2 YEARS!!!!

Woo Hoo! I made it to the two year mark at my job as of today.

Know what? I am not even looking for anyplace else to work. This is a first for me. The agency sent a beautiful peace lily to me today to honor the occasion. That kind of made me laugh as that is a plant typically sent as a gesture of sympathy. Next paycheck they will also begin giving me 12 hours a month vacation time. Yeah!!

In other news...I can not remember when I last had a stretch of evenings that have been as unproductive as the last four have been. It is critical. I have felt really worn down and tired this week. My eating habits have been terrible and exercise is not happening. All of which leads to more lethargy. Not sure what is up with me. I think part of my problem is a new laptop to play with and a game on it called Mahjong Titans that I am pretty damn addicted to.

I may have to have BH hide the computer until I get myself back on track. I got laundry in baskets that hasn't been put away. (Truth time: this is not exactly an uncommon occurrance. I once told BH that my Utopia would be for the laundry to be clean, folded, AND put away before I go to bed Sunday evening. Needless to say I am not living in a Utopian society most weeks.) A house that is horribly dirty, still haven't finished transferring the old to the new computer...oh there are lots of other things but I think I have bored you enough.

On a positive note I DID bake about a million (read 2.5 dozen) miniature heart shaped chocolate chip muffins for #2's Valentine party tomorrow. From scratch! Using primarily organic products!
All is not lost yet!!

Now since it is nearly 11:00 PM CST I guess I should put this baby to bed and make lunches for tomorrow.

Bleah!

Attention TWHS theater geeks (and you know who you are!)

Anyone going to this reunion thing in March?

Anyone???

BH and I will be there.

It is on my birthday so I am excited just to have plans for the first time in ..... in.....

Now that is just sad.

The Hard Way

So I got a new laptop yesterday, since my old one is dying a slow death and this new fancy to me model was on sale for a darn good price. I am thoroughly enjoying my new purchase and no longer question whether or not I am going blind as this screen is bright and light, whereas my old one was getting darker by the day, and flickering and all kinds of fun stuff. The battery would go MAYBE 20 minutes, with the duration getting shorter every day. New batteries for these babies are outrageously expensive I found out, I truly was shocked and dismayed.

Now I am going through the oh so fun process of transferring and weeding out of crap from the old one on to the new. At the rate I am going, I should be done just in time for the new one to be too old to function.

I have spent the better part of this evening transferring my itunes library to the new computer. Much of that time was spent looking for what I was pretty damn sure had to be the easier way to do it. Turns out there is no easy way, or I am too tired to figure it out. I love my itunes I do, but this is ridiculous. The recommended method is to put everything on your iPod, then do a transfer to your new computer. The issue is that the bulk of my itunes material is TV shows which of course take up assloads of memory. I have a Nano, and while it suits my needs just fine, for this project it is taking multiple synchs because I ain't got the memory to to do it all at once.

I have yet to decide what to do with the old laptop. Maybe I will just keep it around and let the kids use it to play games until it finally dies.

Any other ideas for a still functioning, old, tired laptop?

I think I have this...

I think I have finally found a word to define my state of mind this election season.

In my eagerness for a new administration I really thought that I would be more excited about the upcoming election, however I just find myself to be unimpressed and uninspired.

I am somewhat embarassed to admit that I skipped the caucus this week for several reasons, but mainly due to my lack of enthusiasm for this race so far.

I first thought it was due to a gross overload of discussion regarding the campaigns. I am not sure that they even give air time to any other subject on NPR anymore.

As is my usual way, after taking time to let my thoughts and feelings percolate I have come to the conclusion that my lack of enthusiasm and indecision has to do with my likely somewhat ridiculous belief that no matter who wins in the end I will be disappointed by them.

I do think that I am having at least a leaning towards one candidate now which is progress I guess.

Anyone else suffer from this disorder?

How does this picture frigthen me? Let me count the ways..

And it ain't just because he's a Republican, or Pube as my good friend Dan would say. I have decided I like Pube much better than Republican so I have decided to make use. Hopefully Dan won't mind. He looks completely evil to me in this picture and I fear for the baby held ever so awkwardly in his arms.

On the Democratic end of things...
Apparently our fabulous and certainly World Famous Topeka Capital Journal seems to be running a contest to see who can capture the most disturbing photo of political figures. Now this picture is not so much disturbing as it is misleading..

If you happened to see video footage of this moment you would know that instead of getting ready for some heavy duty making out, Governor Sebelius and Senator Obama were merely giving each other a quick peck on the cheek. This however was the photo chosen for the front page the day after he visited Kansas.

Nice.

I don't know this Devon, but apparently Devon knows things

Devon Knows How They Make Melissa So Creamy.

Enter a word for your own slogan:

Generated by the Advertising Slogan Generator, for all your slogan needs. Get more Melissa slogans.

Something I love

Dark Chocolate Peanut M&M's.

Still I wonder why that number on the scale fails to change.....

I am a dumb-a@$

So I am trying to score a photo printer off of e-bay. You know one that will print without being hooked up to a computer? I need it for work so of course I don't want to pay a lot for it.

I bid on one in the last few seconds of an auction and won.

So why am I a dumbass?

Because I was hurrying, and did not read the specs carefully enough and I am now stuck with a plain ol' printer that needs a computer.

Anyone want a new in the box Canon Pixma iP1800?

I'll sell it to ya for what I paid for it, and kick in shipping and handling.

Because that's how this dumbass rolls.

Sometimes it's Hard to be a First Grader

Oh peer pressure.

It rears it's ugly head in first grade now apparently.

In the form of games where you and your friends are pretending to be a vampires or werewolves, a game which apparently involves pretending to bite victims and at least once leads to real biting and feeling REAL bad about it. Even if you weren't ever caught by the teacher, and no one was physically hurt by what you did.

Good to know that while #2 may not always make the right choices in the moment, she does hear what we say about what is ok and what is not and has true remorse for actions that she knows are not OK. Even better still that she feels safe enough to confess her less than stellar choices to her parents.

Maybe we are doing something right after all.

Because I try to be accomodating...

Since Ali asked here is the recipe for the Double Chocolate Cookies I referred to in my post a few days ago.

Double Chocolate Cookies
Recipe courtesy of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Cookbook

1 1/4 C. Butter, softenend
2 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 TB pure vanilla extract
2 C. Flour
1 1/4 C. Unsweetened Cocoa
1 tsp Baking Powder
2 C. Ghirardelli Classic White Chips

Preheat oven to 300

In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add the egs one at a time, beating well after each addition, and the vanilla extract. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, and baking powder. Gradually fold the dry ingredients into the creamed mixture. Fold in the white chips.

Drop the mixture onto baking sheets in 1-inch balls, 3 inches apart. Bake for 16-18 minutes, let cool 10 minutes on the baking sheet, then transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Let stand 30 minutes before serving. HA!

The cooling directions above are only useful if the cookies ACTUALLY MAKE IT IN TO THE OVEN. The dough is so damn tasty that it is hard to wait for them to bake.

Now we used semi-sweet chocolate chips instead of white chocolate chips, because here at Chez Us we firmly believe there is no such thing as too much chocolate.

I recommend a big ol' glass of milk to wash those babies down.

Enjoy!

This may be TMI/Please send good and patient thoughts my way

Stats:

#1 and friend sleep time: Between 10-11 PM

#1 typical sleep time: 9:00

#1 and friend wake up time: 5:40 AM! FRICK!

#2 typical wake up time: 7:00

#2 and friend sleep time: As yet undetermined, but likely it was late.

#2 and friend wake up time: As yet undetermined, but again likely it was early.

Mother Stats

One raging case of PMS and Cramps.

Forecast for today:

Mostly Grumpy with a 50/50 chance of Heavy Meltdowns.

I bet BH stays at that Heroclix Tournament a Loooong Time today.

Portion Control

Uff!

Tonight we are the hosts of a sleepover for #1 and her best friend. So I thawed out some DELICIOUS double chocolate chip cookie dough that I made a couple of weeks ago and baked a pan of cookies for a bed time snack.

These cookies are very rich as I am sure you can imagine. One should and really does suffice. But you see when it comes to things in the sugary food group I can not seem to stop at one. I must have three cookies with a milk chaser. Then of course my stomach is uncomfortably full, and I berate myself because I knew that this would happen. Apparently I don't learn from previous mistakes in this area. I probably need rehab or something.

#2 is experiencing a milestone today...her first time to sleep over at a friend's house. We have been planning this for at least two weeks and endured the daily countdown (I would talk about #2's method of counting down days to anticipated events that somehow manages to shave 2-3 days off the actual number, but it is complicated and I am not sure I understand it. Perhaps she can guest blog for me and discuss.) We have also endured the back and forth between being very excited to the very apprehensive. #2 has some anxious leanings. I don't know WHERE she gets that from!

Hmmm...other news. #1 was selected to participate in the spelling bee today at school. She made it through the first round and then was downed by the word federal. Left out that 2nd e. Bummer. They ran it like a real spelling bee too. Up in front of a crowd with microphones. A little nerve wracking for #1 who is not fond of anything that resembles a performance in front of a crowd. She said that she only did it for the "fun of spelling." Can't argue with that.

Well, I should probably go through the long and arduous process of getting two 10 year olds settled down to sleep. Although I must say that I doubt that it will seem as long and arduous as my afternoon is likely to be tomorrow when I have to deal with the post sleep over hangover ALL BY MYSELF WHILE SOME PEOPLE GO AND PLAY HEROCLIX AT A LOCATION THAT IS NOT THE HOUSE WHERE OVER TIRED AND GRUMPY CHILDREN RULE THE EARTH.

Not that I am bothered by it or anything.

I can't believe I missed it!

Today was National Pie Day!

I consumed no pie! I didn't know! No one told me!

This is an outrage.

I will definitely be making up for this lapse tomorrow.

MMMMmmmmm.....pie.

Now available in Arabic, Hebrew and Persian!

Apparently those are the three new languages that can be found on blogger now.

As I speak none of them, you won't find me using them here. I am glad to know they are available should I suddenly become fluent.

Unfortunately for me the only language I speak fluently is English. Sort of.

If I could choose another language to speak fluently it would have to be Spanish.

Man.... in my field I could just about name my salary if I could speak Spanish.

But I don't, so other people must name my salary for me which is really too bad because who better than I knows what me am worth?

Speaking of my field I have been at my current job for just shy of TWO WHOLE YEARS.

That is almost a record. I believe my record at a job to date is two and a half years.

I am pretty content with what I am doing right now, and not really looking to change. This is a very new experience for me. It might surprise you to hear that I have had some difficulty achieving job satisfaction. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that I spent a hell of a lot of time doing things that were not what I spent two point five years of blood, sweat, tears, and a shitload of money at graduate school to become.

This particular job happens to be just what I envisioned when I was in graduate school. It only took me 8 years post graduate school to get there. That 8 year journey is a long story to be sure.

Maybe I will tell it tomorrow.

So...the way I figure it, if you look at my time at this job in terms of what I have called Missy Job Time (MJT) I have actually been working there what would be the equivalent of 10 years of regular non job jumping person time. (NJJPT).

I think that means I am entitled to all the perks of someone who has been employed at agency for 10 years don't you? The vacation accrual increase and back pay for raises that I would have been entitled to will suffice. OR I would settle for being paid at my current rate, if they will allow me to work 30 hours a week instead of 40. I am reasonable and flexible.

What I will get definitely once I reach the 2 year mark? I will accrue more vacation time (three and half weeks a year) AND....AND....a plant.

I have never gotten a plant from my job before. Yet another new experience!

Longevity Rocks!

Hmmm I should write something

Thanks to those who commented on my last sad poor pitiful me post. It was appreciated.

I have come to the conclusion that we have far too many animals in this house.

Love the new kitty. Love her. She is cute and it is a good thing she is cute or she may have been dropped out of the third story window recently. Or thrown against the wall in the middle of the night when she decides that my face is a good plaything. Now that she is well we are seeing what a little ball of fire she is. No object is safe from play. Finally she is snoozing or it would take me 5 days to write this post for all of the stopping to get the cat off the keyboard. Because she must conquer the evil cursor. It must be stopped!

The dog could squash the kitty with one paw and has attempted to do just that. Apparently she is not amused by Mittens attempts to subdue her tail and ears. (She is a bassett hound if I haven't mentioned that before, and tiny kitty can NOT resist trying to get those long floppy ears.) So unless we want to play security guard, the kitten and the dog can not be out together at the same time without constant supervision. Can you guess how much fun that is? Since Kansas has recently adopted an artic climate we can not leave the dog out for long so it becomes a game of figuring out which animal deserves freedom.

Senior citizen kitty has hissed, growled, and slapped tiny kitty on numerous occasions and tiny kitty does not give a shit. She just stands there and goes for the tail again and again. Not sure if it is bravery or stupidity but she is not the least intimidated by Kalypso. And she can be one mean cat. She subdues and corners our dog that outweighs her by 36 pounds. She is a badass our senior lady.

Went to see Juno over the weekend. I give it high marks and strongly suggest you go see it if you can find the opportunity. Fun music too.

Hmm I think that is it. I am going to go lie down in my now complete Tempur-pedic bed. We got the base FINALLY on Friday. It is AMAZING. It adjusts at the head and foot. My personal favorite setting is zero gravity. So comfy. It has a massage feature. It is nice. However...our bedroom is on the second floor and we have wood floors. The mechanism that makes the whole bed massage is huge and it kind of sounds like a freight train. We put a rug and carpet pad under the bed and it has helped but it is still loud. BH can not stay awake in the bed any longer. He falls asleep within minutes of lying down. I think he has napped no less than twice a day since we got the base in. It is that comfy. So my official recommendation is get a tempur pedic mattress if you have the means. Totally worth the bend-over required to pay for it.

Validation

I once again seem to have hit a posting slump.

My creative juices such as they are have really slowed to a barely perceptible trickle. I have felt the drought coming on for some time now, and I think I have just about reached a critical stage. Cracks in the earth are visible. Vegetation has shriveled up.

I think the reasons are pretty clear when I really take the time to do some self analysis. Not much is happening for me outside of working and taking care of my family. My social life is pretty much at a standstill, and I haven't engaged in a creatively stimulating activity in......I truly cannot recall the last time.

The fault lies completely with me. Working full time at a job that is somewhat demanding, and everything that comes with taking care of two school age children, seems to take an awful lot out of me at the end of the day, and I just don't seem to have the wherewithall to do much else but numbly peruse the internet, read a non-thought provoking book, or mindlessly flip through TV channels once the children are in bed and taken care of for the day. I have some good intentions, but my follow through sucks. Then it becomes a matter of it having been so long since I have initiated a social and/or creative activity that it seems too daunting...as if I have forgotten how and can't figure out where to begin.

Anyway enough of that morose crap. Since the well is dry I am totally stealing from a fellow blogger Woman With a Hatchet and giving you a link that she had up on her blog today that (rather appropriately in relation to this post) gauges how tired you are.

My outcome. Not too surprising. I need to, "Wake Up Sleepyhead."

So therefore according to this little test, which surely is an acurate measure and totally believable I am officially tired.

Good night!

13 years and counting....

BH and I have o-ficially been hitched for 13 years as of today.

Wow. That seems like a big number when I see it in writing.

Now we are in the adolescence of our marriage.

So that means naughtiness and rebellion..right?

The good kind of naughtiness and rebellion of course!

Introducing Mittens the Wonder Kitten!

Hope you all had a lovely Christmas, or whatever holiday it is that you choose to celebrate.

Ours was pretty good. #1 was quite happy with her gifts and #2 was over the moon about her new best friend that she has decided to name Mittens.

Our Christmas was rather eventful. Mittens unfortunately sucumbed to a respiratory infection that was going around the humane shelter. We had to make a trip to the emergency vet Christmas day as she was not doing to0 well. Fortunately some antibiotics, force feeding special food and some water have helped her out and she is doing much better now. We were pretty worried. She is only about 6 weeks old, so illness is pretty scary this kitten was not moving around, nor was she eating or drinking. She was playful today, eating and drinking on her own so all should be well.

Mittens met the dog tonight and apparently thinks that she is a new toy, as there was much chasing of the dog's tail and batting at her very long and floppy ears. The dog was very patient and didn't so much as growl at the baby. I think it was because she was afraid of her. Mittens hasn't met the senior cat yet. We have to keep them separated until the illness has passed.

Now how about a picture of #2 and her new best friend?

Of course we need a close up of the cutie in all her snot-nosed glory!

Oh yeah! I got a present too! One of these.....

It is tiny! So amazing that something so tiny can do so much!

Now on to the New Year!

I kept calm

So we got some snow here in T-town today. A big fat 9 inches of snow supposedly. Along with some blizzard like conditions. There was thunder and lightning during the snow too which was pretty spectacular. I have not experienced a thunder snow in many many years.

What was not so spectacular was attempting to drive in it today. We were trying to deliver gifts to the family we adopted and it required highway driving. Now why we didn't turn around when we could barely see to do the in-town street driving I will never know. I can say that a short while after we got on the interstate I strongly suggested that we turn around and go back home. BH responded with a "but we're halfway there already." Fortunately I did not have to get loud and insistent, and after missing the first available turn around exit because we couldn't see it, we got off and turned around. We had a very scary moment as we were on the entry ramp and despite the slow pace we hit a slick spot and spun completely around and appeared to be headed down an embankment. Thankfully we came to a stop before that happened, and were able to get back on the road without any further excitement. I was able to keep remarkable calm. The spinning around seemed to go on forever and the children were beginning to get scared and vocal about their fright. As we spun I just kept repeating in my most calm and motherly voice that we were ok and everyone is fine. Now in my head I was thinking, nay... screaming "OH MY GOD WE ARE GOING TO DIE!" (I can be dramatic when the occasion calls for it!) At the same time I remember thinking that if we went down the embankment it would be ok as long as we did not flip the car, and then began the praying that we would not flip the car. That was a lot for what was probably 10 seconds of spinning around. Needless to say we decided to get off at the first available exit and go through town to get the rest of the way home. Not that it was any picnic either. Couldn't see more than a few feet ahead. We camped at home for the remainder of the day.

Not going down as one of our better decisions. Both BH and I agreed that we have never been in such terrible driving conditions ever. He also admitted that he was glad I was in the car to override his testorone thinking that he could make the trip becuase he is MAN! BH is nothing if not reasonable most of the time.

Now we have 9 inches of glorious snow to play in! We have been hoping for a really good snow and it is finally here. We don't usually get amounts like this from one snow. 1-3 inches isn't uncommon, but 9!! That is something. So it looks like we may have a white Christmas this year. I can not remember the last time that happened. Wait! I think it was actually ten years ago, about three weeks after #1 was born. I could be wrong, but that is the last one I remember.

I do think that Mother Nature needs to be informed that after the holidays my tolerance for such weather will be gone. Unless it is weather significant enough that we close businesses and I get to stay home from work! That I will put up with.

Yay For ALI!!!

Ali FINALLY had her baby! He weighed in at 9lbs 6 oz, and is about 22 inches long. Both are doing well. I will let her fill you in on the name, my conversation with her was fast and I forgot to ask if she wanted the child's name all over the internet. Or you can e-mail me and I will be glad to pass on the information that way. Congrats to Ali and Family!!

Silly

This is completely dumb and silly, but it makes BH and I laugh and laugh every Christmas.



By the way... I AM ON VACATION!!!!! WOOO HOOOO!!

Crazy in more ways than one

Good Lord, I am beginning to feel that this week may never end.

Right before Christmas is not the best time to be a professional in the field of children's mental health.

I will just leave it at that.

I have two appointments to make it through tomorrow, a scary amount of paperwork (if it is all done on computer and never printed out can we still call it paperwork? If not then what do we call it? These are the things that plague me late at night.) to be completed, phone calls to make, e-mails to return, AND an office to clean then.... I am OFF WORK UNTIL JANUARY 2!!!!!

Of course I may be there until 10:00 tomorrow night, but really who is keeping score here?

We have no plans during our time off here at Chez Us and I am mightily glad about that. Nuthin' but playing with children, sleeping in, and maybe MAYBE a small household project or two. Nothing major and if we don't do it...eh!

Oh yeah! We got our teeny weeny kitty today. Oh my goodness is she cute. Grammy and Poppie are having a lot of fun with her, and apparently they were reluctant to let her go at the vet's office today. Our vet's office is really good about the making goo goo eyes over our animals. That's why we like them. Hopefully the grandparents will relinquish her when the time comes. If she doesn't use the litterbox, I think it will help. Not that I am hoping for this mind you...I am just saying. She is only about 6 weeks old(and I can not get over how TINY she is. Really I could fit her in my coat pocket!!) so I am not at ALL confident that she is litter box trained. That will be fun.

What are your plans for the holiday?

Oh F@&%#

Hmmm...if your child comes complaining to you that their eye has been hurting today and you take a gander and see that it is red and goopy it probably doesn't mean good things. I am waiting to see what things look like tomorrow, but we may be in for the next chapter of "The House Where Germs Live and Attach to Young Children Every G-D Week."

I was really hoping for an illness free holiday season this year. If you go back to the holiday time postings on this blog, you will get the history of sickness on Christmas for this family. Apparently it is our tradition.

I for one am really looking forward to Christmas this year. I hope that this doesn't come off as me being a commercialized Christmas person because I am not...but a big reason that I am excited is that for once we have managed to decide on gifts that will be meaningful to nearly every person on our Christmas list and make them happy I think. In particular our children and parents will be very pleased.

I am really excited to give people their gifts and I am having a hard time keeping quiet about it.

So maybe if I put it out here it will get me by until the big day.

The gift I am most excited about is the kitten we have just adopted for #2. She has been wanting a furry lovey pet that is hers (we have the old lady cat, we got the dog for #1) and she was all geared up for a Guinea Pig as some of you may recall. Well when it came down to it, BH and I just could NOT bear the thought of another rodent in the house (#1 also has a hamster). However we had kind of already said that she could get it if she had the money. Well she will after Christmas and we do the annual "see how much we have in the savings bank each child has and let them spend some if they wish" day. My response to BH when we talked about how much we don't want a Guinea Pig I said that I would far rather have another kitten before getting a GP. BH agreed and it was decided that a kitten would be procured for Christmas. We went to the shelter yesterday and found a teeny tiny 6 week old mostly black kitty with a white nose and mouth. Oh is she cute! I could expire from the cuteness. We finished the adoption paperwork today and will pick her up from the vet Thursday afternoon. She will spend the weekend with Grammy and Poppie and we will go get her Monday night after the kiddies are in bed. Can't Wait. #2 loves kitties more than anything and is constantly talking about the cats she will have when she grows up. This child is going to be over the moon. I wish I had a digital video camera so that I could show her reaction. Wait! My camera takes short videos!!! If it goes like I think I will try and post it here. At the very least I will post pictures of our new baby.

Speaking of pictures we are way excited about the gifts we chose for our parents. They are eternally disappointed in our lack of sharing/taking pictures of the children. So this year we got 4 digital photo frames and are loading them up with pictures of the kiddoes. This will be especially nice for my dad who is on the road and away from home from October through June.He gets pretty homesick and we hope this will help him out a little. My mom hopefully will stop harassing me about how she has no new pictures to put up at work. It will be easy now!

We also adopted a family this year. The girls each have a bank that they put a dollar a week from their allowance in to for charitable donations. We have said that we will match any donation they make from their bank. We all decided to use the funds to adopt a family. That delivery happens Saturday and we are very excited about it. I am glad that the kids for a change will get to see directly the recipients of their generosity. Past donations have been to organizations and I think that it is too abstract concept-wise for them to really understand what they are doing.

All in all our house/family has been bursting with Christmas surprises.

As always I am interested in the surprises that others are keeping this season!

A little psychology humor for the holidays

I am not much of one for forwarding the e-mails unless they are the kind that are so funny it makes me laugh so hard that I snort. Those are pretty rare indeed. This one while not laugh-snort inducing does give me a chuckle whenever I see it. You have probably seen it too, but I don't care I am gonna post it any way!

Christmas Carols for the Psychologically Challenged
1.) Schizophrenia---Do You Hear What I Hear, the Voices, the Voices
2.) Amnesia---I Don't Remember If I'll Be Home for Christmas
3.) Narcissistic---Hark the Herald Angels Sing About Me
4.) Manic---Deck the Halls and Walls and House and Lawn and Streets and Stores and Office and Town and Cars and Buses and Trucks and Trees and Fire Hydrants and..........
5.) Multiple Personality Disorder---We Three Kings Disoriented Are
6.) Paranoid---Santa Claus is Coming to Get Us
7.) Borderline Personality Disorder---You Better Watch Out, You Better not Shout, I'm Gonna Cry and I'll not Tell You Why
8.) Full Personality Disorder---Thoughts of Roasting You on an Open Fire
9.) Obsessive Compulsive Disorder---Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells
10.) Agoraphobia---I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day but Wouldn't Leave My House
11.) Senile Dementia---Walking in a Winter Wonderland Mile from My House in My Slippers and Robe
12.) Oppositional Defiant Disorder---I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus so I Burned Down the House
13.) Social Anxiety Disorder---Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas While I Sit Here and Hyperventilate
14.) Attention Deficit Disorder---We Wish You....Hey Look! It's Snowing!!

My personal favorites are 12 and 14. That is likely due to the whole working with emotionally disturbed children thing.

Oh my stars and garters I need your help!

I am a bad Room Mother.

The holiday party is a week away and I am just now sending out requests for help. That sumbitch snuck up on me. I swear to all that is holy I have some kind of calendar reading disorder, because I am forever off by a week when it comes to deadline sorts of things.

Hopefully people will be responsive and this won't end up being a solo gig for me. I have earned my stripes in previous years doing the solo class party and it ain't fun. (Not because of last minute preparation on my part, but because of a lack of parental involvement.)

I think I have mentioned before that this school has a healthy party snack policy, and I just am not coming up with healthy and fun snack ideas this time. There are tons of really cute ideas out there for holiday party snacks, but for the kiddie crowd those tend to be of the cupcake and cookie variety which helps me not at all.

So I am putting out the call for assistance to all you mommies out there. I need healthy and fun holiday party snack ideas STAT!

#1 and #2 say, "BE PREPARED!"

We have had one or two power flashes today, which is not surprising given the amount of ice on the power lines and trees.

A short time ago we had a pretty good flash and that sent #1 and #2 into action.

They have prepared a pillowcase filled with things needed if the power should suddenly go out.

The pillowcase includes:

What is left of #1's blankie (literally a few scraps) loving placed in not one but TWO small boxes for safekeeping.
#2's infamous snowbear
Numerous flashlights
#1's 20 questions game

They asked to put snacks in there, but I was able to assure them that we would be able to find the food if the power went out.

Now...they are practicing getting the "power's out sack."

This involves them placing the pillowcase on the edge of our bed, one of them being in another room, yelling "Oh no! Power's Out!" Then they run and grab the bag on the go.

In case you were wondering #1 is an expert in the best way for this to happen and is offering detailed instruction on how #2 needs to 'Gracefully run to grab the bag", as well as helping her with her curve. #2 just assured us that we don't need to worry because she is going to save the world.

Good to know we are in such caring and expert hands.

Views from my front porch

So....we got some ice. Not nearly as bad as it could have been.

Looking down the street

Tree in our front yard

There is an identical tree next to it on the left that I obviously did not include in this photo. For some reason it does not look quite as pathetic as this one. Those trees always look awful when we get ice like this, but somehow they manage to bounce back once the ice melts.

Clarification

When I said that the skies could open up once I was done traveling this weekend I did not mean that the skies could dump up to an inch of ice. I was really looking for just enough wintry weather to maybe spark a snow day tomorrow...but that much ice we are talking snapped power lines and other assorted serious inconveniences.

Apparently that is what is in the plans beginning tomorrow evening.

I am trying to counteract that statement by being all prepared to hunker down in the even that we do get an inch of ice..groceries bought, flashlights, candles at the ready, replaced the sad tires on the car...

Because if we prepare then it won't happen, or at least it won't be as significant right??

Unless I have just undone what I was trying to counteract by making bold statements about it.

Crap?? How do I fix this??

Quick! I need a chant or sage to burn..something!

I guess at least an inch of ice is not as bad as 52 inches of snow out near Hatchet's neck of the woods!

Apparently there are no Folding Fairies

If there are then I need to know what to do to make them visit my house.

All classwork is done. HOORAY!

Now...I need the fairies that make ice/sleet/snow go away while I travel to and from KC the next two days.

As soon as I am home for the weekend Saturday evening the skies can open up, I just want it all to hold off while I am among crazy drivers on the interstate.

That isn't asking for so much is it?

Update

Because I need to say it I guess:

• Infant toddler paper- completed!
• Assessments to adapt-yet to be completed
• Basket of socks and unmentionables-I am hoping that the folding fairies will pay me a visit tonight and fold them while I sleep.

YAWN!!!

I am a practicioner in the art of procrastination

I think I am gearing up to receive a Ph.D in procrastination.

What I should be doing right now:

• Finishing my paper on infant and toddler mental health for my play therapy class
• Making up assessements for the above mentioned class
• Folding a basket of socks and unmentionables

What I am doing right now:

• Farting around on the internets
• Procrastinating through blogging

What is really dumb is that it won't take me all that long to do any of the tasks I should be doing, and I will feel so much better once they are done and over with. Of course now I won't get all three done because it is getting late and I need my beauty sleep and I will be tortured for another evening tomorrow because I have to have all this stuff done by Friday AM.

So what have I learned?

A lesson I know well...procrastination is stupid and I am always sorry when I engage in it.

OK. I think I can write my paper(s) now.

a bullet dodged and a comfy night's sleep awaits

Tonight I thought I just might be calling 15 or so sets of parents to inform them that we had accidentally exposed their child(ren) to Chickenpox while they were here for the birthday party(ies). Thankfully I didn't have to do that because the weird pimple looking bumps popping out all over #2's body were from a bacterial infection that she got from taking a dip in grandma and grandpa's hot tub on Saturday. Apparently such infections are not at all uncommon, even if you take good care of your hot tub and bathe immediately afterward. (All factors in this situation). I certainly never thought I would say, "Thank goodness it is an infection!" today however it was true. It is a mild case and we have started antibiotics to cure it. #2 has had two doses of the varicella vaccine and I have to say that I felt ripped off when we thought it was chickenpox. I was informed however that even getting the now recommended booster is no gurantee against the disease, but does generally ensure a mild case. So I am not sure if it is worth the booster after finding that out, but I guess I should not have been lazy and done my research before getting the second one. Then I would have had to have been even less lazy to fight the Department of Health and Environment who sent me a nice letter at the end of the school year last year telling me that #2 had to have the booster or she would not be able to attend school the following school year. That would have been a battle for sure.

So I can rest easy tonight beacuse my child is chickenpox free AND because we got our new mattress today!!! No more waking up with aching back, hips, and necks!!!!! WOO HOOOO!
If I do you had best believe the rant will be heard across the nation beacuse we did not go cheap for this mattress. Two cheapies in 12 years time and we have learned our lesson. Shop around, research, try out many mattresses and go for preferred comfort versus price. We started this process a few months ago and today our decision was delivered. A lovely Tempur-pedic mattress. I did get the opportunity to nap on it today with #2 and we both rated it top-notch comfy. We have a special base coming in a few weeks that will let us adjust the head and foot of the bed AND it has a massage feature too.(That makes me giggle. Kinda like staying at the Motel 6 or something!) Can't WAIT!!!!!

Wish I had taken video of the process of getting that monster of a mattress upstairs to our bedroom. I feared for several minutes that it was not going to happen. Apparently the memory foam gets pretty rock solid when it is cold, and the mattress had been in a cold delivery truck for most of the morning. That baby had no give. It was like a cement slab when I laid down on it after they finally got it up the stairs. I hope the base comes in pieces or we are in for a world of hurt. Rather the delivery people will be. I will just stand and wring my hands nervously.

I think I shall retire early tonight.

Sweet Dreams!!

#1 is 10!!!

Yes folks 10 years ago today at about this time I was being checked out of the hospital so that I could go across the street to the other hospital in order to finally get a really good look at my first born who unfortunately had to stay a week and a day in the NICU before coming home. She was a cutie. Still is for that matter. But don't tell her I said that, she prefers being referred to as cool instead of cute. I have tried to find a way to combine the two words so that both of us are happy, but I just haven't hit on an acceptable combination yet.

#1 is something. She sure has come a long way after having such a rocky and absolutely terrifying beginning to her life.

Let me tell you a little bit about her....

She is S-M-A-R-T Smart! Straight A's since she has begun to receive letter grades. She loves to learn that one! Her intelligence is noticeable right away. People who don't know her usually comment about her intelligence after only a few minutes of conversation with her.

This is a child that is almost never without a book in hand to read. Even if it is a five minute trip to the grocery store, she's gotta have something to read for the drive. Her current reading obsession is Harry Potter. She began the series this summer and I honestly can not tell you how many times she has read them all. I would guess we have reached double digits. We gave her all four movies for her gift today, so now she can obsess over those. She is also following in the footsteps of her father and developing a love for those things geeky, like comic books. Current favorite is Spiderman. (Only appropriate ones of course!)

#1 is no girly girl. No pink. No Barbie. No Bratz. (Thank the dear baby Jesus!) Absolutely positively NO DRESSES!! My girl likes spy gear, anything to do with science, bugs, and most especially butterflies. She can tell you a LOT about butterflies.

This dear child loves animals more than anything. If I would allow it she would have even more pets than she already does. Her room currently houses a hamster, three fish, and two frogs. The dog and cat enjoy spending time in there as well. Soon she will be the proud parent of an undetermined number of Sea Monkeys. She plans to be a vet someday, and I can absolutely see it happening.

Oohhh the imagination. I can not even put it in to words. Thankfully she does and who knows...perhaps she will write novels in between taking care of sick animals.

She loves her younger sister and they can play happily for impressively long periods of time and develop long complicated pretend games that I don't even pretend to try and follow.

She is a Daddy's girl....but has her special things that only Mommy can do.

She is a kind and patient child, and has often befriended those that others will not.

#1 is a complex kid...we like her that way! It is hard sometimes to realize how quickly time is passing, but we look forward to discovering the person she will become.

Now I present the birthday girl!

One down one to go

Birthday party #1 for #1 was a great success today. Though I feel I must mention that 10 fourth graders together and hyped up about a party are L-O-U-D. Really truly brain searing loud. They are also fast. They blew through the party activities in record time, leaving us tapping our watches absolutely certain that they must (GOD PLEASE PLEASE!) be telling the wrong time.

I did make the cupcakes for the party from scratch. They turned out OK. Not raving about them by any means, but fairly tasty. (However it should be noted that #1 felt it her duty to tell me right after the treat eating was finished that her cupcake was dry and as such she did not eat all of it. We had a little tete-a-tete away from the guests about rudeness, and you will be glad to know that I kept my voice at a conversational level for this mini meeting.)

Right now the cake for tomorrow's family party is baking away. Different recipe from the cupcakes and hopefully it will be at the correct level of moistness so as to please the birthday princesses delicate palate.

So here are my Wizard Hat Cupcakes, because the theme of course was Harry Potter!

Unfortunately the force is not with her

This about made me pee I laughed so hard.

B.H. showed me this about a month or so ago, and I just never got around to sharing.

Someday I hope to learn how to embed these videos in my blog instead of simply linking.

Embedding is so much cooler.

Just Keep Swimming.....

Whew!

It has been a big ol' steamin' pile of constant activity here at Chez Us the past few weeks.

Beloved put up his musical production for the year at the high school where he teaches, and it was a great success. That of course has meant I have been a single parent while he put in a gazillion hours working, hence the lack of blog postings. Well...that and obsessively watching the 7th season of the Gilmore Girls on DVD. That takes up a lot of a girl's time.

The musical wrapped up just in time for Thanksgiving preparations for the huge masses of people that rained down on our home. We clocked in just over 30 people this year I believe. I chronicled my cooking adventures in earlier posts as you are likely aware. I was gravely disappointed to see that I was the only family member to actually bake pies this year. We had a boatload of pumpkin and pecan pies purchased from the local Sam's Club. Neither pie is my favorite and I flat out do not like baked goods that come from a grocery store bakery. Not cakes, pies, nuthin'! I am devout about making birthday cakes and decorating them myself such is my dislike of the grocery store bakery. My family members were arguing that the store bought pies were just as good as homemade. Take a guess which pies went first come desert time????? Harrumph! I did not gloat to anyone except BH after everyone left. I have that much restraint. Barely.

While I have negelected my own blog recently I have kept up my devout perusal of other people's musings. Lot's of interesting things going on in the blogs that I read lately. Some have given me some food for thought. One particular day or maybe it was over a few days I seemed to be reading a lot of posts about Stay At Home Mothers (SAHM). Most of those posts seemed to be about guilt, or justification. I thought I would put in my two cents here speaking as a Working Away From Home Mother (WAFHM...I really wanted an acronym! There is probably an official one out there but I am woefully uninformed if there is.) My two cents is this: Stop feeling guilty and stop feeling that you have to justify what you are doing. Because you don't have to and shouldn't do either of those things. More parents need to spend more time with their children. There is no guilt or shame in that. That time is especially crucial the first five years of life for a child.

I will not lie and tell you that I did not get a little pissy reading about this topic. I did get a little pissy and it has everything to do with jealousy and I recognize that and own it completely. If it were possible for me and my family I would walk away from my job right now, but it isn't so there is no point in "going there" as the kids say. My initial thoughts were, "Guilt?? I'll give you guilt!! Try coming home after working for 8+ hours to kids who just want to play and have some attention from you, and have every right to expect that attention but you just snap at them and start cracking the whip as soon as you walk through the door because you have dinner, chores, homework, reading aloud, showers, hair drying, violin practice, lunches to make, and God knows what else to accomplish in the two and half hours before the children must be in bed to get the prescribed amount of sleep to keep them healthy and happy. All the while knowing (because you are a professional who deals with children and what is best for them and their mental health) that you are not being the best mom you should be, but what do you let go of? Homework has to be done, people have to eat and be clean and..and...." then I got overwhelmed and had to stop thinking.

So SAHM's embrace your situation! Celebrate it! Hats off to you from me! Wish I could wear your hat too!

I think that is all I have to say about that.

In other news....my pie baking seems to have set off a very strong desire to bake within me. This is good because I have much baking in my future. #1 turns....GULP....I don't know if I can type this.....ok....here goes....10...YIKES!!! On Sunday. That means one cake (I am going totally from scratch this year!!!) Cupcakes (yup...going for the from scratch on those too!) and a batch of cookies. Speaking of cookies I made some kick ass peanut butter chocolate chip cookies on Saturday. Got the recipe from my Ghiradelli Chocolate Cookbook. Yuh-HUM!

Alrighty I think I have ranted enough for now. Hopefully I can come up with something interesting to say with more frequency over the next month.

Ta!

update

Ok so the pie count now stands at 3 pumpkin and 1 cherry pie that feels like it weighs 50 lbs and was baked in a 9x13 pan. I am blaming the weight on my stoneware pan. (I am pretty sure I have enough filling left to make at least one more 9 inch cherry pie, alas I have run out of ingredients for pie crust and don't feel like making a third trip to the store in two days.)

Yet to be cooked:
1 23 lb turkey
2 big pans of hashbrown casserole

That turkey weight is no typo either. I have about 30 people converging on my home tomorrow. We have another turkey and a ham that will be brought over. In my family there seems to be no such thing as too much meat, starch (I believe there will be at least three different types of potatoes not to mention the homemade noodles), and dessert.

Again I share because I thought you would want to know. Or maybe I just need to vent. Who knows, I am tired after spending so much time in the kitchen. Nice to cook though I must admit. I need to improve my pie crust skills.

Pie Countdown

The count so far:


1 pumpkin down


2 more pumpkin, and an undetermined number of cherry pies to go. (To give you an idea, I have about 3/4 of a stock pot full of cherry pie filling. This recipe takes 8 cans of cherries people. 8 CANS!!! I think I just may use of cake pan for one of the pies or I will be up until next Thanksgiving making them all, and I think I only have three pie pans left.)


Because I thought you should know.

Get in the giving spirit

Check this out. Rather apporopriate for the upcoming holidays I thought.

More later this week.

Crazy busy here.

Many thoughts running around my head that I hope to organize and put into writing soon.

A Little Trivia, a Little Anarchy

Today as I was on my way home for lunch I learned that today was the anniversary of the Sex Pistols first time on stage in 1975.

Apparently getting on stage was all there was to it, they were booed off before they even got to play a note.


So I say in honor of this historic day, go out and get your punk on and explore a little anarchy!


Or at the very least dig out that old copy of a copy of Nevermind the Bollocks and have a listen.

What you get when

Two children trick or treat for an hour:

That is my large sized mixing bowl. If you think I haven't been dipping my hot little hands in that bowl which contains mostly chocolate just about every time I walk past it, then I have not done a good job sharing with you my powerlessness against all things chocolaty.

I have to go get on the treadmill now and will need to stay on it until tomorrow morning.

I just may start drinkin' and this is boring...

Yeeeaaaahhhh......

Pretty much all I have to talk about is what is coming out of this germ factory formerly known as Chez Us.

So for the past two weeks we had the stomach ick making it's way through.

This week it's STREP!

Good ol' #2 is having her annual bout a little early this year. In reality though.... strep was far better news than what we took her to the minor med clinic for in the first place. We were fearful that she had broken her arm after a fall this morning at church, and I just decided to have them take a gander in her throat since she had been complaining of a sore throat for a day or two. Also I thought it might be a good idea to mention that sore throat when they took her temp and it was 101. What with the arm pain and all they did not subject her\us to a throat culture which was mightly kindly I thought, especially since all signs point to strep, we've had it enough around here to know the deal. Luckily the arm is just a sprain. Ace bandage and no wrestling or other such activities for a week.

Now I must leave you to hang a red cross on the door or whatever sign it is you are supposed to use when your home is nothing but a host for sickly germs.

Perhaps next week I will have something other than illness reports to entertain you.

I am really hoping there is something besides illness around her to entertain ME.

Happy Hallow...zzzzz....zzzzz

Get kids in costume

Parade.

Party.

Clean up party.

Clean House.

Visit relatives.

Trick or Treat.

Get kids ready for bed.

Clean up house.

Read blo...zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

Question posed to my daughters this morning:

"So do the two of you get together at night when we think you are sleeping and devise a schedule for who is grouchy at different times during the morning?"

Ummm...I would like to file a complaint please

OK. So last week #2 has this weird stomach-flu thing that involved her barfing once a day (always at night around 11-12) being ok for a day, then barfing again. We had this Saturday-Friday last week. No fever just vomit.

Tonight it apparently strikes #1. I am sure there are those out there who would say I am nuts given what I am about to say, but I am gonna say it anyway.

Why the hell can't they both be sick at the same time? My kids do this with every illness they pass around and it sucks. Instead of a week of illness we get two, sometimes 4 if BH and I get it too. I would far rather get it all over with at once then have this dragging it out forever shit.

Oh yeah....let us not forget that we are but a couple of days from Halloween.

If someone else was going to get this crap I was kind of hoping it would be me and that it would strike tomorrow night and then I could possibly get out of testifying in court this week. I hate it when I have to do that.

Can you get out of testifying if you are puking your guts out?

Because we all need something...

Here is something fun!

Pumpkin carving without the mess!

But no seeds to roast.

There was frost on my windshield this morning

So I heard the other day that Sam Brownback has decided to withdraw from the presidential race.

My response: Sam Brownback was in the presidential race????

In all seriousness I was glad to hear that news. I never thought he had a snowball's chance in hell, but that is at least one less Massive Scary Conservative to deal with.

So I thought........

Rumor has it he plans to run for Governor of Kansas in 2010.

That gives me the shivers, because the potential for that win is definitely present.

It would really suck if he won, because I detest moving.

If it gets to that I will be taking suggestions on desirable locations.


In other news....
So say you have a child and that child wakes up in the middle of the night and throws up. Said child is low key the following day, but no fever and no further vomiting episodes. The second day after the first episode, the child seems fine. That night the child wakes up and vomits again. No more episodes the rest of the evening, and seems fine if not downright chipper the next day.

So what is up with that!?

And So it Begins

First illness of the cold and flu season has struck, at approximately 12:30 AM CST with a barfing #2. I think that is enough on that topic.

The trip to Chicago was really quite good despite my concerns. The kids were really well behaved, didn't get in to much mishchief and were where they were supposed to be when they were supposed to be.

Our visit consisted of a trip to the Art Institute that was far FAR too short. We got to see the Gates of Paradise on their last day their which was pretty cool. Highlights for me were the Impressionist Gallery, On the Beach, and the Thorne Miniature Room which I came upon kind of by accident. I could have easily spent the entire day at the Institute and was reluctant to leave.

But leave I had to do as we had tickets to see Wicked. I am not much of one for the musicals, but this was a very enjoyable show and I liked it enough to consider seeing it again. The Ford Theatre was quite beautiful too I must say. Unfortunately I was not able to take pictures.

After Wicked we walked over to the Navy Pier which was pretty touristy, but some great views of the lake were to be found as well as gorgeous night time views of the Chicago skyline. There was a stained glass museum there that was pretty interesting too.

The trip was short but I felt like we got to see/do a pretty fair amount of good stuff for the time we were there. Also it was a low to no drama experience which is exactly what we were hoping for.

That pretty much sums up the Chicago trip, ooh except that we found a Boudin's and got some of their delicious fresh sourdough bread. So yummy!

I still have not had a chance to deal with pictures from the trip, so that will have to be a post for another day.

Now I must be off to read a sick girl some stories, and continue my efforts to catch up after the trip. Still so far far away....

I have returned

We made it back to our house at about 9:00 last night.
So I am tired and have much catching up to do.

In truth I probably won't catch up this week, but I can guaran-damn-tee that I will drive myself bloody well insane trying to do so.

Maybe next week I will post some pitchurs of what we did and maybe even tell you about it too.

This of course is all dependent on my not being admitted to the loony bin this week.

Hello my name is Missy and I have control issues

B.H. and I are preparing for a trip to Chicago this weekend.

"Oh, how romantic and fun!" You might be thinking.

Romantic...not much chance. Fun....well I hope so.

You see we will be joined by about 80+ high school students and a handful of adults.

Did I mention that we will be traveling there on a bus?

So now you can see where the romance went, and perhaps you also get why I am not convinced that fun will be part of this trip either.

When B.H. first told me of this proposed trip for his students my immediate reaction was don't think even for a MINUTE that I will not be joining you for this trip. Travel doesn't happen often around here and when it does it usually is for purposes of visiting family. While enjoyable, not particularly adventurous. I was taken in by the idea of seeing Wicked, and going to groovy museums and dare I hope...shopping??

I will get to do all of those things. I am happy about that, and sure that I will enjoy it.

In the past day or so however I have begun to consider the realities of the trip, and in so doing have begun to question the wisdom of my insistence upon joining in this venture.

Now I may have mentioned this before.....but I like to plan things. I usually think my way of planning is the best choice for all involved. Sometimes this is a good thing.

Sometimes it is not.

It has just occurred to me that I will be following someone else's plans and schedule for this entire trip.

Despite how much I may want to alter the plans I will be unable to do so.

Also...I am going to be on a bus full of people I don't know for approximately 24 hours total by the time all is said and done. 24 hours. On. A. Bus.

Dear Lord what I have I gotten myself in to?

If I had thought of these things a few months ago, I am not sure I would have been so insistent on going.

In truth this may be good for me. There are those who might say it would be good for me to lighten up a bit, let go of the steering wheel so to speak. Being around others will be good. My social life has dwindled to a virtual halt over the past few years..but that I suppose is a post for another day. So let's leave it at....it will be good for me to exercise social skills that I fear I have completely lost due to my lack of socializing with grownups in particular.

I am trying to maintain a positive attitude.

I am also trying to think of how I can occupy myself on a really long ass bus ride.

Any suggestions?

Could you add one more thing to those thoughts?

Calm children. There will be about 10 of them in my house tomorrow.

There is a 70% chance of Thunderstorms tomorrow.

So they will likely be inside the house the entire time.

The whole time.

All 10 of them.

Ages 11 and under.

Oy.
Vey.

A little twitchy

When I was a kid, EVERY Sunday we would go over to my grandmother's house for dinner with the rest of my family. Sometime around the time I was about 10 years old, they stopped for some reason that I can not recall 25 years later. For a while now I have been saying that we should try to re-instate the Sunday dinner. Not every Sunday, but perhaps once a month, and not a roast dinner every time either. That was what we had E-V-E-R-Y Sunday. Lately those of us in my large and sprawling family have been reminiscing about the food and desserts my grandmother used to make. My grandmother has serious arthritis and suffered a stroke about 6 years ago as a result just can not stand up in the kitchen long enough to bake and cook like she used too. We have all been very sad about that for a long time.

SOOooo, finally last week I got up off my butt and made arrangements to start this Sunday dinner thing back up once and for all. The idea has been met with much enthusiasm. My goal for the next year or so is to learn how to make the cakes, pies and other assorted baked yummies that my grandma used to make. On our birthdays every year she would make each person in the family their favorite pie or cake. My grandma was not much of one for recipes, and she is not getting younger, so I have to start now, and have her dictate while I do the work and write down those recipes that have not been written down.

This is a long winded way of getting to why I am a little twitchy. Tomorrow is the first dinner, the menu is Chicken and Dumplings (the home made roast a chicken roll out the dumplings kind) salad, rolls, green beans, Fresh Apple Cake, and Cherry Dessert. There might be a couple of other things too, but I can't recall them now because they are not my responsibility. I am providing dessert and the house. I feel that is a plenty. Now these desserts are REVERED in my family and I have never made them before. It has been a long time since anyone has had them so there has been a lot of time for memories of how wonderful they were to build to out of control proportions. The fresh apple cake is baking as I type. It is taking every thing I have not to cut a slice and take it to my mother's house to make sure it is ok. (This cake is not my favorite, so I am no judge. That is also why we are having cherry dessert. Cream Cheese, Dream Whip, Cherry pie filling. Just hand me a spoon people.)

So think good food thoughts for me people. I got a tough audience tomorrow.

Musical Prodigy?

So I am listening to #1 practice her violin right now, and it is not painful.

Of course one pleasing to the ear practice equals child prodigy.

No one could ever accuse me of failing to be a proud parent!

Another doozy from #2

So we are in the car on the way home from tennis lessons this morning, and as is all to common for my personal liking these days, the children are refusing to accept an answer we have given them to some question.

In exasperation I ask why they continue ask, when an answer has been provided.

#2's response: We can't understand what you say because you don't speak kid.

Anybody else see scary things in our future?

This post is for girls

Dontcha hate it when you blow the underwire out of your favorite bra in the middle of a day at work that is so busy you can't go home and trade out?

Felt like I had one tit flapping in the wind and it would occasionally get caught on something sharp.

Now I have to find a NEW favorite bra and you all know that is not easily accomplished.

Damnit.

If I had a million dollars....

#2 informed us last night that if she were to find a pirate's treasure chest full of gold she would go out to buy a guinea pig and a limo with a hot tub.

#1 snorted and kept reading her book.

It is important to know how you would spend pirate treasure should the occasion present itself.

Did YOU hear it?

Yup we had a strong one blow through here tonight.

I ain't talkin' about a storm either.

At least not one of the mother nature type storms.

Folks we had us a screamin' tantrum blow through here this evening.

I am sure that all of you regardless of your location were wondering who it was screaming, "I WANT MY MUSIC!!!!!!!" repetitively at about 8:30 CST.

Let me solve that mystery for you. It was #2 coming to you live from Chez Us.

Good times.

It was just how I hoped to spend my evening at home after a very LONG day in class.

Awesome.

A Recommendation

I love to read.

It's true!

It is not often that I will make a book recommendation, but I have decided that I am going to go out on a limb today.

I am not going to recommend just one book my friend(s) but an entire series of books.

B.H. got me started on this series a few years ago. The intended audience is young adults. If my memory serves me correctly he read the first book in the series so that he could create an Accelerated Reader test for one of his students. After reading and enjoying the book immensely he passed it on to me and I devoured it in about 2 hours or so I think. After I proclaimed my love for these books, he made an arrangement with the librarian where he was teaching at the time to bring the books home to me as soon as she got a new one in. (It pays to have connections!)

Now that I have given you a rather long winded history on how I got started with the series I will give you the name. Here at Chez US we affectionately refer to the series as the "Georgia Books." The author is Louise Rennison. In a nutshell the books are written as diary entries from a teen-aged girl living in England, and they are funny. I have laughed out loud numerous times while reading each book. There are currently 8 books in the series.

I highly recommend that you start on these books at your earliest convenience. Don't be turned off by the Young Adult thing. As an adult I promise you will find them funny. I wouldn't recommend them for anyone younger than high school age. The first book is titled: Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging

Go get one. Soon. You won't be sorry!

Now I am really grouchy

Overlooked in the best drama category too?

The academy can bite me.

Unbelievable!

How can they not give my Hugh the Emmy? HOW!!! I demand a recount!!! I will offer Hugh my ample bosom for comforting purposes.

In other unbelievable news...Crazy Lacey was eliminated!!! Now it is down to Heather and Jes.

I vote for Jes.

Now I must leave you to continue the TV gorgefest I have been indulging in all evening.

Full Disclosure (I know Ali will understand)

Now the two of you who have been reading this blog since it's birth nearly three years ago know that BH and I don't watch a lot of stuff on TV. We typically wait until a show has been released on DVD and then gorge ourselves watching an entire season in two days.

As you know we upgraded our cable a few months ago. We may be watching slightly more now than we were before, but usually that time is just replacing time that we previously spent wasting away browsing the internet. Now that school has begun again TV time is about back to it's usual quantaties for us.

For the past few years there have only been about two shows that we made a point to watch every week during the regular TV season, those being Scrubs and The Office. I suspect that will continue with this TV season however House will be added on to the must watch weekly list now that we are caught up. If this weren't the last season for Scrubs and I did not have such a passionate love of Zach Braff....after last season Scrubs may have moved down to the wait until DVD list. That last season was almost painful. I am hoping for full recovery for this year.

But I digress from the point of this post which is all about full disclosure, and that means I have to fess up about one more show that has some how made it to the watch every week list.

Ohhh friends this is painful.

OK...here it goes.

Each week on Sunday at 10:00 PM CST.. BH and I clear the calendar so that we are available to watch...OH God I can't believe I am going to admit it...........Rock.Of.Love.

Yes dear friends we don't miss the weekly installment about Bret Michaels search for a true love that can handle the power of his immense Rock 'n Roll fame.....the one woman who can in his own words...."Rock his world."

What is it that draws us back week after week? Is it to see what scheme crazy Lacey has come up with this week to insure world roking dominance? To root for our favorite girl Jes? The spectacular array of patent leather animal print dusters that come out only on elimination night? The desire to see if Bret EVER is without a bandana?

I can not answer to which one reason it is that keeps us coming back. Perhaps it is all of them.

We have been faithful for several weeks now, but only recently are we able to come out and admit that we make time for this show.

The truth will set you free my friends.

PUPPIES!!!!

My cousin's Austrailian Shepperd named Abby had her first litter of puppies about 3 weeks ago. We paid the puppies a visit today and they were so darn cute I thought I ought to share.

Really..... who doesn't love pictures of cute puppies?

Trying out some people knees

Being short is tough!

Proud Mama and Puppy Behinds!

Stuff I don't like

Being awakened at 12:30 in the morning by a tornado siren.

Especially when there is no tornado.

Just wind and rain and lightning and thunder.

So sleeepppyyzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

OMG

Lesson previously learned but temporarily forgotten today:

Immediately scoop up all catalogues that come in the mail and place them in the nearest trash recepticle before children see them and spend the rest of the evening discussing ad nauseum all the things they plan to order. Things like 4' tall stuffed giraffes.

I mean... who doesn't need one of those?

I think I need to consult with the spinmaster again

#2 daughter MUST CHILL.

The first month or so of school is always tough for her. I am sure I have blogged about this before but seriously. She is in grave danger of being put out by the curb if she does not have a massive attitude adjustment soon.

Tonight I seriously thought about locking the door once I got in the house, and leaving her outside. I was that done.

#2 is obsessed with buying a Guinea Pig. She has been told that when she has the money she will be allowed to buy one. Her current balance for money that can be spent whenever she chooses?
$1. Cost of a Guinea Pig and all the acoutrements? About $60. How much of her allowance is she allowed to put back for spending at will? $1 a week.

Tonight's upset? All about the Guinea Pig and how I am so mean and have ruined her day because I won't call the parent of a child in her class who claims to have won $10,000 from a Go-gurt contest and is going to share enough money with #2 so that she can get her Guinea Pig. The reason I should call? Why.... the friend gave #2 her phone number. Because of course this story is completely true. I am absolutely and totally unreasonable in my refusal to call this parent I have never met and ask them for Guinea Pig money.

I have put a ban on all discussion regarding Guinea Pigs and their purchase. The jury is out on whether or not I will have to rescind my earlier offer to let her purchase the thing once she has enough money. Correct me if I am wrong, but I think tonight we officially reached crazy with this obsession.

I certainly have reached crazy.

Why can't I come up with spins like that?

Yesterday B.H. and I were in the mood to be out in the great outdoors and do a little easy hiking. B.H. wanted to go out to the nature trails that are located near the Governor's Mansion here in town.

For some reason our lovely children think that this is an horrible, terrible, no good place/way to spend time. Our few forays there have been filled with whining, complaining, and general unpleasantness for all.

However, yesterday B.H. was at the top of his game. He called the children downstairs and instructed them to put on walking shoes, gather up butterfly nets and mason jars because we were headed out on a butterfly hunt. Now my girls would never suggest that catching butterflies and putting them in jars to examine was a poor way to spend some time, so they complied right away pausing only to ask where we were going to hunt to which of course B.H. answered the location was a surprise. What is better than a surprise location?

To shorten the length of this story, a rousing good time was had by all, whining was restricted to the very end of the walk to the car and was easily redirected. No children even thought to ask where we were until the end of the outing, and now of course the Governor's Mansion Nature Trails are the coolest thing ever.

B.H. is officially THE spinmaster.

Politicians should hire his services.

Meanwhile here are some photos:

Crikey! It's a yellow Zippity Do-Dah!

#2's catch of the day

Sign up for B.H.'s course on how to present the "truth" to your children in creative ways will begin soon. I will keep you posted.

A Question

I am wanting to incorporate the use of more enviornmentally friendly cleaning products in my daily life and I want to what you all use and recommend. I have done some researching, but I am interested in opinions and testimonial from real live people who have experience using this stuff.

So bring on the information!

One thing making me happy this troubled week

The 3rd season of House on DVD.

Hugh Laurie....I have no words.

Oy!

I am not sure how today can be only Tuesday, because I am sure that the past two days have atually been the equivalent of at least four and very possibly five days.

Sometimes the inability to discuss my work with anyone except people at work is very frustrating. Yes, you can infer from that statement that much of my current state of mind has to do with work issues.

I guess what I can say is this.... this week if I were to find a magic lamp complete with a wish granting Genie I can not promise that I would not wish for a new profession.

I will get over this I know.. but I wish I would hurry up.

I think I need to go out and do something that has nothing AT ALL to do with children, parents, or other people's problems.

I am as ever open for suggestions.

Conversation with #2

#2: Boy I am looking forward to doing some stretches in gym today.

Me: Oh really?

#2: Yeah, my bones aren't waking up very well today.

Disturbing and Perplexing

I had a rather disturbing dream last night that I attended a political convention of some sort and was propositioned by Bill Clinton.

I don't even know how to respond to that one.

Now my husband thinks I harbor a secret crush.

I may miss ol' Slick Willie being in the Oval Office every now and then (particularly after hearing a horrible and embarrassing speech by the current CIC) but I have never wanted to boink him.

Just not my type.

Now you know.

Oh Yeah?? Well..uhhh...So's Your Face!

This morning my Beloved Husband says to me, "You want to hear something scary?"

The logical part of me knows that the appropriate answer to this question should always be, "No."

However I am a horribly curious person and therefore powerless to give any other answer except, "Yes." Despite the fact that 9 times out of 10 I am sorry for it.

Today was no exception.

Beloved as many of you may know teaches High School. His scary statement to me: "This year's seniors were born the year you graduated from high school!"

My response: "Oh yeah? Well NEXT YEAR's seniors will have been born the same year YOU graduated from high school!"

I am QUEEN of the razor sharp comeback!

Ready or not..

The school year arrived today.

We put the children in a new school this year, and they now attend school in the district where Daddy-O teaches.

It was a tough decision, but in the end one that we felt would be very beneficial in the long run, since they will now be on the same school year schedule as Daddy-O, we like and respect the administration, my children will now go to middle school in 7th grade as opposed to 6th grade, and most importantly for the long run, once they get to high school Daddy-O will be right there teaching and able to keep an eye out for mischief.

There has been much ambiguity around the house with this big change. The responses to school have been rather bi-polar in nature. At one point in the day children are excited and positive about the change, then later in the day teary because they have left good friends behind at the old school.

So today was the first day and the report was partly sunny. Some things are good, better even than the old school, other things... not so much.

Needless to say as "She Who Worries About Most Everything" I will be glad when everyone has settled in.

In the meantime please enjoy this manic portion of the bi-polar reactions that we witnessed this morning before we left for the big day.

Not Ready

I have made a decision.

I am not ready for the school year to begin on Wednesday.

You know if people didn't have to work this shit would be a hell of a lot easier.

I have reached the point once again where I don't have time for my job.

SIGH.

We sure could use a lottery win right about now.

Because I am Crazy like dat

Normally I am one who REALLY REALLY looks forward to the weekends. While overall I like my job, I am pretty darn excited when I don't have to go.

This weekend however I don't think will pass quickly enough.

Why is that? Both of you ask.

Hmm....where shall I start?

1. I decided that I need to add some credentials to my name so I decided to enroll in a course that will allow me to become a registered play therapist. The classes meet in KC one weekend a month (weekend being Friday and Saturday) The classes last from 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM each day of that one weekend a month. That is a damn long day even without the hour plus drive it takes each way. The first class starts tomorrow. I am looking forward to tomorrow's class, because it gets me out of work. After seeing 24 clients this week I am more than ready to sit and learn about therapy as opposed to doing it.

2. I for some reason agreed to keep my niece and nephew (ages 3 and 7 respectively) all night tomorrow and most of the day Saturday. In my defense I did not know when I agreed to this, I would be in KC for the majority of their visit, and once I did find out, I just did not feel right backing out. Thankfully I have a saintly and incredibly easy going husband who was apparently fine with managing all of those children by his lonesome. Likely a part of that willingness was knowing how HUGELY and TREMENDOUSLY I will owe him after this. I think he is off making the list of ways I can pay him back right now.

3. We have a wedding reception to go to Saturday evening in Lawrence. Instead of meeting up in Lawrence as would be sensible I am coming home first so we can all drive out together. Knowing how tired I will be when it is over and how scary the thought of me driving home that far in such a state led to this decision that does not really make sense if you are familiar with Kansas Geography. (Those of you who are not, Lawrence is half way between KC and T-town)

4. I have to play secretary at a meeting on Sunday for the non-profit with which both the Mister and I are involved. I dislike meetings. Intensely. I may have to fake some severe laringytis so that I will not pop off with some (read: numerous) smart ass remarks, as fatigue will contribute to exaggerated irritibility.

I think that is it.

If it isn't I very may well lay my head down here and cry.

Introducing...Toothless Joe!

Look Ma! I got no tooth!!!

Milestone Alert!!

#2 Finally FINALLY lost her first tooth this evening.

There was much excitement as she has been waiting a L-O-N-G time for this to happen. (She is nearly six and a half.)

Second tooth loss is not far behind.

Apparently if it takes a long time for your teeth to fall out they all come out at the same time.

I will try and post some photos of my toothless cutie soon.

Realizing that soon as it relates to photo posting here at Chez Babble means sometime within the next six months.

If you're lucky.

File Under: Things I can NOT fathom

Why why why why why why WHY?

For Ali

Yes that is Corey Feldman.

Yes he is wearing a fur turban.

On purpose it would appear.

Tiiinnyyy Buuuubbbllees

Guess what!

I just got me a new companion for my office.

A pretty blue crowntail male betta.

I have decided to name him Don Ho.

Because he makes tiny bubbles.

Shocking!

Beloved Husband has updated his blog!

No Way!

ChChChCh Changes

So I did a bit more investigating and was able to come up with some different looks. (I do so love to state the obvious!)

Boy there is a lot I could add to this thing if I was so inclined..Polls, Lists of Shit I like/dislike/really don't care about. All kinds of things.

I was really intrigued by the poll thingy, but after all my redecorating I was pretty hard pressed to come up with an interesting question save "how do you like the new look?" and frankly... I know that most of you could give two turds about the format of this thing, so I didn't bother.

I think I have done enough damage for one evening.

Ta!

Redecorating

I am thinking about a new look for the blog.

However I have NO idea what look it is that I want.

Been through the blogger templates and nothing is turning me on there.

I get around the ol' compootur fairly well but I am not savvy enough to create my own stuff.

Hmmmm....

I so should be in bed asleep right now

It is official now I think that I will NEVER go to bed at a reasonable hour. It is time to face facts. Never gonna happen my friends.

I am not in bed yet because I have just spent way more time than I should watching the latest DVD I received from Netflix.

I started watching the Gilmore Girls on DVD several months ago and by golly I am hooked but good now. I have resorted to secretly rearranging the Netflix queue so that I will get my DVD quicker. (Beloved doesn't read this blog anymore right?) I will also apparently stay up ridiculously late watching the entire damn DVD the day I get it. I really need to get a social life or something I guess.

Not much is new around here. #2 is preparing for her very first time to have a friend over to spend the night. The big event takes place tomorrow. I wish I had a video of the little happy dance she does every time she tells me how long it is until the big event. Quite cute and funny I must say. Many plans are in order..swimming...movies...giggling and tremendous amounts of silliness I have no doubt. Not much sleeping will take place to be sure.

#1 apparently is going to take after her mother and become extremely near-sighted. As you may have read around this time last year #1 got her first pair of glasses. She had her annual eye exam yesterday and she already needs a new prescription. Thank the sweet baby Jesus that we can just get new lenses and forgo new frames this time. Pretty sure glasses for #2 are just around the corner. Bullet dodged this year, however she is doing the same thing her sister did at this age and going all 20\20 vision, when she should still be far-sighted. At this rate we are going to have to take out a second mortgage or put the children to work to pay for the vision needs of this family. They are pretty cute, we could probably get a good haul if we put 'em on a corner with a will work for eyewear sign.

Other than that I got nuthin' folks. Quiet times at Chez Us.

V IS FOR VICTORY

I JUST CRUSHED MY HUSBAND IN A GAME OF MONOPOLY THAT ONLY TOOK 30 MINUTES.

I AAAMMM THE CHAAAAMMMPIOOON!!

I AAAMMMM THE CHAAMMPIOONNN!!

YEAH!

!

Reports like this make me so happy.