Floppy Uterus

So the midwife helped me feel the head and the butt of the new baby today at my appt. That made it all seem really - real. Not that I've like, managed to ignore the fact that I'm preggers. When I asked why it seemed like this baby was moving around WAY MORE than my other two.. the response...Well, this is your third baby and your other two have been quite large, so your uterus allows alot more movement this time around.

Great...thanks to my floppy uterus the baby can do cartwheels in utero.

But I remind myself that elephants gestate for 22 months...so it would really suck to be a pregnant elephant, literally. I mean...think of the feet on those things, even if they're a 'baby' those feet do not look comfortable.

Wow...I'm a Big Girl.

So I've got to confess...sometimes I don't feel like I'm an adult. Sometimes I feel like I'm still a college-kid, new to the world and just testing out my "real world legs". Which is pretty pathetic because I'm well past my college days, and graduate school days and well into motherhood and wife-hood. But still...I find myself still passing major milestones and this year, this Christmas...I will wake up in my own house, with MY own little family, and celebrate the big day. What traditions we establish, what kind of breakfast we eat, how the day shapes out is essentially all within my own control. Its very exciting...and kind of scary. The easy way out is of course to do nothing...it will unfold as fate decides. But I could also "mess with it" I could ring jingle bells at 2 am until the kids wake up and then say "oh, you just missed Santa!". We could open a present up tonight...we could save them all until tomorrow. We could eat only red and green foods for breakfast. I could make pot roast every year, starting tomorrow. We could bake cookies. Every year on Christmas Day we could bake Jesus a birthday cake. I could make the kids take a bath on Christmas morning and not let them open presents until after we read "A Christmas Carol" or pertinent bible passages or all the words in the dictionary that begin with the letter C. I could not put out any presents and put a pile of coal under the tree AND then say "Oh, that Santa is such a jokester...check the bathtub, kids." T-Dad and I could get drunk on egg nog and peppermint schnapps hot cocoa...giggling and laughing while the kids wondered why we were so happy. We could stay inside all day. We could go for a Christmas Walk. We could wear pajamas all day. We could have pizza or fish sticks. Hmmm...so many choices, guess I better decide soon.

Getting the S*** kicked out of me

A little pregnant bitchiness...

So...the little girl inside of my belly has been practicing for the 2020 Olympics like crazy for the last 8 weeks and my husband has never once voluntarily requested to "feel the baby kick". WTF.

I hate all the "dad tips" in those pregnancy books and all the "helpful fathers to be" in movies who dote on their pregnant wives and girlfriends. Does anyone actually experience that in real life? Are there really men out there who are actually "into" the whole pregnancy thing? I'm sure T-Dad is just being a "boy" but hell...would it kill him to acknowledge the life growing inside of my over-inflated gut.

Meme: Random Questions Linked with Christmas Songs

So Quigs tagged me for a meme. And honestly I need to make the last post disappear to the archives of my blog...nothing I need to be revisiting anytime soon. I don't have an iPod, or any kind of song-playing device I use regularly...so I got creative and went to Pandora...at first I used the word "Christmas" and the first 6 songs that came up...then I switched to the "Rockin' Holiday" station and these are the next 24 songs that came up. :) It turned out pretty well.

1. Put your iPod or whatever music player you have on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS!
4. Tag 5 friends who might enjoy doing this as well as the person you got this from. Let them know they've been tagged.


IF SOMEONE SAYS "IS THIS OKAY" YOU SAY?
White Christmas by Bing Crosby (usually, I shorten it and say..."BING!")

WHAT WOULD BEST DESCRIBE YOUR PERSONALITY?
Caroling, Caroling by Nat King Cole (That's me, always caroling.)

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL?
There's No Place Like Home for the Holidays by Perry Como (a homey feeling is always a good thing.)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Its the Most Wonderful Time of the Year by Andy Williams (isn't EVERY DAY the most wonderful time of the year. :)

WHAT IS YOUR MOTTO?
Winter Wonderland by Frank Sinatra (Always walking in a winter wonderland...)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Its Beginning to Look A lot Like Christmas by Perry Como

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
The Christmas Song by Hootie and the Blowfish (honestly, I love Hootie.)

WHAT IS 2+2?
Please Come Home for Christmas by Jon Bon Jovi

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Christmas, Baby Please Come Home by U2

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Thank God Its Christmas by Queen (Quigs = Queen)

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer by Ringo Starr (quite appropriate actually.)

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
Wonderful Christmastime by Paul McCartney

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
Jingle Bells by Lisa Loeb (T-Dad will be happy to know that.)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Little Drummer Boy by The Dandy Warhols (they were expecting a boy when I was born.)

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
My Only Wish This Year by Britney Spears (Hmm...weird.)

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
Everything Is Gonna Be Cool This Christmas by The Eels (not a bad choice, I'd say.)

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
You're a Mean One, Mr. Grinch by Thurl Ravenscroft

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Little Drummer Boy by Bob Seeger and the Silver Bullet Band (hmm...i've always wanted to be a drummer...or a boy?)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Away in a Manger by Relient K

WHAT'S THE WORST THING THAT COULD HAPPEN?
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas Now by Bebo Norman

HOW WILL YOU DIE?
Sleigh Ride by Debbie Gibson (uh...remind me never to go for a sleigh ride.)

WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU REGRET?
Christmas Love by Billy Idol (I swear I didn't do it.)

WHAT MAKES YOU LAUGH?
Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree by Hanson (I mean yeah...its Hanson!)

WHAT MAKES YOU CRY?
The Christmas Song by The Raveonettes (it is kind of a sad song..? but no actually tears came out.)

WILL YOU EVER GET MARRIED?
Little Drummer Boy by Jars of Clay (okay, I'm noticing a pattern here...what is it with this song?)

WHAT SCARES YOU THE MOST?
Christmas Don't Be Late by Powder

DOES ANYONE LIKE YOU?
Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas by Relient K

IF YOU COULD GO BACK IN TIME, WHAT WOULD YOU CHANGE?
Jingle Bell Rock by Amy Grant (Hmm...when I was a junior high basketball cheerleader we did a "routine" to this song (not sung my Amy Grant, though) and wore hats, scarves and gloves with our little cheerleader uniforms...it was so cute, I wouldn't change a thing.)

WHAT HURTS RIGHT NOW?
Christmas by Blues Traveler (it is kind of painful.)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
Christmas Song by Greener

5 People I Tag:
T-Dad
Quigs

Bad Stories

Why am I obsessed about reading new stories about terrible crimes? Everyday I troll my favorite new sources for more...I'm starting to wonder about my inner spirit. Obviously, I am not cultivating peace and harmony in my soul. Instead I'm adding gasoline to a fire inside of me that is already full of "pissed off-ness" and resentment for the way life is.

Don't click below unless your ready for more heartache...

Shackled teenager in CA
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/12/04/shackled.teen.trio/index.html

Murderer with underwear fetish
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/12/02/cold.case.arrest/index.html

8 year boy killed father and another man
http://www.cnn.com/2008/CRIME/11/24/boy.charged.mother/index.html

Papa Pilgrim, a sadistic simple man
http://outside.away.com/outside/culture/200812/robert-allen-hale-papa-pilgrim-1.html

Not terrible, just so odd...Jail inmates climb the walls for sex
http://www.thesmokinggun.com/archive/years/2008/1117082jail1.html

Guilty, as charged

So we bought a box of frosted donuts to help us through this week...and guess what. While T-Dad was preoccupied with dinner preparations, Bug was watching Wall-E (again), and I was yet to come home from work...Mealyworm decided to taste test them all.
See Exhibit A
Please note...we had eaten 3 donuts for breakfast, so she didn't actually eat a single whole donut. She obviously like that maple frosted one best.


And then her mugshot...she seems a mighty bit proud of her mischievous behavior.

Bug's Christmas List

So Bug has been going through all the catalogs we get at the house and putting his initial by anything that he'd like for Christmas. And recently we sat down and wrote a letter to Santa mentioning his favorites...the list contained 4 items and I emphasized that Santa doesn't get you everything on your list, there are a lot of boys and girls. Its a surprise what he leaves on Christmas morning....uh...
I sure hope he likes his helmet. :)

Item #1 - 4 wheeler I can drive

Item #2 - BIG play kitchen

Item #3 - "Remote Control Monster Truck that can go in the mud, that the doors and trunk open so I can put my guys in there."

Item #4 - "Police helmet with a headphone so I can talk"

The Children's Museum of Indianapolis

We are the proud owners of a Family Membership to the The Children's Museum of Indianapolis. So T-Dad suggested we take advantage of it and head over there on Saturday. Its a bit of a drive, but there is so much to do there and the cafeteria is super-cool (a little pricey, but hey, what do you expect). :)

There are 4 floors of fun at the CMI. Including an old-fashioned, real deal carousel on the 4th floor, a perfect "Playscape" for the under 5 crowd on the 3rd floor, SuperHero world on the 2nd floor, Dinosphere on the 1st floor and a planetarium theater for pretend star-gazing on the Lower Level. Plus tons of other exhibits. Of course on Saturday I forgot to bring the camera, but fortunately I never blogged about our trip to the CMI over the summer...so I'll include those pics to give you an idea of some of the fun things to do.

Bug drives a racecar, outside the SuperHero exhibit.


Bug and Mealyworm love the water table in the Playscape.

Bug watching the model train chug by.

MealyWorm, the future palentologist.

Bug, the future deep sea diver.

Caught up in a good book...

Guess what...I'm a Librarian and I'm caught up in a book. :)

On the recommendation of some of my fellow bloggers, (Thank you guys!) I recently started reading the Twilight Series. Needless to say, I've been spending all my "spare" time (and some not so spare time) READING the printed word. It is truly a rare occurrence for me. In recent years, I've become mostly an unabridged audio book reader. And to find a book, in fact series of books, so compelling that I can actually sit still and stay awake long enough to read is simply amazing. And I'm loving it. Also noteworthy is the fact that each of the 4 books (I'm just starting book 4) is over 700 pages long! Even though I'm a librarian and I love books..reading long ones has never been my specialty, regardless of content. So I'm quite happy to have read over 2,000 pages in the last 5 days. So if I'm absent for another couple of days...you'll know why...I'm reading Breaking Dawn. :)

Meet the New Baby...

After the post I had about the Clothing Chaos overtaking my life, I began to reconsider the idea of finding out the gender of the new baby. I need whatever help I can get when it comes to organizing and preparing for life with 3 kids. So today we learned, we are having a girl. So our boy, Bug, will be the big brother to two little sisters. I know its a leadership role he will fill well.

Here's the new baby girl...

5 years and counting

So T-Dad and I passed a major milestone over the weekend...our 5 year wedding anniversary. Its really hard to believe that 5 years have passed..but its also hard to believe Bug is 4 1/2...and if you do the math, yep, that's right...Bug was at our wedding, in utero. We planned our wedding in 6 weeks, it was really amazing. It was a regular church wedding with all the friends and family invited. It was a beautiful fall day and almost everything went off without a hitch. ;) In many ways, we hit the ground running as a married couple, soon to be family. In other ways...we got to continue "as we were". After we actually tied the knot, we had to continue to live separately for the next 6 months. We had jobs, apartments, commitments in separate cities. We were alone, yet married. Married means a lot of different things to people. We didn't get to play "newlyweds", we continued to play "long distance relationship". And everyone knows that's got its good points and bad points but when married and pregnant...its mostly bad points. In a lot of ways, I feel like that first 6 months really defined our marriage. Not in a bad way, but perhaps a different way then some. To this day, we are separate and together. Most likely, we were predisposed to this sort of relationship anyway, but it has stuck with us. Don't get me wrong, we're "together" but I think in our minds we process things more as individuals than as a unit or couple. Our relationship, married life, parental duties, home life is very 50/50. There are very few, if any, areas that are ever totally mine or totally his. (i.e. breastfeeding was all mine, when I'm pregnant the litter boxes are all his) We can each do what the other does regardless of what it is. Its good and bad...good because we are totally equal and no one can really claim "i'm doing it all", but having an area that is your responsibility means that you know it gets done for the most part...but when both individuals have equal responsibility for all areas...sometimes...it doesn't get done. But that's probably a discussion for another post.

Anyway...I found a perfect card for T-Dad this year (except it showed some strange bunny rabbit couple sitting on a park bench with flowers all over it)...
It said "If I hadn't found you" on the front and inside "I'd be forever looking". And I sincerely believe that. Getting pregnant with Bug was a form of "divine intervention" because it forced me to see the lucky woman I was...I had an interesting, intelligent, like-minded man who loved me, who was excited about becoming a father and wanted to spend the rest of his life with us. And thank the universe and God and intuition and all the good advice I received...because here we are 5 years later and still going strong.

Bodily Functions

So as a mom, I think we all develop a very healthy, non-chalant attitude about our kids' bodily functions. I mean from Day 1 in the hospital, "they" expect us to change our newborn baby's diapers all by ourselves. And so it goes...diaper after diaper, onto underpants after underpants, including many mishaps at the potty, in the car, on the sofa, in bed while wearing a halloween costume, etc... resulting in all variety of soiled Spiderman underoos/jeans/tights/socks/shoes, etc. Which, of course, requires us to remove, dispose of, manipulate, scrub, rinse, wash large amounts of bodily excretions. Honestly, a mom's life is filled with a lot of shit, literally.

So here's the thing....
why... when I'm in a public restroom do I have to ...
squeeze my eyes shut, put my fingers in my ears and silently hum Showtunes to myself so that I feel comfortable enough to... "drop the kids off" ?

To buy or not to buy...that is the question

I have many inner struggles...one is materialism vs. minimalism. Honestly, I don't "need" more STUFF in my life. Stuff that clutters up my house and eventually causes me choose between putting it in a landfill or passing it on to someone else to clutter up their house.

So that brings me to...Christmas. I've started doing a little Christmas shopping, in an attempt to spread out the financial crisis that always follows. And I'm questioning my actions. I love Christmas presents. It was the one time of year that my frugal parents loosened up...a little. We all got multiple gifts. :) Yeah, occasionally my dad would wrap up library books (that needed to be returned in 2 weeks) and various grocery items we needed. But we always got several things we asked for. :) It was wonderful. Now that I am older and know a thing or two more about the world, and am having to make these decisions for my own kids...I'm torn. Do I buy my kids lots of stuff for Christmas for the pure joy of being surrounded by gifts? Or do I take the minimalist approach and limit the purchases to only a thing or two? How many presents is "too many" and how few is "not enough"?

Oh, how I still remember and love that feeling of being surrounded by new gifts and having all day to play with them. :)

National Parks

Five years ago or so, T-Dad and I decided to start a lifelong goal - visit all the National Parks together. (the ones we've been to separately don't count). As a way to document this, we would get our photo taken by the main NP sign for each one. This is the most recent....this summer Bug took our picture in Ohio at the Cuyahoga Valley National Park. It was Bug's first time taking a "real" picture. And it was raining. Not terrible for a first attempt but we'll work with him a little more for the next one. :)

Another Bank Holiday

T-Dad is off work for another Federal Holiday...lucky guy.

Bits & Pieces

-We had a pre-nat appt with a midwife yesterday. We heard the heartbeat - 140 bpm. Does that mean boy? We have our Ultrasound appt. on the books for next month. We timed it so that we can take Bug and Mealyworm. I think they will get a kick out of seeing inside mommy's belly.
-We have been pretty sure we weren't going to find out the sex of the baby this time around. We liked the surprise with Mealyworm. With Bug, we'd had enough surprises, so we found out as soon as we could. This time...we're starting to waver. I think I could really use a couple of extra months (pre-newborn) to gets clothes, house, room in order for a specific gender. Hmm...we're still debating.
-Mealyworm has been doing neubulizer treatments for a recent (monday) diagnosis of asthma. She does well for like 5 minutes, but it literally takes a whole episode of Dora to get through all the medicine! aargh! I wish I could speed up that thing. Her little breathing mask looks like a fish, its cute.
-Bug misbehaved at preschool earlier this week while they were on a field trip. So he didn't get to attend the next field trip to Curtis Orchard (yesterday). :( I actually didn't feel too bad for him. He is going through this phase (again) where he refuses to listen to what you tell him to do and goes off on his own...repeatedly. And they couldn't have him doing that out at Curtis Orchard with hundreds of other school kids running around too.
-T-Dad cleaned the kitchen really well on Monday when he was home with sick - Mealyworm. He even scrubbed the kitchen floor twice (it was really dirty, I guess.). So I have been doing a good job of keeping it clean all week. I'm so proud of myself.
-I haven't touched the clothing chaos all week. Boo-hoo.

I love kids in costume!

Our little Dinosaur...Mealyworm, 5 months old - Halloween 2006


A Dalmation Dog...Bug, 2 1/2 years old - Halloween 2006


A Little White Duck...Mealyworm, 18 months old - Halloween 2007


Bug, Mealyworm, WW, JB - Halloween 2007

Creek Water Poo

Beware, pooping is discussed in some detail...


So we've been playing "House" at our house. Using our years of medical knowledge to decipher the icky code spelled out in poop. Mealyworm has been plagued with diarrhea for months. We've had a few days reprive in there and each time we breathe a sigh of relief and think "Thank goodness, a Peanut Butter poop instead of creek water poop." She goes through multiple outfits a day, tons of diaper cream, knows precisely how to say "I poopy, ouchy bottom, mama." so we hurry off to do a diaper change. We've tried all kinds of things...increasing the banana intake, cutting out juice, eating only "low acid" foods. At one point, I convinced myself it was all the plentiful Fall apples I've been feeding my kids. So no more applesauce, cider, sliced apples, etc. Blah, blah, blah. Fortunately, we aren't doing this alone...we've even visited the doctor and handed in a lovely array of poop samples, each painstakingly collected with a wooden stick and smeared into different vials to be tested for various diseases/bacterias, etc. And all have come back negative.

So....at the recommendation of the PA we've been seeing, we are approaching it from the new angle - Lactose Intolerance.

Since I've cut out all juice and now milk...MealyWorm is going to be having a lot of water in the coming days. I'm assuming Lactose-Free Milk and Soy Milk are viable options...? No yogart, no cheese, no ice cream...ugh... this poor kid. :(

Me and my thoughts on the New baby...ramblings...

So I haven't blogged much about the impending arrival. Truth be told. I don't know if I can be totally honest, out loud, about it. But I'll try to keep it real without causing anyone to hate me. We'll see how it goes.

Well, I'm feeling better...morning-sickness wise, that is. I'm over that hump and into the the dreamy 2nd tri. Barely any heartburn yet, woo-hoo, its good times.

There are many things that weigh heavy on my mind at this time. One of them is...I'm not really looking forward to having a newborn. I know, I know, I should be strung up by my toes for admitting this outloud (in writing) but...they are so much work....and I am soooo lazy. Okay, maybe lazy isn't the right word, but every bit of my 17 minutes of personal time that I have now (and loads more) will be eaten up by this third little one. :)

Kind of related in a Lavender Lemonade sort of way...
The other day someone I've known for a while but haven't ever really "sat down with" to talk said to me..."I've been meaning to get together with you for coffee or something, I'd really like to get to know you and what your beliefs, dreams, ideas are."
Very nice of her to ask and want to get to know me better, but...My instant response...uh..Really, you don't. It would be a very short cup of joe. I'm hollow inside. I'm in survival mode. I'm not really in dream, belief, idea mode like I was in college or high school. Those were times when I relished introspection and deep thinking. I loved and had lots of "over coffee" discussions about beliefs, dreams, ideas. And umm...now...not so much. Right now, maintaining a semi-respectable appearance for myself and my family and a very moderately (okay, barely) clean home is about all I can do. And honestly, soon there's going to be even less attention to be paid to appearance and housework...enter in the new baby.




So in this picture...Mealyworm was like 2 months old I think. And was crying. And nothing would make her happy. And we were at a birthday party for one of Bug's friends. And I had to take my screaming newborn outside so I didn't ruin the party. So I missed some of the fun, not really "my fun" but...well watching Bug have fun is my fun, and I missed that....Is this new baby going to mean I miss out on lots more special moments with my already two precious little ones?

My twin nephews vacationing in Cape Cod

Aren't they cute!

Clothing Chaos

We have TOO many clothes. Dirty clothes. Clean clothes. Clothes that don't fit. Clothes to donate. Clothes we've purchased for winter. Clothes we're sharing with friends. Clothes that friends shared with us. Boy clothes. Girl clothes. 18 month clothes. 2T clothes for boys. 3T clothes for girls. 4T for boys. 5/6 clothes. Clothes for the future. Keepsake clothes from the past. T-Dad clothes for work. T-Dad clothes for play. Clothes I hope to fit into again some day. Clothes that were Bug's that I want to save for Mealyworm. Clothes that I should save for the new baby (and since we're not going to find out the gender, we can't get rid of anything). Aaargh!

Every bedroom has at least 2 boxes/tubs of clothes "in processing". Too small, too big, wrong season, etc. And the dirty clothes seem to be breeding! Every bedroom has a huge pile of dirty clothes. About a year ago I came up with the genius idea that instead of having dirty clothes piles in every bedroom, I was going to have one monster pile outside of the laundry room. (uh, yeah, that was the plan) That way when we wanted to throw a load in, the dirty clothes were right there waiting patiently...then the huge pile annexed the lower level entry way and became a bit of a nuisance. I dreamed of owning one of those big hotel laundry carts (that spies and diamond thieves always hide in) to corral the monstrosity. But I decided I'd have to settle with using the pack-n-play. So the monster pile went into the pack-n-play and I haven't seen the elephant and giraffe print on the bottom pad ever since. We never get to the bottom of the dirty clothes pile! Aaargh!

I need help. I need to sort and organize all the clothes that are currently wearable. And I need get rid of all the clothes that we don't think we'll ever wear again. But it is sooooo overwhelming.

I think I've got a plan though....I am going to label like a dozen diaper boxes (I knew there was a good reason I've been saving all those empty diaper boxes, its not just OCD) with Boy 0-12 months, Girl 0-12 months, Boy 12-24 months, Girl 12-24 months, etc. And set them all up in my family room and as I fold I will sort accordingly. And of course, the biggest box will be labelled DONATE. And in regards to my "previous life" clothes, the ones that I loved and actually looked good in...all going. All gone. I haven't worn them in 5 years, what's the point. I am who I am now, and I need the space.

After all, we've got to squeeze a whole additional little being into this house and the CLOTHES are taking up way more than their share of space.

Hopefully I can get started on this plan this weekend. Anyone want to help and experience the Clothing Chaos first hand...tempting I know...it will make you feel really good about your own house though. :)

Mmmm...blueberries and corn syrup

So, I'm snacking on a tasty treat...

not as good as the real thing, fresh off the low bush in Alaska OR fresh off the high bush in Michigan

...but not bad for an afternoon snack stuck in an office.

Oh, and the ingredients...#1 Dried Wild Blueberries (what makes them "wild" and not grown on a farm beats me) #2 High Fructose Corn Syrup (ugh, its everywhere.)

Just kicking back

Hmmm...I wonder where the kids are? Oh, rearranging the lawn furniture and playing with a sharp tomato cage in the backyard.

Bug: Stack your feet, like this MealyWorm!
MealyWorm: Like this? How do I put my foot on top? Oh, I did it!


Bug: You never listen to me.


MealyWorm: Hey, Look, a rabbit.
Bug: Yeah, another rabbit.


This is what summer was meant to be.

Doing her hair

When T-Dad does bathtime, it can get a little crazy.

I'm one of "those" people

If you lend me something, I might lose it, forget to return it, or even occassionally break it. Its not something I'm proud of. And if you ever ask me about it, I will bend over backwards to get it back to you or buy you a new one. To be honest, its something that weighs on my mind, regularly coming to the surface..."oh yeah, I need to wash that Tupperware container and give it back to Ms. Interrupted" but then I get delayed because I think... hey, wouldn't it be nice if I filled it with home-baked (noticed I didn't say homemade) cookies first or wait, I should find that other one she gave us the medicine in too and return that at the same time...where was the last time I saw that one? Hmmm...

Its pathetic, I know. I'm one of "those" people.

Now, don't get me wrong, I always have the best of intentions when I borrow something. And if it is something I know will just get lost in my house, I'll not borrow it. But its getting trickier now that my kids are borrowing things. I know that I am ultimately responsible for whatever they borrow and the pressure is on...

Here's a little list to help assuage my guilt and prove my good intentions:
Quigs - I've still got your paperback of Omnivore's Dilemma (I didn't forget, I honestly haven't finished it yet and can't admit to myself that I'm never going to finish it.)
Ms. Interrupted - I loved the Lemon Raspberry Dessert, and I still have the container you delivered it in...I'm hoping to fill it with something wonderful. And I still have the little container that you gave us the medicine in, by the way we used every last drop. Woo-hoo, helping you get your money's worth.
Big Matthew - Bug still has your glowing green light saber, he uses it every evening/night and if the battery dies, I will try to replace it.
A - I have your paperback copy of Cranford, I'm still reading it.
K - I have the red slide whistle and the little green bell bracelet from the music parade you had past our house. I also still have Me Speak Pretty One Day and the other 2 books you lent me. Uh, yes, I'm still working on reading them.
J - We still have your copy of Baby Sister Says No. We love it and it shows. I am going to buy a new one for you soon.

And if it makes anyone feel better, I am always happy and freely share stuff from my house. And only if its something I covet do I ever ask for it back, because honestly I've got too much stuff as it is.

Just one shy of a half dozen

Yep, you guessed it, we're breaking the barrier, screwing with the ratio, and tempting fate. Most likely we will be welcoming a Pisces. Heaven forbid another Aries...I have the market cornered on that one and I don't like to share. We're still adjusting to the idea...is this the straw that broke the camel's back? Or is this the cherry on top of a perfect sundae?

(uh, yeah...I know that was total cheese, but I'm trying to think positive. And I'm having trouble pulling out positive thoughts naturally, I've got to work at it.)

Breaking Barriers

So bear with me, I'm going to play a little game...let's name all the people we know who have 1-2 children...And I'm pulling these women from all parts of my life, but they have to be this generation...not my parents/grandparents etc....
Ms. Interupted
Looseyfur
Quigs
Freak
Lori
Libbygirl
Makeup-Girl
Rachel and her Bump, now Baby
Loretta
Mrs. Chicken
Misc.
Leeanthro
K and boys
My AK sister
My PA sister
S and girls
T and boy/girl
T and her boy and bump
D and girl
Big Matthew
M and her C
T-Dad's brother with 1 girl
Deb and her 1 boy/ 1 girl
J and his J + one

Now, let's name the people we know with more than 2 kids...
Angelina Jolie (but she's rich and I'm sure has several nannies, doesn't really count.)
K and 2 girls/1 boy
D and 2 girls/2 boys
C and 4 girls
T-Dad's brother with 5-ish

Not an even list. Not close at all. Why is the third child barrier not broken more? Hmmmm...

5 Things About Meme

5 Things About Meme
Missy at Misc & Co. tagged me for this so here goes:

1. Post the rules of the game at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read the player's blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you've posted your answer.

What were you doing five years ago?
Busy time for a teacher, I was starting my second year as the library director at a big catholic high school and wondering why I was tired and feeling nauseous

What are five things on your to-do list for today?
1. I don't make a To Do List
2. that way I don't get disappointed
3. and anything actually accomplished
4. is a total surprise and bonus.
5. I fed the cats AND refilled their 1/2 gallon water dispenser, woo hoo!

What are five snacks you enjoy?
1. Dried Banana Chips
2. Peanuts
3. a fresh, ripe peach
4. Cheese, any kind
5. Popcorn

What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?
1. Give away 995 million of it, that's just too much money for anyone person
2. Pay off debts
3. Actually buy clothes that aren't on sale
4. Invest it
5. Quit my job and stay home with my kids, perhaps with the help of an au pair

What are five of your bad habits?
1. I'm lazy
2. I'm bossy (to my husband)
3. I'm disorganized
4. I'm messy
5. I waste time

What are five places where you have lived?
1. 712 S. Osteopathy Ave, Apt. 3A
2. 11064 Cemetery Rd
3. 210 Normal St.
4. 301 E. Catherine St.
5. 1221 W. Washington St. Apt. 9

What are five jobs you've had?
1. Waitress
2. Apple Grader at an orchard
3. Au Pair
4. High School librarian
5. Children's librarian at a public library

Five people I tag: (um...just one)
1. T-Dad at Stages of Life
2.
3.
4.
5.

Artwork

Bug has gotten bit by the Drawing Bug. He loves to draw pictures...in the car, during breakfast, at bedtime, etc. Here are a couple of his latest masterpieces.

"My Family with WiggleWorm and JumpingBean"


"Green and Blue Power Rangers with swords"


"Rainbow and Rain"

Mmmm...Chocolate Banana

Wow, I just walked to Barnes and Noble on my lunch hour and perused some books. And ordered a tasty treat to go....delicious. I tried one of their "new" (well, new since the last time I was there 6 months ago) drinks. Its called a Vivanno (yeah, its a Starbucks thing, its gotta' sound Italian, so much tastier that way.) and it was essentially a smoothie. Quite delicious. I ordered the Chocolate Banana flavor, it actually uses a whole banana. Impressive, I know. You know what's even more impressive...that I'm blogging an entire paragraph about the drink I just ordered from Barnes and Noble. Pathetic, really.

To the moon

Now, this is the kind of rocket ship a kid can really imagine flying to the moon in. I mean really...its big, and sturdy and tall and has lots of ladders! Sometimes I miss these "dangerous" toys. Thank goodness, this relic in Bloomington(?) still exists. We were looking for an "energy outlet" on the way back from some trip recently and stumbled upon this blast from the past.

Arm-chair Detective

Growing up I had my own Detective Agency. I even had a black case with talcum powder and a small brush, for fingerprints (of course), and a little notebook and pencil to record clues, and a small magnifying glass to see things more clearly. I begged my mom and older sisters to create cases for me. And they did...it would start with a note in the mailbox, that would cleverly lead me (and sometimes my childhood friend/partner in detecting crime, Skeezix) to the next location where another clue would be hidden, and then there would be another note...and on it went. I loved it. Unfortunately, I stopped getting cases after awhile and my interest waned, so the agency closed up shop. But I still love the thrill of the chase...currently, I am intently following the Caylee Anthony case. Where is that little girl and why is her mother acting so weird?

a sine curve

Trigonomentry. Something I loved and aced. Geometry. Something I hated and barely passed. Physics. Something I loved and aced. Organic Chemistry. Something I hated and failed, and repeated, barely passed. Evolutionary Biology. Something I loved and barely passed. And on and on.

I feel like my life is a sine curve. The solid blue line in the middle up above. Notice that it dips up and down, above and below - zero. Maybe its like this for everyone. There are times in my life that I look around and think...wow, I have arrived. And then there are those times that I look around and think...oops, I did it again. But it changes. I won't be there for long, I know that soon again I will be back on the way up (or way down).

I guess, that's balance.

Mmmm...Easy Italian Beef

Okay...as you can tell, this week, I'm not feeling the "creative juices"...So, I'm going to fill the space with another recipe. This one is easy and delicious.

CrockPot Italian Beef
(adapted from "Slow Cooker Italian Beef for Sandwiches"at allrecipes.com)

INGREDIENTS
3 cans Beef Broth (I used low sodium)
1 (.7 ounce) package dry Italian-style salad dressing mix
1 (3 pound) chuck roast

DIRECTIONS
Place roast in slow cooker, pour salad dressing mixture over the meat, and pour beef broth over the meat.
Cover, and cook on Low for 10 to 12 hours, or on High for 4 to 5 hours. Shred meat with a fork about 1-2 hours before end of cook time. Serve on good, thick rolls w/ shredded Mozzarella cheese. There is lots of au jus left, so don't worry about having enough liquid. You could maybe even use 2 cans of Beef Broth, if you want. Or pour the extra on the dog's food, happy puppy.

P.S. I just realized that several posts ago I talked about becoming a vegetarian...and here I am posting a very Meaty recipe...well, I guess I'm not there yet. No excuses, no deep reasoning, I take it meal by meal. Ideally, I would only purchase meat from local, small farms. That is what I would really like to do, but seeing the prices at the Farmer's Market really blows my mind. So far I haven't really changed my ways. Ever growing, ever changing, we'll see what the future holds.

Another Notch in my lipstick case

This was just on the radio...and I couldn't resist. It has such awesome lyrics and what's not to love about Pat Benatar!

You're a real tough cookie
With a long history,
Of breaking little hearts like the one in me.
That's okay, let's see how you do it
Put up your dukes, let's get down to it.

Hit me with your best shot.
Why don't you hit me with your best shot.
Hit me with your best shot.
Fire Away!

You come on with a come on, you don't fight fair
But that's okay, see if I care.
Knock me down, its all in vain
I'll get right back on my feet again.

Hit me with your best shot.
Why don't you hit me with your best shot.
Hit me with your best shot.
Fire Away!

Well, you're a real tough cookie with a long history
Of breaking little hearts, like the one in me
Before I put another notch in my lipstick case,
You better make sure you put me in my place

Hit me with your best shot.
Why don't you hit me with your best shot.
Hit me with your best shot.
Fire Away!

A dream come true...

So we all have dreams about what our life will be like when we're older. Many of them unfulfilled (thankfully) and many of them unfulfilled (regretfully), but those are all blog posts for another day. Because some of those dreams have been fulfilled and they've been fulfilled beyond my wildest imagination. The one that really hits me today, is my house. I grew up in the country. On seven acres of woodlands with the nearest house, a farm, 1/2 mile down the road. I rode on a school bus for 45 min, every morning and after school, from Kindergarten through Senior year of high school (I got to drive my parent's Omni most days, but occasionally I'd still have to ride the bus.) I grew up literally half an hour from anywhere. And while there were a lot of things I loved about growing up where I did, I got it into my head at that when I grew up, I wanted to live in the city, not downtown anywhere, but in a neighborhood. I wanted sidewalks, paved driveways, garage door openers, "block parties", playgrounds, neighbors I could watch coming/going, neighbors I could visit in my bathrobe for a cup of sugar, neighbors who knew my cat from looking out the window, etc.

And by cracky...I've got it and even better than I ever dreamed.

I live in a house, in a neighborhood, in a city (not a village, not a unincorporated area). Its just what I dreamed it would be and more... I love the park behind my house with a playground and tennis courts, and the sidewalk where my kids ride their tricycles and the BIG, fancy-pants park with mileage marked on paved walkways, a hardware store and grocery store within walking distance, and the mail is delivered to a little black box attached to my house. And I have neighbors, neighbors who bring me onions from their organic garden, and lend us their folding tables for our garage sale and their shrub cutters, and milk and lawn chairs and coolers and toys and feed our cats and pick up our forgotten toys in the sidewalk and wave to us in the yard. And even better than I dreamed...my kids have kids their own age to play with. Honestly, that was never really part of my dream, my vision of living in the city...I guess I always imagined it more from my own perspective, not the children I would have someday. But my kids have kids their own age, that they get to play with, cry with, laugh with, hang out with, right at their fingertips. Whether or not they will all be best buddies forever remains to be seen, one might be sporty, one might be book-ish, one might be creative and one might be musical. But the bonds that my kids are forming with the neighborhood kids are something that will always be there. Those childhood bonds could last a lifetime. The kids who grow up around you, know your family, your struggles, your joys. When I look at the pictures of half naked little kids eating ice cream all together at a tiny picnic table...I thank the universe for bringing me to this special little neighborhood where my kids can grow up with sidewalks and mailboxes and friends for life.

Photo Mosaic Meme

Misc. is so cool. She had this on her blog and I love the idea (and flickr.com), so I'm doing this Meme, too. Thanks, Missy!




My Answers:
1. Lavender, 2. cheese 3. North Boone 4. purple 5. Aston Kucher 6. dreamsicle 7. resort 8. chocolate 9. la femme nikita 10. variety 11. inconsistant 12. lavender lemonade


Here’s what you do:

1. type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr search.
2. using only the first page, choose an image.
3. copy and paste each of the URL’s into the mosaic maker over at Big Huge Labs Mosaic Maker

the questions:
what is your first name?
what is your favorite food?
what high school did you attend?
what is your favorite color?
who is your celebrity crush?
favorite drink?
dream vacation?
favorite dessert?
what do you want to be when you grow up?
what do you love most in life?
one word to describe you.
your flickr, blog, website name or a nickname

Now, if you read this and have a blog...go do it! Now!

P.S. I work with copyright, so I can't let this go...Here are the links for all of the images above:
1. Lavender hill mob, 2. "I, Piórko, like Cheese!", 3. wendy, 4. eccentric beauty, 5. dudewheresmyjob, 6. Dreamsicle, 7. The Coco Walk, 8. 14th August 2007 / Day 226, 9. WHEN TO STOP, 10. 1-2-3, JUMP!!!, 11. Day 73: Self-Esteem, 12. picnic: lavender lemonade

A week's vacation...for T-Dad

So T-Dad (go visit his blog and leave comments, he feels left out.) has vacation he needs to waste. You know, he gets so many days a year and doesn't use them, so he's got to waste 'em or lose 'em. Rough life, honey. So T-Dad isn't shaving this week, is in his favorite shirt and shorts, eats hot dogs for lunch, watching baseball until midnight, etc. But never fear, he's not totally leading a life of leisure. Because hey, that just wouldn't be fair. He's got a "Honey Do" list a mile long and all the drop off/pick up duties for the kids. First and foremost on the list is getting rid of half of our crap. So far he's actually been working really hard on organizing the garage. We have a ton of stuff that we've never unpacked since we moved last year. Just boxes on top of boxes (all of which we've dug through looking for one thing or another over the last year). So needless to say we need to just get rid of it, since we've managed to live without it for an entire year. How do we end up with all this crap? Aargh! I am so looking forward to next week, after we decrease our stuff by at least 1/4. Honestly, I'm so jealous that he gets to stay home all week and work on this. I really wish I could be there. I mean he's good at preparing the piles to be looked through and getting rid of the "easy" stuff. But I'm the one who ultimately knows/cares whether or not this kitchen corning ware dish is useful and needs to be kept or junk. I've been kind of hard on him this week. Second guessing how he's spending his time and such. I'm trying to lay-off and just be happy with anything he gets done. And I've even said he's free to go golfing a couple of times if he wants. He should really nominate me for Wife of The Year, I know. So the really good news is....we are taking the kids to T-Dad parents and spending the weekend together...alone...cleaning our house. I am so excited! (He is too as you might guess, HA! Its not like he's just spent a week working in our junk filled, dirty garage.) But we are also going to go on a date on Saturday to 88 Broadway. He's hoping I have a few too many, I'm sure.

Preschool Graduation 2008

My Little Graduates

At home, Pre-Graduation Giggles

MealyWorm is up first. The hat apparently annoyed her.

Look Mom, I got my diploma! (And isn't this boy next to me cute!?)

I think if I attend Bug's high school graduation practice, this is the exact same shot I will get. Don't these "little" kids look so grown up!

Hey, Mom. I did it. I actually graduated! I'm so happy!

BFF

To think, that if we hadn't taken both of these two homeless critters from their little cage at PetSmart (on behalf of CatsNap) they would never have seen each other again. That would have been a tragedy.

Rainbow Chili

It was rainy this evening and I am tired of scrounging for food every night. So I decided to make chili (lots of leftovers). I found several recipes online that sounded great except of course I didn't have all the ingredients. So I decided to just make it up as I went along, who says Rachel Ray has cornered the market? There was a point about 2 hours ago when I thought I was all done - masterpiece, for sure! Then I tasted it...bland, blah, ugh. So I continued to add some more "stuff", like I said 2 hours later...Mmmm...delicious.

Here's what I made-

Rainbow Chili
3/4 of a large yellow pepper (chopped)
3 slices of a huge Vandelia Onion (chopped)
1 splash of Olive Oil
4-6 cloves garlic (minced)
1 lb 96/4 Lean Ground Beef
1 can Black Beans (rinsed, drained)
1 can Large Red Kidney Beans (rinsed, drained)
1 can Fat Free Chicken Stock
1 can Diced Tomatoes (not drained)
1T Cumin
1 1/2 T Chili Powder - medium
Several twists of course sea salt
1 small can Tomato Paste
2 handfulls chopped fresh Cilantro
1 handfull chopped fresh Basil

In a big skillet (or pot), on medium heat, saute the pepper and onion for several minutes (to give them a head start). Then add ground beef and garlic. Brown the meat. Still on medium heat, add the tomatoes and the beans and the chicken stock. And the cumin and chili powder and salt. Add the tomato paste, fresh cilantro and fresh basil. All in all, I bet you could put it together in 45 min. But the thing with chili is that its better if the ingredients cook together for a while, so just play with the time you have available.
Enjoy.

I wish...

Here's my current wish...
I wish someone would drive a big moving truck to my house. Back the truck up to the front of my garage and roll up the door and then walk way. Then I wish I had an entire day 8am - 8pm - by myself - to fill that truck with all the crap I don't need or want. And then at 8pm, the truck would drive away and I would never see it again.

Fireworks

Area Firework Displays -

Champaign: Fireworks, Dodds Park/Parkland College-near Mattis & Bradley, approximately 9:15 pm.
Fisher: Fireworks, in the town park, about 9 pm.
Homer: Fireworks, grassy field behind Village Hall, dusk.
Mahomet: Fireworks, Lake of the Woods, dusk.
Paxton: Fireworks, Pells Park, dusk.
Rantoul: Fireworks, former Chanute Air Force Base, approximately 9 pm.
Villa Grove: Fireworks, Richman Sports Complex, dusk.

For more information about all kinds of local Fourth of July Holiday fun and festivities, visit this News-Gazette article.

See what type of Firework you are! The Fireworks Test Lavender, Here's What These Fireworks Say About You

You are the type of person who lives a big, bold, and unique life. You love to stand out and be noticed. And people definitely notice you. You are easily excited, and you're quick to move to action. You like to be in motion doing something. Keeping busy makes you feel good.

Thanks, Missy for introducing me to blogthings.com!

Go Team!

We had a softball game last night. T-Dad and I play on our church's Men's League team. It is a lot of fun and something we both really enjoy. Normally, we bring our kids to the games and only play half a game each so we can take turns watching the kids. It usually works out fine, but I'm always slightly distracted when the kids are present. I'm squinting at them from the outfield wondering if they are getting into trouble. So last night, we hired a babysitter. To many people this is standard practice. But to us, its kind of a big deal. It means we have to track down someone responsible and available, clean the house (at least to a reasonable level of cleanliness), and shell out big bucks. All of those are a lot of work in our minds. But I think by doing it a few times, it will get easier...well, at least the tracking down someone part. The cleaning and spending money, not so much. But I digress, back to the softball game...we lost. Not by a landslide, but we started out behind and stayed that way the whole game. We have at least half women on our team and the other teams have almost all men, so that does make a difference. Though on a Men's League team its actually fun to play outfield because there's a lot of action out there! And T-Dad and I both love to bat. Before the game, T-Dad and I went to the batting cages and hit a few and even had time to toss the ball around. Having a babysitter is great! And we both played the WHOLE game instead of just a couple of innings each, which also meant we were in the game at the same time! In fact, I was right behind him in the batting order, so I caused him to get out several times. Sorry about that T-Dad. It was a beautiful night and lots of fun. I can't wait until next week (we hired the same sitter). :)

Just Do It

Okay. I'm doing it. This time its not something to contemplate or consider. It doesn't need more research, more information. I don't need to restructure the budget to join a gym. I don't need to run it past a few friends, my sisters, my mom. I don't need to organize it all first or prepare my supplies. I don't need a new set of clothes, some special equipment. An outline of events or timeline or a chart or a graph or an Excel spreadsheet or exercise journal isn't going to help.

Last night I finished my second run. I am running 3 nights a week. T-Dad and I are simultaneously participating in the Couch to 5K running program. We have the podcasts and we have each other to keep us on track. After we get the kids in bed, I'm out the door. When I return, he's out the door. We've got a system and its no nonsense. We Just Do It. And it feels good.

Meet Emjay.

Did I tell you...4 days after we came home with our Rantoul Pound rescues, we saved a cat from becoming a Rantoul rescue. Emjay's owner was preparing to drop him off at the pound, and we just couldn't let that happen. So we said we could act as a "foster" family and take care of him until we found him a new owner. Well...10 days later we still have Emjay and he is settling in. He is a big boy. He's not too fond of the girls yet, but I think they're wearing him down. Meet Emjay.

Brusha, Brusha, Brusha, new Ipana toothpaste....

So Bug and I went to the dentist yesterday. He went first...and did AWESOME! The Dental Hygienist, Tina, is really great with kids. She gave him sunglasses to wear and a squishy baseball to squeeze. And gave him lots of choices...tropical fruit paste or cherry or grape or watermelon. And then fluoride...strawberry, mint, banana, etc. And then pick a toothbrush...Diego, Shrek, Spongebob, etc. It was truly a wonderful experience and Bug was such a big boy. (Compared to his last visit 6 months ago with all kinds of screaming and crying.) Unfortunately, he does have some cavities, despite my having taken over the Bedtime Brushing EVERYNIGHT for the last six months. So we are going to have to go visit a Pediatric Dentist, his regular dentist, Dr. D, made it very clear (at that first and very traumatic appt. six months ago) that he wouldn't be taking care of his cavities, "Yes, I see some cavities forming here...But we won't take care of those here." Uh, okay. Thanks for being our family dentist. But actually, I understand that it is a better experience for kids to get dental work with a Pediatric Dentist who can give them laughing gas and make it a more pleasant experience. Dr. D is not a really "friendly" dentist. He literally makes his appearance the last 30 seconds of any dental visit and barely speaks to his hygienist, let alone the actual patient. Quite strange. I had a great dentist when I lived in Springfield, IL - Dr. Tanya DeSanto. She actually talked to me and expressed an interest in my questions and health. I totally recommend her to everyone. As for a local Pediatric Dentist, I've heard good things about Dr. Chifan Cheng. So I need to make him an appointment....hopefully, this one will go as well as yesterday's.

Parenting alone together.

Friday night we drove up North to visit my parents. T-Dad and I both left work about a half hour early, he picked up the kiddos from Daycare and I hurried home to get packing. We managed to eat a quick dinner of leftover grilled hot dogs and watermelon and were on the road by 6:30pm. Not bad. It was a (4 hr) good drive, the kids were well behaved, watched movies, played with toys etc. Then Saturday was filled with a trip to the Stride Rite store (Bug-size 12 and Mealyworm- size 9) and playing with GramH and PapaB. In the evening I surprised T-Dad with a secret Date Night. My folks babysat and we were on our own from 5pm - ? . It was great to have some couple time. We had dinner at Chili's, including an appetizer. I had gotten us tickets to see the Phantom Regiment's Show of Shows. It was my first time attending a Drum Corp International competition and it was awesome. T-Dad was totally impressed with my surprise. So the rest of the evening and then Sunday morning flew by and it was time to drive home...this is where the "What not to do as a Parent" lesson starts.
It was after lunch. I was tired. The kids were tired. T-Dad was driving. I gave the kids their respective "lovies" for nap time. We sang some favorite bedtime songs, we talked about the fun we'll have when we get home after our rest time. And I lay back and close my eyes. Not surprising, our good sleeper and 2 yr old, Mealyworm, actually falls asleep right on cue. But the Bug has different ideas. So eventually I turn on the DVD player and he watches Toy Story 2 while I continue to try to grab some desperately needed Zzzzzzzs. Then the T-Dad decides we should stop and get some gas. Great. Mealyworm wakes up and the Bug gets "rejuvenated". Let the chaos begin. Mealyworm is cranky because she only got about 45 min of sleep time compared to her usual 3 hours. Bug is jacked up on adreneline because he is actually exhausted but won't sleep, so he gets into his "17 yr old w/ an attitude problem" persona. Much crying, fighting over toys, yelling, whining, etc. ensues. And Bug has figured out my #1 pet peeve at the moment...he starts kicking my seat. His fancy dancy Britax car seat/ barchalounger is right behind mine...and he can put both feet flat on the back of the passenger seat and push...hard. or kick and watch the person's head bob...or kick repeatedly and watch mommy become irate. Good times. We pulled off the highway at one point and Bug got a swat on the behind,which had no effect. So I buckled him back into his lazy-boy car seat and threw his beloved spiderman action figure into the long grass prairie on the side of the road. (I know, really bad parenting move on my part.) Because of course the kicking of my seat and more screaming and crying continued. So I started the toy ultimatum..."every time you kick my seat I'm going to throw one of your toys away." So I go through the car toy box and eventually pull out all of Bug's toys....I find like 6 matchbox cars, 5 happy meal toys, a plastic helicopter, plastic binoculars, a beanie bear, etc. And an hour down the road with my seat being kicked the whole time...we stop at a rest stop and I throw them all into the trash (I really wanted to donate them, rather than trash them, but I thought I was making an important point at the time. Again, I know really bad parenting on my part.) HA! More kicking and screaming...blah, blah, blah. But the fresh air at the rest stop must have cleared my senses enough to help me snap out of my "Mommie Dearest" mind set. So back on the road, promises of an evening trip to the park and the playing of a Wiggles movie eventually settled the car down and we made it home. But through it all, you know what really ticked me off most...T-Dad. Where was he? Why didn't he "fix the situation"? Obviously, I was tired and not making great parenting choices. Why didn't he step in and solve the situation? In hindsight, I figured out what would have been better...move Bug's car seat to the far back seat in the mini-van. So he couldn't kick my seat anymore. Or recline my seat so that its an inch from his legs and I sit in the far back. Anything to essentially make the irritating behavior ineffective and then he would have stopped. But I was so wrapped up in the irritation to see these easy solutions...T-Dad could have. Why do I feel like I make all the parenting choices (whether they are good or bad) and he's just along for the ride? Aaargh.

Getting healthy, losing weight, yada, yada...

I know lots of bloggers use their blog as a way to stay on track when it comes to getting healthy, losing weight, training for a marathon, etc. So I'll give it a shot too, because I need all the help I can get. Just in the last 18 months I have participated in 3 sessions of Weight Management (at work, 10 wks each), 2 sessions of Weight Watchers (13 wks each) and the 20 week Healthy Eating Every Day course (at work). And I've done personal training and cardio classes (at work, twice a week for a month) off and on throughout. And I weigh 1 lb more now than I did 18 months ago. I, apparently, am not really trying or something.
But my mom tries really hard to motivate me to lose weight, so the latest proposition is....If I can lose 15-20 pounds by 8/5/08, she will give me $500. This is by far her best motivation offer yet...so I am really trying to do it, on my own. I mean I'd be an idiot to not give it my all. Because the bottom line is I want to be thinner and healthier. But I'm tired of wasting money with no results.
So, last night I went over to a Curves that is near my house and was shocked at how expensive it is. I actually did Curves about 6 yrs ago when I lived in Springfield, IL and really enjoyed it. But now it seems so expensive and you have to commit to a full year of payments, sign up fee is $150 and monthly $34 fee. I'm not afraid to commit to getting healthy, walking/exercising for a year...but committing to pay $34 a month to this Curves for a year is a little intimidating to me. I mean I have 2 awesome parks within walking distance...for free!

I love the British Speak

At work, we route around over 50 journals and magazines. One of the ones I thoroughly enjoy getting every month (mind you I just got May 2008, so its never exactly timely.) is a UK publication called Health & Fitness. It is a glossy magazine like SELF or SHAPE. But being as its published in the UK...its full of wonderful British stuff. All the articles are essentially the same as we'd have here..."Age is just a number", "Running a Triathalon", "Electronic relationships", etc. But the ads and the little things are there..."stones" instead of pounds, talking about your relationship with your "partner" not husband, crisps are potato chips etc. I mean British people are sooooo cool. Okay, that's juvenile and a total generalization, but hell, its true.

Here's some more British Speak:
Wind = passing gas
Mum = mom
Yoghurt = yogurt
diarrhoea = diarrhea
coeliac = celiac disease

Wow...meet Crystal.

I just found an awesome writer, Crystal at Boobs, Injuries & Dr. Pepper.
I am devouring her words and crying through her Crazy Chronicles.

Shades of Gray

I consider myself to be very open-minded and even forward-thinking in most regards. But something I struggle with on a daily basis is GRAY. Generally, I'm fine with cutting people some slack, seeing situations as having no right answer, allowing inconsistencies, etc. But there are specific things that trigger me into the "no gray zone". For these situations, its like there is this archaic little justice scale in my head, and when I put too many weights on either side, that side wins. Using this kind of system, there really is no "gray" or blended balance of the two. So I would like to get rid of that whole little justice scale mentality. But it is like writing with my left hand...I have to constantly remind myself that it is possible, I can't seem to just flip a switch and throw out the justice scale. It takes work, constant diligence, like reminding myself it is humanly possible to form letters and numbers with this uncoordinated stick otherwise known as my left hand. And on the same note...that it is possible that a situation can be gray, not all white or all black.