notes on the 3....and other observations

candy

2009-10-16T17:07:00.001-07:00

kiki: i love this peanut butter candy so much, momma.
me: glad you like it, sweetie.
kiki: it's chewy, but not like tootsie rolls. tootsie rolls give me a headache *taps her head several times with her finger* i don't know why. the world is just crazy like that sometimes.

the reader

2009-10-12T18:49:00.001-07:00

muss has asked me three times in the past 24 hours if it is ok for her to just hang out in her room and read. i love that girl.

in other news. kiki is hacking up a lung and has a temp of 100.4. no school for her tomorrow.

new shoes

2009-10-12T18:41:00.000-07:00

scene ~ kiki heads to show muss some shoes she is trying on.

muss: where'd you find those shoes, the ugly closet?
kiki: momma said they were yours.
muss: wow, i had bad taste when i was 4.

giving it another try

2009-10-10T18:53:00.000-07:00

so it's been awhile. giving this thing another whirl, but not making any promises.

since i was last here, they have repealed that safe haven law i spoke of and thus i have been forced to keep all 3 children.

the muss is now in 3rd grade, boo in 1st and kiki has finally started preschool. all is well.

i also turned 40. don't tell anyone i actually admitted that.

deep breath

2008-11-13T21:52:00.000-08:00

tonight was a rough night in parenting.

i don't really want to go into details and point blame at any one child, but let's just say that i almost utilized that crazy safe haven law we have on the books (temporarily, as it were) and free myself of 2 kids. i would then only have one. which one? he's a boy if that narrows it down. i can't believe of the 3 of them the 5-year-old boy was the best one. he knew momma was about to blow a gasket and to steer clear. the girls, being too much like their mother, did not know when to give up and almost put me over the edge. of a cliff.

i calmed down. they are all fine. i need to go over the events of the evening in my mind and find a better way to handle things next time. yes, we all know there will be a next time.

piano lessons

2008-11-12T21:47:00.000-08:00

The Muss started taking piano lessons the beginning of October. Today was only her 6th lesson, but she is almost completely through her first book. Her teacher showers her with praise and tells me how quickly she is picking up the music. She really seems to love it and when she sits down to practice at home will go on for quite a long time. She doesn't practice as much as she should, but I don't make her so it is more my fault.

Sometimes, being the oldest, I think she feels like she doesn't get as much attention as the others. She isn't the boy. She isn't the tiny pixie-like toddler flitting about the room. She is the oldest and because she is the oldest she is expected to do more. I was the oldest so I get it. I understand how she is feeling and also understand that later in life she will enjoy being the oldest. More experiences to share, first to go to college, first to leave home, and many other firsts but it still all seems unfair now. We do our best to divide and conquer with the kids giving them each one-on-one time when we can. It is difficult though. We both work outside the home, J. is in school full-time (for not much longer, woohoo!) and there is always so much to do around the house. It is hard to find the time.

But for this 1/2 hour a week my dad comes over to babysit Boo & Kiki and I take the Muss to her piano lesson. I sit and listen to her learn the notes, play and sing. She plays sweet duets singing along with her teacher. It is really lovely. She knows I am proud of her and think she is amazing. I really need to tell her that more.

veterans' day

2008-11-11T23:15:00.000-08:00

Also my mother's birthday. We had my mother and step-father over for dinner tonight. One of the moments I want to remember is the kids trying to surprise my mother as she came into the house. They hid on the stairs and shushed eachother so loudly that I'm sure my mother heard them as she was coming across the street. As she walked in the door, they jumped down and yelled "SURPRISE!!!" Then the Muss strummed the guitar as the 3 of them sang "Happy Birthday" to her. I got a tear in my eye it was so sweet. They had crafted her some lovely birthday cards and we ate, talked, had cake and played. Good times.

diagnosed

2008-11-10T11:05:00.000-08:00

Almost a week since the election. An election that should have invigorated me and I still cannot muster the energy to get off the sofa and cook dinner. What is up? I think I have found the answer ~

Now what to do about it...

100 years

2008-11-09T21:52:00.000-08:00

We had a pretty uneventful weekend I am sad to say. Just not much I could motivate myself to do. Hmmmm, seems to be a pattern here.

One thing we did do today was go to the 100th birthday party of a lovely lady from our church. Everyone in my family has known this lady for our entire lives. The Muss was especially excited to go, she just loves her. There were a few hundred people who came by for this event today. I guess when you live for 100 years, you get to know a lot of people. She greeted each one individually hugging them all. What an amazing woman to have lived to see so much in her lifetime. She mind is still sharp and her body is healthy and she is one of the kindest, most caring people you could ever meet. Now that is something to aspire to.

and the weekend

2008-11-08T09:26:00.000-08:00

Since it's a Saturday, I should really be doing laundry and cleaning my house. Seriously, the furr....UGH. Is it cruel to shave a dog as winter is approaching? I can't handle the fur. I think I need one of those hairless dogs. Also, one that takes care of itself while we go on vacation would be nice. Do they make those? I didn't think so. But really, the fur. I could build another pet with the accumulation under the sofa....and the dining table...and the bookshelf.

Then the laundry...UGH...it mocks me. I have getting the laundry hauled to the washing machine, then washing and drying the clothes. It is after that there is an issue. I just can't seem to get the laundry out of the dryer, fold it and, here's the kicker, actually put it away. Just can't do it. So, I am ashamed to admit, we live from laid out piles of clothes that I have to hunt through every evening to find outfits for the next day. Love it.

I need a laundry fairy.

wow, am I tired

2008-11-07T21:55:00.000-08:00

This week has totally wore me out. I have no idea what is up, but it certainly isn't me. I am so jazzed that it is Friday and the kids are in bed. I am looking forward to watching Bill Maher tonight while partaking of an adult beverage. Hearing his take on the events of this week will surely give me some laughs.

More boring than the usual boring today, sorry 'bout that. Just can't muster up anything better.

feeling many things

2008-11-06T19:37:00.000-08:00

No matter who you supported in this election, we would all have to agree that it was a momentous one. With an African-American heading one ticket and a woman in the 2nd seat on the other, it was definitely turning out to be history-making. But for me it was more than that. When Barack Obama came to my city before he had even clinched the Democratic nomination I took the Muss to see him. I wanted her to be a part of the history being made. We are a very overlooked speck on the map politically. A Red State in the middle of the country that almost never turns Blue. Plus, only 5 electoral votes so no one really cares about us. We are far from being one of the coveted "swing states" so the fact that he came here was enough to get me off the sofa.

While he was definitely an excellent speaker and drew a packed crowd, I saw more in him. He really believes what he says. He really wants to make the United States and the world a better place. He does not seem to be pandering to any particular group of people. He is for the underdog. He is the underdog.

From that moment I became a believer in his mission.

Then after the big conventions, the real campaign began. And it got ugly. I was really afraid that the fear the other side was spreading was going to smother the hope that Obama was trying to give us. Then from the fear came the lies, the misconstruing of everything said, the pundits and their pundittiness, blah, blah, blah, etc, etc, etc. GAWWWW, make it stop.

Then it stopped. Finally.

And I really do feel like it is the dawn of a new day. I am not naive enough to believe that this will heal all the wounds, but I do believe that it is a start. A great, big start. I don't believe President-Elect Obama can fix all that ails in our country on January 21st or even in a year, let alone a term. We have much to fix. What has sunken us to a new low from the past 8 years of whatever you call the past 8 years will take some time to get past.

However, I believe that he told the truth throughout his campaign. I was reassured by his calmness during the chaos. By the way he stood tall and strong while others tried to knock him down with all they could muster. He smiled that warm smile and touched the hearts and minds of the masses.

Now let's move on, the people have spoken. Get over it, FoxNews.

the day after

2008-11-05T19:33:00.000-08:00

I have never been prouder to be an American than I was last night while watching President-Elect Barack Obama.

There really aren't words right now.

election day

2008-11-04T17:55:00.000-08:00

Today I am doing my civic duty and working at the office of the Election Commision for my county. Ok, I'm not really doing it by choice, I was drafted. We are the only state in the country that drafts our election workers like we draft people for jury duty. Man, I live in half-assed-backwards state. WTF are we still doing here? Anyway, you can't get out of this stuff unless you are dying in a hospital. Not this election. They think for some reason this one may be a bit busy. Gee, I wonder where they get that idea?

I have to work from 6:30am to 8:00pm and answer the phones to direct people where to vote and how to vote if they are not in "THE BOOK" as they think they should be. I get a break for lunch and dinner which they provide because we can't actually leave the premises. Don't feel bad for me, I have my own office this time (this is my 3rd or 4th election, we get drafted for 4) which is nice because I can surf the net and type on my blog while I am supposed to be working. Just kidding, I have been answering calls nonstop, but am taking a well-deserved break right now.

I have had some very interesting calls today, but let me put out a word of advice to those who would like to be able to vote. People, today is not the day to find out if you are registered to vote. No, this is something you should have checked on weeks, if not months ago. Also, I am very sorry if you were hospitalized with the flu back in March, but tell me WTF does that have to do with you being unable to get to us to register to vote before October 24th? Wow, there are a helluva lot of you who move during the months of October and November. While I can empathize with you moving across the country, but since you are a resident of Louisiana and you are moving to Oregon, you cannot vote in Nebraska. Sorry about that. Also, you people are driving me crazy.

Thanks I feel better. Break is about over too so let's wrap this shizzle up.

I will be off in a couple of hours and I plan to go home, cuddle up on the sofa with a my hubby and a cocktail and watch CNN until this thing is done. Lord, please help me make it through the night.

halloween continued

2008-11-03T19:07:00.000-08:00

I am one of those people who loves to carve fancy pumpkins. Every year I let the kids each pick out a pattern from the book and I carve their choice for them. Yes, it is just a pattern, but they really are challenging. Some are much easier than others. This year, Boo chose a lovely skeleton-pirate guy. He was easy. The Muss chose a spiderweb with a spider at the bottom. That one was not easy. Kiki couldn't really decide, but I had a pattern to make a Barack Obama campaign logo and she decided she liked that one.

Like I mentioned, we weren't home on Halloween so I made sure to turn off all the lights as well as the motion-sensitive flood light for the driveway before we left. Then I lit our pumpkins to show off my handiwork. Then we left and did what I told you about yesterday.

When we got home, the Barack O'Lantern was gone. I looked around a bit to discover it shattered in my neighbor's driveway and a bit into the street. Now, mind you, this was the closest pumpkin to the house. This/these hoodlum(s) had to walk past my other 2 carved pumpkins to get to this one. Barack was targeted. I was disgusted. Why can't we all just get along? Why can't we just accept others differing opinions? I have some very good friends, not to mention family who are McCain supporters. So be it, but I am not. I respect their right to support the candidate of their choice, even though I think they are blooming crazy for it. Ok, not really. Maybe just a little crazy. Ok, not crazy, but I just don't agree. At all. Not that he is a bad guy. He just doesn't speak for me or to me at all.

So, Pumpkin-Smashers, I hope you got a good laugh when you destroyed my Barack O'Lantern, but let me tell you something. I carved a new one to light as a beacon to the world tomorrow night. Election night. And I will be the one laughing then.

halloween night

2008-11-02T18:52:00.000-08:00

We are never home to pass out candy on Halloween. Our block is mostly the over-80 set and is pretty quiet with just a few lights on. Plus J. is usually at work weeknights and that leaves me to take the kids trick-or-treating. This year J. was actually able to take a vacation day so I thought it would be great to go out on Halloween as a family for, like, the first time ever. Milestone!

So we went out on our candy spree with a friend of ours and his son who is just a bit younger than Boo (but quite a bit taller, that Boo is a wee one). My aunt and my cousin also came along because we trick-or-treat in their neighborhood ~ it is flat and most of the lights are on. Everything went swimmingly until the Muss decided she was tired. Everyone had better get the hell out of her way when she is done because if you don't she will make you pay. Needless to say, there was a scene. My cousin took her back to my aunt and uncle's house and the boys kept going. Kiki (aka Tinkerbell) was done dealing, but she had her daddy/pack mule to carry her where she needed to go.

After returning with our loot to my aunt's house, I wanted to take a few pictures of the kids with family. Especially one with the Muss and my cousin who is her godmother. They always get their picture taken together, it's just their thing. But no, you would think the flash was going to steal her soul and suck the life force from her being from the way she was writhing and wailing at the thought of having a photo taken. So I took a picture of that. She didn't think that was funny at all.

As you can guess, we went home. Thankfully our friend who was with us totally understands and is chill with the whole temper-tantrum-for-no-freakin'-reason thing. Also, as you can guess, the Muss went directly to bed, do not pass go, do not get to eat any candy on Halloween night.

Oh, so the whole point of this post was to mention what we found when we returned home. Stay tuned~

it's been far too long

2008-11-01T18:40:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how long it's been since I have posted! It certainly isn't because nothing has happened of interest or because the kids haven't been spouting their usual funnies. It must be because I have been busier than you know what and just haven't had time to put things into writing. Not wise, I know. Again I will be forgetting 10 times as much as I remember and there are so many memories to precious (or hysterical) to lose.

I have a story to share about Halloween night, but guess what, I'm too busy to type it right now. The crazies are about and I need to banish them to their beds. Once that is done, J. & I need to complete our ballots for the election so I can run them by the Election Commission since we will not be able to vote on Election Day. Why, you ask? Because I have been remanded to election duty once again and will be answering the phones directing people to their correct polling places. As much as I would like to send some of them to the wrong ones, I won't.

from the back seat

2008-08-15T21:47:00.000-07:00

kiki: what is this song, Daddy?

J.: Hot Legs by Rod Stewart.

kiki: hout wegs?

J.: yes, Hot Legs.

kiki: oh, Captain Hook has hout wegs!

not in hot water

2008-06-01T09:20:00.000-07:00

Why, you ask? Let me tell you, my friends, it is because our hot water heater was not working. Well, technically (as my loving husband likes to point out) it was working, but it was leaking out of this pipe-thing sticking off the side. You could look at it and see it was 20-25 years old and so I figured that it would be smarter to just, you know, replace the water heater instead of just that little pipe thing. I had support from my dad who agreed that we needed a new one because the old one was, well, old. And from my step-dad who said that it was probably 50% full of sediment and stuff. And really, how hard can a water heater be to replace? A Saturday project at best one would think.

Clearly, I have no idea what I'm talking about since I don't even know what that pipe-thing sticking off the side is called.

So the original project for the weekend was to replace this little log type low retaining wall on the back patio that oozes dirt every time it rains with some lovely landscape block that my aunt and uncle so generously gave us. 2 years ago. We are a little slow on the home improvement thing. Well, it ended up raining all week and was just too wet to be trying to set in landscape block. So I chime in, "Hey, how about you replace the water heater?" My dad and J. agree and head off to Lowe's. I suggested that they go to Menard's (a locally owned chain), but they went to Lowe's because it is closer. We really didn't do any research about hot water heaters and such, just the prices. Which were all about the same. One would figure that you would get the same type of quality for the same money at any of the major home improvement stores. WRONG.

So they come home with a lovely shiny new Whirlpool FlameLock water heater. I won't go into details about the numerous trips to the neighborhood hardware store to buy this or that as they were trying to install it. Or even about the little blowtorch that engulfed in flames (also from Lowe's) and almost killed my step-dad. Or that despite using the liquid copper sealer stuff as well as sodering with a new non-flame-engulfing blowtorch, the thing still leaked water from several places. No, let me just focus on the true crime here. This particular brand of water heater. Oh, People, please google this thing before buying. I implore you. It is insanely heinous that Lowe's even continues to carry a product that has been causing nothing but grief since the beginning of this decade. This is exclusively sold at Lowe's and was the only kind of water heater available at Lowe's. NUTS, I tell you! I don't know how with good conscience I am going to be able to continue to shop at a store that sells something it knows is a PIECE OF CRAP. HOW?????????? WHY?????????? Do they have no morals? I think not.

Orange is my favorite color anyway. Guess where I'm going to shop from now on?

There is more to our Saturday, but I will have to post that later. I give you a teaser though ~ Mommy freaked the f*ck out.

generation gap

2008-05-15T20:19:00.000-07:00

Calling the kids in to wash up for dinner tonight, I see Kiki has been playing with blue sidewalk chalk. Her hands and arms were covered with it and she had rubbed her face so it was blue as well.

Me: Kiki, did you color with some chalk?

Kiki: Blue chalk, momma!

Me: I can tell, you look like a smurf.

Muss: What's a smurf?

and then at dinner

2008-04-21T17:15:00.000-07:00

Muss: Mama, there's something weird going on.

Me: What is it?

Muss: Well, during Spring Break last week, the days seemed to go really fast. The whole week went really fast. Then, today at school, the day went really slow. Slower than the Spring Break days.

Me: Welcome to reality, sweetie.

breakfast exchange

2008-04-21T12:02:00.000-07:00

Boo decided he wanted toast for breakfast this morning

J: Boo, do you want white bread or brown bread?

Boo: uhhhh, white....because I'm white.

That he is. I think he is even pastier-white than his mother. And that is pretty white.

finally

2008-04-17T17:59:00.001-07:00

Finally I am starting to feel better. I haven't been out of commission like this for as long as I can remember. It's like I had mono or something (but I didn't) and I have just been tired. Like I-can't-go-on-another-minute tired. Really tired. And I am still having coughing attacks like a 3-pack-a-day smoker (but I'm not). I am still using an inhaler like an asthmatic (but I'm not). But this week, I was able to take the kids to the zoo. AND WALK AROUND. Walk around for more than 5 minutes without needing to sit down and take a breather. And hack up another lung (how many are in there anyway because I'm almost sure I have hacked them all up). I am not at full speed, but I am better. That's a start at least.

So after walking around the zoo for 2 hours, I took the Muss to her tennis lesson. Thank the heavens above that Kiki fell asleep on the way there because I could not have chased her around the tennis center for an hour without losing my mind (and yet another lung). So the Muss had her lesson, Boo played with the siblings of one of the Muss' tennis mates and Kiki slept on my lap while I caught up with another mom who had a newborn (her 4th!). Then I got take-out on the way home because after all that activity, there would be no cooking for me. I was beat.

My mothering skills have not been stellar lately. I have been short with the kids, meals have been hap-hazard and I have probably let them play the Wii more than I should. Then there is the house. I was able to get it presentable enough to have a birthday party for the Muss on Sunday evening (a week late, mind you), but it was only clean on the surface. Barely.

Then there is the laundry. I have complained about laundry in the past, maybe not here, but my friends and family have heard my laundry woes. My issues with laundry are kind of like my own little personal inside joke. So inside, that I'm probably the only one who thinks it's hysterical, but whatever. Well, let me try to put my current laundry situation into words for you. We have a 3-bin hamper. You know, the kind that hypothetically lets one separate into different loads and once a particular bin is almost full to the top, then one would presumably put that load into the washer, then the dryer and then, if one were motivated, they would fold said laundry and put it in its home. That sounds so simple written out like that, doesn't it? Let's just say that this scenario has not happened here. In this home. In, well, let's just say, AWHILE. Like so long that those bins that are only as high as about my mid-thigh are piled up taller than I am. And I don't consider myself a vertically-challenged individual.

I am going to hang my head in shame now.

den of illness

2008-04-04T16:57:00.000-07:00

Mid-point of our last week-end, J. hauled himself to the ER because he couldn't breathe. He has asthma and had caught some type super-virus that was kicking his hiney and, well, we figured the whole not-breathing-thing could not wait until Monday when our GP was back in his office. An x-ray, some blood tests and a couple of breathing treatments later he was back at home. Can't wait for that bill, we haven't even touched our deductible yet this year. So then he improved. A bit. Today wasn't necessarily a good day in the breathing department, but he is better.

In the meantime, the Muss and Boo have been hacking up little lungs this week. No fever or anything else of note, just the hack. I have some prescription cough meds I keep in the cupboard for just these instances and they seem to better a couple of days later.

All the while, I have been getting progressively sicker since Wednesday. I thought maybe some alcohol consumption Wednesday night with friends would kill the germs, but alas, it did not. So, by today, I am coughing up all kinds of colorful stuff accompanied by wheezing, fever, chills, a bit of nauseau (that was yesterday) and a headache that could fell a brachiosaurus.

Seriously, the kids, they are not quiet. They have no volume control, it is either at 11 or they are sleeping. They don't have the capability to be quiet. IT IS COMPLETELY FOREIGN TO THEM. Last night, I was not bucking for mother of the year. With the constant shhhhhh's and hushhhhhhhh's and for the love of pete, could you please be quiet's, well, let's just say they were not sorry that I was not home when they woke up this morning.

Oh, did I not mention that I didn't miss any work during this illness? Nope, well, not until today. I went in at 7a and left at 2:45p for a 3p doctor's appointment (wasn't supposed to be off until 4:30p). I succumbed to the modern medicine thing and got myself a couple of shots in my hiney, a couple of scripts and a free inhaler (WOOO!). That should all make another nice dent in the annual deductible. Except that free inhaler, of course. Why did I not miss work, you ask? Well, I was OUT with work people on Wednesday night, including my manager, and that would just look bad. You know what I mean, I know you do. Then today, it was a quest to win over the illness (I eventually did end up losing). When you talk on the phone all day, it sucks when you lose your voice. Doesn't work well at all.

So that is our week, it doesn't help that the Muss turns 7 tomorrow and we were supposed to have her family party. Luckily it was all family and very close friends and they are easy enough to reschedule (thanks family and friends).

Have you noticed anyone conspicuously absent from this post? Yep, Kiki. I may have mentioned before the issues we've had with Kiki and her lungs and somehow she has stayed well during this bout of family illness.

KNOCK.ON.WOOD.

at the dinner table

2008-03-27T17:17:00.000-07:00

eating easter egg salad in whole wheat pitas with a side of grapes (yeah, I know, sounds more like lunch, but I'm lazy)

boo: last one done with dinner is a rotten egg

muss: HA! good one, boo

easter rush

2008-03-24T15:32:00.000-07:00

I can't believe we made it! To church, that is. It is family tradition to attend the Sunrise Service at our church on Easter morning at 6:30am. Yes, you read that correctly, 6:30am. J. & I had our phone alarms set for 5:10am (mine) and 5:30am (his) so we would not oversleep. You can probably guess what happened. So at 5:58am J. wakes up to use his inhaler because he can't breathe. I have never been so happy for his asthma as I was yesterday because at that moment he happened to look at the clock before dozing back off and had one of those oh-shit-moments.

Yes, we need to leave the house by 6:15am to squeak in at the last moment and that was, oh, only 17 minutes from now.

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!

He quickly woke me up and somehow in my daze I got dressed and brushed my teeth, woke up the Muss, put make-up on, brushed and hair-sprayed my hair, the Muss' hair, sent her in the wake up Kiki while J. woke up Boo, brushed Boo's hair and told him to get dressed FAST. FRENZY of activity. The list goes on.

Let's pause for a brief moment and talk about Boo. Now here is a boy who cannot be rushed. Telling him to hurry is like telling a snail to hurry. He just can't ooze along amy faster. In fact, if you tell him to hurry he just short circuits and goes even slower. And he had to BUTTON. HIS. SHIRT. Thank heavens his shoes were velcro or my head would have promptly exploded into a million particles right there in the living room.

Now Kiki. Oh my. We had not done a trial run with the dress before that morning and that was an error in judgment on my part. Oh yes it was. I put the dress on her and she immediately began to writhe and scream DON'T LIKE IT! DON'T WANT THE DRESS, DON'T LIKE IT and then pulled and squirmed making it exceedingly difficult to button said dress. Then came the socks. She was no more pleased with the ruffled socks than she was with the dress and don't even get me started on the shoes. They were most definitely put on this earth to be a toddler torture device. Somehow I managed to get her dressed and ready despite all of this in about 3.5 minutes.

The Muss grabbed Easter hats and J. grabbed Boo's belt and we bolted out the door at 6:20am. The interstate was empty (shocking for a Sunday at 6:20am, I know), I put on my jewelry in the van and we made it to church at 6:32am.

Mighty impressive, I know. And we didn't look half bad.

Footnote: As I was lying on my sofa later in my food coma and exhausted from the day, my phone alarm went off at 5:10pm. Typical.

not sure if I should be worried

2008-03-19T21:18:00.000-07:00

I came home from work today to find J. sitting on the sofa in the downstairs family room folding laundry and watching Oprah.

shoe drama

2008-02-25T21:26:00.000-08:00

via text messaging

me: did you get cupcakes and juice for boo's birthday at school today?

J.: yes, got cupcakes and juice. Muss had a fit about shoes this morning, she hates them all

me: oh yes, the shoes. Were they poking and rubbing in all the wrong places.

J.: yes, they live to make her life miserable...along with her socks.

at the circus

2008-02-22T23:21:00.000-08:00

via text messaging

me: cotton candy = crack for Kiki

J.: and no nap...this will end in flames.

me: surely it will

house = meat locker

2008-02-17T12:29:00.000-08:00

We awoke this morning to a very chilly home.

Actually, laying in bed with the kids, I didn't even notice because we have to keep a space heater going in our bedroom at night otherwise our room would ALWAYS be a meat locker. It is right above the garage, poorly insulated, you catch my drift. But after letting Trooper out, J. came in to announce that the furnace was not working and it was 57 degrees in the house. Brrrrrr.

We have old wiring and such so I figured it was just a circuit breaker or something easy like that, I mean why would a furnace that is less than 4 years old go out for any reason. It is practically new!! Of course, he had already thought of the circuit breaker thing and that was not the issue. Dang.

To top it off, it is Sunday and any respectable furnace guy is going to charge a billion dollars an hour to come over and look at it. First we called the guy who installed the furnace since it is, after all, still under warranty. He was walking into church and said he would call us back when he got out. So he did. When he told us how much it would cost an hour for him to come out on a Sunday, I thought how can this guy even call himself a Christian. I hope he went to confession. Whatever.

I perused the phone book and saw an ad that said 24-hour service at regular rates! and NO OVERTIME RATES EVER! and figured this was my guy. I had J. call him. He is conveniently preparing to leave on vacation, but referred us to a friend of his who covers for him when he is gone. I think this is code for "I'm really not going to come on a Sunday at regular rates, you fool! Call this dude and then we split the cash." J. calls furnace guy #3 and he is home sick with the flu. At this point, I am sure there is some conspiracy to get us to pay the above quoted billion dollars an hour to have someone look at our furnace. In defense of furnace guy #3, however, I will say that he did try to talk J. through some quick fixes on the phone. None of which worked, but he did put out substantially more effort than furnace guys #1 and #2.

In the end, we are just having to go without heat for a day. Luckily it is not sub-zero and we have a slight warm-up going on. The Muss and Boo are currently with J. and friends at a place that has all-you-can-eat pizza and ice cream and at least 50 million square feet of games and rides. They are not worried at all. Kiki is sick and home with me and is currently sleeping her baby cares away upstairs in the 1 warm room of the house.

Me, I am going to tie this entry up and eat some pizza myself while sitting on the sofa with a blanket and this laptop to watch that last Desperate Housewives episode I still haven't seen. Yeah, the after-the-tornado episode, I'm a little behind. I can't believe no one has told me what happened yet.

banter

2008-02-06T19:04:00.000-08:00

via text messaging:

J.: I think you've officially lost all nail clippers in the house

me: they're around
just look harder

J: my point is I shouldn't have to, we have like 8 of them total

me: oh
didn't know you were trying to make a point

later in the minivan on the way to the Muss' tennis lesson:

boo: mama, what are we having for dinner?

me: minestrone soup and grilled cheese

boo: yummy, yummy, yummy, get your yummies here (sung to the tune of lolli, lolli, lolli, get your adverbs here from Schoolhouse Rock)

me: so you are pleased?

boo: yep. am I so funny?

and we're back

2008-02-05T19:26:00.000-08:00

After a long hiatus, I'm going to give this blogging thing a go again. I figured I would start with the photos because those are easy and require little thought. I now think I have posted in just over a month more than I did the entire year of 2007. Off to a good start. I know I have lived and forgotten lots of things that I'm not going to get back so I going to attempt to be more diligent about it this time. After that huge run-on sentence, if you are looking for grammar lessons . . . this is not your website.

my sweet boo

2007-10-22T22:19:00.000-07:00

He got an award for being such a good citizen today at school.

It seems one of his little friends ran into a bar on the playground and he ran over to see if she was alright. Then, another one got hit by a swing and he again ran to make sure she was okay. He has always been like that. If someone falls, he is the first to ask "are you okay?" If someone is sad he will ask "why are you sad?"

Such a caring little man. He is going to make a great husband and daddy some day.

from the backseat

2007-10-20T19:31:00.000-07:00

Heading to an afternoon birthday party for one of our favorite newly-turned-4-year-olds ~

me: I had better stop and grab a coffee on our way out. I am still pretty tired and a little crabby, I think.

the muss: You should make it a large.

so proud

2007-10-16T22:03:00.000-07:00

The Muss is a fantastic student.

We had parent/teacher conferences today for our favorite 1st grader and it went swimmingly. Her teacher was beaming as she told us how the Muss is doing in each of her subjects, went over her (very subjective) report card and told us about the "extra" things she has her doing.

I guess the Muss and one other student are so far ahead in some areas (read: reading) that the teacher has them do other worksheets/projects when she is working with the rest of the class. I already knew she was doing very well with her reading, heck, she was using inflection as a 5-year-old. A lot of adults I know don't even use inflection when they read. I was fairly advanced in this area when I was younger as well. From my writing you can clearly see that it ended there and I didn't advance much past AP English in high school. I make do.

Her teacher spoke of how the Muss is always volunteering to help her and other students. How she is always smiling and always willing (and excited!) to do whatever is asked of her. She is a joy to have in the classroom.

I wish that was the same kid I picked up from school. I tease. We have our difficulties, what parent doesn't? I do know that it is hard to "keep it together" all day and so a little falling apart is necessary once she gets home. I have the same problem.

on the way home from tennis lessons

2007-10-02T21:20:00.000-07:00

Note: I am not perfect and my kids do get drive-thru from time to time.
Not often, though. I swear.

Tennis gets over at 6:20 PM and I just cannot muster the energy to rush home and cook dinner. Since we usually eat at 6P, this would make it at least an hour late, so we usually pick something up on Tuesdays.

Heading to Taco Johns~

Me: I haven't had an Super Potato Oles in for-evah, can't wait.

the Muss: Hmmm, do they wear a cape?

Boo: Super Potato Oles to the rescue!

happy birthday to me

2007-10-01T21:14:00.000-07:00

I'm 29 years old and I'm sticking to that.

No, really, today I turned 38. Speeding toward 40 at a rapid rate. I'm not one who is really hung up on ages, except when you mention mine. I don't feel 38 and (personally) I don't think I look 38. Whatever 38 looks like, I guess. I did that test thing at realage.com and I was only 21 yrs 8 mos old. Now, I really would not want to be 21 again, but hey, that thing is scientifically accurate, right?

I started the day by taking the Muss to school. Then headed out for a day of shopping with my mom. I have been feeling some tension in our relationship so it was really nice to spend the day with her just relaxing. I think I may have repaired some things in my head. Mothers and daughters seem to have such complicated relationships. I am a little apprehensive about the future since I have 2 of them and they both seem to have too much of me in them. I am going to surmise the teenage years will prove to be difficult.

The kids made me some very cute cards today while I was out. Boo's drew a picture of the two of us in his. The Muss wrote a long message wishing a "happy birthday to my 38-year-old mom." Thanks, I appreciated that.

My dad dropped off some flowers and a card. The cash included was very helpful in covering some of my shopping expenses from the day. J.'s mom came over, brought balloons and made dinner.

All in all a lovely day.

happy 2nd birthday kiki

2007-09-23T22:39:00.000-07:00

Oh, my baby love, where to start.

You are an amazing creature, kind of a cross between a sprite and a toddler. You have this magical way of making each person in the room feel like they are the most important person to you at that time and place. I just don't know how you do it, but it is a skill, a very enviable skill. You have so many words too. Not only are you magical and cute, but smart as well. We can onlly hope that you use those gifts for good and not evil.

Today was a marked day for you in the word department. It is like someone whispered in your ear when you woke up that today you are no longer a baby and you are officially a toddler, grow up! Today is the day you stopped saying "da" for "yes" (like a good little German baby) and started saying "yes." We had not been correcting the "da" when we heard it, but actually encouraging it. We encouraged that just like we encouraged the Muss to continue to say "fagel" for "squirrel" and for Boo to continue to say "planet urf" for "planet earth." We love the little interpretations of English that you all come up with and we let you use them as long as we can. Or until someone with better sense tells you the correct way to say things.

You are just a wee thing still, only 24lbs, but you eat like a champ so I can't complain. Well, I could complain that you would rather eat chips and french fries for every meal instead of something nutritious, but you do give in and eat green things and other good for you stuff when forced. You often pound on your table demanding green beans and "noonles." Then we give them to you.

Watching you grow over the past year has been one of the highlights of my life. And I'm not just saying that. The age of 1 has been one of my favorites for all 3 of you, but knowing this was my last 1 to be 1 made me savor it. I held you in my arms until you fell asleep when you needed me to. I carried you around while doing everything when you wanted me to. I answered the same questions hundreds of times because you asked me to. I kissed and hugged you a gazillion times because I needed to.

My favorite thing you do (and I promise it was hard to pick just one) is when you climb on my lap and take my face in your little hands with the sweet dimples where one day knuckles will be and you look me straight in the eyes and say "momma" in this little voice that is so full of love I can feel it in my soul.

You are full of love, hugs, kisses, touches and light.

difficult start to 1st grade

2007-08-16T23:35:00.000-07:00

I'm not quite sure if it started as more my problem that the muss', but 1st grade is getting off to a rough start.

The day the class lists were posted on the school doors I zoomed by on my way home from work to check them out. I figured I could take the muss up later and she would be none the wiser that the momma already knew. Well, it was grim. All but one of her best buddies from last year were in the other class. Even worse, all the moms I had become friends with were in the other class. I was beside myself. I think I may even have had a panic attack right there at the door to the school. It is all a blur, I don't quite remember.

I went home and put on a happy face and decided I wasn't even going to bring up the class list issue. If she was not dying to know, I was not going to tell her, or take her, or even mention that school was starting soon.

She didn't ask about it until Friday of that week. Then I broke the news to her. She took it better than I had taken it. She was fine. Seems she has the same put-on-a-happy-face skill that I have mastered.

Fast forward to tonight, the 3rd day of school. The Muss has been C...R...A...B...B...Y all week. Very crabby. She, however, maintains that nothing is wrong, which I know is not true. So, after tucking her in and going back downstairs, I hear her sobbing. The dam finally broke and maybe I can drag from her the problem. It was what I thought. She hates 1st grade (never been a fan of change, that one), she hates the classroom, they don't get to do anything fun, all her friends are in the other class, no one likes her in her new class, the list goes on and on. At least she is talking to me finally.

So, we spend the next hour, past bedtime, going through every issue and talking it over. I think I may even have made myself feel better in the process. Woohoo, momma, heal thyself.

We will have to see how the next few days and weeks go, but I think we will make it. If she can make new friends, so can I.

the hits just keep on comin'

2007-08-02T19:54:00.000-07:00

It has been a trying summer.

I thought the biggest issue would be the Muss without enough constructive activity. She really took to the whole school thing. No, it is not her, it is Boo. He is most certainly a 4-year-old boy testing every limitation and boundary that could possibly be placed around him. He has become obstinate, sassy and, well, just a plain little shit. Damn good thing he is cute otherwise he may not still be living.

Today he completely reverted to 2 years of age.

J. made the questionable decision to schedule Trooper a vet appointment while I was at work. Normally, we never do these type of things because taking all 3 kids to a vet's office for an hour turns into an eternity and also increases the urge to strangle children. But, no, J. has been super-stay-at-home-dad all summer and he can handle it.

Pardon me while I pick myself up off the floor where I have fallen from hysterical laughter. I have taken all 3 to the office of our family physician on occassion (when left no other choice) and it is not pretty. Not pretty AT ALL.

So, back to the vet. The kids are running around like little possessed demons with sparks flying off of their heads. They are then confined to an 8X8 room to wait for the vet. After what seemed like, yes, an eternity , but was really about 20 minutes, the vet comes in. Our Dear Trooper has been having some issues lately and J. wants to address them with the vet. Troop is pushing 8 and is a large breed of dog so this means he is a little long in the tooth thus he is having the sort of issues one would think an older dog would have. So while J. is talking to the vet, Boo and Kiki are under the table in the room coloring on the base of it. Yes, the assistants at the office gave my children crayons and didn't cover every surface in the building with paper. What were they thinking anyway? J. nips that in the bud, picks up a writhing, squealing Kiki and continues his discussion. They chat, everything is fine, then J. is mid-sentence and the vet calls out, "no, hey, don't do that" and J. turns to see Boo frantically scribbling all over the WALL.

*sigh*

That is right, the wall. Of course he apologized up and down and offered to clean it up, but they said they would take care of it. Maybe they know about the Magic Eraser.

So later, Boo is so busy frantically playing outside he forgets that he may need to stop and address his normal bodily functions once in awhile. Since he has forgotten this, he ends up peeing his pants. Seriously? The boy is 4 1/2?

This is all in addition to the usual crazed, frantic (are you seeing a pattern?) behavior that drives us to drink. Some of our favorites are the Wrapping Up In A Blanket And Rolling On The Floor While Frantically Laughing, the Running Circles Through The Living/Dining/Kitchen Areas While Frantically Laughing and the Poking My Sisters With Anything In The House I Can Find While Frantically Laughing. All good ones for sure.

Now I'm thinking he seems frantic a lot. Is this 4 or is this a bigger issue? We don't give him any caffeine. He rarely has chocolate and we keep all artificially-sugared items to a minimum. What is causing this? Is this 4 or is this a bigger issue? Am I breaking him in some way?

Sound like something to ask our family physician about next time I take all 3 of them in.

who knew it was just genetics?

2007-07-20T21:10:00.000-07:00

They are having an around-the-world series at our local children's museum celebrating our 5 sister cities. The first Thursday night was centered around a lovely city in Japan. That exhibit and all activities surrounding it ran like clockwork. It was interesting, it was new, everyone was smiling and helpful, beautiful dancing, the crafts were fun and each child got there name written in Japanese. All the snacks tasted like fish, but hey, can't be perfect. I could not wait for the rest of the series after that night.

The second Thursday night was centered around a town in Germany. Let's just say not as clockwork-like. Not many smiles, odd activities ~ something about kicking a small soccer ball through a field of asparagus. What? There was a puppet show that featured a crocidile popping balloons twisted to look like little animals. Disturbing? Then there were to be crafts. We meandered downstairs to the craft area. There were a few little old people folding and weaving colorful papers into some sort of intricate star thing. This should be fun, it looked even more challenging than the origami from Japan night. So we stood there. And we stood there. And just for good measure, stood there a bit longer. None of the little old people looked up to ask us if we would like to do a craft, they just continued chatting among themselves and folding their little paper star things. So I told the kids they must not be ready for Craft Time yet and suggested we check out Story Time. Where no one was. It seems no one was in gear doing either Craft Time or Story Time. Also, only a few other families had straggled down only to be disappointed as well. Nothing ever came to fruition in either department, so we called it a bust and went on our way to the other regular activities that we normally visit.

Now, I could have been the bitchy mother and complained, but I had to look inside. I am German, for the most part. I am so very disorganized and a complete procrastinator. I aspire to be Organized and Neat, but it just hasn't happened for me yet. So I am thinking, maybe, just maybe it is hard-wired. Maybe there is no hope for me. Maybe I will always live on the edge of chaos.

That's it, I'm going to skip sweeping the floor and picking up the toys tonight. It is a lost battle anyway and I would rather just have myself a chilled adult beverage. Cheers!

time will tell

2007-07-17T10:41:00.000-07:00

About 10:30pm last night the Muss comes downstairs sobbing.

Muss: I can't sleep, momma.

Me: Why can't you sleep, honey, what's wrong?

Muss: *sobs loudly* I want to go back to school.

Me: after it crosses my mind that my daughter loathes me so much that she would rather spend her day someplace other than here Well, school starts in 3 weeks, you will be there soon.

Muss: *sobs loudly again* But I really want to go back now.

Me: Well, you can't because it hasn't started yet, honey, and you know what? When you are 15-years-old and it is 6:30 in the morning and I am trying to drag your butt out of bed for school and you are yelling at me about how you don't want to get up and you hate school and never want to go back, I am totally going to remind you of this day.

Muss: That will never happen *turns and walks back up the stairs to bed*

Anyone want to place bets on that?

false advertising

2007-06-25T09:57:00.000-07:00

A little background in case you have never seen me. I am of Danish/German decent, very blonde, and about the whitest girl you have seen.

So, I bought this spray-on self-tanner. The commercial shows a blonde, seemingly like me, spraying this bronze-contents-under-pressure freely all over her body with an end result being a glorious, freakishly-even tan. Being just as much of a consumer as the next sucker, I fall prey to the deception.

flash forward to the next morning

ACK! I have streaks and blotches and, despite all the advance of modern chemistry, a subtle orangish-glow over my once porcelain legs. The can says this is not even possible!

I guess I will have to accept that I will always be pasty. I will be the one wearing pants in the 90 degree heat until my orange glowing streaks disappear.

no, she is not always this happy

2007-06-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

There's nothing like coming home from work to find your very sick baby in need of a trip to the ER.

Let me preface this by saying that we, as a family, do whatever we can to avoid medical intervention entirely. Don't get me wrong, I'm not some radical who thinks modern medicine is a sham or anything. We just try to avoid doctors, hospitals, etc. because they usually mean someone is sick and we don't like to be sick so we Avoid Being Sick.

Well, all of us except for Kiki. She had a bout of RSV as a wee thing and it has been kicking her tushy ever since. The Muss or Boo get the sniffles, Kiki gets a full-blown respiratory infection that requires antibiotics, steroids and breathing treatments. The Muss or Boo get a "head-cold" and Kiki, the lucky girl, gets pneumonia. It is excrutiating to watch your sweet babe be that ill, but any parent knows this.

So, back to coming home from work yesterday and the status of Kiki. Upon arrival at home , J. informs me that Kiki has gone downhill throughout the day and is having some serious difficulty in the breathing department. Obviously, not breathing well is an issue, especially for a 21-month old tot. I frantically uncover our doctor's cell phone number. Yes, we actually have a doctor who trusts us enough to give us his personal cell number, probably because he knows we are among the least likely of his patients to actually use it. He tells me what I knew he would, a trip to the ER is in order.

Not much of interest from the actual hospital visit, it is a lovely Children's Hospital just down the street from our home. Very convenient, shiny, sparkley and completely renovated. Another x-ray of her teeny lungs (which always makes me shudder), another mega-dose of steroids and another super-charged breathing treatment and we were on our way. No pneumonia this time, at least.

Complete oversight. I totally forgot to mention that SHE WAILED AT THE TOP OF HER LUNGS FOR THE FIRST 45 MINUTES WE WERE THERE. No shots nor any pokey devices of any type even came near her unblemished baby skin. You would have thought that they were trying to physically remove her lungs from her body to examine them instead of gently touching her back with a thoughtfully-warmed stethoscope. I was finally able to soothe her by the 37th round of singing of her favorite song. Thank goodness there wasn't just a curtain between us and the rest of the ER because I don't know which was worse, her crying or my singing. Ok, I know my singing was way worse.

I know, I know, she is a baby and does not understand what is going on, but you should see this hospital. It is the most kid-friendly-non-threatening hospital one can imagine. If she were a "fussy" baby or had been "colicky" or was maybe "high strung" or "tense" in anyway normally, then, then I would not have been surprised at her reaction. But, no, she has been the easiest (yet, craftiest) baby of the bunch. I cannot even recall how many times I have been asked "is she always this happy?" and "does she ever cry?"

Let me tell you, folks, yes, yes she does. If you would ever like to hear what she sounds like at full-tilt, just take her to your local Children's Hospital.

on the way to buy new shoes

2007-06-06T09:04:00.000-07:00

A little conversation between myself and Boo:

after being in the car for all of 2 blocks

Boo: How much longer until we get there?

Me: Just a couple of blocks.

Boo: Are you taking a short-cut?

Me: No, honey, no short-cut.

Boo: *sighing impatiently* Must be the long-cut then.

Mind you, the store we were going to was only a total of 7 blocks from our house. I'm sure the 500 mile road-trip we are taking at the end of the month will just fly by.

path of destruction

2007-05-25T19:31:00.000-07:00

Seems that is what Kiki was on tonight. I'm not quite sure how it happened, but I do know when. I (selfishly) took, oh, about 1/2 hour to myself to peruse the latest issue of The Week that arrived today. The Muss was reading in her room and Boo and Kiki were playing in Boo's room. It appears Kiki has gotten much more destructive that I had initially though possible. She somehow managed to remove every game and puzzle from Boo's shelves and empty them onto the floor. There are (were) a lot of games and puzzles on his shelves. I'm pretty sure that Boo was giving her step-by-step instruction thoughout, but it was actually Kiki who made the mess.

His room was clean.

Now he argues that I must help him return it to its former glory since it was not he who turned it into what it has become. He makes a valid point. If I could only cajole Kiki into doing it instead. I can usually get her to do anything for a sucker.

What? Bribing your 20-month-old is wrong?

sweet dreams

2007-05-23T22:45:00.000-07:00

My family lets bananas overripen just so I will make banana bread. They love my banana bread. Although my mother-in-law thinks hers is better, we all know the truth. I require 4 brownish bananas to create my masterpiece so whenever I buy a bunch, they always stop eating them with 4 left, in their minds the bananas are gone.

So I had 4 brownish bananas hanging on my banana hanger and this was my queue. I whipped up a loaf simultaneously while making dinner (don't ask me how I do it) and it baked while we were eating dinner. I pulled it out of the oven to a chorus of "oooooh's" and "aaaaaahh's!" They know they will have fresh banana bread for breakfast.

The Muss steps in closer, takes a big whiff and states in her most longing tone, "Mmmmmm, I'm going to dream about that tonight."

he has had better days

2007-05-23T21:31:00.000-07:00

Boo, that is.

I was not actually present during this event as I was at work at the time so this is told by J. He is pretty accurate in his accounts most of the time so I deem it reliable.

I came home from work today to hear a sobbing Boo up in his room and find Kiki corraled in her crib joyfully watching "boots" (Dora, the Explorer to you and me). Hmm, something is amiss is the first thing that pops into my head. I turn to the bathroom and J. on the floor with every towel we own in a sopping heap in the corner. Definitely something amiss.

Me: Ummmm, how are things, honey?
I ask this knowing full well that things are not going the best, but maybe that will ease him into the events of the morning. I can still see the steam rising from his pores so I know this is a recent occurance.

Seems J. was downstairs folding laundry when he heard what sounded like running water. He was by the washing machine so kind of checked around that area and all was well. He then went up the first flight of stairs where there is a little sink in the hallway outside the less-than-half-bathroom. There is water, for some odd reason, pouring out of a gaping hole in the ceiling (gaping hole was already there, hard to explain, but there is normally not water pouring from it). He flies up the next 2 flights of stairs to the upstairs bathroom (directly above the gaping hole with water pouring from it) to find the sink plugged, water running at full-blast and flowing out of it like a sinkhole at high tide. From what I have been told there were several inches of water all over the floor around the commode and sink. Luckily our bathroom isn't level or it would have escaped into the hallway as well.

Secretly I was hoping it had ruined the lovely peel-and-stick-shades-of-beige tile we have in there, but, sadly, it looks like they will last a while longer.

Once J. got the water stopped and surrounded by towels, he rushed back down to show the culprit the consequences of his actions. Boo, being only 4, had not realized the whole cause-and-effect thing of leaving the water on with the sink plugged. Maybe he thought that it would magically stop at the rim of the sink or something, but obviously that was not the case.

Thus, the sobbing when I got home. He had been reprimanded. And confined to his room until he cleans it up. Or learns physics.

sweet nothings at bedtime

2007-04-25T20:15:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy bedtime for the kids. Not just because it means mommy gets some much needed quiet time, but because they say the sweetest things.

The Muss always reads a blessing from one of her books. We always talk about what is up for school the next day and say our I-love-you's and I tell her how special she is and how proud I am of her. Lately she has also been practicing her lines for the Kindergarten musical. She is going to be spectacular.

Boo always says the Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep prayer and we play a little "I love you game." His latest:

M: I love you, Boo

B: I love you, momma

M: I love you more

B: I love you to the end of numbers

I thought that was very clever for a Boo of 4.

Kiki, the sweet little magical pixie that she is, lays her head on my shoulder as I carry her to bed. She giggles and smiles as I put her head on her pillow and cover her with her blankie. Then she whispers "ni, ni" in her sweet baby voice. She normally goes down without a fight, which is rare for a child I have birthed. There is always a glitch, though, isn't there? She tends to wake up around midnight with a wail. Luckily, daddy is home from work by then to take care of that.

did I mention we have pets?

2007-04-24T19:44:00.000-07:00

Until recently, they outnumbered the 2-legged creatures in our home. We had 3 cats, 2 goldfish and 1 dog. About 2 weeks ago, we lost the youngest of our 3 cats and 1 of our 2-year-old goldfish. The 2 deaths were completely unrelated. I think that is an extraordinarily long time for a goldfish to live. I maintain it was Claire the goldfish who died, but the Muss (they were hers) says it was Constantine the goldfish. I have always liked Constantine better, but the Muss prefers Claire. She was near insistant that we name our youngest Claire, but J. nixed that. We both watched The Breakfast Club too many times when we were young and he could not get past that "Claire is a fat girl's name" line. So when she got a fish tank for her 4th birthday, she was sure to name one of them Claire.

The dog, Trooper, is molting. Ok, I know he is not a bird, but he is leaving huge chunks of fur all over the place. He is 3/4 Newfoundland and 1/4 Black Lab and just chock full o' fur. We normally get him shaved in the spring and summer, but our groomer's husband had open-heart surgery and for some reason taking care of her husband takes precedence over bathing and shaving my dog. Oh, and trimming his nails. Selfish woman.

So my point here is really the fur. Pets shed. Not the fish, but the other 3 do. I love my pets, but I hate their fur. I am not a neat-freak. I am barely able to get my house presentable for guests most days. What I wouldn't give for a bit of OCD when it comes to cleaning *sigh*

everyone else is doing it

2007-04-23T16:11:00.000-07:00

So even though I am no longer a teen, can I still use that line?

Everyone seems to have a blog now. I have some photo blogs on which I share pictures of my 3 baby loves, but not a written blog. I've never been one to journal, but now, as I more rapidly age, I think I need this if only to remember things. Remember things so I can look fondly back on the wonderful utterings of the 3, the family vacations, times with my other half, J., mishaps, humorous stories, you know, stuff in general. Remember things so that when my children have children of their own, I can remind them how payback works *evil grin*

So most of the focus of this blog will probably be on my 3 little ones, the Muss (age 6), Boo (age 4) and Kiki (19 months). Now you are wondering how the 3 ended up being so close in age. Well, let me tell you, I am no spring chicken. We didn't start the whole procreation thing until we were 30. Now, they say that women over the age of 30 have a more difficult time getting pregnant. Not this woman. I defy all odds and can get pregnant if J. even looks at me sideways. I make him avert his eyes at all times while around me now. Kidding. I find the best things in life are unplanned and I work much better using the fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants approach. So, we have 3.

I am figuring this will go largely unread. I tend to keep my musings to myself most of the time. Plus, who would honestly be interested in my life besides me?