So, guess what...we now have a Wii. He's playing it right now. Has been all day long. He wants everyone we know to come over and play it. TJ loves it. Even I am kinda enjoying it. I beat TJ at bowling, so yeah, I enjoyed it (only b/c he beat me the first game, and said, "I'm gonna let you win this one, Mommy, so you can win one, too. Oh, but I'm still gonna win." ???)

Anyway, back to my point. I would like to enter an alternate definition of "Take it where you shake it" to mean "Get your stuff where you live". Yep, cause that's what I do w/craigslist. So far, just this week we've gotten a Wii and a play car for Cole for the back yard. The list is too long to go into of all of the stuff I've gotten from craigslist. Even our new AWESOME babysitter was found through craigslist. So, I think that craigslist new motto could be "Take it where you shake it". Yep, I shake it here in SC, and that's where I want to take my stuff!

PS-Go here: Wii Have a Problem
It's a website devoted to bad stuff happening w/people's Wii's (breaking tv's w/remotes, remotes flying out of windows, etc.). Great stuff!

I stole this...

2008-03-15T11:10:00.004-04:00

This was on Christie's blog, but it's SOOOOOO cute! It's a three-year-old describing Star Wars...

Take it where you shake it!

2008-03-11T21:45:00.003-04:00

That is what I really want to tell my boss right now, among other things.

So let me tell you about my work drama now: Last month, after a very bad second half of 2007 at work (we had high complaints, and that's not good...means bad service), our boss told us he would begin charging $5 a day everyday that we were late coming to pick up our papers (after 4 am), starting in March. I didn't like the idea, but I figured he would drop the threat like he does everything else, and the problem would work itself out. So I said nothing.

Fast-forward to our paychecks we received this past week...for the month of February. Two of my fellow carriers were charged for being late, and more than once. Neither could remember being late, and were obviously confused. I was, as well, since we were told the charges wouldn't begin until March, and these were charges for Feb. days. I was a little pissed, even though I, personally, wasn't charged anything (only b/c I had to move my alarm clock to the other side of the room so I'd start coming in on time!).

So, I wrote an email to my boss, urging him to drop this new idea of his and return the money. My main argument? It's illegal what he's doing. We are independent contractors, and sign a contract when we start. We are only bound by what is in that contract, and nothing else. Never did our boss come to us with new contracts to sign, and thus, the charges are not justified. As well, he set up no system whatsoever to determine who was late, other than to ask the guy who is there each day who was late. Therefore, when you receive the charge on your paycheck, you have no idea what day(s) you were charged for, how late you were, or if it's even a legitimate charge. It doesn't help that the guy he has in charge happens to be very fickle, and goes from day-to-day on who his cronies and enemies are. Oh, and it also doesn't help that half the time he's not there at 4 am to know if you're late or not! I said other stuff, but that was the gist of the letter. I tried not to sound mean, accusatory, or threatening, but I did say, in not so many words, that if it wasn't put to a stop, I would take the steps necessary to do so.

I sent him the email, as well as a few people I thought might be interested in my thoughts on the matter. Most were, and told me they agreed. I later found out that the rest went crying to the boss-man that I had been sharing information with them. Whatever...Anyway, he said he'd look over my "charges", and get back to me the next day.

That next day was Sunday, and I heard nothing. Nor did I hear anything yesterday. So, this morning I asked a girl who I know regularly talks to him if she'd heard anything. She told me he's super pissed and that he thinks I'm not being loyal to him. WHAT!?? LOYAL!???

So, I wrote him another email today (I don't like to talk on the phone, b/c then you have to hear their side, too, and everyone knows that's no fun! I mean, I already know I'm right, so I'll save them the trouble of trying to change my mind!). This one was about my loyalty to him. I told him that I am loyal to him in that I will do my best at my job, and that's as far as it goes. First and foremost, I am loyal to my family, and what's best for us. I am fighting this charge he has created b/c it's not only a threat to my income, but also morally just wrong. I mean, most businesses, when you have people who are late, you write them up and/or fire them. Instead, he's punishing us by taking our money. Look, when you are late, you run the risk of getting late complaints for papers not delivered on time. Complaints are super costly. That in itself is punishment enough! Basically, he doesn't want to go out and find new carriers, so instead of dealing with the repeat offenders he's got, he's just going to take it from everyone and not deal with the problem. It's a fact that we all deliver papers 7 days a week, 365 days a year. We have no sick days or anything. If you want time off, you have to find a substitute, and you not only have to pay that person, but you have to pay for any mistakes they make. Therefore, if I oversleep a bit one day, I think he could show a little compassion. I need that money, and it's pretty crappy that he's decided to take it from me. Not to mention, where does it go? My being late does not take anything away from my boss, so basically, that money goes straight into his pocket. Pretty crappy if you ask me.

Anyway, he wrote back to me after that. He wanted to know why I was speaking for all of the other contractors, since this didn't even affect me. WHAT!??? It affects me! If I oversleep, I know I'm going to lose my hard-earned money, and I still have to go in and do my job! That's bull-shit! I told him I'm fighting this now, b/c it's easier for me to do it now, while it's still fresh in everyone's minds and they are upset about it, than later when everyone's become complacent about it and aren't so willing to fight. He said he's going to get his attorney to draw up a new contract, and I wish I could get everyone to refuse to sign it. Sadly, I know that won't happen. At least, though, if we do sign it, then it will be legal. I still don't think it's right, though. He just basically gave himself a raise. Yeah, yeah, we could just come in on time, but...we're talking principles here!

One chick told me I'd better watch myself and what I say to him. I don't know what that meant, but I'd sure like to see him fire me. I need something to feel passionate about lately, and what better than fighting my ex-boss! He'd have to find a really good reason, too. I'm one of his best carriers. I haven't paid for complaints in a long time, and my service is stellar. Before this, he loved me. Now, I dunno...I have stood up to him before on issues, and I think he's realized that I'm not playing. Oh, one chick called me and told me she was mad that I beat her to the punch. I didn't even write to him until two days after we'd gotten paid, and she actually did pay late charges. I'm not sure when she was planning to talk to him about it, but it would seem a good idea to do it sooner than later.

Wow, this has gotten LONG! Anyway, that's my work drama for now. As of yet, he hasn't put an end to the late charges, but we'll see where that goes. I have a feeling this is far from over. I'll keep you up-to-date on what happens from here on out, if you so desire.

Talk to you later!

OUCH!

2008-03-08T22:22:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, and I chose to lie on the couch for a little bit while the kids ate their breakfast. Cole and Taryn chose to climb all over me. It sucked. Cole decided that he really wanted to play on the end table next to the couch. That's a no-no in our house. So, I pulled his leg to get him back down onto the couch. Somehow, in the process, he got turned upside-down and his head came crashing down onto my nose. It hurt. A LOT. Strangely, my eyes didn't well up with tears as they usually do when my nose gets hurt, but it was painful beyond anything that has ever happened to my nose before. It still hurts now, and it's giving me a nasty headache. I don't think it's swollen, at least not much, but man it hurts!

TJ started karate last week. The teacher said he did really well, which is good. Julia said he's not the type to tell parents their kid is doing well if they're not, so that makes me happy.

Cole is also doing his swimming lessons now. He's not quite taking to it like Taryn did, but maybe he'll open up soon enough. Thankfully, this time we only have to go every Saturday, instead of every other day.

Oh, get this: We have found a BABYSITTER! She's perfect! The kids love her! She charges a decent rate! I'm so HAPPY! We went out last night and ate at Carabba's (sadly, all we had time for after we spent an hour and a half waiting to sit at my brother's table!). It was great! We got out and got to be ALONE for the first time in I don't know how long. I can't wait till we can afford to hire her again and go out, and neither can the kids! Oh, and Kurt, if you read this...I found her on craigslist!

I've got probably a hundred more things to tell, but I have to go to bed now. Gotta work in a couple hours, since we changed the clocks. UGH! I was gonna tell you about this drama at work, and see what you thought, but I guess I'll wait till it plays out, then I'll have more to say!

Have a great day! See you later!

Seriously overdue...

2008-03-01T11:42:00.005-05:00

No, I'm not talking about my library books, although they always are by the time I turn them in!

Really, though, I've been pretty absent lately, eh? Been pretty busy. We just got back into town the other day, and man, did we have fun! Oh, and I have a story to tell you, too, from when we got back!

So we went to the mountains. The house was great, and everyone who was supposed to come did. Well, at first. The second day we went out and checked out downtown Gatlinburg, which is like a mini version of Myrtle Beach. There were all those Ripley's places and candy stores and stores that sell crafty stuff and basic souvenir shops. My favorite was the Harley Davidson store, of course it was also the most expensive, and therefore, not in my price range! That night, Ashley showed up with her aunt and a couple other people, and we sat up drinking and hot-tubbing till the wee hours.

The next day, Ashley and her people got up EARLY and went shopping all day. When she got home, she said she'd spent all her money and promptly left. I was pretty pissed off. Also, Mike's friends left that same day, b/c their tiny baby was sick w/a cold. Suddenly, the house seemed pretty empty. However, we still had fun.

We went skiing the next day, and I discovered that I am NOT cut out for skiing. Amanda and I split the cost to rent one set of ski equipment, and that was a great idea. We each went down one time, which took about an hour for each of us, and we both fell at least a hundred times each! Trey was our teacher, and he's pretty darn good. Justin was snowboarding, and I guess he did well, I never got to actually see him. Mike, I think, got better as he went. Near the end, TJ wanted to ski some more (yes, he skied, and so did Taryn...sorta!), so Trey took him to the little practice place, or so we thought...They were gone for a LONG time, and no one could see them. The next thing I knew, I looked up the slope, and there were Trey and TJ coming down the mountain together! I almost died! However, it seems that TJ, with the aide of Trey, is pretty good, and only fell two times. Who knew! What I don't get is how TJ made it up on the ski lift, b/c that was by far the most terrifying event of my life! I was 100% sure I was going to die! The funniest part, to me, was that according to Trey, I wasn't doing too badly. However, every time I started going fast, I would freak out and make myself fall down! I'd say I need to learn how to slow down, but I'm pretty sure I'm done with skiing...at least for a LONG time! I'm still sore from all of the falling...my butt, my arms, my neck, etc...

We came home the next day, and as much as I liked being there and seeing snow (that's all the kids really cared about, quote Taryn, "I maked a snowball fight with you, Daddy!") and getting away, I was happy to be home.

Oh, so I forgot to tell you, I dropped my camera while we were at the ski place and broke it. Therefore, I have no pictures, igh. I hear Justin made a video of me skiing (well, mostly falling), but I have no desire to see said video, and I hope it accidentally gets burned up in a fire or melted by acid. So anyway, when I got home, I made it my goal to get a new camera. I went on craigslist, my new shopping home, and found one for a great deal. I picked it up on Thursday. I brought it home and goofed off with it. I made a video of TJ, and put the memory card into the reader. A screen popped up asking me if I wanted to view the video. I found it a little strange that it didn't let me download it first, but I went ahead and pushed okay. As TJ and Trey sat in anticipation of my little video of TJ being an idiot, they were, uhhhh, surprised to see a guy and a girl butt naked going at it instead. Yeah. So, what did I do? I watched it for a few minutes in total shock before I realized TJ was still watching, and it needed to be turned off. Afterwards, I figured out that I was trying to figure out if the girl was the chick that sold me the camera, which is why it took me so long to cut it off. Naturally, Trey and I freaked out, so TJ begged to watch "the bad movie" again! I searched the camera and the memory card. There were no porno videos on them anywhere. There were, however, a couple of pics of the people I got the camera from, and it was not her in the video! I searched our computer and found nothing, either. Oh, and I failed to mention that we got a BRAND NEW computer the day before (yep, 40 GB memory was stone-age...we've moved up in the world!)! I do not know where that video came from, but man, was that an interesting experience!

So, anyway, I guess that's enough for now. I leave you w/pics from my new camera of my babies and their new haircuts from last night (well, not Taryn, but...):

I can hardly wait...

2008-02-08T21:37:00.000-05:00

In just a couple weeks we are going to the mountains. I don't know if I'm going to make it. I need a break. This trip promises to be fun, and it's cool that we will have lots of tax money back, so we can spend a dime here or there to do some fun stuff.

Today we had a "Cupcake Party" for TJ. It was his official gathering for his birthday (although I forgot to have everyone sing 'Happy Birthday'). He said it was cool to go skiing instead of having a party for him, but that he really wanted some friends over and a cake. Done deal. It cost me about three dollars, just enough to make the cupcakes...No, wait, five bucks, I forgot about the little paper cups for them. Best price for a birthday party, EVER. I also had everyone bring cupcakes, so we did an exchange, and now we have a few for later!

Trey's Valentine's Day gifts are gotten and he's good to go now. I got him a foosball table and an air hockey table today. I traded gift certificates for the foosball, and only paid $50 for the hockey table. Now he's got those and a ping-pong table, and a dartboard for his "MAN ROOM" (aka-the garage). When we get a little more money, we can make it more cozy, but for now he's got plenty of fun recreational stuff to do. He's enjoying the ping-pong table already. He seems to relish the fact that he's tons better than everyone else we know, including me. I think it's from the millions of times he watched "Forrest Gump".

Anyway, I guess I'd better go get ready for bed. We have a birthday party to attend tomorrow, and I haven't even thought about what to get her yet. I think I'll take Sunday for a day of rest...if we have time! I hope you're having a great day, and I'll see you soon!

Great news!

2008-02-05T22:34:00.000-05:00

I've lost 15 lbs. so far! HOORAY! I went to weigh myself this morning, thinking I wouldn't like what it said, and lo and behold, it said I'd lost five more pounds! I'll take that! I've had a kinda nasty cold lately, so when I went to workout yesterday, I couldn't breathe enough to handle the cardio for more than a few minutes. However, I decided it was time to start doing two reps of all of my weight-lifting. Man, do I feel it today! Pretty soon, when Trey wants to wrestle, I might stand a chance at at least knocking him off of me!

We've been back and forth b/t running like headless chickens and sick as dogs. Neither is very fun, especially when you're running all over town and sick at the same time! I'm so ready for the end of the month and our trip to the mountains!

Anyway, I'm sorry I haven't been around lately. I'm assuming anyone's been here to notice. Perhaps someday soon, when we get our lives a little more balanced and calmer, I'll be able to post more. Until then, I hope everything is going well with you!

Another page in my "Mother of the Century" book!

2008-01-27T14:31:00.001-05:00

Okay, so I have been working hard to curb my "potty" language around my kids. I think I'm doing pretty well. I still have an occasional "Dammit!" here and there, quietly, of course, but overall have cut most of it off. There was a moment yesterday where I hit my head and screamed out, "SHIT!", but I don't even think they heard me, so...It helps that most of my conversations are with them, at which times I feel no need to use such language. Well...most of the time, if you get my drift!

Anyway, I was quite thrown for a loop the other day, when, while eating dinner, TJ busted out with this:

"Get out of my fuckin' car!"

He and Taryn were playing with Matchbox cars while they ate at the table. I wasn't really paying attention to the plot of the storyline they were in, but I'm sure it had to do with going to the "moooobie tee-ater" and fighting bad guys (every single time it does). That line kinda popped out of nowhere. I asked TJ what he had just said, and he was so kind as to repeat it for me. We had a talk about why that was bad, and that little kids don't say words like that. He seemed to get it.

So, later, when I was on the phone with my mom, and the kids were playing in another room, I figured it'd be okay to tell her what happened. I actually used the word "f-ing" instead of the right word, in case they did hear me. They did hear me. TJ came running into the room and said, "No, Mommy, the word was 'fucking'!" Wow.

So I thought about it, and I've decided that this one is not my fault. I've noticed lately that when we are in the car, and Trey is driving, he uses very colorful language when someone pisses him off. I've heard him use that very word several times, and on occasion I point out that there are ears in the back of the car that can hear and repeat him. He was with the kids the day before, and had been driving for a while. I'm pretty sure TJ picked it up then. So, for now, I feel better. Only somewhat, of course, as it still shows that we have some work to do to curb our mouths before we make little people with mouths as bad as our own!

Well, perhaps this will win me some kind of award for "Worst Mother Ever" or something. At the very least, perhaps TJ will figure out to use this nice little 'f' word on the playground when some bully is kicking his ass. That would be nice, I suppose.

Excitement is in the air...

2008-01-19T21:25:00.001-05:00

Today I weighed myself, and so far I've lost 8 lbs. Yeah, it's not anywhere near as much as Trey and Butch have lost in their competition, but it's a start. I've gone to work out twice now, just doing a half hour of cardio for now. Today was TONS easier than the last time, so that's cool. This is all very exciting!

What's also exciting is that we have a trip coming up. Trey and his friend Mike decided they wanted to have a big group go skiing, so we found a house and it's on. At the end of February we will be going to Gatlinburg for skiing and fun. TJ chose that instead of having a birthday party, and my friend Ashley's little girl (who's 5th birthday is in Feb.) will also be celebrating her birthday there with us. How fun! There will be 6 couples going, as well as some kids. We haven't decided if we're taking all three of ours yet or not. I feel like we should, though, b/c Taryn's more excited about it than TJ is! Anyway, check out the house we're going to be staying in, it's pretty cool, and quite a nice price! Smoky Mountain Mist

I guess that's about all of the good news for now. I'm going to go try to fit in a few minutes of tv before I take a shower and pass out for the night. I hope you have a great day, and I'll see you soon!

Now I know why I stay fat!

2008-01-15T23:17:00.000-05:00

Because it's SO much easier! Today I went to my first workout session at the YMCA. All I had to do was exercise on the cardio equipment for 30 minutes. All I had to do! P-sha! It seemed easy enough. She wanted me to get my heart rate up to 143 for most of the time, but that wasn't happening. I managed to get it there for a few minutes shortly after I started, and I thought for sure my heart was going to beat right out of my chest and I was going to die! I did my best, with a couple of breaks in between, and lived to the end of my time. When I finished, I was sure that at any moment I was going to fall over dead. I didn't, but I sure wanted to. I'm supposed to go back on Thursday, but man, I'm scared just thinking about it! I know it's a good thing, though, and that it will get easier with time...if I don't fall over dead first! However, I will mention that I kinda forgot to eat lunch before I went (lost track of the time), and I didn't eat a whole lot for breakfast four and a half hours before. I also didn't bring water, not realizing that I'd actually be working out today. Perhaps that will help the next time.

Oh, I was also told that the 1200-1500 calories that I've been eating each day are not enough. I was told I can't eat less than 1800 until my body and stomach have gotten used to everything and shrunken down some. Do you know that that was the highlight of my day! I immediately went home and had two more bites of everything, which pretty much covered those extra calories!

Okay, talk to you later! Bye!

Five years ago today...

2008-01-07T22:02:00.000-05:00

I was welcoming my first child into the world. Can you believe it? I certainly can't. While I admit that the memories have somewhat become a blendy-swirl between the three of them, I still remember my perfect little sweet bundle of baby. He was so laid back, never cried, and, according to my mom, was "always so serious". It's true. He still is. I still see a lot of characteristics in him that we noticed early on. Like his wacky sense of humor. He was always goofy in a non-baby-like way, which is something that Taryn certainly is not. His memory and intelligence still astound me to this day. I was so proud that I was the only person with a two-year-old who could say the words 'astronaut' and 'exterminator' like an adult, and who could count to ten before he was two. He still surprises me on a daily basis. Now he remembers EVERYTHING that comes out of my mouth that benefits him, and is doing simple addition problems w/o even having been taught yet. Just yesterday, he came up to me and asked, "What's 2+3?" I said, "I don't know, you tell me." He held up his fingers, added it up, and said, "5". Hey, maybe that's something that five-year-olds can do, but I don't care. I do know that he's setting the bar pretty high for the other two kids, though! So, Happy Birthday, TJ! Life with you has definitely been an experience I'll never forget!

So, as far as today, it was a HORRIBLE day! To begin with, it was pretty cool. Trey and I started our diets, low calorie, this morning, and I joined the YMCA for the family. That was cool. That was, however, where all coolness ended.

On the way home I stopped by the bank to transfer money to my mom that I owe her for rent, and it was unavailable b/c I had just deposited it this morning at the ATM. No big deal, I'll just do it tomorrow, but it's still a pain in the ass.

Once I got home, I rushed the kids into the car so we could go to the children's museum downtown. I was already running late (I had to meet someone at 4, and we wouldn't even get to the museum till 2), but we were still okay. So, we get there, and we head over to the museum. It's closed. I'm pissed. However, TJ reassured me that it was okay, and that we can just go back another day. "Let's just find something else fun to do, Mommy." Once I got over my ranting and raving (and cursing), I decided we would go ice skating (b/c I'm not too smart).

I still had to wait till 4 to meet the guy I was going to buy Taryn's bike from (from craigslist), so we needed to stay in the area. So I took the kids to James Island County Park, and we had a picnic-ish lunch and I let them play at the playground. The kids enjoyed themselves, that much I can say. Within five minutes of getting there, Taryn had peed her pants. No problem, I had a spare pair of undies and some shorts. Off she went to play some more. Five minutes later, the shorts were soaked, along with her socks and shoes. Riiiiiggghhhhhhhttttttt...No worries, I happened to have another spare pair of panties, which I never thought I'd use. So, now she was in just her shirt and undies, but hey, I'm sure the moms understood...although I still disclosed to every mom I could get near that she did come in pants, and that I don't typically take her out in public in just her underwear. Time passed, and I went to sit down from playing for a few minutes. I look up, and there is Taryn running toward me, yelling my name, with her panties IN HER HAND! This guy was kind enough to let me know that she "took off her drawers", although I, sadly, had already figured that much out. Luckily, I just happened to have one more pair of spare panties in the bag. Why, I have no idea, but hey, it worked. Needless to say, at that point, ice skating was out. I'm not sad about this, though, b/c the more I think about it, the more I think that was a bad idea to even think of attempting by myself.

So, we go to meet the guy with the bike, but he's not home. Luckily, he answered his cell phone, and told me just to leave the money in the door. I got her bike. We went home from there, and she just HAD to ride it. Naturally, TJ and Taryn were both tired, so I should have said no to avoid the chaos and whining, and ALL OUT FREAK OUTS they both had when they couldn't get their bikes to do what they wanted. After ten minutes, I was done. I, too, was tired, and this was not cool.

Did I happen to mention that the hallway toilet overflowed and flooded the bathroom? No? Well, it did. Not my favorite thing to clean up. As a matter of fact, I guess I should switch over that load of towels now...

After dinner, since we didn't get to do the "fun stuff" I'd promised, I told TJ we could bake cookies. That worked out alright, except by this point my nerves were shot and I just wanted them in bed and away from me. TJ pushed my buttons again by not doing what he was told twenty seven times to do, and I lost it. I don't remember my exact words, but I do know that there were some that I would prefer he not repeat back to me. Do you know what he did after I yelled the way I did? Laughed. Is this really what five-year-olds are like? I want my perfect baby back!

I'll talk to you later! I hope you have a great day!

Highlights of 2007

2008-01-01T11:49:00.000-05:00

2007 was definitely a LONG and interesting year, but it was much better than the few years before. 2008 promises to be even better. I think we're finally starting to settle down and get ourselves together a bit....I hope.

Let's see what fun stuff 2007 brought:

Cole turned one. My last baby to be a "baby". Yeah, sure, he's still a baby, but now he's also a "big boy", so it's a little sad for me. Not quite the soft, tiny, snuggly little ball of helplessness he once was. Now he's the wants-to-be-independent little ball of funny. He's hilarious, and he's ALWAYS smiling. I love that about him! He also learned to walk, and got his first haircut...he's growing up! WAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!

Taryn turned two. Before she was two, she spoke very little and knew few words. Now, she never, NEVER stops talking! TJ is actually quieter than her now. Scary...but really, really cute! Her little voice is adorable, and some of the ways she says things just makes you giggle (ie-tag, you're ip!).

Trey got promoted to Head Kitchen Manager. Yeah, he's played that role for a while now, but he's even got chef coats to prove it now...he's really got the title. January promises a possible raise to match the job, too!

I won an iPhone and an iPod Nano. Yeah, sure, I sold the iPhone b/c honestly, I really didn't need it, and I can't afford to get it hooked up, or to keep it working. It was exciting, though, while it lasted. Trey really likes his iPod.

Taryn cut her finger open...it was not fun. However, now she is VERY cautious around knives! Oh, and she ate one of my Lexapro pills and had to be taken to the hospital for an EKG and to drink some charcoal. Nice. Oh, and she ran away and was found in the next neighborhood over. Yep, good times. It scares me to think of all of the fun in store if this is how she starts out!

96Wave left us, forever. Okay, sure, you can now find them online, but who cares. I don't listen to the internet in my car, so as far as I'm concerned, they have left forever. I miss 96Wave. I really did like that station.

I got diagnosed w/ADHD (and as bipolar, which I might argue). I've thought for a LONG time that it was a contributor to my problems, and now I have proof. I haven't done anything about it, of course, but perhaps that can be dealt with in the new year.

The end of Harry Potter came. I love those books! I'm not usually into that sort of story-telling, but that J.K. Rowling, man does she know how to write! I miss Harry.

My friend Wilson was shot on a pizza delivery. That was so awful. I really do miss him. The people you see at work become like family, and I was working two jobs with him for a while there. He was so funny, and such a cute little man. He worked hard for his family, and it makes me sad that they can't benefit from his love anymore. He talked constantly about his kids and how proud of them he was. I hope one day I'm as great a parent as he was, and just as nice a person all-around.

Mike had a baby! Well, his wife Amanda did. I never thought he'd finally get the joy, and he did! Little Logan is SO CUTE, and has the chubbiest little legs! Mike is going to be a great dad, and Amanda is a great woman. He really has gotten what he deserves. I'm so happy for him!

I worked for two weeks outside of paper delivery. There was that week of 9-1-1 dispatching, and the week at Carabba's. They were fun. Just the wrong time.

We went to the beach during the summer for a week. My mom hooked us up with a room, and we got to spend time with her and Bo, his brother and sister, and Julia and her kids for a couple of days. They came up and played with us for a while. I got to shop with my mom, play in the sand, and swim, swim, swim! TJ still constantly talks about the lazy river at our hotel, and everytime he sees one, assumes they have one and that we should go to it!

Trey and I put up a fence...and for my first time, it came out darn well! It's even still up and holding the kids in the back yard!

I won a BLOG EXCELLENCE AWARD for "Most Pregnancies by a Woman in One Blog". It's a coveted award, one which many have tried for. In 2006, though, I won, with three pregnancies, only two during the duration of my blog though. This year I'm hoping to win the award for "Best Use of the F Word by a Toddler" for TJ's wonderful antics when letting me know he was hungry early in January of 2007. Wish me luck!

We went to the mountains with Julia's family and Mike and his wife, Amanda. We rented a big cabin near a lake and had a good ol' time. That was a lot of fun. This year, Trey wants to go skiing with a bunch of people in February. That should be tons of fun, too.

Well, I imagine there's a lot more stuff that was cool this year, but Cole is crying on my shoulder, and Taryn's in the background crying about something, too. So, I guess I better run. I hope your 2008 is fantastic, and I'll talk to you soon!

Good, bad, indifferent...

2007-12-16T21:21:00.000-05:00

So, remember that iPhone I supposedly won? Well, I haven't seen it yet. I've called to make sure I didn't miss something, but undoubtedly it hasn't come in yet. It's a little frustrating. I'm sad, b/c I can't afford to get it hooked up, so I'm going to have to end up selling it. Of course, I'd have to have it to sell it. I plan to use the money I get from it to help pay for a vacation Trey is about to bust to take in the new year. I figure that would be good. He will really make out from my winnings. I already gave him the iPod I won. It's pretty neat. The screen is really small, but SO CLEAR. I watched a movie on it the other day, and even though it was tiny, you could see everything with plenty of detail. I was impressed!

So tonight it's supposed to get down to freezing here. That might not seem like anything to anyone outside of SC, but it's a pretty big deal here. While there were blizzards and power outages from freezing in the midwest and pretty much everywhere else in the world, here it's been like summer for the last couple of weeks. I've kinda felt guilty for being out enjoying such nice weather while people a few states over huddle together in bundled clothing with fires to keep warm. There were even people dying! The only way to die here would be if you had suffered from heat exhaustion or something! I was on the verge of turning on the a/c, but I refused (we really needed it, though). There's just something seriously wrong about using your air conditioning in the middle of December! Finally, though, I can wear my sweatshirt I bought and promised myself I'd wear every single day of winter!

Other than that, no big news going on here. I'm trying to make it to and through Christmas. I'm sure I'm not the only one, though. I hope you're having a great week, and I'll see you soon!

This guy is the BEST Santa EVER!

2007-12-09T23:19:00.000-05:00

He was so patient with my kids, even though he'd been there for hours already, still had hours left, and had seen TONS of not-so-fun kids already! I LOVE him!

Taryn insisted on bringing that book with her. She found it in my closet, and it's some women's devotional book...not even any pictures!

Oh, and I just put these here for your viewing pleasure. They make me smile!

In that second one, Cole's dead asleep! He couldn't even stay awake to finish his sucker!

Have a great day! I'll talk to you later.

Gone, Daddy, gone!

2007-12-07T17:12:00.000-05:00

It was brought to my attention today that someone in the world still comes here to see if I've written anything, and, sadly, finds nothing new usually. Yes, yes, it's true. I have been a blog loser lately. I just don't "feel" it. You know what I mean? I don't feel motivated to write on here, and usually don't even want to look (although I still force myself, to keep up w/other people's lives...can't get behind on what's going on w/other people, right?).

So, another reason for my absence has a lot to do with the fact that I have been busy, busy, BUSY lately. I feel like all I do is wake up for the day, feed the kids, run errands, feed the kids again, play, take a nap, feed them again, put them to bed, clean, then go to bed for three hours before I wake up to go to work, everyday. Oh, and then there's the whole new job I have. I spend three hours on Tuesday night, and two on Wednesday morning, delivering papers. Fun. It's helping on the money front, at least.

Hey, I've got a question for you. Since I know most anyone I think might still read this, I probably won't get much of an answer, but...Do any of you tip your newspaper delivery person or mailperson? If you do, or know someone who does, how much? I'm hoping to get some tips from my route, but I have no idea how it works, and I'm curious. Of course, I guess I could just wait and find out, but I'm so not good with the whole waiting thing!

Oh, get this: I finally get ahead of things and take the kids to get Christmas pics at the beginning of last month. I just took them to Wally World, b/c I was planning just to get the special deal. Of course, I got talked into a larger, much more expensive package that I couldn't afford. Nonetheless, I was excited to get pics of my beautiful babies. I went to pick them up today, and they messed them up. The main pic of them all together wouldn't print for some reason, so now I have to take them back to take the pic again! It was not easy getting them ready and taking them up there, and then actually taking a decent picture of them. Then you have to wait two weeks, too. I already waited almost a month for these! I was planning on sending out cards w/their pics in them (the package came w/about three million wallet sized pics!), and now I can't. Well, I could, but I might get some strange looks when people receive their Christmas cards on January 10th! I'm so bummed. Naturally, too, all three of them are now in dire need of a haircut, so I'll have to do that before I go so they will look human again! Boo, boo, boo! That's the last time I go to Wal-Mart for pictures. It's been a big disappointment all around!

Okay, well, I gotta go find some food for dinner now. I hope you have a great day, and I'll see you later.

Pretty cool

2007-11-23T20:45:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving went well here on my homefront. I hope it was the same where you were. We had it at my house this year, and I was apprehensive. Trey worked hard and got the house really, really clean. I wasn't much help, but I can honestly say that this last week I have basically been doing good to stay awake and function at all. I had a LOT of work with my three paper jobs, and Trey's schedule wasn't exactly meshing with mine, so sleep wasn't much of an option. Anyway, it worked out well. Grandma and Grandaddy came over to our house for the first time since we moved here, and Grandaddy was really good (he has Alzheimer's, and he gets nervous and acts out when he's not in his usual surroundings). We figured they'd stay long enough to eat, then have to make a run for home, but they ended up staying over two hours. I took Grandaddy for a walk after we ate, when he started to get cranky, and everything worked out well. I thought it was kinda funny when they left, b/c he got mad when I put him in the car and started yelling at me. I think it's b/c he wanted to stay. I kinda don't blame him...my neighborhood is a change of scenery from the 2-3 walks a day around the few blocks he can go in! I wanted them to stay so Grandma could just hang out and be untrapped from her house for a while, but she was worried he'd start really acting up, so they left. Still, I'm really glad they came.

Oh, and the food was good, too. I made sweet potato casserole/souffle (I don't know what the hell it's called!). I was frustrated when shopping for the ingredients, b/c to buy a bag of finely chopped walnuts it was about half the price of the ones that were just chopped somewhat. I was trying to save money, so I got the finely chopped ones, but I really wanted the others. However, I was pleasantly surprised to find that those tiny walnut pieces were just perfect. They added just the right amount of flavor, but weren't so chunky in your bites. I'm glad I did it now! I also made mac and cheese in my crockpot, and it worked out well. Last year it came out dry, so I'm glad it was good this year and that it was good enough that it was the only thing that was completely gone before we even got close to finishing eating! Not that I was necessarily happy about that, since I love mac and cheese, and I kinda wanted some leftovers!

Anyway, I do hope that you all had a great Thanksgiving and a good time stuffing your faces. If you didn't have Thanksgiving, then I hope your Thursday was great! Talk to you later!

Guess what!

2007-11-17T19:01:00.000-05:00

Yesterday, the day before, and several hours of the day before that, I listened to 95SX, the local pop Top 40 station, for almost the entire day. I walked around with either the radio in the house on (banning all tv for the day!), or with my Zune plugged into one ear so I could hear every song they played. Why, you ask, would I do such a silly thing? Well, I answer, b/c they were having a contest in which they play a certain song each day, and when it comes on, you text them. If you are the 95th texter, then you win.

Yesterday was the last day of the contest, and it was getting down to the wire. I suffered through many a song, including Britney Spears and Avrile Lavigne, all for the sake of winning. I knew that they would play it sometime in the afternoon hours, so I would not be taken from my radio. I even missed naptime, which I was not so happy about. Needless to say, they finally announced at 4 pm that the song would be played before 5, so I at least had a time frame to look forward to. Naturally, they played the song at 5:00 on the dot! Whatever, the time to text had begun!

I texted to their number with the word "IPhone" at least a million times, or so it felt. Thankfully, my phone has that cute little keyboard, so I could type relatively easily, but it still took forever on each one. I just knew, though, that I would be texters 94 and 96. I never win anything...Oh, and on a side note, I prayed to God to help me win, knowing that it's not really right to ask God for stuff like that, but telling Him that, well, I just really want to win something!...

I waited and waited to hear the phone ring, and nothing came...until, about fifteen minutes later, it rang! I WON, I WON! I sounded pretty darn good on the radio, too. I'm thinking maybe a career in radio? Hmmm...

Anyway, wanna know what I won? I won an IPhone and an IPod Nano. Isn't that cool!? I'm so excited! I have zero need for an IPhone at all, but yet, I want one so bad. I looked it up online last night, and I'm pretty sure I'll need to get a "professional" career just so I won't look like a weirdo walking around with it. Something tells me that not too many stay-at-home moms are carrying around such high-tech pieces of equipment! It also looks like it might eliminate the need for my Zune, so perhaps I can make a few bucks selling that (on craigslist, of course!). Trey even wins, b/c he's going to get either the Nano (depends on how much I love it, even though the IPhone has an IPod built in), or my Zune. Looks like my Christmas shopping for him is done!

Isn't that so cool! I can't wait till I get them at the end of the week! Sadly, I don't have AT&T, which, from what I understand, is the only service I can use for it. However, I've been wanting to ditch Alltel for a while now, so this might just be my moment.

Anyway, I've gone on long enough. I hope you're having a great day, and I'll see you later!

MY SANITY!

2007-11-10T22:21:00.001-05:00

We have not had the internet at our house all week. Apparently, we have a bit of a "rodent" problem, and they think that the phone line that runs under the office is quite tasty. Rats suck.

Anyway, we have it back now...for how long I don't know...and I am so happy. It's funny how many websites you hear about that you just MUST go to when you just can't. I did go to my mom's house the other night to use her computer, and I completely blanked. I paid a couple of bills, then I had no idea what else to do. Trey thinks we should get rid of it, b/c we've spent so much time together this week. I say forget that! Igh, time together?! That's the recipe for a ruined marriage, my friend!

Speaking of spending time together, TJ, Taryn and I planned to have a family night tonight. Trey was scheduled to open, so we knew he'd be home. The kids decided we would rent Ratatouille(which was no small feat in itself!) and watch it all together as a family. They got really excited when I told them we could have popcorn, candy and hot chocolate. They have talked about it nonstop for the last few days, and the few hours up to Trey's arrival from work were crazy with them asking about the movie and when we could turn it on. I made them eat a healthy dinner first, and then it was time. Taryn calls it "Ratatoonie", and she must have asked when we could turn on "Ratatoonie" at least a thousand times. Even Cole was excited, although I'm sure he had no idea why. We had a good time. We cut of the lights, and I let them eat in the living room (which worked out pretty well, considering). They were good until about 3/4's of the way through the movie (it was pretty long, I thought), when the candy kicked in and they couldn't sit still anymore. Trey asked me if I gave TJ crack, b/c he was insanely hyper and jumping on anything and everything. It was a fun time, and I know the kids loved it. It was a pretty cool movie, too. I highly recommend it, for kids and parents both.

Cole's hair had gotten to the point of just looking silly and dirty all the time. Taryn got into her Halloween candy while I was sleeping the other day, and got a big, gooey ball of it stuck in her hair. It wouldn't come out. So, I took them yesterday to get haircuts. I must say, they were cute before, but now they are by far the cutest kids in the world (TJ didn't get one, but he was already extremely cute!)! I am just in love with Taryn's haircut, it looks so cute! Cole looks so much older, almost like a two year old now! Yesterday, after the haircut, Taryn's hair did a turn under on one side, and a flip out on the other, which I think just made it that much cuter! The woman who did their hair was truly wonderful.

So he won't feel left out, I added a pic of TJ doing what he does best...correcting me on something, b/c he knows EVERYTHING.

Have a great day! I'll see you soon!

A year ago yesterday...

2007-11-01T06:34:00.001-04:00

I sat on the porch with a two day old baby and handed out candy. Not this year!

My Baby Love...

2007-10-30T22:40:00.001-04:00

HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY, COLE!!!

Bathing Beauties...well, almost...

2007-10-27T11:50:00.000-04:00

Don't take my picture, Mommy. You're flashing too close to my eyes, and it's hurting me!

Inspiration?

2007-10-24T14:45:00.000-04:00

Last night we were trying to figure out what to do for dinner. I was in the mood for something different and fancy-like, but didn't want to go out somewhere to get it. I got online and started looking up "easy gourmet recipes". Yeah, no such thing...at least not if you want to actually eat real food, that is! I also thought about Pad Thai, b/c I had it recently at a Thai restaurant and it was DELICIOUS! It looked simple enough to make, but, again, I was wrong. There are about ten thousand little ingredients in it, including fish sauce, which was enough to make me want to hurl. So, I'll be only getting my Pad Thai from reputable Thai cooks from now on!

Suddenly, the thought of an omelette hit me. I think it's b/c the Thai restaurant we ate at used to be a Huddle House. Anyway, it was all I could think about. So, I grabbed a couple of the kids and ran to the store to buy some add-ins. While we were there, we ran into Richard, Julia's hubby, and the kids. I invited them over to have omelettes with us as well. They came. How fun!

I made roasted red potatoes (to replace hash browns) and garlic toast (to replace regular toast) to go with the omelettes to make it feel a little more like dinner. We put things like garlic, bell peppers, onions, ham, steak, sausage and cheese in some of them, with salsa and sour cream to put on top if desired. In mine, however, I was still bent on the "gourmet" thing, so I tried something a little different. I put spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, garlic and goat cheese in my omelette. It was SO GOOD! It felt fancy. I love me some goat cheese, and it went well with the egg. It mixed with the potatoes and toast well, too. My only regret is that I used canned spinach, which really had no taste. Next time I'll definitely get fresh instead.

Trey and I decided we really need to go on a diet and start to do even some moderate exercise. It would help a lot if I could get organized enough to start planning out our meals ahead of time and all that good stuff. We've planned to sit down soon and map out our diet plan. It was fun cooking that meal last night, especially with Trey helping (I can't make an omelette to save my life). I think it could be a lot of fun to cook more at home, and actually "cook"!

So, I guess I'll chat with you later. I've got to go out and clean up my cat's "gift" now. She seems to have found an unending supply of giant rats to bring to our front door, beheaded and gutted, to show us her love. I have to say, as sweet as it is, I'd rather she hate us! Have a great day, and I'll see you later.

Blah...

2007-10-23T10:55:00.000-04:00

I've come to this blog everyday for the last week and some days, and I've sat trying desperately to think of something to write about. I got nuthin'! Really, there's nothing of note going on in my life right now. I mean, sure there's stuff going on, but you don't want to hear about it, and I don't really feel like writing about it! So, I write nothing.

I'm still drawing a blank now. Cole turns a year old on the 29th. Maybe thoughts of that will inspire something. Ummm, Dumbledore's gay...eh. Marie Osmond fainted. Whatever. Really, nothing makes me want to write anything.

Perhaps I'll be back sometime soon. Until then, I hope you have a great day.

Happy Success!

2007-10-14T15:16:00.000-04:00

I had Susan's baby shower yesterday, and I would go so far as to say it was a success. We had right at 20 people show up, including a few well behaved children, and we somehow managed to find seating for them all. We played my two favorite baby shower games, the one where you melt candy bars in diapers and guess what the candy bar is (it really does look nasty), and the one where you take the wrappers off of baby food jars and they have to guess what kind it is (not as easy as it sounds, although I guessed every single one of them right!). I was really happy b/c everyone played and seemed to have fun. We even had two guys come, and they weren't miserable the whole time!

Susan got lots of gifts to help her on her way to being a mommy. It was pretty cool. None of my kids ever got as many soft, warm, fuzzy blankets as her little one got, and I wanted to steal every one of them!

I think the food turned out pretty well, too. We had a lot left over, but not as much as we would have had if I hadn't begged people to take some home! I loved Susan's cake, even though it didn't match my Pooh theme, and it was yummy good!

In the third one, that's my sister on the far right. Does she look prego to you? I told her she was supposed to wear her most pregnant outfit, but if she did, she might need to put another baby in there! Her mom is the one on the left, two seats down.

See that little person there at the end of the couch? That's my neice, Julia, whom I haven't seen in quite a while. She and Blake, my nephew, have both grown a LOT! Funny how kids seem to do that, eh?

I really didn't get a lot of pics, as I was busy running around like a chicken w/my head cut off, and my camera batteries kept dying. I especially want to thank Trey and Julia, b/c w/o them there is NO way I would have pulled this off. Their help was instrumental. Kudos to you guys!

Wanna see so far?

2007-10-12T22:33:00.001-04:00

Here are a few of the things I've been working on for the shower tomorrow:

The chocolate dipped rice krispie treats, not so easy. I was going to make them with the kids, but thankfully, I couldn't wait, so I did it by myself...THANK GOODNESS! That would have been a disaster w/the kids doing it! It was so messy, and just, ewwww! They taste good, though!

The pot I got was the closest thing to a honey-pot shaped pot I could find.

The sign is actually brown, and it's going to be sat behind the veggie tray. I found that idea somewhere online...I think it's so cute!

I printed out the letters on the computer, and colored them just a little while ago. Boy, did that take me back!

We ditched the Pooh fruit totem-pole idea. It was too hard to work out, and to make it work would have cost an arm and a leg, and that wasn't even including the fruit! I'm kinda sad about it, b/c I just know it would have been quite a piece for discussion...plus, I had to ditch the Pooh cake b/c it has been discontinued. Kinda makes the whole Pooh theme hard when you can't stick to it all the way! Oh well, I just hope we have fun anyway.

Well, I gotta go clean house now and wash the dishes. Busy, busy, busy! Talk to you later! Wish me luck!

Did you know I'm still here?

2007-10-09T17:05:00.000-04:00

Yeah, but not much, eh? Guess why. See, I've been a tad bit on the busy side lately. On Saturday, I'm having a baby shower for my sister, and I'm doing all kinds of crafty stuff. Last night, I made tiny diapers out of felt, which I will be putting yellow Skittles in and pinning on each guest as they come in. There will be one with a brown M&M in it, and whomever gets that one will win the game (the brown one is the poop, the yellow ones are pee, get it?!). Trey also wants to make a fruit totem pole kinda thing that's shaped like Pooh...that's the theme of it all. I'm also going to paint honey dripping from the side of a pot, and the word "HUNNY" on the side. It will hold either honey butter covered croissants from Trey's work, or Bits O'Honey, I haven't decided yet. Then there will be a veggie tray with a sign that says, "Picked Fresh from Rabbit's Garden". On Friday, I'm going to make chocolate covered rice krispies treats with little duckies on them. Isn't it all so exciting?! Yeah, I'm exhausted just thinking about it!

Well, gotta run, the kids are dying to go outside. Talk to you later.

WOW!

2007-10-02T22:30:00.000-04:00

Five stitches IS a lot!

The troubled one...

2007-09-30T22:48:00.001-04:00

I honestly never thought that Taryn of all of my children would be the one that would become known by name at the emergency room. However, it's beginning to look that way.

If you've been reading at all, or know me, which would constitute pretty much all of you (all three, that is), then you already know that Taryn went to the hospital shortly before Cole was born b/c she got into my purse and ate my Lexapro. She had to drink charcoal, no small feat to get into her I might add, and was fine.

Today, she went for another visit. I discovered that she can, in fact, get out of her childlock on her bedroom door. She did today, during naptime, and while I was dead asleep. After, I suppose, having gotten bored smearing poop on her wall again (Yeah, that's another story in itself!), she got hungry. Trey brought home some lunch-size bags of chips last night from work, and she got a bag. She couldn't get it open. So, instead of coming to ask me, like she usually does, she decided to open it herself. She used a pair of scissors the other day to open a tube of yogurt, so I hid them elsewhere, where she couldn't reach them. Thus, she was left with no choice but to use a steak knife.

I was awakened to TJ telling me that Taryn was crying and to go get her (I was OUT). I asked him to check and see what was the matter while I got up, and he came running to me and saying that she had pooped on herself and her finger was bleeding (?). When I got to her, I discovered that the poop was not that at all, and was in fact blood, which she was covered from head to toe in, and naked as a jaybird. She was standing in the living room, where she had gone to try to get a wipe to clean the blood off of her finger, and was squealing, "I bleeding!" I took her to the kitchen, thinking it was a small nick from somewhere, and proceeded to rinse her finger off. When I touched her finger and the skin flipped up, I lost it (in fact, it's making me sick to my stomach now). I tried to put a band-aid on, but it just fell right off, and not only was I in a little bit of a panic, but my legs wouldn't hold me up anymore. I put her on the chair she'd used to get in the drawer, and sat on the floor with a paper towel wrapped around her finger. I called my mom to come over b/c I couldn't even walk to take her and Cole to the car.

When my mom got there she helped clean her up and get the kids in the car, and as she left, Trey got home from work. We sat in the waiting room at the ER for about an hour, and finally they got her back. After a while, they got her finger stitched up. She got five stitches, which I've been told is a lot for her tiny finger, and Trey said she was quite the trooper. I'm so happy she's alright, b/c if you had seen the blood everywhere, you'd have thought she would have bled to death! Amazingly, she was as good as normal, except for the whole finger thing, of course!

Oh, what I found a little funny, and totally wrong, was when I was asking her at first if she'd used the knife to try to open the chips, her response was, "I shoulda used the scissors." Uhhhh.....So, tomorrow I will be purchasing a latch for her door, and fancy little drawer catches for the kitchen. That sucks, too, b/c we've never needed them before. I've drilled with the kids which drawers they can't go into and why, and up to this point it's always worked. Oh well, I'd rather have to suffer for a while when I go to get silverware than have Taryn kill herself.

I also had no idea I am such a woos when it comes to blood. I literally got sick to my stomach and almost puked, and my legs completely gave out. I thought I was tougher. Even in the hospital, when they went to take the bandage off, I had to look away b/c even the thought of seeing her little finger again made me sick. Even now I'm getting sick thinking about it. What is my deal!?

Anyway, I can see already that Taryn is going to be many, many handfuls of "fun" for us all. She is beyond headstrong, and prone to accidents. It's gonna be a long, long life!

My BEST Friend...

2007-09-23T11:01:00.000-04:00

I think it's really cool that Julia and I are such great friends. In a way, I would hardly expect it. In the past year and some, I've begun to notice just how different we are, and in some pretty vital ways.

Julia, to begin with, is a full-fledged life vegetarian. Sure, that doesn't mean much, b/c we can all be friends w/vegetarians, but she is an extremist in my opinion. She cooks with flaxen seeds, tofu, and all kinds of other strange things which I have neither half heard of or ever eaten. She makes interesting and colorful meals out of foods that I'm pretty sure would never pass through our front door. Her kids actually eat salads and veggies w/o having to hide them under loads of dressing and cheese! She only eats fresh veggies, too, none of the canned stuff. She even uses soy milk instead of regular milk (which I'm sure other non-vegetarians do, but it helps to prove my point). And speaking of cooking, she does. Every night, for the most part. Real meals. She makes sure her husband has dinner ready when he gets home from work.

So, let's move to me now. I am the exact opposite of a vegetarian. I crave hamburgers and steaks. I like the donuts w/beef lard, and jello made with horse bones. I cook with hot dogs, chicken and barbeque sauce (when I do!). I don't use the oven if I can avoid it (Julia does, of course), and if it doesn't cook in a Foreman Grill, it doesn't get cooked. We go fancy with chicken nuggets and mac and cheese (w/green beans straight from a can, of course, we need veggies!). You have heard of everything we eat, and you've probably been warned either not to eat it, or to eat it sparingly. I have taught her kids of the joy and wonder of Pop-Tarts, which they think of as a treat, whereas my kids think of them as a snack! We drink real milk, filled with those nasty hormones, and make sure there's some kind of flavoring mixed in for extra added goodness (read: more sugar). I cook sparingly, and as you saw, it must include my Foreman grill, or we probably won't get any food. We eat real meals when Trey brings them home from work for us. Speaking of Trey getting home from work, there is never a meal waiting for him when he gets here. Both of our hubbies love us, though, so that's good.

Then there's the raising kids thing. She is pretty protective of her kids. Not crazy about it or anything, but when they cry, she responds. Now that they're older, she's slacked off a little, but when they were little, whoo! I, on the other hand, am not. If it's not the "I've fallen from a ten story building and my whole entire body is broken" cry, I tend to ignore it until it's at least been going on for a few minutes. Julia runs to check immediately (my kids, even!). My kids are monkeys, and tend to fly off of anything and everything, and are just just broken bones waiting to happen. Her kids are sedate and sweet, never thinking of jumping on or off of things. I'm sure she didn't condone that when they were little. TJ likes to wrestle, too. He wrestles with Andrew whenever possible. She doesn't like it. Trey taught TJ. Her kids are only allowed to watch tv and play video games a certain amount of time each day. My tv is ALWAYS on, as background noise, and the kids have tv's in their rooms, complete w/DVD players and cable. Julia doesn't even have cable. She lets her kids make their own decisions about a lot of stuff. I tend to make them for my kids, and pull the "I'm the momma and that's that," card. I'm very sure that when I start homeschooling my own children, we will use very different approaches. What we do have in common, though, is our total and complete love for our children, and our need to do what's absolutely best for them at all times.

When it comes to politics and all that stuff you don't speak of in mixed company, Julia and I are vastly different. I think we're both on the Republican side, although I tend to be more Libertarian. I don't know about her. I do know that we were raised in drastically different homes, and those differences really show in our beliefs and thoughts about the world. Julia is way more open-minded than I am. I don't hate people, but I don't like a lot of them. I tend to stereotype certain groups (although I'm open to believing there are exceptions to said stereotypes), while Julia takes everyone at face value. We both believe in God, but I'm much more laid back. Actually, I think that she is not sure yet how she feels...but I have a pretty set belief system there. There's plenty more, but that's all I can think of right now.

Anyway, I think it's funny that two such different people are such good friends. You would think that we would spend our time arguing and bickering about everything. Not the case, though. Sure, I'm sure that Julia thinks I'm a fruit loop about a lot of stuff I do, and I think she's whacked at times. Sometimes I tell her, sometimes she tells me. I never get mad, though. I just can't be mad at her, there's no reason to. Of all the people I've ever known in the world, I've never wanted to do something that will spite or intentionally upset Julia (trust me, I have wanted to piss off other people, though!). I know that when she says something, she's being honest for my own good. What's great, though, is that she does it in a way that she doesn't hurt my feelings in the process, so I know she'd rather not say it if it didn't need to be said. When we talk on the phone, I'm always instantly cheered up, and in person it's even better. Even when we don't do anything but sit around and chat, I have fun with her. We can be polar opposites and still get along. I think it's great. How many people can say that they disagree with a lot of stuff their best friend believes, and yet still never fight and get along so well? I am truly a lucky gal.

Oh, and by the way, Julia's birthday was this past Friday, which I forgot to mention. She's the big ol' 29 now. She's so old!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JULIA!!!

Addiction...

2007-09-19T21:24:00.000-04:00

I have become addicted to craigslist. Do you know what craigslist is? If you are in or near a large city of any type, there is one for you. It's fantastic. It's a local website where you can post stuff that you are trying to get rid of, and other people email you and tell you they want to buy it from you. Then you set up a time to meet, and viola! No shipping, no waiting, and great deals. It is kinda frustrating sometimes, though, b/c if you want something that a lot of people want, chances are you might not be the first to email them, and it will be gone before you get to it. However, new stuff is put on all the time, so it's likely you can find another one. Plus, you can put wanted posts on there, and a lot of times people will hook you up. They also have places where you can advertise services, such as babysitting and pet care, etc. They have jobs, too, and singles ads, or whatever they're called. I know there's more stuff on there, but that's all I remember seeing.

So far, on craigslist I have purchased the following:
a desk-$50, decent condition
a free desk-FREE
a carseat-$100, I think, a Britax worth $270, in great condition
a couch-$30, an AWESOME deal! It's almost new
a two door cabinet-$15, cheap, but serves the storage purpose I need
a vanity-$20, they sell on eBay for that plus shipping, at the minimum
toys for Cole-$5, she had them when I got the vanity

I think there's more, but that's all I can come up with right now. I tell you, I'm addicted! I check it every chance I get. Right now I'm in the market for a mini-fridge for Butch's room. They have them on there all the time, but I'm waiting for someone who's really just trying to get rid of it, and has a kick-ass deal. I also keep my eyes open for cool kids games for the computer and TJ's Nintendo 64, and Trey's Playstation 2. I think that when it comes time to replace my cell phone, I will look on there before going to the store. All the time people are changing phones or their provider, and they will have phones that work with Alltel that are barely used for next to nothing. I've seen people that just don't want to box stuff up to return it, so they'll sell new stuff for a fraction of the cost. I had a vacuum cleaner picked out, but Trey's too much of a snob to use a used vacuum, so I had to pass. I was going to get Butch a tv there, but his mom didn't want to go that route (her loss), and ended up paying wayyyy more for his tv than I would have for the same or better. Some people get deployed and sell everything in their house for nothing. They advertise garage sales. There was a woman posting on there the last few days who had just bought all this really nice Pier One furniture, but then decided to redecorate (must be nice!), so she was selling it for really cheap. It's just great, I tell ya! Oh, and I sold a carseat on there, too, and plan to put more stuff on pretty soon. When I'm done here, I'm on my way over there!

In other news, I found out yesterday I'm not even good enough to sell my plasma! I went to try, as it's always been some kind of nerdy dream for me, much like having glasses or braces is when you're a kid (and don't have them). I spent an hour and a half there waiting to start before they came to do a vein test and said I don't have a vein in my right arm (???-yet it hasn't fallen off!), and in my left there were three that came together at the spot, so it was too dangerous. I feel pretty crappy that crack heads and prostitutes can easily go and sell their plasma, and I can't even hang with them. I'm such a loser.

In more national news, I have a theory about OJ. I feel like he feels guilty for killing Nicole Brown Simpson and getting away with it. He doesn't want to go back and admit it now, that would look way too bad. Soooo, instead he decided to commit a crime of a different nature and get caught. That way, he could be found guilty and serve time and feel better, like he was serving it for the murder. I'm sure I'm 100% wrong, but I wouldn't be surprised if that's what he was thinking.

In local news again, Taryn is half trying to learn how to use the potty. She's weird, as usual, though, and gets the pooping in the potty just fine. She doesn't get the peeing thing at all, and has yet to pee in the toilet. My theory is that since she can't see it in the toilet, she has no idea what it means. She calls pooping "I have go pee-pee", so I'm pretty sure she thinks that's what it is. I wouldn't mind so much if it didn't leave me having to clean up puddles of pee all the time. The plus: she seems to prefer going into the dining room to do it, so at least it's on the linoleum as opposed to the carpet!

Anyway, that's all I've got for now. I hope you're having a great week, and I'll see you soon!

I knew it!

2007-09-16T07:32:00.000-04:00

I just did this survey to see which presidential candidate you agree with most and who you should probably vote for. Yep, you got it, I matched most with Ron Paul! How great is that!? If you have a sec, go check it out (it only takes a few minutes):

http://www.wqad.com/Global/link.asp?L=259460

So anyway, did I happen to mention to you that my kitten had a kitten? One day, Trey went out back to take out the trash, and there she was with a tiny little kitten. We weren't sure if it was hers, b/c there was only one, she never even looked like she ate, much less pregnant, and she happens to be quite a little hunter. As much as I didn't want to think it, I thought that maybe she had stolen the baby from some other cat. I hadn't even gotten around to having her spayed yet, b/c I didn't think she was even old enough to go into heat yet! Needless to say, she's been nursing it and taking care of it, so I'm pretty sure it's hers. She's even given up her wild prowling ways, and spends most of her time on the porch taking care of her little one. It's so cute! The other day, Julia and kids came over, and they asked me if we'd named it yet. I told them no, as we're not even sure what it is yet. Taryn said something about a cookie (which I don't think had anything to do with the cat, but...), so I said that could be its name. Andrew, instead, mentioned Oreo, which I happen to think is an absolutely perfect name! Oreo just started walking, and w/its fat little belly, it's so cute!

This kitten looks just like its daddy, who suddenly doesn't come around here anymore. I did use to see him hanging around with Tippy, but I always just thought he was a girl, and that they were just best buds. I guess assuming cats are like people was maybe stupid on my part! Or, perhaps my cat just happens to be a whore. Well, no, b/c that's the only other cat I ever saw her with...so she just got played. What a jerk he is! Why, if I ever get my hands on him!!!

I know I'm putting a lot on here, but I have to show you the adorable little wings Cole has on his head now! They're so silly looking they're cute! The poor boy needs a haircut, as he has a do that I wouldn't even like to see on an old woman, but I just can't bear it. He's too little! I try to tuck them behind his ears, but they just pop right back out. I keep dressing him in all blue so no one will mistake him for a girl!

Oh yeah, RON PAUL FOR PRESIDENT 2008!!!

I'm famous!!!

2007-09-13T13:20:00.000-04:00

Okay, so not really, but I am flattered and thrilled. Trey got a copy of the Charleston City Paper, and I'm quoted in it! Not only am I referenced in the article (about the passing of 96 Wave), but it's written by one of my local idols, The Southern Avenger. I am so excited! Go check it out:

http://www.charlestoncitypaper.com/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A32996

I sure do miss 96 Wave.

Oh, and RON PAUL FOR PRESIDENT 2008!!!!

Have a great day. I'll see you soon!

My vote goes to...

2007-09-09T22:08:00.001-04:00

RON PAUL

I will be voting for him in the next presidential election, whether he's on the ticket or not. Everything I've seen and heard about him just tells me he is the man we need to be our next president. He is a Constitutionalist, and he is not afraid to fight for what he believes in and not what the group is doing. He is not your typical Republican by any means. I seriously think you should find out more about him if you don't already know, and work to make him our next president.

Here's some more about him for your viewing pleasure. Definitely check out his issues page:

http://www.ronpaul2008.com/issues/
http://www.myspace.com/RonPaul2008
http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/january2007/120107ronpaul.htm
http://www.news.com.com
Brief Overview of Congressman Paul’s Record:

He has never voted to raise taxes.
He has never voted for an unbalanced budget.
He has never voted for a federal restriction on gun ownership.
He has never voted to raise congressional pay.
He has never taken a government-paid junket.
He has never voted to increase the power of the executive branch.

He voted against the Patriot Act.
He voted against regulating the Internet.
He voted against the Iraq war.

He does not participate in the lucrative congressional pension program.
He returns a portion of his annual congressional office budget to the U.S. treasury every year.

Congressman Paul introduces numerous pieces of substantive legislation each year, probably more than any single member of Congress.

I ain't got the stamina...

2007-09-06T22:29:00.001-04:00

I decided that today I would teach TJ how to play tennis. Well, I mean we would hit the ball around and I'd try to teach him how to hold the racket, that kinda stuff. So we hit up Wal-Mart yesterday and I got TJ and Taryn their own kiddie-sized tennis rackets. TJ got Spongebob and Taryn got Dora. They were both very excited. TJ, of course, made it perfectly clear to me that he already knew how to play tennis, "You just hit the ball, Mommy." Ummm, okay...

So we got Julia and her bunch to come out with us, and we headed down to the courts. Naturally, I had no expectation for Taryn to actually do anything but swing her racket around and play. I was right. It was really hot out, and I didn't want Cole to walk on the court in bare feet, so I put his new tennis shoes on him.

I need to take an aside here for a second...Cole is now wearing a size 5 shoes. A
SIZE 5!!! TJ and Taryn both were barely outgrowing their size 3's by this time,
and my tiniest baby is in a size 5! That boy's got some HUGE feet!

So anyway, he didn't quite get the whole walking in shoes thing, as his feet now weighed much, much more than usual. He pretty much fell down and crawled the whole time, which defeated the purpose of the shoes! He was fine for a while, playing with Alison (who had zero interest in playing tennis after about two minutes) and cutting his arm on the inside of the ball can.

Then there was TJ. Now, remember, he already knew how to play, so I couldn't teach him anything new. At first, I tried to show him how to hold the racket the right way and how to swing, so he could hit the ball (did I mention I've been to about three tennis camps, so I should at least know that!). It was a no go. He knew already, and his way was much easier for him. So I gave up on that fight for now, and just hit the ball to him for a while. A few times he did good and actually hit it. I think once we actually hit it back and forth once or twice (we were off to the side of the net, not hitting it over). I was impressed. Then there were the times he didn't hit the ball. Being that TJ knows everything, it was totally not his fault. There were a few times that I didn't hit it hard enough. Then there were the times I hit it too hard. A few times I was too far back. Oh, and several times I was too close. Once or twice I hit it too high. Some of the times I hit it too low. Once I didn't even hit it TO him! (Okay, I really didn't, but isn't the point to run and try to hit it anyway? Yeah...you're right, I digress...) I was severely reprimanded for about half an hour by my very genius-like son. I won't say I was necessarily sad that it was too hot for Cole to crawl around, and Taryn had lost interest long ago, and thus we opted to leave and go to the playground next door.

I won't give up, though. We will play again, and I will get something through to TJ. I think if maybe I can go just with him, or something along those lines, maybe it'll work. It will also help if it's not three thousand degrees outside, and he hasn't just gotten up (he is no morning person at all!). Dammit, I WILL get my money's worth out of those rackets!

The bright side of this morning's foray: We all took FANTASTIC naps when we got home! We were spent! I even overslept for work b/c I was so asleep I didn't hear when they called to tell me the papers were there! I love activities that wear the kids out! Julia and kids, on the other hand, are CRAZY, and somehow found the stamina to go swimming after they left! Nuts, NUTS I tell ya!

SOOOOOOO busy!

2007-09-04T21:51:00.001-04:00

I'm just gonna show you my mens...They got cool hair cuts last week. Trey's is "punk", but not TJ's, it's "rock and roll". Please don't get them confused, b/c TJ does not appreciate being told his hair cut is "punk".

Do you see Trey's cat ears? Ha ha! He really does look cool. It kinda turns me on. Had I known all these years he would look that cool w/that haircut, he'd have had it a LONG time ago!

Oh, and here's my not-so-straight-and-even attempt to fix Taryn's bangs. She had a "spa day" w/Alison last week. She got her nails done, took a bath, got make-up, and got a new "do" from Alison. Ain't she just sweet!

We've lost an institution

2007-08-31T21:12:00.000-04:00

Today I was driving home during rush hour. I stopped by my grandma's house to see her new counter tops. When I ran inside, I left the car on, and it was on 96 Wave, my favorite radio station. I was inside for maybe five minutes, if that. When I came back outside, the theme song to Charles in Charge was playing. I was confused, as the station usually plays alternative/rock music. It made my stomach hurt it sucked so bad. However, TJ loved it, and threw a fit every time I tried to change it. They played it for 20 minutes straight. When I'd finally had enough, and had decided that I was willing to put up with TJ's fit to avoid the nausea that came with hearing that song again, it stopped. It was followed by an announcement that my radio station was now going to be 96.1 The Chuck, playing adult variety music. Ummmm, WHAT THE FUCK!!!!!

I called Julia in a panic. I knew it had to be some kind of joke. She said she'd read something a while back that mentioned they may change their format. I called a friend of a friend who used to work there. She knew nothing. There had been NO warning whatsoever. I listen to this station a minimum of three hours a day, as I work from my car. Most days it's much longer than that. I go in as late as possible to work every morning b/c the morning show on there is so freaking funny, and if I went in any earlier, I'd miss it (I'd be done w/my paper route before it came on). I had heard nothing.

When I got home I looked online. The website had already been changed to the new stupid station. However, their MySpace page was still 96 Wave, and it didn't say a single word about changing formats, or whatever. I searched and searched for an answer. Finally, I found it at The Charleston City Newspaper's blog. My fears were all true.

This is not a joke. I am devastated.

I grew up on 96 Wave. It's been around for 22 years now, just about as long as I've been listening to the radio and actually caring what was on. 96 Wave is as much Charleston as the city market, Rainbow Row, and hot weather are. Other radio stations have come and go, and changed directions entirely, but the Wave has always been there, a staple of the rock and roll community. In high school, they were always there with Nirvana, Pearl Jam, and Cracker right on the play list, right when I needed it. Now, they've grown with me (or have I grown with them?), and they always have a little Breaking Benjamin, Deepfield (props to Lee's band!),30 Seconds to Mars, and Three Days Grace on hand to brighten up my day. It never really seemed like a question that one day my little ones would be jamming out in their hover mobiles to 96 Wave as well; it was just going to be that way.

My whole conscious life has been spent with 96 Wave. Even when I didn't live here, I listened every moment I was in town. Even when they went through a phase of SUCKING, I still switched back b/c you just can't leave your station like that. Now what am I going to do? Sure, there's 98X, but their music is a little, uhhh, harder at times than I want, and a little older sometimes, too. 95SX plays some good songs every now and then, but they unfortunately mix them up with those Top 40 songs that have all the remixes and rap crap mixed in. No thanks. I'm wondering if I'm going to go old early and just give up and listen to talk radio. I'd rather not, b/c damn if that station doesn't get me thinking just a wee bit too much; it gets me mad, and I've got enough on my plate to worry about as it is! I refuse to listen to the "Adult Variety" they will now be playing on my once favorite station. I just don't know what to do.

What I do know is that I'm glad I got myself a Zune for Mother's Day, and it looks like I'm going to be spending a lot of time downloading music now!

Peer pressure...

2007-08-29T22:57:00.000-04:00

They say peer pressure is a bad thing. I can believe that to an extent. It's not good when peer pressure motivates kids to do bad things, like smoke or drink. However, today I was pressured by my peer, and I'm glad of it!

I called Julia to see what she was up to. She was cleaning her room and getting rid of stuff she no longer uses. "Man," I thought, "I really need to do that, too. My room is a mess!" The more I talked to her, and she told me about the stuff she was getting rid of, the more I thought of the stuff I need to get rid of. So, I did it. I got up off of my lazy ass and cleaned out my closet. I got rid of two trash bags full of clothes. I finally decided to part with the "wishful thinking" clothes that are just a few sizes too small. I've kept them since I got pregnant w/TJ, thinking that one day I'll again fit into them. I haven't lost hope that one day I'll get myself smaller, but Julia and I agreed that if ever I do, I totally deserve all new clothes. It was hard, too, b/c a lot of them were still very nice, and were the types of stuff that last. Oh well.

While I was purging my closet, I started thinking about when I will actually focus more on losing weight and eating healthier. I'm pretty sure it won't be anytime soon. I know that's bad, b/c it's important to take good care of yourself. However, my priorities lie elsewhere right now. I have a LOT on my plate, and whereas I could and should make time for exercise and healthy meal planning, I have chosen about four thousand other things to do instead. I feel like once I get the ball rolling with homeschooling, and getting my brain repaired, then I might be able to start thinking about it. It will also help a LOT when the kids all get a bit older. For now, they are SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO needy, I don't get a chance to think about myself enough to get past making sure I get the basics like eating, sleeping, and bathing (which, I admit, I sometimes don't even get if I have a hectic enough day!). I certainly don't have time for going that extra mile! Now that it's cooled down a degree or two, though, I have been trying to get outside a bit more, and hopefully that will lead to more physical activity. We went for a walk yesterday, and swimming today. I'm snacking on Apple Chips right now, does that count?

Anyway, for now, I've decided to accept who I am and celebrate all that's great about me. Julia and I both have noticed that, even though we think we are huge, no one else seems to think so or care. When we meet people, they don't cringe and look at us with disgust as though we are giant blobs of grossness. We both have husbands that love us, and can't seem to get enough of seeing us naked (although I've contended for years that Trey is in desperate need of strong glasses). We're both beautiful people. We make beautiful babies. We're super geniuses (TJ told me so yesterday!). I'm sure there's tons more I could celebrate, but honestly, I'm just kinda getting tired now. Anyway, as I said before, for now I'm going to be happy how I am, and stop worrying that someone's going to see me and think I'm a big fatso. Most of this weight I have now came when I started having kids, and lost the time and ability to find a way to get it off. If it came down to losing the weight, but losing time w/my kids, I'd pick time w/the kids any day!

Alright, I'll talk to you later! Have a great day!

Days of late...

2007-08-26T23:04:00.000-04:00

Taryn, day-to-day:

She's taken to dressing herself up everyday now. I don't even bother dressing her unless I have to anymore, b/c she will take it off and put on her own choice. We do have to work on the whole accessorizing thing, and at least make sure she picks matching shoes!

Cole has officially popped out six teeth now, and he eats anything he can get his little grubby hands on! Do you see them? Oh, and did I mention he is just SO CUTE, and thoughtful, of course!

TJ is addicted to video games, which I need to put the kabosh on, but for now, I just do my best to make sure they're at least learning games. He was stuck to my computer today playing at Disney.com. Is it just me, or does he look really big lately?

Please don't look at the mess on the desk. That's all my stacks of stuff to use for teaching the kids. Believe it or not, there is some semblance of order there. Unfortunately, I'm the only one who understands it!

Oh, and we made pizzas yesterday! We made the dough and everything. I would have more pics, but I had to be actually involved in helping the kids make it, so I didn't get too many.

TJ and Taryn made their own, and they did great. I made one for Trey and me (well, he had to roll out the dough for me!). I told him to take a pic of it, and he had to go and stage it first, so it would be a nice pic! I was a little disappointed, b/c the dough really didn't have any flavor, so next time I'll have to figure out how to spice it up! Any of you know how I might do that?

Have a great day! I'll see you soon!

Back on track...

2007-08-24T14:04:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, we finally got back to our beach/ocean theme lessons. For a couple of weeks we've been a bit off, only doing stuff here and there. Between birthdays, company, trying to catch up, doctor's appts., and work, it's been hard to get anything done in any timely fashion lately. Hopefully things can slow down a little again, and we can work again on some sort of schedule and order.

So anyway, yesterday, we learned about whales and dolphins. TJ got a lot from it, like they are mammals, they sing, baleen is like big, long strands of finger nails, sperm whales can hold their breath for over an hour (and TJ can for ten hundred thousand hours), dolphins nod to tell their kids to stop, that kind of stuff. They also painted pictures of dolphins and whales, or so I told them:

Taryn's is the one w/the big blob, which is supposedly a turtle. TJ's has worms, and the big red spot is the whale, eating the worms.

Today, we learned about crabs and lobsters, and the general crustacean (which, to quote TJ, is like Playstation!) family. TJ now knows that they use their pincers to catch their food, they have their skeletons on the outside, they have antennae, and they crawl on the ocean floor. He even cut out the main body part of his crab he made, and I was so proud of him! His patience was wearing thin by that point, as he was frustrated that it didn't look perfect, so I took over from there. He and Taryn both glued their pieces together. Can you tell which one was Taryn's?

Yesterday...

2007-08-22T10:57:00.001-04:00

Trey told me he had put Taryn down for a nap in the afternoon yesterday. He went to check on her after a little while, and this is how it went:

Trey: Hey, where did you get those Pringles? I didn't even know we had any.
Taryn: I don't have any.
Trey: They're right there. And you ate them all.
Taryn: I didn't.
Trey: Yes you did.
Taryn: I need a drink. I wanna party. WHOOOOOOOOOOO!

I'm not sure if that's verbatim, but I do know for a fact she said she wanted to party and WHOOOOOOOOO! That kid's nuts!

So, I have angst. Yesterday, the local children went back to school. As I was finishing up my paper route, I started to see them scattered about on various street corners, in the dark no doubt. It scared the crap out of me, b/c the first time I realized they were there, it was when I almost hit a little girl! This is not what brings me troubles, though. What's bothering me is that I'm at odds with my whole world right now.

I desperately want to home school my children. At this moment in time, I'm not quite ready. I can't get my act together so that I can insure that they get everything they need on a daily basis. That's why I'm going to try to get fixed at the psychiatrist. It's the only reason, b/c all of the other problems I have I've known about for years, and I'm fine with them. If I can just get my focus issues fixed so I can plan and execute and organize, I'll be good to go.

However, I'm the only person in my life who is behind my plan (well, except for Julia!). I am tired of people asking me when TJ will be starting school. I am tired of them saying, "When he's in school..." I am tired of saying that I plan to home school and getting a lecture on why he needs to be in school. I am so tired that I just go along anymore and try to avoid the question altogether or just answer something vague to get them to leave me alone. It's as though everyone I know has done tons of research on homeschooling, and I've done none. The fact remains that that is exactly the opposite of the truth. I have done plenty of research on the subject. I have read books, looked online, spoken with people, seen real-life examples, contacted organizations, and gone to stores focused on homeschooling curriculum. I know about different types of homeschooling, different curriculum, and different scheduling options. I know about the sacrifices that come with keeping your children at home with you during the day, and I know about what they will miss out on. I know my stuff, I'm not just some chick that woke up this morning and thought it would be fun.

It might surprise you to know, as well, that I also know about the other side of the coin. What I have that other parents that home school may not have on their side is knowledge of the inner workings of the public school arena. Lest we not forget that I was once a teacher, and saw how the education system works. I was also a student, in the best district in the state. I studied at a college level, as well, and was given the opportunity to observe and practice in many classes throughout the area, including private schools. I got to talk to many teachers about their thoughts on education, and I spoke with parents as well. I know a lot about what schools have to offer, and what they lack. I even had the chance to work with those students who benefited the very least from public education, and instead chose crime. I've been there, done that. I've weighed out my options, the choices, the benefits, the consequences and everything I can think of pertaining to the decision between homeschooling and public school.

My mom says she thinks I should send the kids to private school. Well, I can't even afford preschool right now, and that's NOTHING compared to paying for private school. So that's out, unless she would like to find me a nice, wealthy benefactor that would like to fund my children's education. You can bet, though, that they will be attending only the best, b/c if they stayed home, that's what I would be giving them!

I get the argument most often that the children need socialization. My children have NO problem socially. They make friends quite easily, and are not in the least bit shy. Equally, they know better than to talk to strangers w/o my approval first, and don't aren't quick to befriend just anyone. Sure, I know there are some things that they won't get at home that they could at school, but I don't think it will make that big of a difference in the long run. I do want to work more on getting them a set group of friends their own age. Right now, they have friends, but they are different ages, and there are times when the age gap does inhibit some activities. However, they also learn a lot from their older counterparts, and from the younger ones, so I think it's great they have friends out of their age range, which is something you don't get a lot of in school.

Anyway, I think I've gone on long enough. I had to vent. I'm just so wanting people to see that I'm not out of my gourd. I do know what I'm doing, and I know what's best for my children. I just wish that everyone else would give me that credit!

I hope you have a great day! Talk to you later!

Fun in the sun...and pain to boot!

2007-08-19T21:11:00.000-04:00

Today we celebrated my birthday by going to the beach. It was pretty cool. Trey's parents brought down KK and Mikey, and Julia's family joined us as well. We were a pretty big ol' group! The water was nice, and the waves were STRONG!

The girls spent most of their time playing in the sand, especially Taryn. The boys were all over the place! TJ learned to boogey-board, and he did an awesome job! Andrew was playing for a while, but he got sand in his eyes, I think, and ended up sitting out the end little part. Mikey, who's about a month older than Taryn, had to constantly be pulled back to the shore, b/c he was just going everywhere! He would run down the shore, and go flying into the water. He'd go right to where the waves would knock him down under the water, and wipe his face off and start again! He was definitely having a good time!

I had the privilege of having to catch my bathing suit bottom at my toes when one wave knocked me under and pulled it off! I had the top go up a few times, as well as the bottom try to fall almost every time the water hit me. Then there was the time I totally flashed a guy and his little girl! Yeah, that was nice. That was when I decided my time in the water was over. The poor people at the beach had seen enough of me for one day!

I've also decided that it's time to invest in a new bathing suit. I'm embarrassed to admit that I'm still wearing my maternity bathing suit. It used to stretch really well, and it went back to small after I'd wear it. Now, though, the stretch is pretty much lost (helped along today as Mikey got knocked over, and as he fell grabbed my bathing suit...I looked down and he was floating two feet away from me, still gripped tightly to it!), and it's just too big for me. I've finally ungrown my maternity bathing suit. I'm kinda sad, though. It's really comfy, and it's got the whole built-in skirt thing going on. Of course, now the skirt goes all the way down to my knees, which is just too much. I'm hoping I can find one on clearance somewhere pretty soon. That one just needs to go in the trash!

Oh, and I failed to mention the wonderful HELLACIOUS BURN I got, too. Yeah, that would be where the pain came in. I made sure to cover the kids from head to toe in sunscreen, as well as Trey. Then when it came to me, I decided I needed a little color. So, I sprayed my face and my shoulders, which now have nice little white spots surrounded by flaming red! My back hurts SO MUCH! I took a cold shower, and I could feel the cold water on my head. However, by the time it hit my back it was boiling hot. Yeah, I'm an idiot! I'm not sure what I was thinking, but man, did I learn a valuable lesson today!

One messed up woman!

2007-08-14T21:13:00.000-04:00

That would be an accurate way to describe me. Today, I went to see a psychiatrist, in the hopes of finding out what exactly is wrong with me. Boy, did I get what I wanted!

So, it appears as though I didn't just stop at one disorder, but took a little taste of them all. My newest doctor told me that I am moderately bipolar, which my mom has contended for a LONG time, and now should feel justified in correctly diagnosing! As a matter of fact, perhaps she should start a psychiatric clinic of her own, and hook me up with free therapy! I also have OCD (Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder), which I've always known, just didn't think it was worth worrying about. He said it is not too extreme, but it is the disorder and not just obsessive-compulsive traits, b/c I have intrusive thoughts that I can't control and that have nothing to do with the rest of my life (that would make much more sense if I told you how he came to this conclusion, but I'd rather not). Lastly, I'm going tomorrow to get tested to find out if I have ADHD, which he thinks I do. I told him about how I've always turned into an obnoxious jerk in large groups of people, and how I'd like to be normal and seen less like a loud idiot and more like a smart person. That seemed to settle it for him.

On the plus side, my memory is just fine...apple balloon car (he told me to remember those, and then would ask me at random times if I did). He gave me a mood stabilizer, which in time will hopefully get me on track and help me to control my brain. Undoubtedly my days where I can't find the motivation to do anything, followed by my days where I can't stop doing stuff or calm down are depressive and manic phases. Who knew!

So what does this all mean for me? I mean, my life is pretty much alright overall, right? Mostly. What I hope it means is that I will be able to get myself better organized and actually follow through on plans and thoughts. I hope it will help me better control myself in public situations, and people will stop being shocked when they find out I'm not just a loudmouthed freak. I hope it will help me to focus my thoughts more, and make it so I can give my life structure, and successfully homeschool my children! I see lots of positive outcomes from this undertaking, if it works as he said, and as I hope!

Well, I guess I'd better be going now. Trey's waiting on me. We're going to watch Big Love, which promises to be AWESOME this week!

Oh, and one more thing that I just can't get used to. It's still freaking me out! The boy can WALK!

Getting old...

2007-08-12T22:19:00.000-04:00

So Thursday is my birthday. I'm going to be 29. Yep, one more year till I'm over the hill...

Okay, okay, I know 30 isn't over the hill, but it sure feels like it lately. Let's see: This past week my back has been killing me. I don't know if I pulled something or what. I do know that doing a paper route w/a sore back does not help. Then there's my right hand. I just found out the other day that I have carpal tunnel syndrome in it, and that it's moderate for now. What does that mean? Well, that for now I won't have to have surgery on it, but that it's coming soon enough. Speaking of paper routes, pain and numbness in your hand and arm do not help, either. I can add that to the ganglion cyst I have in my left wrist, which tends to hurt at times I'd rather it didn't. I've had a hella-bad headache on and off for hours on end for the last few weeks. Oh, did I mention that I can't drink or eat sugar free stuff anymore b/c it makes me sick to my stomach? Yeah, that cut out pretty much everything I drink besides milk and water. Just to add to the list, I'll point out that I have a cold sore on my lip right now, and a canker sore in my mouth. OUCH!

Yeah, so I'm feeling my age lately. I crave sleep, and b/t my aching back and my hurting hand (no, really it's the children more than the hand), I get nothing done during the day. If it's this bad now, imagine how it's going to be when I actually AM an old lady! Now I see why you're supposed to stop having kids while you're still young. I couldn't imagine catching little ones and trying to hold my walker all at the same time!

Another reason I'm feeling old: I seem to have lost my mind. This morning, on my paper route that I can do in my sleep (and often do!), I somehow managed to miss two entire streets! I can't imagine how that happened, but it did. I knew something was up when I finished and had lots and lots of papers left over. Unfortunately, I didn't figure out what I'd done till it was too late to correct the problem, and it cost me five complaints. Igh! Tonight, I went to Julia's, and we played UNO. She asked me about ten times if I had a draw 2 card so I didn't have to draw 2 cards, and I said no. Then, minutes later I went to use it, and realized I'd had one all along! Who'd have thought that the little 2 in the corner with the + next to it meant draw 2! Yep, it's settled, I've lost it!

Do I even dare to mention the massive amount of gray hair I have to dye, and how I have to buy the special kind for extensive gray coverage...and how even that doesn't make all of the grays turn brown?!

I suppose it would be wise for me to go ahead and plan out my funeral. Perhaps I should seriously be thinking about getting a life insurance policy before it's too late! I'm getting an ADHD test on Tuesday, and I just know they're going to tell me it's not ADHD at all, but that Alzheimer's has kicked in and I'm on the fast track to mindlessness!

Don't ya just love getting older?

My Path...

2007-08-09T21:04:00.001-04:00

Do you ever question your path in life? Do you wonder if maybe you chose one that was below what you are capable and deserving of? I usually don't, but the other day I got to thinking about just that.

Julia got me to sign up for Facebook to see what it's all about. If you're thinking about it, my advice is don't waste your time. I don't get what's so great about it. I've heard so much about MySpace, and I'm not impressed w/it, either. I do like it more than Facebook, though, b/c you don't have to be approved just to look around. Anyway, back to my story...So I joined, and was doing a search to find anyone I know. I stumbled across this guy that I went to high school with. I asked him to be my friend, or whatever it is on there.

The next day I got an email saying he'd agreed, and that he was now on my Facebook. Yippee. I went to check him out. Okay, one, he was little and cute in high school. Now, he's HOT! Two, he's some big fancy graphic something or other in California. He had pics of his fun life and whatnot. We're the same age, yet we have taken COMPLETELY different paths.

I didn't know him all that well in high school, yet I don't remember bumping into him in any of my Honors classes, so I'm guessing he was just an average Joe. I'm not bragging or anything, but I was in the top five percent of my class of over 700, up near the top (I think in the top 20). I mean, that's not a big deal or anything, but school was always easy for me, and I always just figured I'd put all of that education toward something of vast importance in the world or something. I tutored both volunteer and paid, I volunteered in a library, I volunteered other places, I won awards for writing and the like, I was active in the band, I was in other school clubs...I was an outgoing and dedicated student who seemed to be on the track to success.

In college, I wasn't quite as active in the extra-curricular stuff, but mostly that was b/c I was too busy working to support myself at three jobs, along with going to school full-time and getting good grades. The most project-filled and hardest academic semester we had, I was busy planning and carrying out my wedding. It didn't phase me. I'm tellin' ya, school has always been easy. I've never been at the absolute top, but I know it's b/c I've never put in 100%. I found out I could be pretty damn near it w/o even trying, so I took that route instead!

I just knew in my heart that when I started teaching, I would teach for a few years, then I would move up to head of Special Education, then up into Administration. I'd make things good for all of my fellow teachers and help education move forward in the world. Things were okay for the few years I did teach. I loved the actual teaching part, but the morons who'd already made it to administration positions were really ruining it for me. I guess they noticed my adversity to the way they did things, and thus asked me to be on my merry way. I couldn't have been happier.

Now it comes to this. Here I am now, a newspaper delivery carrier. Any idiot off of the street could do that job. Okay, well, that's not true. I have seen many an idiot come and go, many of which I trained myself. However, I do know a lot of idiots who do it for a living, and do a great job at it! Needless to say, if you can read and drive, then you're set. I have a monthly student loan bill that's going to pay for an education I used for all of three years, if that.

Honestly, I wondered at the time if maybe I shouldn't do something more flashy and "successful" out there in the world. I think it'd be fun to work with computers at some fun place like Google. I'd love to make movies, and be part of the team that adds all of the special effects. I'd love to be some kind of mover and shaker out there in the world. Instead, I decided to teach. I'm not saying that teaching isn't important, but honestly, it's kind of, you know, a normal job. It's one of those careers they taught you about when you were little. You could either be an astronaut, a doctor, a fireman, or a teacher. Apparently, I didn't do my research and find out just how many careers out there have nothing to do w/those categories they taught us about in school!

However, it gets worse. Now, not only am I not a teacher, I'm doing a job that any ol' guy with a car can do right off the street. No prior education needed. Look, I get that what I do IS important. I believe deep down that staying at home and raising my children myself, and hopefully homeschooling them, is of utter importance. I know that my way right now to change the world and make it better is to take the time to raise three children who will go out into the world and set the example of goodness and do great things. It's a big, and definitely the most challenging, responsibility, and I am prepared to rise to the challenge and succeed. But...sometimes I just feel like I could be doing more. I mean, there are all those parents out there that do work and send their children to daycare and school, and those kids come out just fine. I don't really want that for my children, but maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I should be getting up at 6 am instead of going to bed then, and toting my kids off to a loving daycare where they can socialize with lots of other children and Mommy can go off and spread her ideas to others who can carry on a normal, adult conversation. I just don't know.

I remember they said when we were growing up that we could be whatever we want to be when we grew up. That is so entirely untrue. If you don't have someone to point you on that right path early, then you're already behind. If you don't have the skills needed, then you're already behind. If you happen to have three small children, then the chances of doing whatever you want are slim to none. I don't regret one single second having had my three babies. If it were up to me, I'd have ten more. I love them, and they make every single day wonderful. Sometimes, just sometimes, though, I wonder if maybe I was meant to be a jet-setter. Maybe I was supposed to do something flashy, like travel the world selling expensive trinkets to companies that need them to stay in business. Who knows. I just hate feeling so unsettled.

Happy Birthday, my Love!

2007-08-03T21:47:00.000-04:00

Today my lovely hubby turns 31. He is so OLD! Happy Birthday, Trey! I couldn't have asked for a better husband! You are a great dad, and good to me, too. You work soooo hard so we can have a good life. I just want you to know that we all sincerely appreciate it, more than you will ever know. I LOVE YOU!

Julia came over w/the kids today, and we made Trey a cake. I was originally going to just make the same ol' cake we always do. However, while I was looking for the little decorating squirty thing, I saw fondant. Do you know about this fondant? Oh, it's my new favorite thing, and I want to use it ALL the time now!

The kids helped me mix the batter, so they did help. However, they weren't that interested in decorating, which was fine w/us. Julia and I had SO MUCH FUN decorating Trey's cake! It was like Play-Doh made of sugar. We were completely clueless as to what to do, so Julia started messing around and made a little frog. I thought it looked cool, and there was a messed up spot on the top of the cake, so I stuck it on top of it. Somehow, that led to a lake theme. Then, we added shells and an octopus, so it became a beach theme, w/a frog! I don't care, though, b/c it's SO COOL! Yeah, sure, it's a little lopsided (neither one of us is exactly what you would call a baker!), and it basically looks like a kid made it, but like I said, it was so much fun to do! We decided we're going to go to her house on my birthday and make my cake! Trey likes it, too, so that's also a plus! The only thing we don't know yet is how it tastes. We're keeping it till tomorrow for the little cookout we're going to have for Trey's birthday. I hope it's good.

Have a great day! I'll see you later!

With silver bells and cockle shells...

2007-08-02T14:15:00.000-04:00

Well, minus the silver bells, of course!

I have to say, it was not the easiest of things to get my butt in gear and put together a theme unit for my kids. Especially since I wanted Taryn to be involved, and thus I would need to make it somewhat understandable for her. Not to mention the fact that I really do have a hard time getting my brain to do what I tell it to anymore...it took a lot of effort on my part to stay focused and actually finish the plan. However, I am SO HAPPY I did! My kids are LOVING learning about the ocean so far!

Yesterday we did volcanoes and islands, and how the beach is made. We read a book to start it off, then looked at pictures of volcanoes and talked about how they work. Then they colored pictures of a volcano, which we are going to use soon to make a big ocean scene (once I get some big, blue paper to hang somewhere on the wall and find the right wall for it!). After that, we watched a video on YouTube about volcanoes, which I thought would mostly be enjoyed for the fun song, but TJ actually was very interested in the different pictures of volcanoes and how they were made up! Once we had watched that three times, yes, three times, we made volcanoes out of play-doh. It took a lot of help on my part to get them shaped right, but they did have some input in it. I have never actually made a volcano before, so I was pleasantly surprised and super pleased at how easy it was and how well it worked. We must have made them explode at least a thousand times! TJ LOVED it! Taryn thought it was cool for a bit, then decided that wondering aimlessly around the house with her blanket would be a bit more fun!

Get this: Last night we went downtown w/Trey's sister and her kids, and as we were walking to a restaurant to get some dessert, Trey stopped to look at a dresser in a window covered in shells. I snapped at him to hurry up, b/c Taryn was being cranky, and I didn't want it to take any longer than necessary to get home. As we walked away, though, I thought, "Hmmm, I wonder if that store sells shells individually?" Guess what, they did! There was a whole room full of shells, little ones, big ones, all types! It was great! I ended up getting a bag of tiny ones that we are going to use to make a beach in a jar later (gotta get some sand still), and some medium sized ones to look at and learn about. TJ and Taryn were in hog heaven. Every three seconds they would grab another shell and yell, "LOOK, MOMMY!" "MOMMY, CHECK IT OUT!" TJ never wanted to leave. How great was that!

For today's lesson on shells, we read Seashells by the Seashore, then looked at the shells we bought last night. We compared them and tried to find matches in our book. Then we matched them according to size, shape, color, and all that good stuff. We picked our favorites, then moved on. Next, we read A House for Hermit Crab, and talked about the animals inside of shells, and why they leave them (like when you grow out of your clothes and shoes). We also talked about making his shell special to live in, like we decorate our own house. They colored a picture of shells, and we did a matching game with different colored paper shells, and then it was time to paint and decorate our own shells! Taryn was kinda here and there throughout the lesson, but she was all over it when it was time to paint! They did an awesome job, and all I have to say is that this is such a great motivator! I'm all on board to homeschool now! I mean, yeah, I know they won't always be this interested, and we won't always have this much fun, but still, it's a good way to start!

PS-That extra person is Katie, my neice. She wanted to do it with us, and I think she may have actually enjoyed it!

Talk to you later! Have a great day!

Update...

2007-08-01T06:44:00.000-04:00

What have I been up to lately, you ask? Well, let me tell you...

Last week I died my hair again. This time I was going for purple highlights over my newly darkened brown hair. They started off pretty much purply-pink, but each day my shampoo lather is pink and they get lighter (which is strange, since they're supposed to be permanent). Trey, however, is not upset by this, b/c he HATES them. He makes sure to tell me at least once a day how much he hates my hair. I was trying to go for a streaky kind of look, but I put a couple too many in, and now it just looks like a light covering (mostly b/c of how frizzy my hair gets). I'm not as in love w/them as I had hoped I'd be, but I don't dislike them. I figure I'll let my hair be pinkish for a while, then I'll go back and dye it back to brown all over again. No harm done. I just wanted to try something different, and it's done. Maybe next I'll go w/green! What I get the biggest kick out of is the fact that I get treated a bit differently by people. In a few places people have acted like I'm a total idiot, even though when I speak to them I sound perfectly intelligent and am dressed rather conservatively. Yes, my hair is my science experiment in psychology!

Cole is now getting his second tooth, and MAN is he needy! If I put him down he loses it, and that's most of the day! It makes it rather hard to get much accomplished. He's also walking all over the place now, and it's just so damn cute! Last night I was watching a video on YouTube w/a cool song on it, and he was dancing like crazy. It was so adorable, b/c he seemed like he had no control, like his body just couldn't stop itself from moving to the music! He'd look at me all confused, like, "Hey, why is my body bouncing and wiggling like this?"

Oh, and my nightly affair w/Harry is coming closer to an end. I'm over half done (yes, I'm a slow reader), and that's upsetting b/c I never want it to end! Of course, I'm getting anxious to see what's going to happen, so I can't stop now!

Today is the official day that I attempt my first real themed lesson w/the kids. It's going to be about the beach and the ocean. It should last about two to three weeks, depending on how much we get done each day. I've never attempted this w/them before, and it's the most structured thing I've ever taught them. So far, I've read books about the ocean and beach to them, and we've talked about learning about it. Even Taryn's excited. Last night I let them watch The Little Mermaid, which I know isn't really the best learning tool, but we talked about all the ocean creatures we saw as we watched it, so....I'll go into more detail later about what I'm planning to do. Please wish me luck, though, b/c I know I'll need it!

Alright, talk to you later. Have a great day!

The end is near...

2007-07-27T21:10:00.000-04:00

Big boy!

2007-07-24T16:39:00.000-04:00

I just got back from taking Cole to his nine month check-up. He's good to go. He's now 19.9 lbs. (50%), and 29 inches long (75%). He's my runt, little guy! He had a great time pushing the dr's. chair around and practicing walking while we waited, b/c, of course, the computers crashed twice while we were in our little room! I was told that he's doing all the stuff he's supposed to be doing, and beyond. Yaaaa!!!! The only issue was that he's still not sleeping through the night, so she gave me a solution to that, too, which is to water his formula down more and more and wean him off the nighttime calories he's used to getting. Oh, let's pray that works!

Oh, and I was thirsty, so I stopped by the Dunkin' Donuts on the way to the dr's. office. I was going to get some iced coffee, but they always put too much sugar in it. When I got to the drive-thru, I saw that they have new iced tea, with peach flavoring. Well, I like peach flavored tea usually, so I gave it a try. EEEEWWWWWWWWWW!!!! It made me sick! It was like a really, really bad mixed drink. I tried to drink it, b/c I had just paid $2 for it, and I couldn't take it back. I watered it down, thinking maybe the peach flavor would lighten up. Not even. It killed me, and finally I poured it down the drain. What a disappointment! I do not recommend the peach flavored tea from Dunkin' Donuts. I do not, however, know if their tea alone is yummy, b/c I couldn't get past the awful peach flavoring to taste it!

Oh, I have big news, too! I got my Harry Potter book yesterday! I'm already on chapter 6. I'm kinda torn. Like, do I read it as fast as I can so I can find out what happens at the end? Or, do I take my time and savor it like a good wine? I mean, this is the LAST one, and once it's over, it's over. I hate that it's over. I never wanted to be a Harry Potter fan. I only read the first one b/c I got it for my classroom, and my students, half of which couldn't read anyway, wanted to read it so bad that I had to find out what the allure was. I was in love on the first page! I just can't believe it's over. I want to go watch the movie tonight. Any babysitters out there?

Alright, talk to you later. Have a great day!

I sure hope I win!

2007-07-22T23:24:00.000-04:00

I am entering a blog contest run by Tee at Spilt Milk. Spilt Milk is a blog about many things, including, a meddling mother-in-law, her Latino husband, motherhood, raising boys, reviews of cool products, books, funny life observations, and her struggle with religion and self esteem. The prize is a 3-pack of popular kid's computer games, and all I had to do to enter was to cut and paste this code onto my blog. I hope I win!

TJ and Taryn need new computer games. I'm tired of playing the old ones with them!

Exciting happenings at the Pitchford household...

2007-07-14T22:46:00.000-04:00

Well, as an update, right after I finished my last post, I called and got an appointment for the end of the month w/what hopes to be my new family doctor! Yippee!

I may not have told you this yet, but Trey's nephew (and I suppose mine, by virtue of marriage) has officially moved in with us. We're all still adjusting, and I find it funny that the kids, who could have cared less about it before, want nothing more in life than to play with the train set and table. Why, you ask? Well, b/c it's the only thing of theirs that I couldn't find a place for when I moved all of their playroom stuff out of the FROG, and so it's still up there for now. I put a knob w/a key lock on it, though, so they can't sneak up there anymore when I'm not looking! He's also working w/Trey, and from what I hear, is doing a bang-up job. Go Brandon!

So, now for the really, REALLY exciting (and completely frightening!) news. Cole took his first step today! It was so cute. He got all the way to the edge of the couch arm, and got his balance for a minute. Then, he threw his arms up over his head, and just threw caution to the wind and hauled ass as fast as he could! He made it two steps before he fell down. I cheered for him, and he was so proud. He got the biggest smile on his face, and we both clapped for him. Later, we were dancing in the living room (all of the kids and I), and he stood up for about thirty seconds, even dancing a bit during. I'm so excited that he's doing so well, but at the same time, I'm terrified and freaked out! It's only a matter of time now before I have three completely mobile children! Oh Lord, please help me!

Oh, but how on earth could you help but to love, love, LOVE these people! I am THE LUCKIEST WOMAN ON EARTH!

Wouldn't ya know it!

2007-07-12T11:12:00.000-04:00

This morning, on my paper route, I wasn't paying attention, and I ran into one of the drainage things that I have to be careful to avoid everyday. Guess what? My tire didn't pop! Know why? That's right, b/c I now have road hazard!

I'm in a quandry lately. I'm torn b/t thinking I have either ADHD, depression, or am bipolar. When I look up the symptoms of each, they all fit. What I'm sure of is that I need to figure out what my problem is, b/c I'm having a hard time just getting by anymore. It's not cool. I want to excel, but as of now I'm just barely making it through each day, much less getting much done. I know people can have their good and bad days, but most of mine are bad lately. Then, on my good days, I wear myself out so much trying to get as much as I can done that the next day I'm even more worthless! I know I can attribute some of it to lack of sleep and the kids and all, but I think it's more. I've been taking anti-depressants, but I don't think they're working. Not only am irritable most days, but I've been having not nice thoughts about death of late. Like, why on earth would I want to die? I have everything going for me, and while life isn't perfect, it's much, much better now than is has been in the recent past. Plus, I just can't get my act together. I want desperately to homeschool my children, which I know I am capable of. I could do a wonderful job and my children would be well-taught. However, even when I put my whole mind to it, I just can't focus enough to make out a plan and do it. I don't want to be forced to send them to school just b/c I can't think!

Oh, I don't know. If I could focus enough, I'd get off my ass and call a damn doctor and figure it out. Maybe I'll do that now. It's not that I haven't tried. Everytime I've tried to call and set up an appointment, the office has been closed! Yeah, wouldn't ya know it!

TOOTH!

2007-07-08T10:52:00.001-04:00

Cole-Cole's getting his first tooth! Finally! For some unknown reason, while I was waiting for help at the store the other day, I stuck my finger in his mouth. There it was, tiny and sharp, in all its glory. It's even grown since then, and now I can kinda sorta see it if I hold him down and shove his tongue back down into his throat while I pry his mouth open! How exciting!

Back to the waiting for help at the store the other day story. You know, the one where I happened to have stuck my finger in Cole's mouth and found a tooth? Yeah, well we were not there to find a tooth, unfortunately. We ran to Wal-Mart to pick up some ingredients to make zucchini bread (which was a raving success, might I add!), and I figured while I was there I'd go ahead and get my tire patched. It'd had a slow leak for about a week then, and I was getting tired of refilling it everyday. Naturally, the tire was not done by the time we'd finished shopping. Go figure. However, after having waited for half an hour, they came in and asked me which car was mine. When I told the guy, he said, "Have they talked to you about your tire yet?" Uhhh, no, but I already knew what he was going to say. Yes, there was a nail, and it was too close to the side. A new tire was in order.

Now, to anyone else, this would be no big deal, really. So get the new tire, done deal. However, for me, it's becoming an all too familiar sound. Thankfully I only needed one this time, as compared to the last two times when I had to get two at a time. I seem to be cursed when it comes to tires. Yes, I am to blame for many of the replacements I've had to get, as I also seemed to be cursed when it comes to, ummm, hitting road drains. Those can only account for three of my misgivings, though, which again, doesn't sound that bad.

Here's where it begins to hurt. I figured up how many tires we've bought since June of last year for both of our cars. Grand total: fifteen. Yes, you read correctly. We've bought fifteen tires in a little over a year! Right before we moved here in June of last year, I had all four of the tires on the van replaced. Then, when I was delivering pizza, I had to replace two of them on the car b/c they got, ummm, mysterious sudden holes in them. When I got the job at 911, I went to have one patched, and ended up with a whole new set of tires for the car! We're up to what, now, 10? Then just a couple months ago, I went for some reason to get the front two tires checked on the van, and, yep, got two new ones. A couple of weeks ago, the front driver's side tire was running low (okay, basically flat), and it caused me to lose control in a turn and, hit a drain in the road (yes, I'm embarrased beyond belief!) at five in the morning. However, that experience taught me that I can change my own tire, as I called the house about 15 times, and got no answer! Smart thinking finally? Yes, that day the guy introduced me to "ROAD HAZARD"! Ummm, why has no one mentioned this to me before? So, thinking I was good to go, at least for the two tires on the driver's side, I was a bit dismayed when they told me I needed a new tire the other day. Dismayed to the tune of "AGGHHHHHHHHH!" loud enough to make the people in the hardware section look over in fear!

So, in case I ever wonder again where all my money goes, and why my savings is completely empty, I now know. There are fat, happy tire people all over town who are eating, and sleeping just a little better knowing that I'm driving on safe, new tires. I mean, sure, our electricity's just a moment away from being cut off, but dammit, I'm driving in style with my new tires!

It's time again

2007-07-05T16:26:00.001-04:00

I think it's time for the kids to get a break from me for a while again. Any takers?

Bragging rights

2007-06-27T22:58:00.000-04:00

Do you know what my little baby can do? Well, let me tell you. He can say "Ma Ma", and he can clap. Yes, that's right, Cole is a little genius, as far as I'm concerned.

PS-You may want to turn the volume down a bit, b/c the obnoxiously screechy sound of my voice might make you want to jump off of a bridge. Cole seems to like it, though.

Tired of the birthday party yet?

2007-06-25T21:38:00.001-04:00

Yeah, me too. It's high time I get to writing on this here thing! I can't honestly say what has kept me so busy this past week, but I do know that I've been busy! I'm sitting here right now drinking Rex Goliath Pinot Noir, which is kind of strong and vinegary tasting to me, but hey, we had it and I wanted wine! I'm much more a white wine kinda gal, but I've already emptied those bottles!

So let's see, what happened this past week? On Sunday morning (the night of Taryn's birthday party), I cussed out the manager at the paper center. I had papers in my car he needed, and I told him if he wanted them to go get them. He tried to call my bluff and thought that I would eventually give in and get them out of my car for him. He was wrong. Our boss ended up having to get called out of bed at 5 am to come and get them from me, b/c he was too scared to call me. It's really a long story, but I will say that I surprised myself. I'm usually very passive, and even though I get upset, I just let it go and don't say anything. I was HOT that night! I spoke my mind, and very, VERY clearly. Since then there has been an uneasiness at work, which I'm 100% sure came straight from that night. As a matter of fact, this morning I got a letter from my boss accusing me of spreading "vicious gossip", and telling me that I could get fired for spreading gossip. Ha ha! I signed a contract, which does not say one single word about gossip, so I'd love to see him try! Aside from that, though, the only people spreading said gossip are the natty old bitties who have nothing better to do in their lives than to try to add drama by making up stories about other people. I wasn't even at work when I was supposedly spreading the rumors I was accused of telling. I wrote a scathing, yet polite, letter back to my boss today, letting him know how I felt. Now, everything's good. I expect not to be a part of any of the drama of that place, and I will just be going in and getting my work done. End of story. I hope....

God, what else have I done this past week? Well, today I thought I had court for my ticket. Did I tell you about it? I got a ticket a couple weeks ago on the way to work for "Disregarding a Stop Sign". She told me I didn't "stop enough". Not sure what that means, but I was tired, and there's no telling. Anyway, I have a friend from high school who's a S'ville Police officer, and he told me he'd help me out. However, I've yet to be able to get with him to give him the ticket. So I got my mom to come watch the kids this afternoon so I could go to court. The court that was dated 6-26-07. Did you know that today was the 25th? Oh, I didn't. I felt INCREDIBLY stupid when I got there and the woman was trying to make me feel better...well, you're only one day off. Yeah, stupid. What's great, though, is that I did get in touch w/my friend, and he has court in the morning tomorrow. Soooo, he said I can stop by then and give him the ticket and he'll hook me up. Did I mention how much I love him? I mean, I always have. He was my buddy in high school...the whitest black guy I've ever known I always called him. We're working on finding a spare moment in the lives of his family and mine to try to get toghether and cookout sometime soon (which, btw, was in the works before I got the ticket, and I would do even if he declined to help me!). I know it'll be fun, b/c he's a great, funny guy, and still claims to be just a big kid. I bet the kids will love him. He's even got a 3 year old little girl, so they can make a new friend. Yippee!

Honestly, I can't think of anything else that's been keeping me so busy. I swear I have been, though! Oh well. Anyway, I think tomorrow I will celebrate not having to pay my ticket by making a trip to the local liquor store and picking up a bottle of my favorite Riesling, which also happens to be super cheap there! This red crap is no fun!

Have a great day, and I'll see you later!