Insert title here

I've got to type fast because LOST starts in 11 minutes. Had to work today because my boss got supoened to court.

Then after work got the kids, and prepared my bag to take to Little Bugs (even remembered to grab the 3 bags of Goodwill crap that are holding the laundry room door shut). They played at Little Bugs and I walked out of there with 6 items and $10 in my pocket.

Dropped off my crap at Goodwill and the nicest little fella helped me. Usually the guys working the collection end are there doing their community service (trust me, I know) but this guy was great, made me smile as I drove off. I like people that make you feel nice inside just by being them.

Came home and started dinner. I didn't have Lemongrass, Fish sauce, shallots, or sweet potatoes for the recipe I made, but it was frickin awesome anyway. And the only rice I had was sushi rice. Very simple, and very delicious. I feel like I've been reborn in the kitchen.

Ohmigod, the ending of last seasons LOST just aired where Charlie died, got to go!

Soup Swap

In the end, I walked home with a nice assortment of soups: Hamburger soup, Chicken Succotash, Red Lentil, and Pasta E Fagioli (supposed to be a Olive Garden rip-off). And I had enough of my black bean soup left over for dinner last night.

Tonight I'm trying Chicken Curry, because I have a bunch of Chicken Thighs that need to be cooked, and that's the recipe that popped up on Epicurious.com for "Chicken Thighs".

The biggest perk so far about having mom here, is that I'm inspired to MAKE dinner every night. So often, when it's just me and the kids, I make something that they will enjoy and "find" my dinner. But now that I know another adult will eat with me, I can be much more creative in the kitchen (and Lar loves the leftovers!)

Soup's on... still

I have been making this damn soup since 4:00 today (that's 5 hours ago) and the stuff still has another step to go. This stuff better taste flippin' amazing. And the worst part? It's for a soup swap, so I'm only getting a little bit of it. I tell you what; there is no way I would go to this much effort for a regular pot of soup for my family. These women better write me love notes after they eat this stuff.

BTW, it's Black Bean soup. But from my new Cook's Illustarated (remember my clam chowder?) That stuff was pretty wonderful, so I figure I've got a winner here with the "Better Black Bean Soup". We'll see CI, we'll see.

*** I had to go work on the soup. And there were two more steps to go, but I made it! And it's pretty freakin' fantastic. I even took pictures. See? I swiped a spoonful from Larry's bowl (he won't be home for another 45 minutes, the sour cream will be all melty...) Now I have to make copies of the recipe! I think I'll just scan the page and call it good. Cheese and Rice (translation Jesus Christ) that was a marathon pot of soup! And there is only about 4 servings left for me (and the rest of the Allred clan) Oh, well. I also bought all the ingredients to make the Tortilla soup on the next page... I might never make it out of the kitchen!

Update on Ma

Bellingham 2 days ago. Now we've got 4 inches of snow. Tomorrow it will probably be gone. Whatever.


Everything is fine with my mom, she just had an "ah-ha" moment in her relationship that made her make a decision to keep her health and happiness.

Her condo on Whidbey Island is on the market as of yesterday, and we have been having a good time "shopping" for new ones here in town. Of course we can't go look at anything with the 4 inches of snow on the ground, but we'll be busy when the snow melts.

So that is the basics of life with mom now. We'll enjoy our exclusive time with her and it will give us all a good base to form our "Bellingham" relationship, switching gears from living an hour away to down the street.

It is a little sad though, because my mom was my last real connection to Whidbey Island, my home town. I just don't have any real reason to just go down there anymore. Jackie, can I go visit your parents?

A new roommate for the Allred's

I've lived with her before, a long time ago... and I'm happy to have her in my home (because I used to live in her home). Unexpected, but a blessing none the less. I'm happy that my kids with have her around more, and I won't be home alone every night while Lar's at work.
And a bed got made while I picked up toys... how many people can say they can get two tasks done at once? Having my mom here is going to be great... totally.

Real Drag Queen Names

I love the play on words. Coming up... The Bellingham Roller Betties Roster. It's priceless.



Della Catessen
Anita Mann
Patty O. Furniture
Gloria Hole
Lois Commondenominator
Candy Ass
Joan Jett Black
Lypsinka
Pagan Holiday
Misty Cologne
Crystal DeCanter
Kitten Kaboodle
Amanda Reckonwith
Miss Inglink
Miss Construe
Marsha Dimes
Eileen Dover
Madam Ovary
Rachel Tensions
Semi Sweet Charity
Tess Tosterone
Lilly White
Holly Mackerel
Karen Carpenteria
Helen Heels
Sofonda Cox
Hollee Luja
Hope Heelcum
Orna Mint
Sharon Needles
Holly Goheavily
Marianne Unfaithful
Jean Pool
Eva Destruction
Amber Waves
Nequelle Anne Dyme
Bridgette of Madison County
Visa Gold
Marsha Mellow
Agnes of Gosh
Bea Reasonable
Bessie Mae Mucho
Candy Wrapper
Catherine the Above Average
Dee Flaytable
Luce Change
Rhea Listik
Rosie Cheeks
Snow White Trash
Venus de Mile-High Lo
Gail Force
Mary K. Mart
Jenny Tonic
Juan Nightstand
Amanda Peon
Miss Diagnosed
Hedda Lettuce
Amanda Playwith
Devoida Taste
Iona Sextoy
Ivana B. Queen
Kaye Wye
Sharon Husbands
Paige Turner
Shanda Lier
Anna Rexia
Bertha Venation
Penny Tration
Anita Cocktail
Tequila Mockingbird
Ivana Cockatoo
Barbra Seville
Glenda Bender
Layona Davenport
Ivana Kutchakockoff
Winnie Baygo
Ginger Vitis

I got tagged

I don't plan on "tagging" anyone else to do this... but here are the contents of my purse (which Mom gave me for Christmas):

3 pens
Wallet
Camera
Ketoralac (migraine med)
Keys
1/2 pack of Extra Supermint gum
Card wallet (since every store you shop at has it's own "card")
Strawberry Shortcake doll (from the golden arches)
My spectacles
Sunglasses (huh, just one pair? Usually there are 3)
Visine (for after I smoke a bowl)
Mascara
Pressed powder
Keychain from Knotts, Larry and I on the Silver Bullet.
Coffee punch card (the other 20 are in the car)
$41
Cell Phone
2 Chapsticks
3 Lipsticks

My desk

Here is a picture of my new desk. Now I have to get Larry to move a fish tank (anyone want some baby Cichilds?) so I can put it where it belongs.

Cool Find

I'm too lazy to get the camera out right now to show you my new desk. I decided to take the kids to the RE-Store after school today (it's like where all the junk from restorations and tear-downs go... old cabinets, sinks, toilets, instutional chairs, church pews, etc.) so made the mistake of calling it the "junk yard" so that the kids knew what I was talking about. I was looking for a slatted tri-fold door or something to use for a background for some Valentines pictures, but no luck. Then I saw this little gem... it came in yesterday. An old metal, desk. Just the right size workspace for me to scrapbook on. And it was $48. SOLD. So "Jack" helps me load it up (with his knee high lace-up boots and pink bandana around his neck) but we load it upside down. Which means the pricetag is under there. So they ask me "How much, do you remember?" And I answer, as the eternal guilt-ridden honesty that I have aquired (most of the time) "It was like $48.90." He looks at me "For this, no." Like I'm pulling on over on him! So I say "Here, I'll flip the damn thing and you tell me what it says" So I did, and he says "It says $40 sumthin, the rest is fuzzy." So they sell it to me for $40 flat. Go figure. And they help me get it into the van, where it still sits because I haven't worked up to telling Larry. He'll just roll his eyes at me anyway. But still, best to get it in the house, then make a "presentation".

Brady (and Nat) have asked me 3 times since this afternoon if we can go back to the "junk yard". We've found ourselves a new pitstop.

Oh, he just finished drilling my holes for the pantry, got to go!

Some Weird Things about Me

I pull at my eyebrows and eyelashes as a nervous habit.

I keep my toenails way too short.

I hold conversations with my husband while I'm unconcious, then we argue about the topic the next day.

I believe in Kharma, and try to live like "Earl" every day.

I rode 100 miles around Lake Tahoe in 2006 for my dad, and he helped me finish the last 5 miles. He died in 2001 from Leukemia.

I'm as stubborn as a mule.

I work best solo, my husband is a team player. You figure it out.

No matter how much I try to be a good homemaker, my house is still a pigsty (see above).

I love beer, I drank a lot of it in high school. I mean, once I turned 21 I enjoyed the occasional drink. Hi, mom!

I get Migraines.

I have Hypothyroid and have been on medication since I was 15, and will be on it for life.

I can't ride rollercoaster or shake my head without inducing a bout of vertigo. I lived with verigo for 3 months straight a couple of years ago. I saw some hippy voo-doo Cranio-sacral therapist who "blew" out my bad energy and hardly touched me (like fingertips only and only touch, no pressure) and my daily dizzies ceased. Now I have to trigger it.

I have a freakishly sharp memory. I remember the name of every teacher I had from K-12, and I remember the names of my band camp friends. I saw one a couple of years ago (I went to band camp in 1991) and scared him because I knew his first and last name, where he lived at the time we knew each other and what his mother said to me when I called him once. I can't help it. But I've learned to "ignore" people from my past for fear of frigtening them.

An Excuse to eat Sourdough bread

I L-O-V-E Sourdough bread, the tangy-er the better. So I found a recipe in my new Cooks Illustrated" mag for Clam Chowder. Oh, baby. Now, chowder isn't my favorite of the bowl meals, but guess what you can pour it into (and they were on sale for 99 cents at Haggen)? Mini sourdough balls. So I dug them our and poured my surprisingly delicious chowder into them. Very classy. That being said while my ENTIRE pantry is laid out in my kitchen. I decided that I'd had it with the broken shelf pegs that were stopping me from putting my groceries away. So I had $150 worth of groceries on the counter, then decided to pull everything out, get the pegs and go to Lowes and get new, more durable ones. I'm a real go-getter, right?

Well, I go-got the wrong diamater pegs. They're too big. But all the other ones were the same cheap pieces of junk that I had in my hand. So I've decided that Larry should drill out the holes for my new pegs to fit. Tonight, please. I went into his toolbox and found what-I-think-to-be the right size bit. I have a sinking feeling that this project could get a whole lot worse that it already is. I hate my pantry. Who has a 2500sq. ft. house (5 children used to live in this house) and then when it comes time to put in the pantry they think "This little 2x3 cubby hole should do the trick." Friggin morons. But they put some many wierd nooks and crannies in this house, it's not like we can put something in post-construction. If we wanted to do something it would requre a loan. A big loan.

Josh (my surrogate teen-age son) when I refer to him I call him "my teenager", anyway he got to spend the week with us. Or should I say we got to spend the week with him. He is such a cool kid for being a punk 17 year old. I don't worry about his future, he is just a good person on the whole. And B and N love "Gosh". Tonight Josh was giving B wet willies and taking turns giving both helicopter rides. It has been so cool watching him grow up.

Home Sweet Home

Sunset over Lummi

Natalie and I racing to the finish, 30 feet in the air!

Bellingham Bay, do you see why we love where we live?



I may be cheesy, but I am in love with my city. Heck the whole damn county and most of the state! I love Bellingham. I've loved it since middle school. Today we headed down to Boulevard Park to play with the camera (Larry bogarted the thing) and to do some maintenance on our Geocache "It's Tin, Man!" (I can tell you all about Geochaching if you'd like). It was so beautiful today, but so stinkin cold, too! But we still enjoyed our outing. We saw lots of interesting ducks, lots of cool dogs taking a walk/jog, 2 men practicing walking a tightrope, talked to a couple of sweet old men (I love talking to old people), and got a hot chocolate at the new Woods coffeehouse. Brady brought his scooter and Natalie brought her trike (which I didn't know she could ride until yesterday) and they did a couple runs on the slide. My only complaint is that Boulevard park has got the lamest playground ever. And it's looking a little run down. Maybe that's a sign that something is going to get revamped? Please?

Results...F'ing school system

My Son Off-roading on "the ATB(V)", he takes it into the landscaping island and jumps it off the curbs, then does 360's on it while going downhill. He says driving it in the snow is the best.



So Brady had some tests done in October for Speech and Fine Motor Skills. These tests were performed by specialists that work with a large spectrum of children and work at The CNP (Children's Neurodevelopmental Program) at the hospital. His test results were as follows (he was 60 months at the time of testing):
Grasping: 55months Visual-Motor Integration: 43 months Fine Motor: 85 (80-89 were considered below average) Receptive language: 49 months Expressive Language: 50 months GFTA-2 test (articulation, I think): 31 months. I know, boring stuff, and he's not that bad off, but when it's your kid you want the best, or at least give them the tools to achieve all that they are capable of, right?

So today we went to the local elementary school (since his scores at the hospital warranted services). But the school likes to re-screen the students, because apparently the therapists that work at the hospital need to be "double checked" or something. Oh, and we've done all this when Brady turned 3 too by the way, and we had the same results. For some reason I thought it would be different since he is 5 and will be starting Kindergarten in the fall. HA!
Here are the school results: Technical: 16 (range 13-27), Concept grasping: 17 (range 16-27), Language: 15 (range 15-27)

So I've been told this, and basically told once again by the school that he will not receive extra help. So because my son is clinging to "range" he has to continually struggle and make school more difficult for him. But if he could get some tools and additional help, maybe school would remain fun instead of a daunting difficult task for him everyday. Don't you think he would learn more if he was confident in his abilities? Don't you do a better job at work when you enjoy what you're doing and successful at it? It's like they (the school) do all they can to NOT qualify the students. Because (and I truly don't mean any harm in this statement, because I respect the mothers and children that have much greater challenges than the minor ones that my son faces, I really appreciate all that my son CAN do) but when I walk into the classroom at the school, the only students receiving special education there are children with SIGNIFICANT delays. Most of the students don't posses verbal skill yet. And Brady would not thrive in that particular classroom since he needs to be around kids with verbal skills. But why is EVERY student like that? Why aren't the students being mixed with a healthy variety of abilities? Is the system so strapped that this is the only solution? So the kids that are in the "middle" have to sink or swim? Obviously these other children need these services more than my own, but why does that mean that he gets none?

Makes me want to pay the $5500 for B to go to St. Paul's again next year. Just to spite the system.

Thank you Migraine!

BEFORE




AFTER


Luckily the Migraine that started Friday afternoon stayed quiet until Sunday evening (it was one of those Migraines that just wasn't going to be happy until it got to be a full blown doozy, simple med's weren't going to make it go away). So I got to have the funnest weekend with some of the funnest women I know.

Friday night I went and played Bunco with 11 other women that always make me laugh (missed you Brooke!) and of course didn't win a damn thing. I have come to accept the fact that I am soley invited to play to add money to the pot. I am not invited to actually compete for any money/prizes. I had 5 Travels, someone had 8. I had 11 wins, someone had 12. Always.

Then Saturday I woke up buzzing with excitement! After my mom (thank you, thank you, thank you!) volunteered to spend the night with my monkeys (B & N) I took off to Blaine and prepared to greet 9 more friends at my in-laws summer home that they graciously offered to us. First thing I did was take a hot shower in the dual-headed shower. I could get used to that, "surround-sound" hot water. Then people started showing up. And my in-laws (who keep an immacualte home) home became the dumping ground for 10 giggling 30-something teenagers. Imagine food, sleeping gear, and scrapbooking crap times 10. We all laughed so hard all night and into the next day, and most of us got several scrapbook projects completed (we're very productive when we are without children and have some booze in us).

After the last guest left Sunday, I called to find out where the hubby and children were (still in Tacoma at Monster Jam) so I hopped into the giant jetted tub and read. I felt so indulgent.

With a tinge of sadness, I finally locked up the house and drove for home. But not only did I get to have an amazing weekend with my friends; I came home to a family that was refreshed from the break. The kids got to tell me all about swimming with Grandma (and dinner at Burger Me) and then told me all about what Monster Truck did what, who crashed ("Mom! Batman and Donkey Kong were there!" I have to know that these are Monster Trucks, not characters) and where dad took them to for dinner (Rainforest Cafe). So everyone came home with big smiles.

That's when Mr. Migraine said "I've stayed quiet long enough!" So I drifted to sleep full of Hydrocodone and Ketorlac and Excedrin...

Can't wait to do it again ;)

Funny tidbits

I love my children and am their biggest advocate when it comes to their development and growth. That being said, I do thoroughly enjoy what they come up with, pronounciation wise and imagination-wise. And their general take on the world around them. Here's the latest jems:

Natalie:
"Num a Num's" translation= MnM's

"Booms" translation "Boob's"

Points to her feet and says "this one is my good dog, this is my bad dog. You can pet the good dog, but don't touch the bad dog. He'll bite you."


Brady:
It's starting to evolve into a more correct pronounciation, but he's stuck with the nickname for life "Gosh" translation "Josh".

Fitting it all in

I don't know how I'm going to fit it all in... yesterday I worked all day, something I don't often do. So nothing got accomplished yesterday. Oh wait, I moved the wet laundry into the dryer and started another load. Very productive.
I walked in the door, turned around and walked back out with the family. Brady has been working to earn a Lionel Train Crossing bank for quite awhile, and apparently there is one at Hobby Town.
So I drop off Larry at Best Buy to go burn his gift certificate (I love what he got! A new 80-300 lens for the new camera!) and went to go buy the bank. Turns out it's for looks only, and the don't sell it. So then the whining starts because B feels the need to leave with SOMETHING, if not the bank.
Get Lar and went to dinner at Billy McHales, figuring the kids love to go there and it will be a easy night for me... Brady wants the pepperoni pizza. It arrives, and without fail he starts complaining about how different body parts hurt, his tooth, his side, he's not hungry, he's tired, no wait he's not tired, it's got yucky stuff on it, it's too hot (10 minutes later), Ok! I am eating it, wait I can't because my leg hurts now... So I finish my dinner (and pineapple/coconut margarita) and haul his sorry butt to the van. So we get home and put the kids to bed... at 11:22pm B comes dashing into our room, "HI MOM! Blah, blah, blah" Like there was nothing wrong with him STILL being awake... he did "sleep in" until 8:30 this morning. I've got to figure out how to get this kid to sleep more, he would be so much nicer to be around all day.
Today I've got to:
1. Make PB cookie dough (they don't sell it in the tubes around here, I checked)
2. Make the top bunk in B's room for Josh.
3. Shower.
4. Get B & N dressed and out the door to take B to school.
5. Drop off a donation to the women's shelter.
6. Make a prelim run to Semiahmoo to get some stuff up there.
7. Pick up B from school.
8. Pack up more stuff for Semiahmoo (clothes, scrap stuff)
9. Make dinner for the kids and boys (Josh and Lar)
10. Go play Bunco with some of my mommy friends.
11. Come home (after I've sobered up) and pick up Lar. Drive back to Semiahmoo to fix smoke detector (15 feet in the air) and probably take more stuff (food) up there.
12. Pack changes of clothes and snacks for the kids for Sunday. Lar and the kids
are going to Monster Jam in Tacoma. I'm jealous, but not so jealous I would
give up my girlfriend weekend to go. They'll be more Monster Truck shows in my
future.
13. Make a list for my mom on to get my kids to bed happily. It's not hard, it's
just easier if the routine stays the same.
14. Oh, and maybe make those maple glazed gooey buns on PW's site. Yum.

I'm sure there is plenty more (like packing up the vehicle each time I get ready to drive to Semiahmoo. Oh well. And I did my good deed for the day; I posted on Craigslist to get rid of tons of small "ziploc" style bags that we receive glasses in from the lab. They are useles to us, but I feel so wasteful disposing of them. So I offered them up (covertly, my boss is a packrat) and someone is picking them up for "a project" today. That project may be their jelwery making business, or it may be their dope ring. Who knows. That's the beauty of Craigslist. And there I did my part: Reduce, REUSE, Recycle. Yea for me. And Jack the guy that is taking them.

It's happening Alredady

I seriously thought this wouldn't be a problem until at least Middle School. Natalie got her shirt dirty today at school so they had to go get her spare set of clothes (you know, the bag you leave at the beginning of school for these sorts of things?) Well, Natalie has only needed a change of pants before, this was her first time needing a clean shirt. As you can see, she has grown a little bit since September. That shirt is a 3T and she will be 3 in a month and a half. So I "scolded" her for wearing inappropriate clothing at school. Oh, well, it gave the teacher a chuckle. BTW, every few minutes, a mysterious toy gives me a rim-shot (you know like at the punchline of a bad joke). It's putting me in quite a silly mood.

A Sunny Day!

So we woke up to sunshine today, so we headed out for a hike before Lar had to go to work. We said it was to enjoy the day, but really we were going to play with the camera. So here is what it can do so far. I desperatley tried to get the camera from Larry so I could photograph my daughters perpetual plumbers butt, but couldn't get the camera off of Larry. She was sitting on his shoulders with about 2 inches of butt crack exposed. Made my day.

My Son is going to be a catch...

For whoever is lucky enough to love him. This kid just asked me this morning if he could scrub my toilets. Hell Yes! And he is constantly in the kitchen sink "doing dishes". That skill will get there, he cleans them, but I wouldn't eat of it yet. And he helps with mopping too. I hate doing floors (must be all my maintenance positions at jobs, unless I get paid to do it, I don't want to).

So my son will surely make someone very happy... and he aint bad on the eyes either! Now I say all this with a mixture of pride, hope, and fear!

Oh... I forgot to mention that he does have a foot fetish. I don't like to talk about it much, but he does.

Linguistic's lover

So I've decided for my own pleasure I will be posting here and there some of what-I-find-to-be-interesting factoids of the English Language. I love studying the history of language and the evolution of it. And, although I have caught a few of my own grammatical errors and know I'm not perfect, I love to "find" errors in writing. This fall I found a book at Costco (Jackie, I should find you a copy too) Called "Common Errors in the English Language". Or something like that. It's like it was written FOR me. So here are two tidbits that I found while reading "Eat, Pray, Love":

GURU: GU means dark and RU means light, so they intend the word to mean "Out of the darkness and into the light". Since a guru is supposed to bring you enlightenment or help you move to another place in life, to me it makes sense, poetically.

HOBO: HO stands for Homeward, and BO stands for Bound. So a Hobo is a travelling person who is "Homeward Bound". Kind of cute until the world became littered with "Hobo's". I guess there is a difference between Hobo, Wine-O, and Bum. I grew up with my dad calling everybody in Seattle "Wine-O's".

Oh, and I also would like to know if you have any "family" words that are either geographical in nature or that don't make any sense to anybody but your family. We had "Nernees". I'll put it in a sentence. "I've got to wash the windshield and get all the bug nernees off it." We used it for guts, germs, anything unsanitary.

New addition to the family

Yesterday we travelled to Burlington (we convinced ourselves it was for the lower tax rate, not because we couldn't wait 3 stinkin days for Bellingham Costco to get a shipment) and bought ourselves a Nikon D40X. I probably would have gone for the Canon, but thought I'd let Larry have the say in brand. And when we got there, the Nikon had a bigger accessory package and was $100 off this month. So I'm saying it for the first and last time; my husband was right. I think I need to go lay down now.

We both stayed up late watching the DVD's it came with and fantasizing what we would photograph with it. I took some unflattering photos of Larry (no, not dirty, just an old married couple late at night isn't a pretty thing.) So I fell asleep with thoughts about where I would take the kids today to play with my camera. And then I wake up to sustained 25 mph winds and rain. Crap. I'd have to clean my house to take indoor photos... debating if the camera's worth it. And I'd have to dress my naked children.

Yes, it's 1030am and they're still naked.

Mommy needs a time out

Yesterday ended on a downcurve, and it' all my fault. I got up in the morning and took my kids to Erin's house, picking up 2 double tall non-fat mochas (payment for babysitting). Headed to work, and finished up just before 1. Met Erin (and she bought me another mocha) and my mom at McDonalds to pick up the kids and do a 3-car shuffle (I gave Erin her car back, she gave me my van, I gave the van to my mom, and my mom gave me her car. Now you know all that was involved in switching cars when children are involoved, right?).

Then I decided that we would go check on the in-laws place and the kids could nap to and/or from. The TALKED a blue streak all the way up, the entire time we were there, and the entire trip home. No napping, so "spacing out" and no peace. They weren't being bad, I just didn't want to be incessantly talking for over 2 hours. Especially when I thought they were going to take a nap.

So we get back to Bham, and they say they want to go to Costco (oh did I mention that I got another mocha on the way to the in-laws?). So we go, I try to look at cameras (will post about that later) and I got lots of stuff, but failed to by cat food (the cats have about 8 kernels left in their bowl) and milk (you need milk when you have a boy who hardly eats and a husband that eats cereal in mixing bowls). And about 3/4 of the way through Costco (700 people per hour door counts, the Seahawks had just lost so everyone congregated at Costco to mourn or something) the 3 mochas and no food was kicking in. I was sinking fast, shaking and very irritable.

So we bee-line it to the front, lines for once aren't bad, but Larry has an opionion on WHOSE line I should get in (personal and competency is how he chooses, I first look for a familiar face, and if their line is reasonable, I'll go there, if not, I'm about speed) and Larry takes the kids to the back of the warehouse to go to the bathroom and check out the forklifts. I get "dinner" (pizza) and wait. And wait. So I go out to the car, unload, and wait. I head back inside and wait. Ah, here they come. Now my attitude is shot.

I get home and there is a GIANT box on my front porch. I mean like 6x4x2. And all the Costco crap, and all the crap that I cleaned out of my van and tossed into my mom's car, and then I open the door and PU. Larry chose (I assume it was a decicion becasue you couldn't have missed the pile or the odor) to ignore the nasty pile of dishes while he was home ALONE all morning (since I took the kids with me to Erin's) and so now I have a smelly house, about 30 minutes of cleaning the kitchen, I'm hungry, tired, and now I see no end to my work tonight. I think Larrys name was being burned into the pile of dishes as I seethed while I washed them.

Then I decide (why?) to build the piece of furniture that arrived. This kids talk a blue streak through that entire process too, as well as sneaking off with pieces of styrofoam to anhilate.

So I got them to bed at 8. Sat down to chill out and wind down. Natalie starts crying about needing her daddy (this has become her nightly routine and I've quit buying into it) and so I scold her and return to bed. At 8:45 Larry gets home and who is still crying? Natalie. And who comes running up stairs, wide awake? Brady. At 10:45pm, Brady is STILL awake, he'd been up since 8:15 that day! So I think the little sucker finally fell asleep before midnight... and was up this morning at 8:30... Natalie had already been up for half an hour. Ugh. Mommy needs a time out.

WTF

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/287232.html (can't figure out hyperlinks yet, you'll have to copy and paste. Sorry.)
This article stoked the flames of my rage against "kids today". I was scared shitless to drive drunk once I got my licence for the simple fact that I would be putting my friends lives (or another driver, or myself) in danger. What would you do if you knowingly killed your best friend because you got behind the wheel? My conscience and a healthy fear of my parents kept me in line (uhh... to an extent).

So why the F don't kids know this anymore? This stupid girl was busted last week for totalling her Jetta when she hit a parked car and left the scene, they found her and ticketed her. So her dumber-than-her parents go ahead and give her ANOTHER car? It's like handing a bullet to someone pointing a gun. So then this poor young man has to lose his life because this fucked up girl killed him with help from her fucked up parents enabling her.

And it just raises more anger about Fred Boettner who was killed in front of Costco last year by 2 racing teenagers who both had terrible driving records and both had police records. But their parents defended their children's actions and laid blame on everyone but themselves. Apparently it had nothing to do with them being spineless, weak-minded parents who would rather have the system parent for them.
Oh, and on a side note, this little dirt bag Vitaly was caught shoplifting with family members about a week after he got out of the hospital. Nice, huh?
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/102/story/222817.html


But there is a bright light in the parenting world, and if my kids don't think I would do the same thing, they are in for a rude awaking. My mom told me once when I tried to hurt her by saying "I hate you!" she replied "It is not my job... to be liked by you." Took the wind out of my sails real quick. So if you haven't heard, check out this supermom:
'Mean mom' sells son's car after misdeed
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

DES MOINES, Iowa -- Jane Hambleton has dubbed herself the "meanest mom on the planet." After finding alcohol in her son's car, she decided to sell the car and share her 19-year-old's misdeed with everyone - by placing an ad in the local newspaper.

The ad reads: "OLDS 1999 Intrigue. Totally uncool parents who obviously don't love teenage son, selling his car. Only driven for three weeks before snoopy mom who needs to get a life found booze under front seat. $3,700/offer. Call meanest mom on the planet."

Hambleton has heard from people besides interested buyers since recently placing the ad in The Des Moines Register.

The 48-year-old from Fort Dodge says she has fielded more than 70 telephone calls from emergency room technicians, nurses, school counselors and even a Georgia man who wanted to congratulate her.

"The ad cost a fortune, but you know what? I'm telling people what happened here," Hambleton says. "I'm not just gonna put the car for resale when there's nothing wrong with it, except the driver made a dumb decision.

"It's overwhelming the number of calls I've gotten from people saying 'Thank you, it's nice to see a responsible parent.' So far there are no calls from anyone saying, 'You're really strict. You're real overboard, lady.'"

The only critic is her son, who Hambleton says is "very, very unhappy" with the ad and claims the alcohol was left by a passenger.

Hambleton believes her son but has decided mercy isn't the best policy in this case. She says she set two rules when she bought the car at Thanksgiving: No booze, and always keep it locked.

The car has been sold, but Hambleton says she will continue the ad for another week - just for the feedback.

Dumb Cat, Friendly Cat

Maybe being dumb makes you nicer since you don't know how to weed through the assholes in life. My cat Daisy (we call her mae-mae, which means little sister in Mandarin, and her name came from calling her Daisy Mae, and disintegrated to Mae-Mae. The kids don't know who "Daisy" is.) Daisy is a VERY friendly cat. Which, if you're going to have a cat, she's the kind you hope to get. So tonight after I put the kids to bed, she ran out the back slider as I was feeding the dogs. She must not have remembered that it's 40 degrees and raining. And it's windy. But she likes to go out and smell the dogs ears, and on a good day, rub on the dogs or roll where they have been laying. She loves dog-stink. So anyway... whenever she goes outside at night she inevitably ends up on our back deck. I have no idea how she gets onto the back deck, as it's 15 feet in the air and... well there is only one way for a human to get on the deck, and that is through the house. And then she meows because she's stuck. She can't escape the back deck once she arrives.

And today I had MOMS Club over for a kiddie craft, which ended up being a mommy craft while the kiddies played (but didn't destroy!) downstairs. And here is the craft I created for this month. Natalie loves these Eric Caryle books and so when I found the idea to make a felt board version of the story, I knew I had my Jan. craft. Now to figure out what we'll do for Groundhog day. Screw Valentines, the kids will bring home too much of that holiday as it is, I need to break outside the box.

Melt in your Mouth

So with all the TV viewing my children do, they end up watching a lot of commercials too. They're pretty good about not needing everything they see, but twice they've seen this commercial and I find myself wanting to buy it because they (really Nat)are so sweet. Now I have to say at this very moment Brady is hopping up and down screaming at me because he wants to haul out a game with many pieces 15 minutes before company comes, so forgive my grammatical errors. Oh, and I said no to the game if you didn't pick that up.

So the commercial is for a 3 pack of Shirley Temple movies. And it comes on, and they get quiet. Then Brady says "I need that movie." Then Natalie starts singing, in her little voice and impediment "Nanamal cackers in my sooooop." You figure it out, there are only 2 songs that Shirley Temple is REALLY famous for. It is so stinkin cute to listen to, I may just go out and get it. I'm a sucker.

A Breakthrough

My son.... I finally figured out his personality. He has Larry's mood swings with my mouth. Poor kid. And to top it all off, he has my stubborn streak. I can reason with Natalie "Stop or you're going to have a time out. Do you want a time out?" "NO" "Then stop your behavior" "OK, Mom" End of problem. But with Brady... each count usually brings a fury and the actual time out? Temper tantrum at it's finest. This is when my stubborn streak kicks in and it becomes a battle of wills, but I HAVE to win. Not just because I'm the mom and there would be a great shift if he won, but instinctually I CANNOT lose to him. And I think another problem that Brady and I have is that we are both the older sibling. It's like having 2 chiefs in the tribe, someones always trying to reign supreme.

Anyway. Back to B's Breakthrough. Everyone knows what a horrible eater Brady is. I mean, the poor kid gagged on water when he was a baby, like I was making him drink lemon juice.

So tonight I was munching on an apple that I had cut into slices. Of course, Natalie kept swiping slices. Brady steered clear. From an apple. So I get him into his room, casually offer him a slice. "No, thank you." So I start to bribe him. "Don't you want to see The Waterhorse (a movie)?" You see, his speech therapist and I have been making him earn "points" to go see new movies. He earned a trip to go watch The "Bee" movie by eating Top Ramen noodles, carrots and 3 bites of steak. I'm torturing this kid, right? So I tell him, this would earn you a point to go see that movie. I see his wheels start to turn. "I'd rather eat a carrot!" So I tell him that an apple is so much sweeter than a carrot, and if he liked carrots, he's love apples. And I remind him again of the "financial" benefit for eating A BITE of apple. So he agrees. And he sniffs the slice, rubs it over his lips, gives it a lick, then kind of munches into it, then FINALLY commits to biting it. His eyes light up and there is a glimmer of a smile. I casually note how much I like apples, and say "pretty good, huh?" "Um-hum." And he continues to eat his slice, where usually this is where he puts it down, having fulfilled his end of the deal by eating ONE bite. I play it cool. So he crawls into bed and we're talking and reading, and I have 2 slices of apple left. I offer him one. He eagerly takes it!!! Success. Another food on our list. Now shut up about it being just a damn apple. I'll take my wins no matter how small. I just want my kid to eat simple, healthy food. I don't expect great strides in diet, it would just be nice to be able to eat a simple meal with him. And it would be nice if this kid would trust me when I try and get him to try something new. I've never asked him to eat something that would turn a typical kid off. I don't make him eat beets like some moms I know (hi, Erin! love you!). And Larry just came home and is just as excited as I am, he appreciates this as much as I do. My son... he is teaching me all kinds of things, and forcing me to be patient and creative.

Ocean Force

Hunnington Beach, OC. It's our new inside joke that this is Larry's fav. new show. Back on 6-6-06 (remember that date?) was the last time we were in California. We usually spend most of our time at the beach when we get down there, Larry and I are both water people, especially the ocean.
So we went down there and Larry was out body-boarding and I was playing the with kids and watching all the pro-surfers. Mmmmm... oops I'm back.
Pretty soon I realized that Larry had been gone for over 45 minutes, and that I was getting tired of hanging out by myself and was also wondering "at what point do I get worried?" He's a lifetime surfer and grew up in Long Beach CA, so I don't want to insult his ability by calling a lifeguard over and panicking. But I AM starting to panic. So I grab the kids and start walking the shoreline looking for a body that resembles my husband. When I look up, I can just barely see him walking back up the beach, he was so far away and looked tired. Turns out he called out for a lifeguard after he got caught in a rip tide and had been treading water for 45 minutes while it took him down shore. He said the worst part wasn't the thought that he was in real trouble and actually needed to be rescued, it was when the lifeguard asked him "So where you from, anyway?" As if to ask, 'no local would get themselves in this mess'. Larry's ego was bruised. So what did I do to raise his spirits? hee, hee! I went and bought a liscence plate frame that says "Long Beach Lifeguards 1906-2006" later that day. And now there is a whole show dedicated to people like Larry that have to get rescued from Hunnington Beach! I was asking him last night if he recognized any of the lifeguards, which one saved him, his sense of humor faded pretty quickly, which fed my fire even more >:) Maybe he'll get on the show if/when we go down there in February...

Perpetual Motion

I might title several of my entries that. I hit the ground running (ha, I knew you'd like that joke) with Natalie and I heading to the MOMS Club board meeting (did ya know I'm the prez? I'm real important). So the kids played while we hashed out a calendar and tried to brainstorm a way to save our group (participation is sucking).
Then I realized I had 10 minutes to get Natalie to school, her first day back. Made it just in time and Larry met me in the parking lot (he had to take B) and Natalie ran to the arms of Mrs. Thompson. Mrs. Thompson sent Natalie a postcard thanking her for the Starbucks gift card. Natalie has been carrying that postcard non-stop since, and even slept with it. Then she picks it up and "reads" it over and over. "Dear Nattie, Dankew (thank you) for the pesent (present) Wuv, Mrs. Thomson." So needless to say both kids were very happy to see their teachers and get back in the routine.
Then I ditched Lar to go have lunch with Mrs. Morris, aka Carly, aka our Nanny. She is trying to get knocked up and it's all that's on her mind, and I think it's completely adorable. I am a sucker for pregnant people and engaged people. I love to celebrate, and those kinds of people are the most fun to celebrate and go wacko over. You can't spoil them. I just want to suck up their joy and breathe it all in. So I love to talk about EVERY detail about being pregnant, and when to test to find out, etc. Love, love, love it.
Picked up Nat and headed to Theresa's house to drop off some hand me downs for Nate (Nate and Nat are 9 days apart, cute, huh?) and visit for a bit (trying to find a PT daycare, no leads from T)
Then home for an hour before packing up the kids and heading to Basketball practice! Brady is loving this sport, and the coaches are great (2 or 3 college age guys that really have fun with the kids). Then home again, to play, in the blink of an eye both kids were naked and fighting. Luckily Lar was home to help tag team bed time. It's so tiring to do the bed time routine by yourself for 2 kids 6 nights a week. Pull out the cheese for my whine. I love bedtime, I get to have time just to be with each kid, but the dang process takes 45 minutes. But they deserve that time, I'm just not great with routine, so it's a lot for me to do this everynight without getting lazy.
Satuday tomorrow... I hate Saturdays. Nothing to do and Larry works ALL day. Wait, tomorrow is Tuesday. Shit. Nevermind. Tuesdays are kind of lame too I guess if I thought it was Saturday.

Larry just said it's snowing. Ugh. Can't we go to SoCal yet?

My new fav. food

Of course it's bread. But it's not the worst thing I could be eating! It's from Great Harvest Bread Co. and it's their Dakota Seed Bread. This is what's in it:
Dakota: (2lb 3oz); Fresh stone ground whole wheat flour, filtered water, honey, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, millet, sesame seeds, yeast, sea salt.

And here's the nutritional info:

Dakota Seed Bread (62g)
177 Cal
5g total fat
0g sat. fat
0mg Chol
338mg Sodium
30g Tot. Carb
6g Protein
6g Sugar
4.5g Fiber

Is that bad? I really only eat a slice for breakfast and maybe a slice for a late snack. With just a schmear of I Can't believe it's not Butter

Ugh...

I just found out that our full-time Optician gave his notice, we'll see if he makes it for the last 2 weeks. What a train wreck this guy is. I'm not sorry to see him go, though his leaving puts a strain on the rest of us in the office. I have a cryin' buddy at work, I tried to get her over here tonight to drink our sorrows away and celebrate good riddance. But she has a night job. I can't get nobody to drink these Smirnoff Grape drinks with me, and I've noticed that 2 are gone. Larry and his girlfriends ;) Poker girlfriends that is. I used to be that girl, until sleep became more inviting that sparring with a table full of young men. I can cuss and tell the dirtiest joke at the table! And I beat those boys at their game too... they tease me, but they fear me. It's a delicate dance when I scrap with all of them. So I've had to play a few times to let them know 'I can kick your ass, I CHOOSE not to humiliate you in my home'.

Last night we went to the pool. Loads of fun, it's like the pool cures everyone's temperament. The kids never fight, and giggle and splash the entire time. I save pool days for when I think we are all going to implode and the pool washes those awful moods away. But last night, it had just been too long since we'd been. Brady wants to start lessons again, I'm begging him to wait until Nat turns 3 so I can stop getting in the pool with them, maybe even use the time to do some laps?

Nat turning 3... I just went through her stored clothes today, and it's all 3's and 4's. She is so tall she wears a lot of 4 shirts, but she is so skinny that the 3 pants fit length wise, but she has perpetual plumber butt. And the 2's are to short, and the 2 skirts are obscene on her now, so I can't get away with those. I just can't believe she is 3, time is speeding up!

Another boredom buster and "I'm going to kill you if you don't stop trying to kill each other" peacekeeping activity we do is go to Little Bugs. So we made a haul there today. It's getting harder and harder to find anything for B, so Natalie usually comes home with the most loot from there, which is fine since I bought Brady a really nice Firefighter costume (actually "turnout gear") that he has been wearing ever since we got it yesterday. He tried to sleep in it last night, but he's used to sleeping in the buff, so buckles and suspenders proved to be overkill. I figured it was worth the investment since he won't give up the costume that is a size 3, he wears that thing a few times a week, and it's entirely too small. So Natalie is his "Captain" and he is the "Chief, see mom, it says it on my helmet" I can't tell him that both helmets say "Chief".


Basketball league starts tomorrow at 11:15, I think B is going to like this more than Soccer. Me too, Basketball stays indoors, Soccer progresses outside. I don't want to be a Soccer mom, I just wear the uniform and drive the van!

P.U.

What does "PU" mean, anyway? But I yelled it tonight at story time. It was just a reaction, I didn't mean to yell.

I was reading Lilly and her Purple Plastic Purse tonight and a couple pages in there is an odor that literally takes my breath away, like there was no oxygen available. Seriously. So I yelled "PU!" then composed myself and ask "Did one of you do THAT?" And Brady gets a sly grin "heh, heh, it was ME!" "Good Gawd, B, do you need to go sit on the toilet? Do you feel OK?" "heh, heh." Then Nat thinks this is quite amusing, so what does she do? Lifts her leg and lets a left-cheek-sneak go! Her face lights up, she fires off another round. Her head throws back at her delight in torturing me and pleasing her big brother at the same time. I'm grossed out and amazed that a 2 year old can fart on demand, for entertainment value.

I was never that talented.

I'm a friggin moron

So I did it again. I habitually arrive to events on the wrong day. Not like, "oops, this is so embarrassing" more like "Are you fucking kidding me, I did it again?"
I thought my friend Brooke was having an open house today. It's in 2 weeks. But I packed up the kids, went back to the invitation and wrote down her phone # and address (another opportunity to look at the date) and drove clear out to Lynden. Now Lynden is a destination, I don't just go out there for shits and giggles. I'm afraid if the moral patrol found out I was in town, I'd get my car impounded and brought down into the basement of the First Christian Reformed (or the Second, they have both. I always thought the "Second" was a Wayne's World joke, but apparently not in Lynden) and tortured until I conformed.

But anyway, she was kind enough to let us in and sit for an hour so that my trek wasn't totally in vain. My son thinks her son is the absolute pinnacle of boy-fun. So I'm glad I got to make my son happy at the expense of my ego.

I do this all the time. I showed up a week early (even got myself a babysitter for it) at another friends house to play bunco. And I showed up a day early to my very first appointment when I found out I was pregnant with Brady (had to drive 30 minutes to get to the appointment "on time" too.) Then the clinic laughed at me like I was so excited I couldn't wait to have my first appointment. That made me cry. If only they knew this is a chronic issue for me. I try to work on Saturdays when it isn't my week to work the weekend. It goes on and on. I've given up being embarrassed by it. I'm so grateful to the doctors offices that call and give you the reminder appointment, that saves me a lot of work.

Well, off to get the kids in bed. We got chased out my house all day, Larry had a poker/bowl game party that I'd rather not witness. I always feel like a hag when he's entertaining and I'm wrangling children, like I'm making people feel unwelcome or something. So after I crashed Brooke's house we went over to Erin's to play. Funny how kids seem to have the most fun playing together when you give them the 5 minute warning. Always nice to spend time with friends. And the best part about Lar's parties (the reason I allow them because they are usually late at night) is because he cleans the house top to bottom, and unlike children, the house is still clean when the parties over!)