it is what it is

happy halloween!

2009-10-07T20:09:00.002-04:00

dear sir

2009-02-26T13:25:00.003-05:00

no, not you. you. the grumpy middle-aged man working at the car wash on 15 north...the one by dairy queen...the one that rhymes with poopermatic. well, this morning, my two year old and i ventured out to clean my van. i usually patronize your car wash because it is a wide open parking lot and there is plenty of traffic in, out, and around (i'm a safety girl). anyway, i know that i filled up your trash can (it had been a reeeaaaly long time since i'd cleaned out my van)...and i know that we spent quite a long time at the vacuum (i used it for two full cycles), but i do not know is what i could possibly have done to warrant you glaring at me and screaming profanities.

when we arrived, there were a few other cars there...one was using another vacuum and one or two were using the car wash bays.
after i was finished vacuuming my van, i got back inside to re-organize and noticed that you were walking around the parking lot picking up trash from the ground. as you approached my van, i could hear you grumbling and saying something, but i couldn't hear what you were saying. after a few more minutes, we were ready to leave and as i was pulling away, i could hear you yelling...i could feel your eyes on me...i carefully looked back and saw that you were glaring at me and yelling at me...i rolled the window down a little and i could hear you screaming profanities at me. i don't know exactly everything you were saying, but it was evident that you were angry about something.

if you were angry because i filled the trash can, i apologize, but what is it there for? i paid to use your vacuum. twice. and it isn't like i brought trash from home...i merely cleaned out my van. possibly i misunderstand what a car wash, vacuums, and trash cans are for. for that i also apologize.

if you are angry because i didn't use your wash bays, i will again have to apologize. however, i make it a habit not to take our two year old through car washes, as he is terribly afraid of them and screams bloody murder the entire time. i usually reserve the actual washing for our older two...they think it is a fun treat.

your behavior was aggressive and a little scary. i'm glad it was during the day so i could see you.

anywho, in conclusion, i super double top secret probation apologize for driving across town to use your trash cans and pay to use your vacuums at your CARWASH to clean out my van. it will never happen again. i promise.

in case you haven't noticed

2009-01-19T15:26:00.002-05:00

i've been on hiatus. life has been hectic here and although i've still been lurking and sometimes commenting at my favorite spots, i haven't been doing much with this place. sometime in the relatively near future i'll get back to posting...until then check out some of my favorite places over there on the right.

i won!

2008-12-20T21:40:00.004-05:00

i won! i won! i won! i won! i never win. but i won! kristen over at we are THAT family
had a random drawing for an i caught santa picture. go check it out. it's cute. and believable.

thanks kristen!

merry christmas!

me

simplify

2008-12-05T12:52:00.005-05:00

as i go through my life day to day, i have been mentally taking notes about how i want to change...how i want to get back to what is really important in life. my friend debbie over at Three Weddings recently wrote a very interesting post that really hit home. she makes a good point about cell phone use in our lives today. i'd like to give you an opportunity to read it...maybe it will spark something in your mind that will put you on the path to simplification.

thanks deb! you're so smart.

what's on my tree wednesday 12/03/08

2008-12-03T05:00:00.004-05:00

welcome to what's on my tree wednesday. you can click on the button to learn more about WOMTW or visit katie's blog and check out her family.

for this week's selection, i have again chosen a group of ornaments. when we were kids, we would go to my maternal grandpa's house on Christmas in the evening. my grandma made us ornaments every year. they're tattered and torn and some of them are completely pathetic, but they serve as great reminders of our childhood Christmas traditions.

what's on your tree?

what's on my tree wednesday 11/26/08

2008-11-26T05:00:00.004-05:00

welcome to what's on my tree wednesday. you can click on the button to learn more about WOMTW or visit katie's blog and check out her family.

and now introducing my ornament of the week. well, actually, it's ornaments of the week. each year we take a day and make ornaments with pictures of the kids in them to give to grandmas and grandpas. it's a nice little gift and an awesome way to see the changes in our kids every year.

what's on your tree?

purging

2008-11-20T05:00:00.000-05:00

our little family has begun a journey towards simplification . so the first step was admitting we have a problem ...of being over-scheduled, over-worked, over-indulged, and surrounded by too many things. the next step is action. we've been working on getting rid of the extra...the extra running around...the extra junk...the extra non-necessities in our lives.

so, we have spent the past few weekends purging...from our closets...from the basement...from all of the nooks and crannies where treasures go to hide. we have taken about 6 ginormous loads to various agencies where we live. there's still more to do, but that was a great start. and i feel good about it. we have started cleaning out what the past twenty years have brought in and other people will benefit from our purging. it's a win-win situation.

you may have noticed

2008-11-19T15:42:00.004-05:00

this huge button on my sidebar. it's from a fellow blogger, katie. she's hosting a carnival that starts next wednesday (the day before thanksgiving) and runs through Epiphany. i think it sounds fun. i can't wait to see what other people have on their tree. i'm going to try to do it every wednesday...because it is something i will enjoy doing.

have a good evening.

me

under pressure

2008-11-11T05:00:00.002-05:00

i've been doing a lot of talking with my girlfriends lately and the main theme of our conversations is this: we are overloaded...overwhelmed...overworked...overtired...and spread WAY too thin. as you may (or may not) know, i'm working on simplifying our lives. you can read my epiphany here .

i've decided to start raising funds so we can research this problem extensively. just kidding. but, i would like to talk about it. now, i will admit that some of my angst is self-induced. i have over-scheduled myself and our kids in an effort to keep us busy and allow less time for whining. we had a great summer...probably just the right amount of activities. however, it left me feeling out of breath and struggling to catch up on daily life. captain adventure was in an all boys gymnastics class at the Y at the end of the summer. he LOVED it. it was great for him. for me the only problem was the timing...every wednesday from 4:30-5:15. little mother hen gets out of school at 3:40...we get home by 3:50 and she only has a few minutes to catch her breath, do her homework, and grab a quick snack before we leave at 4:15. i know -- it was only once a week, but sometimes that is enough to throw a kink into the smooth running machine that is our life.

i joke with my friend jill that we are less like stay-at-home-moms and more like live-in-the-car-moms. i'm tired. i'm tired of the constant power struggle with our kids. i'm tired of so much running and so many activities. they're tired too. all they want to do is melt into the couch and stare at the tv (which is an entirely different post). they don't want to be constantly running between here and there any more than i do.

another part of the problem is that i have put WAY TOO MUCH PRESSURE on myself to be the perfect mom...to bake, to craft, to haul, to enjoy, to never yell, to always cook, to always be calm and collected, to do it all and have it all. i have set myself up for failure by setting totally unrealistic expectations. so, i suppose i need to revamp my expectations for myself and the expectations that i have for our family. we need to re-prioritize as part of our simplification plan. that's cool. i can do that.

sunday confessional 11/9/08

2008-11-09T05:00:00.001-05:00

confession: i was a really good mom before i had kids

before i had kids i wasn't sleep deprived. i didn't feel like i was being pulled in a hundred different directions every single minute of every single day. i was patient. i did nice things for other people on a regular basis. i did nice things for myself on a regular basis. i had an entire list of all the things my kids would NEVER do. i had an even bigger list of the mom i would NEVER be.

i grew up as one of the oldest in a large extended family. there were always babies around. i started babysitting when i was 11. the kids i sat for were 9 and 7. (yeah, that sounds safe, doesn't it) also, i am a registered nurse. i mean, what could else could i possibly need to know? then we had our first child and reality hit. real quick like.

i knew absolutely nothing. in fact, i knew less than nothing. if you put my husband and i together and added up everything we knew, we still knew less than nothing. sadly, we found this out after we'd been home for approximately 72 hours with our newborn baby girl. that day has been burned into my brain. she cried. the. whole. entire. day. by mid-afternoon i was crying and i think my husband was only minutes away from cracking up. i remember calling my mom and in between the sobs saying, "what were we thinking? we're complete idiots. we don't know what to do with a baby."

i always thought i'd breastfeed (which i did) exclusively (which i didn't). i was sure that our children would never have pacifiers (which they did). they would also never: pick and eat their own boogers, use a sassy mouth, throw themselves into a heap on the floor of walmart, , stomp like a dinosaur in the middle of a crowded restaurant (they have done all of these). i would never spank (which i have on occasion). i would host arts and crafts hour on a regular basis (occasionally is more like it). i would cook healthy at least semi-homemade meals daily and would involve our kids in cooking (we're working on this one). we would NEVER go out in public wearing our pajamas (oh. yes. we. have.)

i could go on for hours. days, even. but, here's the thing - none of it matters. what matters is that i love our kids. i do my very best to be present. sometimes this is easier said than done. i'm working on this with our simplification plan. and the truth is that maybe i was a really good mom before i had kids. but that mom was a figment of my imagination. she wasn't real. but i am. i'm human. i make mistakes. and i can live with that knowing that every day i am trying to do my very best.

happy birthday

2008-11-07T05:00:00.001-05:00

happy birthday to the love of my life. you are my best friend. you are my partner in life. you are my life. and i'm yours.

i love you,
me

it is what it is

2008-11-04T23:34:00.003-05:00

for example, i won't lie and say that i'm happy about america's choice for the 44th president of our great nation. john mccain gave an eloquent concession speech and although he didn't actually say the words, i can read between the lines...he agrees with me -- it is what it is. let's not be partisan. let's not be shrill. instead, let us move forward. let us all keep plugging along to help make our country better.

the truth is that although i did not vote for obama, i do not want to see him fail as our president. because if he fails, we all fail. i hope that he can lead our country in the right direction. i hope that he is able to stand up for what he believes is in the best interest of our country even if it goes against the talking heads of the democratic party. because at the very least, he owes us his very best.

i hope that he can reach the bar he has set for himself during this campaign. he is a spectacularly charismatic speaker. he has the amazing ability to evoke very strong emotions from the people he speaks to. he was able to gain the support of millions and millions of people. it is within the realm of possibility that this man has the potential to become a great leader...to do what he has promised to do...to make our country better...to fight the good fight for the people of this great nation.

to be sure, there will be changes in our country when he takes office. but, they have the potential to be changes for the betterment of our country. and, in the end, that is what truly matters. we all love our country and want it to be great.

if you don't like the end result of the election, get involved in local government. call your representatives and let them know how you feel on the issues that are important to you. if you aren't part of the solution then you are part of the problem.

it is what it is. no more. no less.

sunday confessional 11/2/08

2008-11-02T05:00:00.001-05:00

*this has nothing to do with politics, so check your tude at the door. please.

confession: i am VERY bothered by people who say that sarah palin shouldn't be running for office because she is a mom and her kids need her.

shucks pa, i didn't know we were living in walnut grove. first of all, (and i think this is a pretty obvious question) but what role do you think her husband should have in raising THEIR children? obviously they've been making it work. and before you bring up their pregnant teen, are you telling me that moms who don't work outside the home don't have sexually active teens? because you're full of crap. or delusional. you pick.

and what about that precious baby? who's taking care of their special needs baby? give me a break. i know several parents of special needs children. they aren't any different from parents of typically developing children...they do what they have to do to take care of their children. (duh!) they survey the situation and make a judgment call about what they think is best for their family. (novel idea, huh?)

it is offensive to me that there are people who are trying to substitute THEIR judgment for that of the palins. only the palins can know what is best for their family. i'd be super pissed if you came to my house and tried to substitute your judgment for ours. i'd probably exclude you from our Christmas card list.

get off your high horse. instead of worrying about what the palins are doing and how they are doing it, focus your energy on your own family. you'd better go check on your kids before your teenager winds up a teen parent and everyone is looking at you and talking about how it's all your fault because you weren't "there" enough. go ahead. i'll wait.

hugs and kisses,
me

wordless wednesday

2008-10-29T09:09:00.004-04:00

little mother hen's first halloween

just a quick thought...

2008-10-29T07:08:00.006-04:00

i was watching CBS morning news...trying to get a little local news before the talking heads took over (i was too late)...and a CBS News director of polls (i forget her title...but she's the one who goes over the giant united states map to discuss which states are voting red and which are voting blue on a daily basis).

i digress...anywho, this lady stated that barack obama is outspending mccain almost 3:1 in most of the swing states for advertising. let me spell that out for you.

barack obama is spending other peoples' money almost 3 times faster than john mccain. and he's only running for president now...with money that people have willingly given him. i wonder what he'll do when he's using everybody's money if he becomes president.

he's super good at spending other peoples' money.

i'm just sayin.

i'm inspired

2008-10-27T19:53:00.005-04:00

i don't know about you, but lately i have had an overwhelming urge to simplify...my life, our home, our schedules. there are too many chefs in our kitchen and i need to take control. along with my urge to simplify was my feeling of being completely overwhelmed by such a thought. i mean, where to begin? well i'll tell you where.

Kristen over at we are THAT family is one smart sweet-tea-loving woman. she recently wrote a post that was instrumental in pushing me into action. now, we're not doing anything drastic like shutting off cable *GASP*. but i'm putting a plan together. baby steps people. baby steps.

i know you'll be waiting with bells (or goofy ass shoes) on, so i'll be sure to keep you abreast of anything pertinent.

hugs and kisses to all,

the queen

sunday confessional 10/26/08

2008-10-26T05:00:00.002-04:00

confession: sometimes i want to use utensils to seriously mame people.

ok, so you know how when people are searching for an answer about something or an opinion on a specific topic and they ask you because of what they perceive to be your expertise in a given area...so you give them your very best information in good faith...then they look at you and say, "no, i'm pretty sure you're wrong. i looked it up on the internet and you're waaay off"? well, that makes me want to stab a fork in their eyes.

seriously, what is it with people? i mean, don't waste your breath asking me a question if you're just going to immediately pull out your citation list (that's three pages long) so you can attempt to prove me wrong. what is the point of this exercise? don't ask me a question that you already know the answer to. i have one word for you -- shenanigans.

100 things you may or may not know

2008-10-19T05:00:00.003-04:00

can you believe that this is my 100th post? well, can you? anywho, in honor of my 100th post, i wanted you to know some things. i mean, we've been dating long enough now, there are some things that you should know about me before we take our relationship any further. without further ado...

1. i am freakishly afraid of balloons. well, actually i'm afraid of them popping in my face or in the faces of my kids. i cringe whenever the kids get balloons

2. i love little house on the prairie. i wish it was still on. it is way better than the crap that's on tv now for our kids.

3. i smoked for 3 months of my life. when i turned 18. i never inhaled. not really

4. i have never smoked pot. not even once. not even a little.

5. i had a wine cooler when i was 14. i didn't drink alcohol after than until i was 20

6. i dated a boy named mike in middle school and high school. he was the best man when i married mr. husband. i'm not kidding

7. i love to watch our kids sleep. i wonder what they're dreaming about. they look so peaceful.

8. i am a registered nurse.

9. i retired 2 years ago to stay home with our kids.

10. 3 months later i found out i was pregnant with baby #3.

11. i have never traveled to a foreign country.

12. i have never been outside the continental united states.

13. when i was little i used to sneak drinks of my grandma's tab.

14. i tried tab again a few years ago. it tastes like toilets.

15. i can remember my other grandma coming into my bedroom to tell my sister and i that we had a new baby sister.

16. i refuse to go to a male OBGYN.

17. i know that some people think that's weird.

18. i don't care.

19. i took my uncle for show and tell to my preschool class. he is very tall.

20. i have a very cool husband.

21. i am a dog person.

22. i tolerate some cats.

23. i had two goldfish when i was little.

24. i named them after my parents.

25. i overfed them and they died.

26. our oldest weighed 10 pounds 15 ounces when she was born. she was 11 days overdue.

27. our second child weighed 8 pounds 1 ounce when he was born. he was 2

weeks early.

28. our third child weighed 6 pounds 12 ounces when he was born. he was 4 week early

29. i have breastfed all three of our children.

30. some people in our family think i'm weird for doing that. (and, before you ask, they were all weaned by 12 months of age)

31. i don’t care.

32. i have had 3 c-sections.

33. i hound my husband every day to quit smoking.

34. i am a toilet paper coming over the top of the roll kind of girl.

35. if i could have all of the free time i wanted to do anything i wanted, i'd spend most of it being with my family taking pictures and scrapbooking for our kids.

36. my all-time favorite dessert is my grandma's chocolate pie. she cheats on the crust, but the rest is entirely from scratch. yum!

37. when i was first born, my parents had a poodle named boo boo.

38. i was allergic to her so they gave her to my grandparents.

39. when i was 6, our parents gave us a black lab puppy named smokey for Christmas.

40. soon after that, they sent him to live on a farm because they thought he would get too big.

41. when i was 10, we had a cocker spaniel puppy named sidney.

42. he ate through the back door.

43. a few days later, he moved to a farm.

44. we were really mad at our parents.

45. when i was 12, my dad brought a yellow lab mix puppy home.

46. we named her maggie. she lived with us until we had to put her to sleep 6 years ago.

47. when maggie was still living, we got a chocolate lab puppy.

48. her name is bailey and my kids love her.

49. i was named after my grandma.

50. she was named after her grandma.

49. it took me ten years to perfect my grandma's recipe for oatmeal cookies and make them like she did.

50. we still have the swingset that my sisters and i used as kids. my kids swing on it now. that’s cool.

51. i remember lying bed with my parents the morning the phone rang with a police man on the other end telling my mom that her sister had been killed in a drunk driving accident.

52. i was 6.

53. she was cool. she used to pick me up in her VW beetle and we'd go get ice cream or go play in the park.

54. i have plantars warts.

55. my husband rubs my feet anyway.

56. i drool in my sleep.

57. sometimes i wake up in a pool of drool.

58. even i think it's gross.

59. i do not sleep on my back.

60. i do not sleep on my stomach.

61. i sleep hanging from the ceiling like a bat.

62. just kidding. i sleep on my side.

63. i like chocolate chip cookies.

64. without the chocolate chips.

65. i cannot sleep with the tv on.

66. my husband hates this about me.

67. i am a morning person.

68. my husband hates this about me also.

69. i don't usually eat breakfast.

70. unless i'm going out with my breakfast club.

71. my mom is my mentor and my friend.

72. i would rather have a handful of close friends who would drop whatever they are doing if i need them without hesitation than to have 100 people i know who are always too busy for me.

73. i love burn notice on USA.

74. i run like a girl but throw like a guy.

75. i am allergic to 5 kinds of grass.

76. i didn't know that there were even 5 kinds of grass to be allergic to.

77. i keep lots of things. just in case.

78. i drive the speed limit +5.

79. i used to listen to angry music.

80. i have to have a fan on to sleep.

81. i have known my friend erin since we were 3 years old. she will forever hold a grudge because in preschool i was in the tall club and we wouldn't let her join because she wasn't tall enough.

82. i feel insignificant and unimportant when i'm with my in-laws.

83. my sisters and i created a book of our childhood memories and gave it to our grandmas last Christmas.

84. it was the coolest present we could have ever given them.

85. i keep a stash of 3 musketeers in the freezer that i break into when the kids are getting the best of me. (hey! it's better than a pitcher of margaritas.)

86. i am Catholic.

87. i haven't been to church in a very long time.

88. i'm working on that.

89. Christmas is my favorite holiday by far.

90. i do not like the taste of beer.

91. when i'm pregnant i crave beer. (and, no before you ask, i don't drink when i'm pregnant)

92. i do not have time in my life for inconsiderate people who do nothing but suck my will to live from me.

93. i am a Boston fan by marriage.

94. i am constantly worried that i’m doing it wrong.

95. i secretly want to take ballroom dancing lessons with mr. husband.

96. a year ago i told mr. husband that i’d rather have no presents at all than to have presents just for the sake of having presents.

97. a few months later, he surprised me with a plane ticket to see my friend kim for my birthday.

98. he gets me.

99. i love lima beans.

100. i am thankful for the family and friends who are a part of my life. the ones who actually participate in my life and make their presence known. the ones who care and show their love and kindness. the ones who don’t suck the life out of me. thank you. you know who you are.

i take it back! i take it back!

2008-10-16T23:42:00.003-04:00

i give my friend shawn a hard time on a very regular basis. (to be fair, he deserves it most of the time.) i tease him about how he uses his spare time (usually for buying/selling/trading car parts, or throwing rakes on random houses). anywho, he has something very important to say and i wanted you to read it. so, without further ado...

he makes a good point

the chair

2008-10-14T13:31:00.007-04:00

this is mr. husband. he is "resting his eyes" in his new chair. a chair that we actually have no room for. i'm. not. kidding. if you look closely, you can see the arm of the sectional couch touching the back of the chair. his chair is pointing directly at the tv. (so he can be ready for the boston game tonight. ) anyway, to the right and back towards where i was standing to take the picture, there's another straight couch against a wall. followed by a chair and ottoman. it's like a hotel lobby. in. our. living. room.

so, back to the chair. ah, the chair. mr. husband has been longing for this chair. pining for this chair. for years. and the other day, the doorbell rang and there it was on the front porch...waiting to enter its new home. you see, mr. hubby is a people person...so much so that people (who were customers at his old job who are now customers at his new restaurant) buy him things...like leather recliner chairs that swivel. mr. hubby is amazing at what he does. it's a gift. if you don't believe me, come to the restaurant and see him in action. by the time you leave, you'll think he's pretty awesome too.

the chair was a token of thanks for the many things that mr husband has done for mr man and his family over the past several years. what a thoughtful gift. what a generous gift for my generous husband.

me

i post this because i'm married to mr. husband and if you know him than that is explaination enough

2008-10-04T17:53:00.002-04:00

a terrorist conspiracy? well, maybe not.

2008-10-03T16:28:00.003-04:00

we used to live next door to some real crazies. if you don't believe me and really need a good laugh, read this .

the truth is that they're awesome neighbors and we miss them bunches. they are what neighbors should be like. i'm really glad that we still chat.

have a good weekend.

me

there are no words

2008-09-25T21:22:00.006-04:00

for what you are about to read. i'm not kidding. i cannot believe the ridiculousness of the entire thing...the man, what he was accused of doing, the fact that it was in court.

taxpayer dollars hard at work

(almost) wordless wednesday

2008-09-24T06:26:00.004-04:00

these pictures are from a few weeks ago. sammysosa is very into scavenging and digging and cupboards. he cracks me up.

we've (and when i say we i mean me) gotten into a very bad habit of letting him wander around during breakfast. (i'm tired of listening to him screech about sitting in his highchair. he likes to toddle around and play while he eats his breakfast. whatever.) anyway, he was carrying his yogurt around eating it without a spoon. as you can imagine, he was making a huge mess. i grabbed a spoon and helped him finish eating the yogurt. when he was done, he kept making the sign for more while saying it. i spent the next few minutes explaining and showing him that the container was empty. he gave me one of his looks, walked over to these cupboards, reached all the way to the back, pulled out a piece of toast and started eating it. i could almost hear him saying "naner naner naner". don't fret...the toast was from just before the yogurt...it hadn't been there for days or anything. although, captain adventure did bring me some toast a few afternoons ago, "mahm! here's sammysosa's toast. it was in little mother hen's shoe". so i guess we need to keep track of each morsel from now on. that or i could actually start putting him back in his highchair.

dear hateful lady

2008-09-22T13:55:00.001-04:00

at my cell phone company, (i don't want to name names here, but their initials are v.e.r.i.z.o.n.)

i understand what you're saying when you tell me that my account is password protected for my "safety". and that if i don't have my password, you cannot talk to me about my account for my "safety". however, do you understand what i am saying when i tell you that i don't know my password that you put on my account for my "safety"? or that my husband, the all powerful "account holder" doesn't know it either? if neither of us knows our account password that was put on our account for our "safety", and you won't talk to us about our account without our "safety" password, then i believe that we are at an impasse. i don't know how you expect us to pay our bill or discuss our account if we don't know that password (for our safety). if you have any suggestions, please comment through this blog. you'll have to know the password before i can talk to you about this topic though. it's for your safety.

your completely exhausted and disgusted customer,
me

wanted: a job

2008-09-17T20:32:00.005-04:00

my requirements:

$300 million per year
10 weeks of vacation per year
4 day work weeks
no accountability whatsoever

my qualifications:

i like chocolate
i know how to balance my checkbook
blue is my favorite color
i look both ways before i cross the street

what i can offer you:

promises, promises, promises
zero accountability
taking complete advantage of those who are less fortunate than me so that i can make more money than anyone on the planet. (awesome!)
did i mention that i refuse to be held accountable for any wrong-doings or alleged wrong-doings?

seriously. i am absolutely disgusted with the idiots in our country. the greedy bastards on wall street. the CEOs and CFOs of companies who do nothing but bend rules and make great deals for themselves. and our super-awesome elected officials who stand idly by (while their pockets are being lined) and do nothing to keep the people of america from being taken advantage of. it disgusts me.

WAKE UP PEOPLE!

me

where were you?

2008-09-11T06:17:00.002-04:00

seven years ago today i was in bed sleeping when the phone rang. it was my sister. i could hear the panic in her voice. she told me to put the news on and started telling me the story of how a plane had just flown into one of the twin towers. i can remember watching the news unfold and seeing the building on fire...thinking what a horrible accident it was...praying for the people involved.

our two month old daughter woke up around the same time and i took her to the kitchen with me as i started a pot of coffee. we went to the living room and i turned the news on and sat down to nurse her. as i sat there watching the news wondering how a plane could hit a huge building, across the screen i watched the unimaginable become reality...another plane running into the other tower.

my throat tightened. my eyes welled up with tears. i felt nauseated. as i watched, it became very clear that these events were no accident. as the day progressed we would all learn that these events were part of a master and devious plan set in motion by people who we would never know, who never knew us. that was (and still is) a very difficult idea for me to wrap my head around.

as i sat on the couch sobbing and holding our newborn baby, i thought "my God. what have we done? what kind of a world have we brought our daughter into?" i called my friend molly and we cried together. we were both still on maternity leave with our baby girls and decided that we wanted to spend the day together. our husbands both had to work that day and we didn't want to be alone with our girls.

they only lived an hour away, so she packed a few things and drove to our house. we spent the day together praying, crying, and holding our girls, wondering how anyone could commit this horrific act of hatred.

every time i think about that day...how i felt...what it was like to watch the events unfold on television, i think about the people who were directly affected...the people who died...the people who had loved ones die...the people who watched it happen...and i say a prayer.

where were you?

getting there is half the fun

2008-09-10T14:00:00.000-04:00

i have very fond memories of childhood family vacations. someday i want to be able to take trips with our kids...when mr. husband has a job that doesn't require him to work seven days a week & when we actually have money to spend on taking a vacation. until then, i'll just pine away and day dream about the times we spent getting to our vacation destinations when i was a child.

i can remember planning and packing for days...wanting to have just the right clothes, toys, and snacks in the car with us. usually the day before our trip started, we would make a special trip to the grocery and my sisters and i would each be able to pick out our favorite snack to take with us. i could probably guess right and say that i picked chicken in a biscuit crackers (i loved those!). but i would bet money on the fact that my baby sister chose funyuns. she LOVED those things. picture it -- driving in a van with 5 people. windows up. shoes off. open mouth breathing. baby sister opens a bag of funyuns. the stinch was practically unbearable. after their first appearance, dad declared them contraband for any and all future car trips...along with corn nuts, anything that was cool ranch flavored, and blue suckers*.

my dad has family in florida and when we were younger we visited them a few times. one year my mom's family traveled with us caravan-style. my parents had borrowed a friend's van (which by the way had carpeted walls and a refrigerator) for the trip. my sisters and i, my parents, my grandma, aunt, uncle, and cousin all rode in the van. my mom's sister and her husband followed us. we had CBs. we were so rad. (i know...you're jealous.)

anyway, my dad worked an overnight shift and when he came home in the morning, we left. he drove first. he drove for hours without incident. we stopped for gas, got out and stretched then when we were ready to leave, my mom's brother took over driving. we hadn't gone five miles when our dad started yelling at our uncle. he had fallen asleep. while he was driving. on an interstate. going 80 miles per hour. with our entire family in the van.

i have no memory of my uncle driving on anymore family vacations...until a few years ago when my family went to new york for a wedding. again, my dad started the drive and when my uncle took over, my sister looked up from her magazine just in time to see his eyes drooping and his head bobbing. he is no longer aloud to drive anyone in our family to any destination whatsoever.

most of the vacation memories i have follow this same pattern...preparation, fiasco after fiasco during the trip, and vague-ish memories of the actual vacation. you know what, though? i wouldn't change it for anything. i loved our trips together. even with crazy half-awake drivers, stinky food, us (kids) against them (adults) warfare. it was fun. it was the only thing we knew. i can't wait to have the same kind of vacations with our kids.

me

*as we were driving (over a bridge if memory serves), my dad happened to look in the rear view mirror and almost wrecked the van. "oh my God, she's cyanotic!" we were all like, "what?! who's cyanotic?!" well, it turns out that baby sister's blue raspberry sucker had turned her entire mouth (including her lips) BLUE. he thought she was choking. and, thus, the "no blue sucker rule" was born.

in case you haven't figured it out...

2008-09-10T06:59:00.002-04:00

i'm taking a break from here. i'm still reading and lurking, but i'm not posting right now. life is too hectic right now. i have lots to say, but no time to say it. i'll be back.

until then, be nice to somebody. get an A.

me

trivia tuesday

2008-09-02T02:00:00.001-04:00

hi there. i know. i know. it's tuesday. but i'm tired. i need a break. so i'm taking one. maybe i'll try to get it together for next tuesday. we'll see.

have a good week.

me

guess who...

2008-08-30T01:00:00.003-04:00

is 30 today.

happy birthday ya ya!

we love you,
1219

trivia tuesday

2008-08-26T05:00:00.003-04:00

hi there. happy tuesday! welcome to trivia tuesday. i know you know the rules, but here they are anyway: no cheating. no googling. just answer using your own brain power. i know. scary. come on! you can do it. you have until i go to bed to answer the questions. i'll post the answers wednesday morning.

the theme: the eighties

1.who was the leader of the good transformers?
optimus prime

2. what was the name of punky brewster's dog?
brandon

3. what was angela's son's name in who's the boss?
jonathon

4. what was michael jackson advertising when he was nearly killed?
pepsi

5. what was ALF's girlfriend from melmac's name?
rhonda

6. what was the name of arnold's fish on different strokes?
abraham

7. on three's company, what was the name of jack's restaurant that he opened and was head chef at?
jack's bistro

8. The jeffersons was a spin-off from what show?
all in the family

9. what star of the breakfast club was also part of the original cast of the facts of life?
molly ringwald

10. what actor was famous for the line "nanoo nanoo"?
robin williams for his character mork from oirk

*********************************
you guys rock! miss sara is the winner again this week. good job sis!

have a good week. see you next tuesday.

how adventurous are you?

2008-08-25T06:00:00.000-04:00

here's a fun game from crista's kitchen creations . she did a post on it a few days ago.

1) Copy this list into your blog or journal, including these instructions.
2) Bold all the items you’ve eaten. (i put them in green)
**********************************
1. Venison
2. Nettle tea
3. Huevos rancheros
4. Steak tartare (obviously you don't know me very well if you think i'll eat anything that wasn't cooked)
5. Crocodile
6. Black pudding
7. Cheese fondue
8. Carp
9. Borscht
10. Baba ghanoush
11. Calamari
12. Pho
13. PB&J sandwich
14. Aloo gobi
15. Hot dog from a street cart (no, but i've always wanted to!)
16. Epoisses
17. Black truffle
18. Fruit wine made from something other than grapes
19. Steamed pork buns
20. Pistachio ice cream
21. Heirloom tomatoes
22. Fresh wild berries
23. Foie gras
24. Rice and beans
25. Brawn, or head cheese
26. Raw Scotch Bonnet pepper
27. Dulce de leche
28. Oysters
29. Baklava
30. Bagna cauda
31. Wasabi peas
32. Clam chowder in a sourdough bowl
33. Salted lassi
34. Sauerkraut
35. Root beer float
36. Cognac with a fat cigar
37. Clotted cream tea
38. Vodka jelly/Jell-O
39. Gumbo
40. Oxtail
41. Curried goat
42. Whole insects
43. Phaal
44. Goat’s milk
45. Malt whisky from a bottle worth £60/$120 or more
46. Fugu
47. Chicken tikka masala
48. Eel
49. Krispy Kreme original glazed doughnut
50. Sea urchin
51. Prickly pear
52. Umeboshi
53. Abalone
54. Paneer
55. McDonald’s Big Mac Meal
56. Spaetzle
57. Dirty gin martini
58. Beer above 8% ABV
59. Poutine
60. Carob chips
61. S’mores
62. Sweetbreads
63. Kaolin
64. Currywurst
65. Durian
66. Frogs’ legs
67. Beignets, churros, elephant ears or funnel cake
68. Haggis
69. Fried plantain
70. Chitterlings, or andouillette
71. Gazpacho
72. Caviar and blini
73. Louche absinthe
74. Gjetost, or brunost
75. Roadkill
76. Baijiu
77. Hostess Fruit Pie
78. Snail
79. Lapsang souchong
80. Bellini
81. Tom yum
82. Eggs Benedict
83. Pocky
84. Tasting menu at a three-Michelin-star restaurant.
85. Kobe beef
86. Hare
87. Goulash
88. Flowers
89. Horse
90. Criollo chocolate
91. Spam
92. Soft shell crab
93. Rose harissa
94. Catfish
95. Mole poblano (i'm too much of a wuss for that)
96. Bagel and lox
97. Lobster Thermidor
98. Polenta
99. Jamaican Blue Mountain coffee
100. Snake

da da da da da da

2008-08-24T05:00:00.000-04:00

happy birthday to you,
happy birthday to you,
happy birthday mrs. finch.
happy birthday to you!

we love you,
1219

new adventures

2008-08-22T06:00:00.001-04:00

i remember the first time i ever had a bedroom all to myself. i was about 8 years old. before i left for a trip to stay with cousins, my parents asked me if i could paint my room any color what would it be? i told them either purple or blue. when i arrived home from my trip, they had moved me into a room by myself. the walls were painted a lovely shade of blue...baby blue. they had gotten me a new water bed too. i was in hog heaven!

well, little mother hen moved into her own room last week. we had been talking about it for months. she and captain adventure have been sharing a room off and on since he was a baby. but, she's seven now and started first grade last week and it is definitely time for her to have her own room. we moved sammysosa into the room with CA and LMH went to SS's room.

mr. hubby helped moving all of the big furniture and painting. we were able to do it in one day. she loves it! i'm really glad we decided to do make the move. we were really worried about how captain adventure would do with sammysosa. we thought of all of the naughty thing CA could do with SS in the room...climbing into the crib, trying to take SS out of the crib, throwing things into the crib, staying up until the middle of the night...you get the point.

so far, our fears have been unfounded. captain adventure has done really well. it took a few nights to get used to each other, but they love to be together now. sammysosa wakes up earlier than CA and starts singing and talking quietly to himself...he eventually gets really loud and starts yelling at CA to wake up. it is pretty cute.

little mother hen is so thankful for her own room. she loves being by herself and her attitude is getting better. she has been spending hours and hours up there just puttering around...rearranging her drawers, drawing pictures, stickering things. it's too cute!

i am so glad we finally decided to make the move. we're such wienies sometimes.

it is official!

2008-08-20T05:00:00.003-04:00

i have to apologize to you. i have been keeping a rather big secret from you for a long time now. mr. husband and our friend mr. chef have been in the process of buying a restaurant for the past several months. it is now official. they closed on the building yesterday morning.

i am so proud of both of them. they have put in hundreds of hours trying to make this happen and now it finally has. i am so confident in their abilities to run a fantastic restaurant and do it the right way. i can't wait to see them in action!

they have many hours of hard work ahead of them, but they have an amazing support cast in place...i've met them and they're awesome and loyal. mr. husband and mr. chef hope to be open for business sometime in mid to late september.

congratulations mr. husband and mr. chef!

p.s see below for tuesday trivia answers

trivia tuesday

2008-08-19T05:00:00.003-04:00

welcome to trivia tuesday. you know the rules, but here is a quick reminder: no cheating or googling...you have until i go to bed tonight to answer the questions...i will post the correct answers along with the name of the brain of the week on wednesday morning.

the theme: seventies trivia

1. who was the first musical guest on saturday night live? janis ian

2. what group won the "best new artist" grammy in 1972? america

3. barry manilow was a producer/arranger for what famous vocalist? bette midler

4. what was cher's given first name? cherilyn

5. rod stewart's 1977 hit "the first cut is the deepest" was written by who?
cat stevens

6. what year did casey kasem's american top 40 debut? 1970 (and yes, crista, he is OLD)

7. what group won grammys for record, song, and album of the year in 1970?
simon and garfunkel

8. what was elvis' last movie? elvis on tour

9. what chuck berry classic did the beach boys use to help with a comeback in 1976? rock & roll music

10. what was the jackson 5's first smash hit? i want you back

*******************************

good grief! i thought this would be easier for you music buffs. (i mean, i couldn't have answered any of them, but i had faith in you!)

the big brain award goes to crista! good for you! you got 3 right.

joel, you got a big goose egg. good job for trying. A for effort.

coming up next week...80's trivia. thanks for playing!

trivia tuesday

2008-08-12T05:00:00.007-04:00

happy tuesday. you know the drill. answer them to the best of your ability. don't cheat. you have until 11:00 pm tuesday (my time) to answer the questions. i will post the correct answers along with the highest scorer on wednesday.

this week's theme: presidential trivia

1. Which president purchased the Louisiana territory? (Thomas Jefferson from napoleon in 1803)

2. Who was the first president to live in the white house? (President John Adams.)

3. which president purchased alaska? (Andrew Johnson from Russia in 1867)

4. name the first president who was the son of a president? (the sixth president john quincy adams – son of the second president john adams)

5. name the second president who was the son of a president. (George w bush, son of George bush)

6. who was the youngest elected president? (john f. kennedy 43 y, 236d when taking office)

7. who was the youngest president? (Theodore Roosevelt, 42y, 322 d succeeding to the office upon assassination of president William mckinley)

8. which president ordered the combat use of nuclear weapons? (harry s Truman ordered the atom bomb to Hiroshima and Nagasaki )

9. name the president who served 2 non-consecutive terms: (grover Cleveland 22nd 1855-1889 & 24th 1893-1897)

10. who was the only president to be married while in office? (grover cleveland. on 6/2/1886 he married frances folsom)

********************

ok seriously. participate!

i would like to award this week's gold medal to

the author of my blog she is the only one who really put forth any sort of effort this week.

not for the faint at heart (seriously)

2008-08-09T06:00:00.000-04:00

i am totally addicted to reading dooce
i like her style. she's an amazing writer. she also has mad photog skills.
so, anyway, she recently wrote a post with a link to a news story from florida. i will warn you...this story involves a disgusting case of child abuse and neglect. however, it is an amazing story.
here's the link to heather's post

and, seriously, go hug your kids.

you whiney whiney people

2008-08-07T06:00:00.013-04:00

you win. here it is. "trivia thursday".

in honor of the upcoming olympic games, the theme is the olympics. (creative, i know.) you know the rules. the whole point is to see what you know...not what you can google and find on the internet. i'll turn on comment moderation and i will post the answers with the person who had the most correct answers by friday morning. sher.

1. according to an ESPN poll, 59% of american viewers rooted against who in the 1996 olympic games?

THE DREAM TEAM

2.what olympic champion played an HIV-infected chorus boy in the play "Jeffery" in 1993?
GREG LOUGANIS
3. name the olympic aquatic event includes the following positions: the Flamingo, crane, and fishtail?
SYNCHRONIZED SWIMMING
4. what year were the olympics first televised? 1960

5. women were first allowed to participate in the olympics in what year? 1900

6. what sports did those women compete in? (3) TENNIS, GOLF, CROQUET

7. what five colors are make up the olympic rings and what is the significance of those specific colors?

RED, BLACK, BLUE, GREEN, YELLOW...EVERY COUNTRY'S FLAG HAS AT LEAST ONE OF THESE COLORS IN IT

8. wrestling fencing soccer swimming gymnastics archery
badminton handball taekwondo judo rowing cycling
weight-lifting athletics basketball sailing handball hockey

******************************************************

there are 9 more events. name 3 of them.
OLYMPIC TABLE TENNIS, TENNIS, TRIATHALON, PENTATHALON, EQUESTRIAN, SHOOTING, CANOE-KAYAK
9. what years (3) were the olympic games cancelled and why?

1916 - WWI
1940, 1944- WWII

10. what is the olympic motto? (in latin or english)

CITIUS, ALTIUS, FORTIUS
SWIFTER, HIGHER, STRONGER
*11. what's your favorite olympic sport to watch?

*12. who is your favorite olympic athlete?

**IN HONOR OF THE OLYMPICS, I AWARD YOU 3 GIRLS GOLD MEDALS. ( I GOT TIRED OF COUNTING WRONG ANSWERS. JUST KIDDING...I KNOW THIS WAS A HARD ONE...IT WAS MORE OF A LEARNING QUIZ.)

THANKS FOR PLAYING. SEE YOU NEXT TUESDAY.

mmmm oreos!

2008-08-06T06:00:00.001-04:00

trivia tuesday

2008-08-05T07:56:00.003-04:00

well, i'm sorry to report that there will be no trivia tuesday today. last night when i should have been creating today's trivia quiz, we were hunkered down in the basement due to an untimely tornado warning that lasted over 1 hour. so, boo to you mother nature, boo. boo!

i just thought you needed a good giggle

2008-08-04T06:00:00.006-04:00

i can never get enough of this guy

i don't know about you...

2008-08-02T06:00:00.000-04:00

but whenever i hear sirens i get this funny feeling in the pit of my stomach. i'm just sure it's someone i know. and, sometimes it is. we live in a small town and eventually you do know someone who's waiting on the other end of the sirens. but sometimes not.

my dad was on the fire department when we were growing up and we learned more than enough safety tips from him...like don't trust the crossing guards at a railroad crossing-- stop and see for yourself if there's a train coming...and how to be safe with fires & things that start fires.

which brings me to one of my safety-related pet peeves. (yes, i know i have a long list of pet peeves, but this one is at the top of my list.) if there is an emergency vehicle traveling towards you (in either direction) with it's lights on and sirens-a-blaring, PULL OVER. GET OUT OF THE WAY. you getting to the gym or a hair appointment is superceded by the fact that the ambulance behind you needs to get to an emergency situation. that fireman who is honking his fire truck horn at you is trying to get to a fire...or a wreck...or some other emergency. maybe it's your house that's burning down. maybe it's someone you know that was in a car wreck and YOU are holding the emergency personnell up as you drive seemingly unaffected by the sirens blaring and horns sounding. move your frigging car out of the way.

and when you finally do pull over and you're sitting in your car stewing about how this is making you late, say a little prayer that the people on the other end of the sirens are ok and that the emergency personnell trying to get to the wreck or fire arrive safely and quickly and are able to do their job well...then pray that you will be able to get your head out of your ass and have more sense and patience when it comes to putting someone else above yourself for 60 seconds so the amulance or police car or fire truck can get through.

check it out!

2008-08-01T10:53:00.013-04:00

hi there. this month's root & sprout was just published. i'm in it. i know, i know...you don't believe me. but, it's true. check it out for yourself. click on the link and scroll down to the last article, loosening the reins. that's me. seriously.

loosening the reins

also, my bloggy friend debbie has several articles in this month's issue. i really appreciate the way she is able to be open and honest with her feelings. she's cool like that.
the down syndrome look

you can read more of her at three weddings

have a happy friday!

wordless wednesday

2008-07-30T06:00:00.001-04:00

here are a few pictures of the fourth of july fireworks that we enjoyed with our family...we messed around with camera settings and ended up with some pretty cool pictures.

trivia tuesday

2008-07-29T06:00:00.004-04:00

theme: movie trivia

who said it? (and what movie)

1. "Inside this room, all of my dreams become realities, and some of my realities become dreams. And, almost everything you'll see is eatable, edible, I mean, you can eat almost everything." willy wonka, (the original) willy wonka and the chocolate factory

2. "Screws just fall out all the time, the world's an imperfect place."

john bender, the breakfast club

3. "Well, someone's got to break the ice and it might as well be me, I mean, I'm used to being a hostess, it's part of my husband's work and it's always difficult when a group of new friends meet together for the first time to get aquatinted, though I'm perfectly prepared to start the ball rolling, I mean, I, I have absolutely no idea what we're doing here or what I'm doing here or what this place is about, but I am determined to enjoy myself, and very intrigued, and oh my this soup's delicious isn't it?"

mrs. peacock, clue

4. "I love my dead, gay son."

kurt's dad, heathers

5. "My brother John, from whom you are all descended, was bitten on the back of his neck by something that was half-animal, half-human. From that moment on he was hairy . . . all over."

aunt kate, haunted honeymoon

6. "The popcorn you're eating has been pissed in. Film at eleven."

newscaster, kentucky fried movie

7. "My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die"

inigo montoya, the princess bride

8. "Ladies and gentlemen, in order to achieve an "R" rating today, a motion picture must contain full frontal nudity, graphic violence, or an explicit reference to the sex act. Since this film has none of those, and since research has proven that R-rated films are by far the most popular with the moviegoing public, the producers of this motion picture have asked me to take this opportunity to say "Fuck you."

announcer, student bodies

9. "Ohhh! Oww! Ouch! Well I've been at sea since I was one, how the hell would I know how to ride a horse? " frederic, the pirate movie

10. "they should name a gender after you, looking at you doesn't do it. staring is the only way that makes any since, trying not to blink so you dont miss anything. and all of that and you're you."

john clasky, spanglish

****************

you girls are so funny! great job to both of you. too bad no one else ever participates. s- you should link the new mommy to our trivia tuesdays.

you girls tied again this week.

a conversation with captain adventure

2008-07-26T06:00:00.001-04:00

in order to preserve what is left of my sanity, we decided to enroll our two older children in several summer activities. they were both required to take swimming lessons (much to their shegrin..."but i don't want to take swimming lessons. i don't want to jump in the water. i don't want to get water in my face." ) then they were allowed to choose a few other activities to be involved in.

one of the things that captain adventure chose was going to the camps offered at his school. each week they have a different theme and have educational activities that revolve around that theme. this week is pirate week. CA loves pirates, so this was a particularly fun week for him.

when i picked him up today, he seemed upset. here is the conversation that followed...

me: hi pirate! how was camp today?

CA: good. i'm not feeling so good today mom.

me: did something happen? is there a problem?

CA: yeah, there is a problem. i have a problem mom...(silence)

me: what's the problem?

CA: (sigh) people.

me: (what?! what 4 year old boy talks like this?) (hardly able to keep a straight face) what people are the problem?

CA: well, mom, people at my school. tommy threw two bottles at me today. a red one and a blue one. THEN i fell on the playground at recess. (head in hand) yeah. i fell.

me: i'm sorry you're having a bad day. do you want to go home and swing?

CA: yeah, i think swinging will help me feel better. want to see my lucky knees?

me: you have lucky knees?

CA: yeah. i fell on them today. they're my lucky knees.

they're his lucky knees.

hodgepodge

2008-07-24T06:00:00.003-04:00

i've had an overactive brain lately and have been frozen in place trying to figure out where to start first. here are my recent thoughts in no particular order...

* pool safety: if you own a pool (and when i say pool, i don't mean the kind you blow up), in my humble opinion, it would behoove you to learn and be able to correctly execute CPR & first aid. especially if (but not limited to) you have young children or grandchildren who will be swimming in said pool. and specifically if any of said children are the fruit of my womb. although i know that (the general) you would never do anything to intentionally harm our children, please accept the fact that accidents do happen...even at your house...even when you don't mean for them to.

* customer service: if you work in some area of customer service (you'd be surprised how many people do), please remember that although the customer may not always be right, the customer is always the customer. learn how to say things with a smile (even when it is your 11th of a scheduled 12 hour shift of listening to people complain about ridiculous things that you have no control over). watch the tone of your voice. listen to how you talk to people and what you say to them. is it the way you would like to be treated? if not, either change your attitude or find a new job.

* general niceities: puh-leese say please and thank you. if you see someone in need, help them if you can...hold the door open for someone who has their arms full... smile at the mom/dad in the grocery store with their 4 kids who looks like they're going to pull their hair out...sometimes, if you're able, pay for the person behind you in line somewhere -- you'd be surprised how receiving a cup of coffee that a perfect stranger paid for could change their day...if you see someone on the side of the road stranded for God's sake, don't let them in your car, but call help for them...every once in a while, send out "thinking of you" cards or emails to let your friends and family know that you love them and you are thinking about them...volunteer (anywhere).

* etiquette: a friend of mine called to tell me a story about how they had recently had houseguests for a long weekend (5 days)...we'll call my friend "dorothy" for the sake of this story. so, dorothy, her husband and their kids hosted her husband's sister & her husband, and their dog...and their new baby. dorothy and her husband had really been looking forward to the visit...although they don't live far from each other (about 1/2 a day's drive), they don't see each other much. anyway, their guests arrived and all was well...for about the first day. their guests had lots of things they wanted to do...places to go...places to eat...places to shop...but, as you may know, everything costs money and the guests never seemed to be interested in paying. they also didn't seem to be very interested in taking care of their baby or dog. for example -- they were all out on the deck one night waiting for supper to cook on the grill when they heard the baby on the monitor waking up from his nap...but no one moved. then, dorothy's SIL asked if dorothy could go get the baby. now, of course, this isn't a lot to ask, but SIL was just sitting in a chair reading a book and drinking a beer. the in-laws didn't even pick up the dog poop while they were there...my friend and her family don't have a dog...so they don't have poop to pick up. the in-laws never even offered to help cook or do dishes. they went to visit and expected to be waited on hand and foot.

the moral of the story is...please be considerate of others...even if they invite you to their house...other people don't expect to be your personal servants while you visit their home. offer to help cook...or if you're not a good cook, offer to do the dishes. you're more likely to be invited back and your hosts are less likely to hate having you there. if you have a dog (or other pet), for crying out loud, pick up after them! be a good guest!

* gasoline: can anyone explain to me why when one of the futures guys on wallstreet even thinks that the price of oil might go up, the price of gas shoots up by 30 cents per gallon or more? but when the price of oil actually goes down, it takes almost a week for the price of gas to go down 25 cents per gallon? just wondering. i thought maybe someone out in internet-land might know the secret formula.

* swingsets: recently we brought our old swingset to where we live now so the kids can use it again. they LOVE it! i didn't realize how much they missed it until we brought it here. we've all been swinging on it. it is the swingset that my sisters and i had when we were little girls. my dad bought it from the parks department where we lived, so it is huge and sturdy. it's awesome! we had to buy sammysosa a new baby swing...the ropes on the other one were unraveling (i thought that might present a safety problem).

*voluntarily coaching young children in voluntary sports: ok, well, i would think that this would go without actually having to say it, but apparently not. if you are a coach of something (anything, really) and there are young children involved, please keep the following in mind:

not all children are born with a mitt in their hands or leotards on their bodies
treat each child as you would want your child to be treated
you don't have to coddle them, but you don't have to be a complete sports psycho with them either...they're 7 & 4. give me (and them) a break...this isn't the olympics
maybe the child you're looking at (with disdain and annoyance because she just did the exact same thing wrong even though you've already told her how to do it the right way 10 times already) mustered up every ounce of strength and courage she had to make herself try something new today...and maybe you're ruining it for her. maybe your'e ruining it for all of us
maybe you should try to remember what it was like to be a child again...wanting to try new things (because the other kids are doing it and it looks like they're having fun), but being afraid of failing or looking silly

that's enough about that. i have to go have a piece of chocolate now. until later...

wordless wednesday

2008-07-23T06:00:00.002-04:00

i wonder why we call her littlemotherhen...

trivia tuesday

2008-07-22T06:00:00.006-04:00

ok, here are the rules:

you can answer by leaving a comment. i will keep them hidden and will post the correct answers along with the correct answerer no later than wednesday morning. please don't cheat...go by what you know, not by what the internet knows. no prizes now, but maybe somday. and, now, for today's trivia...

the theme: the human body

1. about how many bones are babies born with? 300

2. how many bones remain in an average adult? 206

3. on average, how many words to women say per day? 7,000

4. what about men? 2,000

5. what percentage of the world's population is left-handed? 10%

6. Laughing lowers levels of stress hormones and strengthens the immune system.

How many times a day does the average six-year-old laugh ? 300

7. what about adults? 15-20 (sad, but apparently true)

8. when performing CPR, what is the current recommended compression-to-breathing ratio? currently it is 30:2

9. if you are caring for a child and you find said child unresponsive, not breathing, no heartbeat, what is currently the recommended FIRST thing you should do? sort of a tricky question...the first thing you should do is perform 2(ish) minutes of CPR followed by a call to 911 followed by continuing CPR until help arrives. if you were to find an adult unresponsive, not breathing, with no pulse, you would want to call 911 first. this is because in adults the problem is most likely cardiac...while in children the problem most likely was respiratory first. (children do not usually suffer from heart attacks, etc)

10. how often does the average human blink? every 4 seconds(ish)

**ok, we're going to call it a toss-up between the only two who played today. good job girls!

wordless wednesday

2008-07-16T06:00:00.002-04:00

think it's a prank?

trivia tuesday

2008-07-15T06:00:00.007-04:00

ok, here are the rules:

you can answer by leaving a comment. i will keep them hidden and will post the correct answers along with the correct answerer no later than wednesday morning. please don't cheat...go by what you know, not by what the internet knows. no prizes now, but maybe someday. and, now, for today's trivia...

The Theme: potpourri

1. what was madonna's biggest hit of 1990? vogue

2. in the movie "can't buy me love", what did "cindy" spill on her outfit at the party? red wine

3. in the movie, "uncle buck", what did "buck" use to flip pancakes? a shovel

4. in "saturday night fever" what job did john travolta's character have? he worked in a paint store

5. in what decade did the Miller Brewing Company introduce Lite beer to the world? 1970's

6. who pardoned Richard Nixon for any crimes he may have committed during "watergate"? Gerald Ford **crista, no, it wasn't my mom

7. what year was john lennon assassintaed? 1980

8. if you have a pool in your yard and my kids come over to swim, are they allowed to swim without an adult in the pool with them? not unless you never want to see them again

9. what is the #1 fruit in the Americas? bananas (seriously, no one thought of bananas?)

10. on average, how many chocolate bars will a human consume during a lifetime? 10, 354 (no shit)

that's it for today. thanks for playing.

**************************************************************

and the winner is..........sawa!!! (gratuitous punctuation) good job. thanks for playing girls. see you back here next tuesday!

unbelievable

2008-07-11T05:00:00.011-04:00

Happy 7th Birthday Little Mother Hen!

age 1

age 2

age 3

age 4

age 5

age 6

age 7

dear little mother hen,

i cannot believe that 7 years ago today we met you for the first time. we had been waiting and waiting (and waiting) for you. here is the story of your birth...

i was due June 30 (at least that is what the doctor told us) and as you know, your birthday is july 11...tells you what the doctors know. towards the end of my pregnancy with you, i started to really feel crowded...i was sure that you had no room left to grow. i told our doctor this several times, but each time she reassured me that you were fine and that i just wasn't used to having a baby inside my body and that there was plenty of room.

so, you were a week overdue and we were becoming anxious about your birth...wondering if you would ever come out or not...when one night i was laying in bed with your dad (who was sleeping) and the contractions started to come...they never really hurt, but they were consistently becoming more frequent...after almost 2 hours, i woke your dad up and we went outside to walk. he walked with me at first, but pooped out after a while and i continued alone...i just walked up and down our road...he stayed outside with me and we talked. the contractions eventually slowed down after a few more hours and were completely gone just after 3am. i had a doctor's appointment later that day...our doctor was gone (of course) and i had to see her partner. i was having contractions again by this point and he checked me only to find that i was no more dilated than when i last saw our regular doctor. (poop!) so, we went on with business as usual...i would follow up with our doctor a few days from then.

we called momo and poppy to tell them what was going on...they packed up and came down to lafayette to camp out until you were born. momo drug me outside every chance she had to walk. we walked. and we walked. and we walked. all the while, i kept having contractions...but nothing that ever hurt or strong enough to get labor really moving. momo and poppy stayed for a few days, but then went back home when we realized that you weren't going to come out of my tummy willingly.

when we saw our doctor the next monday, we talked to her at great length...she decided to induce labor two days from then...on wednesday july 11, 2001. cool! i was so excited that i wasn't even scared! we called everyone to let them know the plan and they all began making their plans to come for your birth.

on the morning of your birth, we woke up very early. we had to be to the hospital by 6:45 so they could check us in and we could be in the maternity ward by 7:00. the lady that checked us in was very nice...she asked us about you and ourselves...she could tell that we were excitedly nervous and took great care to help us feel comfortable. when we were done, someone came to escort us to the labor and delivery unit.

i was shown where to change and what to put on (a lovely hospital gown, of course). your dad bugged the nurse and went through every cupboard and drawer while the nurse did my admission assessment. (poor girl) she was such a good nurse...kind and thoughtful...she took very good care of us during her shift. we also had a student nurse with us that day...i was the only one in the entire unit who would agree to have a male student follow us through the labor and delivery process. (everybody needs to learn.)

our doctor came shortly after 7 and broke my water. there was a lot of water.

we hadn't been there very long when momo and poppy arrived. they were just as excited as we were. nobody could wait to meet you! of course, momo made me start walking again...we walked and walked and walked. i was back in bed taking a little rest when mamaw, papaw, aunt jenny, and dylan arrived. we visited for a few minutes and then momo and i got back to walking. the nurses teased us about how fast we walked. a little later, aunt sara and aunt megan arrived...followed by mike, josh & kristi, sam, tammy & the girls...you were very popular!

just after lunch, the nurse and our doctor checked me and found that i was dilated to 3 cm. (we had 7 more to go) we talked to our doctor and she decided to hang a medicine called pitocin to help move labor along a little more. pitocin makes your uterus contract strongly...after about 2 1/2 hours, i couldn't stand it anymore and asked for an epidural. the pain was getting to be too much and i wanted to be comfortable and enjoy the labor and your birth. after they put the epidural in, i was not allowed out of bed. (too bad for momo!)

the afternoon continued with me having contractions and the nurses turning my pitocin up as high as they could...still i was not progressing. we all continued to visit off and on as i rested.

around supper time, our doctor came in and checked me...still 3 cm...i had been stuck at 3 all day! we talked a while with her and she offered to let me labor through the night...or have a cesarean section. your dad and i talked and we decided on a c-section. we figured that if i was 11 days overdue, had been laboring all day, wasn't dilated past 3...then there must be a reason.

the anesthesiologist who would care for us was away from the hospital for a few hours...when he got back, we were wheeled to the OR to have you! your daddy video taped your birth...he stood and watched the entire surgery. i couldn't believe it! i couldn't feel pain...just my body being tugged and rolled around. after what seemed like forever, you were finally out...when i heard you cry for the first time, i cried. i still cry every time i watch the video and hear you cry. your daddy told me you were a girl. a girl. we had a little girl. unbelievable!

i waited to hear your weight...i heard our doctor say you were big when she pulled you out. and then there it was. "10 lbs 15 ounces" (i'm sorry, what?!) i laughed and told our doctor that she wasn't a very good guesser of weights (she thought you'd be in the high 8 pound range).

you were the biggest baby in the nursery...there were 34 other babies that day (shocking, i know) you also had the most hair. you looked like dick the bruiser laying next to the other babies. it was too cute.

our families stayed to watch you have your first bath then they went home. they had a long drive back and it was late.

after i got to our room, they brought you in...you breastfed for the first time...you were an expert right away. your daddy stayed with us for that first night. our little family was growing before our eyes.

i can't believe that seven years have gone by since that night. i can still remember your birth like it was yesterday. you are growing and changing every day. you are a kind, thoughtful, loving, caring, smart little girl. we are so blessed to have you.

happy birthday peanut.

i love you,

mom

wordless wednesday

2008-07-09T06:00:00.006-04:00

check this out...

frozen in grand central

cool!!!

the real story is all around you

2008-07-08T08:00:00.001-04:00

lately, for a variety of reasons, i have been overly-frustrated with our kids. i am fully aware of my frustration and i am aware that not all of it has to do with them. however, it is what it is. now, i have never ever ever wished them away (except for maybe an afternoon here and there...to grandma's house or a play date). i love our kids. kids are frustrating. it's the nature of the beast. if you say up, they say down. if you say milk, they say juice. i don't want to have little robots, but i would like to have children who are respectful and are willing and able to follow directions.

sometimes i get caught up in our day-to-day battles over who hit first and whose turn it was to sit in the "front" (the middle, actually, but they call it the front since they're not allowed to actually sit in the real front)...and what everyone will or will not eat for lunch...how many times do i actually need to tell you to brush your teeth?...i don't want to wear those shoes...i could go on for days, but i won't -- because you probably hear it at your house too.

but, there's nothing like hearing someone else's story to put things into perspective. i read Three Weddings on a regular basis. debbie has a story to tell about her own little one, "peanut" who has DS. today, though, she has a link to another blog...Life with My Special Ks . there, you will read several days' postings about a little angel named kennedy. their story helped me to remember about how blessed and fortunate we really are.

thank you both for sharing your stories.

our little gentleman

2008-06-29T06:00:00.001-04:00

i always wonder if the things we teach our kids actually ever penetrate their little brains. things like: using good manners, thinking of other people besides themselves, being kind to others, etc. i mean, they don't really listen when we ask them to stop fighting, pick up their room, sit down and eat their dinner...so why would we expect them to listen when we teach them important life lessons?

not too long ago we were sitting in the kitchen eating supper together. mr. husband had made a delicous caesar salad as part of our meal. we were all just eating and visiting when i happened to look over and saw captain adventure starting to stand up. (we practically have to chain them to the chairs at meal times to get them to stay in their seats and eat, so i was immediately irritated...but, something made me hold my tongue to see what he was doing.) i heard him saying to grandma, "can i help you with that grandma jingly keys?" my heart melted. he had been watching her try to use the pepper mill so she could have pepper on her salad and because of her arthritis, she was having a hard time turning the mill. he saw her struggling, thought it through and offered his help. it was the most thoughtful act of good will i have ever seen come from his little body.

so, i guess they really are paying attention to us...listening to our words...paying attention to our actions...taking it all in. cool.

my story part 3

2008-06-27T06:00:00.000-04:00

i know that i missed quite a bit of baby#2's baby-hood. i was in a funk. there are less pictures of him during that time. less journaling. to be completely honest, i don't remember a lot of his first year. that's why i rely on family to tell me stories and share their pictures with me. because i don't want him to ever think for even one second that i don't love him as much as i love his siblings. he is a blessing in so many ways. he is full of life (or, as my grandma would say, piss and vinegar). he sees adventure where others don't...in simple everyday events and outings. he sees the world with eyes full of amazement and wonder. he is captain adventure. read part 2

i started feeling overwhelmed in may and didn't ask for help until september, when i completely fell apart. (yeah, i'm a control freak...and i have a hard time asking for help when i need it. shhh!) i took another almost ten weeks off of work at that time...so i could put myself first for a while and learn how to cope.

after i went back to work, things were never the same there for me. there were people who always supported me. but, there were also people who didn't. it didn't take long for me to realize that where i worked was a place that was sucking my life and my spirit from me. the atmosphere was one of back-stabbers and people trying to keep themselves afloat...looking out for themselves and no one else.

anyway, i worked through the winter and tried to figure out what to do about working at a place where i didn't really want to be...a place i didn't believe in anymore. in early march, we found out that mr husband had earned a promotion with a substantial raise...we talked about it...and i quit. my intention was to stay home for that summer and start looking for a new job when the kids went back to school...

however, in june, when i found out i was pregnant again, plans changed. when i saw the positive pregnancy test, i wasn't sure how i'd tell mr husband...we'd been talking and he wasn't so sure he wanted to have more kids. the conversation went something like this...

mr husband: what would you say to moving to north carolina in february
(WHAT?!)

me: what would you say to having a baby in february?

mr. husband: well, once we move and get settled, we could talk about it.

me: um, no, that's not what i mean. what would you say to having a baby in
february

mr. husband: (silent. mouth open, eyes wide, look of utter shock)

me: i'm pregnant.

mr. husband: (smiles) really? how did this happen?

me: uh, what?

we were so excited! it wasn't exactly what you would call a planned pregnancy, but it certainly was not unwanted.

i was worried about post-partum depression again. looking back, i suppose that i did experience it again after baby #3...not anywhere near the extent of what i felt after baby #2...and it went away within a few weeks. so, in the end, i worried for nothing. just because i had a horrible experience after one baby, that doesn't mean i always will.

i'm happy to report that aside from the occasional feeling of being on the verge of a melt-down, i feel pretty good. i don't take anything anymore. that all stopped a while before i was pregnant again. i'm not the best patient in the universe...i think i know better than the doctors...

i don't have a history of being a good pill taker and when i'm feeling better i tend to stop taking the pills. that's always been a problem of mine. sometimes mental un-health can be a chronic condition...sometimes medication is needed forever. i suppose that i would do that if i had to. but, i'd probably fight it tooth and nail. i like to feel like i'm in control. and if i'm depending on something else, then i'm not in control. (i can rationalize anything...just ask.)

i like to be in control. sometimes that works out for me. sometimes not. it is what it is.

what's wrong with this picture?

2008-06-25T16:00:00.000-04:00

this is a picture of what we found at our house after we pulled the drop ceiling down. this is just as we found it. no bullshit. the people we bought it from wall-papered over insulation...and open holes...and wood pieces. these walls passed an inspection. let me repeat that. these walls passed an inspection.

UNACCEPTABLE.

Mom

2008-06-25T00:01:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Mom!

Dear Mom,

i hope you have a delightful birthday. you deserve the very best of days. you are amazing and strong and loving and kind. you are my hero...my role model.

i love you,

momo junior

the real story is all around you

2008-06-24T09:51:00.004-04:00

sometimes i am afraid to think of the world we live in today...the horror that some people have seen...the people who suffer daily at the hands of terrorists, poverty, illness, and starvation...i think about it and it seems a little overwhelming...how could i possibly make a difference? what could i do that would have the ability to change anything bigger than myself? what can one person do?

and then i came across something in mr. husband's sports illustrated. you should read it. but i'll warn you, it might change the way you think. Alive & Kicking

enjoying the company of each other

2008-06-22T20:20:00.007-04:00

today we went to a local park...one where my parents took us when we were little girls. there is a pond/lake-ish type thing, swings, teeter-totters, a giant climbing apparatus, tennis courts, a shelter for picnicing, and a wide open soccer field. we had a fabulous time. it was the first time in a long time that mr. husband has been off of work for more than 12 hours at a time...we've really been enjoying each other...all of us. mr. husband and i sort of naturally switched off with the kids, as they changed interests at the park...i played with them on the swings and he took them to the soccer field to kick the giant tennis ball we brought. little sammysosa had a great time between the merry-go-round and the swings. he giggled his little heart out.

captain adventure and sammysosa sharing a snack on the merry-go-round

finally a peaceful brother-sister moment.

mr. husband teaching little mother hen and captain adventure how to throw rocks the right way. (as if CA needs help with throwing anything!)

we all really had a great time with each other. i can actually say that i really enjoyed my family today. yay for us!

juicy sweet and fun to eat

2008-06-18T06:00:00.000-04:00

a few weeks ago, little mother hen left and apple on the kitchen table (you know, the apple she had to have...the one i had to peel right away so she could eat it right away) after taking only two, count them 2 bites. little sammysosa saw it and decided he'd like to take a crack at it. i took like 28 pictures of him eating this friggin' apple...he was totally devoted to eating every little square millimeter that he could get his tiny little teeth on. too cute!

we should all be so lucky

2008-06-13T07:00:00.000-04:00

my BFF and i went to see sex & the city (the movie) recently.

E and i have been friends since preschool when i was the president of the tall club and wouldn't let her behind the piano with me and the other two members of the tall club because she wasn't tall enough. (she still brings this up on a regular basis.) we have been through it all with each other...the ups and downs, the crappy boyfriends, the good boyfriends...middle school crap...high school crap...we even went through a period of time when we didn't speak in college. she was there wedding and the births of our children. she's been there for every major (and most of the minor) cries of my life. she has also been there for every major (and most of the minor) celebrations of my life.

she was the perfect companion for this movie.

i never watched SATC when it was on HBO...i never had HBO. i only watched it once it became syndicated. but, i liked it. i liked it partly because of the drama...the love...the fashion...living vicariously through fictitious people...but i really liked it because of something that i never heard them talk about.

the show and the movie are about way more than new york and sex and fashion and four single women on the prowl. they're about four women who have been together as friends for (in the movie) twenty years...women who have been there, been present, for every major and minor (good or bad) event in the lives of the other three...women who have loved...been there for...maybe not always agreed with...but still fully and unconditionally supported each other.

they are all strong and amazing in their own way. separately they might waiver, but together they are a force to be reckoned with. they are fiercely loyal. there is no question of that...just watch the movie if you don't believe me.

the point is, don't you want friends like that? friends who will come to your side without hesitation, even you are currently arguing with each other? friends who drop whatever they are doing to come be with you because they know that's what you need right now...even if you never would have asked them to do that for you? friends who hear in your voice what you can't get out in words?

that's who i want by my side on this journey...people who i can count on...people who are not wishy-washy or fair-weathered. because anyone can be a good friend on the good days. and who needs friends who are only there to share the rainbows and sprinkles?

not me, my friends. not me.

peek...

2008-06-11T06:00:00.006-04:00

a boo!

things i will always do

2008-06-10T06:00:00.002-04:00

i will always

love my children and husband

be faithful to my husband

be thankful for what God has provided for us

be grateful for the men and women who sacrifice so much to serve our country in the military

love cheese toasties and tomato soup

love to take lots and lots of pictures

be afraid of the boogey man

want to tell our kids stories about their family history

try my best

hate whining

second-guess myself

think my mom is the wisest person i know
love a good cup of coffee with friends

wish i was more patient

love to have girl time

be thankful for my family and the people who are in it