Thank you for all that you do

This is to thank all of the military men & women & their families for all that they have done for our country. If not for these men & women AND their families this country would not be what it is today. Personally I can not imagine what the families of these dedicated men & women go through on a daily basis. Although one of my children has always wanted to go into the military so I know I will be experiencing first hand what they go through.





Got freedom? Thank a soldier

How long is forever?

I had a very busy weekend. All week long I have been going through the boys room throwing stuff away & cleaning. Because Spike had thrown up everywhere last Friday I really wanted to empty out the whole room & wash the walls & shampoo the carpet. It really needed it. It was actually kind of embarrassing how dirty it was in there. When we moved the dressers & the desk there was spider webs of dust all over the walls. Yuck. What kind of Mom am I? Letting my kids sleep in a room that dirty? The Queen of Clean( whoever she is) should be rolling over in her grave.
I was up early on Saturday so I could get everything out & wash walls. I loaded up Smitty's dresser & desk so Queenie could take them to the dumpster. They were falling apart anyway. Now that Smitty was gone we didn't need them. Then Spike & I got the beds out. What a lot of work! I was taking a break upstairs when who walks into the house but Smitty! He's home. To stay.

After a huge hug(the best one yet I have to say) I asked him what he was doing here & he said it was different down there & he didn't like it. I guess in 7 days you can tell if you like living somewhere or not. Who knew. Most people go on vacation longer then that. He had perfect timing. I was boxing up his stuff. After all he went to Oklahoma to live forever. Spike didn't need all his stuff cluttering up his room. AND I had just thrown out his dresser & desk just a few hours ago. I think he was shocked! I would of been.

I am glad that he is back home. Now maybe he will follow my plan of getting an apartment a few blocks away. That I can deal with.

But on the plus side I now know how long forever is. It's 7 days. So if your kid says he's gonna run away forever don't panic, it will only be for 7 days. In that time you can clean his room & get rid of all the stuff you could never figure out why he was keeping. It could turn out to be a good thing!

Car Lingerie

My new Stealth Mobile came with Lingerie. I've never owned a vehicle that wore Lingerie before. The tank just wouldn't look right in a bra. It would probably look like 10 lbs of potatoes stuffed in a 5 lb sack. Not a good look. But the Stealth Mobile somehow manages to pull it off. This poses a whole bunch of questions for me.
*Where do you buy lingerie for cars?
*Is there a special Fredericks of Hollywood for Cars?
*Can I get a catalog?
*Do I have to change the style for the weather?
*How do I tell what size it is?
*Can it wear White after Labor Day?

This is all to confusing.

Now because the car is sporting a bra I have no idea how to take it through the car wash. Do I have to remove the bra first & then go through the car wash or do all cars shower while wearing their lingerie? I have no idea. None of my friends knew either. Apparently their cars don't wear lingerie. Pookie & I had a discussion about it last night & decided that we should take it off before giving the car a shower. Great plan how do you get it off? I opened the hood & looked at the confusing mess of straps & was just gonna forget the whole thing when Pookie noticed 2 hooks that we could just unhook & take the whole thing off. Easy Peasy.
This morning I decided that while The Princess & I were out we would take the Stealth Mobile through the car wash. I removed the bra in the driveway & she went braless all over town while I did my errands. I felt so naughty!
I have to wash the bra before it goes back on. Again I have more questions.
*How do I wash it?
*In the sink with dish soap?
*In the machine on the delicate cycle?
*Do I have to buy Woolite?
*Can it go into the dryer or will it shrink?

There is way too much thinkin' involved in this. I don't think this much when I take a shower & wash my clothes. I get up, shower & put on something clean. If nothing is clean I put on something that still looks pretty good & doesn't have a real bad smell to it. Oh & I add extra deodorant too. Can't hurt right?

Enjoy the weather everyone. It's finally starting to get nice here. Might have to go braless myself. Nope, forget that. My boobs are no longer "perky". Without a bra to keep them in check they turn into an Ostrich. They try to bury themselves in the ground. That's not a good look for me. Guess I'll have to squash my dream of being a Pole Dancer in Vegas. Long floppy boobs are not the "in" thing.

1 down 3 to go

Smitty finally moved out. I had big plans for him. He was going to move out & share an apartment with a friend. This apartment was only gonna be a few blocks from the house so his father & I could pop in often without notice & surprise him. Then in a few years he was gonna get married & buy the house around the corner. Sounds perfect no? Well I neglected to inform him of my plans. He told us he was moving to Oklahoma. WHAT?? That was not in my plans at all. Not for any of my kids. They are all staying close. After all don't they love me? Why would they move to Oklahoma? I'm not there.
This all happened pretty fast. He wasn't getting the hours he needed at his job. A friend from Oklahoma(I'll give him an Indian name...Taker of Son) called to chat & Smitty was telling him how the job was going. Taker of Son told Smitty that his neighbor was the guy who hired people & he would have him call. Well he did & told him to come down & he would have a job. Being 19 Smitty thought what the hell, I'll go. Can't really blame him. Every 18/19 yr old wants to move out. But Oklahoma? He should of talked to me first. Instead he made a executive decision all by himself & decided he would go. Huh?
When he told us I was floored. Again because this was not my plan at all. I asked when this big event was gonna take place. He told us on Tuesday & he said he was leaving on Saturday. What? No way. You are not leaving that soon. Of course I didn't say that out loud.
He quit his job on Thursday & said goodbye in person to both sets of Grands. It was all he had time for. He packed his truck with all of his important things. Clothes, computer & Xbox. Since he will be staying with Taker of Son for a while he didn't need any furniture.
I held it together very well I thought while he packed & did last minute stuff. I slept awful Friday night & was up at 4:45am(yep AM) to say goodbye. He finished loading the truck & came up for that last goodbye hug & I lost it. As I am watching him drive away I am standing on the porch sobbing. That's not really a good look for me either. I went back to bed cried for about an hour & finally slept a little. No one told me it was gonna hurt this much. My first born was just ripped from my loins. It hurt when he was born too, but not like this. He is bigger now so it hurts more. I had a few more meltdowns on Saturday. But didn't have time for too many because I was kept busy because of Spike. He knew that I would be sad so as a parting gift to Smitty he got the flu. Spike sleeps on the top bunk & woke up & had an uh-oh moment.(when you have an uh-oh moment on the top bunk it's already to late) He puked all over his bed & Smitty's head. Personally I think it was a payback for taking the Xbox. I had so much laundry to do I really didn't have lots of time to be sad.
I think I'm gonna be ok. It will take awhile to adjust to only having 3 kids at home. But being "Super Mom" I'll adjust quickly I'm sure. *sob,sob,sob,gut wrenching sob* I'll be fine really. *sniff,sniff, blow, sob, sob*

It's official, I'm a grown-up

We got our income tax back. When we got them back my first thought was "Great,I can fill all the vehicles up to the top with gas". That's what we did. What ever happened to "oh we got our taxes back, what cool thing are we gonna buy?" I knew it was "official grown up thinking" that made me do that. In the past we have put on a deck & bought a new tv. All fun stuff. My "fun stuff" thinking has been replaced with paying bills before going out, paying bills before eating out & just paying bills. I did not sign up for that! I signed up for a loving husband, adoring kids & a lovely squeaky clean house. I got the loving husband, I got the kids but they are not the adoring ones that worship the ground I walk on that I asked for. As for the squeaky clean house well that's not happening either. I need a maid for that cause obviously I'm not cut out to clean house. There just isn't time to clean the house in between all my laying on the couch in my robe & eating bon bons. By the time I'm finished eating all my bon bons I'm to tired to clean the house. Pookie isn't very understanding about that at all. What does he know. I need my "me time" ya know.

I don't want to be a grown-up any more. There is too much to worry about. All the paying bills, who has to be where at what time & who's gonna get them there, the cooking, the cleaning(or not cleaning), the laundry. If my Mom had told me what being married & being a parent all involved I would of never done it.

Oh who am I kidding, I wouldn't of believed her & done it anyway. And some days being a grown-up is not all bad. But some days it really sucks.

National White Leg Day

Yesterday was National White Leg day. For those of you who don't recognize the Holiday it's when you put on shorts for the first time after the long,long,long, long(we really had a long one this year)long winter. You climb into those shorts for the first time. Make sure your shirt is all tucked in, take a quick look in the mirror to make sure you are all put together, then you see it. Those glow in the dark, pale pasty white legs. Good Lord! You can't go outside looking like that! Then you think I'll just use some of that spray on tan until my legs actually get some color. Then you realize you don't have any & you would have to leave the house to get some. That's not happening. You are not going outside looking like this. Someone might see you.. While you are standing in front of the mirror looking at your pale pasty white legs & feeling miserable your kid yells "Mom come play outside with me!" You think...it IS a really nice day outside, maybe if I just stay in the back yard no one will see me. Then you head out the front door to play in the front yard with your kid, cause after all nothing in more important then playing with your kid. Even if your legs are pale pasty white.

They will get some color eventually.

My new car

I got a new car. Well not brand new but a 1999. So far besides my trailer it's the newest thing we own. And I get it! That's how it works. Husband & wife buy a new car the wife automatically gets it & the husband gets the old one. We had been talking about getting me a car(it's the whole cheaper on gas thing) but I wasn't sure what I wanted. I haven't driven a car in 15 years. We sort of fell into this one. It was a good deal so we bought it. Originally we thought we would go look at it for Queenie, but as soon as I saw it I decided it was way to nice for her. I wanted it.
It has a keyless entry thing but it didn't work. Well since I've never had one of those before I had to get it fixed. Turns out I needed a new one. I went to the car dealer, found out they had them in stock but if I came back the next day I could get it programed for free. Sold. Then I tell Pookie who decided that I could get one much cheaper off Ebay. I let him look knowing all along I was going back to the car dealer to get it. Why start an argument.

Here is what I'm gonna tell the bill collectors when they call for money:

Bill collector:Hello ma'am this is the bill collectors. We need money.

Me:I don't have any. I just bought a car.

BC:Oh, was your old one in an accident?

Me:No. I just wanted one.

BC:Oh you must have some money you could give us.

Me:Well I do have some left but I need it to buy a new key thingie for the car.

BC:Did your car come without a key?

Me:Of course not. Why would I be stupid enough to buy a car without a key. This is for the keyless entry thingie so I can just push a button to lock it, open the trunk or beep the horn.

BC:Does the key work?

Me:Of course it does.

BC:Then why do you need a button thingie?

Me:Because I want one.

BC:But the key works right?

Me:Yes.

BC:I think you should send your money to us & pay off some bills. That would be better then a key thingie.

Me:No it wouldn't. Do you have any idea how many people drive tiny black cars? I'll never find it in the parking lot. Besides this one is special. It's stealth.

BC:Did you have to pay extra for that?

Me:Nope, just came with the car, cool huh?

BC:Does your husband know about the key thingie?

Me:Yes, but he thinks I should wait & get a cheaper one. But I don't wanna wait. I want to pay double & get it right now. Cause I'm worth it.

BC:I can't argue with a women. Have a good day ma'am.

Shopping

I have heard from several friends & neighbors that shopping can be dangerous to the checkbook. Either that or things in my town are just getting really expensive. Below is a price list of how much some things can cost in my neck of the woods.

WalMart

Toothpaste- $50.00
Paper Cups-$28.00
Milk-$40.00
Dogfood,toothpaste & soap-$122.00

K-Mart

Buns-$40.00

I can never run into a store for just 1 thing. Especially in our new super huge we carry everything you could ever need or want WalMart. I always have to look at the scrapbook stuff, hit the clearance isle( you just never know what you might need in there) scope out the day old bakery rack, run through the kids clothes to see if they have anything on a clearance rack that will fit any of my kids, & then there is all the grocery isles. I'm toast once I hit those. It wasn't so bad until WalMart came to town. I really like having it here but wow are things pricey! My friends & I have a running joke about how much we spent when running in for 1 thing. You just can't do it. It's kinda like eating just 1 Lays potato chip. You can't.

I'm gonna tell Pookie that he has to take on a second job to support my WalMart habit.

I wonder how well that will go over?

Challenge your brain

When I was in school(many many moons ago) the teachers always said to challenge your brain. Usually that just meant more homework. And from a kids point of view more homework is never good. But they were right. It is very important for your health that you challenge your brain everyday. It just may prevent you from getting Alzheimer's Disease. My Mother-in-law(who I love to pieces) has Alzheimer's & I have been going to Alzheimer's Support Group meetings with 2 of my sister-in-laws & my niece. I've learned a lot from these meetings.

1. We are not alone in our struggle.

2. There is help out there.

3. We are not as bad off as we thought. It is much worse for others who are farther along in their struggle with this disease.

4. There is a wonderful message board on the Alzheimer's Association web site. I get a lot of answers by reading & posting there.

5. Keeping healthy by challenging your brain, eating right & getting exercise is good for us & it might prevent or delay Alzheimer's.

I have Alzheimer's on my Dad's side. Pookie has it on his Mom's. I would really like to prevent it if I can. Eating healthy & getting exercise certainly won't hurt any of us.

One easy way to challenge your brain is try writing your name with your opposite hand. Or brush your teeth with your opposite hand. You are learning something new & that is challenging your brain.

If something as easy as trying to write my name with my other hand could possibly help in preventing Alzheimer's Disease why wouldn't I do it?

The Princess Baker

This morning while I am in the shower the Princess is in the bathroom playing in the sink. I know this because I have to keep peeking to see what she is doing. When I ask her what she is doing she says nothing. Nothing in Princess talk means I am doing something naughty. She was playing with the soap & pretending to put her contacts in with the spray bottle & an old contact lens case. That just gets everything wet. She has bad aim with that spray bottle.

When I do finish my shower & open the curtain I find the bath mat covered with stuff so I can't step on it. All I can see are 2 white circles & lots of blurry blobs. I hadn't put my contacts in yet & I am blind as a bat without them so all I saw were blurry blobs. I ask her what those white circles are & she tells me they are plates for the cake she is making. I ask her to move stuff so I can get out & I get my glasses on. I notice 2 paper plates. One has the wash cloth I used in the shower on it. That is the cake. She has also gotten 2 of my forks from the kitchen. (well what do you eat cake with?) Yum, nothing I like better then cake made with a wash cloth I just used to wash my "special parts" with. I tell her that she can't use the wash cloth(besides being gross) because it is dripping through the plate. So she starts to unroll the toilet paper. Again I ask her what she thinks she is doing. This is my cake. Oh I get it. Now instead of using my "oh so sanitary" wash cloth we are going to use lots of wadded up toilet paper. After all it's a big cake. Then I have to eat it. All this is going on while I am trying to hurry up & get dressed. She has school today & we are running late. But I do the only thing a Mom can do. I stop & eat my toilet paper cake. Yum. Cake anyone?

Yesterday I had a mammogram. Big fun let me tell you. I have been officially squashed flat. Today I am filling out a Wellness form for a cancer policy that we have. One of the questions they asked was:

Give the actual cost of the Mammogram.

I have no idea what the actual cost of anything Dr. related is. We have insurance. I haven't paid an actual cost(thank God) for anything medical related ever. I had to jump through many hoops to get an estimated actual cost. First I called the Dr's office where I had the test. They don't do their own billing. They have a service. Of course they do. So they gave me another number to call. When I call that number I am on hold for 15 minutes. I finally get a really nice women on the phone & she looks up my info. It's not in the system yet. Of course it's not. It could take up to 2 weeks to get into the system. This is only because I want to send in the form today. I ask if she can tell me what a mammogram costs & I give her credit. She tried. It wouldn't give her the info. So she put me on hold & tried to find out for me. A few minutes later she comes back & says she can give me an estimate. Ok that will have to work. Do you know that a Mammogram can cost $400.00 if you have to pay for it out of pocket? No wonder people without insurance don't get them as often(or at all)as they should.

Now I have to call the insurance company because we certainly don't want to send in the form without all the correct info on it. That could delay payment forever. I had to make my way through several hundred phone prompts first until I got to the place I thought I needed to be. I had to wait on hold for about 20 minutes before I got a person. It only took a minute for her to tell me that an estimated cost is fine to put on the form. But I know if I hadn't called & asked they would of sent the form back. That's how life works for me.

Insurance, can't fill out the forms correctly, can't live without it.

Can I quit?

I would like to quit Winter please. Is there a form that I can fill out or do I have to send in a letter? All I know is that I am getting so tired of Winter. I think the problem is that it started so early. We got hit early & way to often for my taste. I'm done now. I would like it to be May.

I have been doing a lot of browsing on Ebay this week. That can be dangerous for me. I have bought several scrapbook related things that I can't live without. Although I don't think there is a scrapbook thing out there that I don't need. I think it's a disease. And my best friend is getting it too. It's catchy. I have been spending a little, a lot a whole crap load of quality time on there lately. Every time I find something good I have to tell her about it & then she wants it too. I see no cure for this disease either. It only gets worse. Although I have to say that I have gotten a lot of good deals from there. It works out pretty good for me too. I buy them during the day. They arrive during the day. I open the box put the new stuff away & get rid of the box. Pookie has no idea. See it works out for both of us. I get stuff I can't live without need & he has no idea. That's the best way to shop.

Today at the library the Princess made a gold crown with LOTS of jewels on it. She had a blast making it. Every time I asked her if she was finished she said no. It needed more jewels. For her it's all about the bling. I know the crown is very important to her because we have been home for about a half hour & I have no idea where it is. It's very special.

Just for the record the nasty smell coming from my sink & stinking up the whole kitchen was a dish rag. It was hidden under a plate in the bottom of the sink. Who would of thought a little dish rag could reak that bad.

Now for something new.

60 things you didn't know about me

1. What's in the backseat of your car right now? A toddler car seat, a bunch of toys & a whole bunch of stuff I don't even want to know about is under the seat.

2. When was the last time you threw up? Last week. I had the flu.

3.What is your favorite curse word? Shit. I'd have to say shit. Although with a 3 year old in the house who doesn't miss a word you say I do try not to say it within her hearing range.

4. Name 3 people who made you smile today. Queenie, the Princess & Spike

5. What were you doing at 8:00 am this morning? Dozing on the couch while the Princess watched Curious George. The bigger kids had a day off from school so I didn't have to run anyone anywhere.

6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago? Folding laundry & starting to fry bacon for dinner.

7. What will you be doing 3 hours from now? Hopefully sitting on the couch watching tv. By then the Princess should be in bed sleeping.

8. Have you ever been to a strip club? Nope.

9. What is the last thing you said out loud? No you can't have cookies for dinner. I was talking to the Princess.

10. What is the best flavor of ice cream? Cookie dough, hands down!

11. What is the last thing you had to drink? Pepsi, no surprise there.

12. What are you wearing right now? A Grey hoodie & my favorite pair of holey jeans.

13. What was the last thing you ate? M & M's

14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week? Nope. Not for me. But I bought Smitty a new pair of jeans. The Mom never gets anything new.

15. When was the last time you ran? Yesterday. The Princess fell in the living room & was bawling like she lost a leg. She really just stubbed her toe, which is fine by the way.

16. What is the last sporting event you watched? I got stuck watching The Daytona 500. It was not my choice. I only watch sports if my kids are playing.

17. What time did you go to bed last night? About 2:00 am. I wasn't tired so I stayed up & watched a bunch of Charmed episodes that I had recorded.

18. Who is the last person you e-mailed? My bff

19. Ever go camping? Yep! I love to go camping!

20. Do you have a tan? Nope. I'm sporting the scary white look right now.

21. Are you a saver or a spender? So far I'm a spender because there just isn't much extra after bills to spend. I spend the money on the bills. No fun there.

22. What is the last book you read? Bound for Murder by Laura Childs

23. Do you drink your soda from a straw? What's soda? Around these here parts we call it Pop. And no I don't.

24. What did you last IM say? Watch 4 Dad.

25. Are you someone's best friend? Yes

26. What are you dong tomorrow? Taking the Princess to school, running errands while she is there. Cooking & doing laundry. Same ole, same ole.

27. Where is your Mom right now? Probably kicked back in her recliner reading a book while my Dad watches something stupid on TV.

28. Look to your left & what do you see? An overflowing kitchen counter that I really need to clean.

29. What color is your watch? Pink

30. What do you think of when you think of Australia? Kangaroo's & the Outback.

31. Would you consider Plastic Surgery? Maybe if I had an accident & I needed it. Otherwise no.

32. What is your birthstone? Emerald.

33. Do you go in a fast food place or just hit the drive through? I always go through the drive through. I would rather hit the drive through & bring it home then bring the kids in there. I guess it's still a habit from when I had 3 kids under 5. Never get out of the car with them if you can possibly avoid it.

34. How many kids do you want? I have 4 & since I'm almost 45 I think I done.

35. Do you have a dog? Yep. Bailey the Wonder Dog with the cast iron stomach. She can( & has) eat anything.

36. The last person you talked to on the phone? Smitty

37. Have you met anyone famous? I met Ward & Jeff Burton's(Nascar driver's) Dad at a Casino in Vegas. He was playing a $100.00 slot machine like it was a quarter machine.

38. Any plans today? Yep. Planting myself on the couch after the Princess is in bed.

39. How many states have you lived in? Only 1, Illinois

40. Ever go to college? no

41. Where are you right now? On the computer in the kitchen.

42. The biggest annoyance in your life right now? That our other house is not selling. I really want/need it to sell!

43. Last song you listened to? The theme song to Arthur.

44. Where did you last overnight away from home? Last Columbus Day the entire family went camping in Seward, Ill. As I type this I realize I need to get away more.

45. Are you allergic to anything? Penicillin

46. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time? My tennis shoes. Nothing fancy about them but they are comfy.

47. Are you jealous of anyone? Yes. People whose house's are selling. See a theme going here?

48. Is anyone jealous of you? Why would they be? I'm just a plain boring Mom.

49. What kind of weather do you have today? It's freeze your face off cold. It's 7° & windy.
50. What time is it? 7:00pm

51. Do any of your friends have children? Yep, all of them

52. Do you eat healthy? I could lie & say I do, but sadly no. I eat terrible.

53. What do you usually do during the day? Clean, do laundry, cook, do laundry, drop kids off, do laundry, pick kids up oh & did I mention that I do laundry?

54. Do you hate anyone right now? Yes. Anyone that has a house on the market & they sold it.

55. Do you use the word 'Hello' daily? Mostly on the phone but I do say Hello to the cashiers at the store.

56. What is one dream you have accomplished? I took my kids to Disney. Well not the Princess but she wasn't born yet so I don't think that counts.

57. How old will you be turning on your next birthday? 45.

58. Have you ever been to Six Flags? Yes. Many times.

59. How did you get one of your scars? Tripping over a lawn chair in my Uncle's back yard. It put a gash on my knee that should of had stitches.

60. What is your favorite drink? Pepsi

There don't you feel better knowing all this cool stuff about me? I know I'll sleep better now that you know all of my secrets.

Get your game on

Sometimes being a Mom sucks. Today for example I am playing the "what is that smell" game. It's a lot of fun. There can be as many players as you want but only 1 person is "it". That would be me. All the other players just complain every time they walk into the smelly room. They never actually do any "smell hunting". Today I have it narrowed down to the area around the sink. The sink is of course over flowing with dishes. I'm afraid to load the dishwasher because I kinda scared of what I will find in the bottom of the sink. So I am doing the only thing I can. Everything else but the kitchen. So far I have cleaned 2 bathrooms & folded laundry. I think I can successfully avoid the kitchen for most of the afternoon. But I'm gonna have to take care of it before dinner because there are no more clean plates left. Although depending on what we are having we could use paper plates. Then I could put off the sink issue until tomorrow. But I'm afraid it might take on a life of it's own by then. The laundry pile did that once. Scared me to death.

There''s something wrong with the air in my house. It is loaded with flu germs. Anyone know how to disinfect ALL the air in my house? We have had the flu here for at least 2 weeks. The Princess & I had it last. We both had it for 3 days. We still don't have our normal appetites back yet. This strain really takes a lot out of you. Then this morning Spike woke up puking. Again. *sigh* Are we ever going to get rid of this? I just can't get it again. I don't have the strength to go through it again.

We have more snow coming. It's that just great? (read with sarcasm) We just had 3 feet dumped on us a few days ago. I'm still trying to dig out the end of the driveway. We had it all dug out once. Then the nice plow guy waited around the corner until we went inside & packed us in tight. Wasn't that nice of him? Then it got "freeze your face off" cold out & it froze solid. We now have a driveway just wide enough for a Yugo to pull in. Only problem is that I drive a Tank. And there is a HUGE bump of snow/ice that you have to drive over first before you can even make it into the driveway. I love winter don't you? NOT. Even my kids are getting sick of it. I thought all kids loved snow. On the news they gave us the amounts of snow that we have gotten. Last year we got 11 inches of snow total. This year it is 41 inches and still counting.

I need to move somewhere warm.

Unwanted guest

We have the flu. Almost all of us. Spike started it last weekend & even missed 2 days of school because of it. Then over the weekend Pookie got it. Yesterday the Princess got it. This morning Queenie got it & now I am feeling funky too.

I'm not sure how we got it. I never asked for it or invited it to stay this long. Even after it leaves 1 person there is a cough that lingers on. This is the perfect time for Pookie to be sick too. We have about a foot of snow coming to night & tomorrow. So he will be out all night & all day tomorrow. You have to admire his impeccable timing. He does this every year. Gets sick just in time for a blizzard. He is learning though. He came home last night sick & actually went to the Dr. today. Usually he decides to wait until he can hardly move or has pneumonia before he goes to the Dr. But then again he is a guy. It only took about 6 or 7 years for him to "get it". I think it's finally sunk in. We all know that no matter how many times you tell them something they will never do it unless they think it's "their" idea. I'm glad women don't carry that gene.

Yesterday was officially "freeze your face off" cold. I didn't want to leave the house but I did. The Princess has story time at the library & I needed a few things so I could make Chili for dinner. Once again I knew what I was having but didn't have all the stuff to make it. Happens to me a lot. I should of stayed home & made something else for dinner. It was REALLY cold out. Even the Princess was complaining. AND I ended up going out again when Pookie got home. The garage called & said the Tank was done. I really missed driving my truck. While it was spending a few days at the Spa I had to drive our little pickup. It has a bench seat. When you put the car seat in, there is not a lot of room for the 3rd person that has to go. We were very close whenever we went anywhere. I guess it all depends on what you are used to driving. I am used to driving with the seat up as far as it will go & NOT having my passenger sit in my lap.
I had no idea just how close I sat when I drove until I rode with Queenie. She drives with the seat in the same spot I do. As a passenger you have NO leg room & the window is really close to your face. Smitty won't ride with me in the front any more. At 6 feet tall he just can't fold himself that small. He rides in the back. Makes me feel like a taxi driver.
But as a Mom that is my job. I am Chef, Laundry Goddess, Cleaning Queen, Referee, Accountant, Time Keeper & Taxi Driver. It's a job I love & hate. Most of the time I love it more then I hate it, but there are THOSE DAYS when it just doesn't pay to get out of bed.

Wait a minute. I can't remember EVER getting a check for this job. I should be making some really big bucks for doing EVERYTHING around here. In my next life I am going to get paid for this job. Scratch that. In my next life I am marrying a rich guy. Problem solved.

Errands are never quick

Today I had errands to run. We are totally out of milk & juice. I'm not sure how that happened. Pookie & I even went to Aldi over the weekend. Of course I had no idea that we were totally out of juice until I got home. Then because we didn't have any that's all the Princess wanted to drink. Like a broken record she kept asking for juice. We kept telling her we were out but she wasn't buying it at all. I think she thought if she asked enough I would eventually produce some. Didn't happen.

Because I had plans this morning Spike woke up puking. Happens every time I make plans. You would think I would learn. At least he is old enough where I can leave him home alone for a little while. I left the house well before 9:00 hoping to get everything done quickly so I could get back to him. While driving to the store I noticed the "check gages" light pop on.
Hmmmm. That's not supposed to be there.
I look at the gages & the 2nd one is almost all the way over to the right.
Uh-oh that's not supposed to be over there. It's supposed to be on the left.
I call Pookie & he tells me to stop the truck right away. So what do I do? I drive the rest of the way to the store. After all I can't just stop the car on the side of the road. (Just for the record Pookie expects this. I have also been known to drive home on a flat tire) Just as I stop the truck smoke starts to pour out of the hood. That can't be a good thing.
Pookie calls a friend to pick us up and the poor Tank is left sitting all alone in the parking lot. I just know that I will have to get to go along tonight to bring it home or take it someplace to be fixed. I can't wait.

I guess it's a good thing we are the "Sanford's" of the neighborhood & have extra vehicles around. At least I will have something to drive while the Tank is in the shop.

My Mission

My mission (if I chose to accept it) was to go shopping with my best friend & help her find a rolling tote to hold all of her scrapbooking stuff. It was gonna be tough spending her money but I thought I was up to the challenge. She said since I sucked her in got her interested in scrapbooking it was my duty to help her. First she looked at my rolling totes to see if they would work for her, then we were off. It was really cold out but her car has heated seats so I thought I would make it. Her car also tells you the temp outside. Last night it said -2° when we left. I didn't need to know that. Even though it was "freeze your face off" cold I went shopping with her. Why? Because I got out of the house without my kids. We had a great time shopping. It's amazing how much stuff I thought she needed. I spent $4.00 & she spend $3000.00. Well maybe not quite that much. She didn't even get a tote. After hitting Michael's, JoAnn Fabrics & Archiver's we finally found the tote in Archiver's. After finding out that they have coupon's every once in a while she opted to wait. But I was VERY successful in getting her to spend her money. I'm sure once her husband finds out how well I did he will want to thank me personally. I think a gift card in a large amount would be an acceptable gift don't you? Or cash. Cash is always good.

We had a blast shopping together. We even had dinner. It's been a long time since we've done that. Plus I discovered another talent I have. I am VERY GOOD at spending other peoples money. Who knew? I'm also very tough. After all her car told us it was -8° when we were on the way home. How many people do you know who will shop in weather that cold?

If you need YOUR money spent & it's cold out I'm your girl.

My kids were off of school yesterday for Martin Luther King Day. It was really cold too. I didn't leave the house at all. Too cold for me. I spent the day hanging out in front of the fire place. It was a good place to be. Although Sunday was colder & did I go out? Yes I did. On the coldest day of the year I went out. I went to a crop. I have my priorities. I got to go with my best friend to another friends house WITHOUT the Princess. I had to go. It would of been wrong of me to stay home. I always take Spike with me to carry stuff in. His friend also lives at the house I crop at. Works for both of us. I traveled light this time. I only took 2 large totes, 1 small one & my box of stamps. That is traveling light for me. I hate leaving anything at home. What if I need it? I can't go back home for it. I might never make it out again. I can't risk it. So I just bring everything.

Pookie had the day off yesterday too. He made plans with a friend. Then he looked at the weather. He watched it all week grumbling that it was gonna snow on his day off & he would have to work. The weather man was right & it did snow & he did have to go to work. He was home in plenty of time to enjoy hanging with his buddy. Then around 8:00 he got called back in. I have no idea what time he came home. I have learned to sleep though him coming in at all hours. (He used to work nights.) Then I woke up at 2:00 am. He was just getting ready to go to work again. He is gonna take his "before bed nap" early tonight.

My favorite show is starting again soon. "LOST" premieres on Jan 31st. Click the link for a rundown of what has happened so far. http://abc.go.com/primetime/lost/index?pn=index
I never miss an episode. I think that's the only show that I don't miss. Most of the time I don't care what is on as long as Pookie isn't watching something dumb. He does watch a lot of stupid tv shows. Must be a guy thing. The other thing he does is change channels with lightning speed. He says he does it because he doesn't like watching commercials. I think he does it to piss me off. It works.

I'm going alone!

Today I am going to the Dr. I'm very excited. Not about the Dr. visit itself but because I get to go ALONE. That wasn't the original plan either. I was going to have to take the Princess with me because I couldn't get a sitter. My appt is at 2:45. Right in the middle of nap time. Missing a nap is never a good thing. AND I have to have a pap. I know,too much information, but I wasn't looking forward to the questions I was going to get from the Princess about what the Dr. was doing down there. 'Nuf said. Both Spike & Queenie woke up sick today. I'm not happy that they are sick but at least this way I don't have to take the Princess on a memorable trip to the Dr. I don't want any of that stuff coming out at Pre School. Apparently my child speaks her mind at school. One of them can lay on the couch & sleep while I go to the Dr.

I'm so excited about going alone. I'm not sure what to bring with me. Do I bring a book? Should I bring Queenie's DS? I've become addicted to playing her Horsez game. Or should I just bring my IPod. Wait, the IPod has been MIA for a while. I'll have to bring a book. I know I'm putting a lot of thought into bringing something, but if I don't Murphy's law will pop up. There will be no magazines, screaming kids( I can tune those out, it's a Mom thing) & I will have to wait forever because the Dr. will be behind. If I bring something then I won't have time to use it & I will get in early. See how that works?

Here's hoping I have a fun filled afternoon.

My prediction of how the morning would go was pretty correct. No one got up on time. I got up at 7:05 & Queenie was still in bed & so was Spike. It was pitch black out still. I got everyone moving & no one was late & no one forgot anything. At least nothing they are calling home about. The Princess & I watched TV for a little while & then got moving.

We cleaned her room first. Her idea of cleaning her room is not the same as mine. In her eyes as long as everything is off the floor then it's clean. Her bed was full, but underneath was clean. Her baby's pack-n-play was full of toys(yes her baby's have their own play pen, they are just starting to crawl & get into everything) but the floor was clean. Then she got out her vacuum. It was very cute watching her vacuum her room. Too bad it wasn't really doing anything. After I really vacuumed then I had to go through all the stuff she piled everywhere.

It is 64° out according to the computer. Is it really January 7th? I have my windows open in the kitchen. If the sun would come out it would really be a nice day. I thought Spring was coming early until I looked at the 10 day forecast. We have snow coming on Friday. For a while there I thought my dream of just having Winter in the month of December was coming true. I really need to move somewhere warm but where it is warm there are bugs. BIG bugs. I don't do bugs. I don't run screaming & stand on chairs when I see one but I just don't like them. I am getting better at picking up dead ones though. I don't have to use a whole box of Kleenex anymore. I am down to only using 2 or 3. But I still flush them or burn them in the fire place. I'm not taking any chances! And yes I look to make sure they went down. I'm not having the little suckers try to make an escape while I'm using the potty!

Anyone live somewhere warm where there aren't any bugs? Cause that's where I'm moving as soon as I find it.

I went to a crop at a friends house today. I took enough pictures so that I could get at least 6 pages done. With all the working chatting I did I got 5 pages done. Pookie always laughs at me when I go to a crop. I always take everything I own. I look like I am moving out. I have 3 large totes & various other crap stuff. I have another friend who doesn't like going to crops because she never knows what she should take. I bring everything I own. Problem solved. I have everything I need. Which is important to me because once I leave the house I AM NOT going back. That would just be flirting with danger. I might never make it out again. I'm not going to risk it. I just bring everything I own that way there is no problem. The best part was being away from home without any kids talking to big people. I took Spike with me so he could carry all my stuff in the house for me because his friend lives at the house where I cropped at. He played computer games all day.

We borrowed a friends Wii for the weekend. The kids & Pookie have been having a great time with it. I played 2 games of bowling & my arm is sore. I am really out of shape! The kids & Pookie are complaining that they are sore too. What does that tell you about my families exercise plan? I think we need to get out more.

Spike had a friend over last night & the Princess had to got to play too. They gave her a pair of socks to use as her controller & she bowled too. It was great. She was having a wonderful time thinking she was playing. I wasn't letting her near the Wii controllers. We are only borrowing. I am not buying them a new one cause my kid broke it! That wasn't the plan at all.

School starts up again tomorrow morning. I know exactly how it is going to go. I will have to peel my kids out of bed because they won't get up when their alarm goes off. It's the same after every break. I'm sure one of them will not be able to find that "something special" they wanted to wear to school & the other one will forget homework & I will have to bring it to school. It's not even Monday & I already am not looking forward to it. But on the plus side I do know what I am having for dinner. AND I have all the stuff I need to make it.

That's a little miracle right there.

Home Remedies

I received this list in an e-mail from a friend. I think they bear repeating. So many of us are forgetting about all the good ole Home Remedies that are out there. Read them & enjoy. Can you come up with any on your own? Right now I can't but then again I haven't had a shower yet. All my good ideas happen while I am in the shower. Maybe because it's the only time I am alone all day. It's hard to think when you have a whining toddler attached to your thigh.

AMAZINGLY SIMPLE HOME REMEDIES

1. If you're choking on an ice cube simply pour a cup of boiling water down your throat. Presto! The blockage will instantly remove itself.

2. Avoid cutting yourself when slicing vegetables by getting someone else to hold while you chop.

3. Avoid arguments with the Mrs. about lifting the toilet seat by using the sink.

4. For high blood pressure sufferers: simply cut yourself and bleed for a few minutes, thus reducing the pressure in your veins. Remember to use a timer.

5. A mouse trap, placed on top of your alarm clock, will prevent you from rolling over and going back to sleep after you hit the snooze button.

6. If you have a bad cough, take a large dose of laxatives, then you'll be afraid to cough.

7. You only need two tools in life - WD-40 and Duct Tape. If it doesn't move and should, use the WD-40. If it shouldn't move and does, use the duct tape.

8. Remember: Everyone seems normal until you get to know them.

Daily Thought: SOME PEOPLE ARE LIKE SLINKIES. NOT REALLY GOOD FOR ANYTHING BUT THEY BRING A SMILE TO YOUR FACE WHEN PUSHED DOWN THE STAIRS

If you can't fix it with a hammer, you've got an electrical problem.

Enjoy!

Things I want to improve on

It's day 3 of the new year & I haven't posted my "Things I want to improve on" list. I'm not going to make New Years Resolutions because I never keep them. So instead I am making a list of all the stuff I would like to improve on. I'm sure we all have a list like that. Here is mine:

1. Keep up with the laundry better.(easer said then done. 6 people make a lot of laundry!)
2. Know what is for dinner well before dinner time. (I am really bad with this one)
3. Get all the stuff out of my room that doesn't belong there.
4. Keep my cabinets stocked better.(Actually I just need better hiding spots for the good stuff)
5. Have a better attitude towards my bitchy(did I say that?) teenagers.
6. Exercise more. (anything would be more then I am doing now.)
7. Have more patience with my MIL. (some days are worse then others!)
8. Keep my house a little cleaner.
9. Organize my desk. It always looks like a bomb went off on it.
10. Plan more family picnics.

These are a good start. Don't want to hurt myself right away. They are all easy things I just need to find time to do them. Sometimes taking a nap is a much better idea then laundry. The dinner thing should be a given, but sadly it's not. Although I do know what we are having today & it's not even 10:00 am yet. Pretty good start. But I do have to go to the store to get the supplies. Just cause I know what we are having doesn't mean that I have everything I need to make it.

I just looked at the weather. It's -5° (with wind chill factor) I really don't want to go out & shop. But I put it off yesterday because it was cold. I can't use that excuse every day in the winter. I really wish I didn't have to downsize & let the maid go. She could do all this shopping for me. In a perfect world I would really have a maid or 2 or 3. A cook too. Oh & as long as I am planning my perfect house lets get someone to do laundry too.

There. I feel better.
Now I can lay around all day in my robe & eat BonBons.

Anyone wanna join me?