Friday, December 29, 2006

I think this is funny


I don't know why, but I find this picture incredibly amusing for some reason.

They are the dolls my daughter is afraid of. She doesn't cry or anything, but she won't touch them. Is she on to something?

The Toss Across is my sons.

This was his idea.

I laugh every time I walk by it.


Tuesday, December 19, 2006

The Three Person Parade of Joy

Today was yet another day to run more last minute errands ... although technically, they are not really last minute, since I planned to do them the Tuesday before Christmas. Today we spent a good amount of time at the post office, which was busier than I expected it to be at 10 am and again at 4pm.

So, the kids and I stopped at the Post Office just after ten this morning, and there was a line to the door, maybe four people in front of us, and about six behind us. I had grabbed a handful of mini candy canes on our way out of the car, with the thought of keeping the kids busy. So, I told Q that his job was to hand out candy canes to people he thought might like to have one and to tell them "Merry Christmas". Well, this took off like a rocket, especially after our parade experience three weeks ago. So, up and down the line he went, offering candy canes to people waiting in line at the post office. When you're in line at the post office, you're typically not very happy, because the line is long and not moving very quickly, especially at this time of year. So, I sent the 4 year old with a black and red dragon hat off to spread some joy. I think it worked, as there were quite a few smiles in line. And, he also saved a candy cane for each of the employees working at the counter - he does like going to the post office and talking to them, regardless of it being a holiday or not.

So, we left, and ran ran ran some errands. From the post office to the Movie Theater to pick up gift cards. From there to Target to pick up picture frames. From there to a class mates house to drop off the "ingredients" for the class party keepsake. From there to the Health Food store for some essential oils and Arnica. Then home.

Now, the daughter did not do so well during this, as she tried to run away from me on two separate occasions in two separate parking lots. Now Mama will tolerate some crap from the kids, but this is not one of them. So, she got to stay home with a baby sitter while the Son and I went back out to finish errands.

Back to the post office for more candy cane distribution and package mailing. Again, a very long line, but we did run into the neighbor, so that was nice. To the milk store. To yet another health food store, this time for Fruit Leather and Witch Hazel. Then to the grocery store for eggs (I'm supposed to be making cookies tonight, but it's not going to happen). Then to buy scratchy lottery tickets for stocking stuffers. Then to pick up a pizza. I decided against cooking tonight, but I still am going to make spaghetti sauce, we'll have it tomorrow instead. Then home.

That's a lot of errands. That makes a tired Mama. Thats why I'm drinking coffee at ten o'clock at night, which is probably not the smartest thing I've done today.

Back to my original thought ... the Three Person Parade of Joy. I know that the kids really enjoyed handing out candy canes to folks, and I think that they enjoyed receiving them. My only intent was to show the kids how to share the good mood and hopefully brighten someones day just a little bit, whether they eat candy canes or not. Because it's not the candy cane that's important, it's the message that went with it. And if nothing else, maybe they'll put their hand in their pocket at a later day or time, pull out a candy cane thats probably a bit on the mangled side, and remember a cute little boy with bright blue eyes and his brown haired little sister in the post office, giving out candy, and maybe they'll smile.

Friday, December 08, 2006

The Shoe Monster

It's ME!

Mommy is the Shoe Monster this week!

The shoes were found today.

A bit of background … I’m driving around with a double stroller in my car, which takes up a good amount of space. I'm hoping a friend will either buy it from us or at least borrow it for a while. Evidently, it was sitting on a bag I brought back from the babysitter last week (or the week before, who knows), that I didn’t see.

I went shopping today and grabbed that bag, thinking it was from today’s purchases. I started to unload, and discovered it was the bag from a week (or more) ago.

“And what to my wondering eyes should appear?”

A pair of size 8 ½ black shoes.

No monsters.

Just Mommy.

Sometimes she swears.

Thursday, December 07, 2006

Monsters

So today we were supposed to get the kids’ pictures taken. I got everybody dressed, and it was time to go, so I said, "Cara, go find your black shoes.”

The children scurry off in a dozen directions (even though there are only two of them, they still go a dozen directions), only to not find the shoes.

I said, “Cara, where are your black shoes.”

Cara: “No black shoes. Boots.”

Me: “No, you need your black shoes today, for pictures.”

Cara: “Me no wear black shoes, wear boots” By now she’s throwing in some attitude as well.

Me: “No, you’re not wearing boots. Go find your shoes. Jack, please help your sister find her shoes.”

Time passes, ten minutes later, having checked everywhere, including the refrig & freezer, and still no shoes.

Me: “Cara, where did you put your shoes?”

Cara: “Monster. In Jack house. In my house. Hide shoes.”

Me: “A monster came in and hid your shoes?”

Cara: “Yes, monster hide black shoes” in a VERY SERIOUS tone

At this point, what do you do? You can’t bang your head against the wall in front of them, that would be wrong. You can’t cry either, that’s what you really want to do.

So, we put on boots and ran to Payless (thankfully there was one in the mall) and dropped $15 on another pair of black shoes. Pair #3 for the season.

Pair #1 is only the left shoe now, I don’t know where the right one is. The one legged monster must have gotten that one.

Pair #2 is the pair that the monster hid.

Pair #3 is in the basket upstairs.

Any takers on how long the new pair will last?

Pictures were successful, however, and if I get my act in gear, they'll be out in time for Christmas!

Have a good one, and watch out for the shoe monsters!

Saturday, December 02, 2006

100 Things About Me

Let's see if I can come up with 100 Things About Me:

1. My middle name used to be Lynn, before I changed my name after getting married.
2. My nephew and I now have the same middle name - my maiden name/my sisters last name.
3. I was born in 1974.
4. Had I been born in 1954, I would have been a disco diva, and quite probably been a coke head.
5. I wear a lot of stripes.
6. I am a Libra.
7. My mom died when I was 25.
8. I grew up on the same street, from the time I was two, until I moved out at 22.
9. I don't have the skill of playing an instrument.
10. I have had three pets in my life time - a cat and two gold fish (they lived three years each, the cat was much older)
11. When I was 22, my sister was 11, my parents were 44 and my grandparents were 66.
12. I would consider myself earthy.
13. I have the Wonder Woman logo tattooed on my lower back
14. My hair is naturally curly.
15. My hair did not get this curly until AFTER puberty kicked in.
16. After having kids, my feet got a slight bit bigger and my boobs got smaller.
17. I consider #16 to be extremely unfair.
18. I am saving my money to buy new boobs.
19. I have over forty cousins.
20. I have one husband and two children.
21. Most days, I want more children. One husband is enough.
22. My daughter was born on my bio-parents wedding date.
23. My bio-parents were married for eleven years before they got divorced.
24. Divorce scares me. I don't want to fall into that category, being a child of divorce and all.
25. I am a compulsive hair twirler/puller. It has a name: trichotillomania.
26. I went to the same High School that my dad and all his siblings did.
27. They still spelled my last name wrong on my High School diploma.
28. I have been a bridesmaid three times.
29. I went to college in Chicago
30. I lived and worked at home while attending college.
31. It took me six years to make up my mind and graduate college.
32. I am not working in the field that my degree is in.
33. I want to go back to school in the future.
34. I have never been in a bar fight.
35. I have never had sex in a movie theater.
36. I have never been arrested.
37. There are things I have done when I could have been arrested.
38. I am 5'7" , which is eight inches taller than my Mom.
39. I weigh the same now as I did before I got pregnant.
40. Of all my grandparents (eight), I still have three living.
41. I am being inconsistent with my punctuation use.
42. I still have my lower retainer bonded to my teeth.
43. I think Victoria's Secret charges way too much for underwear.
44. I have broken one bone - my jaw.
45. I have had surgery once - the birth of my son.
46. I have sat by somebodys side as they died.
47. I believe that you should not enter this world or leave this world alone.
48. I am afraid of dying before my kids are old enough to not need me as much - I have too much to tell them.
49. I have been to Europe.
50. I want to go to Egypt and ride a camel by the pyramids.
51. I drove to Minneapolis on a whim one night to go to the Mall of America.
52. I bought nothing at the Mall of America.
53. I like to drive fast.
54. The first car I owned was a 1988 Pontiac Grand Prix, with a broken gas gauge.
55. The first NEW car I owned is a dark blue 2002 Nissan Maxima.
56. I love my Nissan Maxima.
57. I don't have a favorite tv show.
58. The longest book I ever read was Roots, by Alex Haley.
59. I have been a vegetarian.
60. I have never been on a jury.
61. I occasionally smoke, if I'm with the right friends and have had enough to drink.
62. I have kissed a girl.
63. I wear glasses.
64. I am afraid to have laser corrective surgery done.
65. I had the DJ play KISS at our reception.
66. I only have one picture from our wedding on display.
67. When I vote, I split my ticket, between Republicans and Democrats.
68. I can sew.
69. I recently learned to make jam.
70. I can waste way too much time on the internet.
71. I don't like blow up yard decorations.
72. I eat spam once a year, in the same manner, every time - fried, with cheese on a toasted english muffin, and I drink Diet Pepsi.
73. I drink too much coffee and not enough water.
74. I am part of a fruit/vegetable co-op in the spring & summer months.
75. I don't know where our next vacation will be.
76. I have been in the car with a drunk driver, and it scared the crap out of me.
77. I have forgotten how to speak spanish.
78. I LOVE to write with Sharpie markers!
79. I make a mean loaf of banana bread.
80. I am always cold, and wear slippers from October to April when I'm at home.
81. In an effort to save money, I keep our thermostat at 68 during the day and 66 at night.
82. I have done stupid things at Jimmy Buffet concerts, in the name of free beer and/or tequila.
83. I have done stupid things at Jimmy Buffet concerts because I drank too much free beer and/or tequila.
84. I tend to forget when I have laundry in the washing machine.
85. I changed my major four times in college - nursing, communications, undecided, history and then finally, secondary ed history (I want to teach at the high school level).
86. I want to volunteer to teach English as a Second Language.
87. I'd like to be able to teach the GED classes at the local community college too.
88. I have seen KISS in concert at least six times.
89. I met my husband at a "hair band" concert because he was wearing a KISS t-shirt.
90. I have never maxed out a credit card.
91. I want to be the stop sign girl on a road construction crew, at least for a day.
92. I have been to Canada.
93. I am afraid of the state of the world - current events are scaring the shit out of me.
94. I love to get a pedicure and my eyebrows waxed.
95. I will not wax my nether regions.
96. I won't go to the bathroom in public, or at a strangers house, if it involves more than pee.
97. If I had $100,000, I would buy a $1000 Starbucks card so that long after we spent the money, I could treat myself to fancy coffee on occasion.
98. I am the Queen of the Cause - I won't throw it out, but will give it to charity or find a way to reuse it (ask me about the pink flanel pants) or recycle it. This creates problems at times.
99. I would like to participate in a craft fair one day.
100. I thought that 100 things about me would be easier than it was.

Monday, November 20, 2006

Whatcha got?

I wonder if people really realize how much shit that they have. And I'll call it shit, because I truly think that is what a lot of people are holding on to, for a variety of reasons. I know I've got a basement full of crap, which includes not only my stuff, but my husbands and my two kids. Really, if I were to have a garage sale, the potential for what I could make if I truly put a bit of effort into it, instead of just dropping off at Goodwill, is potentially higher than the annual income for some families in other countries. What do we REALLY need - four walls, a roof, some clothes (not nearly as much as we have), some decent blankets, and clean water and food. If we were to go the no electricity route, then we'd need some candles. Do I really need a box of old cassette tapes from the 1980's? No. But, I have them. Why? No clue. I remember that my mom held onto a bunch of 8 Tracks long after the 8 Track Player went the route of the garbage. However, if I were to find that box of tapes, I would grab the Cheap Trick Live at Boudakan tape, so then I could proudly claim that I have it on 8 Track, cassette, LP and cd. See what I mean - shit.

Thursday, October 19, 2006

A new way to think about it

Yesterday was a sort of busy day at work, if you factor in visiting with a former co-worker who was back with her kids to visit. I had all sorts of plans, was going to run to Sam's Club at lunch so I didn't have to go after work, I was going to be EFFICIENT!

Yeah, right.

Didn't happen.

I ended up eating lunch at 2:00, at my desk, working around HR paperwork and the like.

I went to the bathroom before I left at 4:30, and did the usual once over. Hmm ... that looks like pepper in between my front teeth. Damn.

But, to look on the other side of the coin, the bright side of things, whatever you choose to call it:

Don't complain that your day didn't go as planned. Be glad you had lunch at 2:00 instead of 12:00, because it means that you only had pepper in your front teeth for two and a half hours instead of four and a half.

It's all about the peppercorn.

Remember the peppercorn.

Sunday, October 08, 2006

It's my birthday!

Well, tomorrow is my birthday.

Birthdays are interesting things, on many levels.

I share mine with John Lennon (10/09/1940). I think that's pretty cool in itself. I am always guaranteed to hear "Imagine" on my birthday - how fantastic is that?!

Also, I don't feel that I am what my age says I should be. I don't feel that *THIS* is what 32 should be. A couple of years ago I stopped telling people I was 25. I wasn't even trying to be tricky, I just felt 25. I'm 32 years old, and while I'm not totally hot, I'm not dog meat by any stretch of the means. I'm in good health, am trying to eat right, am having fun on a daily basis, and I don't feel that I am as responsible as I should be, if that makes any sense. I'm totally over committed in many areas, but that's okay. I do need a new hair do though, it's giving me fits.

Birthdays are now, for me, much more meaningful now that I am a parent. I know that on their birthdays, I replay the entire day, all day long, like I am re-living my labor and delivery. I know that my Mom didn't really get that with me, and I don't know if I like that, not that I can do anything to change it. I know that my birth was for her, something traumatic, and I don't ever recall a time when she told me about it that she didn't cry. That makes me sad, because you shouldn't be sad recalling the birth of your child, especially if it was the baby you wanted and waited for. She cried because she remembers how scary it was for her, and the fear that she had that I may not have survived being born ...

Unfortunately, I am very familiar with that ... when I had Q, I went through something similar. I ended up with general anestesia (my mom had it too), and I was not awake to meet him. That makes me very sad, and it also bothers me that my husband did not get to meet him immediately either. Our son was greeted by strangers, that didn't have a vested interest in him. To them, he was another baby. To us, he was our son, and we were so eager to meet him, both so excited that it was going to be SOON, and then BAM! you end up in surgery.

When my Mom was waking up from her surgery/my birth, she remembers my Dad saying to the Doctor, "You have to tell her, I don't know how to tell her, I don't know if I can." and she said that all she thought was that I had not survived, that the doctors were right, that she couldn't get pregnant, that she shouldn't get pregnant, that it was a danger to both her and I. As it turns out, my Dad was panicing at the thought of telling her that I was in ICU, and had been transferred to another hospital for care.

Fast forward to my daughter, two years after my son. My fast and furious three hour and fifty-nine minute labor, my squirmy wet daughter, I grabbed her on the way out and brought her to me immediately. That is what I wish for all women, if that is what they want, on the birthdays of their children - to hold them and love them minutes after arrival.

Aah ... it's a bouncy sort of night ... a little bit here, a little bit there ...

Thanks, Mom, for being brave enough to do what you and Dad wanted, and follow your heart instead of what the doctors said. Thank you for my birthday.

Thank you to Q and The Bee for reminding me on a daily basis of how great things can be, even if it is exhausting sometimes.

Sunday, October 01, 2006

Reflective

As you can tell, I was in an off mood yesterday and am still in one today. I probably should stay away from here, and people in general, when I'm in moods like this. It has been a long week, and it has been stressful, and it has brought back a lot of the "stuff" I had packaged up and deal with on MY terms, when I'm ready.

Anyway, I went to hte walk this morning, and when you take two small kids to a five mile fundraising walk, there is not a lot of time to deal with emotions. I suppose theres time for those later tonight.

As part of pre-walk e-mails was the one asking what Our Reason To Walk was. I wrote something, but in the midst of last week, I didn't get to send it in. I'll post it here instead:


My Reason to Walk …

I choose to walk for several reasons. I walk because I am a daughter, a wife and a mother.

I am the daughter whose mother, diagnosed as Type I when she was thirteen years old, died from complications of diabetes when she was just 47 years old. I was only 25 and had been married for just seven months. The life I had lived was the only life I knew – that of the child of a hard to maintain diabetic. No matter how hard we tried, it always seemed to be out of hand. For me, however, it was normal. I helped drive the car home when I was five because her blood sugar dropped too low. I learned how to check sugar levels and build blood sugar back up when it dropped. I knew the signs and what to look for, and how to get help. Some people say that was a lot for a kid, I say it was normal, it was all I knew. As a teenager, the once a year hospitalizations were routine, almost ordinary. As an adult and new wife, the trips to and from doctors and hospitals to help treat complications were a time for us to bond even more, to talk about this and that, to make sure that things weren’t left unsaid.

I walk as a daughter because I don’t want any one else’s child to have to do what I did, although I would do it again in a heartbeat. I don’t want anyone to ache like I did, and still do.

I am the wife, to a terrific husband, much loved and often under appreciated. I walk because I don’t want him to have to wait in hospitals, and I don’t want him to hurt the way I watched my Dad hurt for my Mom. I want my husband to have a wife to retire with and be able to live out all of our dreams and “one days”.

I walk as a wife because I don’t want anyone else’s spouse to grieve like my Dad does.

I am the mother to two terrific children, more unbelievable than I could ever imagine. I walk for them. I don’t want them to have to watch me struggle, and I don’t want that stress, the stress that the child of a diabetic faces, for them, now or ever. I walk because my Mom wished that I would never get this disease, but heaven forbid if the myth held true that it would skip a generation and get her grandkids. If it comes to be that our family gets this disease, I want the research done and the wheels in motion, so less damage is done and me, my husband or my kids have a better chance of staying healthy and living a long, complete life.

I walk as a mother because I didn’t know I could love like this.

I walk to honor my past and protect my future.

I walk because for me to do nothing would be wrong.

I walk because she loved me.

Saturday, September 30, 2006

Where did it go?

I'm referring to TIME. I wish it could be the jiggle around my thighs, but that will most likely always be there.

Ack - tomorrow is October!

September flew past us, and while I'm sure we enjoyed it, I don't remember much of it.

G & G were still here, and they had dinner at our house once a week, which was nice. It gave them some time with the kids, and I know that the kids enjoyed having them here.

Q is in pre-school three days a week, and for the most part is enjoying it. It's nice to see him making friends. It's funny, he's just as reluctant to step up and start a conversation as I am. Which, according to those that know me, is very surprising. But, he is now playing on the blacktop in the morning with the kids, and he is presently at his 2nd birthday party of the year. I'm already wondering what we'll do for his birthday in May.

The Bee is talking up a storm, and is funnier than ever. She is definitely my toughie.

Last week, my MIL went into the hospital for shortness of breath, which quickly snowballed into heart disease being diagnosed, with the reccomendation of a bypass to the 3rd power. She was transferred on Wednesday, had the surgery yesterday and is in a bad mood today. In the midst of last weekend, though, we hosted the goodbye party for G & G, then took them to the airport on Sunday, on our way to Kenosha, Wisconsin for a birthday party. Busy busy, and we can't ever say no, I don't think it's in our vocabulary, unless you're one of our children.

Tomorrow, I will participate in America's Walk for Diabetes, in St. Charles. Many people think that diabetes is a disease that you can control if you don't eat sugar. It's not that easy, by any stretch of the means. This is a disease that affects not only your pancreas, but your heart, your kidneys, your liver and your circulatory system, to name a few. Over time, it slowly wreaks your parts. They're all damaged by it, and the overall affect (or is it effect?) is no joy. So, take it seriously, it can kill you.

A nice way to end a post, isn't it? I refuse to make it sound nice, because it's not.

So, if you're in the St. Charles area tomorrow, and you see a group of people walking, that's what we're doing. Raising funds, raising awareness and honoring the people in our lives that have this disease.

Sunday, September 03, 2006

Making more stuff

I don't know where this is coming from, but I think I like it.

I planted a jalapeno plant, that turned into a bush in the garden. I have already frozen 32 jalapenos for chili later in the year, so I should have plenty of peppers to make it through football season. I still have dozens of peppers on the plant, and me being the way that I am, can't stand to see them possibly go to waste. So, what to do?

Ask at work - any ideas for jalapenos?

Sure - jalapeno jam, the kind you eat with cream cheese and crackers.

Okay, I'll give it a whirl.

I made some today. It was actually easy, although I thought I might die while seeding and veining the peppers. ** HELPFUL HINT: Don't stand over the garbage disposal while you're rinsing all the seeds and shrapnel down the drain. ** I ended up with six and a half pints of jam. I'll be taking some of it to my in-laws tomorrow for Labor Day, and we'll see how it turns out before I take it to work.

Never did I think I'd be making jalapeno jam, much less doing half the other stuff that I'm doing. My mom wasn't into "stuff" like this, and I think she may have canned when she was younger, but I don't remember her doing it when I was young. I don't remember either of my grandmas, and later the other two additional grandmas, doing it. My husbands mother used to, and her mother in law still does - we love Gigi's jam!

I wish I could come up with something philisophical and enlightening about making jam, but all I know is I like taking something that I grew, adding a few things to it, and turning it into something for someone else. I'm proud of what I'm learning and making. I'm proud of myself.

Hmm ... outside of my kids, I don't know when the last time was I said that I was proud of myself, and really meant it. I talk to my kids about it all the time, being proud about what you've done or created, but I've never put it back on myself until now.

I know that Pride is one of the Seven Deadly Sins, but I'm not feeling so deadly right now, just pretty darn good about myself.

And I like that feeling.

Saturday, August 26, 2006

Follow Up

I mentioned in the previous post that if the freezer ever went out, we'd be screwed ...

Well, funny I said that ...

After I made that post, I putzed around, did a few things, and for whatever reason, I went into the room where we keep our upright freezer and thought, "Hmm ... my feet are cold" which quickly turned into, "Shit, the freezer door is open" ...

I have no clue how long the door was open, but it was for a good while, judging by the amount of ice dripping. Any meat in the door thawed, so that has to go. I think, for the most part, we didn't lose a lot of stuff, but it's still annoying. Although it is a good thing that the main part was full, otherwise we'd be in real trouble.

And of course, it happened on garbage day, so it has to wait a week to go.

Isn't life lovely?

Saturday, August 19, 2006

Harvesting, Round 3

Nothing like ending a busy week on a busy note ...

Last Friday, in the midst of everything else, I had the opportunity to pick fresh sweet corn. So I did. I picked a lot of it. Almost 170 ears of it, in fact. While that may not seem like a lot, when you consider that there are only four of us, and that we had to freeze it all, it's a lot of corn.

We started the morning with a few local errands, dropping off tomatoes at my in-laws, ran to the store to pick up a wedding gift, and since the kids were pushing up against the Terror Zone, we headed home. A message was waiting, and corn was ready. So, since I didn't really want to traipse around a corn field with a 4 year old and a 2 year old, I attempted to find a baby sitter, to no avail. Meanwhile, I went upstairs to change from good pants to not so good pants, and my most dear, most darling daughter, decided to empty the very full drawer to the paper shredder and re-create a ticker tape parade in my living room. They then proceeded to track it through the entire first floor in their attempts to clean it up. And, we were under a Severe Storm Watch. So I packed them up and took them to my MIL's office, with a promise that if they got too bad, she would call me and I would come in from the field.

We got there and the kids got their picnic ready and I drove out to the field. They had to shut down an irrigation system so I could get through, so now I feld guilty because I was actually slowing down work in order to get some corn. Maybe I would take a few less ears.

I must say that there is something about the smell of acres of corn, at the end of summer, on a warm and humid day. I love it! It was so peaceful, just walking around out there in the corn, and it was very relaxing in an odd sort of way.

Another very cool thing, is that I heard the rain before I felt it. It started to drizzle, and I could hear it hit the corn stalks before it hit me.

So I made a more than a dozen trips into the field and picked on the way out (I remembered this from last year - pick on the way out, when your arms are empty, not on your way in) ... I loaded up the trunk and headed back in to get the kids.

Once I got everybody home, I realized that I had a boat load of corn. Wow.

My mother in law ended up coming over that night to help me put the corn up, while my husband and the kids went to meet the out of town grand parents at the hotel they are staying at to go swimming at the pool. Good idea, otherwise I feel like I'd still be dealing with corn.

The final tally:

89 ears of corn cut off the cob and frozen into serving size Ziploc bags
36 ears of corn frozen on the cob and frozen in Food Saver bags
8 ears of corn given to the neighbor
6 ears of corn eaten Friday night
2 ears of corn thrown out because they were "yucky"
8 ears of corn eaten on Saturday when my Dad & Sister arrived
22 ears of corn given to my Day Care Provider, because thats what you do

A grand total of 171 ears of corn picked. That's a lot of corn.

If the freezer goes out, we're screwed. It'll be blueberries and corn everywhere.

But, I did make a pie for Saturday night when my Dad was here. It was a good one too!

Friday, August 11, 2006

Playing Along

I'm not sure why I'm posting this here, other than I feel like it ... it's my response to an email that ended up in my inbox earlier this week. I got it from a friend I'm WAAY overdue to talk to ... she got engaged and I'm so far out of the loop I didn't even know ... it's on days like that when I think I suck as a friend.

Any hoo ... here it is ... enjoy it for what it's worth, keeping in mind I did it late at night, when I was overtired and should have been being productive in other ways (mothers guilt in action, right there)


1. My ex still ... is probably spending an excessive amount of time in bars, hopefully he’s not sending a bunch of drugs up his nose anymore (I can hope positive things for him, can’t I?)

2. I am listening to ... the fan whirring on the laptop, Channel 5 News in the background and something somewhere is making a recurring drip type sound, I probably should investigate

3. Maybe I should ... do dishes and go to bed

4. I love ... a lot of things … fresh Michigan blueberries (I just froze 30 pounds of them!), when Jack comes in and gets in bed with me in the morning, the way Cara is learning how to talk, the thought of buying new, bigger boobs

5. My best-friend ... hmm … don’t know what she’s doing …

6. I don't understand ... geometry, but from what I’ve been told, you need geometry to be a hinge maker

7. I lost ... a lot of things … pick one … my virginity, a Madonna cd, a book of stamps (although I know where they are, I just can’t get to them), my pink and blue fuzzy sock, the cool pen I took from the bank

8. People say ... more than they should, usually without thinking …

9. The meaning of my name is ... couldn’t tell you, it’s probably Hebrew or something

10. Love is ... the name of those little comics of the short naked people in the newspaper that my mom used to cut out in the 70’s & 80’s

11. Somewhere, someone is ... singing karaoke? Eating ice cream?

12. I will always ... give too much of myself, in too many ways

13. Forever seems ... like a misnomer … sometimes it feels like forever, then, before you know it, it’s now, then we’ll be old

14. I never ever want to ... be sick enough that I need to be in the hospital. I’m not necessarily hospital phobic, but I’ve spent a lot of time as a visitor, and I’ve also read about super germs becoming resistant, and that scares the crap out of me. If I ever have another baby, I’d even consider doing that at home …

15. My mobile phone ... is on the kitchen counter, waiting for a phone call from an out of state relative, who is supposed to be in state

16. When I wake up in the morning ... I can’t believe how little sleep I got, I really need to stop reading or crocheting

17. I get annoyed when ... oh, you name it these days … usually at asshole drivers and people trashing the environment

18. Parties are ... not something that we go to much anymore, and if we do have them, they involve kids … and if we go to one that doesn’t involve kids, I feel like an old fuddy duddy because I don’t feel the need to make a complete ass out of myself and/or have sex or almost sex with my husband in a semi-public place … go figure!

19. My pet(s) is ... don’t have one, but the kids REALLY want a dog, so for now we’re dog sitting Zero, the neighbor dog, while they are in Pennsylvania

20. Kisses are the best when ... they have meaning, and are not just done out of habit or routine

21. Today I ... got up, went over and let Zero out, came home, got ready for work, dropped the kids off, went to work, earned a few bucks, picked up the kids, stopped and picked up some peaches (making jam this weekend, amongst other things), got home, let the dog out, made dinner, did Phase I of dishes, let the dog out again, played with the kids, was out in the garden looking for damn hookworms, put the kids to bed, and am now checking e-mail.

22. Tomorrow I will ... do the same thing I did today, except the part about picking up some peaches, since I already have those. I may stop at the recycle bin, and I have to take the garbage out in the morning. Wooh, the wild suburban life!

23. I really want ... a day to myself so I can finish all the things I have started, without feeling like a crappy ass parent, depriving my kids of their mom.

So, anyone encouraged to have kids, now?!?


Have a good night!

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Harvesting, Round 2

Back again, with yet another excess of fruit, this time it's blueberries.

We were in Michigan over the weekend, and on the way back from Grandma's house, we stopped at my new favorite blueberry farm, DeGrandchamps in South Haven. It's an easy on/easy off from the expressway, and fairly easy to find (turn left at the light). The Farm Market smells delightful - full of berrries, peaches, honey and all sorts of yummy creations.

The fields themselves were full of beautiful berries, something like over 130 acres to pick! The kids did great this year, Q only ate a few berries, and while The Bee ate more than I would like her to have eaten, nobody got sick this year. We ended up picking around 9 pounds between the four of us, and we bought another twenty. I'm currently freezing them by the cookie sheet full, and am looking at making some jam this evening. I've also made a pie, which we shared with the neighbors.

I love fresh blueberries! Love them, love them, love them!

And, on to what I don't love harvesting, Tomato Hookworms. I found one of these lovely creatures this morning on my tomato plant, and quickly found four more.

My thoughts:
1. These things are ugly.
2. They make a lot of ugly looking "poop"
3. They are decimating my tomato plants.

So I now have a new object of my hate, the recurring hookworm. I have read up on them this morning, and the more I read, the less I like them. There will be massive rototilling this fall and next spring ... if I'm lucky, I won't clip the line to the cable.

But, not too bad for a breezy Wednesday at home with the kids ...

Sunday, July 30, 2006

Of Carnivals and Corn

Even though we're basically living on the edge of new development and suburban sprawl, there is still much small town to be found around us. Yesterday, in the overly agressive heat (I love high temperatures and high humidity in Chicago - and yes, humidity does matter), we headed west for some corn and carnival fun.

Apparently my son is much braver than I am ... I have known for some time, but truly realized that being a parent requires you to be brave for them, when you really want to hold their hand and steer them in the direction of the wussy rides. He got to ride the "Dragon Train" twice, in the front car, all smiles. I want Q to be independent, and not hide behind my skirts, but the process of letting him be that requires that I tap down all my fears and worries and let him go. And to top it off, The Bee follows him right in ... I am thankful for height requirements.

We all rode what used to be called The Scrambler, but is now The Flinger or something like that. I also have realized that my motion sickness is getting worse as I get older. It took all of my Childbirth Breathing to keep from horking after the ride. If I don't get some Dramamine, I'm going to be the "Mom that Watches from the Side and Holds our Stuff" ... which is not what I want to be. The kids laughed the whole time ... The Bee really wanted to go, but we had told her no, that she was not big enough. She asked, "pease" so nicely, and when I got the okay from the ride operator, I went and got her, and she said "yay" ... she was so excited to go, and she sat like such a big girl and laughed so much ... it was almost, but not quite enough, to make me forget about the fact that I was going to be sick. I am so proud of my kids.

We left shortly after that - Did you know it costs $3 for the pick a duck game, I remember when it used to be $1 per duck! We went to a relatives house to watch fireworks off of the deck ... Q was trying so hard to be patient - "Boom Boom Crackers, Hurry Up, I'm waiting!" It really was a very good show ... The Bee thought it was too loud, so I sat inside with her and we watched them through the door. She kept covering her eyes and saying her ears hurt, but she laughed her new laugh at them, so I know she liked them even if they were loud.

Next week, fireworks at our house, we'll see how that turns out.

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

Extreme Makeover, Miller Edition


Every family has some goofy thing that they do, that they proudly claim as their own. In my husbands family, which is now mine as well, there is "the statue".

Briefly, "the statue", which is now known as Ellie Phant, started out as a ceramic statue that my Mother In Law had made, and eventually worked her way into the Christmas White Elephant. The rule is that you can re-gift as long as the item has been altered in some way. The next year, she came back with a bandaid on her arm to cover a break and re-attachment. Then, she came back as a Denver Broncos fan, much to the dismay of the Green Bay fans in the family. Back and forth she went, basically between the Denver house (ours) and the Green Bay house (theirs). She has also been a soldier, resurrected from a non fatal self inflicted injury and has taken a world tour at Fox Valley Mall (ask Uncle Greg, he was her travelling companion).

Abbey, from the House of Theirs, got married this past weekend and had a surprise guest at her reception, Miss Ellie Phant. She was a well received guest, and went home with the Newlyweds. It is now up to them as to what her next adventure will be.

Congratulations Chris & Abbey!

Friday, July 21, 2006

Harvesting, Round 1

Well ... it's been an interesting few days, mostly spent in the kitchen, acquiring sore shoulders.

On Wednesday, I was given six gallons of already shelled peas. I gave away about two gallons, which left me four. Now that may not sound like a lot, but believe me, four gallons of peas is a lot of peas. I've been washing, sorting, blanching, drying, freezing and bagging these things up for three days now. I'm almost done. And now I'm blogging about them ... what am I turning into?!?

Oh yeah, peas smell wierd too.

Also, since our freezer is jam pack full of frozen peas now, I needed to do something with eight and a half pounds of blueberries that were brought back from Michigan on Monday ... well, I took some strawberries and turned it into my first ever batch of Blueberry Strawberry Jam. I ended up with four pints of that, canned and ready to go on the shelf. I am still freezing berries for pies and muffins and what not, but it gave me a little more room to move in the freezer.

What is it about me that won't let anything go? I've got a container full of old celery stalks, carrot tops, etc for making soup base. I've got three or four chicken carcasses in the freezer for soup base, in addition to a ham hock, also waiting to be turned into soup. I've got frozen blueberries, rhubarb, asparagus, green beans, apples, cherries and corn, all ready for who knows what. I can make at least six pies and four batches of soup, and still have enough food to serve with meals ... it's not like I grew up hungry every night. Sure, money was tight, but we were never THAT broke that there was no food in the house. We ate a lot of hot dogs and fish sticks, however. Or maybe it's the "grama" in me coming out ...

All I know is I need to invest in a pressure canner and a lot of Mason jars ...

Saturday, July 15, 2006

Play Doh

My initial thought about Play Doh is that it smells wierd. Then my mind wanders to that news blurb I had heard about Eau de Play Doh or something like that.

I remember playing this with my Dad when I was a kid, and I remember I always wanted him to play because he was always the "softener upper" - he would sit and mish and mash the play doh back and forth until it became workable ... ready for my Barber Shop or McDonald's burger maker set.

Well, since my kids have discovered the joy of Play Doh ... I have re-discovered the joy of being the softener upper ... there is somthing to be said about sitting there, talking with the kids, and working a piece of Play Doh, back and forth, until it's nice and soft. It could almost be a form of therapy, if I didn't have to "remind" the kids about table manners and what not.

Now if I could only do something about the smell ...

Monday, July 10, 2006

Stay to the right, but not necessarily politically ...

I took the kids on a quick train ride last week. I found a very kind man in the station parking lot, he helped us get a spot to park, and was just very nice overall. We don't seem to find too much of that these days. My hat off to Roy!

So we made our way to get our tickets and off to the train. Remember, I have a four year old and a two year old with me ... there are two grown people, each standing half on/half off the train, blocking our attempts to get in, while the conductor is tellling me to hurry up! Hello ... we can't get on! So, the two adults finally get off, and I think they missed the train because they were waiting for somebody's mom ...

We took our ten minute train ride to the Children's Museum (www.dupagechildrensmuseum.org) , and trying to get off the train is almost as difficult as it was for us to get on. I understand that there is limited time to do these things, but I remember one of the first lessons we were taught at a school wide assembly in junior high (7th grade) was to "Stay on the right." Evidently, getting off the train is like being salmon, trying to make your way upstream to spawn. I don't know how many people pushed right past my kids in their hurry to get on the train. Are we that self absorbed and that much in a hurry, that we can't wait twenty seconds for a woman and two kids to get off the train?!? Or, am I such a Mayberry-oriented soul that I haven't caught up with the mentality of the 2000's?

All in all, the kids had a good time, they enjoyed the train rides and the time at the museum. Bonus: it cost me about a dollar fifty more than it would have cost me to drive there, but it only took twenty minutes (ten to the station, ten on the train), not thirty! Not bad ...

Monday, July 03, 2006

We survived the birthdays!

Wow! Six weeks sounds like a decent amount of time - it's 42 days, right? Well, not when you factor in something else called life ... I remember when Q turned two, I only had six weeks left of being pregnant with The Bee ... it didn't seem like eternity, but it didn't exactly fly by, either.

Fast forward two years ... in the span of six weeks we had: Q's 4th birthday, Mother's Day, then Gracie's 5th birthday, then Father's Day and then The Bee's 2nd birthday. Add in two weeks of no fence along the road, which eliminated a lot of backyard time, and a missing kitchen floor for almost a month, and you have the last six weeks of our lives.

Any hoo ... Q is already looking ahead to being five, and The Bee will tell you that she is four. If you ask her if she might in fact, be two, she says, "No. Foh." and holds up four fingers. This may be the pattern for the rest of her life.

So now we are getting ready for the 4th of July - another birthday, this time, America's. I think we'll make a birthday cake tonight for tomorrow. We'll start instilling a bit of patriotism early at our house.

And, we've also had a lot of Papa going on. Papa Florida was here (showed up unexpectedly at our house on Father's Day as a surprise to me), built a sandbox with some help from Q, and then left the next day. Then, my Dad (Poppy Michigan) came down from Michigan for the day, had dinner and then left. And now, Papa Florida just called, he's on his way back here, will have dinner, stay the night and then head back to Florida tomorrow morning. Needless to say, the kids are having a blast. It's just hard having the grandparents so far away ... on a number of levels, but especially the my kids are in Illinois level. More on that later when I'm not so weepy about it.

Off to make a batch of brownies for the road trip home ...

Happy Birthday America!

Sunday, May 07, 2006

Take Two

Well, this is my 2nd attempt at a blog ... I have completely lost my first one, but for all I know, it's been deleted for lack of use. I started one last fall, and then this thing called life got me. And a little bit/lot bit of depression, although it was never an official diagnosis. I've done it once before, officially, and this was close to it, so that's what I'm calling it.

How's that for an intro?!?