Question
***Update*** Red coughed all night. And I mean that in a very literal sense. He woke up this morning with a slight fever. I shouldn't have complained. Now Murphy's Law has crept up on me... no birthday party for us today. In a way, I'm relieved. In another way, I can't help but feel bad. Red was quite excited for this party :( But, I'm still curioius about your answers to my questions... so... keep reading!
Red has been invited to a birthday party. It is to be held at a place called Pump It Up where they have a multitude of inflatable bouncers for the kids to enjoy. I called to RSVP and the mother of the birthday boy asks me how many adults would be accompanying Red to the party. Um...there was nothing on the invitation about this. I tell her I was unaware that he needed an adult (or two?!) to accompany him. She sighs and explains that he needs someone to watch him and keep him out of trouble. Now, I don't think she has ever met my son. She's just assuming that all 8-9 year old boys are trouble makers and will cause her problems. Which, really is probably a safe assumption. But, Red is really a polite kid. He may sass me at times, but I have never heard him talk to another adult disrespectfully. So, I'm taken off guard by her comment. I told her I couldn't come without my other two kids and she said to bring them along. They will get to participate in the bouncer stuff, but what am I supposed to do while they are opening presents and eating cake and such?? My two younger ones like to "help" when it comes to gift unwrapping. Now, some might say that this would be a good learning experience for them. But, it's not a social mountain I am willing to climb in front of a huge group of strangers. Should we sit in the car for this part of the party?? I don't have the cash to get a sitter and hubby won't be off work yet, so they have to come.
Here's my next question: is this normal?? Do you usually accompany your children to birthday parties? Whenever we've had a party for one of our kids it's been a "drop your kids off and be back in an hour or I'm setting them out by the curb" kind of thing. Okay not really, but you know what I mean. Kids stay. Parents go. Kids have fun. Parents come. Kids go home. Everyone is happy. This is how all the parties we have thrown have been. And all the parties they have attended have been. And if I had needed parents to stay and help, I would have personally asked them to stay or included that information in the invitation.
ANYWAY...she seemed annoyed with me like this was something I should have known. Have I made some kind of social faux pax? Fill me in bloggin buddies. I really am at a loss here. Oh, and if you hear weeping, wailing and gnashing of teeth tomorrow afternoon - that would be me trying to keep my younger two from ripping the paper off all the gifts.

Cowboy Up!
Little Bug LOVES horses. When we lived in Oregon we did hippotherapy or horseback riding therapy. It was amazing. When we first went out they put him on a horse, just to see if he'd even get on. Brownie was his name and for Little Bug, it was love at first sight. The problem with Brownie was that he was HUGE. Too big for Little Bug to ride. When we came back for lessons/therapy they tried to put him on a mini named Pegasus. Screaming and crying ensued. Next lesson we got Chip. More screaming and crying. We were going to stick with Chip, but he hurt his foot and the next horse in line: Brownie. He climbed on and smiled. He was home. He felt so comfortable on that horses back that Little Bug would lay down while Brownie walked (FYI: there were always 4 people with Little Bug and the horse - the instructor, the leader, and one person on each side of the horse holding Bug's legs). He was in heaven. As part of this program they participated in a rodeo for kids with special needs. The first year, Little Bug was too young. Last year we moved one week before the rodeo. There is horseback riding therapy down here, but the school told us he was too little and wouldn't help in getting the information until the end of school when the program had ended for the year (the riding place takes it's students through the school system unless they are home bound). We're hoping to change that this winter and get him in the program. We'll probably have to put our boxing gloves on, but it will be worth it.
I think Little Bug would love the rodeos and I've always felt a little guilty that we missed last years. But, today that all changes. You see, I caught wind of a rodeo in a town not far from here that pairs up their professional cowboys and cowgirls with these special needs kids and they go and do their rodeo stuff. I have no idea what that all entails, but I think it will be great just to see Bug on a horse again!
So, dust off your boots and shimmy into those Wranglers! We're going to the rodeo!

I Had Forgotten....

I was so excited to set my plan in motion. Long movie = long nap. Then I remembered that today is early release for Red. Drat! Foiled again! I'll try for a nap tomorrow. I wouldn't need a nap if I didn't participate in the nightly routine of hacking up a lung... but I digress.

Baby Girl was going through some old videos looking for something to watch when her eyes landed on "The Little Mermaid". She's never seen it. I knew there was a reason I had never shown it to her, but in my sleep deprived state, I couldn't remember the reason. So, I popped it in our decrepit VCR. She was totally absorbed in the underwater world until...

That's right. Ursula. Has there ever been a creepier villainess in the Disney lineup? This is one bad girl and she scared the beejeebies out of Baby Girl as soon as she came on the screen. I watched my girl recoil in fear and in my mind flashed all of the nasty, horrible and downright scary scenes with Ursula in them.

"Hey, Baby Girl, should we watch something else?"

"Yeah. Let's watch the Bugs (Bugs Life)! That Mermaid movie was so cute. Turn it off... now!"

Makin the Rounds
Ah... my head doesn't hurt so much any more. Which means that I can look at my computer screen without feeling like my cranium is going to explode. Such a nice feeling. The down side: the crud has moved into my chest. So, with each breath I have a rattle and with every cough a flame ignites. Another fun feeling.
I got a little nap yesterday. It would have been longer, but darn those "Blues Clues" for being so short. I had been asleep for 20 minutes (which, admittedly is better than nothing) and it finished. Baby girl yelled, "HEY MOM!! I NEED A NEW MOVIE! HEY, WHY ARE YOUR EYES CLOSED? YOU CAN'T SEE THE MOVIE IF YOU CLOSE YOUR EYES!" If the show had been a few moments longer... oh well. Today I'm going to put in DuckTales or Gummi Bears... I think there's almost 4 hours of cartoons on each DVD. A 4 hour nap?! The thought sends my heart into happy pitter patters. I suppose I shouldn't get my hopes up, but I can't help it.
I've finally made it to a few blogs. I'm hoping to hit the rest this afternoon. It's like therapy for my twisted self. Free therapy. Can't beat that!

Nancy and Yvonne both gave me this award! You guys are so sweet! Thank you so much! I hate passing these things on because I know I'm gonna leave someone out. Here's the deal, if I read your blog it's because I find you amusing or uplifting. Mostly I read for a laugh. Being a mom means that I clean a lot of messes. I get to laugh at the same knock knock joke 50 times. I have to TRY to find the humor in situations (and it doesn't always happen). But, when I come to blog land, it's giggle time! I like the serious posts too. I like learning about y'all! So, if I've been to your blog more than once in the last few weeks consider yourself tagged with the "You Make Me Smile Award!"

Oprah

Just a quick post here... still feel cruddy... so I'm gonna post this, plug the kids into a movie (I know it's bad... but I'm really not in the mood for playdoh and finger paint), and then curl up in a ball and rest!

Tomorrow, Tuesday, September 18th Oprah is having a show on autism. The show will probably be a little on the dramatic side (Oprah usually is, in my opinion), but hopefully there will be some good information on the show. If you get a chance to watch, I hope you will. Maybe you're thinking that you don't have a child with autism or you don't know anyone with autism. Well, chances are that could change. You see, 1 out of every 166 (or 150 depending on the numbers you read) kids in the USA is autistic. And the numbers are climbing.

I think one of the hardest things (notice I didn't say the hardest) about having a child with autism is the lack of understanding in others. Look at this face:

There is no physical way of telling that Little Bug has autism. It's that way with most autistic kids. They look "normal" (whatever THAT means). So, when he goes into sensory overload (his senses are bombarded by too many things at once, and he can't process all the information) in the store and has a meltdown people think he's a brat. They stare and you can see it in their faces "Why can't you control your child?".

I found this on one of the websites I was looking at today... thought it was a good description of what it might be like to have sensory issues...

Picture yourself visiting a strange country, where the rules for “normal” behavior are all different from what’s acceptable back home, but nobody will explain to you exactly how or why.
The people around you routinely break into laughter, or collapse in sobs, for no reason you can grasp. Except for these outbursts, their faces are as impassive as masks. When someone approaches you, you can never predict whether they’re about to deliver an angry lecture or give you a hug.
And just when you think you’ve started to detect some pattern to this ongoing madness, the landscape suddenly erupts into bright, flashing lights or high-pitched sounds that pierce your nervous system like a dentist’s drill—so thoroughly breaking your concentration that you have to begin solving the mystery again from scratch.
This “strange country” is our everyday world, as it appears to someone with the developmental disorder known as autism.

(I believe this description was written by a woman with autism named Temple Grandin)

So, if you are unfamiliar with autism, I encourage you to watch the show or check out any of the links above.

Whew! Who knew that getting on and off my soapbox would be so tiring? I'm off to medicate and sleep as much as the kids will let me...

Behind in Bloggin
I haven't been very good about visiting around blog land the last few days. I'm sorry. I'm trying. I think I'm coming down with a sinus infection. At first I thought it was allergies... now I'm not so sure. I think Little Bug might have it too :S So, I will try to make bloggy rounds as soon as I can, but I'm not promising anything for the next few days!

Rolaids Spell R*E*L*I*E*F
Have you ever been in a situation where your heart just fell into your stomach?
The filter on our pool died last night. Okay. Not a big deal.
This morning I went out to the van to get something and noticed a puddle of water by the deep freeze. Didn't think anything of it. Why? Too tired to have it register. (Remember the barking dog from the previous post).
Anyway, fast forward to this evening. We were headed out to grab a few things at Costco and the puddle had gotten bigger. I was more awake and it registered - deep freeze is THAWING. I open it and it sounds like a waterfall in there. Water is dripping everywhere and some of our things are no longer frozen. GRRR!! Nothing had spoiled but I was frustrated. I buy extra bread, tortillas, cheese, meat and fruit whenever I can and then I freeze it. I've lost that storage!
Now, my brain feels like it's wading through sludge right now, but slowly, every so slowly it dawned on me that these two items died around the same time. I had Hubby go out and check the breakers. He messed with it a little, but said it didn't look like anything had been tripped. He flipped the one for the outside outlets anyway, just in case. I went into the garage and noticed that the outlet has a surge protector on it. I pushed the little button and then listened as my deep freeze sprang to life! HURRAH! Then Hubby went out and plugged the filter in.... and it worked! HURRAY HURRAH! I know it's silly, but the relief I felt was so fantastic and overwhelming! Actually, the surge of emotions has left me feeling quite exhausted. I think I might have to send Hubby out for some peanut M&M's or a Snickers bar or something! And apparently I should have been an electrician. Cause I'm so good at that wiring and electric-y stuff ;)

Play List
My play list is just as random as I am... don't ya think? Honestly, that first song, Waterfall by Jon Schmidt makes me so stinkin happy. Weird, I know. Any requests? I can add a few things if you'd like... and yeah. Milli Vanilli is on my play list. SO WHAT!? Enjoy

This, That and the Other
More randomly random stuff for ya today

• Last night was one of the longest nights ever. Red has decided to use our bathroom if he has to get up in the night. To say he is noisy would be an understatement. Then, the neighbor's dog. I could drop kick that darn thing. I can't believe the owners don't hear it after 3 hours of barking. In honor of the dog, we have a classic Sesame Street clip for you:

• Baby Girl brought this home on Sunday. She explained to me that it is a picture of Little Bug, Red, herself, Daddy, and me... holding our baby. No, I'm not pregnant. But I'm sure there are people who wondering if I might be. Hmmm... more on that subject later.

• Tiara #3 is finished. That's right. For those of you following the tiara saga, I said #3. I was going to post pictures of #2 but it is just dorky. No, really. I designed it and it looks TERRIBLE! But this one... Actually, I designed #3 too... but I quite like it... I'll take more pictures once it is decorated and all that fun stuff.

Okay... enough random stuff for the day! Happy Friday everyone!

Aquatic Academics

I have been trying to have preschool with Baby Girl every day since school started. She doesn't really like it. She hates structure and routines. So, I'm trying to find ways to still teach a few things, but have it be fun. Thus, our preschool in the pool.

We went out and counted how many times we could jump up and down. We sang the ABC's while we chased each other around the pool. We played "I Spy". We watched a butterfly land on the "biggie board" (it's just a little kick board) and take a drink with it's long tongue. Then we talked about where the butterfly might live and what other creatures might live in the bushes and trees. Overall I think it was a very successful lesson and since there really doesn't look like it's going to cool down any time soon, we will probably be able to do it several more times before we put the pool away for the "winter".

The Stink
Have you ever been wandering through your house and thought: what's that smell?
And so you go from room to room trying to figure out what that unpleasant aroma could be?
And you find that it is in every room of your house?
So you mentally go through a list of everything you've cooked or thrown away as you try and find the source of this unnatural perfume?
And then, have you ever finally realized that the fragrance is coming from you?
Because you've been so busy working your tail off and your children have decided to not let you have a break to shower because they need you EVERY. SINGLE. MINUTE?
And you cooked with chicken, Italian dressing, onions, tomatoes and somehow your body has absorbed all of those scents?
And since you cooked on a day when it was 109 outside you're a sweaty mess?
And then at night you're just too tired to shower?
After all, showering takes effort. And that is something you just can't give at this moment??
Because this has NEVER happened to me... unless you count yesterday.

Reality Check
Right now... yum... at this very moment... just a sec... I am eating... oops, I dripped... chocolate almond ice cream as fast as I can.... almost done....there. So delish! Now, you may be asking WHY I am wolfing this down as fast as I can. Well, there are 2 reasons.

1. It's hot here. The slower I go the more my ice cream resembles chocolate milk with chunks. And that's just wrong.
2. Biggest Loser is on tonight. I really enjoy this show. Mostly because I'm a dork. But, um, I feel kind of guilty sitting in front of the TV watching people diet and work their butts off (literally) whilst I eat my super fattening ice cream. I try to avoid all situations that will add to my mountain of guilt. Thus, the scarfing of the delectable dairy delight before the show starts! Then I don't have the guilt.

So, am I the only one who enjoys reality TV? I know I'm an amazing person, but I can't imagine that they keep putting this show on just for me...

Hate is a Very Strong Word
I'm gonna say it. I know that I will get all kinds of people saying, "How can you hate that?" But I do. I loathe that it's about to start again. That it will consume one night each week and several other nights and days to fulfill all the requirements. That's right. I hate Cub Scouts. I dislike that there are all kinds of awards for sports. At the last pack meeting we had in the spring there was one kid who had earned his basketball, baseball, football AND swimming badges. They went ON AND ON about how WONDERFUL this kid was. Everyone else was "Here - good job". Red isn't into sports. He likes to throw the ball around with Dad, but he just doesn't have that really competitive nature about him. Which means that he won't be WONDERFUL in the eyes of these leaders.
Now, I know they learn some good things in Scouts. Like respect for the flag. Respect for their bodies. Knowing things about their communities. These are all great things. But, does being able to do a "frog stand" really give a kid an advantage in life?

Actually, when Red did this, I was almost afraid he was going to break his arms. I guess some of these things just seem silly to me. And really, my biggest problem is with one of the leaders. We had the "rain gutter regatta" in the spring. The kids make little boats out of kits and then they blow on the sails to send them down the rain gutters. At the end, Red's leader was praising them all. Letting them know that she was proud of them for coming and participating and that there were no losers because they all did their best. Another leader pipes up and says "That's bull! If you don't win then you lose. Therefore, you are a loser." Which, technically, is true. But, seemed a little harsh to be calling these 8-10 year old boys "losers". Guess who had not won a single race? Guess who slumped over to me with his eyes brimming with tears? Guess who pulled it together and cheered for the boys that had won? Maybe Cub Scouts will be good for Red. But that doesn't mean I have to like it.

September
I'm craving fall weather. I have been burning my "Apple Cinnamon" candle. I made a big ol' pot of soup on Sunday (even though it was 104 outside). I find myself looking out the window and wishing I could see reds, oranges, browns and yellows. I miss the colors of fall. I want to rake up a big pile of leaves and play in them. I miss that crisp morning air and the smells of harvest all around. I guess I'll just have to settle for changing my blog again. Besides, every time I open my blog I think, "Wait... who's blog is this?" The pink is just not me... so, this will hopefully feel a little more like my blog and perhaps seeing these dusty fall colors each day will help me not feel so homesick for a change of seasons.

Tomboys vs. Girlie Girls
I am at a loss. Baby Girl is turning into a girlie girl and I'm not quite sure how to take care of a girlie girl! You see - I'm a tomboy. I like snakes and frogs. I was the owner of two lizards at one point in time. When I was a kid, I loved dinosaurs so much that my parents planned a vacation around my obsession - and it was awesome! I did play with dolls, but my dolls were tough creatures. My Barbies parachuted off of our swing set and rescued Ken from his latest mishap (he was always getting into trouble). I got toy cars and trucks as gifts. I remember dressing up, but not too much. All through high school I wore big t-shirts and boys jeans. Why? Because that's how I was comfortable. And that was what was most important to me. I brushed my hair, but that was about it. And make-up?? Who cared about make-up? I don't think I really started wearing make-up till I got in college. I could hang with the guys and I liked it that way. So, when my boys came on the scene, I knew what to do! And it was so much fun to see them pick up a lot of the same likes that I had as a kid.
Enter my little Princess. Usually she's a good mix of both. She loves her dresses, but she's usually packing around a plastic snake or a dinosaur. But lately... well, lately she is a girlie girl. She wouldn't go to church without her toenails painted. She gets up in the morning and wants to wear a dress. She likes things in her hair and she loves to cuddle her dolls. I'm not sure what to do with this child! Doesn't she want to go look for lizards in the back yard? No. She wants to smell the flowers and watch the butterflies. Doesn't she want to play with the cars? No. She wants to get out the dolls and the castle and play "Your Majesty" (that's really what she calls it). Wouldn't she LOVE to look at a dinosaur book? No. She wants to read "Barbie and the Twelve Dancing Princesses". I feel like I can't relate to this child! I guess I need to get in touch with my inner Princess. Actually, I'm not sure that I have an inner princess! I think a dragon may have eaten her a long time ago.
(Oh, and the blog look will change soon... why? Because it's TOO GIRLIE for me!!)

Randomly Random

• My Mom sent this email to me the other day... and since I have a slight fondness for M&M's ... I thought I'd share (the email, not the M&M's...)
  Friday, I went to the doctor for my yearly physical. My blood pressure was high, my cholesterol was high, I'd gained some weight, and I didn't feel so hot. My doctor said eating right doesn't have to be complicated and it would solve my physical problems. He said just fill your plate with bright colors: greens, yellows, reds, etc. I went right home and ate an entire bowl of M&M's and sure enough, I felt better immediately. I never knew eating right could be so easy!
• I took the tiara off the oatmeal container - it came off smooth as silk! No problems whatsoever! Then I put it in a bag and stuck in on a shelf... but I didn't push it back far enough and down it fell. Down, down, down, and landed with a little thud. And yeah. It broke. I'm not going to post pictures. It will make me cry.
• I still don't have pictures of my niece. I got a nice blank email from my Mom last night, but no pics. She had a rather crazy day yesterday, so I guess I can forgive her, this once...
• We got things worked out with the rental agreement. We will be here till next August. Sigh. Not what we had hoped for, but he's not going to raise the rent. So, at least there was one positive thing.
• Red had a new friend over the other day. This kid was so great! He didn't say "dude" the entire time he was here. NOT ONCE!! And Red limited his "dude"-isms to a bare minimum. I think we should have this kid over more often.
• Yesterday was a big cleaning day for us. We got so many things done! Now if I can just maintain it... sigh.... I even got the computer desk cleaned off! Major accomplishment for me!

I think that's about it for this Sunday Morning. I talked to my parents and it sounds like things are going really well with my Sister and the baby. I am thinking about taking a trip up there to see her. I'd have all three kids, no Hubby, for about 13-15 hours - depending on the number of potty breaks. And I'd need to do all the driving in one day. On a scale of 1 to 10, how crazy is that?

SHE'S HERE!
My mom called just a little while ago to tell me that we have a new baby in the family! I am so excited and yet... I am so heartbroken. Stupid I know, but I don't get to be there. We are 15 hours away and I'm missing this awesome moment with my Little Sister. I missed the last one too, but I had a 3 month old and the roads were horrible... I just want to hug my Sister and cuddle that new baby! Gosh darn it all to heck! Pardon my French. Sigh... okay, details, as far as I know... baby and mom are great. Baby is eating already so that is good! 6 pounds 4 ounces 19 inches long. That sounds so tiny. I just bought a package of hamburger that weighs more than my new niece! :D All of my babies were over 8 pounds!! Seems so tiny to me. So, in honor of this little sweetheart, I'm changing my blog look (not that I need an excuse, but this is a good one, don't ya think?) So, we are thinking in celebration colors for our new baby girl! Pink, green, orange, red... I'll post some pics if I get some :)

The Aunt
When I got married, I became an aunt to 13 great kids. All of them on my Hubby's side of the family. I am the oldest in my family. I was the first to get married. He is the youngest and all of his brothers and sisters were married and had kids by the time we tied the knot. But I never really felt like an aunt. My youngest brother was the same age as my oldest nephews. So really, it felt like I had 13 more siblings to tease and play with. I didn't feel like a REAL aunt till my sister had a baby a few months after I had Baby Girl. Of course, there are now 18 nieces and nephews on Hubby's side. But just one niece on my side. But, today that will hopefully change! My sister is headed to the hospital to (fingers crossed) have her baby! They've said it is a girl, but we'll wait for the official verdict. Last time there were some complications and it got a tad scary. Hopefully it will be smooth sailing this time. I'm gonna be an aunt again :)

I Love Blogging

Thank you! You guys are so awesome! This is why I love blogging... I can come, write about a crappy situation and you all pat me on the back, give my a cuddly blanket, a good book to read, a box of cupcakes and a bag of M&M's to make me feel better! Okay, so this is all VIRTUAL stuff, but still! Your good words make me FEEL as good as if I had those things! So, thanks!

NOW! Wanna see what I did last night? It was so fun! Well, I enjoyed it. I made a royal icing tiara. How weird am I?? (Don't answer that... it was a rhetorical question) I saw one on Slyn's site awhile back (by the way, if you get a chance, you should totally dig through her posts... she has made some amazing cakes... this one and this one are my FAVORITES). The instructions were on Cake Central. I started by drawing a ton of different patterns. They were all pretty cruddy. So I got a pattern from the Cake Central website. Printed it off and then taped it around our oatmeal container. Then taped parchment paper over that.

Then, you just follow the pattern with the royal icing.

I did 3 layers and this is how it looked when I was done.

I am not a professional by any means. I'm hoping to hide some of the imperfections with edible glitter :) Now it has to dry for 2 days. Then I can hide the trouble spots...er, I mean, add a little color to it. Are you wondering why in the world I'm making a royal icing tiara? Baby Girl's birthday is in October. When I was reading about these it said that it takes a lot of practice to get them off without breaking them and that the first FEW will most likely break... so, this is a practice tiara. Hopefully, by then I will be able to make a really nice one to set on her birthday cake.

BLAH!
Have you ever had a really funny post in your head, but then things start to go crazy and all funniness tends to leave? Yeah. That's me today. Sorry. I'm a stressed out mess. Our contract to renew our lease with the house is coming up. Our landlord told us we could set the length for any amount of time since we've already been here for a year. And, he would keep the rent where it is at. We told him we wanted 6 months - thinking we might move into a bigger place around spring break. That would give us a chance to save up a little money for the deposit and moving expenses. (Which we should have been doing all along... I know... :S) He told us "Sorry... can't do that". Um... okay... so, we asked if we could go till the end of the school year. The answer was yes, but he was going to jack up the rent! Whatever happened to letting us set the terms on this thing and keeping the rent the same? So now he's kind of got us over a barrel. We can't really afford to move right now and we can't afford the higher rent. But he will leave the rent alone if we will stay for another year. I'm furious. I really wanted to get out of this neighborhood. Away from the kids who are so awful to Red. Have I ever told you about the time they stuffed him into a suitcase and then drug it up and down the street?? Yeah. So, it looks like we're in it for another year. Doesn't that sound like fun??
Sorry about my little rant. I'll try to think of something a little more entertaining to post about later today...

Things I Learned on the First Day of School
Yesterday went well for both of my kids. I love the first day of school. I love to see my kids learn and grow. This has caused me to reflect on some of the things that I have learned recently.

• Having two bathrooms in the house is a good thing. A very good thing.
• When celebrating the first day of school, you should limit your consumption of Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes. If you consume your body's weight worth of said cupcakes, you will feel sick. Very very sick. For more than one day.
• Chocolate apparently does NOT cause pimples. If it did, I would be a gigantic walking zit today.
• Staying up till 1:00 a.m. to watch a mini series on DVD is not a bad idea. Unless you have to get up and function the next day. Then it is a horrible idea.
• Energy saving light bulbs (you know the kind that flicker and flicker and flicker when they are turning on) are not a good thing when you are trying to recover from a Hostess cupcake, lack of sleep hangover.

Well, that's it. I know it's not earth shattering knowledge, but it has changed my life. Forever.

I Was Trying to Help...
Red is very dramatic. He likes to tell stories and tends to exaggerate ALL THE TIME! Wonder where he gets that from? ANY HOW, he had a pretty fantastic day at school today. His teacher is great and he found a lot of his buddies from last year at recess. But, there was some teasing. I guess he was talking to someone and another kid was listening in on the conversation and said, "Hey, that kid with the orange hair has a WEIRD VOICE". (Remember this is the version from my dramatic 8 year old) I told him that I didn't think he had a weird voice. Of course, I'm the mom and my opinion doesn't really matter. So, I asked him if he thought his voice was weird. He told me no and I said, "Well, then I think your voice must be normal. Maybe those kids were just being weird!" You know... trying to stick up for him... defend him against these unseen villains. Red's response "That doesn't make any sense, Mom." And he walked off. Sigh. At least the rest of his day went well!

The Great Equalizer
Today is the first day of school. Can I tell you how quiet it is? Even with just Red gone? He is my tease. He likes to tickle and torment his younger siblings. It's his job. I know this because I too am an oldest child. It's just how it works.
Anyway, we took Red to school this morning and he was very nervous. He was up at 5:30 because his tummy had butterflies in it. Then he fell back asleep and had a hard time getting going. We got to school and were surrounded by hundreds of kids and their parents. The kids that are going to school are easy to pick out: they are the ones in uniform. Not the strict button shirt, nice slacks or skirt kind of uniform. The dress code is: navy blue, hunter green or white shirts (button up, t-shirt, or polo - but no logo's and no tank tops) and for the pants/skirts/shorts they can wear khaki, navy blue or white. Who puts white pants on a kid? Anyway, there are some people that complain about the uniforms. Me? I love them! As I looked around I couldn't tell if this kid was wearing designer shorts or the ones from WalMart. And for us, it's cheaper. Red has a few clothes that he wears for after school things and play time. But guess how much a plain blue t-shirt is at WalMart? $3.50. They're $4.50 at Target. We got shorts at Kohl's for $6.00. Guess how much the Tony Hawk polo was that Red REALLY wanted? $18.00... on sale. Normally $32.00. And you can't tell the Target polos from the ones bought at Macy's. They're all dark blue polos. Little Bug goes to a different school. No uniforms. Which, is actually a really good thing for him...
I'm curious... what do you think about school uniforms? Do your kids have to wear them? Do you think it's a good idea? Or a bad one?

You've Lost that Lovin Feelin
A few short days ago I was the princess. I was adored by my children. Yesterday, not so much. You see, I usually wear my hair pulled straight back in a pony tail. I have two reasons for this.
1- IT'S HOT! If I didn't pull my hair back off of my neck, I would be a sweaty slimy mess in about 10 seconds flat.
2- I'm lazy. It takes time to actually DO something with my hair. Pony tails are the easiest option.
Yesterday I decided to change things up a little. (BTW - do you know how hard it is to take a picture of the BACK of your head... go ahead... try it!!)

I thought the little curls and swirls were kinda fun. I know you can totally see the bobby pins, but I really didn't care. It was off my neck and not in a pony tail. I thought I had done well. Then I went out to greet my public (I'm a princess, remember?). Baby Girl pointed at my head and said, "What happened to your hair? It's all poofy and pokey! BWAAHAHAHAHAHA! POOFY HAIR! POOFY HAIR!" At this moment Red pipes in to say, "Your hair does look really weird Mom. Why did you do it like that?" Then he starts to laugh. Little Bug likes to laugh when everyone else is having a good time. So, he joins in. But then, off in the distance, I see him! He comes riding up in his mini van and says, "You look beautiful!" Ah, my Prince Charming is always there to save the day!

Another day, another blog look... what do you think of this one?

School. Starts. in. TWO. DAYS!!!
I am so excited I can hardly stand it! My kids are excited too! I have many reasons for my joy, but the big one right now is our neighbor boy. Now, there are quite a few kids in the neighborhood, but a lot of them have divorced parents and are staying with the other parent for the summer. Except the kid that I wish would go away. This kid makes me mad. He comes over, asks Red to play till someone better comes along. Then he tells Red to "Go home now. We're done." and takes off. He even had the nerve to play with the new kid IN OUR YARD after telling Red to get lost! When Red tries to play with them, they ignore him. This kid is also a liar. Don't know how many whoppers he's told me. He has also tried to talk Red into eating mushrooms that were growing in someones yard. Psycho kid told Red that he had eaten them before and that they weren't poisonous. Now, maybe they weren't poisonous, but we live in a neighborhood with a pretty strict HOA. Bug and weed spraying are very common. So, even if they weren't poisonous, there's a good chance they had been sprayed with something that is. So, summer is over. The kids that were gone will be back soon. And Red will be in school. With his friends that like him for who he is, they don't want to kill him through poisoning, don't lie to him and want to play with him no matter who else comes around. YEAH FOR SCHOOL!!

Long Weekend
I think we might be one of the only families in our neighborhood that are still around. Everyone else is at the beach or in the mountains. School starts on Tuesday, so they have to take advantage of this last vacation time. We, on the other hand, are just lying around. Doing nothing. I doubt we will BBQ or anything this weekend. I would like to get some organizing done, but really, I doubt it will happen. At least, not today. Maybe on Monday. Right now, it's time for being lazy. The kids are watching a movie, hubby is reading the 6th Harry Potter book, and I... well, I'm spending way too much time on the computer. It's kinda nice...

Amazed
Today, and probably only for today, my kids think I'm amazing. Of course, it's only 10:00 a.m. so the day could go downhill pretty fast. We had to run some errands this morning. So, we put a c.d. of some of our favorite tunes in and off we went. Red asked to listen to one of the songs again. There are controls on the steering wheel for the c.d. player, so I just switched it with that. From the back I hear a gasp as the song of choice comes back on. "How did you DO THAT??" He is totally flabbergasted. I inform him that my brain works like a remote control and all I have to do is think about a song and it will go to it. Yeah. He believed me. :D
At the store we bought popsicles and since it's 100 degrees outside already, we had to hurry home. Baby Girl was highly annoyed that one of the lights was red for an ETERNITY. "MOM! Just go! My popsicles are melting!" So I told her to ask the light to turn green...
"Light? Will you turn green?" Nothing happens.
"You forgot to say please.", I remind her.
"Please light will you turn green?" Nothing happens.
"Maybe this light needs you to say 'pretty please'."
"PREEEEEEEETY PLEEEEEAAAASE light! Will you turn green?" And as she finishes the word "green" the light changes.
"Mom?"
"Yes Baby?"
"How did you know that was a Pretty Please light?"
"Because I know everything!"
"Oh yeah... and because you're a princess, right?"
Ah... today I am adored by the masses! I'm gonna enjoy it while it lasts....

Sandals and PJ's
Okay... I had written this really long post about how everything was going... and then realized that the details aren't important. So far he has worn new sandals and pj's without having a major meltdown. The pj's were the biggest struggle. But, I have found something that works well for Little Bug when it comes to shoes. I got the sandals on him (with lots of screaming and crying on his part) and then put all the kids in the van. He took them right off, but that was okay. Then we went to the Children's Museum and I told him he couldn't play if he didn't have sandals on. He let me put them back on him without any fuss. So, I guess I need to remember, the reward needs to outweigh the uncomfortableness of the situation. Don't know why it took me so long to figure that out. I know that if I'm going to do the work, the reward had better be worth it. I think we're all a little that way... right? Right??

Overwhelmed
My house is a mess. No, really, it's a disaster. There is stuff everywhere. Laundry piles, paper piles, book piles... lots of piles. Do you ever feel overwhelmed by the sheer amount of work there is to do? I look around and think "Why bother? It'll just be a huge mess again tomorrow". I need to get cleaning and get organized. So, I'm turning to you! What are your best cleaning tips? And how do you get and keep things organized? Any thoughts or ideas will be appreciated!

Also, I'm gonna take a tiny bloggin break. I've got to get Little Bug desensitized to his new shoes and some new school clothes. Sigh... this is gonna take a lot of time. New shoes are not a fun thing in this house. Screaming and crying till he pukes is usually what happens. But his old shoes are so small... sigh... and he has new sandals too. Heaven help me. It's a fairly time consuming process for us. Hopefully it will only take a few days. :S Anyway, I'll see ya on the flip side!

The Princess Dress

This is how the sewing process works for me:

1. Get a pattern that has the word "easy" or "simple" somewhere on it. (Yes, I know that this pattern is for pj's... but it will work as a princess dress... I couldn't find an "easy" pattern for a REAL princess dress...). Measure Baby Girl to see which size will work best.


2. Let Baby Girl pick out fabric and trim that doesn't clash too badly


3. Start sewing till I get frustrated and think "Who decided this pattern was easy??" (I had to unpick the ties on the side because I had sewn them in with the right side facing down... which is really my fault because the pattern doesn't even call for ties.... grrr)


4. Put everything away before I want to throw the whole thing in the trash. I still have to put the sleeves in and hem the darn thing.

I'll try to get better pictures tomorrow.

Something that I forgot to remind myself of while we were buying fabric - don't pick stuff that fray's easily. It's hard to sew with (for me) and makes a mess. As I'm looking at my tiny girl, I'm noticing that this dress is gonna be big. Even though I checked and double checked the size, it's gonna be really really big (which is why I put the ties in). She will be able to wear it for at least two years. I did have one bright spot in this sewing mania... Baby Girl came in after I had gotten some of the trim on the front and informed me that it was "OH! SO! BEAUTIFUL!!" She knows how to get what she wants. A compliment here, a little flattery there...

It's Funny Because It's True
It was really quiet on my computer... you might want to turn the volume up a tad...

No Meat Please
Last night Red made an announcement. I was a little thrown off by this proclamation. He's never had any inclination to live his life this way before. And he's only 8. It seems like an odd decision to make at such a young age. But, he has decided to become a vegetarian. Why? Because he has a tender heart and "doesn't want to eat animals any more". I realize that this is not a bad thing, I'm just a little shocked. This boy loves his hamburgers and hot dogs (of course, we're not sure if these really fall into a category of "meat"). He loves lasagna and spaghetti (both dishes are served with meat in this house). He thoroughly enjoys my chicken enchiladas. We are carnivores. We eat meat. Not tons of it, but we do enjoy it on a fairly regular basis. What I'm getting at is: how do I feed this child? He is not an overly picky eater, when it comes to meat. But there are a lot of veggies he won't eat. He does like some fruit, but the season for varied fruit is coming to a close and he's not a huge apple eater - the fruit of winter. I'm hoping that this is a phase. I don't want to cook two meals every night.... okay, so this whole post is now irrelevant. He has just come in and announced that he will eat meat. Just not deer. No problem. I can't remember the last time I had venison. I wonder, does he get this fickle nature from me? Or from my Hubby? Hmmm... it's a toss up!

Template Tampering
I'm loving messing around with the template on here. I've figured out how to make my own banners and change the background. I know there are a lot of people that don't like to mess with the template, but I'm having a ball! I still have a lot to learn... but it's fun. So, when I change things around, tell me what you think! I love to hear it... even if it's bad. I want to know. For example - I don't like my template right now. But, I think I'll leave it up till school starts... unless I can find something that I like better for "Back to School". Till then, it's this one. I really like the next header I have planned... so, do you mess around with your template? Or have you got it exactly the way you like it? Why mess with perfection? ;)

Two Months Early

I always like to get a jump start on Halloween costumes. My kids usually pick fairly easy things, but sometimes they are a little more complex. I hate spending a lot of money on something that they will wear for one day. So, we try to improvise as much as possible. Red wants to be Ron Weasley from the Harry Potter series. I'm game for that! We have Hubby's graduation robes which I'm going to hem up and then we will use an iron on patch for the Gryffindor coat of arms. He has a white shirt already. And of course, he has a wand. All we need is a tie. So, I started checking online... they are a tad on the expensive side... around $20. Please remember, I'm a total cheapskate. Anyway, today I headed to the second hand store and I got this:

It had the red color that I was looking for. I had seen online where a gal had painted a tie to make it look like the Gryffindor ties. So, I decided to give it a try. It was only $1.99... what could it hurt, right? I know it's not EXACT, but, it looks okay, don't you think? I'm pretty pleased... Halloween costume #1 is almost complete. Not sure how I'm gonna get Baby Girl's done... she wants to be a princess... I can make the dress, but the fabric will not be cheap. Anyone have some great idea?? I'm open for any suggestions.

True Love
Today was a long day. Red and his friend went to sleep around 11 last night. I'm not sure what time they woke up. I thought it was 4:30, but come to find out, hubby went out at 4 where they were playing "Rock dude, paper dude, scissor dude". I shushed them from the comforts of my bed at one point. But then came the "DUDE!!" that was WAY TOO LOUD. Got up, told them if they didn't knock it off I was gonna... do something bad. Cut me some slack, I could barely stand up! Anyway, they giggled and played around for awhile more, then, about the time Baby Girl got up they drifted back to sleep. When they got up they played more Nintendo till I couldn't take it for another minute. So, I called to them, trying to keep the strain of my mental breakdown out of my voice "Red, time for little friend to go home." Then I walked off to do laundry and such. They ignored me. COMPLETELY. So, I tried again "Red, time for DUDE to go home right now. Help him gather his things." Again... ignored. "PLEASE GET YOUR THINGS. IT'S TIME TO GO NOW!!!" I know as I walked away this kid was probably saying "Dude, your mom is WHACK!" Sigh... the rest of the day was pretty cruddy - as it usually is when everyone in the house had O.D.'ed on "dudes" and not had enough sleep. So, it's 7:30, all my kids are in bed and I think one of them is asleep (Baby Girl). And Hubby? He's at Wal Mart. Buying me Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes and Little Debbie Star Crunch Cosmic Snacks. I didn't even have to beg. He just loves me that much!

Just for Laughs
Maybe you've already seen this, but it made me laugh : The Best Blonde Joke Ever

Online Contest
Would you like to win $50 to a great little online store called "Olive Kids"? They have some really great stuff! You can learn more over at An Island Review. Good luck y'all!!
p.s. Don't forget to read my post from last night... those little stinkers were up at4 freakin 30 this morning. Grrr....

DUDE!
We decided to let Red have a friend spend the night. They are sitting in my living room playing a Nintendo game and the conversation is going something like this...
"Dude, how do you kick that guy?"
"Push A and pull the trigger, dude."
"Oh, thanks dude"
"Dude - you've gotta cover me"
"But dude, this guy is kickin my butt"
"Dude I'm gonna die!"
"Dude, if you push A and B and pull the trigger you'll do the super mega killer kick."
"Seriously dude?"
"Dude - yeah. Try it!"
"Ooooh dude! That is SO. COOOOOOL!"
"Dude, I know."
"Dude, I'm gonna fall off!"
"No way dude!"
"Dude I can't hold on!"
"Oh dude... end of game. You wanna do it again dude?"
My brain feels like it's shriveling up into a tiny version of its former self. Help!
***UPDATE***
They are now brushing their teeth...
"Dude, my teeth are like gross"
"Dude, let me see... oh dude! They are gross!"
"What kind of toothpaste is that dude?"
"Dude - it's the best!"
"Dude, I heard that that kind of toothpaste will kill you."
"Dude... NO WAY!"
"Totally dude."
"Dude, are you sure?"
"Dude - there is no way I'm using that stuff."
"Okay dude. But dude, then your teeth will still be like really gross."
"It's okay dude. When I go home, then I can use stuff that won't kill me. You know dude?"
"Whatever dude...."
Yeah... that's what I'm saying... whatever dude....

The Reminder
Some of you had almost convinced me that I should miss my kids when they go back to school. I was starting to get a little reminiscent about a few things. Perhaps even a little teary eyed... then I went shopping. With all three. By myself. Now, this may be a small accomplishment for some. But, for my little brood, getting out of the store without any major catastrophes is HUGE. Today was a series of unfortunate events. I'm not sure how many times I lost Little Bug today. In all honesty, he never goes too far... but the fact that he takes off at a dead run and won't stop till he's good and done, scares the crap outta me. Those few seconds are torture. And to repeat that over and over is maddening. He also likes to stand in front of the cart and try to push it the other way. While we were in Costco, I got tired of pushing against him. I picked him up and put him in the basket. He screamed. Not quiet crying or fussing. High pitched wailing. Literally hurts your ears. I smiled as people stared.

At Kohl's they have a display of stuffed dinosaurs by the checkout counters. All three kids were "looking" while I paid for our stuff. I looked away for 2 seconds... I swear it was only 2 and they had every last dinosaur off the shelves. They were using them as missiles. Lobbing them at each other and Red was yelling things like "I GOT YOU!! YOU ARE DEAD!".

And then there were a few events that weren't the kids fault, but if I hadn't been pulling them off of things and getting after them, I may have been able to prevent them. For example: the IDIOT at Costco put my Bounce extra scented dryer sheets next to my bread. Did you know that bread will ABSORB the smell of dryer sheets? Also, he shoved the bread into a box that was a little too small... so it's smashed. If Baby Girl hadn't been bawling her eyes out I might have noticed this. She was still crying when we got to the car (why was she crying? NO IDEA) and so I sat the eggs on top of the cereal box. I meant to move it to a more secure location before we left, but I was trying to calm Baby Girl down and get the boys to get in their seats. I was done. I closed the van without moving the eggs. And so, on the first turn out of the parking lot I hear a sickening crack as the carton slid off the cereal box and several of the eggs broke.

Summer is over. School needs to START. RIGHT. NOW!!

Bloggy Reading
How do you decide what blogs to read? Are there certain blogs you read every day? Do you read a blog because it inspires you? Makes you laugh? Informs you on a particular subject? Are there any blogs that you lurk on? Ones that you're not quite comfortable with leaving a comment? Or is that just me?? Enquiring minds want to know...

Which Group are You?
So, it's back to school time and I'm noticing a pretty big difference in the attitudes of the parents across the board. Group one is feelin sad that summer isn't longer. They had a great time with the kids and wish that it could go on and on. Group two is done. School needs to start - NOW. They had a great time this summer too, but summer has gone on long enough!
I find myself in group two most of the time. It's too hot to go out and play. So, we do things inside. A lot. Which means that there is a lot of good playing, that morphs into teasing, that quickly melts into fighting. And I'm left staring at my 3 crying children running to me to tattle on each other as fast as they can(okay... so Little Bug doesn't tattle, but he does join in and have a good cry with the others). We've done some great things this summer. Several trips to the beach. Sea World. The Animal Park. And lots of swimming in the back yard. But I'm done. It's time for school to start. At times I want my kids to stay little forever. Sometimes, I miss having a tiny baby around. But, for the most part though, I like where we are at right now. I'm really enjoying watching them change and grow as they get older. And I like seeing all the amazing things they learn at school. They don't learn quite as much here. It's hard to learn anything at home when you spend most of your time tattling.
So - which group are you in? Do you wish that the summer was a little bit longer? Or are you ready for school to get going?

OH YEAH!
2 posts in one day... yeah... sorry about that. But, I'm just SO. EXCITED! Little Bug got up this morning and said "hungry" and then signed it!! Then a little later he said "I love you" after I had helped him get something. My heart is melting! I feel like I could burst! HAPPY! HAPPY! JOY! JOY!!!

Crazy
I think I may have lost my mind. Red wants to learn the piano. He's asked about it a lot in the last little while. Technically, I can teach him. But, in the past when I've tried to teach him different things, it has not worked out well. We did a preschool group and all the mom's just loved Red. "He listens so well! He does the activities and participates!". As soon as I was the teacher all that goodness went out the window. He sat in time out a lot when preschool was at our house. He didn't want to participate. He was destructive and cried. A lot. He's a lot older now and so he doesn't cry so much, but we still don't always mesh well when I'm trying to teach him. But, we can't pay for piano lessons right now. So, if he's going to learn, it's gonna have to be me. Any thoughts or ideas on how I can make this as painless as possible? I know some of you home school (Hi Elastic :D) and perhaps some of you have taught your kids piano... any tricks you can share would be fantastic! I'm just not sure how to take on the roll of teacher and have him look at me that way? Does that make sense?? The last time I tried to teach him something he got really upset. He wanted to figure it out on his own. We were both frustrated and angry by the end. I want to avoid this. Maybe I'm just weird... well, I am weird. But any thoughts you have on this would be great!

Have You Ever....
...gone to the computer with a specific goal in mind, but the moment you sat down it left you?
...put movies on for your kids in the morning so that you could get just a few more minutes of sleep?
... eaten cinnamon rolls for breakfast, lunch and dinner?
... wanted to go to Idaho? I mean really, really wanted to go there?? Yeah, I didn't think so. I do. Missin my family right now...
... had a zit INSIDE your nose?? IT HURTS!
... made up a random list on your blog so that you don't have to do laundry? Mountains of laundry are calling to me.... oddly it sounds like something from "The Sound of Music".

Off I go...

Beach Bums
We got to go to Crystal Cove yesterday. It was so much fun! I got to meet Eve and Red (who is a commenter, but does not have her own blog) - not to be confused with my son, Red, whom I have already met. We had a fantastic lunch at the Beachcomber Cafe. These girls were so much fun! Fabulous conversation, amazing view, and delicious food. I couldn't have asked for more. Of course, being the total lame brain that I am... I didn't take pictures. I had my camera, but just didn't do it.
I was so thankful that Hubby and the kids came along. I got us lost - 3 times. I don't know what I would have done if I had been alone. I'm not very comfortable driving down here. I'm always sure that I'm going to make a wrong turn and end up in the middle of some gang war. Because I'm paranoid. And because I watch too much T.V. ... Anyway, Hubby kept the kids just a ways down the beach while I had lunch. Then, when I got back, Red (my son, not the new gal I just met) and Hubby went out body boarding. All in all the day was a success! It was so fun to put a face with a name and I hope to meet more bloggin buddies some day! So, if you're headed to Southern California, let me know!

The theme for this week is "two". These pictures were taken almost exactly one year ago. This is Baby Girl and her only cousin on my side of the family (but not for long... my sister is due with a baby in a few weeks!!!) They are the funniest "two" little girls!

An idea...

So, I messed around with a few hairstyles today online. I don't want to pay $15 to access all of the hairstyles... but I liked this one. Just a little shorter... some high lights and low lights. What do you think?? The makeup is a little weird. And I'm not sure why I am smirking at the camera. After all, I was the camera person.

You know... as I gaze at that photo I'm thinking "I look like Blossom!" Remember her?
My eyes are a little big... and I need a hat with a HUGE sunflower on it, but the face shape and nose are very similar...or am I just tired? Gosh... I could have been a t.v. star from the early 90's!

4 Reasons I'm Happy Today

1. The kids are playing and happyHubby made it home safe from his trip.
2. I have a new favorite T.V. show called "Just for Laughs" It's on every Tuesday on ABC and oh...oh does it make me laugh! Just thinking about this week's episodes puts me into fits of giggles...
3. My fingers are sticky

Who could ask for anything more?

The Beautiful People
So, I'm lovin the new hair color (yes Carrot... I do love it), but I was wondering how those stars do it. What creams do they use on their faces? Is there some magical hair care product that I should have? What is the latest miracle weight loss program for the super skinny? Then, I stumbled upon this lovely site. When you get to the site click on "portfolio" at the top. It will take a minute for the pictures to load (at least it did for me) and then click on the thumbnails. It will bring up beautiful pictures of beautiful people... but if you run your cursor over those pictures... WAHLAH! There are the beautiful people not looking so beautiful (except Halle Berry ...she still looked good. Dang it!). It's the photos untouched. Everyone has freckles and black circles under their eyes. Wrinkles, redness, and age spots. Tummies that poke out and b**bs that sag. Some of them have zits. They just might be normal people after all! Who knew? My hair color suddenly seems to have made me feel a whole lot better!

Colorful
I was cruising around the blogdom today and was looking at pictures of some fabulous bloggers. I noticed that they all have fabulous hair. Coincidence? I think not. I think their amazing personalities are linked directly to their hair. So, I decided I needed to make my hair fabulous in order to have the corresponding personality. One that sparkles. One that shines. One that never shows roots or needs a trim (unlike my hair). Unfortunately, I don't have the cash to get my hair professionally colored. So, I got the box... I picked this one because:

1. I liked the color and
2. the model on the box looks like a fun gal (thus perpetuating the fabulous hair, fabulous person theory).

I also liked it because it said it would not cause "brassiness" which is something I can't stand in hair or personality.

So, I started with my natural mousy brown hair... please forgive the towel wrapped around me held with a clothes pin. I know that the truly fabulous have special capes to wear whilst coloring their hair. Also, the truly fabulous wouldn't have been wearing their hair in a pony tail all day and so their hair wouldn't be all crazy. Oh, and their bathrooms would be clean... see why I REALLY needed to color my hair?

I ended up with this

It actually almost looks like the color on the box. Unfortunately, I don't feel fabulous. They need to put a disclaimer on these boxes:
To the unsuspecting Housewife: Greetings. We know that you feel frumpy and dumpy otherwise you would not be buying our product. We need to warn you - coloring your hair will not make you look like our fantastic model on the box. She is 5'11" and 102 lbs. You are not. When all is said and done, you will be the same height and weight. Also, we have professional makeup and hair people. And fantastic computer people who can do wonders with Photo Shop. If you remember these minor things, you will not be disappointed. Thanks so much!
Oh well. Maybe I'll get it cut, put in a few highlights and eat something covered in chocolate. It won't change my personality, but at least I'll feel better :)

Run Forrest, Run!
I was playing my favorite online game, Poppit, at Pogo games and I started reading the conversation going on in the sidebar chat. It made me laugh! These people are crazy. Totally crazy. There was one gal (I'm assuming it was a gal...) on there diagnosing another gal with bi-polar. Because she bought her PHD in psychiatry from eBay. Then they started talking about kids and the "psychiatrist" said something to the effect of "Kids come in all kinds of packages. You never know what you're gonna get". Deep, don't you think? For some reason it made me think of chocolate... and how life is like a box of those chocolates....I wanted to butt into the conversation and say "Hey Forrest, that's a great insight! So, do you like the kids that are a little nutty? Or do you prefer the ones that are more fruity? Or maybe the flaky ones are better?" Do you think I could pretend to be a doctor and use movie lines to give out advice? Let's try it out here... I don't have my eBay degree yet, but I've used the "buy it now" option, so it should be here soon. Here is your advice for the day courtesy of The Fellowship of the Rings: "Never trust and Elf!" There you have it. Take it and enrich your lives.

Does Shamu Rock?
Why yes - yes he does! We got to go to the night show at Sea World over the weekend where they played loud music and had whales jump and spin and do cool stuff. Everyone liked it, except Little Bug. He enjoyed the jumping and spinning, but the loud was not enjoyed. Notice the look of complete agony while the others giggle and play. He refused to join in the fun. Yeah. It was a little much for him. I wish I had more pictures of the actual show, but they just didn't turn out well...

Hubby's birthday ended well yesterday - except for the fact that I cooked the steaks too long...grr... oh well. Baby Girl had a hard time saying the name of one of the gifts... it's a boogie board or a body board. She calls it a "biggie board" or "boggy board" or "skate board". Yeah. No idea where the last one came from. She is physically incapable of saying "boogie". Which delights my dear sweet Hubby who keeps asking her "What did I get for my birthday??" just so he can hear her many renditions of the word.

Would you like to see what I got Hubby for his birthday?

I saw this pillowcase at Target and just couldn't resist! It doesn't match anything we have, but who cares? It makes me laugh!

Happy Birthday
Today my fabulous sweetie is old. Yep. Old. He's gonna love that I'm bloggin about this. I can say that he's old, because he's older than I am. Always has been. Always will be. Yesterday, to celebrate, we went to the Wild Animal Park in the morning and SeaWorld in the evening for their new night time shows. (We have passes to both of these places... ) We had lunch at Johnny Carinos - a favorite of the whole family. We had a fantastic time. Today Hubby got to sleep in and then had breakfast in bed. Sort of. I think he had 2 bites before he came out to be with us. He and I are so different. I can't think of anything better than sitting down to a meal where I don't have to run and get people things. I can sit and eat while everything is hot. He wanted to be with us. Crazy guy. We opened gifts and now he's gonna spend some time reading Harry Potter. He vowed to never read the books, but he's now on book four :) We'll head to church in awhile and then we'll come home for a fillet mignon dinner followed by Cheesecake Factory cheesecake with homemade blueberry topping (have I ever mentioned how much I love Costco?? Where else can you get Cheesecake Factory products and fillet mignon?? Well, besides actually going to the Cheesecake Factory...) Overall, he seems to be having a good day. I can't tell you how thankful I am for this man. I was thinking about all the girls in college that thought he was so sweet and nice and wished he would ask them out. There were a lot. He picked me. I don't know why. Heaven knows I don't deserve him. But I got him. And I'm grateful. Now, I'm off to do the dishes (usually his job) and keep the kids away from him for a few minutes so he can relax. Happy Birthday sweetie!!

The theme for this week is "row". A few months ago Red had to do a school report on where food came from. They had to pick one food and follow it's path to the stores. He choose strawberries - a wise choice for this part of the country. We drove out and took some photos for his report. Is there anything lovelier than rows and rows of strawberries?

Aimless Wanderings of My Mind
So, what do you think of the new look? I've decided to make a new template each month. Why, you ask? Because I can. Is anyone having trouble loading this at all? Let me know....

The other day Baby Girl announced that she is a "dancing ba-loo-lah". I'm not sure if I like the sounds of that. She then informed Red that he is a "dancing ba-loo-lah". And what did Red do? He tattled of course. He came running to me with his whiniest voice "Maaa-um! (I spell it like that because that's how "mom" sounds when you're really whiny.) She called me a 'dancing ba loo lah'. That's not fair or nice!" I asked if he was tattling and got "But MAAAA-UM!! I am NOT a dancing ba loo lah!" So, of course I said, "Then why do you care if she calls you that? Go work it out with your sister." He runs off and echoing down the hall are the words "Mom says not to call me that any more!" SIGH. Is summer over yet?

Sunday is Hubby's Birthday. We were going to go to the beach tomorrow as a kind of early celebration until we read about the jellyfish. I guess there is a rare black jellyfish that has entered Southern California waters and they are estimating that 200 people are being stung each day. Now, as fun as that sounds, I think we'll move the birthday celebration somewhere else.

Another reminder for any Southern Californians... we're gonna meet on the 18th (next Saturday) in Huntington Beach for a little lunch. E-mail me if you'd like to come and we'll get details worked out!

American Idol
Did any of you see this? I'm all for following your dream, but, um... HELLO!! The girl was in line to audition for Idol and she went into labor. Did she go home? No. Did she call her doctor or an ambulance? Nope. SHE STAYED!! By the time she got into the audition room she was having back to back contractions and she still sang... and she got through to the next round! Then she went and had her baby. Does anyone else find this odd? Or is it just me...

Blogger BLAH's
Is anyone else having trouble with Blogger? It won't let me leave comments on some of your sites. It won't let me mess with the template. It won't let me read my own comments... I'm a tad frustrated and about ready to jump ship!! Maybe it's time to get my own site... cause right now, I'VE HAD IT! :S

Blog Design
I'm gonna be messin around with the look of the blog again :) Any comments, thoughts, critiques would be helpful. I really like this one and will probably keep it up for a few days... what do you think?

Netflix Frenzy
We are enjoying our new membership to Netflix very much! It stays so hot here in the evenings that it's hard to go outside to do anything. So, we stay in and watch movies. We saw the "Astronaut Farmer" last weekend... which wasn't really my favorite. This week we had "Remains of the Day" and "Miss Potter". I enjoyed both of them, but, especially "Miss Potter". It was such a sweet story! Have any of you seen it? I highly recommend it. Hubby watched it with me the first time and liked it. But not enough to sit through it again :) I had to watch it one more time before I sent it back. I'm still trying to build up my list of movies that I'd like to see and that the kids might like. It's almost harder to find something for hubby and myself. We like our movies on the clean side and Hollywood just doesn't seem to think that's too important. Do you have any suggestions?? It doesn't have to be a new movie - just something that you've enjoyed. Can't wait to hear your ideas!

Grrr...
Up at 4 a.m. Smiling. Happy. Ready to be awake. Fights sleep. Slowly, quietly, eventually drifts back off. Who knew this face could cause so much sleep deprivation?

And now? Now that it's time to be up and awake and happy? She's awake alright. But she's tired. Cross. Cranky. Just like her mom. This is day #3 of the 4 a.m. wake up call. Hubby got up with her last night. I love that man. Now, we are all tired. Luckily, Little Bug wasn't up this time. Yesterday he was up too and once he's up, he's up. There is no going back to sleep for him. Till about halfway through the day...
This isn't a picture from today... but another day after he had been up way too early. Yeah, he stole the pillow and blanket from Baby Girl. Do you know how much I wish that was me? I'd even sleep on the floor if they'd just let me rest...

Would You Like to...
Come to lunch? No, seriously - would you like to come to a bloggy lunch gathering? August 18th we're going to try and get a few bloggin friends together for a lunch in Huntington Beach, CA (had to specify the state... just in case there is a Huntington Beach in Florida or something). If you think you'd like to come, email me and I'll get you the info. It's gonna be casual. Why is it going to be casual? Umm... because I said so. Besides, my prom dress just doesn't fit after having three kids. ANYWAY.... The restaurants that have been suggested by Eve (who will be here visiting) are Duke's, Corner Bakery and Wahoo's. Any votes as to which one? I hope some of you will be able to come... also, if you know of other places to eat - let me know and we'll see which will be the easiest for everyone! Hope to hear from you soon!

I'm back! I almost went a week... almost. I admit it. I'm weak and easily tempted. This week's photo hunters theme is "funky". I'm gonna do two different things here. First of all - a picture and then a couple of YouTube videos. No, they aren't my own videos. They are shots of a new kids show that will be out this fall called Yo Gabba Gabba! My cousin is the producer. My kids love it and it definitely fits the theme of "funky". So, first, we have my photo:

When I think of funky - I think of off-beat in a very cool kind of way. With that definition in mind - this little family isn't funky. Crazy? Yes. Odd? Yes. Slightly twisted? Yes. Funky? We're just not. This is about all I got. The cake that looks like an eyeball. Sorry... now, onto the cool, hip, fun, REAL funky stuff!

Yo Gabba Gabba is a kids program with a beat. It's modern and really unique and my kids want to watch it over and over and over... so here are a few videos for your viewing pleasure....

And this...

Last one...

The pilot copy we got has the Commander from the Aquabats. Do you get funkier than that? My kids love it... too bad we don't have cable :S