Bitter Sweet New Years Eves

So New Years is Eve is kind of a wierd time for me. Up until about last year (when we got the kids) we used to have these huge New Years Eve bashes at our house. I mean they were pretty big. Now Im just looking forward to spending a quiet night at home. We play some games, maybe watch a movie and eat all kinds of crap (what we all need right?).

New Years eves have mostly good memories for me, and one terrible one that is always hanging in the back of my mind no matter what I do. When I was a kid my mom always made all kinds of awesome snack stuff...always made onion dip for chips, which was awesome and to this day eating onion dip is part of New Years Eve memories.In the 80's one year, it was just my mom and I one New Years Eve and we were eating a bunch of stuff and I was watching MTV and making her watch some videos too, Duran Duran sticks out in my mind mostly, the "Rio" video...what year was that anyway?

One New Years Eve I spent under the Eiffel Tower, and it was completely crazy...bottle rockets or whatever just whizzing by your ear. Dangerous, but fun. Paris is nuts on New Years Eve, at least it was that year.

One year when I was eleven my best friend who was 12 died in the children's hospital in Seattle. On New Years Eve. Her little sister, who was 8, was staying at our house because my parents were taking care of her while her parents were at the hospital, as they often were during their daughters fight with cancer. I remember having the typical snacks made by my mom and it had been snowing for the past day and there was a lot of white stuff on the ground. It was dark outside, and K and I were hyper from all the junk we ate and we were running around playing in the snow in my back yard, and I might be wrong about this, but I believe it was right after midnight, or right before, I forget. My mom called us in and said that her parents would be coming to pick her up. That is all she said, and it was all she had to say...to me anyway. My mom was able to hold it together until K went home, then she confirmed to me that P had indeed passed away.

Not a New Years eve passes when I dont think about that. How as children, we were able to put the inevitable behind us and enjoy the moment at hand. Maybe she didnt really understand at eight years old, but I did. Somehow I was able to have a good time that night despite being awaare of the cloud that was looming over head, waiting to burst at any moment. Maybe it was a gift that it happened on that night, not that I would have forgotten her, but I think that her memory and the memory of her passing is that much stronger because God chose to bring her home on that night. Its a painful time, yet I am able to think of all the good times that we had together too, and I thank God that I was able to know her if only for a little while.

Apologies....

Playlist.com is being difficult. Their songs are not playing and so I was only able to load one new song. They need to get with the program very soon. This is no way to start a New Year. I NEED music. now.

Merry Christmas...God bless us, everyone.

Well its almost done for another year. We went to the candlelight service at church, and it was good. Someone sang O Holy Night, so beautifully it moved us to tears, in fact. Another year of my children successfully lighting and holding candles during the service and not causing a fire. So Ive got that going for me.

We came home and the kids opened one present each and played with their stuff for a little bit while munching on cookies and candy. T and I watched a little bit of White Christmas. Kids put out cookies and milk for Santa. We cant put them on the fire place hearth (or whatever its called) because the dogs would eat (and fight over) the cookies and the cat would drink the milk, so we left it all on the kitchen counter with a note to Santa telling him where to look.

Then we took nine baby carrots and threw them on the lawn for the reigndeer (nine, because we count rRudolph). Which reminds me I CANNOT forget to go out there and pick them up, and leave one with a bite in it on the lawn.

The kids went off to bed and I filled the stockings. I had thought I lost my mind at one point because I could have sworn I bought two little cat toys for the cats little stocking, but I could only find one. I looked everywhere where I was working, I even emptied stocking I already filled in case I put it in one by mistake. I checked in the closet and didnt find it. Then I saw the cat sitting rather smugly (well, how else do they look really?) at the top of the stairs, so I had an idea. I went down stairs and sure enough, there was the catnip mouse, still attached to the cardboard, and wet with cat spit. Sneaky little creep, she took it while I was stuffing stockings. So, I took it away and put it in the stocking. At least I know she likes it.

I am all done preparing the breakfast for tomorrow. Company eggs or breakfast casserole. I plan on posting the recipe sometime this week, Now, all I have to do is pop it in the oven in the morning and its done. Sweet. Now Im tired, so Im going to go to bed and try to get some sleep before the kids wake up. So...

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a goodnight.

For moi????

MIMI at Living in France just gave me this really sparkly award and it made me super happy. Thank you Mimi. Check her blog out, she cracks me up. So, Im going to spread the happiness and pass it on to Reighnie at Monkey Trouble and A over at My Life is Funny Like That.

Im almost done....

..with everything having to with Christmas. Almost. All my shopping is done. Thank God, because Im afraid if I was out there right now, Id kill someone. Not really, but you know what Im saying, right?

I actually have an urge to go to the mall and just sit on a bench with a peppermint latte, and watch (and laugh at)people. Doesnt that sound fun? I may do just that.
My poor husband is out shopping, and Ill bet he is NOT laughing.

I only have a few more things to wrap. All stocking stuffers are neatly organized into bags of whose stocking they go in, including three dogs and a cat, so all I have to do is transfer contents. I baked a bunch of cake balls yesterday. If you want to know what a cake ball is go here. They are delicious and pretty easy to make. I also made Buckeyes, the delicious chocolate peanut butter treat I love oh so much. I made a big batch of Apple Dumplings (made with Mountain Dew)...to get that awesome recipe go here.

I put together little packages of cake balls and Buckeyes and several pans of Apple Dumplings and delivered them to some of my friends last night. Actually I drove and the kids delivered. The lady who is in charge of the children's church at church was thrilled that they delivered goodies to her and thanked her for being the childrens church leader (at my urging of course). Tonight, I will probably deliver a few more.

At some point Im going to have to make more of everything, since it wont go over very well at my house if we dont have some to devour ourselves. Of cours, I have been eating some as I go along. I have to make sugar cookies for the hub, cause he loves them and oatmeal cookies for my dad. I havent decided to have the traditional breakfast casserole yet or not....I probably should, its pretty good. Cant very well throw cold cereal at the fam, or can I? No, prolly not.

Now if Wednesday would get here, so I only have a 1/2 day of work and then off for the rest I would be happy. Oh and it would help if the dirty rotten cat would STOP hiding under the tree, tormenting the dogs and causing a ruckus. That would help a lot.

I stole this from Masshole Mommy..because I liked it. There were no rules for it or anything, so I hope its ok....I still dont know all the blogging ettiquette rules, etc. So, I hope she doesnt mind. Her blog is pretty entertaining so you should check it out.

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Hot chocolate. But if given a real choice, I would pick Peppermint latte or something.


2. Letter to Santa?
Nope. I prefer to email. I wish he would get on facebook or something.


3. Does Santa wrap presents or just set them under the tree?
Wrapped, of course. Unless its too big, then it would have a big bow on it. I dont think I know ANYONE who just lays stuff under the tree.


4. Colored lights on your tree/house or white?
Colored...and a few bubblers.


5. Do you hang mistletoe?
Nope. Do people actually do that? I just see it on movies.

6. When do you put your decorations up?
December first, usually. Definitely, under no circumstance do they go up BEFORE Thanksgiving. I like to wait until Jan 1st to take them down.


7. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Depends on what the theme is. We did all Italian one year and it was awesome. I love T's rib roast. My mom makes a killer fruit salad and cheesey potatoes. Heck, I like it all. I do cook, but I get off kind of easy on Christmas...not on Thanksgiving though.


8. Favorite holiday memory as a child:
I dont know...I guess it would be going to the Christmas Eve Disneyland employee party, since my dad was an employee. The whole park was shut down Christmas eve and only employees and family could go in and have a blast. On the way out they gave all the kids big stockings full of candy and toys. It was great.


9. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
Im not sure..I just remember thinking about it and thinking it couldnt be true. I asked my mom and she caved...she thought at 17 years old, I should know the truth. Just kidding....I was like 8 when she admitted there wasnt a Santa.

10. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
We did that every year when I was a kid. Didnt do it last year with the kids, but this year we are.


11. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Uh..from bottom to top? Angel on last? No...lights, bead strands, ornaments, no tinsel or garland....not pet friendly.


12. Can you ice skate?
Never tried. I can roller skate my butt off though. Prolly not the same though huh?


13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
Yes one year when we were living in New England, T got me a trip to NYC to the West Minster Kennel Club Dog Show at Madison Square Garden. He put the train tickets, the dog show tickets and hotel reservation in an envelope and set it in the tree. Hes the best.


14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you?
Remembering the true meaning of Christmas, the celebration of the birth of Jesus and not getting lost in other the other stuff.


15. What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Apple Dumplings, and cake balls that I make.


16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
Christmas Eve Mexican food, and going to the Candle light service at church. The other one is setting cookies and milk out for Santa, and throwing carrots out on the lawn for the reindeer (got that one from my wonderful daughter in law, M.). In the morning the cookies and milk are gone, as are most of the carrots..we leave one or two out there with a few bites out of them for effect.


17. What tops your tree?
An angel we have had since I was a kid. Its very special because it reminds us (my mom and I) of my cousin Paula who died on New Years Eve when she was 12.


18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving?
Both. I love the shopping!


19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
Father Christmas by the Kinks or O Holy Night.


20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?
Only the fruity kind. Peppermint is only good with chocolate, coffee, or ice cream.

Musings on My Mind Monday

I just made that up. Im hiding again, although its not really doing me any good. AND Im on a break. See, I dont smoke anymore so I take "blog breaks" at work when I can. Its healthier for me and I get to stay warm. Anyway, its a shame one must hide on ones break, but alas I must. It will only get worse because GICOE (Guy in Charge of Everything) is moving across THE HALL FROM ME. Oh, how will I ever escape. Im afraid simply shutting my door isnt enough. He knocks. and knocks again. AND because he is the guy ICOE, I have to answer. sigh. I liked it better when I was out of sight out of mind.

Speaking of minds..I may be losing mine. Seriously. Ive been HEARING things. Last night for instance, Im sitting down minding my own business trying to watch part of a movie (because thats all I have time for), and I hear:

"MOMMY, MOMMY". Ever so faintly, but I heard it. Because it was so faint, I listened again. I heard it again. It was faint, so I assume it is coming from downstairs where the boys recharge all night. It definitely wasnt my daughter, as her bedroom is just a few feet from where I was sitting, and her door was cracked open, and her summons of me would have been louder.

So, I get up and head down the stairs and on my way, I think I hear it again. I get to the bottom of the stairs and hesitate to make sure its my smallest boy, who it sounded like, and not by big one. I hear nothing. So I wait some more...nothing. I go into little guy's room and he is sound asleep, all angelic and stuff, not a hint of anything troubling going on there. After I kiss his little cheeks, I check N's room...same there...completely out, all is well.

I go back upstairs and check on my daughter. Same thing...no problem.

What the heck? I KNOW I heard it.....is it a ghost? Am I nuts?
Then that morning, Im laying in bed and I hear singing. It wakes me up....and Im not happy about it. Its like 6 am, and everyone knows that I dont do anything before 730, so there are RULES about mornings in my house. I yell something like; "sing quietly please". No response at all. Puzzled, I get out of bed....everyone is still asleep. I dunno..its a little creepy though.

Wallowing...

Im wallowing. I dont think its hormonal either, which stinks because its nice when I explain away my mood with that. Unfortunately the timing is wrong for me to be able to use that.

I just feel blue, even though I really dont have reason to. I guess Im bothered by people who are two faced, and it seems like I am around an awful lot of those these days. I know everyone deals with that, but it seems like Im the one who is always falling for it. Im a crappy judge of character, that is all there is to it.

Im tired of people at work with these macho personalities who feel like they have to wield power over thier heads to prove they are men. Whatever...they just look stupid in my opinion.

I only got a few hours asleep, which truthfully, is probably a huge reason I feel blue. I was up late doing homework and its Monday and I can never go right off to sleep after the weekend.

Oh and Im on a diet....and I hate it. I have been pretty bad for a while, and so its time to knock it off. Ive done it before, I can do it again, it just sucks doing it. Bad time to do it too with all the Holiday goodies around, but....I refuse to gain one more pound, even for the Holidays. I will eat well on Christmas day though...so Im looking foward to that.

So...now Im going to write about all the things that I have to be happy about and hopefully that will make me feel better. Here it goes:

1)I just had a nice, but busy weekend in the big city with my family. Saw some cool stuff and it was like a mini break.

2)My kids are cute.

3)My kids are relatively well-behaved.

4)My kids are relativiely healthy.

5) My husband is a cool guy who spoils me completely rotten. I get just about everything I want, although I dont deserve it.

6)Christmas is coming...and I do love it.

7)My homework for the day is done.

8)My work work is done for the day.

9)I can go to bed early tonight if I really want to.

10)I have a Blackberry now (see #5)

There. That is ten things. I feel a little better, I guess. I just wish people didnt suck so bad and they were more trust worthy. That would be fantastic. I guess I should just get used to it.

a post about it being December (in other words I cant come up with a clever title)

Its December...already. It seems like last week we were trick or treating. I guess its true that when you get older, time flies right by.

My Christmas shopping is about 1/4 done. I wish it were all done, but its not and Im not sure when I will be able to do the rest. I missed out on Black Friday shopping this year. Which is a bummer because even if I wasnt buying anything, I like to see all the crazy people. Well, there is that and I honestly love the spirit that seems to be in the air. Good fun, I say.

I have a new playlist for your listening enjoyment. So, take off the mute and listen.

I once won a pizza party on a radio station in New England for listening to a few seconds of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" by the Boss and identifying the song and artist. So, I hear the song and not only do I think of the Sopronos, or of being a teenager, but I taste pepporoni and mushroom. Not that you care about any of that, but I do and its my blog.

This will be the second Christmas with the kids and hopefully this year they will have learned enough about what families and kids do on Christmas that it wont be as sad and wierd. Maybe this year they will actually wake us up before its light out instead of being afraid to. Maybe this year when they come upstairs, they wont look at the presents and run back downstairs not knowing what to do. It will be their second year to decorate a tree. A asked if he can put the angel on top again. My answer, "of course you can:. It will be their second year of actually helping to decorate a tree, they dont remember ever doing it before.

I think the Santa thing is about done. I got caught the other day from S, she kind of trapped me, although I suspect she already knows, she IS nine. Here is how it went:

S: Mom can I have a (insert fairly expensive gift here)
Me: Hmm...might have to wait for your birthday to get that
S: Why?
Me: We just went to Disneyland (I know I havent posted about that yet....)that took a lot of our money.
S: Well...why cant Santa bring it...he can bring anything, right?

Hmm...didnt really know what to say to that. I guess the jig is up. She was probably testing me anyway. I just wish she wouldnt do it in front of A. I want him to believe for a little while longer.

Every night we are lighting a candle and reading a verse from the Bible having to do with Jesus's attributes that we should emulate. A was s little disappointed when all we did is light the candle, read the short verse and then he had to go to bed. He said "thats it? thats what we came back up here for after brushing our teeth?" Sigh. Im not sure what he was expecting...Mickey Mouse?

Heres hoping everyone has good 23 Days before Christmas.

Obligatory Thanksgiving Day Post

So tomorrow is Thanksgiving. I am thankful about many things like:

God loves me enough to have made the ultimate sacrifice for me.

For my family. I am thankful to still have my parents alive to eat turkey with, I know not everyone can say that and so I am grateful to still have some time. My brother even though he isnt celebrating with us, I still like him.

For my husband; he really does spoil me, more than I deserve, and that is for sure.

My kids; they are a dream come true for me and have given my life so much more.

My adult stepkids and grandson; they are pretty awesome people and have brought many laughs and support along the way.

My health; I have been relatively haalthy. I am able to work and to play.

My friends, both real and cyber...both enrich my life.

My dogs; always a source of cuddles and laughs.

That despite some things and the opinions of some that I still live in the greatest country, and I have the freedom to worship and work as I please.

My job..though I complain about it, I am super lucky to have it.

Toy Review Tuesday

...sorry. That was mean. There is no toy review today, because Im pretty much a worthless lazy blob of a blog owner lately. I realize I havent done a toy review in a looong time, and I do plan on rectifying that. Thats a scary word..rectify. Its because of the "rect.." part of the word. Anyway, once the very mean guy who is holding my laptop hostage (and by proxy ALL my pictures of toys n stuff)decides to do his flippin' job and fix it, then RETURN it to me, I plan on doing some toy reviews. In the meantime I will work on some new toys to review, with recent birthdays I have a few in mind.

Speaking of toys, I would never buy my child this:

What kind of sicko would think that was OK? Clowns are murderous creeps that prey on children. ALL of them. I prefer this:


If something is going to jump out at me, I would rather it be a cute little monkey, not a blood sucking clown.

Of course for myself, I might buy this:



How cool is that? Its an Ozzy in the box. You can get one here. Id kind of like one with Sharon jumping out holding one of her little dogs. I like Sharon, except for last week when she was mean to that lady who isnt very nice to look at, but can sing her butt off......whats her name? From Scotland? Crap, I hate when I cant....Oh..Susan Boyle thats it. Phew. Anyway, Sharon...I was a little disappointed in you for those comments. I always thought you were a bit nicer than that, unless of course someone ticks you off, then you can get pretty mean. Susan Boyle didnt make you mad did she?

Anyway, I really digressed. Toy Review Tuesdays will be back soon. For all two of you who care anyway.

Time is (not) on my side

The wierdest thing (okay that may not be true, but it was pretty wierd) happened to me the other day. I had the longest afternoon of my life. Im serious, its like I entered a time warp or twighlight zone or something. It would not get late...it felt late, I had the sensation it was DARK outside...yet it was light. It felt like 5 or 6 O clock, yet it was only 2. No matter what the time really was throughout the day, it felt way later. Usually that happens once during a day..but ALL day? Not normal, but then again some say IM not normal. Whatever, it freaked me out.

I kept looking at the clock....still early. And quiet. It was so quiet. At one point Abba was played on the radio...and a dog barked in the distance. Very eerie. My phone didnt even ring. No one wanted anything from me, and all I wanted was for it to get late, for time to MOVE for cryin' out loud. A circumstance such as that...and I was without my book...go figure. It was strange and I just felt like I had to share. Why couldnt that happen when Im goofing off, or having a grand time doing something enjoyable and I dont WANT time to stand still? Instead I had NOTHING to do...no homework...no work work..no.thing. Time always seems to crawl when you DONT want it to. What is UP with that?

Confession of a Stalker

I have a confession to make. Some people know this about me, but most people do not. I stalked a celebrity...not like in a BAD way really. Is it stalking if you only do it once? Well..it sure felt like stalking to me.

Once upon a time, a long long time ago, before we had the kids, my husband and I lived in New England. New Hampshire to be exact. We took off one weekend for a road trip, as we often did before the kids. Our destination? A certain little town in Maine. Okay...people who LIVE in Maine may not think it so small...but trust me, its small. In this town...lives a certain awesome writer of horror novels and movies. He is an literary icon....and a hero to me. I knew that he resides a few short hours from us and that he lives in a unique house which to me, someone who has been accused of being morbid, was in itself worthy of seeing. I didn't actually THINK this literary giant would be there..and if he was I certainly didn't think I would SEE him.


How did I know where he lived? Some of you might be guessing the Internet. Nope. I had a coworker who grew up in this town and told us EXACTLY where it was in this town. Sweeet. I love having connections.


Anyway, the first night we stayed in a different town about the half way point to our destination. We hit some antique stores, ate some dinner, and watched some TV at the hotel. At the time we only had Marco (R.I.P), our Italian Greyhound and he accompanied us everywhere, present stalking expedition not excluded.

The next morning we got up very early....and hit the road. We made it to this town and were starving so we ate breakfast at a little diner in town...a little diner that we just happened to know, through interviews, and other sources that this author ate here and conducted several interviews here. I bought a coffee cup from this diner and it now sits on my desk at work, holding pens...I'm not about to ruin it by drinking out of it and running it through a dishwasher.

After breakfast we headed to the address of the author's house. After all we just wanted to see the house, as that is all we were expecting. I got all excited when we stopped at a stop sign at the crossroad of this street and there it was....the house. It was amazing that here we were....looking at HIS house. It was his too, we knew for sure, as it is very distinctive and his been featured on TV shows about him.

What happened next freaked us out....We saw the top of the door open (well, the whole door opened it was just the top that was visible due to the fence surrounding the house), and saw a ball cap clad head exit through it. It was HIM. We were sure...he wore ball caps and he is tall, as was the person who exited. So, in a panic we turned and went down the street...we were freakin' and discussed what to do...we would drive by again to see if it is really HIM. We did and this time we could SEE him, all of him...walking down his driveway with his dog. We went around the block again (yes, I am a dork)and had the idea that T would drop me off at the corner and I would take our dog, Marco and walk down the street with him...you know pretending I was just out walking my dog...and not really looking for this very famous person.

So, that's what we did....the timing could not have been perfect...by the time I got to his house, he was in front of the gate with his dog. He was on the sidewalk, and I was in the middle of the street (I don't know why, like I said, I'm a dork). I passed him and said....nothing.

I did not say a freakin' word to him. I lost my nerve, sure. More than that I felt GUILTY...here it was a nice sunny, Sunday morning (like 8:00 am), and he was out with his dog. All the guy wants to do is walk his dog.in peace. Preferably without some freakazoid fan bothering him. SO...I just didn't have the heart to do it...to bother him. It was my gift to him....only he will never know it.

At least I think he doesn't know. Maybe he does...maybe he was walking his dog and noticed the little black VW bug pass his house...TWICE. Maybe he put it together that the weird girl in the black Ramones t-shirt, and sunglasses, walking her exotic, albeit strange little dog, came out of the black car...and was there to get a look at him. Maybe he was thinking

..."Here we go again....I'll have to talk to her, and she will want to take a picture...*sigh*..Isnt it a little EARLY for this?"

He didn't have to talk to me, he didn't have to tell me where to stuff my camera (he probably wouldn't have, although I wouldn't blame him if he did), all he had to do is wonder for a second what I wanted if he even noticed me at all....I'm sure he did, I was like 10 feet away.

When I reached the end of the street and rounded the corner, T was there to pick me up.

"Well?" he wanted to know
"Well..what", I replied.
"What did he say?", Tom asked.
"Nothing", I answered, "I didn't talk to him. I couldn't."

I explained why and T understood. It was a long drive there and well worth it...it just goes to show that you never know what or who you are going to find when you get out and explore. It also goes to show that you never know what YOU will do once you get there and find what you are and AREN'T looking for...even though you may think you know. You don't. Not really.

Open Letter to My Cough

Dear Cough,

What is it exactly that you want from me? You are a presistent little bugger, you keep hanging around...so what can I do for you? How can I get you to leave? Its been two weeks and I thought you would be long gone by now. You have taken my sleep, my excercise, you have stolen many kisses from my children, my husband, and my pets. You have caused me to get dirty looks from people in public places, you have made me do way more laundry than is decent, as if I needed more of that. I medicate you, yet you stay, and stay, and stay. The doctor said I just have to wait...that you will go away. You have taken from me and taken from me until I have no more left to give. Please go away. Now. Right now. Thank you.

Random Thoughts Tuesday

I just got back from my walk with a co worker and Im sweating like a pig. Its nice and crisp and cool outside and in here they have the heat cranked up..no wonder people stink.

Im going through withdrawls, my laptap in in the shop. I did some kind of update on it and it freaked out on me, so it went to the nerd guy. I hope he can fix it..its been a few days now and Im getting a little worried. I have to use my husbands laptop for homework. If I use it for anything else he would consider it Unauthorized Use.

Im swearing off candy. I am. Im so addicted, I feel like an oompa loompa. Im sure that it is single handedly to blame for the recent weight gain....that and Im lazy lately. So theres that. I was doing pretty good too until my friend at work came in and threw a Christmas decorated sucker on my desk. She was eating one and said that if she was eating one, I had to too. You know what they say, Misery Loves Company.

Two weeks ago A and I were both sick. Just us...no one else caught it. What is up with that? Anyway, Im still coughing from the evil virus or whatever it was. So, I took a nyquilesque liquid and went to bed early last night. I kept waking up cold because Im stupid and sleep with three dogs and one man in a bed and so the covers get ripped off me quite frequently. No wonder Im sick.

My cat is evil. I know thats a "no duh" statement because that is what cats are....evil. If you dont believe me then how come every single time I sit down to do a Bible study my cat repeatedly sits her butt down in the middle of the Holy Book...hmm? Its hard to read Proverbs with a black tail swishing back and forth across the words and whiskers up my nose. Evil, pure evil.

My new dog, the dog that T got me for my birthday, prefers T. Poor T feels guilty about it. Im not upset, it happens. Im just glad we can give the little guy a home, even though he is probably the laziest dog I have ever met in my life. I still have my Joey bug...hyper and dog agressive as he is. Hes mine and he prefers ME to just about anything else in the world. And for that...I love him.

For more Random thoughts go to the UnMom...youll be glad you did.

Halloween

I like Halloween. Very much and so I have to ask: What in the heck is this business that some towns do by designating a "trick or treat night"? Um...how about on HALLOWEEN, hmmm...how about THAT. Why should it be on any other night? Whats next? Christmas on the 25th but "present opening day" will be on the 27th? I mean really...leave well enough alone. Maybe they THINK they have a good reason, but there is no good reason. Halloween should be on HALLOWEEN. No matter what day of the week it actually falls on, people. Luckily, my town has not started that nonsense..not YET, anyway.

Also...how come 70 percent of the homes on the street are not giving out candy? Party poopers. Its not like youre not home...most of you are. I SEE you walking around in there, I hear your television...turn it off, get off your lazy butt and hand out some candy already. AND if your not playing...for Pete's sake...turn all your lights out and go the hell to bed or something, so my kids dont run up to your door all excited for Lemon Heads or whatever, only to have to walk back down your drive way with long faces empty handed.

Oh and WHY on earth have Halloween decorations out if your not handing out candy? Nothing is worse than going up to a door of a house with super cool decorations only to have their little knocks unheard. Its just not nice, so cut it out.

I remember when I was a kid in So Cal...Halloween was so much fun. First there was a parade..all the kids in town got to walk down the main street in their costumes..and everyone wore a costume. We had costume contests at school, AND we could be whatever the heck we wanted to be...none of this.."no toy weapons, no masks" stuff. Although, sadly, I understand why those rules are necessary now. People used to hide in the bushes and scare trick or treaters, which was a blast.

When I was childless, one of things I dreamed about doing when I had kids was the whole Halloween thing. Now that it is here, and they are here, it makes me very happy...and not because I get to eat some of their candy, but because Its like a dream come true and they love it too, so we all win.

Today brings a close to some things and the start of many others....A's last football game was today, ALL sports are done until baseball season, which is awesome because I am sooo tired. In about a week my kids are getting a huge surprise, which I will blog about later, and today my wonderful husband gave me my late birthday present and you can see a sneak peek of him here.

Right now the house is quiet, the Yankees are beating the Phillies, A is sitting next me, out like a light, his head on my shoulder, snoring and he is drooling on my shirt. N is happily watching the game and S, although she is not thrilled by the baseball game seems quite content to have had some candy and now is laying on the loveseat, wrapped snuggly in a blanket. Tonight was their second Halloween here at home and hopefully it marks for them that they are really staying. This is home.

Too True Tuesday

It's time once again for Too True Tuesday as brought to you by Essie. This week's question is: What is the first thing you would do if you won the lottery?

Oh..and your not allowed to say "pay off bills" for yourself or anyone else. Hey, them (intentional use of word here) are the rules; I didnt make it up. I would do those things for sure, but first? Im not sure about doing them first.

You know I am really glad that Essie has given us a theme to go by every week, because quite frankly I was starting to look a giant moron with all the confessions of stupid things that I have done in my life...like forgetting my child, and walking out of restroom in a crowded place with toilet paper trailing behind me...so thanks Essie for saving what remained of my dignity. Much appreciated.

Anyhow, back to the question...the first thing I would buy is probably a bottle of champagne to celebrate with and an obsene amount of chocolate. Honestly. Or buy the things I need to replace because I broke a bunch of stuff jumping around in my excitement. Oh and I would go straight to Hallmark and buy my boss a card that says, "thanks, but no thanks, have a nice quiet life". Small, but necessaary stuff.

Then I would buy some new bras and underwear, because mommy never buys that stuff for herself, and honestly....its really time. Then I would buy new towels for the house because ours are really sad; hard and stiff, not soft and comforting when drying off AT ALL.

Then I would buy a new house, still untouched by children and the havoc they wreak...and just sell the old one as is or just let it sit there...dont really care. I would buy one with low maintenance yard (or at this point no yard at all, because I so dont have time for yard work). No carpet for dog, juice, and whatnot stains, one level of stairs for my old knees to contend with. I would still have to have a pool, so I would buy one with a retractable roof, so the ever present wind couldnt blow all its crap into it and we wouldnt have to open and close the pool every year it could stay open (Im at the point right now that filling it in with cement doesnt sound bad at all). OR I would just hire my own pool/yard guy. One just like the cute dude in "Beverly Hills Chihuahua" would do just nicely, thank you. Yes, his chihuahua has to come too.

There you have it. That is what I would do because Im tired of working, both at work AND at home, tired of crappy towels, and under garments, and carpet. That is the truth.

Apologies, complaints and other stuff

Im pretty over whelmed and just plain exhausted these days. Dont get me wrong, I love my kids, I do. I think they were absolutely meant to be with us, however...Im tired. Its my own fault though; I insist that they get to do all the stuff they never had a chance to do that they should have been able to, so Im burning it at both ends, shoving 20 pounds of poop in a five pound bag (you can go ahead and blame my husband for that little analogy, its one his faves).

Ive been somewhat neglectful in my blogging and my blogging reading as well, so I am apologizing for not being around and commenting more, although I am trying to read and keep up to date with everyone. Ive been neglecting my SNA friends too (you know who you are), and Im bummed out about it.

I have all kinds of photos, videos and what-not (love that word, or phrase whatever it is)to post, but the extra ten minutes it would take for me to load the pics, etc...is just too much for me at this point.

For what seems like six months now, Ive been running between two football teams and a soccer team, all the practices, games etc. Its actually only been since August, but it feels a lot longer. There is a light at the end of the tunnel though, and by Halloween, all the sports will be over until baseball season. The funny thing is, next year..I will do it all again. Why? Because I think its good for my kids. They light up when they do something great on the field, or just get to see their friends. They play hard, they are building muscle and they are eating well. They are healthy. If you saw them when they first came home to us, that was simply not the case. They were pale, skinny and lacked muscle tone. N has had to do push ups and sit ups at home to build up the muscle he should have at his age in order to play these sports, and he has. He is catching up quick and it makes me smile to see him catch a ball, to run like the wind, and to be able to do pull ups in his PE class He has actually passed some other kids his age in baseball skill, who have been playing for a long time. He has worked hard. He has a ways to go...but hes doing it with a smile on his face and a twinkle in his eye. And so, Im tired...but I will be doing it all again next year.

Ive got some things to look forward to. Pretty soon I get to share with my kids something that was important to me as a kid, and something that my family did, something that was a huge part of my childhood, and for that Im very excited. I will share about it soon; it is a surprise for them. In June I should be done with school, and that will free up some time and maybe I can go work somewhere else where the powers to be actually have brains. Wow..imagine that?

There are some things I am not looking foward to. Like my fortieth birthday. That is in two days...and at the moment Im feeling every single year of that. My hip hurts, I have to dye my hair, I watch the news...Im old.

I have a lot to share on here,and I suppose I could have done that instead of rambling on right now as I have, but I am tired, and so ramble I will.

I will leave off with something amusing my daughter said yesterday. I was watching Nancy Grace (which I usually dont watch in the presence of the kids-but for some reason it was on)and S was in the dining room drawing.

S: She (meaning Nancy Grace)is always interrupting people and making fun of what they say.

She is so observant sometimes. Im off to bed...to read and hopefully to fall into a restfull, dream free, cat-fight-outside my window free sleep. Is that too much to ask?

The Weirdness that is me

Everyone has weird dreams I suppose, however I think mine might be a bit weirder than the average. The one I had this morning is a prime example.

I dreamed that I was at a big fairgrounds or something and you could enter to race a horse, like be a jockey, for fun. So, of course, I did. I raced once and came out like third, then I wanted to go again, but there was a long wait until the next race. So, I wondered around for a while with my cousin. My cousin is like three years younger than me, and in this dream she was calling me "Mom" as if I was now her mother. WTH???

Anyway, we make our way to the bleachers of a stadium and I was supposed to find my horse and its owner in the stands and sit by them, so I did. Yes, the horse was sitting in the bleachers, with its big horse butt on the seat and everything. So we sat there listening to God knows what, and the horse who was in between me and its owner put his arms (front legs) around us both and pulled us together so our heads were touching and then laughed.

I was laughing and everything, but then I started to throw up..so I asked where the bathroom was and someone said, "Its kind of a pain in the butt to get to", and they pointed me in the direction of the bathroom. Well, I had to enter like a house type building, and had to wind around all these weird stairs, then I had to climb over cabinets, under tables, up more stairs and over a mound of boxes until I finally reached the bathroom.

I dunno. I obviously need professional help. Maybe it means that while Im in the bleachers at my sons' football games that I act like a horse's ass. Im NOT going to use the bathroom at the game tonight for sure..Ill go before I leave and wont drink anything....

So, whenever I have one of these weird dreams I end up having a weird day after words, and Im cranky. This morning was no exception. Im up and dressed and waiting for my mother to arrive, who is going to watch my daughter because she broke her arm the other night (a whole 'nother blog post)and cant go to school until she gets her permanent cast on. I check on the boys and their progress in getting ready for school. I noticed that A had his heavy winter coat on, and well...its been kind of warm so I told him to put on his sweatshirt.

His reply?
A: Ill just wear this.
Me: No, I think itll be too warm, put on your sweatshirt.
A: But I wanna wear this...

at this time my mom arrived and I got side tracked in giving her dog/daughter instructions for the day, but in the back of my mind I was thinking that there must be a reason A was insisting on wearing the big puffy coat...and I thought I knew why.

Once I got done talking to my mom, I went back downstairs, and on my way past the bathroom where he was doing his hair, I said, "Lets go put your sweatshirt on".
He followed me into his room and low and behold...No sweatshirt..just as I thought.

He finally admitted that he left it outside at recess...this makes two sweatshirts in one week. It was his cutest one two..a little plaid one with little skulls on it...very cute. Anyway I explained that him saying he "just wanted to wear" his coat when the truth was his sweatshirt was lost was to me, like lying, so I said he would be punished this is what he said:

A: I did say I lost it.
Me: No, you didnt.
A: I just said it really softly so you didnt hear.
Me: Oh, ANOTHER lie, huh?
A: Well, Ok I THOUGHT about saying it.


Aaaargh. Any other time I would have maybe thought it was a little funny....his comebacks, but this morning, no, not laughing. He got to see creepy, not so nice mommy. Im blaming weird dreams with weird horses and weird bathrooms for it.

Of course I tell my hubby and HE laughs....I haven't told him about my dream yet. He'll just say I have issues, which I know already.

I heart Halloween tunes....

..I do. I had the best time making up the Halloween playlist for this blog. I hope you like it as much as I do. I found some old faves, as well as some really cool sufficiently creepy music. My husband always hooks the speakers up in the front yard and plays cool creepy stuff for the trick or treaters, so now I have found some more stuff to add to our arsenal of audio assaults (I just made that up, pretty neato).

So check it out, turn on your sound, and listen to my Halloween playlist. Do it now. I'll wait here. Ok...

Some of it is obvious stuff and some is not so obvious, at least I dont think it is, and its my blog so what I say goes.

In my opinion one of the coolest ghost songs is by Genesis, "Home by the Sea". It is a song that for me anyway brings on chills as well as tears. Its a song about souls trapped in a sea side home. Its beautiful and haunting and actually quite moving. Take a listen, and make sure you listen to the words. Youll hear great lines such as:

"...then out of the dark, I suddenly heard, 'welcome to the home by the sea'....shadows but no substance, in the shape of men.....help us..someone let us out of here, we've been here so long undisturbed, dreaming of the time we were free.."

Another one quite similar in subject is Sinead OConnor's "Jackie", another haunting sea/ghost song.

Of course, you have the chilly themes to movies like "Halloween" and "the Exorcist" and "Amityville Horror". These are always fun.

The Winchell's Doughnut Halloween record is fun. I had that when I was a kid..its like a creepy little tale and Halloween safety message all rolled into one. They gave them away at Winchell's when I was a kid, in the 70's. It was one of those floppy flexible, 45 size records. Very cool.

One of my new discoveries is the stuff by Manheim Steamroller. Nightmare fuel for sure, to borrow a term from my very awesome friend Ryan. I will have to acquire this for my house.

Then there is Warren Zevon...RIP. One of my favorite songs ever...Halloween or not is "Werewolves of London". They dont get much cooler than that. "Excitable Boy" by Mr. Zevon is also a dark, creepy tune...the lyrics anyway, not so much the music.

Alice Cooper's "Welcome to my Nightmare",Ozzy's "Bark at the Moon" and the Ramones "Pet Cemetery are also fun. Well heck, its ALL fun, isnt it?

Before I had children, I used to listen to My Chemical Romance, especially around Halloween. They are just a band whose lyrics are full of ghoulish imagery, and not in a slasher film type of way either, more of a romantic, gothy way (and I know the band hates to be called a "goth" band, but whatever, its my blog and last I checked I am NOT on their payroll). Anyway, I must have listened to their "Three Cheers for Sweet Revenge" three hundred times in a row when I first got it. Thats really not an exaggeration either. I mean I didnt sit there and listen to it that many times in one sitting, but I must have listened to it that many times before I listened to anything else again. LOVED IT. I havent listened to it in a while because I think its too much for little kids, they need lighter stuff, in my opinion.

So hopefully you enjoy the music, and let me know of any of your favorite creepy tunes.

Annoyments and Enjoyments of This Very Moment

Things that I am enjoying:

This fabulous Bee Gees tune from my disco dancing childhood.

The fact that I just spent 10 minutes in my co workers office laughing my butt off-hard laughter that makes your stomach hurt is THE best.

The fact that all sports events for the evening have been cancelled (what WILL I do with my time?) due to weather

My boss isnt here today

Knowing that the Hell's Kitchen finale is waiting for me to watch on Tivo-Go Dave!! Or Ariel..as long as it isnt that Kevin creep (ssshhh...no spoilers please).


Annoyments:

This makes TWO Bee Gee songs in a row? What..did Barry or Maurice die?

The sun is out. Yes this annoys me...I do not want my phone to ring with news that sports games/practices are back on.

The worker in the office next to me who keeps sighing. Im going to have to go over there and see what the problem is, and Im quite busy, thank you.

My office smells strange and I have no idea why.

Another award..

...and to think there was a time when I thought..."Ill probably never get one of those". This award is from JennyMac and her fabulous "let's have a cocktail" blog. I love the way she writes and she is witty as all get out. I like saying that..."all get out", almost as much as I like saying, "ruckus" which is a lot lately. The rules are as follows, make your self a drink (even coffee or tea...Im changing the rules here) and pass the award on to four blogs you love.

Im sick again, so Im drinking some hot water, with lemon and a shot of whiskey to try and kill this bug. Here are some of the blogs I love:

Monkey Trouble
Mommy Doesnt Live Here Anymore
Happy Meals and Happy Hour
Essie the Accidental Mommy

Wiener dog races

We went to the wiener dog races and entered our Carmen and she was victorious in the first,heat...which is way more than I was expecting. To see her in all her glory..visit my other (I mean HER)blog...right here

Check this out

Want another groovy adoption blog to read? Check out Shanti's blog!

Happy Birthday John

In the past I have written quite a lengthy blog post about one of my favorite music people..and my favorite Beatle, John Lennon. Today Im going to just say HAPPY BIRTHDAY JOHN...I miss you terribly.

....I would also like to thank....

Shanti...she gave me the award too, so thank you Shanti!

I got an award!!! Thank you ESSIE! The rules are as follows:

Answer the survey below…you can only use one word answers!
Pass this along to 6 of your favorite bloggers!
Alert them that you have given them this award!
Have Fun!
_______________________________________________________
Where is your cell phone?- Someone needs to call it – Car
Your hair? -awful
Your mother?- funny
Your father? – obnoxious
Your favorite food?-pasta
Your dream last night?- forgot
Your favorite drink? coffee
Your dream/goal? – australia
What room are you in?- office
Your hobby?- everything
Your Fear?- clowns
Where do you want to be in 6 years? – sane
Where were you last night? – football
Something that you aren’t? malicious
Muffins? pumpkin
Wish list item? jacuzzi
Where did you grow up? california
Last thing you did? complained
What are you wearing? sweater
Your TV? hanging
Your pets? adorable
Friends? scattered
Your life? busy
Your mood? worried
Missing someone? yes
Vehicle? denali
Something you’re not wearing? watch
Your favorite store? Book
Your favorite color? red
When was the last time you laughed? lunch
Last time you cried? morning
One place that I go to over and over? Mexico
One person who emails me regularly? Linda
Favorite place to eat? Italian

Im going to pass this to:
Yogagrrl
A
JennyMac
Foxy
Heather
FunnyRunner
BusyIntersection
Sitting on the mood swing
Carol

Here we go...a whining post (feel free to ignore)

A short while ago I wrote about Guy In Charge of Everything (GICOE) and it seems like his idiocy has caught up with him. Only its catching up with me too. See his Second in command is going to be taking over and this will directly affect me, because while I was mildly annoyed with GICOE, I dealt very little with him. Now, because GICOE is going somewhere else and will not have anything to do with where I am at, our whole system is being re constructed, and I will have to do with the #2 Bozo. I am not just being cute either...he is a Bozo. Not as quite as bad as GICOE, but close enough for comfort...and quite frankly, Im worried.

I just found out I will be given added responsibility and Ive been advised to seek a pay raise, because the other person that does these tasks Im about to take on gets paid quite a bit more than I do. So, you bet I will. I dont mind being paid extra, I dont even mind having more responsibility (to a point), however, I do mind receiving treatment I know this guy is known for giving. I KNOW people who have worked under him and it pretty much sucks. So, if you are inclined, please say a prayer for me. My first meeting with Bozo is this afternoon, like in thirty minutes and I would rather chew on a razor blade than have to do this, but hey...I need my job.

Just to give you an example of what Im dealing with here (and those of you not on the West coast or familiar with the Skippers chain possibly wont get it).

We (random people, around the proverbial water cooler ya know) were talking one day about having to go into the big city. Someone mentioned that they going there for the weekend. Here is what Bozo said:

Bozo: Oh, well..do you like Seafood?
Other guy: Yes, I do.
Bozo: There is a great place down by the marina, wonderful seafood really, nice location.
Other guy: Really? Whats the name of it, do you remember?
Bozo: Yes, it was called Skippers.

Me: (choking on my coffee)
Other guy: Uh...across from the park...on West street (just a random street name, I cant remember the name of it really)...near the Marina?
Bozo: Yeah...thats the one. You know it.
Other guy: yep.

Later on after Bozo left the room
Me: Skippers...the fast food Seafood chain?
Other guy: Thats the one.

See? It would be like asking someone if they like good burgers and then suggesting McDonalds.....

To give you another example, while I was typing this a co worker came in and I complained to her that I had a meeting with "Bozo". Her reply?

WHICH ONE?See? Its not just me. I.am.surrounded.

Insults and Triumph

So, it was an interesting weekend in the life of moi. I was insulted TWICE by two of my little darlings. Its funny, but its not. I'm sure anyone who isn't me will think its amusing; my mom does...she LAUGHED, oh and so did my husband.

So on Friday I was sick..the night before I went to bed with the beginnings of a sore throat. My husband, being the nice man that he is, took the kids to Dr. appointments, and made dinner, etc. All I had to do was sleep....and sleep I did. However, when it was time for dinner I ate. A lot. See, I hadn't eaten all day long, and when I'm sick with throat things, eating is the only thing (besides sleep) that makes me feel GOOD. It soothes my throat. Anyway, I had seconds of the wonderful dinner T made.

The kids ate their fill and some of them had stuff left over on their plates. This is the conversation which took place as T and the kids were clearing the table.

T: Its too bad we don't have a pig, we could feed them this scrap.
A: We do.
T: We have a pig?
A: Yes, Mommy. She had two helpings.

Oh yes he did!!!!!Tom told him that wasn't nice, after he laughed of course.



The second insult came from my lovely daughter. We (me, my mom, N, S, and A) were on our way to A's football game. It was his first and it was at a place I'm not real familiar with, but the kids were there last week for A's practice and N is great with directions, and I'm not. So, I asked him about which turn to take. He told me and when we arrived at the field, this is what took place:

N: Ha! I'm so smart.
S: Yeah, you are...your smarter than Mom.



Sorry folks, but I actually defended myself on this. I couldn't help it, I had to set her straight. My mother was practically choking, trying to hold her laughter in. Thanks mom.

The triumph that made me forget about all the insult? At least until today? My little boy, A...made the very first touchdown for his team, and the only touchdown for the team in the game;he was soooo proud of himself. For that, I forgive him for calling me a pig.

Its true, I swear!!

This morning I go down stairs to take some laundry out of the dryer and notice that there is dog poop in the hallway. Now, the wiener princess is a true dachshund through and through and they are notoriously hard to house break and have many "accidents" in the house.

Now, I know I heard the boys bathroom door shut so I know one of the boys had used it. The little puppy package was in front of the bathroom door and was not fresh, so my investigative skills told me that the dog poop was seen by this boy.

N's door was cracked so I went in there and he was laying in bed, his eyes open. So I figured I would inquire as to why he didnt pick the stuff up and why he left it for me. I mean he was awake, near the bathroom, had to pass the poop, TWICE, was it really too much to ask for him to pick it up with some toilet paper and flush it down the toilet? Evidentally it was.

Me: Good morning. Tell me, did you step around the dog poop to get to the bathroom?
N: No, I stepped over it (completely missing the point).
Me: Why didnt you pick up, you know to help me out a little.
N: I thought I would get it later, when I was really awake.
Me: Oh, you mean after your brother comes out of his room and steps on it?
N: Oh. I didnt think about that.

I thought for sure that conversation would be the craziest of the day, but I was Oh So Wrong. What is even crazier, is that the craziest conversation so far today didnt come from a ten year old boy, who is half asleep, but from the Guy in Charge of Everything (GICOE) at the place I work at. A fifty something year old man (Im guessing here, he is at LEAST fifty).

I was in the hallway at work and mentioned something about the safety guy doing a walk through of the building today. This GICOE, standing next to a fire extinguisher, which I am responsible for checking monthly, grabs the inspection tag and examines it.

GICOE: What happened to October and November?
Me: What do mean what happened to them?
GICOE: They havent been marked off for inspection.
Me: They havent happened yet. This is September
GICOE: Oh, right.



True story. I could NOT make this up.

Take a stand

My friend Heather wrote this post about taking a stand against those who support the Eagles, who let Vick play again despite his horrible crime. What kind of message does it send that he can continue to be a football star and receive all the benefits that came with it after what he did to innocent dogs. Please follow the link above and see what you can do to let it be known that you dont agree with the Eagles and therefore those that sponsor them. Believe me, If I can live without Volcano Tacos then you can live without stuff on the list too.

Open letter to obnoxious soccer mom....

Dear OSM,

The game between our daughters' teams was a great one. One of the best Ive seen all season. Both teams were undefeated, so it was a great match. BOTH teams played hard, and from what I could tell, played fair. That being said it was not at all necessary for you to make a comment like "well...if that's the way they have to win" as our team was two points ahead.

You have no idea the restraint it took to stop myself from walking over to your chair and dumping you on the grass on your butt. No idea. I didn't though, I ignored you, which probably bothered you more. Your nastiness is not becoming of you and I just had to laugh when your team won by one point and you looked over at us and put your arms in the air and said, "we won" like a snotty six year old. My own six year old was a bit put off by this as well as he asked me why you were mad.

So, why are you mad? Did you have a bad day? Did someone hurt your feelings and now you are retaliating by being nasty to complete strangers? Did it make you feel better, because if it did, I'm glad. Unfortunately you should know that you just made a big arse out of yourself. Next time you have a bad day and have to go to your kid's soccer game, ask the team mom to take her so you don't embarrass yourself.

Just trying to help.

Obladi

Too True Tuesday

I really like the True Tuesday idea this week, suggested over at Essie's. I like it because its not about the stupid things I have done, but stupidity from others. And, Im always up for that. This week we are discussing bad parenting advice. I have a lot of these from the kids' foster parents, and believe it or not, their OLD therapist.

When I first met the kids, the foster mom said that A wouldnt sleep very well and would wake up at at the very early hours and play (like 2 or 3 am), so she told me to give him Benadryl to make him sleep...what is so bad about this, is the real reason he was up sooo early. She would expect him to sleep 12 hours a night (so, to bed almost right after dinner) on top of a two hour nap in the afternoon. It never occured to her that he wasnt staying asleep because he simply could NOT SLEEP ANYMORE. I, of course, discarded her advice, gave him a later bedtime and cut out the naps (unless he needed one or wanted one) and wouldnt you know it.....he slept all night long, from the first night home with us. Are people really that dumb? Yep, they are.

The other bit of advice she had for me was when he couldnt remember to tie his shoe (at barely five years old), she said I shouldnt help him...let him "remember" all by himself. When he was in tears because he couldnt do it and no one would help him, it was suggested that maybe he couldnt remember at the moment because of meeting his new parents, and getting ready to move, etc...his life being turned upside down, etc, and all the trauma associated with that. So, finally she agreed that I should help him. That poor kid, in the hands of clueless woman. Oh this is the same person who said that I could save money by making all three kids share bath water. Im pretty sure that the money the state gave her for fostering would have covered clean bath water for all. Unbelievable.

The brilliant (not) therapist they had before coming to us, told us that we should not teach against "stranger danger" because it is often a "stranger" who helps them when they are in trouble. While, this makes sense to a certain degree because many children are preyed on by people they know, many are still preyed upon by strangers. Besides, we werent going to prey on them and it is the strangers I am worried about, so I threw that advice right out the window. I think he needs to watch the news a little more, it is full of abductions by both but family is still safer, in my opinion. So, there you have it. Some very bad advice, in my opinion.

A fun thing....

I got this from Sitting on the Mood Swing at the playground (which is a fabulous blog name). Using only titles of books you've read this year cleverly answer the following questions. I did not only use books Ive read in the past year, I dipped into past years as well, because Im a rebel.

Describe Yourself: Running with Scissors

How do you feel: Dry

Describe where you currently live: We have always lived in the Castle

If you could go anywhere, where would you go: Up and Down with the Rolling Stones

Your favorite form of transportation: The Green Mile

Your best friend is: A girl named Zippy

You and your friends are: Vanishing Act

What’s the weather like: Still Waters

Favorite time of day: Midnight in the Garden of Evil

If your life was a(n): Secret Diary of Adrian Mole

What is life to you: Bones of the Moon

Your fear: It

What is the best advice you have to give: Ceasar’s Way

Thought for the Day: She’s Come Undone

How I would like to die: Life Among the Savages

My soul’s present condition: What looks like crazy on an ordinary day

C'mon, you wanna do it too, right?

CH CH CH Changes....

Ha! Success. My new blog look is up, I finally won over the evil that took over my blog the other day. No bees...yay.

I have a new playlist too. A few songs that are about school. The first one I find particularly sweet. Then I selected some songs that were #1 on the billboard charts when I was starting a new school year, a new grade. There were a few I wanted to put on, but they werent available due to rights and permission and all that crud.

I love this time of year. Since I became a mom I love it even more. Not because my kids are back in school and I get a "break", because I don't really. Im at work anyway during the day. Its my husband that gets the break. I love it because I love all the things that go with the school year. See, once upon a time (a long, long time ago), I thought about being a teacher, even though I really didnt like school all that much. Im not sure why it crossed my mind, but it did. I think its because Ive always liked kids.

When I was childless I used to envy those women who had kids in grade school...it must be nostalgia related or something..and I think now the start of the school year signals the start of a time when possibilities abound. Maybe this is the year someone will make a new friend, a best friend that lasts a life time, or maybe this is the year that a certain subject or interest will click and put one of my children on the path he or she is destined to go down.

It means soon the air will be full of wood smoke, and pumpkins will be out, the air will be crisp but not yet cold. Halloween, a favorite of mine, right around the corner. Scary movies, trick or treat; more candy for me to steal. This year I will have two boys in football; which means sitting on chairs with blankets wrapped around, a hot cup of joe to take away the fall chill. I absolutely love it and quite frankly Im excited. I like change....sometimes its good. A change of season is good and Im hopeful as I look towards it.

I remember "back to school" time when I was a kid in the seventies and in grade school. I remember the clothes shopping, the haircuts, the shiny new lunch box, the pristine erasers on virgin pencils, the paper full of lines, empty, but soon to hold my handwriting...possibilities. I was always excited for the new school year, until I got bored again and looked forward to summer, and being free. I guess Im a restless soul, always looking for whats next.

This year is a special year though. For many years now, my kids have not been able to go to the same school for more than one year. The new school year usually saw them in a new school, new kids, and sadly, a new family. This year that is different. They will go to the same school they were in last year, see many familiar faces, and they will come home to the same house and the same family. I remember first meeting N, and he told me how nice it would be to be able to go to one school for more than one year, and not have to move. Now he will be doing that; and for that I am excited.

possessed blog...

..Im trying like heck to get the bee background off of my blog..and.it.wont.go.away. Ive deleted it, Ive replaced it, everything else I can think of and still it stays. Im trying to do a groovy fallish back to school theme,hence the new play list..which Ill explain later...If my head doesnt spin around. This is the wierdest thing. So, if your looking at this and its all screwed up, Im sorry. Im trying to fix it, but Im running out of time. Where is Father Karas when you need him?

In case you didnt know...

Recently, upon discussing Mr. Vick's reentry into the NFL even though he CRUELLY KILLED DOGS, I was told this: "He fought them, he didnt kill them". The person I was talking to never realized that Mr. Vick's crimes went beyond illegal dog fighting. I mean, if that wasn't bad enough right?

So, I feel the need to post this link to an article on the Best Friends Animal Society website. Best Friends is the organization which took many of Vick's live victims and are attempting to rehabilitate and rehome those that can be rehibilitated, so I feel there is not a more reliable source to point one to.

Please read this article,so you will be well informed, when you hear someone spout off about Michael Vick and how he deserves a second chance, because it was ONLY dog fighting.

My sides are hurting......

I was looking for an image for a post for my other blog, and I came across this and spewed my beverage through my nose. Ive seen this before, but I totally forgot about it:

Babbling brook

Its been a while too long actually. Its not that there hasnt been stuff to write about, its just that Ive been lazy. I have been reading others' blogs but just havent come here to write much. Life is nutso lately, not sure where Im going or what exactly Im doing. Want to be involved, but want to left alone...if that makes sense. Probably not. Disregard.

We had a fabulous time with UP, and he went home on Saturday. We tried out the new vehicle on its first long trip to the mountains. It did well...up until the time it got christened by not ONE, but TWO vomiting children. A and S got sick from the winding road to the canyon look out, and not thinking about the road ahead, I had given them nectarines and a bottle of water...yeah.

I was amazed at my reflexes though...Im lightening quick, if I do say so myself, and so it could have been MUCH worse. On the way home A cracked me up

A: (looking out the window, pointing at motorcycles) when I grow up Im going to ride those with my sons.

Me: Oh really? That would be fun. Your sons? What about your daughters?
A: Im not having any daughters.
Me: Hmm...what if you do though?
A: I will give them to the mom.

Nice, huh? Glad he doesnt live in China. Yikes.
I will post some pics of the trip (without vomit, of course.

One the way home from taking UP to the airport, we stopped at some outlet malls and I did shopping for N and a little for A. Now they are all ready for school. I will take S, just me and her and grandma, for hers next week...make a special thing out of it for her.

Anyway, finished boy clothes shopping at the Gap outlet store. Lots of cool stuff. We ate lunch at a German restaraunt. I love doing that, it reminds me of living there..(in Germany, not the restaraunt). The waiter came over and got our order and after he left, A asked how come he was speaking english. So cute.

I didnt go to church on Sunday. I stayed home did a thousand and five piles of laundry, and stared at all the yard work I had to do. Oh, and I did some homework. I watched a couple of recorded episodes of "Hoarders" and visions of my garage and my closets popped up in my head. Must clean out closets. I made some really killer chicken quesadillas too. Light on the cheese, and no sour cream for hubs and me. They rocked though.

Please Forgive Me

In my last post I said I would declare the awesomeness of the people who could name tell me which movie the line "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" was from...and I kind of forgot all about it. So, now Im here to declare the awesomeness of two bloggy friends:

Yogagrrland
Foxy

Yogagrrl, YOU ARE AWESOME
Foxy, YOU ARE AWESOME.

Declaration complete. We now return to our regular scheduled program.

Hear Ye Hear Ye...

...God is good, y'all. Hes answered my petty little prayers in awesome ways this last week. First, I passed that inspection, which I already blogged about. It was really amazing what He did this morning though, and I DO believe it was Him and not co-incky-dink.

My husband a particualarly grueling exercise at work that was going to be observed by a bunch of big wigs, etc. So, even though he is awesome and has never screwed any of these things up, I know they can be stressful and a lot of wierd crap can happen during them. So, I prayed that it would all go smoothly, extra smooth. And you know what? It could not have gone smoother. Heres what God did to make sure of that...the power went out in the whole area where this was going to be at. So, his Graveyard shift didnt have to do it all....it was saved for the dayshift! Yes!!! So he is home and is in a fantastic mood.

Then EARLY this morning at O dark thirty (3 am, to be exact), I had to be at the bus station two towns over to pick up hub's brother, Uncle P. I prayed that I would make it there without getting lost (I have no sense of direction)...and I did, he was on time and it was a real pleasant event instead of one that was a giant pain in the behind.

The next awesome thing just happened. We are going to go to the mountains this weekend with Uncle P and there is no internet access there. Which means I wont be able to do any homework for a few days...which isnt good, because stuff is due on Monday...so I was going to spend today doing all my work. Well...guess what? Its a light week in class, and it took me about an hour and half to get done with everthing, when it could have turned out to take me all day and all night, like it does sometimes. I prayed that I would be able to focus and get it all done...taken of care of. Another prayer answered.

So, because of aforementioned possibilty of mega-homework, my hub took Uncle P and the kids (who are meeting him for the first time) out to do some sight seeing, so I could do my homework. This is neat because now I dont have any homework, and its quiet....no kids yelling or whining, no sounds of wii being played, no dogs barking at yelling, whining, wii playing kids...just the sound of my keyboard, tappity, tap, tap. "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy" (If you can name that book/movie, I will declare your awesomeness). Now I have several choices...swim ALL BY MYSELF, mow the lawn (um...no.), sleep, watch tv, watch a movie, read, or take a bath and read....leisurly, without little fingers underneath the door, or muffled voices saying "moooooommmmm, are you done yet? Arent you CLEAN yet?". Nope, non of that...just me and my bubbles and my book. Maybe they will be gone for a while, and I can do the bath, book and THEN the nap. Ive decided Im too lazy to swim, and they may make me do that later anyway.

So...off I go, to enjoy my much needed (and appreciated) solitude. Don't hate me.

Its Over

I can let out a huge sigh of relief now...ready? Phewwwwwwwwwww. There. For months now Ive been preparing for a huge inspection at work, and with that comes many "pre inspections". Just a great big pain in the rump, is all. And now..its over, and I have passed with flying colors.

Maybe now I can come home WITHOUT a headache.. Maybe now I will quit grinding my teeth at night. Maybe now I will quite the stress eating. Well....maybe not the eating thing...

Too True Tuesday....

Drat that Essie anyway, for starting this thing that I feel compelled to participate in. I cant believe that I'm actually disclosing this, because I really was horrified with myself....so, here goes. And please, for the love of puppies, if you have done this yourself, please tell me, so I don't feel so bad. Thank you.

Here it is:

While camping a few weeks ago, I had walked to the bathrooms (yes, the camp ground had bathrooms) with A. I had to go and so did he. We had been gathered at the camp ground with the other 4 families we were camping with and getting ready to feast big time. We went into the restroom, and when I was done I washed my hands and left. Now, when I finish using a public restroom, I do not like to HANG out in there, so I will typically wait outside for whoever I am with. Only I did not wait...I forgot that anyone had come with me, that anyone being my little boy.

So, I'm sitting at camp chatting away when A comes up to me, with his bottom lip sticking out. wanting to know why I had left him. I wanted to drown myself in the lake because I had completely forgotten ALL about him. Apparently the poor little guy came out and couldn't find me, so he waited there for a few minutes thinking I would turn up, and when I didn't he headed back to camp.

I'm not proud of it, in fact its probably my worse parenting mistake, one that I thought I would never make because I'm extremely worried about the bad people out there who steal little children. I'm ALWAYS thinking about that stuff, not this time though evidently, I guess all the hot sun had baked my brain. So, there it is, my Too True Tuesday moment for this week.