Monday, December 28, 2009

Even so, I’m Thankful (Alternately Titled: Suck it up)

Christmas happens to be my holiday to work this year at the hospital.  No biggie, working nights I can usually forgo some sleep to enjoy the day.  This year, the big storm changed everyone’s plans.

I ended up being stuck at the hospital from Christmas Eve night until the morning of the 26th.  I spent an extra day with a friend until the roads were open for travel.  We had let the kids open presents Christmas Eve morning because we knew I may not be back in time for actual Christmas day.  Certain catastrophe avoided.  Even so, I was melancholy.  I missed my kids, I wanted to be home with them.  I missed my husband whom I see so little already.

When the storm started they began closing roads, but not before accidents happened.  I had watched the news and heard that a couple coming into town had slid sideways into a bridge support.  They were driving 75 mph on the ice with their cruise control.  They bent up their car and their little girl had, according to the newscast, lost consciousness.  The girl and mom went to be checked out while dad was interviewed by the news reporter.  The next morning, the paper reported their 11-month old had died.  It really shocked me.  Here was the dad being interviewed about the icy roads while his daughter was whisked away not realizing these were the last hours of his baby’s life. It was Christmas Eve, ruined forever for that family.  I could not even imagine.

So what if I wasn’t with my kids?  My children were safe at home, alive and well.  Happily playing with new toys and eating the (much better) food their dad was preparing for them.  So what that I slept on a cot?  My bed would be there when I got home.  So what if I only talked to them on the phone for Christmas day.  They were able to talk.  So what if I couldn’t snuggle with my husband on the couch after the kids were tucked in?  He’d be there waiting when I made it home.  We were safe, we were alive.  God is good to us and we need to remember the thank Him in all circumstances.  Even if we think it sucks, He ultimately knows better than we do. 

So what if I didn’t spend Christmas with my husband and kids.  I still had them.  I told myself to suck it up.  I’ll be home soon.

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Friday, December 25, 2009

Thursday, December 24, 2009

ATWT - Decorating the tree

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But the best part of all…

IMG_7273aLetting the kids choose the decorations.

A Thousand Words Thursday is hosted by TheMomJen at Cheaper Than Therapy.  Stop by to wish her Merry Christmas!!

Cheaper Than Therapy

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Gingerbread Houses and sticky table tops

 

gingerbread  Mom Blogs

Wordless Wednesday is hosted by the lovely ladies at 5 Minutes for Mom.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~ and now for the wordful part ~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Last night I presented the kids with 3 gingerbread house kits.  Sure, one could be all crafty and homemaker-y and bake your own gingerbread, mix up a batch of royal icing… yeah.  One could.  One did not.  I’m just happy to open the package and start assembling.  Daddy had to work, so it was just me and the kids.  Letting 3 big kids work on this project is hard enough.  Had I made these from scratch there’s no way I’d have the patience required to finish them!  Anyway, they smelled SO tasty that I hope the kids won’t notice the big bites missing the next morning.  The kits came with packs of candy and large bags of royal icing.  Each one ended up looking different.  Against all the “mom” screaming within me, I allowed them to snack to their heart’s content, only reminding them to save some for the house.  Even JC with his sneaky go-go-gadget fingers sampled the “glue”.  They were all really proud of their finished product.  The huge mess was worth the fun time.  Can’t wait to eat them!!

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Wordful Wednesday is hosted by Angie at Seven Clown Circus!

Monday, December 21, 2009

Secret Santa Strikes!!

I came home to find a package sitting below my mailbox.  Being the eBay junkie that I am, I imagined that something I ordered had finally shown up.  The label said eBay….but when in the world did I order THAT?? I quickly surmised (as quickly as my mom brain will let me, which is about 5 minutes and in the mean time the neighbors are starting to wonder if I’m locked out or something) that is must be from my Secret Santa – eee!

I threw my jacket on the dining table and tore into the package!!  Before I could even lift it out I could smell real lavender.  Mmmm! My Secret Santa was checking their list twice!  Here’s my first glimpse:

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The little card totally reminded me of Grandma (in a good way!).  Grandma IMG_7131adraws when she’s on the phone and it looked so much like her artwork.  I eagerly pulled out the basket to inspect it!  Isn’t it cute?!  I could see that is was a nice set of bath items and that the lavender was the real deal, not some awful bathroom air freshener! 

The bow took a little work, but I managed :)  Inside I found:  A double pack of Lavender Tea Soak, a neat little Lavender Lotion Bar, a pink-wrapped Lavender and Shea Butter Soap (yes!!) and some almost edible looking Lavender Sugar Scrub! 

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I am seriously SO excited to get in the tub and RELAX with all my new bath goodies!!  Thank you Secret Santa, you totally made my day!!

And a big thanks to Georgie and Amy for getting all this together!!

Now, for a glass of wine to go with that Sugar Scrub *wink* !

Christmas Party at MckMama’s

Trying to downplay it as much as I can, my friend and I like to tell everyone people always go to the cities around Christmas time to do their big shopping.  There’s a great outlet mall nearby, so we did stop there.  But the real reason we drove 4 hours was to go to MckMama’s Christmas party.

Erin and I had talked for a week or two before the event to coordinate possibly heading down there.  Easy for the single girl, but it takes a little more sweet talking for the married mom of 4 to get a road trip arranged!  Hubby knows I read, and even recognizes the name MckMama, so when I threw out the fact that there was a party we wanted to go to that WASN’T as far as me going to Oklahoma, he was ok with it.  (It was to be my birthday gift, sorta, which, by the way is today if you need to know. )

We arranged our schedules, arranged a time, changed plans, arranged again, and finally me up an hour or so late… and we were on our road trip!  I have to admit I am SO glad she drove, because that girl’s car is GREAT! XM radio, butt warmers… seriously, heaven.  We chatted and hardly listened to the radio.  Erin had borrowed Garmin from her folks for the trip.  Her family had named the rude woman voice that gives you driving instructions “B” – as in a B word I will not type here.  She earned it.  Every time we turned off the course, she gave an exasperated “Recalculating” and demanded we do U-turns on divided highways. 

We hit the outlet mall and did some power shopping, then realized it was getting late.  We checked into our hotel in the nearest town to MckMama’s, changed and told “B” where we wanted to go.  “B” of course had no idea where this house in the middle of no where was, so we used a certain search engine’s map function (hint: rhymes with Flugle Taps).  SO after about 45 minutes of turning around and trying the other direction we found it….

JustMovingIn-3 Photo: MckMama

Of course it was actually dark by then, so MckMama’s picture of a red house doesn’t help in the dark.  But we were not the last ones there, so it was all good.

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There were goodies everywhere and lots of people to meet.  Some bloggers, some not.  We mingled, shared stories, drank wine, ate cheesecake.  A.Lot.Of.Cheesecake.

The house is as lovely as her pictures (which were everywhere!) and we could pick out all the pieces of furniture from Mud Lake!  And just to keep it real, I am positive I could see the remnants of a bit of artwork by one of the kids on the wall of the bathroom.  Yup, definitely a house with kids.  The boys were all still up when we arrived so we got to see them for a little bit before bed time.  MckMama was a wonderful hostess and once the kiddos were in bed she was able to chat with everyone.  Her sister Hillary brought their little girl and many of us took turns rocking her (SO adorable!).  We all ended the night in a big circle sharing embarrassing moments (sorry, no spilling the beans here!) and it was really great!! I’m glad we were able to go!

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Thanks for having us, it was really a wonderful night of sharing, friendship and fellowship!!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ some new friends I thought you’d like to meet, too ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MamaBear

Laura Bignell

Kristina Joy

Karlynn Mattfield

Sarah Ruch

Kami

Jolene Slavik

Mama M

Trish VanPilsum

And so many more eager to start blogging soon!

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Our First Little Gift

The photo from our second-ever family Christmas card.  The pressure to appear on the photo card disappears!!  Ever since, the kids have taken front and center…on our Christmas cards and in our lives.  Oh, what did I do with all that free time??

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Do you have a photo worth a thousand words? Join TheMomJen at Cheaper Than Therapy to link up and share your pictures!!

Cheaper Than Therapy

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

Dear Mall Santa, I’m sorry…

I always admire the mall Santa.  His job is really quite stressful.  One would think sitting in a chair all day wouldn’t be all that stress inducing, but those that do apparently don’t have kids.  Ever walked past the mile-long line of squirming well dressed toddlers, begging for treats and straining against their parents’ arms to make a run for it?  How’d you like to be the guy responsible for the most miserable day in a toddler’s short memory?  And with that many kids, chance are pretty good that there are some cheap diapers straining to their maximum potential.

While I myself have never taken my kids to the “mall” Santa, we’ve visited our local town Santa.  Since we’ve moved here to our little town they’ve started a Christmas celebration that includes a couple hours of photo ops with Santa.  Last year we went for the first time and JC was too small to care one way or the other.  Piper was old enough to talk into standing near, but not sit with, Santa.  This really is the best anyone can hope for.  No screaming, no crying.

This year I add myself (well, my kids really) to the list of stressors to poor Mall Santa’s life.  Hopefully this man gets paid well for what he does, because I know I couldn’t do it.  I am POSITIVE my husband couldn’t do it.  So today I say “Here’s to you Mall Santa!  May the screams of Christmas NOT be with you year round!”

santa09b Ah, Mall Santa, you have such patience.  Believe me, JC wasn’t the only screamer.  Who goes to work knowing you’re going to make kids cry (hmm, aside from Peds doctors, I suppose)? You can see the kids enjoyed themselves immensely.  At least Aria had a good time with her friends.  She always makes me smile….

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Tuesday, December 15, 2009

I Heart Faces - Pets

We finally have a pet to enter in this challenge!  This is Karma, she’s a rescue dog we adopted about 2 months ago.  She’s part Husky and being so gives her 2 different colored eyes.  One is bright blue, the other is a red-brown color.  It seems each eye gives her a different personality.  The blue eye always looks a little more innocent, the red a little more devious.  She’s really hard to read sometimes, but usually the answer to what she wants is food!

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Why formal pictures are no fun

I sort of like to tell people coming to me, if you want perfect little angels sitting still on a chunk of carpet and a cutesy backdrop, you might as well head over to Sears.  That’s not really me.  If you really want some personality in your pictures then we’re ready to go!  I have a few pictures in every shoot that I always fall in love with.  This last shoot was no exception…

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Sure, I’ll take some posed pictures, but it’s usually the one right after that that I love even more…

such boys  bllleeeaahhhh!

the best wedding shoes ever getting along when no one's looking

The ones when they think no one is looking…

the look

I think I’ve made some progress in the last year.  My photo blog is Affectionately Yours Photography if you want to see more

Have you had your family pictures done this year? What are your favorite photos?

Friday, December 11, 2009

Friday Fragments – Insert Clever Title Here

Welcome once again to Friday Fragments, your chance to purge your mind of all those little tidbits too small for their own post, too good to let go!  You can thank Mrs. 4444 at Half Past Kissing Time for the opportunity!

Mommy's Idea
  • I think our biggest news of the week is that Max went to the principal’s office.  I got a call just before 2 in the afternoon yesterday to let us know he had punched another boy in the mouth while in the restroom.  It turns out that there was another boy who encouraged him to do it, telling him he wouldn’t get in trouble.  I felt so bad for the poor kid who got punched, he wasn’t asking for it, he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.  I’ve heard the “encourager” kid’s name before, often associated with naughty behavior or rude words.  We’ve officially grounded Max from xBox until after Christmas, and (the biggie) Legos for a whole week.  In addition, Daddy came to school with him this morning and had him stand in front of the class and apologize.  Daddy also told the teacher (not in front of the whole class) that Max was no longer allowed to hang out with the other rude boy.  We’ve really had enough.  This is kindergarten.  If we don’t take care of this now, I think we’re going to have a long road to high school.  Peer pressure scares me.  I hope we can instill in our children a strong inner voice.  I’m really most surprised that Max would actually punch some poor kid who didn’t at all deserve it.  I’m a little sad.
  • Totally Random: I miss film canisters.  Occasionally I find something that would store perfectly in a film canister.  I don’t have them anymore, my supply is limited.  I used to have tons when I ran a film camera and especially when I did weddings.  Now I only have a few.  Just one of the casualties of the digital age, I guess.
  • I want to say THANKS to Kristina at Pulsipher Predilections.  She recently posted  a list of her readers’ business sites and was kind enough to include my Etsy site!  If you don’t read her already, she is SUPER funny, I highly recommend heading over to her site and reading up!!
  • Speaking of fun sites to shop, my hubby steered me over to T-Shirt Hell and the shirts they have are hilarious.  Go take a peek, but check your indignation at the door, there’s sure to be something to offend everyone.  Fair warning.
  • Only one of our two cars started this morning.  It’s been below zero for most of the week, so I guess its no surprise.  The real surprise is that neither of our vehicles have block heaters.  Confused? Those of you not from the upper Tundra area have probably never heard of such a thing.  I guess when my dad first came to this area from Oregon, he thought all these cars with little plugs hanging out of the front were maybe electric cars?  Block heaters keep the engine/battery from freezing solid when you plug them in overnight (or day) so you can actually start your car in the cold.  Many businesses in this area even have them for their employees when they park at work. I didn’t know this was unusual to the southern folk. :)
  • Please stop by the RaMbLeR’s place OR tweet her @leanna_mom23 to congratulate her on completing the half marathon in Vegas last weekend!! She’s only ever gone as far as 7+ miles, so she is officially at the top of my hero list!!
  • I just learned Michelle Duggar (you know, the family with 18 kids!) just had baby 19 via emergency C-section.  The baby girl, named Josie, was very early and weighs only 1lb 6oz, and as far as I know is their first preemie baby.  A quick prayer for her would, I’m sure, be welcomed.  I find it amazing after all those kids, this is the only one who was early and who will potentially have health problems.  Frankly, I’m surprised she still has a uterus at all. 
  • It’s Virtual Girls’ Night Out again, I’m hoping I’ll have time to participate ;)  Of course, the hubby is home tonight, so I MAY spend a little time with him, too.  Fortunately he has a new computer game, so we may end up sitting beside each other on our own computers.  Do you ever do that?
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  • Happy Friday everyone!!!

Thursday, December 10, 2009

ATWT - Intense

Join TheMomJen’s A Thousand Words Thursday – show off your pictures worth a thousand word. Link up at Cheaper Than Therapy!

Cheaper Than Therapy

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This girl is intense.

No nonsense.

Well actually, plenty of nonsense.

Serious nonsense.

She is an advocate for animals,

drawer of dragons,

seeker of snow.

No children for her, just Huskies.

Huskies and a sled to pull.

See those eyes?

She means it.

She told me she’s moving to Alaska when she’s an adult.

Hope she likes the cold, I hear that’s intense, too.

Like her.

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Wednesday, December 9, 2009

5 Tricks for Getting Kids to Bed…and staying there!

I talk to mom friends all the time that have trouble getting their kids to bed.  There will be times I’m chatting on the phone with them well after my kids are tucked in and then I hear it.  Their little one is still up! Really?! It’s like 10:30 and your child isn’t sleeping?!?!  I’ve been told I was blessed with good kids that like to go to bed, but believe me, they don’t just come out that way.  It takes work.  It also takes persistence. Here’s my 5 tricks that get your kids to bed on time and stay there.

IMG_6649 1) Routine, Routine, Routine: This is probably the biggest factor.  Kids need routine.  They thrive in a steady routine.  Sure it’s fun to mix things up, but for a child having a routine is reassuring.  Decide on a bedtime routine that works for you and STICK WITH IT!  Dinner, play, bath, PJ’s, story and devotions, bed.  Maybe you don’t do that same thing, maybe you have other important bedtime routines that need to be added to my list.  Find what works, and do it every time.  Your child will get used to this routine and even come to expect it.  Once the bedtime routine is initiated, your child will be able to prepare herself for the inevitable bedtime.  It’s also important to share your bedtime routine with care takers who have to put your kids to bed.  Just because you are not around is no reason to drastically change their ROUTINE.  That’s why its called ROUTINE!

2)Pick a bedtime and BE FIRM!  Believe it or not, according to the National Sleep Foundation, kids 5-12 need 10-11 hours of sleep to be at their best, toddlers need 12-14 (really!).  Don’t have a bedtime yet? Work backwards.  What time do they need to be out the door for school or daycare?  If you are home with the kids, what time are they up in the morning?  Then subtract the time for getting dressed and eating before school or daycare.  Back it up 10 hours and you should have a reasonable bed time. 

It’s important to BE FIRM with this bed time on a regular basis.  Sure, there are special nights, we have them.  Friday is movie night at our house, that is the ONE night our kids are allowed to stay up later.  The rest of the week the kids are in bed within 30 minutes of their set bedtime.  Yes, things come up like late dinner, extra homework, visitors etc., but try your hardest!  Knowing that they are expected to be in bed by a certain time will decrease the attempts to delay bedtime.  They need to know that you mean business!

3) Quite Time  My BFF’s husband has this habit of getting the kids riled up right before bedtime.  When we stay there it always drives me nuts because the rough and tumble play usually ends up with one child crying and the rest too squirrelly to read a story.  Absolutely, your kids need play time, time to run off excess energy, but 15 minutes before bed is not the time.  Along the same lines…what’s with caffeine and kids?  There is absolutely NO reason a child should have anything with caffeine in it, ESPECIALLY anywhere near dinner time.  Take that stuff away, parents, and help get into a good quite time routine!

30 minutes to bedtime is our count off.  It starts with picking up (ha ha! when it happens I’m happy!) and closing down games, TV, and all the other distractions.  After PJ’s is teeth, faces, diapers and various grooming requirements. From here on out, the TV is off (I know, your show is on, record it or watch it on Hulu.com, it’s a life saver!).  Pick out books, devotional materials, or whatever quiet time materials you need to chill out for a while.  Talk to your child.  This is going to sound terribly basic, but some parents need reminders: make eye contact, and make physical contact, too.  Your child need affection and reassurance, hugs and talks go a long way.  Take a few minutes of your night for it!!

4) “Guys” and other comfort items  My kids don’t have pacifiers, thumbs or blankies, but I understand their worth (correction, they HAVE thumbs, just not in their mouths!!).  I had a blankey well past the age I needed one.  For whatever reason, none of my kids took to the pacifier or (thankfully) their thumbs, but these are all comfort items.  The one thing we DO have at our home are “guys”.  Each child has a few stuffed animals that accompany them to bed at night.  I have no problem at all with comfort items.  BUT, if you are travelling or your child isn’t staying at home these items can be essential to their sleep routine.  If you expect your child to sleep well away from home, don’t forget these items!  Even their own blankets and pillows are important. 

The AAP doesn’t recommend co-sleeping for good sleep habits.  I have to admit we’re closet co-sleepers.  I am not as comfortable sleeping with my infants, they usually have slept nearby but not in my bed.  However, all of our older kids take turns in our bed.  We have a king bed, so we have the room, and the kids love taking their turn.  I don’t go to sleep at the same time they do (mama needs her quiet time, too!), but they know I’m on my way.  Wherever you child sleeps, make sure they’re comfortable and that they have the items that are theirs.  This will not only get them to bed on time, but help keep them there.

5) For crying out loud TURN THE TV OFF!  This one is a big deal at our house.  The kids know there is a rule… they will NOT have a television in their rooms. Ever.  There are plenty of TV’s in our home that they don’t need one in their room.  They especially do not need one to fall asleep.  My cousin (who will probably call me as soon as she reads this) knows all too well how fast this becomes a bad habit.  Being a young and single mom, she found the TV a great way to put her boy to bed.  Every night he fell asleep to the television.  When the second boy came along, this routine was well established.  To this day she cannot get those boys to bed without the TV.  When we stayed at my grandparents one time, I remember her hauling a television downstairs to the room they slept in just so her boys could sleep.  This is a tough habit to break, and my cousin will tell you that first hand.  To this day neither boy can sleep without a TV on. 

As far as I’m concerned, using a television is a lazy way to appease your kid into sleep.  It is also detrimental to their sleep patterns and causes them to get poor quality sleep.  TURN IT OFF!!  It is your responsibility as a parent to do this.  Take the time to put them to bed, read to them, have them read to you, look at pictures, talk about their day.  Put some time into your children, you won’t regret the investment, I promise!   

On staying IN bed:

Get your “guys”, blankets and pillows.  One last kiss, one last sip of water.  Once your child is in bed, leave them there.  Of course, you know your child best, and if the cry you hear is a true cry for help you should go to them.  But in babies especially, they need a wind-down, and for many the only way they get it is to cry a bit before sleep.  Putting your child to bed awake and letting them find a way to self-soothe is important in developing good sleep habits.  They can’t rely on you to put them asleep forever.  Don’t go to your toddlers room and rock them six times a night.  When they get up, don’t even turn on the lights.  This is part of the “being firm”.  The only thing you should do is place them back in bed, say goodnight, and leave.  If you have a child that is getting up persistently, you must be more persistent.  The sooner they learn that the only result will be back to bed, the faster they’ll learn to stay there.  Don’t give in!!!

Time is the key.  If you establish good bed time habits and stick with them, it WILL GET EASIER!! 

What are your bed time habits? Are they working for you? 

Read more stories of parenting and fun at DramaU.net.

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

I Heart Faces – Sweet Dreams

I ♥ Faces is a photography site focused on the art of capturing faces and their various emotions. Each week, people from across the world have the opportunity to enter their favorite face photos into a themed photo challenge.”

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Max sleeping among the toys.  August 2006

Monday, December 7, 2009

Certainly Not Me

It’s been so long since I’ve participated in an MckMama’s “Not Me” Monday, I thought I’d give it a go today. 

Needing some peace and quiet while I tried to clean up the house I did not barricade the 1 year old in his room (full of toys, mind you) so I could work without a clinging baby underfoot.  I also did not leave him in there until he fell asleep on the floor with his favorite blankey.  I don’t ignore my children, ever.

I did not hide dirty pans in the stove when my in-laws came over to have their pictures taken for Christmas. 

I did not pre-heat said oven full of dirty pans before realizing they were still in there.

I did not run the egg cooker on the toaster dry and stink up the house.  I did not blame the stink on the wet dog.

I did not skip fixing my hair for a photo shoot because I knew I’d be outside in a winter hat.

I did not miss church for the third time because my husband is driving the only vehicle that accommodates four children in actual seats.

I did not let the kids watch Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull for movie night.  It would be way too scary for them!

I did not take a bazillion pictures rather than clean up the baby when he practiced using utensils.

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I did not get someone to work for me just so I can go with a friend to Minneapolis and have dinner with MckMama!!!

Friday, December 4, 2009

Friday Fragments – Thanks, Oops I Crapped My Pants!!

Like an enema for your brain, it’s Fragment Friday. A chance to purge your mind of all the bits and pieces clogging up your mental flow. You can thank Mrs. 4444 at Half Past Kissing Time for all the fun! (and isn’t her new button pretty?!)friday fragments anyone?

  • Max: “Little Miss Muffet, sat on her tuffet, eating her curves and waves.”
  • Our house is a block away from the railroad switching area. Noisy. Better than that, we’re many blocks from a full blow farm. On the right night, you can clearly hear the cattle “lowing” all night. I had no idea how LOUD cattle can be. Also, on the right night, the wind blows right past the cattle first…. I’m sure you can imagine. We might as well have moved to a farm. Awesome.
  • I am tired of my computer restarting without my permission. Especially when I’ve left something to finish in the morning. I’m still too much of a weenie to switch to a Mac even though I know I’d be happier. Its like living with an abusive boyfriend just because I’m used to the treatment and he keeps telling me he loves me.
  • Max just turned 6 and started Kindergarten this fall. He’s been reading all summer and has really advanced in school. Here is Max reading Lego Rocket Rescue, a book he found at the library. (What could be better, reading and Legos?!)

  • My good friend Leanna (aka the RaMbLeR) is running Rock ‘n’ Roll Half Marathon with her husband in Vegas this weekend! I’m wishing them lots of luck and stamina! I also suggested she get these
    Those of you on Twitter, would you do me a favor and tweet her @leanna_mom23 and wish her a good run?! She doesn’t know I’m asking, so it would be a surprise if a bunch of people started tweeting her!! I think she’d love the support!!!!

    • oh, and I'm a virgin VGNO'er ;) - tonight's the night!!!

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    Thursday, December 3, 2009

    ATWT – Brought in for questioning

    I was sitting in the living room, minding my own business when the cops busted in.  They brought guns (and whips!) and an attack dog.

    “Excuse me, ma’am, have you seen this criminal?” they ask, thrusting at me a crudely hand-drawn mug shot of what appears to be a dragon.  Not sure how they got him to hold the sign with the numbers much less stand still for the photo, but I digress. The smaller, quiet cop stares at me coldly.

    “No, I’ve never seen him”

    “Well, we don’t believe you.  You’re under arrest.”

    “WHHHaaatt??” I protest.  It was all I could come up with.  Quickly, I try a diversion tactic.  “You know, there’s still some Halloween candy on the counter.”  I gesture with my one un-shackled hand.

    Finally, the smaller cop, I can only assume the “good” cop, pipes up.  “WHERE?!”  Both race for the counter, leaving the attack dog defenseless and weapons unattended.  I hide the attack dog, guns, and flip the TV back on.

    Arrest avoided.  Some cops just have no self control.  Seriously.

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    A Thousand Words Thursday is hosted by TheMomJen at Cheaper Than Therapy.  Link up and show us your photos worth a thousand words.

    Cheaper Than Therapy

    Wednesday, December 2, 2009

    Just keep your socks on…

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    “all gone” 

    This kid literally cannot keep his socks on.  Can not. Will not.  I believe its an exercise in patience for me.  Its chilly in this house and that little guy’s toes are always cold and dusky looking.  Every time I turn around he’s pulling off his socks again.  I tried putting on legwarmers just so he’d have trouble getting the socks off and give up.  Nope.  I guess at least I can say he’s determined.

    Wordful Wednesday is hosted by Angie at Seven Clown Circus.  Please drop by her place to get your Wednesday on!