One Happy Dog Speaks

The Tooth Fairy was Generous

2008-08-31T07:46:00.000-05:00

Tater lost his front two bottom teeth. I noticed Friday at dinner that here was an empty spot in his mouth. We think he swallowed the tooth. That boy needs to chew his food better. The other was on Saturday while eating a snack. He just pulled it out.

Here are a couple of pictures from Friday:

Here's a cuter picture:

Now here is the second tooth pictures... notice he is holding it in his hand!

And here is a picture from today:

My little boy is growing up. Getting adult teeth, 1st grade, 4 feet tall... man oh man... what happened to my little Michelin man? Oh, that's right... he is Money man now. He got $1 for the first tooth and for some reason the tooth fairy visited him TWICE last night and he got $2. $3 for just two teeth. Geeze.

A new Record - and Not a Good One

2008-08-30T00:56:00.000-05:00

Seems I have finally broken a record I worked hard not to beat. I am over 160 pounds now. I have no excuse. I was stressed, when stressed I pick sweets to eat and not good food. I know better. I have never found a quick weight loss program that works for me but I did see it work for a guy at work. Eating right, and exercise always takes the weight off. Usually I count calories as well. Lately, I have thrown it all out of the window. No longer. I need to get back on track. Vitamins, exercise, and good food. It won't be easy... but I'm going to give it a shot. I am not as brave as T1G and will not be showing my weight on the blog. Though I have heard over and over that is a good way to force yourself to focus and take it off. Not going to do it. Will let you know if I ever get below 150... but don't look for it anytime soon.

Five Questions

2008-08-29T09:20:00.000-05:00

Mom Grind asked five questions of her readers. I thought they were pretty funny... I am answering them here for my sons to get a laugh out of it in the future...

1. Toothpaste - do you squeeze the tube from the bottom or from the top? bottom

2. Morning person or a night owl? Morning person - though the boys are making it a little rough.. 6am ok, 5:20am... not so ok.

3. Sweet tooth or not really? Sweet tooth. Chocolate and sugar mixed... yep... sweet!

4. Can you carry a tune? No. My mom, sisters, children... have asked me not to sing.

5. Do you have a favorite color? If you do, is it REALLY your favorite color or did you feel compelled to choose one because people ask this question so frequently? My favorite color changes with my mood.

Ok, go ahead, give it a try. Answer the questions. ;-)

Cool Gadgets for your blog

2008-08-29T08:10:00.000-05:00

I was over checking out Raspberry Road Design and saw a cool translator gadget on her website. It is now on my website.

I also so the writeup for a spider gadget. I realized if I added that to my website, I would probably lose a couple of people from visiting ... that I would like to continue to visit. Maybe for Halloween?

Check out Googles Gadget site. I thought the translator worked fairly well. Have not tried out any of the others. I might have to go to a three column website so I can put cool gadgets on the right side and leave all my other stuff on the left side. What do you think?

A Particular Memory of Europe with Hubby

2008-08-29T00:06:00.000-05:00

While we were not married at the time... my soon to be hubby came to visit me in Europe in the winter. We had a blast. Here is a picture of one of the castles we went to see... Nope, didn't write it on the back and I don't remember the name of it... anyone out there recognize it? I believe we were in Salzburg at the time, but not positive.

And while running around the city, a bus stopped and let a bunch of people off to do the tourist kind of thing... Hubby could not resist getting his picture by the bus:

I wonder how long before the kids get the humor of that picture?

And I had no idea that the gargoyles on some churches were actually rain spouts. Very cool:

As you can see, we had a fun time running around. I was there six months, my hubby joined me a couple of times. I'll have to see if I can find more pictures with info on them to put out here.

Memories of Moving

2008-08-28T00:42:00.000-05:00

Nope, I'm not moving anytime soon. But I can guarantee that if I move again, I will pay for someone to move me. Whether it is moving pods or a moving company. I refuse to do what I have done in the past. I have used family and friends to move me. After about 3 of those kinds of moves, I have lost more stuff than I thought possible. It is NOT their fault, but my own. You would have thought after the first time, I would have caught on... nope. And I am an organized person. I label stuff... but when you have people who are moving you that are limited in time or are not the same kind of organizer you are... things disappear. I wouldn't be surprised if one year, all the stuff shows back up... maybe from the 10th dimension.

What about you? Have you moved lately? Would you use a mover or family and friends? Any funny stories? I always offered food and drink (usually pizza and beer) when someone helped to move me... what about you?

Remember When I Was In Europe?

2008-08-28T00:15:00.000-05:00

No? Well that would be because it was many many years ago. I wrote a lot of emails to family and friends about my trip. I had even printed a bunch out... but they have gotten lost in all the moves I have made. I wish Bou or my mom still had them!

It was fun and exciting getting ready for the trip. How much money do I bring? How many suit cases? What about travel insurance? (Luckily my company and the health insurance I had covered all I needed... but I didn't know until I did some research). Where is my apartment? What will I get to go see? Is it true that the stores aren't open on Sundays?

Fantastic experience that I will never forget. But how to write about it for my kids? That is the question. The bike rides when it finished snowing. The castles where they had fingers in jars out for display. The beauty of the churches on the inside and out. The foods, the people. Hmmm... Where to start? Look for a story or two about my life in Europe to be showing up soon. I'm just trying to figure out which ones!

When Did Birthday Parties Get So Carried Away?

2008-08-28T00:13:00.000-05:00

This last weekend, there were two birthday parties to attend. 11am to 1pm and 1pm to 3pm. The first was a wizard party. Hosted by a company called Oogles and Googles. Tater and Tot were both invited to this one. Here is a few pictures I took with my phone camera...

And Tater:

Now the next one was at a private house. This was a classmate in Tater's class. This is just one of the activities they had in their backyard:

Wow. For a child who turned 6 years old just before school started and is now in the first grade. Tater asked if we could do that at his next party. The answer was absolutely NO. Don't get me wrong, this was a great party for kids. And if you have the money for it, go for it. Wow. The parents were extremely nice and fun to be around. It took me a while to find them, as there were a ton of people at the party. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to be invited to another one with Tot in tow. He would have loved it as well.

After attending those parties, I remembered how excited I was that we got to go to a gym for Tater's party. No clean up, kids entertained, tired out, and good company in the parents. It was a little more than if I held it at home, but not that much more. Worth it for me not to have all the prep work and cleanup after wards. My party was nothing like those... And I really enjoyed both of them... I just wonder how I got so lucky???? And when did the kids parties get this carried away? Or is it just me?

More Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

2008-08-27T08:11:00.000-05:00

This news just in:

Wal-Mart stores across Alabama sold out of ammunition yesterday afternoon. A reliable source reports that purchasers confirmed that while Russia may have invaded Georgia , they sure as hell ain't doin' it to Alabama .

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

2008-08-27T00:14:00.000-05:00

Note: I found it funny that I knew was going to post this today and found a serious question about aging HERE. Hope this helps everyone enjoy aging another day.

THE OLDER CROWD

A distraught senior citizen phoned her doctor's office.

"Is it true," she wanted to know, "that the medication you prescribed has to be taken for the rest of my life?" "Yes, I'm afraid so," the doctor told her. There was a moment of silence before the senior lady replied, "I 'm wondering, then, just how serious is my condition because this prescription is marked
'NO REFILLS'."

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An older gentleman was on the operating table awaiting surgery and he insisted that his son, a renowned surgeon, perform the operation. As he was about to get the anesthesia, he asked to speak to his son.

"Yes, Dad, what is it? "

"Don't be nervous, son; do your best and just remember, if it doesn't go well, if something happens to me, your mother is going to come and live with you and your wife...."
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Aging:

Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.
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The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.

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Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me! I want people to know "why" I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved.

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When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to youth, think of Algebra.

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You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.

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One of the many things no one tells you about aging is that it is such a nice change from being young.

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Ah, being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable.

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First you forget names, then you forget faces.
Then you forget to pull up your zipper.
It's worse when you forget to pull it down... :-(
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Long ago when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft...
Today, it's called golf!

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Two old guys are pushing their carts around Wal-Mart when they collide. The first old guy says to the second guy, "Sorry about that. I'm looking for my wife, and I guess I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." The second old guy says, "That's OK, it's a coincidence. I'm looking for my wife, too. I can't find her and I'm getting a little desperate." The first old guy says, "Well, maybe I can help you find her. What does she look like?" The second old guy says, "Well, she is 27 yrs old, tall, with red hair, blue eyes, long legs, and is wearing short shorts. What does your wife look like?" To which the first old guy says, "Doesn't matter, --- let's look for yours."

The Airport Stop...

2008-08-26T10:17:00.000-05:00

Finally got the boys to stop moving long enough to take a picture of them with Mamaw. Not the best since it was taken with my cell phone... but enough to make me smile!

I'll certainly miss her and can't wait until we go to see her over the holidays.

Mamaw Heads Home Today

2008-08-26T01:01:00.000-05:00

Lots of stuff to post about not enough time. Mamaw and I discussed starting a petition. You'll see more on that in a couple of days. Spent most of the day talking, most of the evening annoying my husband at scrabble... Mamaw is an excellent scrabble player. She can see more words in those tiles than anyone else. Very awesome time. Busy with her today until flight time... later!

Finally, the First Day of School Pictures

2008-08-25T01:06:00.000-05:00

Yipee, I finally got a few minutes to get the pictures together. Here is Tater showing off his backpack (which Bou was kind enough to pass on to my boys):

Waiting for the bus:

The bus is finally here:

There goes my first grader:

While I don't have pictures of Tot getting out of the car or waiting to go to school. I did get a first day picture of him in his pre-Kindergarten class.

Instead of a daily prompt...

2008-08-25T00:44:00.000-05:00

I have been watching Tink, my sister, write using a daily prompt from her digital scrapbooking group. I kept thinking it was a cool idea. She is putting down stuff about her and her life for future reference to her children. Since I actually save my blog to CD every couple of months, so that my kids can have it when they get older... I have wanted to start doing more of the same. But I just couldn't get into the prompts. They are interesting and would force me to answer questions but I just didn't do it.

Then I found out about PayU2Blog.com from a couple of bloggers. I decided to give it a shot and I love it. It is an odd twist... I may not necessarily buy from any of the links I put into my posts, but it forces me to think about something to write to fit the need of the paid post. Hence, in the future I will be posting more stories. You'll still get pictures and opinions and a few other odds and ends as usual. Just an extra post or two. In twenty years, when my kids actually load up my old posts and look at them, those links will probably be gone. The stories will still be there and hopefully, they will enjoy them. Oh... I hope you enjoy them now!

Genes that seem to have missed me

2008-08-24T23:59:00.000-05:00

I look at my kids and wonder which of my genes they have inherited. Or possibly the ones from my parents or my in-laws. Will they get diabetes? Will they go from being blond headed to brown headed? And if they get my mother's clear face, I'll be annoyed. While I was never a child that needed acne treatments, I did get acne growing up. My mom did NOT. It is years away before we see the results of the gene pool for this one... but it comes to mind. Is it just genes? Or is it diet? Or both? Mamaw was never one to eat many sweets growing up. I don't remember much junk food around our house when I was a teenager. Not that I was forbidden to have it, it just wasn't in the house. I ate well, drank water, and still had acne. While I think it would be wonderful if they don't have acne, I will still be annoyed that it skipped a generation. What about you? Any gene pool activity in your household that makes you wonder when it will appear and in which generation?

Out of it...

2008-08-21T23:28:00.000-05:00

here is some humor to keep you smiling until I get back up again... suppose to be done with surgery around 9am. Hubby has my cell phone... which means you won't reach me until he gets home with it!

http://www.funnieststuff.net/viewmovie.php?id=902

It's Only an Infection - Phew

2008-08-21T07:55:00.000-05:00

Just a quick update. After the biopsy, the results came back that the large mass of redness, hotness and irritation is only an infection. Phew. Makes me feel much better. Now if that sucker would just go away!

For those who are wondering... I did a post HERE. Be careful if you don't like gross pictures.

Thank you everyone for your well wishes. It has been a long haul the last couple of weeks and it is not over yet. I have surgery tomorrow for... urinary incontinence. Add a prayer that all goes well and that I no longer have to wear adult diapers. This is ridiculous that I get my kids out of diapers and end up wearing them myself! Then again, it was caused by them mostly! ;-)

Upcoming more stories and pictures from the first week of school... probably next week. A little busy right now.

How Small Can You Get It?

2008-08-21T00:44:00.000-05:00

I have decided that I am getting really really old. I remember when you thought that having 128K of memory was magnificent. You were on top of the world at how fast things ran for you. Now you can get flash memory in an itsy bitsy stick that contains 4Gig of memory. 4 Gigabytes. One Gigabyte is approximately 1000 Megabytes or 1,000,000 Kilobytes. 7800 times more memory in that little stick than what you find in the computers I used when I first got started. Scary thought huh? Wonder what my boys will think about this when they get older. They already think I'm older than dirt and lived with the dinosaurs.

What Boys Do in South Florida

2008-08-21T00:28:00.000-05:00

I was thinking about this the other day. I am not big into spending money for summer camps. I used our money for karate and swimming. I did break down and spend it on a fishing camp. Yet... I hear a lot of the kids talk about golfing. It is a big deal down here. Bou had her kids taking Golf Camp. Still, I have been hesitant about it all... particularly since my boys play the Wii golf to see how far they can hit it. This included putting. Then all of the sudden, at the end of the summer... they got serious and actually tried to make it in the hole. Wow. Not sure why it wasn't funny to just wack it hard anymore.

Ok, cool. Pop plays golf two or three times a week. If I could get my kids into golfing, then they could go up to visit the in-laws and go golfing. Suddenly I had a huge STOP come to mind. Golf means buying golf bags, golf shoes, golf clubs, and ... you get the point. I think I will wait until they are older to see if they have an interest in golf. No Tiger Woods in this household. They can wait until they are older to see which sport they like, if any. We already own baseball bats, balls, cleats (which they have outgrown), gloves.. and they sit there. On the shelf. Nope, no more money going out of here anytime soon.

More Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

2008-08-20T00:04:00.000-05:00

Another oldie in a little bit of a different format:

How to Call The Police When You're Old and Don't Move Fast

George Phillips of Meridian, Mississippi was going up to bed when his wife told him that he'd left the light on in the garden shed, which she could see from the bedroom window.

George opened the back door to go turn off the light but saw that there were people in the shed stealing things.

He phoned the police, who asked 'Is someone in your house?' and he said 'no'. Then they said that all patrols were busy, and that he should simply lock his door and an officer would be along when available.

George said, 'Okay,' hung up, counted to 30, and phoned the police again.

'Hello, I just called you a few seconds ago because there were people stealing things from my shed. Well, you don't have to worry about them now because I've just shot them.' Then he hung up! .

Within five minutes three police cars, an Armed Response Unit, and an ambulance showed up at the Phillips' residence and caught the burglars red-handed.

One of the Policemen said to George: 'I thought you said that you'd shot them!'

George said, 'I thought you said there was nobody available!'

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

2008-08-20T00:00:00.000-05:00

What Love means to a 4-8 year old. .

'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore.
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.'

Rebecca- age 8
----
'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'

Billy - age 4
----
'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'

Karl - age 5
----
'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.'

Chrissy - age 6
----
'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'

Terri - age 4
----
'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.'

Danny - age 7
----
'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.
My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss'

Emily - age 8
----
'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.'

Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
----
'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,'

Nikka - age 6
----
'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.'

Noelle - age 7
----
'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.'

Tommy - age 6
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'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.

He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'

Cindy - age 8
----
'My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'

Clare - age 6
----
'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.'

Elaine-age 5
----
'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'

Chris - age 7
----
'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.'

Mary Ann - age 4
----
'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'

Lauren - age 4
----
'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image)

Karen - age 7
----
'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.'

Mark - age 6
----
'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.'

Jessica - age 8
----
And the final one:

The winner was a four-year-old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,

'Nothing, I just helped him cry'

Amazing How Unfocused I Can Get

2008-08-19T09:36:00.000-05:00

Seems that this morning had me very up and down. I called the doctor to see if they were open. Yep, but they weren't sure if they would get my results. An hour later, they call and say they have the results, can I come in earlier? Yep. That is wonderful. Some time later, they call to say they have lost their 'facilities'. huh? No running water. It has been rescheduled til tomorrow.

I'm starting to be really annoyed with Tropical Storm Fay.

Happy Birthday Tink

2008-08-19T01:20:00.000-05:00

Gotta let you know that Tink is another year older. Please go over to her BLOG and wish her a happy birthday. She and Pan are off to Sin City. Or is there another name for Las Vegas? Doesn't matter. They'll be drinking Romulan beer and chasing after other Star Trek items. Can't wait to see what or who they encounter.

Yep, sis... you'll always be older than I am. ;-)

Something Different for a Vacation

2008-08-19T00:10:00.000-05:00

I am always on the lookout for different places to go on vacation. Even for a weekend. While we don't live near Missouri, Branson was brought to my attention. It actually has different types of vacation packages... particularly for couples. The one for a family of four was decent. It was 3 nights, 4 days and tickets to attractions in the area. Better than what I could get here for Wally World in Orlando.

A couple of items caught my attention for the attractions that sounded fun and different for us... the Branson Scenic Railroad, Caves and Caverns, and the World's Largest Antique Toy Museum. While there are caverns in Florida, I have never had a chance to go to them. And we have AmTrac. Ugh. I think it would be cool to go on a scenic railroad ride. They also have listed different shows available and shopping. Not big into those, but you can go see them and let me know about it.

With the rivers and lakes around the place, and the fact that Tater now knows how to fish... that might be a blast as well. Sigh. One day. I'll keep my eyes open and put stuff on my blog, so that in the future... I can search back and say... oh yaa... let's try that place.

Which Olympic Sport are You?

2008-08-18T01:21:00.000-05:00

h/t CalTechGirl

You Are Fencing

You're competitive but not brutally so. You compete to make yourself better.
You find having an opponent to be challenging and rewarding.
You are fierce when you're in a competition, but you don't wish your rivals any real harm.

What Olympic Sport Are You?

This Is Really Gross

2008-08-18T00:28:00.000-05:00

My life is always entertaining. Never a dull moment in this household. I have some pictures below the fold. Gross pictures of my wound. Go ahead and take a look if you have a strong stomach. Then tell me which part of the body you think that could possibly be. Go ahead, look. I'm waiting. Tick Tick Tick tick... ok, I'm bored. The answer is... my right breast! The first picture is from Saturday morning... I iced it like the doctor said on Friday and all was well. Then I lived my life with 2 kids and what you see in picture two is what it looks like on Sunday morning. Notice the butterfly band-aids. I was told they would come off in the shower. They haven't come off. I'm NOT peeling them off. Nope.

So why do I have this wound in my breast? Because I had a biopsy. Sigh. I have had an infection going on 5 weeks now. I ended up going to a specialist. He agreed it was not inflammation breast cancer. Yaa... the first doctor freaked me out saying that is what she thought it was. Ok, all mammograms and ultrasounds said it was not cancer. But it wouldn't go away. It got better... but it wouldn't go away. Sigh. Finally he said on Friday that I needed a biopsy. Which happen to hurt me. Most people only find the numbing part painful. Not me. It took 3 numbing shots and I still felt that sucker. Probably because he was sucking out infected breast pieces and not a solid mass. I don't know. Though my sister, ddpups, had a great idea. I should ask for a reduction next time. GRIN.

So let's review the last couple of weeks for my kids... that way when they are attending therapy for an inconsistent mom... they'll have the facts straight...

Mom has breast infection and finds out it is not cancer. Then Happy dog is taken in and finds out he does have cancer. Mom sent to specialist because antibiotics doesn't seem to be working. Happy dies. Back in March, Mom made an appointment to get the second half of her implant done on Monday, Aug 11. Now her mouth hurts. Friday, Aug 15th, the specialist decides it is better to just make sure and does a biopsy. Oh... I forgot... I'm having urinary incontinence injection surgery on Friday, Aug 22nd. This doctor puts you under so you don't move while she is doing the injections. Smart doctor. Poor planning on my part. Then again all of this is getting out of the way now.

And the other item happening this week is that I find the results out on Tuesday late afternoon.

Here are the pictures:

Picture 1 from Saturday morning:

Picture 2 from Sunday morning:

Prayer / Good Thoughts / and the like Request

2008-08-16T09:49:00.000-05:00

Very seldom do I ask for this but this long time reader of mine needs some support. In July, she lost her husband and just today she lost her cat. That is so much for a person to deal with in a short period of time. Please go over and leave a comment. Even if it is just one word - hugs. Or more if you are up to it. It is amazing how something so simple as the fact that others care help out. I know. From my dad to Happy dog... all of it gave me a comfort. Please take just a few minutes of your time. Thank you.

Thinking about my children

2008-08-15T05:50:00.000-05:00

Lately there has been discussion in my house as to who's belly you came out of... Tot wants to tell everyone he came out of Mamaw's belly. I keep telling him NO WAY. I worked too hard to have the bugger and he came out of my belly.

In fact, it reminded me of trying to get pregnant with Tater. I had to go to a fertilization specialist. Like the majority of people I had problems with my hormones... progesterone included. In fact, lots of things happened. I had pills, shots, was probed, poked and so much more. I was lucky. Only one lose within the first ten months, and at the end of the tenth month I was pregnant with Tater.

We just had the yearly check up yesterday and I look at my two boys... Tater is 48 inches tall. He is in the 90th percentile for weight and height for his age of 6 years old... and he JUST turned six. Tot is 75th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for height. Yet the nurse and doctor said he was not fat, that he was solid. I can't believe all I went through with my boys and how lucky I am.

Then again, if you talked to Mamaw right now... she would say that my house is insane and that I am not a consistent parent... which is part of the reason why my house is insane. ;-) Too much has gone on the last 3 weeks. Including a lack of sleep. It is getting better. She is cleaning bathrooms, doing laundry and making my life Soooo much easier. I just wish she could stay longer. Ahhh... I'll take advantage of her while she is here. Hmmm... which means I need to get off my rear-end and find more stuff she can do for me!!! Later!

Mamaw Arrived Safely

2008-08-14T00:05:00.000-05:00

My mom is here... today is insane... I think there is a 30 minute period of time where nothing is planned (open houses, doctor appointments and the like). Later!

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

2008-08-13T00:19:00.000-05:00

The Importance of Walking

Walking can add minutes to your life. This enables you at 85 years old to spend an additional seven months in a nursing home at $7000 per month.

My grandpa started walking five miles a day when he was 60. Now he's 97 years old and we don't know where he is.

I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.

The only reason I would take up walking is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.

I have to walk early in the morning, before my brain figures out what I'm doing.

I joined a health club last year, spent about 400 bucks. Haven't lost a pound...apparently you have to go there.

Every time I hear the dirty word 'exercise', I wash my mouth out with chocolate.

I do have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them.

The advantage of exercising every day is so when you die, they'll say,'Well, she looks good doesn't she.'

If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country.

I got a lot of exercise the last few years, just getting over the hill.

We all get heavier as we get older, because there's a lot more information in our heads.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Children and Death

2008-08-12T01:52:00.000-05:00

It is interesting to see how the boys take the death of Happy differently. Just tonight Tot asked once again, "Where is Happy?". Again, I told him he was in Heaven with Papa and probably coming by to sleep in his room with him again. Happy loved sleeping in Tot's room. Then again, Tot was alot like Papa. Always sneaking treats to Happy.

Friday we had to have Happy 'put down'. The boys actually came in after he was dead and petted him one last time. Tater had tears in his eyes. Tot was confused. As we made the trip home, there was a discussion on getting another pet. Tot started with "Can we have a fish?". Yes, but not right now. Then it was "Can we have a hamster?". Again, not right now. "We can't have a cat, can we?" Nope, mom is allergic to cats. Tater was in on this conversation as well. It was difficult and understandable all at the same time. Tot was drawing pictures of Happy dog on his doodle pad as we talked. He kept holding them up for me to see between all the questions.

I actually handled that part well. It wasn't until we were home and Tater was changing underwear (happens everytime a male in this house poops)... he called me back to the bathroom.

Tater: Mom, since the dog doctor buried Happy, can we go back up in a couple of days and leave flowers on his grave?
Mom: **blink, deep breath** Remember we talked about planting a tree for Happy? How about we put the flowers under the tree for him instead of making that drive up north?
Tater: Can we get rock and pound his name into some cement?
Mom: ** deep breath ** Yep, we can work something out to get him a marker as well. It will all take time.

Well, since then it has rained all weekend... I had to have some teeth work done and we are getting ready for school. I'm hoping I can work something out this week but it will probably be this weekend. Wish me luck.

Did I mention my birthday present?

2008-08-12T01:15:00.000-05:00

My hubby must love me... he got me THIS PRINTER... I love it for all the right reasons... including the fact that it is wireless!!! Yepeee I don't have to buy a print server now. Life is good.

Now if I can just teach mamaw how to scan using it... I'll have a ton of work done in no time. ;-)

Trying again to Earn a Little Money

2008-08-11T03:03:00.000-05:00

Ok, I'm at it again. I have agreed to give PayU2Blog a try as well as I am still on the list for ReviewMe. Occasionally you will find a post or two that doesn't necessarily fit into my 'norm' of posting. That's ok. Take a look. If you don't like it, please let me know. No one complained before. I just wasn't sure if it was the right thing for me. But right now... I need a little something to distract me as well as bring in a little extra spending money. Everyone I talked to about it said it is easy and it sounded like I might actually enjoy it. I'll let you know as well. Not sure exactly when I will start getting assignments. We'll see as it happens. More later...

My Swimmer

2008-08-11T00:40:00.000-05:00

Here is a post mainly in pictures. Tater is learning the Freestyle, Breast stroke, Back stroke and Butterfly. Pretty cool. Enjoy:

Happy is in Heaven

2008-08-08T09:06:00.000-05:00

The cancer had spread to his spinal cord. He was shutting down slowly but surely and the pain killers were not working that well last night. It was time. I will not be posting or commenting or returning emails for a couple of days.

Bugs, Bugs and more Bugs

2008-08-08T01:13:00.000-05:00

Seems I live in a city were there are no bug busts. Sigh. I think it would be awesome... on the other hand, you can go see THIS POST at Practigal and see some pretty cool pictures.

Bankcard PIN Theft by Cellphone????

2008-08-08T00:15:00.000-05:00

Saw this and thought it would be smart to confirm stuff before sending it via text... I put the stuff in bold...

Cell phone contacts, I never thought of this...

This lady changed her habit of how she lists her names on her mobile phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit = card, wallet... etc... was stolen. 20 minutes later when she called her "hubby", from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says 'I received your text asking about our Pin number and I replied a little while ago.'

When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text 'hubby' in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.

Moral of the lesson: Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list. Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc.... And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back.

Also, when you're being text by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you.

I checked this out on Snopes. It is 'undetermined'. Still makes sense to verify stuff coming from a text message.

Lifting Weights - who needs them?

2008-08-07T02:00:00.000-05:00

Poor Happy dog is having problems with his back legs. We took him to the vet yesterday afternoon but we still don't have a good answer. The problem being that Hubby and I have to lift/drag him outside or inside. He can't walk or drag himself while on painkillers. Yaa... it was a long afternoon and even a longer evening. I think I fell asleep around 4am. Tot got up at 6am. Hence, not much on the blog until now. More later... we have dental appointments, and other stuff to get done...

More Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

2008-08-06T00:41:00.000-05:00

I love the kid stories I get via email... here are a couple I had not heard before... hope they make you smile as much as some of them made me laugh!

Kid stories are always the best.....

While I sat in the reception area of my doctor's office, a woman rolled an elderly man in a wheelchair into the room. As she went to the receptionist's desk, the man sat there, alone and silent. Just as I was thinking I should make small talk with him, a little boy slipped off his mother's lap and walked over to the wheelchair. Placing his hand on the man's, he said, 'I know how you feel. My mom makes me ride in the stroller too.'.
________________________________

As I was nursing my baby, my cousin's six-year-old daughter, Krissy, came into the room. Never having seen anyone breast feed before, she was intrigued and full of all kinds of questions about what I was doing. After mulling over my answers, she remarked, 'My mom has some of those, but I don't think she knows how to use them.'
________________________________
Out bicycling one day with my eight-year-old granddaughter, Carolyn, I got a little wistful. 'In ten years,' I said, 'you'll want to be with your friends and you won't go walking, biking, and swimming with me like you do now.' Carolyn shrugged. 'In ten years you'll be too old to do all those things anyway.'
________________________________

Working as a pediatric nurse, I had the difficult assignment of giving
immunization shots to children. One day I entered the examining room to g ive
four-year-old Lizzie her needle. 'No, no, no!' she screamed. 'Lizzie,' scolded
her mother, 'that's not polite behavior.' With that, the girl yelled even
louder, 'No, thank you! No, thank you!
________________________________

My sister had been ill, so I called to see how she was doing. My ten-year-old niece answered the phone 'Hello,' she whispered. 'Hi, honey. How's your mother?' I asked. 'She's sleeping,' she answered, again in a whisper. 'Did she go to the doctor?' I asked. 'Yes. She got some medicine,' my niece said softly. 'Well, don't wake her up. Just tell her I called. What are you doing, by the way?' Again in a so ft whisper, she answered, 'Practicing my trumpet.'

-----------------------------------

On a brutally humid day, I walked past a miniature golf course and saw a dad following three small children from hole to hole. 'Who's winning?' I shouted. 'I am,' said one kid. 'Me,' said another. 'No, me,' yelled the third. Sweat dripping down his face, the dad gasped, 'Their mother is.'
-----------------------------------

On the way back from a Cub Scout meeting, my grandson asked my son the question. 'Dad, I know that babies come from mommies' tummies, but how do they get there in the first place?' he asked innocently. After my son hemmed and hawed awhile, my grandson finally spoke up in disgust. 'You don't have to make something up, Dad. It's OK if you don't know the answer.'
________________________________

Even though the toddler was having a furious tantrum, his mom was unfazed. 'You may as well give up on the crying,' I heard her say as she led him to the store exit. 'You're stuck with me for 18 years.'
________________________________

Like all growing boys, my teenage grandson, Jermon, was constantly hungry. I went to my refrigerator to find something he might like to eat. After poking around a bit and moving the milk and juice cartons, I spotted a bowl of leftover chili. 'Hey, Jermon,' I called out excitedly. He came running into the kitchen. 'Look! I found some chili.' Struggling to be polite, he said, 'If you're that surprised, I'm not really sure I want it.'
________________________________

My last name is a mouthful, so when my three-year-old niece learned to spell it, I was thrilled, until my cousin burst my bubble. 'You can spell Sczygelski any way you like,' he pointed out. 'Who's going to know if it's wrong?'
________________________________

For the first time, my four-year-old daughter Kelsey was coming to my office to have me, a dental hygienist, clean her teeth. She was accompanied by her grand-mother. When they came in, I greeted them warmly, seated Kelsey and, as usual, put on my gloves, goggles and mask. About ten minutes into the procedure, she got scared and cried, 'I want my mommy!' I quickly pulled off my mask and said, 'I am your mommy.' Without hesitating, my daughter yelled back, 'Then I want my granny!'

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

2008-08-06T00:40:00.000-05:00

One day, long, long ago.......

there lived a woman who did not whine, nag or bitch.

But this was a long time ago.......

and it was just that one day.

The End

What those little medicine drinking caps are good for...

2008-08-05T00:04:00.000-05:00

I figured it out. Finally... they are great for putting in the flowers Tot picks and gives to me!

I love it when he picks flowers and brings them to me. Now I can keep them for a day or two longer. Enjoy!

VW turns a year older

2008-08-04T00:07:00.000-05:00

UPDATE: Totally forgot Pamibe turns older ~~than dirt~~ than me today... wish her a happy birthday if you haven't already!

Wow. Another year gone. Last year I did THIS POST with just a poem and a couple of links. The year before that I did THIS POST where some bloggers gave me 'gifts' and I linked to them. Yet, I loved this one the best... I did THIS POST back in 2005 and put out pictures of when I was a little girl...

How can I top that any of those? I can't! I can't link to everyone I read because it would take me all night. I have no more pictures to post... well maybe a few, but I'm too lazy. I could do a post of what happened this last year... uhhh... but I would just be repeating what I said in the posts I have written. So, I'll answer some questions that might interest my kids when they get older (stolen from meme's here and there):

1. What was your favorite time growing up?
Answer: I'm not grown up yet! I loved my childhood... my teenage years... my adult years. I love learning and growing... well... the growing fatter is not the best, but I am growing in other ways as well. It amazes me how my love grows for my family every day.

2. Which birthday do you remember the best?
Answer: There are a couple of them. The one in my teen years when Mamaw tied a ribbon around the cake to keep it from falling apart after she iced it. The other was when I turned 42. A friend surprised me with a cake that said on it "42, the answer to the universe". She said the cake decorator at the grocery store gave her the strangest look when she requested that be put on the cake!

Overall, I am a very lucky and blessed individual. I have a wonderful husband, two very good kids, my sisters and mom, and friends. They look after me, listen to me, laugh with me and cry with me. Luckily the crying doesn't happen very often. And the kids keep me laughing. I wonder some days what made me smile before children. Just last night I had to keep from laughing out loud at Tot. He and I were talking before he was going to sleep and I was nebulizing him. Suddenly, he got this very serious look on his face and the conversation went something like this:

Tot: Mom, look at my pe-nis.
Mom: Yes, now put it back in your underwear.
Tot: Mommmmm.... it's hard! ** said with very serious and upset voice **
Mom: Yes, and it has been in the past and it will go back to being soft again.
Tot: Mom... I'm worried.
Mom: Why?
Tot: What if it explodes?
Mom: ** tears coming out of eyes while trying not to laugh out loud ** It hasn't exploded so far, and I don't think it will happen. You will be ok. ** can't look at Tot for fear of him seeing my smile **
Tot: Are you sure?
Mom: Yes, you will be fine.
Tot: Ok, maybe when I'm older... **worried voice again**
Mom: Then we will deal with it when you are older. **man oh man, I wanted to laugh**

Now, how can you not enjoy life when you have two kids to keep you hopping (sometimes mad, sometimes crazy, but usually smiling). Yep, my kind of insanity. I hope another year is just as fun... though I could do without the bodily changes... I already had kidney stones, bifocals and other items to make me feel o.l.d... but then someone sent me this and I didn't feel quite so old anymore. I got a 23... how about you?

How Old is Your Brain?

This is interesting !!! See if your brain is as old as your body ~ or ~ (perish the thought) ~ OLDER !! Procedure of Flash Fabrica Game:
1. Touch 'start'
2. Wait for 3, 2, 1.
3. Memorize the number's position on the screen, then click the circle from the smallest number to the biggest number. (it will give you a 0 on the screen when you get them all correct).
4. At the end of game, computer will tell you how old your brain.

Good luck !!

Don't forget to let me know your brain's age. :-)
http://flashfabrica.com/f_learning/brain/brain.html

Monkeys, Sleep and Stomachs

2008-08-01T00:10:00.000-05:00

Nothing like lack of sleep to make you come up with odd titles... But while Tater was sleeping the other day, Tot and I painted monkeys. Here is Tot with his:

Love his shiny hair in the picture. Looks almost like gold strands. How I ended up with such good looking little men is amazing to me. And I love Tot's idea of what the monkey should look like... multicolored.

Between Happydog waking up at night, Tater having a stomach bug, and Tot actually having a real nightmare... this has been one sleepless week. We went to a friend's pool yesterday for an hour and then Tot and I went to Karate... and the normal routine continues even when Mom has zero energy... Ugh.

VW Bugs and Mental Floss

2008-07-31T15:17:00.000-05:00

MaryBeth sent me a great link from Mental Floss... it was about how 30 years ago today, they stopped making vw bugs and 10 quick tidbits about vw bugs.

Number 9 was my favorite:

9. Beetle engines are often hacked into other things, including ski lifts, small airplanes, air compressors, water pump-powerers and motorcycles.

But there was a game mentioned that I remember as a kid... that was number 4:

4. Lots of kids play Slug Bug here in the Midwest. If you see a Bug somewhere, you immediately punched whoever is closest to you and say, “Slug Bug, no slugs back.” Apparently the game is called Punch Buggy everywhere else in the world.

Go enjoy learning more about my namesake. Gotta love those bugs!

What is the Best Part of Alvin and the Chipmunks?

2008-07-31T02:18:00.000-05:00

If you are a young boy... when Dave lifts the bowl and one of the chipmunks farts in his face. They both tried to tell me about that part at the same time. Ugh! Then the rest of it was about the different things that happened. Theodore getting caught on the remote control car while Alvin and Simon fought over the controls... anyway, if you seen the movie you'll know which parts they liked. It was nice of Cobb Theaters to have some free movies this summer for the kids. CLICK Here to see is one of the theaters and the shows that they had available over the summer. We only made it to the last week. But it was great. Now, to get the kids well and find something else free to do the next couple of weeks. ;-)

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

2008-07-30T00:04:00.000-05:00

Nuclear power....

A stranger was seated next to a little girl on the airplane when the stranger turned to her and said, 'Let's talk. I've heard that flights go quicker if you strike up a conversation with your fellow passenger.'

The little girl, who had just opened her book, closed it slowly and said to the stranger, 'What would you like to talk about?'

'Oh, I don't know,' said the stranger. 'How about nuclear power?' and he smiles.

'OK, ' she said. 'That could be an interesting topic. But let me ask you a question first. A horse, a cow, and a deer all eat the same stuff - grass. Yet a deer excretes little pellets, while a cow turns out a flat patty, and a horse produces clumps of dried grass. Why do you suppose that is?'

The stranger, visibly surprised by the little girl's intelligence, thinks about it and says, 'Hmmm, I have no idea.'

To which the little girl replies, 'Do you really feel qualified to discuss nuclear power when you don't know sh.t? '

Party Pictures

2008-07-29T00:13:00.000-05:00

The gym we went to was fantastic. I didn't have to serve, I didn't have to clean up, I didn't have 10 screaming children running around my house. Ahhhh... And the kids had fun. I didn't get that many good pictures because I was busy hiding in the "Parent's room" talking. But here is a few that I thought were fun:

Now doesn't that look like fun? That was just a small portion of what they did. Yep, it was wonderful.

Ben 10 Omnitrix cake - sorta

2008-07-28T00:27:00.000-05:00

Oddybobo sent me an email about my 'cake'. I was having a hard time and took some MAJOR shortcuts. Which bit me in the rear-end... because I didn't add the dye slowly to the icing and was too tired to make more icing... why? Because it came out too dark of a green and I really needed it lighter... nope, didn't do it. Wonder what all the kids po.op looked like the next day? hahahaha...

Here is what I did:

Found a picture of an Omnitrix and made two 9" round cakes and iced them in white icing. Yep, it should have been grey... I'm telling you, I was really tired:

I used a plastic knife to carve the outline I wanted in the icing. Then started putting the green icing on first:

I was able to scrape enough white icing from the bowl to make a slightly lighter green for the where the alien shows through like in the watch and then I put green dots in for the 4 circles and proceeded to ice the black outlines. The black circles around the green dots were last. Oh... wait... the attempt to make Grey Matter (the alien) was last. No, it does not even look close. ;-)

It worked, it was edible and it was Ben 10. Yes, I did remember to remove the wax paper before taking it to the party. ;-) If I had been patient enough, I would have done it with the little stars for the green, made sure it was light enough and probably looked at the Ben 10 Alien Force Omnitrix to see make sure I had the right color scheme. Because depending on which Omnitrix you look at, the colors are different. Sometimes it has yellow on the sides instead of grey or some of the pictures even show black.

For decorating I bought Green plates, cups, table clothes and then Yellow plates, cups and table clothes. I bought 8 1/2 x 11 mailing label paper and printed Ben 10 aliens and Ben 10 on them, cut them out and decorated the cups and bags and whatever hit my fancy.

Ta da.

Awesome Advice

2008-07-26T06:36:00.000-05:00

There is a blog I read called Zen Habits. I have been behind and found THIS OLDER POST to be a wonderful reminder to me... a mom... of the ability to stay a good mom to my kids. This particular post was written by a guest, Vered at MomGrind.

Here is a sample:

5. Be Patient. Raising kids is hard work. Kids are noisy, messy and incredibly demanding. Yes, you will lose your patience once in a while. I do. But for the most part, try to take a deep breath and see them for the small, helpless people that they are. I am not a patient person by nature, but motherhood has taught me to be more patient than I ever thought I could possibly be.

Take the time to go enjoy it.

Mast Cell Tumor, Grade II

2008-07-25T00:11:00.000-05:00

Well, seems like Happy Dog is hitting old age with a bang. We had the following 'mass' removed from his leg and biopsied...

What does this mean? Well if you know medical terms, this will help you:

From the biopsy:

Biopsy: There is a densely cellular, unencapsulated mass of neoplastic mast cells, admixed with mature eosinophils. Thumor cells are round with moderate amounts of finely granular amphophilic cytoplasm and round, cnetral nuclei with finely stippled chromatin and inconspicuous nucleoli. There is moderate anisocytosis and anisokaryosis. No mitoses are observed in 10 hpf.

Microscopic Findings: Mast cell tumor, grade II

Comment: Grade II mast cell tumors are moderately differentiated, and are associated with a low to moderate metastatic potential and a 3 year survival rate of approximately 55%. Recurrence following excision is fairly common in grade II and III tumors.

From the web:
Currently in dogs, mast cell tumors are histologically categorized into grades I, II, and III (Table 1). With surgical resection only, the percentages of dogs surviving 1,500 days after diagnosis have been reported to be 83%, 44%, and 6% for grades I, II, and III tumors, respectively.2 Grade I mast cell tumors tend to be locally confined to the skin and nonmetastatic. Grade II mast cell tumors are generally local, but some can be aggressive with regional node and distant organ metastasis. Grade III mast cell tumors tend to be biologically aggressive, possessing a high propensity for regional and distant metastasis. Although histologic grade remains the gold standard for predicting the biologic behavior of cutaneous mast cell tumors, other prognostic factors include tumor location, proliferative indices, breed, recurrence, c-kit mutations, c-kit staining pattern, and microvessel density.

What does it mean to me? It means "sit and wait". Considering the average age of a French Mastiff is 6 years and Happy just hit 10 years... I'm glad that it is going so well. And if you look at the link just above, you'll see most male mastiff's die from cancer. If you read the 'general' writeup in books, it says Mastiff's live to be 10 to 12 years. Since the link above is to the Dogue de Bordeaux Society and that is a survey of owners... I'm betting they are more accurate. I feel very lucky we have had Happy this long. He is old. Now we just wait. And it has added to an already very stressful two weeks. More on that some other time. Just wish me luck on making a Ben 10 Omnitrix watch for a birthday cake tomorrow. Sigh.

Old Enough Now to Fish

2008-07-24T00:13:00.000-05:00

Tater is taking a 'fishing camp'. They get to keep the rod and reel when they are done. Awesome...

This picture was the only one I got before we heard thunder and had to go under shelter. He had just tangled his line. It had a worm on it. Ewwwwww. I can handle bread, but worms. They are just gooey.

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

2008-07-23T00:54:00.000-05:00

TIPS FROM THE REDNECK BOOK OF MANNERS

1. Never take a beer to a job interview.

2. Always identify people in your yard before shooting at them.

3. It's considered poor taste to take a cooler to church.

4. If you have to vacuum the bed, it is time to change the sheets.

5. Even if you're certain that you are included in the will, it is still considered tacky to drive a U-Haul to the funeral home.

*** DINING OUT ***

1. If drinking directly from the bottle, always hold it with your fingers covering the Label.

2. Avoid throwing bones and food scraps on the floor as the restaurant may not have dogs.

*** ENTERTAINING IN YOUR HOME ***

1. A centerpiece for the table should never be anything prepared by a taxidermist.

2. Do not allow the dog to eat at the table no matter how good his manners are.

*** PERSONAL HYGIENE ***

1. While ears need to be cleaned regularly, this is a job that should be done in private using one's OWN truck keys.

2. Proper use of toiletries can forestall bathing for several days. However, if you live alone, deodorant is a waste of good money.

3. Dirt and grease under the fingernails is a social no-no, as they tend to detract from a woman's jewelry and alter the taste of finger foods.

*** DATING (Outside the Family) ***

1. Always offer to bait your date's hook, especially on the first date.

2. Be aggressive. Let her know you're interested: "I've been wanting to go out with you since I read that stuff on the bathroom wall two years ago."

3. Establish with her parents what time she is expected back. Some will say "10:00 PM" others might say "Monday." If the latter is the answer,it is the man's responsibility to get her to school on time.

4. Always have a positive comment about your date's appearance, such as, "ya sure don't sweat much for a fat broad."

*** WEDDINGS ***

1. Livestock, usually, is a poor choice for a wedding gift.

2. Kissing the bride for more than 5 seconds may get you shot.

3. For the groom, at least, rent a tux. A leisure suit with cummerbund and a clean bowling shirt can create too sporty an appearance.

4. Though uncomfortable, say "yes" to socks and shoes for this Special Occasion.

5. It is not appropriate to tell the groom how good his wife is in the Sack.

*** DRIVING ETIQUETTE ***

1. Dim your headlights for approaching vehicles; even if the gun is loaded, and the deer is in sight.

2. When approaching a four-way stop, the vehicle with the largest tires always has the right of way.

3. Never tow another car using panty hose and duct tape.

4. When sending your wife down the road with a gas can, it is impolite to ask her to bring back beer.

5. Never relieve yourself from a moving vehicle, especially when driving.

6. Do not lay rubber while traveling in a funeral procession.

*** TWO REASONS WHY IT IS HARD TO SOLVE A REDNECK MURDER ***

1. All the DNA is the same.

2. There are no dental records.

Birthday Joy at 6am

2008-07-22T01:57:00.000-05:00

I got this in an email and it made me smile:

The funny thing, vw, is that in spite of the euphoria one feels upon entering paradise, cloaked in miracles, surrounded by angels, love, and unimaginable beauty, it gradually becomes all they know, commonplace, ordinary, and then, shockingly... invisible.

Yep, I'm talking about life on earth.

Yippee Kai-Ye,
The Universe

Then I realized how much Tater has helped me make my world not so ordinary... as he opened presents from Mamaw this morning take a look at that huge smile:

and I couldn't get him to look at the camera, he just wanted to look at the Ben 10 stuff...

It is going to be entertaining this weekend, when he gets the money from his other grandparents and has his birthday party. Oh boy... I don't know if I'll be able to handle it. GRIN

Happy Birthday Tater

2008-07-22T00:11:00.000-05:00

You have come a long way kiddo...

to the fun loving, soon to be entering First Grade young boy that I love... you take the time to read to Tot when I'm busy:

To making funny faces for the camera:

To drawing and writing funny pictures on the doodlepad...

back to memories of funny faces when you were younger... wearing mom's shoes. ;-)

Take a Good Look...

2008-07-21T00:56:00.000-05:00

Here today, Gone tomorrow. I took these pictures on Friday, as of Sunday, they were gone. Errrrr...

It was nice while it lasted. Need better squirrel control out here. Seems Happy is falling down on the job here.

A Blog Found Me... oh wait...

2008-07-19T03:35:00.000-05:00

Kim from What's that Smell left me a comment. I went over and investigated her blog... I loved it. It is now on my side bar and in my RSS reader. I really enjoyed this post on a conversation she overhead her son having... She has competitions, like THIS POST... She keeps up with what is going on in the blog world by getting in on the ground floor with THIS POST on a new Mommy blog.

Go over and enjoy...

Watch My Garden Grow

2008-07-18T01:24:00.000-05:00

without me. Been a little busy lately and haven't paid any attention to my garden. Last weekend I took some pictures to show everyone... it has survived without me. In fact, the sunflowers Tater gave me for mother's day took off and are growing like weeds! Take a look for yourself!

Enjoy!

Happy Dog Finds New Hangout...

2008-07-17T01:23:00.000-05:00

Under the dining room table. Use to be my bedroom on my side of the bed. Or in front of the couch. He place to hangout and 'live' is now under the dining room table. This is where you will find him most of the time...

QG here comes your newest model...

2008-07-17T01:10:00.000-05:00

Tired, lots going on... but absolutely cute pictures of Tot... enjoy!

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

2008-07-16T01:34:00.000-05:00

Free s.x with fill up

A gas station owner in Mississippi was trying to increase his sales. So he put up a sign that read, 'Free S.x with Fill-Up.'

Soon a local redneck pulled in, filled his tank and asked for his free s.x.
The owner told him to pick a number from 1 to 10. If he guessed correctly he would get his free s.x. The redneck guessed 8, and the proprietor said, 'You were close. The number was 7. Sorry. No s.x this time.'

A week later, the same redneck, along with a buddy, Bubba, pulled in for another fill-up. Again he asked for his free s.x. The proprietor again asked him to guess the correct number. The redneck guessed 2 this time. The proprietor said, 'Sorry, it was 3. You were close, but no free s.x this time.'

As they were driving away, the redneck said to his buddy, 'I think that game is rigged and he doesn't really give away free s.x.' Bubba replied, 'No it ain't rigged. My wife won twice last week.

"Mommy Come Look" is not what you want to hear at 6am

2008-07-15T01:29:00.000-05:00

I was in the kitchen, Tot was sitting on the couch and I hear:

Tot: Mommy come look
Mom: Just a minute
Tot: Mommy come look now!
Mom: Ok, what is it
** bou blink as I walk over and see his p.nis sticking out of his underwear **
Tot: Look, I can make it move!
Mom: ummm Yes. Now you can put it away.
Tot: Knock knock
Mom: Who's there?
Tot: Baby (said in elvis like voice)
Mom: Baby who?
Tot: Baby in your butt. **belly laughter**
Mom: *sigh* *smile*
Tot: Knock knock
Mom: Who's there?
Tot: Baby (said in elvis like voice)
Mom: Baby who?
Tot: Baby in your eye. **more laughter**

this continues with different body parts until Happy dog shows up... and I threaten to have Happy kiss Tot. Then Tot pulls down his underwear and tells Happy to kiss his butt. No joke. I thought I was going to burst from holding in the laughter. And then the conversation went something like this:

Tot: Mom, kiss my butt.
Mom: No
Tot: *laughing* Mom, kiss my butt.
Mom: No, farts and poop come out of it, I am NOT kissing it.
Tot: *with underwear still down, turns to put butt towards me* Mom, kiss my butt.
Mom: *unable to resist, gives a spank on that bottom* NO, I will NOT.
Tot: *moving out of reach and laughing harder* Kiss my butt, kiss my butt, kiss my butt!!!
Mom: It has stinky stuff come out of it, I will NOT kiss it.

Then Tater shows up and all stops. Phew.

Meme'd AGAIN

2008-07-14T01:08:00.000-05:00

Seems that Dave meme'd me. Here are the rules:

The meme has the following rules:

1 – Write the title to your own memoir using exactly six words.

2 – Post it on your blog.

3 – Link to the person who tagged you.

4 – Tag five other bloggers.

Guess the title to my memoirs would be:

I would do it all again!

Tag five others? I see Dave got some I had planned on getting at my next chance... so who shall I use now?

1. Sticks
2. Jennifer
3. guyK
4. George
5. That1Guy

Can't wait to see what the would make the title of their memoirs!

Feel'n the Bloggy Love

2008-07-13T10:47:00.000-05:00

As much as my sister and I drive each other crazy, she loves me. How do I know? She gave my blog a girlie award...

The rules of the award are:

1. The winner can put the logo on her blog.
2. Link the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs of the girls you've nominated

Wow.

Hmmmm... guess that leaves Ogre, Harv, Physic Geek, Contagion, Real Dave, Bob and others out of the picture... now let's see about those women... I picked women's blogs that I read weekly, that either make me think or make me smile... and it sucked I couldn't include more. But I'll catch the others on the next meme I'm stuck with.

1. Teresa
2. Oddybobo
3. ArmyWifeToddlerMom
4. Boudicca
5. wRitErsbLock
6. Pamibe
7. Roses

Thank you all for being a part of my life.

Day Five, A "Universal" Change

2008-07-11T01:08:00.000-05:00

Missed a day that I wanted to post on our trip... click on Read More below to see the info and some really cute pictures...

We decided to take the boys to Universal - Islands of Adventure on Day Five (Thursday). I was surprised at how many rides they could actually get on and ride. We started out going straight to SpiderMan! Then off to Seuss Landing... Cat in the Hat,

One Fish Two Fish,

Caro-Seuss-el, High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train

Before we left the area... we got this cute picture:

Next Poseidon's Fury. Then the Flying Unicorn... three times. Tater wanted to go by himself, but we convinced him otherwise. Off to Pteranodon Flyers. Then Sindbad's Stunt Show. The boys really got into the show. They were hollering at 'Kibob' to look behind him for the bad guy and more...

If I Ran the Zoo, Cat in the Hat (again) and last was Storm Force Accelatron (think Spinning cups). Phew. Busy and fun. Hope you enjoyed the pics!

Cow Tipping or A Big Surprise!

2008-07-10T01:03:00.000-05:00

Remember my post on getting Chick-Fil-A for free? Someone from Chick-Fil-A actually posted a comment. And it was GREAT! It sent you to THIS SITE on how to make simple cow costumes. Definitely check it out. White t-shirt, black shorts, a few spots and ears... yep, I think I can do this. Hmmmm... wish my mom lived down here. She would be able to look at these ideas and run with them. Oh well... have fun!

It's a Cylinder World

2008-07-10T01:00:00.000-05:00

We were doing shape week... but mom is not up to snuff. I did go over a few shapes and read the boys one book on cylinders. Tot and I were talking about what cylinders he could see in his room. We saw a pencil, the bedpost and a few other items.
Then Tot told me...

Tot: "I know something else that has a cylinder shape"
Mom: *bou blink* "What's that son?"
Tot: "My poop when it is not like water"
Mom: *grin* "Yep, I do believe you are right" *phew*

Luckily the conversation was without Tater around...

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

2008-07-09T01:38:00.000-05:00

Research has led to the discovery of the heaviest element yet known to science. The new element, Governmentium (Gv), has one neutron, 25 assistant neutrons, 88 deputy neutrons, and 198 assistant deputy neutrons, giving it an atomic mass of 312.

These 312 particles are held together by forces called morons, which are surrounded by vast quantities of lepton-like particles called peons. Since Governmentium has no electrons, it is inert; however, it can be detected, because it impedes every action with which it comes into contact.

A minute amount of Governmentium can cause a reaction that would normally take less than a second to take from four days to four years to complete. Governmentium has a normal half-life of 2-6 years; it does not decay, but instead undergoes a reorganization in which a portion of the assistant neutrons and deputy neutrons exchange places.

In fact, Governmentium's mass will actually increase over time, since each reorganization will cause more morons to become neutrons, forming isodopes. This characteristic of moron promotion leads some scientists to believe that Governmentium is formed whenever morons reach a critical concentration. This hypothetical quantity is referred to as critical morass.

When catalyzed with money, Governmentium becomes Administratium, an element that radiates just as much energy as Governmentium since it has half as many peons but twice as many morons.

All this talk about Chocolate

2008-07-08T06:47:00.000-05:00

made me remember why I don't lose weight... and then on the zen site I read I saw this:

8 Steps To Take Control of Your Weight

Substitute Water. Our bodies are about 65-70% water. It follows that water would be not only essential, but the best possibly choice of liquids to ingest. In fact, our bodies will sometimes simulate a hunger response, when in reality the body is craving hydration. When hungry, drink a glass or two of water to check if it suppresses your hunger.

Chew Your Food. Chewing our food very slowly and deliberately has several benefits that are often overlooked. It gives us the ability to relax, and enjoy our meal. Slow chewing is the first, and highly important, step in a complex system of digestion. Besides, if we eat slowly, we might feel full before finishing the whole meal, and can leave the rest for the next meal.

Exercise daily. How silly of me to include something as obvious as exercise. I did a 30 day trial with waking up, and walking for 30 minutes first thing in the morning. My journal records that I was feeling amazing during the period of time that I was following this habit.

Publicize your intentions. The same way that Leo publicizes his challenges and book writing goals you can make your own goals public. Start a blog, join a forum, and have other people keep you accountable to help.

Create a food schedule. Plan your day so that you’re eating at approximately the same time each day. This scheduling will incorporate itself into your circadian rhythm, and aid in digestion.

Do not over eat. Know your limit and stop eating when you are full. I have often been a victim of wanting to finish a meal so that it doesn’t go to waste. This has left me with many a stomach ache. Next time, doggy bag it for later, and don’t hurt yourself!

Choose your snacks wisely. Put down the Doritos® and cheese puffs. Pick up the apple and baby carrots. Make the right decision, I know you can do it.

Lifestyle. Remember, it’s not about special diets, or special exercise programs. The real secret is in turning your health into a lifestyle, and focusing on this healthy lifestyle with every choice you make.

Nothing unusual in those statements... but actually following them is a different thing. I know I need more exercise. I know I should pick carrots and apples over chocolate... but implementing it... ahhh... that is the important point. Let me see how I do over the next week...

Dark Chocolate is your friend

2008-07-08T01:23:00.000-05:00

I get all sorts of weird emails... but this was one of my favorite this week:

Give your skin inside-out protection from the sun by putting these four items into your shopping cart: pomegranates, tomatoes, dark chocolate, and tea.

From RealAge's 4 Must-Eat Foods for Healthy Skin:

The antioxidants in this tasty quartet of treats may help thwart skin cancer, according to John La Puma, MD, author of ChefMD’s Big Book of Culinary Medicine.

Sunblock Effects
No food can replace the awesome sun-busting power of sunscreen, but some foods may work their way from the inside out to give your skin a little extra protection. The antioxidants in pomegranates, tomatoes, dark chocolate, and tea "can migrate to upper layers of your skin, bolstering resistance to ultraviolet damage," La Puma writes.

Eat More Chicken

2008-07-07T01:09:00.000-05:00

I am on a mailing list for Chick-fil-A and they have announced a way to get free food. Here is a quote:

In celebration of July 11, Cow Appreciation Day, an unofficial – yet nationally recognized holiday, Chick-fil-A will award a free combo meal (breakfast, lunch or dinner) to any customer who comes to one of the chain’s 1,200-plus restaurants fully dressed as a cow.

Due to insanity at my house, more simple posts like the above will be done this week. Enjoy!

It's Bertha!

2008-07-05T09:28:00.000-05:00

Somehow I missed the first storm... but here comes Bertha!

http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/refresh/graphics_at2+shtml/145015.shtml?3day

**mutters ... got to stock up since I ran everything out before we went on vacation... mutters**

Happy July 4th

2008-07-04T01:31:00.000-05:00

Found this over at Derek's... and couldn't resist! That and my boys checked out the School House Rocks DVD from the library. Eeeeeeeeeeekkkkkkkk. Lolly Lolly Lolly Get Your Adverbs Here and more... over and over and over and over again...

Survival of Another Day

2008-07-03T01:04:00.000-05:00

Seems my boys had to go poop in the middle of the night the other night... Tater at 1:30am and Tot at 3:30am. Needless to say, I'm out of it. First, the pictures from the end of day 3 shopping...

Here are a few cute pictures from Day 4 at Animal Kingdom...

And a quick overview of what we did (for my future reference) is:

Fastpasses to Safari Ride, off to Pangani Forest Exploration Trail... back to Safari Ride. Next, we were just in time to see Flights of Wonder. A nice playtime in the "The Boneyard" in the DinoLand. On our way out, we stopped and saw It's Tough to Be A Bug. Not our best moment as in this time it was Tater with a meltdown. They are taking turns and it is driving me nuts. Luckily it is only one a day and only one child. But they never get their way, so I don't know what drives it. Heat? Tired? Who knows... Then we went to Downtown Disney per Tot's request. He watches way too many commercials... But they had fun at the Lego store and the Toy store. Yep, overall, it was a good day.

Tuesday Fun and Mom Gets to Have Friends Over

2008-07-02T03:07:00.000-05:00

Yep, I got to have wRitErsbLock and Sherlock come visit last night. I had a blast. Even if wRitErsbLock laughed the hardest at picturing me running while telling her the story of why my nickname in highschool was QuackAss. I still refuse to change it from vw bug.

Click below to see pictures and find out what we did on Tuesday...

We ran to Soar'n first thing as we got into Epcot. The boys loved it. Off to get fastpasses for TestTrack and then to the 'big ball'. I tried to email pictures of the family back to Mamaw and myself but we still haven't gotten them. Not sure what I did wrong. Probably forgot to press send. ;-)

Waiting for Tater and Dad to finish lunch we played taking silly pictures:

Next was lunch, then Figment. They love it when he sprays the 'skunk' smell at you. Finally we made it to TestTrack. Tot was thrilled about it... Tater didn't want to go. Sigh. Yet, Tater did go on it versus sitting outside with mom. He wanted Dad to stay outside with him... when that didn't work, he went on it. I was proud of him. He was actually scared of some of it. After we are in there almost ready to get into a car, he tells us about it. After he got off... he l.o.v.e.d it. We had talked about it before getting on it. Not sure if that made a difference... talking about how none of it is dangerous and explaining how it worked, or he just enjoyed it once he got on it.

Getting into the cars AFTER the ride was just as much fun!

Since Universe of Energy was right next door... off to see the 'dinosaurs'.

Mom ripped her fanny pack so we stopped in the store before we left... I'll post more about that later. Enjoy!

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

2008-07-02T01:14:00.000-05:00

They keep telling us to get in touch with our bodies. Mine isn't all that communicative but I heard from it the other day after I said,

"Body , how'd you like to go to the six o'clock class in vigorous toning?"

Clear as a bell, my body said, "Listen fatty... do it and die."

= = = = =

My mind not only wanders, it sometimes leaves completely.

Another Day, More Pictures

2008-07-01T01:42:00.000-05:00

Lots of pictures, lots of fun but I'm hiding below the line... so if you want to check it out, click on the 'read more' below!

This guy looked just like Captain Jack. It was awesome. The boys loved watching the little show they put on for the crowd.

The boys didn't like the ride the Pirates of the Caribbean... but they l.o.v.e.d riding Thunder Mountain!

And while waiting for our Fastpass to Splash Mountain... we waited in line for Peter Pan... and waited and waited and waited. When we got up to the front they were letting in 60 or 70 of those in the fastpass and then 15 people who had been standing in the 'regular' line... I understand the idea of fastpass, but that was ridiculous. Here is a picture of the boys acting silly while we waited...

Off to Splash Mountain and Tater doesn't want to go... Here is Dad and Tot in the last seat of the car...

Here is a picture of the water heading over to get Dad and Tot... I can't see Tot, just Dad...

We rode Tomorrowland Transit while waiting for our fastpass to Buzz to get to our time... And I called Tink to let her tell Tater stories about me...

I was very happy when we finished. For the first time, I beat Dad's score. I got over 600k and Dad only got around 300k. Yipeee!!! Tater wanted to ride with Dad because he was better at shooting. Baw ha ha ha ha... If he only knew...

Off to Hall of the Presidents before dinner... and then a scrumptious dinner at the Liberty Hall. It had the most characters for any place we have eaten. Here is one of my favorite shots:

Tater fell asleep on the way home and both boys were exhausted when we got home. Another great day had occurred ...

Calling the Geeks to Answer a Question

2008-06-30T02:48:00.000-05:00

While at Disney, I have free internet access. I am getting more hits from random people trying to tcp to me or see if I have a web service running and the like. Is there any easy way to annoy them without giving up my info? It's been 6 years since I have tried any hard core devilment and I can't drudge anything out of my mind. I have a firewall going which is what is stopping them, and of course it gives me their ip address. There ought to be something I can do to annoy them back. ;-) Any ideas?

Last Day of Star Wars Weekends

2008-06-30T01:47:00.000-05:00

We made it to Disney just in time to be there for the last day of their Star Wars weekends. It was pretty cool. Here is who was in line with me to buy tickets:

There were troopers on the roofs of buildings and more. But we started out by going on the new Toy Story ride. The boys l.o.v.e.d. it. Luckily we got fastpasses at 10am before we got in line for the ride because the time for return was already 3pm. Phew. When we went by at 2:30pm, the 'wait' time in line was 120 minutes.

We met up with a friend of Hubby's at the Backstage lot. I couldn't resist this picture:

Then the 'Lights, Camera, Action' was starting as soon as we got done with Backstage. Off to watch the cars and motorcycles. We got out of that just in time for lunch. We had a horrible waitress. We sat in there for 1 hour and 30 minutes because for 45 minutes we never got served. It sucked.

Off to Star Tours ride. The boys had a blast. When we went in Chewbacca was signing autographs. When we came out, there was an ewok signing autographs and getting pictures with kids. Tater and I got in line, but they stopped it right before us. ugh. Disappointing.

We went to look for the Star Wars weekend only pins. Went to the Mickey Magician hat and was told to go elsewhere. There was a place in the back full of star wars stuff. The boys ended up with Darth Maul lightsabers... that's right, double sided red light sabers. Nothing in my house is going to be safe.

Headed to the grocery store, and off to the pool. Love the place we are staying at right now. Ok, gotta figure out where we are going tomorrow...

Flag Coasters!

2008-06-27T00:36:00.000-05:00

Our craft project is done. The boys made some flag coasters. It was fun. They love painting, gluing and the like. Tot isn't particularly fond of cutting yet... but that will come in time as he does it more. ;-)

Here is the painting part:

A couple of days later, some cutting, some pasting...

Is That A Yellow Belt I see? Or just a camera with no battery...

2008-06-27T00:28:00.000-05:00

The boys (and I) went for our yellow belt last night. I wish I was not participating because I would have loved to been in the audience. I could hear what was being said and occasionally I peaked over at what was going on with the boys. It was hilarious. Particularly when we had a point where we had to keep our eyes closed and one of the sensei's said... a thousand pushups to the one that is peaking and Tot said "Who?" ... yaa... you can guess who it probably was peaking (yep, it was Tot). Oh... and I forgot to charge the battery for the camera. Sigh.. so only a couple of pictures.

Here are some of the pictures that Hubby took of the event... first before we got started (the other boy was late due to being behind a car wreck)... Here is Tater doing a back kick...

Here is Tot

And here they are getting their yellow belts... If you look in the mirror, you can see a fat arse on the right.. that is me... ;-)

Must remember to take my asthma inhaler b.e.f.o.r.e doing something like this. I had a hard time breathing by the end. Then again, I am NOT in that good of shape. ;-)

Boys and p..p humor

2008-06-26T01:38:00.000-05:00

While in the chiropractor's office, my boys decided to see who could burp the loudest. This was better than what I heard on the way to the office in the car. Or what I saw at breakfast with Bou earlier this week. My youngest, Tot, is learning his letters.. I asked him to write for Bou. He wrote poo poo on his placemat. Him and his brother just rolled with laughter. This whole week has been about bodily excrement. I'm tired of it. I wish I had some cute story to tell, but I just don't find farts, p..p and other items funny or cute.

We should be finished with our craft today and hopefully I will have it posted tomorrow or next week. Enjoy!

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

2008-06-25T00:04:00.000-05:00

Solve the Mystery

This is too cute not to share. Think real hard and you can solve this mystery.

3 Old Ladies from Arizona

This is a detective story -
So Pay Close Attention!!!

Three elderly ladies are excited about seeing their first baseball game. They smuggle a bottle of Jack Daniel's into the ball park. The game is real exciting and they are enjoying themselves immensely, mixing the Jack Daniel's with soft drinks.

Soon they realize that the bottle is almost gone and the game has a lot of innings to go.

NOW !!! SOLVE THE MYSTERY!!!!
Based on the given information, what inning is it and how many players are on base?

Think!

Think some more!!

You're gonna love this one!!

Answer:

It's the bottom of the fifth, and the bags are loaded!

How to Create Crystals ... or not

2008-06-24T00:58:00.000-05:00

Seems I am lacking in skills to create cool crystals. It was fun for me. The kids would come look at them and ohhhh, ahhhh... and leave. No discussion could be held because they had ZERO interest. Sigh. Maybe I'll make rock candy when we get back. That might hold their attentions for a weeee bit longer. Here is how it progressed:

Day 1:

A couple of days later:

Such is life. I had fun. ;-)

Flag Week...

2008-06-23T01:02:00.000-05:00

Since July 4th is around the corner... I'm going to have Flag Week this week. Thanks to the crafts from Quality Weenie.. it should be easier. I forgot to get the Math worksheet done and the 'experiment' of the week. I also found THIS LINK about different things... like the National Anthem:

O! say can you see by the dawn's early light
What so proudly we hailed at the twilight's last gleaming.
Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming.
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof through the night that our flag was still there.
Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?

Hope it goes well this week.

Rainbows

2008-06-23T00:55:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it is nice to see a rainbow out your front door!

Trains, Trains... it is trains again

2008-06-20T00:51:00.000-05:00

Train week has been going by smoothly. Well, it was on Monday and Tuesday... Wednesday took a nose dive. But life always bounces back... Time outs and taking away the Wii works wonders... good thing because I sooo wanted to give out spankings. Here is examples of what we did this week:

Of course Tot worked on his writing skills. Letters P, B, and R. While Tater had to write a story about trains... here is Tater's finished work:

Why was it train week? Because I had the trains the stored away since December... and I put away a bunch of toys and pulled out the trains...

Life continues...

Another Day

2008-06-19T00:46:00.000-05:00

Seems we are a weee bit overloaded at the bug household. Car is in the shop, the boys are being totally obnoxious, too many doctor appointments. I'm going out for Breakfast if I have to walk. I need a break. Over the last 2 months I took off 6 pounds and w.a.s. keeping them off. Until the last 2 weeks. All back. Ugh. 6 on, 6 off, 6 on, 6 off. Enough to make me insane. And... the grasshoppers are back... here is a baby one:

yes, that is my door and doorbell...I was very happy it did not hop into the house. ;-)

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

2008-06-18T00:25:00.000-05:00

Many have seen this... but it still makes me smile! (oh ya, I'm not catholic... )

MY CATHOLIC UPBRINGING.....

As I walked down the busy footpath, knowing I was late for an important meeting, my eye fell upon one of those unfortunate, homeless vagabonds that are found in every city these days. Some people turned to stare. Others quickly looked away as if the sight would somehow contaminate them.

Recalling some long ago priest who made an admonition to 'care for the sick, feed the hungry and clothe the naked,' I was moved by some powerful inner urge to reach out to this unfortunate person.

Wearing what can only be described as rags, carrying every worldly possession in two plastic bags, my heart was touched by this persons condition.

Yes, where some people saw only rags, I saw a hidden beauty A small voice inside my head called out, 'Reach out, reach out!' Click on More to see the rest...

So I did.......

I Won't be at Mass this week.

Win a Prize - from ME!

2008-06-17T03:00:00.000-05:00

How do you win this prize? Come up with a theme for the week for my kids along with 3 crafts that are fairly easily done by a 5 year old. You can see examples in my previous posts about Snakes and this week being Trains and probably the American Flag next week (thanks to Quality Weenie). I still need ideas... I can come up with the books, the math and the like... but the crafts and what theme is the hard part. If you do this for me and send me an email or post a comment, I'll purchase one of these for you:

A Tall Ship and the Wind's Song, an Amazon Short by Patrick G Cox
Let Him In Constancy..., an Amazon Short by Patrick G. Cox
Facing the Banshee, an Amazon Short by Patrick G. Cox
Troubled Summer, an Amazon Short by Patrick G. Cox

About Amazon Shorts:

* Amazon Shorts content is available exclusively at Amazon.com/Shorts.
* Amazon Shorts are delivered electronically and available in PDF, HTML and text e-mail formats.
* Amazon Shorts are yours forever - after purchase, you can read them anytime by visiting Your Media Library.
* You are free to print Amazon Shorts to read in hard copy form at your convenience.

yaa, it's only 49cents. But it won't cost you a penny. I'll purchase it for you. You get to pick which one! Come on... give me some ideas... PLEASE!!!

Update #2: First winner is Marie at Practigal... come one come all, everyone that gives me ideas and crafts wins a prize (and links!) !!!

Sticks from Chaos to Serendipity has another great idea! Rainbow week. Do the colors of the rainbow. Love it and another prize to give away!

Quality Weenie came up with great ideas for Flag Day. Thank you!

Trains, trains and more trains

2008-06-17T00:22:00.000-05:00

Been busy getting this week set up for train week. My sister reminded me I was going to pull out the boys trains and the week I did that, I should do train week. I brought them out Sunday night... And I put it off until Monday to work on their assignments... ugh but getting there... here is a sample math page I made in word for today:

Needless to say, not much to post... busy with life...

Eeek, My House Has Been Taken Over By Pirates

2008-06-16T00:46:00.000-05:00

Mamaw made the boys some pirate costumes. That lady can sew. She couldn't find pants with stripes, so she sewed on stripes. Nope, I don't have that talent. But I am v.e.r.y happy she does... take a look at this (oh, she made 3 costumes... just in case we had a friend over):

What's a pirate without a map??? We had to make maps!

And as the day progressed, we had to switch from swords to guns...

The boys had a blast. We had some friends over on Saturday and the pirate costumes were a hit then as well. In fact, have been great since we got them! Thanks Mamaw!

Happy Father's Day

2008-06-15T00:53:00.000-05:00

Going to be busy today. Letting Dad sleep!! hahaha. Ok, here are some pictures from what the boys and I did for Dad's gift...

The template was from Lisa Minor and the elements and paper from Holly Ann

And here is what the boys made for Dad... notice they are wearing Dad's shirt. ;-)

Happy Father's Day to a great Dad.

Five little piggies? Nope, just a meme

2008-06-13T02:52:00.000-05:00

I was tagged by Bou with a... meme.

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

What were you doing five years ago?

My life was a blur back then... I was pregnant and Tater was 11 months old. My best guess is I was changing diapers, feeding and trying to get some rest.

What are five things on your to-do list for today?

1) Go to the Chiropractor
2) Get food from the grocery store
3) Pick up medicine at CVS
4) Work with the boys on Father's day gift.
5) Possible playdate to go swimming if it doesn't rain

What are five snacks you enjoy?

1) Chocolate
2) Tostitos
3) Carrots and ranch dressing
4) Apples with salt on them
5) Bananas

What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?

1) Invest in Retirement for hubby and myself
2) Put away college money for the boys
3) Pay off all our debts
4) Buy/Pay off cars, houses for my two siblings, my hubby's two siblings, and both sets of parents
5) Give to some charities that I like

What are five of your bad habits?

1) Not dressing nicely... shorts with holes in them and the like if it is comfortable
2) Eating when I'm not hungry (yep, that is why I'm overweight)
3) Making excuses for not exercising.
4) Doing stuff I like (working in the yard) rather than things that need to get done (laundry). Ohhh it gets done eventually... but I know better than putting it off...
5) Being to lax with my children because I hate punishing them...

What are five places where you have lived?

1) Munich, Germany
2) Arkansas
3) Illinois
4) Pensacola, Florida
5) Guam

What are five jobs you’ve had?

1) Horsebackriding instructor
2) RadioShack PC Repairman
3) Programmer
4) Network engineer
5) Mom

Wow.... who to tag???? Looks like most everyone has been tagged... and being I'm so late at getting this done... Well, I'll send some emails and see if I just missed reading the memes at their sites and if they haven't done it and want to... I'll add them to this post!!!

Here you go blogmom Bou... i got my homework done finally.

Found This 'Right On'

2008-06-13T00:47:00.000-05:00

A friend sent me a youtube. I must say, I don't usually watch them, but I did watch these two. And laughed. Hard. Hope you enjoy them as well:

And this one was included... which at the end had me laughing as well...

Tater and Tot keep up the work

2008-06-12T02:21:00.000-05:00

Our days are busy around here. Today is 'Science' day. Monday was Reading, Tuesday was Math and Wednesday was 'Media' (aka pc). Here is an example of what we have done this week:

First up... Tater:

I have no pictures of PC day... but here is Tot's work:

And in the evenings, when I'm not doing genealogy research or playing Indy on the Wii... I'm trying to figure out assignments for the kids. Since they are at different levels, it requires different work... my biggest problem for next week is the theme... what should the theme be??? It was snakes this week... I make crafts with the theme as well as read books... any ideas? Something simple please!

More Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

2008-06-11T02:09:00.000-05:00

From Dazd:

An Alabama Preacher said to his congregation, "Someone in this congregation has spread a rumor that I belong to the Ku Klux Klan. This is a horrible lie and one which a Christian community can't tolerate. I am embarrassed and do not intend to accept this. Now, I want the party who did this to stand and ask forgiveness from God and this Christian Family."

No one moved. The preacher continued, "Do you have the nerve to face me and admit this is a falsehood? Remember, you will be forgiven and in your heart you will feel glory. Now stand and confess your transgression." Again all was quiet.

Then slowly, a drop-dead gorgeous blonde with a body that would stop traffic rose from the third pew. Her head was bowed and her voice quivered as she spoke, "Reverend there has been a terrible misunderstanding. I never said you were a member of the Ku Klux Klan. I simply told a couple of my friends that you were a wizard under the sheets."

The preacher fell to his knees, his wife fainted, and the congregation roared.

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

2008-06-11T02:04:00.000-05:00

Oldie but goodie!

9 Things That Drive One Crazy

1. People who point at their wrist while asking for the time.... I know where my watch is pal, where the hell is yours? Do I point at my crotch when I ask where the toilet is?

2 People who are willing to get off their arse to search the entire room for the T.V.. remote because they refuse to walk to the T.V. and change the channel manually.

3 When people say "Oh you just want to have your cake and eat it too". D@mn right! What good is cake if you can't eat it?

4 When people say "it's always the last place you look". Of course it is.. Why the h3ll would you keep looking after you've found it? Do people do this? Who and where are they? Gonna Kick their arses!

5 When people say while watching a film "did you see that?". No Loser, I paid $12 to come to the cinema and stare at the d@mn floor.

6 People who ask "Can I ask you a question?".... Didn't really give me a choice there, did ya sunshine?

7. When something is 'new and improved!'. Which is it? If it's new, then there has never been anything before it. If it's an improvement, then there must have been something before it, couldn't be new.

8 When people say "life is short". What the h3ll?? Life is the longest d@mn thing anyone ever does!! What can you do that's longer?

9 When you are waiting for the bus and someone asks "Has the bus come yet?". If the bus came would I be standing here, dumbarse?

Indiana Jones and the Wii

2008-06-10T00:29:00.000-05:00

Yep, I'm hooked. Instead of reading blogs, working on my kids 'school stuff' and doing genealogy research after the kids are asleep... I'm playing Indiana Jones on the Wii. Bad, bad mommy. Luckily this sort of thing is short lived with me. I like games, but am more interested in other stuff in life after a few days.

Then again, I need to keep up with the kids... right? hahahaha... more stories later.

Tater makes a PB&J

2008-06-09T01:42:00.000-05:00

We start the morning out at 6am with Tater wanting to make his own PB&J. Eyes half open, I say sure. He gets the plastic knife, the peanut butter, the jelly (with help... dad put it on the top shelf), the bread. He can't get the twist tie off the bread complete... so mom helps. She verbally lets him know that the peanut butter goes on first so we don't get Jelly in it. Oh... the jelly is in a squeeze bottle so we don't get peanut butter in it. The only help he needed was working on the spreading of the peanut butter... I helped him turn his knife to a 45 degree angle to spread. He even cut it himself. Last week he learned about making his own bowl of cereal (mom had to move stuff down so he could reach it) and now a PB&J. Wow... as I tired as I am this morning... that boy is growing up fast.

Busy time

2008-06-06T02:49:00.000-05:00

It is a very busy day.... got stories and pictures... just not enough time. Later!