Monday, August 30, 2010

Crazy Kiddos ...

My children are FUNNY.

Yesterday, in Sunbeams (the Sunday School class for the 3-4 year-olds), the lesson was "I am thankful for food and clothing." And each of my munchkins brought home a paper telling their favorites ...

Bruise's favorite foods:

  • peanuts
  • grapes
  • donuts
  • strawberries
  • pancakes
  • cream (whipped cream. Or sour cream)
  • butter
  • milk
Bucket's favorite foods:
  • carrots
  • strawberries
  • cucumbers
  • grapes
  • spaghetti
  • cereal with no milk and no yogurt (Bruise eats his cereal with yogurt. She, however usually lets hers get soggy in milk. So I often give it to her dry. Since I hate wasting food. And I'm MEAN. :P)
And then ... clothing ... "I like to wear:"

Bucket -- warm blankets, nightgowns for bedtime, warm dresses.
(Do you think she's cold? And really, she does wear CLOTHES around the house. I promise!! Not just blankets!)

Bruise -- Church ones and not church ones
(Seriously, I read that and doubled over snickering like a loon in the church hallway. ... I'm glad that he enjoys wearing clothes. He's such a nut. But a nut who loves to wear any clothes, I s'pose. :P)

On the way home, I asked the kiddos how, if they made a new friend that had never met us (Michael and me), how they'd describe us to their new friend.

Bucket said that I gave her cereal with no milk and no yogurt. And that I loved her and Bruise and Daddy. And that she loved me back.

Bruise, when asked the same question, answered, "No, thank you." ... Are you forseeing a future in politics? I kinda am ... Just saying.

Later that night, when we were reading Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle (the chapter about the "Thought-You-Saiders"), and the children in the story "thought-you-said" that their friend had fallen into a toaster and burnt her head ...

Bucket: Fall into a TOASTER??? That's silly! You'd have to be FLAT!!!
Bruise: Or BREAD!!!

I love having clever kiddos. ... I mean, it's not fun ALL of the time ... since you have to TOTALLY be on your toes around them. And they listen and pick up more than you always give them credit for ...

But mostly it's fun. It keeps me laughing. 

Now ... we should ask Sister P (their Sunbeams teacher) what all she's learned about us from what Bruise and Bucket tell her.

(i'm scared)

MYSTERY SOLVED!!!

Okay, so you know how I've been inwardly freaking out since I (at first, didn't know ... and then) couldn't remember which movie HAD the preview for "Date Night" ... where Bruise had learned the whole "KILL SHOT!!!" line from??

The Fantastic Mr. Fox.



Which is, by all means, a truly excellent movie. And all the OTHER previews on it are totally family appropriate.

Still ... PHEW! I'm so glad that the mystery is solved.

What? I totally allow my kids to watch strange movies ... like, for example:

  • The Nightmare Before Christmas
  • Corpse Bride
  • Coraline
  • Spiderman
  • Ironman
  • Any of the Harry Potter movies
  • Labyrinth
  • The Dark Crystal
  • The Princess Bride
  • Pirates of the Carribean
  • Clash of the Titans (the original one ... from the 80s ... With Prof McGonagall as a young woman. We're talking OLD SCHOOL here, folks.)
  • Johnny English
  • Shanghai Noon
  • Lord of the Rings
  • Star Wars (I-VI ... and The Clone Wars, OF COURSE)
  • Transformers (but not Transformers 2. That one wasn't so great. And they watched that with their grandfolks before we saw it. ... We had a date night and watched "Drag Me to Hell" ... which I honestly could have enjoyed more. ... It wasn't The Ring. Which the kids have not watched yet.)
  • The Mummy (with Rachel Weisz and Brendan Frasier.)
  • Bride and Prejudice
  • I did sit them in front of House of Flying Daggers (hey ... it's full of BRIGHT colors and action. So what if they were, like, six months? MOMMY NEEDED A SHOWER!) once. They weren't all that into it. (I didn't have Baby Einstein back then! DON'T JUDGE ME!)
Yes, we are pretty liberal with what we allow them to watch. Which is probably fine since we gave up "R"-rated movies forever ago. (And, yes, I do find it a sacrifice sometimes. And I DO really think about buying some edited ones -- Glory, Last of the Mohicans, ANYTHING Jackie Chan, Love Actually [I haven't seen that one. But EVERYONE tells me how amazing it is.] ... and I do miss some terribly. Like Romy and Michelle's High School Reunion. *sigh* The things I do. :P)

Still, to wrap up ... mystery solved! ... Now, to celebrate, should I get the van painted? I mean, if I'm solving mysteries, it should TOTALLY look like THIS:

Totally.

Saturday, August 28, 2010

My last couple of days ... let me show you them ...

Friday was the kids' last day of swim lessons (at least, for this session).

They had a great time. Thursday was the testing day ... and Friday was the FUN day.
They got to put on life jackets and ride in a canoe (which their teacher jostled around enough to turn the shallow end into a wave pool).

Then they got to play on the small slide. And, lastly, they got to ride the rope swing into the pool.

I have taken pictures of them in class. I didn't use the flash, since I was a bit away from them ... and mostly to not draw attention away from their teacher(s) (During the two week course, they had THREE different teachers! Crazy!).

The didn't pass Preschool-1 level class. Neither did their classmate, an ADORABLE three year-old, who was taking this class for the second time this summer.

But they've made progress.

After Michael got home (and we had made SOME inroads into cleaning the house -- since the missionaries were coming over for dinner) ... and we had dealt with the LATEST influx of ants invading the kitchen ... we loaded up and took the kids to the OTHER community pool. The one that's only open during the summer and has the play-area and a water channel (with current to swim with/against). And the kids had fun. Bruise did want to ride down the HUGE water slide. We told him that, until he can swim on his own, which he CAN'T, we couldn't. Since, it's true, you have to be able to not drown at the bottom of the slide.

After they finally pass Preschool-1, I really want to take the kids to Splash in Springfield. That's where my school always took us for a swimming trip. And it's a great place. ... In fact, I went there as an adult aid for my mom for a field trip for one of her last years teaching. When I knew that I was pregnant and hadn't told anyone except Michael (Once we knew it was twins, we started telling everyone. Moms first, then it was fair game).

Okay ... so we were at the pool for about an hour. Then we got dressed and headed straight to Home Depot to buy our arsenal against the ants. And I also was able to get a gallon of Simply Green (lemon-scented, since it's the BEST) concentrate. And some of the Liquid Plumber preventative treatment for the sinks. ^_^ Then to Safeway to get ice cream and root beer.

Then we came home and went into power-cleaning mode. Spray for ants (AGAIN), clean counters, do dishes, sweep, move all the laundry to be folded into the bedroom, pick up the living room and dining room, vacuum, sweep again, ... order pizza ... Michael went to pick up the pizza ... he came back home ... we cooked the pizzas. The missionaries came over JUST as the pizzas were coming out of the oven.

And it went well.

The kids got a bath and we put them to bed. They had complained that the bath was cold.

Later that night, when I was getting my neti pot ready, I couldn't get the water from the sink hot. Michael and I looked at the breaker for the water heater. It had turned off. We got it turned on again ... so we had a LITTLE hot water this morning.

We had to get out early for the Family Fun Run/Walk at the church this morning.
Bishop's goal was to have us run (or walk, emphasis mine) a marathon.

As a group effort.

Since not a whole lot of families had shown up, that rounded off to around 2 miles each. Obviously, some people are faster than others. By the time that we, as a family, had done five laps (0.3 mi each --- Bruise did sit out one lap ... which was fine, since he RAN 3 laps in a row at first. Little powerhouse! He made me run that third lap with him. I wasn't able to run the whole time. I'm not in great shape at present), the 11 of us there had tallied up 29.4 miles altogether.

Michael, Bucket, and I had done 1.5 miles each.
Bruise did 1.2 miles ... and recall that he RAN the first .9 of those.

On the lap that Bruise had me run with him, he was all, "Run Mom! Come on!" And when I loped up to him, he told me, "See, Mom? I KNEW you cood WUN!!!"
(Isn't he darling? Yeah, I have a good son. ^_^)

Also, shortly after that encouragement, as he was waiting for me to catch up to him again, he picked me a Queen Anne's lace and told me, "Wook, Mom! I picked you a fwower! I'm so good to you!"

It's true.

The kids had fun playing the games at the ward carnival. There was a system of earning tickets that could be redeemed for prizes. Bruise was pretty sad at the end, after he realized that he WANTED to earn a kite ... and ALL the BOY kites had been earned already. (He did NOT want an Ariel or a Barbie kite. He was hoping to get a Spiderman or a Bumblebee kite. Too bad.) So he ended crying off part of the Batman mask that had been painted on his face.

Bucket rocked a pink nose and whiskers as a kitty-cat ... and she was thinking of trying to earn a kite, too ... but we really needed to get back home and work on the water heater. Michael took it apart and found that the newer heating element in it (as opposed to the probably 20-year-old one) that we had replaced last year --- drumroll, please -- was burned. Enough so that the element had a HOLE in it. WHAT????

So we loaded up the kids in the van, put the cat in her carrier in the shop, threw the bug bombs under the house, and headed to Home Depot (AGAIN) to pick up a new element. We did opt to buy two, since they each have a lifetime guarantee ... and replace them both .
(PHEW!!!! I finally spelled guarantee correctly! I can be taught!!!! :P)

Michael and Bruise replaced those elements as Bucket and I read magazines and catalogs in the van. Then we went to Costco and ate samples and bought kitty litter, milk, yogurt, and the prequel trilogy of Star Wars (episodes 1-3, if you have no idea what I'm talking about. You know, the ones with Ewan McGregor and Samuel L. Jackson ... those ones) on DVD. ... Which the kids watched ("Revenge of the Sith") as soon as we got home.

Best quote from the children as they watched it?
SCENE: (as Anakin has turned into Darth Vader and has been delivered VERY. BAD. NEWS. [If you haven't seen it, I'm trying not to spoil it. Though, really. It's been out for how many years? I'm sure you know the news. Whatever.)
Darth Vader: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!! 
Bucket: *pleased* This is a GOOD movie.


Well, I took a bath ... the hot water was HOT ... but didn't last very long. I'll get Michael's verdict of the water heater fix when he's done with his shower.

Oh! How could I forget to mention this fact: I got new shoes!

Mom and I had ordered some from Crocs.com ... some good sales. And they arrived Friday. They were waiting on our doorstep as we got home from swim lessons (which made finding the newest invasion of ants a bit better). I have three pairs of sandals. One is brown leather on cork wedges. One is a pair of silver dressy flat thongs/flip-flops. The last is a VERY COMFY pair of brown flip-flops. If you really need to see them, here's a link: Facebook Album

... I THINK that covers everything ... I'm so zonked at this point that I really don't recall if I've forgotten anything. ... My lungs are pretty clear. I'm not coughing so much. The neti pot is doing wonder for my sinuses. I'm taking my allergy pill every day ...

I have had some CRAZY dreams. The latest of which ... I only remember little bits of them.

  • In one, we were traveling someplace. Like as secret agents or something (I think I was watching too much Chuck, huh?) and I had my (mom's old) sewing machine. And I did NOT want to forget it. I had set it down. (Srsly, it's HEAVY) And I was WORRIED about it.
  • In another, I think Friday morning, I woke up enough (in REAL LIFE) to ask Michael before he left for work if the garbage disposal was okay ... like if the fuse breaker wasn't flipped or burnt out or anything. Yeah, my dreams are NUTS.
  • The one that TAKES THE CAKE is where I was in some kind of time-travel romance ... I found myself in ... I think Victorian England. And, as a (in my dream I was single and younger) lady on my own with NO way to make it in the world. At least not in any modest or proper vocation, if you know what I mean. And I think you do. We're talking about a FATE WORSE THAN DEATH for my sensibilities! ... The only hope I had was for the bachelor of the house to fall for me and take care of me (as in marriage). And it was Daniel Radcliffe.
    I don't like him all that much in that way. I think he's a fine actor and I love the Harry Potter films ... but I always think of him as being so young ... Michael had to break it to me that I'm nowhere near old enough to be his mother (so I shouldn't feel like a pervy creeper that he was playing opposite lead in the dream), but rather he could be my brother.
    Still ... it was a weird dream.

    But I had a great wardrobe in it!
    Yes, I AM that shallow.
Okay, I think that THAT's everything pertinent for the time being. 

I hope.

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

In which I confess: I really do love comments

I want to thank you all for reading (and especially for commenting!) on my last post.

It's good to know that (1) I'm not alone in the "Gosh, sometimes my body and I are just not total BFFs" and that (2) the idea of itemizing things that rock about our bodies can help.

I also want to share what Michael left on a Post-It stuck to my screen this morning:

One of your best blogs ever.
You are beautiful.
And you forgot to list the small of your back.
It's super sexy.
Love you.

You see why I totally keep him.

And, yes, the small of my back is pretty awesome. It's consistently one of my good body parts. I've always liked it. ^_^

So, to reiterate, I really do appreciate you. I'm glad that you read. I'm very glad that you comment. (No pressure for the lurkers. I'm guilty of lurking FAR more often than I comment.)

But I want to tell you that you are awesome. And I really, really appreciate you. Please feel valued and adored today. You are worth it.

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

In which I confess: Body Image

I am going to admit this now. I weigh over 200 pounds.

Okay, so it's like 205 ... but still ... I've never weighed this much ... except for when I was pregnant. And I managed to lose about 40 pounds healthily in the space of a week that way.

I don't have that option right now.

I would say that I don't know how I've let this happen. But I really can figure it out.

I don't exercise. I never have really found an exercise program that I can make a real habit of, let alone one that I love. (And, when I DO manage to get into an exercise habit, I somehow get sick ... including where I cough enough to leave myself lightheaded. Yeah, fun. And not conducive to an exercise regime.)

I also really enjoy food. I like flavors, I like texture ... I love sweet things ...

I'm still fitting into most of my regular clothes, so I somehow missed when I jumped from around 180 to that last twenty pounds. ... Unless I just have access to only faulty scales.

I could joke that, hey, at least the earth finds me wildly attractive ... but ... yeah. It's not the most helpful.

So ... Here's what I'm asking:
How do YOU get motivated to improve your lifestyle?


I know that I have to make changes. Diabetes runs in my family. EVERY SINGLE GRANDPARENT OF MINE (including most that have married in) HAS/HAD DIABETES.




At the same time, being down on myself about the fact that I'm never going to be a size zero isn't helpful to ANYONE.


I really don't want Bucket to grow up thinking that she is fat or whatever.  That's not the legacy that I want my daughter to get from me.


I'd much rather that she KNOW that she's a little bundle of amazing. She's a beautiful and clever miss with a sense of humor and oodles of flair.


.....


So, instead of longing for the body I had in high school (when I actually worked and had gym class and danced in theater class) and barely had time to eat, I NEED to come to grips that I am in this body.

The body I have is MINE. And it is worthwhile. 



So, yes, I am carrying around some extra insulation/padding. But, still, my body is a good body.


And here are some reasons why my body is good:

  • I have nice skin. It's soft and it heals quickly when accidents happen.
  • My bones are strong. I've only ever fractured one once. My bones are good. They support me.
  • My muscles are strong. I often take people by surprise when I jump in to help lift and carry things. Part of my strength does come from the fact that I'm STUBBORN. I didn't have brothers, growing up, to help lil' ol' me ... so I just got used to doing it myself.
  • I also am rather flexible. My joints are good. 
  • I am overall a healthy person. I have a good immune system. I'm not sick often.
  • I have a face that is unique and easily recognizable.
  • I have a more-than-decent singing voice and a pleasant speaking voice. I can project when I speak to reach a large group of people.
  • I can carry my children with ease. I can walk around without problems. I can scurry across the street. I am quick enough to kill flies. I am brave enough to kill spiders.
  • I have hair that is still healthy after the abuse that I heap upon it (bleaching and dyeing, really).
  • I have nicely-shaped hands and feet.
  • I have lovely ankles that look especially nice in heels.
Really, when I think about it this way, my body is amazing. It's carried two healthy babies at the same time. It's nursed those babies into healthy children. It allows me to care for my home and family. It's danced for Veterans and has held crying friends. It's a body that loves and lives. It's a body that laughs often. It's a body that bends and lifts and squats.

It's a good body.

It really is.

No, it might not be absolutely perfect. It doesn't look like a supermodel's or even like most of the pictures in the magazines.

But it's a good body. It's a body that is rather healthy. It's a body that works and carries out many duties each day.

And I'm really lucky to have it.

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

I was feeling down on myself earlier. Yes, Mother Nature is getting ready to deliver her lovely gift. *rolls eyes* And I was looking at myself and thinking about what a pink, puffy, BLOB I was ... and then I realized that THAT was the hormones talking. And I'm better than that.

My body is better than that. It deserves better.

And then I saw in the latest (September 2010) Glamour magazine an article about Operation Beautiful, which is an online movement to encourage people (especially women) to love themselves and their bodies, to rethink the definition of beauty, to "stop negative self-talk or 'fat-talk'."

Operation Beautiful began with Caitlin Boyle leaving encouraging notes in public restrooms for people to read. And she's invited anyone and everyone to join in (send a picture of the message you've left) or to share their experiences finding notes.

A few months ago, I was at the local Borders. And I had to ... go powder my nose. As I was in the stall, I noticed something written on the toilet paper holder. Just a scrawled "You are beautiful."
It made me smile. I hope that nobody ever repaints it. 

When I was living in the dorms at college, I often browsed in the college bookstore. There was a mirror that I SHOULD HAVE bought. It was a tiny little mirror in a BIG frame. And it was cute. The frame was red and black and had a couple little cartoony-stick-figure girls smiling along with, in big yellow letters, "HELLO GORGEOUS!" ... or was it "YOU LOOK MARVELOUS!"? Something like that. Completely adorable.

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

My point today is this: I propose that we all try to be a little kinder, a little more compassionate, a little more accepting .... of ourselves and our bodies.

If we don't love ourselves and value ourselves, we can't really love and value others.

As Christ said, "Love thy neighbor as thyself." (Matthew 19:19)
We are commanded to love perfectly, as Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love us ... and that includes loving OURSELVES just as much as we work to love, value, and cherish our spiritual brothers and sisters.

For me, it often seems easier to accept others as they are than to deal with my insecurities and issues. I don't know why this is. But I have to also remember that not only is everyone around me (everyone who has lived and will live, too) is a precious son or daughter of God ... but that I. AM. TOO.

I am a Daughter of God. I am precious. Heavenly Father loves me just as much when I am 200 pounds as He does when I was 135. He loves me regardless of how well I fit into a size 7 (or a size 16 or any other number). He wants me to be happy. He wants me to feel loved and accepted ... by Him, by my friends and family, and also by myself.

Like Christina Aguilera says in her song, I AM beautiful, no matter what they (or I) say ... And I am going to work harder at not letting words (especially my own words) bring me down. Starting today.


Monday, August 23, 2010

About my week ... About a week ...

Okay, so it's Monday. And I really blogged last Tuesday ... so what's gone on ... Can _I_ even remember?

Wednesday, Mom came up. As is usual. And totally welcome. We took the kids to swim lessons and then to the library for storytime, then to McDonalds ... where we had another less-than-stellar encounter with their peers.

It wasn't ALL bad. There was one little girl, about the kids' age, who enjoyed playing with them. However, there was a group of older boys. Maybe ten? And they were all there with one lady. Who was much more interested and involved with her iPhone (or whatever), complete with earbuds popped in, texting away, than in keeping an eye on the play structure.

Bucket came to us crying. Because the boys had laughed at her.
Yes, she HAS inherited my skin (soft as rose petals and just as thin. Even metaphorically. *sigh*).

They laughed at her because she told them that she was four. At least, that's all we could get out of her.
Still, NOT COOL. Making kids cry? NOT COOL. Not well-played.

Later, the boys decided that a portion of the playplace was THEIRS -- Their fort or whatever. They weren't letting the other ... um ... twelve or so kids in it or around it at all.

So Mom and I (with out background in education showing) got up and  ... well, Mom handled it later.
I took care of this time.
Using the stern teacher voice (aka "Mess with me and I'll make your life a living Hell where the angels will weep for you AND I'll call your parents" tone), I told them that  ... how exactly did I put it ... Oh well, I was a little caught up and pretty much told them to play nicely and SHARE or to get out.
Yes, I was pretty fed up. Kids were crying  ... and these kids were big enough NOT to need to be taking over the playplace at McDonald's. If they needed to be bullies, they could go to the mall or down to LA or something. I had had enough.

Later, when they were acting up again (and this isn't just to Bruise and Bucket. We try and look out for the other littles, too), Mom was the one who told them to behave.
And their mom (or whatever, since I think that at least one of the boys wasn't from that litter) barely looked up from her phone. *sigh*

Some children's parents. *rolls eyes*

And, yes, I do talk to Bruise and Bucket about NOT SCREAMING in the playplace. They're generally pretty good about playing nicely with others. But, oh my, INSIDE VOICE is not a concept they're learning very easily. *sigh*

Then I volunteered at the library as Mom took the kiddos to the park to play ... and they came in a bit early since the transients around the park decided to have a top-of-the-lungs profanity match. As children were playing. Mom had left her phone in the car -- or she'd have called the police to get the guys calmed down. (I told her that, if it ever happens again, she could come to the front desk at the library and call. They'd help her out.)

Then, the kids watched the magician for the Summer Reading program.
HE HAD A BUNNY. (Can you tell what I REALLY liked?)

(THE BUNNY. Such a nice bunny. And pretty. And sedate. ... I kinda want a bunny.)

Then we picked up some groceries and went home and made dinner.
And had ice cream cake to celebrate my Mom's birthday.

She's 29 now. We're the same age. Isn't it swell????
(Of course, about ten years ago, someone asked my aunt  -- Mom's younger sister -- if Mom and I were her daughters. :S)

And I had Mom bleach some more highlights in my hair. At first, I felt VERY like Sweeney Todd -- you know, that stark white streak against the dark hair?
I overall like it ... but I ... Well, I think that within a month or so, I'll just go platinum and get it over with. ^_^

It's just hair ... and I am having fun with it.

 .... Oh, at storytime Wednesday, Bruise was on my lap. I had rearranged the Jibbitz on his Crocs. He had me take the Jolly Roger one off his shoe. He was holding it and I really didn't want him to lose it. I asked him to give it to me.

"Say da magic word!"
"Um ... what?"
"Say da magic word!!"
"...Please?"
"No. Dat's not it."
" ... Thank you?"
"No."
"Abracadabra?"
"Not it."
" ... What's the magic word?"
"Erff."
"Earth??"

And he handed it right over.

Yeah ... That's almost as good as him running around the other day with a water pistol, "Kill shot!!! Kill shot!!!!"

... I think I figured it out. On one of the shows they watch, the DVD has one of the previews for "Date Night" (with Steve Carell and Tina Fey), and Steve Carell's character does that bit about, "Oh no! He turned the gun! That's a kill shot! Kill shot!!!!" ... I'm pretty sure THAT'S where THAT came from.

Yup, this is what excellent parenting looks like. Yup. Totally made of awesome. Yeeeeeeeeeesssssssssss.

Thursday .... what happened Thursday? Mom left after we got back from swim lessons. She and I did some online shopping and got some good deals online. Some clothes for the kids (Christmas!) and some new shoes (for me! Sandals!!) ... and some shirts since Shade Clothing's going out of business. At least until the economy is better.

I was starting to feel kinda puny. Scratchy and itchy throat.

Wished Mom a happy birthday. Unlike on Wednesday ... when I wished her a "Happy Your-Mother's-Labor Day!" ... Sometimes I wonder why anyone puts up with me ...

It's because I'm just so, so special. That must be it.

Michael and I watched Chuck in the evening . We got through Season 2 now. Chuck is an awesome show. Just sayin'.

Friday, I drove Michael to work 9kids came with), went home, got the kids ready for swim lessons. After swim lessons, we came home and packed up  ... then we headed back to pick up Michael. Then we drove down to visit family.

I had taken an allergy pill ... but just felt pretty miserable. I slept a bit on the way down. And was thoroughly crabby when I woke up (the kids were being SO loud).

We visited with Nana -- and she gave me two bags of cough drops.
We visited with Dad and L ... who also gave me cough drops and some money to buy medicine.

The kids and I did play in Dad and L's pool. L got some cute pictures and complimented my swimsuit. I didn't get very wet. Mostly just my legs. The pool was only about two feet deep.

We went to Mom and Cecil's. After dinner, I was really feeling poorly, so I went and laid down. I was feeling REALLY cold, hunkering in the blankets with my jeans and a long-sleeved shirt on, so Michael gave me his socks. I was running a fever. FUN. And I slept on and off for at least an hour, until the kids came to bed (turning on the light, being noisy ... the usual). Mom read them their bedtime story, since my voice was pretty much dead, and we all went to sleep.

I think that I slept and sweated out the worst of the bug, since when I woke up, I did feel much better.
Mom had me do a couple Nebulizer treatments Saturday, and Cecil gave me a bottle of cough syrup.
The kids watched cartoons, played, and waded in the pool at Mom's.

After an early dinner, we headed back home. And stopped by Walgreen's where I picked up saline solution packets for my Neti pot ... since using the Neti pot helps a LOT. (I also picked up deodorant and ... guilty pleasure ... DCT (Daily Contitioning Treatment) Blistex lip balm. I LOVED it when I was in high school. I thought that they'd stopped making it. I saw it at Walgreen's a couple months ago. And, hey, I'm sick. And part of being sick is having nasty, dry lips. And it was SO worth it. I love this gloss.)
(No, Blistex doesn't know me from Adam.  I haven't received any free products or kickbacks or anything .... though, hey, if they'd LIKE to send me swag, I'd totally accept. I love lip schmear!!)

When we got home, we discovered that ants had totally taken over the kitchen counter. GROSS. So I went all nuclear on them with the OrthoMax spray (Hey, it's MY version of chemical warfare!! And this weekend, dude, those ants are gonna GET it. We're bombing under the house. They're going DOWN. And I don't mean to the corner store. We're so gonna bring it. And I don't mean a hostess gift.)

(Can you tell that I'm a little loopy from having to catch my breath from coughing and from the DayQuil I downed a couple hours ago? Yeah ... THIS is yet another reason I don't drink or do drugs. I get buzzed from DAYQUIL!!! This is so stupid!)

Sunday, Michael sat on the stand (and had early meetings) so I managed to get everything together for taking the kids to church, [trying] not to hack my lungs out throughout church, and teach the lesson to the Beehives (the 12-13 year-olds' class) during the last hour.

Good thing I was feeling better ... ^_^

The kids SAID that they'd take a nap after church.

LIE.

Oh well.

This morning, I let the kids watch shows until I could roll out of bed (sleeping off the shot of NyQuil from last night) and then I got dressed and ready.
Thankfully, the kids were already in their swimsuits for class, so I just had to do up Bucket's hair. And I still had 30 minutes to spend on Facebook and STILL get to class on time.

(Unlike Thursday, where we were ALMOST late. Oops. Lost track of time!)

The kids had another instructor today. She's good with the class. (The other regular student showed up again. Phew! I was worried that maybe kids were dropping out or something. And this other munchkin-girl is GOOD. Tiny thing, but she LOVES swimming.) ... Bruise and Bucket tell me that they like the guy-instructor best ... but I think this gal is good, too.

Then we came home and they watched a couple shows, had a snack, and played in their room. Which is now .... well ... trashed.

I'm trying to work up the motivation/energy to clean up. I need to dust and sweep, and put away laundry, and do a load of dishes ... and fix dinner ... and clean up their room. Or not.

And I dealt with a bit of a melt-down when we were leaving the Star Wars activity (arts & crafts and games) over at the local library. I managed to deal with that AND to get the kids into the library's book sale room. I paid eight dollars for:

  • a DVD of "The Truth About Cats and Dogs"
  • a paperback copy of "The Eight" which my Jonnie-Bean lent me ages ago and I very much enjoyed.
  • a copy of "Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging" since it is HILARIOUS
  • two hardback bilingual picture books for the kiddos. One's about ambulances. The other's about rescue boats.
Overall, not half bad at all for the library shop.

My aunt, this week, had to cut a trip to the coast short. She had an ingrown toenail that became infected. And, since she has Rheumatoid Arthritis, she doesn't heal quickly.
Yesterday, she had to go have the bandage changed .... and went to the ER.
I don't know what all has gone on since then, but there was talk last night about her toe being removed. There's blood poisoning and her bone is infected.

So ... if you could say a prayer (or, if that's not your bag, send her good wishes/thoughts/mojo or healing energies or whatever), I'd appreciate it.

Yeah ... I always have some kind of drama. 

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

In completely unrelated news, I REALLY like the Trader Joe's Rooibos Chai. (Rooibos tea isn't TEA-tea ... it's a tisane. Like herbal tea ... and I LOVE chai!!!) ... You know the Oregon Chai concentrate? If you add plenty of honey and a splash of milk, this tea tastes just as good as the latte from concentrate. ^_^ Yum!

While having the plague (or whatever fresh Hell-type virus this is), a cup of Rooibos Chai latte does help. 

No, I'm not receiving anything for this. I had to PAY for my little box of tea from Trader Joe's. And the electricity to heat up the teapot (which we also bought ... years ago, after I accidentally melted the last two teapots that we had.), and the water bill, and the milk from the grocery store. And the jug of honey (also from the grocery store ... not the COOL honey from a family in our ward). Oh! And the SPOON with which I STIR my tea. 

Just for clarification. ^_^

I will report about the girly post -- No ingrown hairs or anything thus far. There are places where I've had to pluck a few hairs ... but nothing really terrible. I've read that once you wax a few times, you'll get to where the hair is all growing on the same cycle. And that would stop the need to pluck any areas. But I am enjoying not shaving. That's a big bonus. ^_^

Okay ... I can't think of anything more to write. I need to make dinner and clean the house. And go lay down or something. Sleep really is my drug of choice when I'm sick ... it's so cheap! I love that ... now, if only I didn't have to watch my kids ... :P And THAT's probably why I'm sick in the first place. Since I do try and be here and awake for them. (Since, even if I DO fall asleep around here, they don't let me sleep long -- if at all -- during their waking hours. *sigh*)

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

What I believe -

Michael noticed that over at Mormon.org, they have the member pages up.

Here's mine: Hi, I'm Allanna.

(If you want to do it, too. Go sign up.)

But, yeah. Testimony and discussion ... And it's searchable.

If you're at all curious what I believe, go check it out.
(I don't demand that you do it or that you agree with what I believe ... and, hey, you can go check out what other people have written.)

So ... yeah. There you go!!

Tuesday, August 17, 2010

Verdict - Very Girly Post. (Really. I'm warning you.)

So, I was brave and, since Michael was going to be home to watch the kids, I went out and got waxed.

It wasn't nearly as painful and heart-wrenching as the times that I've tried to do it myself.

I'm not saying that it didn't hurt ... there were parts that sure didn't feel absolutely wonderful ... but it was much better than when I've tried to do it myself.

I had my ladybits done and my armpits, too.

There are a few stray hairs that will need to be plucked. And, oh, it does feel a little funky.
And I did have to take a shower to get rid of residual wax ...

But my pores aren't bleeding. And the gal was really nice.

She recommends coming in every four weeks ... I don't know that I'll be able to do that. We'll see.
I'm curious to see how well it holds up. Especially the armpits. (I hate shaving. Especially ladybits and armpits. That's why those areas got it instead of, say, my legs. I can handle shaving my legs ... But armpits? I always miss a spot. Or a bazillion. And that's REALLY annoying. ... And razors just don't seem to be the right shape for ... certain areas. I'm just saying.)

I did take ibuprofen before I drove over. And chatting with the gal was a good distraction. Even though I did have to REALLY concentrate on gritting my teeth and BREATHING a couple times.

It is more expensive than buying a razor and some cream ... but she did a good job. There are some bits that, once I got home, I plucked at ... and I'll need Michael's help to get some hairs in my armpits (some hairs were a little too short to get caught in the wax).

Quite a few of my friends have gotten waxed and speak highly of it. I'll see if I jump on that bandwagon. ^_^
(Truly, laying there and chatting while having hairs yanked out? Sounds really strange. It's not that bad in practice. I'll just have to see if our budget can fit it in regularly.)

(Though, really, after bending to tweeze, I could really use a massage ....)

In case you're absolutely mad to know what I paid, The Brazillian wax was $65 and underarms cost $15.
I did leave a tip ... Now, for those veteran waxees, how much is a fair tip? I gave $15 ... since I really wasn't sure. Would $10 be fair?

The rest of the weekend ...

So, after Saturday afternoon, Bucket did throw up a couple more times.

And she did throw up once yesterday (Monday) afternoon.

Michael's home sick. He went to work, felt absolutely awful, collected his paycheck, and came home so he could throw up in peace.

Yup, we've got the puke chronicles happening here.
---------------------

The kids LOVE swim lessons. In fact, we'll be going to the pool in a few. Good stuff.
Maybe today they'll actually put their faces in the water. Nine lessons to go to get that one done.

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

I "discovered" fanfic this weekend. Blame DeviantArt.

No, it's not Twilight fanfic.

It's LABYRINTH fanfic.

I am pitiful.

But I also figured out one reason why I had the HARDEST TIME with relationships ...

Look at the literary/cinematical men that I idolized:

  • Edward Rochester - Brooding, passionate, lives a comfortable lifestyle ... ^_^
  • Wesley - Becomes a pirate and saves his love from a marriage she doesn't want ... He FENCES!! He survives the machine!! He says, "As you wish" ... He loves her even when she's the most insufferable brat to be imagined!!! *sighs and places hand on heart. Sighs again*
  • Jareth - Can we just say "rawr?" Forget the tight leggings ... it's not about that. It's the fact that he is the total epitome of obsession and ... yeah. He defies total explanation ... And he created a GORGEOUS dress for Sarah ... and, oh, how he holds her and leads in that dance ... It's so purposeful and ... yeah. *fans self*
  • Gilbert Blythe - *melty grin* He's just so GOOD. ... After the whole "Carrots" episode when Anne first comes to Green Gables. He's so patient and kind and unselfish ... He GETS her. Enough so that she starts to get herself ... 
And that's just a start to the heroes (and anti-heroes) that shaped my warped world view. ^_^

Is it really any wonder that I spent (far too many of) my formative years with my nose buried in books or watching the classics (like Labyrinth, The Princess Bride, Sabrina [the one with Bogart. NOT Ford.] ... and, of course, the Disney cannon).

That and listening to The Phantom of the Opera ... and totally relating to Eponine's unrequited love in Les Miserables.

Truly, it's amazing that I'm this well adjusted.
(It was quite a shock, really, when [FINALLY] I liked a guy and he *GASP!* actually liked me back!!!!!)
(Even more shocking when a guy actually liked me enough to marry me!! I mean, me!!!  -- I was really more than resigned to my inevitable future of becoming a crazy cat lady, living in a Victorian-style house, with 98 cats. ... Since 99 would just be too many.)

Yes, I had an .... interesting ... childhood. Yes. You could definitely say that.

Okay. Enough blathering about that. ...

---------------------
So, besides browsing around DeviantArt and devouring Labyrinth fanfic (DON'T JUDGE ME!!!!), what else has happened?

Had a meeting Sunday evening after church. We have a great bunch of women working in the Young Women's program.
Bucket didn't throw up Sunday night. PHEW. Since we really needed sleep.
(She did throw up Monday evening. Just the once.)

The kids started swim lessons yesterday (Monday). They LOVE it. Yay!
I took TONS of pictures yesterday ... and a few today. They're having fun. I can't believe how big they're getting. It's crazy.

I chat with another mom there. Her son's in the class after Bruise and Bucket's class ... her daughter is too young for classes right now ... but that girl ... I'm totally envious of her hair. It's SOOOOOO cute! Those tight spiral curls. ADORABLE!!
(Okay, it's not envy ... I don't know that I could pull off that awesome hair. But I'm happy for her that HER hair curls so well. ^_^)

Michael came home sick yesterday. He's still not feeling great, so he's home today. Which gives me the opportunity to run out and get an errand done. Phew. And I can try and do some Visiting Teaching without having the kids in tow.

I did have to go grocery shopping by myself (the kids were napping and Michael was REALLY feeling poorly) ... but I got everything I needed. And I found castor oil so that I can see if it works at clearing up my face a little. 

It's been SO hot. I don't like walking and finding myself sweating. I still have not found the joy of sweating (another reason that I'm not in good shape --- since you tend to sweat when you exercise and all. *sigh*).

The kids enjoyed swim lessons today ... and I got together with one of my friends (who happens to be my Visiting Teaching companion) which is always fun. And I feel all grown up, since I'm going to try something new (and painful) ... I'll let you know how having someone experienced doing the waxing compares to doing it yourself (which, in my case, is rather ineffectual and can leave one with bleeding follicles. :S Yes, I am a delicate flower. Who gives pretty much full disclosure. :P)

Still, the place that I'm going to came recommended to me by a friend. So, since Michael's back to working (and being paid) for a 40-hour week, we're splurging this month. Wish me luck!!

In other news, I am behind on the dishes and general housework ... because I (being a complete dork, of course) spent most of yesterday poring over Labyrinth fanfic (Yes, I did have to check with the Google to see if it was "poring over" or "pouring over" ... I love the internet. ^_^ ... Even if it contains fanfic that wastes hours of my day. Oops.)

And, really, that's about all that's been going on.

Watch your mouth ... Monkey fighter.

Let's see ... where did I leave off? ... Shopping ....

So, Saturday afternoon, practically five minutes after I sent the kids to lay down and take a nap, our neighbor's grown-up daughter and her ... boyfriend? Husband? Ex-husband? Baby-daddy? (I really don't know. No idea. One of those, though.) got into a huge argument in the middle of her folks' driveway.

He was screaming at her (with prolific f-bombs) about how he never gets to see his kids and how upset he was that the cops were called on him in the past. She countered with the statement that if he ACTED like a father to his children, he'd be able to see them.

Oh, and their kids (one maybe three? The other small enough that she held it the entire time) were out there as their folks were screaming.

And I could hear all of this through the walls and closed windows of our house.

(In the past, there's been another altercation ... with him. And I think it was this girl and another who got into  a brawl in front of our house. ... *sigh*)

Michael was brave and walked out, got the guy to realize that people can hear him and that it's not appropriate to have a screaming match in the middle of the street.
(Then the guy got all defensive when Michael didn't IMMEDIATELY turn-face and scurry back into the house. He accused Michael of "staring at him." ... Yeah.)
I had my finger primed and ready to dial the cops. After I looked up the non-emergency number. Though, unfortunately, I know enough that if you mention (truthfully, of course) that there's a fight between a guy and his female significant other, they do arrive VERY quickly.

Really, no excuse for this. And WHY do people think that screaming profanity is going to get their point across any better than using REAL words?

I'm gonna be QUITE. PUT. OFF. INDEED. if my kids start spewing the f-bomb because of that myopic troglodyte. Just sayin'.
(Really, doesn't that sound SO much better than calling him an effing effer? ... You know it.)

I'm not saying that I don't use curse words. I have. I just don't think that my vocabulary should be limited. I do have quite a few brain cells. And I like to use them. I like to know different words. I like to be able to use the appropriate word for the appropriate occasion. And, really? Mid-afternoon on a beautiful summer's day in   a quiet neighborhood with families? NOT PROPER OCCASION FOR YELLED PROFANITY ... let alone an argument in the middle of the street.

(A proper occassion for cussin'? A bar fight. And, heck, since Mal, Zoe, and Jayne (and River! Don't forget in "Serenity"!!!!)  have proven that you can have a VERY EFFECTIVE bar fight without it, it rather nullifies that argument!)

Truly, if the f-bomb were completely stricken from the lexicon, I'd be rather thrilled. I don't need to hear it or read it. I certainly don't need to say it (so I choose not to.)

YES, you're right. We've just established that I am a TERRIBLE WORD SNOB.

Yup. I'm comfortable with this knowledge.

And this is the reason that I'll be all, "Michael!!! What's the word I'm thinking of? I can't remember it!!! It means '_______________' ... and I think it starts with the letter '_' ... WHAT IS IT???? I'm blanking on it!!!!!!"

Yes, he's the luckiest, huh?

Especially when he gives me other words that MIGHT be close ... but they're not quite the word that I want ... And I'm all, "No! No, that's not it .... it's more ... It's not THAT one. .... WHAT IS IT?????"

Yup, he's a lucky man. *rolls eyes*
It's a good thing he loves me anyways.

But, yeah. I think that most movies and books are better when they don't rely on profanity to get their points across.

Just like my favorite movie edit EVER:



THAT, my dears, is completely full of win. Indubitably.

Saturday, August 14, 2010

In which I talk about shopping ...

For the last couple of days, I've gotten some emails from Bath and Body Works about this GREAT BAG/deal ... that if you spend $30, you get the bag (fulla STUFF!!) for $20. Pretty awesome ...

(Here's the write-up from the site of what it has in it: Our exclusive VIP Bag features a few very impressive products. It makes the perfect gift, but once you see what's inside, you won't want to give it away! This see-through tote comes with a full-size Shower Gel (10 oz.), Body Lotion (8 oz.) and Fragrance Mist (8 oz.) in Forever Sunshine, Anti-Bacterial Hand Gel in Nectarine Mint (8 oz.), a Blue Scentbug and eight extra refill pads, Home Fragrance Oil in Pineapple Orchid (0.33 fl oz), C.O. Bigelow Mentha Sheer Lip Tint in Vanilla Mint (0.5 oz.), a PocketBac in Fresh Market Apple (1 oz.) with a pink swirl holder, our striped resusable tote, a white gauze sponge and a preview of our newest fragrance, Dark Kiss in a 2 oz. Body Lotion. )

After my crazy-sleepless night (I FINALLY fell asleep around 4 or 4:30 ... and got up around 8:30), I was REALLY looking forward to scoring an awesome bag of wonderful stuff. I was thinking about how nice it'd be to have a cool lippie and the neat Pineapple Orchid fragrance (maybe in the bathroom?) ...

And I got to the mall not too long after it opened. I knew that the bags had sold out online. But, really, my town isn't HUGE-HUGE ... so I went to Bath and Body Works. I took a glance around and didn't SEE any ... so I asked.

They were sold out. And had been for DAYS.

Between the fact that I had so little sleep and I am still under Mother Nature's tidal wave of hormones, I should have an award for not collapsing on the ground and bursting into piteous tears.
Which was what I so almost did upon receiving the news.

You should be SO, SO, SO proud of me for putting on a stiff upper lip and getting the things that Mom had requested (With the awesome deals going on, she requested a few products and she gave me money. So I also got to get things for myself. Which is fun).

Unfortunately, they didn't have the pocket-bac sanitizers or the anti-bacterial soap in Velvet Tuberose (which smells SO AMAZING on my mom. Really. She uses it while she's up here. And I tell her about twenty times or so HOW GOOD she smells.), but I think that I got her a couple that she'll like. I also picked up a couple little pocket-bac plastic holder (to attach it to a purse or bag), one for her and one for me. And I did get a couple body wash scents for my shower. And a smelly-good for my van.

And, even though I was SORELY DISAPPOINTED to not be able to buy one of the bags of wonderment and joy, I did get a book of coupons ... and I got a tube of Look Ma, New Hands for free. (LOVE True Blue Spa products. I'm sad, though, that they no longer make the Soak It Up Monoi Oil Milk Bath. *wipes away a tear* It smelled SO GOOD. At least they still do the bath gel and body cream ... but it's not quite the same.)

Then I went to Sally Beauty and picked up some more bleach. (imho, I really like Manic Panic's Lightning Bleach. I almost picked up a jar of color ... I was really temped to get the Virgin Snow toner ... But I resisted. For now.)

Then I headed over to Walgreen's to buy Nailtiques, formula 2 (for weak nails).
And they were out. They had Formula 1 or 2 PLUS ... but not what I wanted. And it was on sale.
I asked the gal stocking shelves (I say gal ... she was probably 30 or 40. I am terrible with gauging ages, really.) and she was really wonderful. She arranged it so that the Walgreen's from the neighboring town will bring it over next week. AND I have a rain check that I can use in the future. She was really, really wonderful.

I got back home to Michael and the kids (watching Star Wars, episode 1) and I went through Facebook and some blogs. Then we had naptime ... and I FINALLY took some ibuprofen to get rid of the gnarly neck-head-ache-THING that was plaguing me.
(I was THISCLOSE to just ripping my head, neck, and shoulder off and figuring out a way to reassemble them PROPERLY. ... Well, I would have done that if it wouldn't have killed me and made a terrible mess. Stupid bodies. Ugh.)

Thankfully, the ibuprofen kicked in and I'm feeling better. I think that I will take a Unisom and some melatonin tonight. I'm just glad that Michael doesn't have meetings before church. It's SO, SO, SO much easier to get to church on time and with everything ready when there are two adults.
(Yes, I do miss that brief period of time when Michael wasn't the executive secretary or EQ president. I miss it a lot, when I think about it. But it was only for a few months, so I barely remember it. But it was sure nice. ... Oh well, blessings in heaven, right? And the ward hasn't shunned me when I only get into our seats ten minutes before church starts, with only the barest effort of makeup on my face. Or no makeup whatsoever. ... Yeah, I usually am there around 15-20 minutes early. I'm crazy like that. Terminally early.)

The big excitement today was the domestic dispute that took place (OF COURSE) right after we sent the kids to nap.
A guy and his wife? girlfriend? babymama?  ... He was shouting at her. Mostly the f-bomb. About how mad he was that the cops had been called on him and how he wanted to see his kids.

She screamed back at him about how, if he ACTED like their father, he'd be able to see them.

Did I mention that their kids were out in the driveway, listening to this argument?

And that I could hear EVERY. SINGLE. WORD. through our walls and closed windows. TWO HOUSES DOWN?

Michael went out and talked to them. He's braver than I am.
I stood at the ready with the non-emergency number for the local police dialed into the phone, primed for me to connect the call.
The guy calmed down. Then reamed Michael for not IMMEDIATELY going back into the house. Said that Michael was "staring" at him.

Whatever. Michael was just making sure that the guy wasn't going to blow up again.

Yeah, the couple don't live here. The gal is the daughter of one of our neighbors.

Still, really???? Fighting in the middle of the neighborhood? Do they have no sense? And to do it in front of their kids?? Really??

Of course, about a year ago, I think it was her and another girl that had a full-out brawl in front of our place.

At this point, we (meaning MICHAEL) have talked to them twice. If this happens when Michael's not here, I'm just going to call the cops on them.

It's not appropriate at all.

(You're free to disagree with me. And, if you do, please do give me suggestions of what YOU would do if this were happening in front of your house.)

So, yeah ... that's most of what all has gone on. A few disappointments in shopping (Thank GOODNESS I didn't attempt to shop for clothes. I might have been tempted to just off myself then!) ... but there were some good things, too.

Oh, and did I mention that we got ourselves a membership to OMSI (which also gets us into quite a few other museums around the state? LOVELY. And it was with a great discount. ... If you want to nab one yourself, go check out the info about Fred Meyer Science Days (ends Aug 15)). That was great.

Okay. That's it for now.

A post of many titles

This post could easily wear many titles, such as:
  • In which sleep eludes me (since it's about 1:30 AM and I WENT to bed around 11).
  • Why you shouldn't allow your four-year-old to eat a hot dog, two glasses of juice, five dinner rolls, two bowls of ice cream and apple crisp ... and THEN take them to the park right before bedtime.
  • If my daughter throws up anymore, I have threatened to give her a suppository.
    (Yes, we DO have some. NO, this will NOT be the first time she's ever had one.
    NO, I'm NOT looking forward to administrating this dose.)
  • I'm almost out of clean dishtowels.
  • The curse of Saturday the 14th (since she managed to wait until almost midnight).
  • The "MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMY!!!! *HURK!*" -- Repeat every thirty minutes. At least three times.
  • (Okay, that second time was due to a nightmare. THEN, she STILL threw up.)
  • (The last puke was her lunch. Which confused me at first.)
So, yeah ... where did I leave off blogging? Oh, yes ... the great ant fiasco.

Joy.

Since then, I've still had odd dreams off and on. I'm not remembering them well enough to really report on them. However, the last doozy was Wednesday night -- One of my friends was working at an animatronic wax works ... and we got to sneak in (a LOT of us) after it closed. ... And you couldn't tell who was real and who wasn't. Parts of it, Michael told me, sounded a LOT like "Westernworld" ... But I don't think I've ever watched that before.

Still, it was strange and unsettling.

Tuesday, I spent cleaning up the house a bit. But mostly procrastinating.

Wednesday was the usual thing: Mom came up, went to storytime, (OH! Our books, mostly food storage and freezer meals, from Amazon came in. That was exciting!) took the kids to McDonald's, volunteered while the kids played at the park (The kids ate just about their WHOLE Happy Meals. BRUISE ATE ALL OF HIS!!!), we took them to the summer reading program (Legos this week), we bought them those big/wide pencils so they can practice their penmanship more easily, we went home and ordered pizza, Michael came home and didn't have an EQ meeting (but he did still have to go to a meeting later with Bishop), we watched SYTYCD ... That's it in a nutshell ...

Oh, and some young'un BIT THE CRAP out of my son's arm in the PlayPlace. Just about broke through the skin in a few places. 

Seriously, if I had lived about fifty years ago (when I wouldn't have gotten arrested for that sort of thing), I'd have climbed in there, extracted that three-or-so-year-old by his ear and dragged him over to his mom (chatting across the room and out of sight-line of her kid) BY HIS EAR and given him a good shake or two while fiercely intoning that "WE DO NOT BITE."

Hey, I'm a mama bear. You do NOT eff with my kids.

Good thing that my mom was there. While I sent hate-glares at the offender, she remarked that he seemed off ... like, perhaps, learning disabled or something.

Bruise got over it (and I slathered some hand sanitizer over the bite. Just in case) and went back to play with Bucket. They both were instructed to give Biter-Boy a wide berth.

Some people's children.
Some children's parents.
*sigh*

Thursday, we went to storytime as Mom headed home. Then we joined up with Katie and her crew of boys. We followed her to their new home where I got to touch up her new haircolor (She's got THICK hair. Thick enough that she NEEDS two bottles of dye. ... I'm trying not to be jealous. ^_^). Bucket and I got to play with her iPad. (It is nice. I just need some friend to let me play with their Droid now. Any volunteers?) The kids all played outside and then with the Wii in their family room.
After a tractor ride, we headed back to our place where I fed the kids and they went to nap without any arguments (AND THEY SLEPT!!) while I cleaned up in preparation for some high school friends to drop by.
Obviously, I must have the week wrong. Or they got busy. But, hey! The house was clean and the kids took a nap!!
Then I had to wake up the kids after a couple hours' nap so I could schlep them over to church for my RS meeting and Visiting Teaching interview.
Then we headed back home, where Michael was, fed the kids and put them to bed.
And watched the finale of SYTYCD. Truly, any of the top 3 (or even the top 4) could have won and I'd have been fine with any of the results.

......

Great, she threw up again.
The suppository went well. MUCH easier than I had anticipated. Having a bumoley that's a few years older (and larger. In a good way.) really helps. That and the fact that she's able to understand that this is medicine that will help her not throw up any more. *sigh*

I really did not /DO not want to be up at 2 AM ... but, hey, if she FINALLY falls asleep for realz this time, maybe I can, too.

----

Back to where I was ... Oh! That brings us up to what WAS today. And what is now, technically, YESTERDAY. *sigh*

Got up before Michael left for work. Let the kids eat yogurt while I worked at making sure they didn't mess up the house any. Thought about walking to the mall to do errands. Remembered that today's the start of our heatwave, so thought again. ^_^
Michael got home, so I gave him a haircut. We started dinner. We invited another family in our ward, one that we didn't know all that well. We made Chicken Parmesean, spaghetti alfredo, ceasar salad (from a bag), rolls, and hot dogs (for the kiddos).
The food turned out. ^_^ We ate and had fun while the kids ate and played. Then we walked to the park to get the kids all played out so they'd sleep.
(Famous last words in our case.)
Michael finished another disc of NCIS and we went to bed.

As soon as I fell asleep ---- "*scream/cry* MO-OOM!!!"
And, as we rushed into the kids' room, there's Bucket ... heaving her dinner all over the carpet.

We get her cleaned up, get the floor cleaned up, and head back to bed.

Half an hour later,  she screams for me again. Because, as she declares in her sleep-addled state, "I can't catch [Bruise]!" And she pukes a little more.

Another 30 minutes go by, I JUST manage to drift ........ and then ...... "MOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMY!!!!!! MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMY!!!!!!!!!!!"

I try not to burst into tears.

REPEAT of the vomitorium ... with bringing up Spaghettios from lunch (TMI, I'm sure. Hey, who's the mom who's lost hours of sleep?? Bear with me. This is stream of conciousness writing here at this point. You should be proud of the fact that I'm THIS coherent.).
Michael gives her a father's blessing as we have her hurk up anything else in her stomach into the toilet. Which gets clogged. AGAIN.
(I HATE that toilet. Really. I really, really hate that toilet. ... But, hey, at this point, using the plunger? I'm SO good at that.)

She's got her fun croup-y cough. We give her some DM cough syrup. Get her settled back in bed.

Michael grabs the wastebasket from our bathroom, empties it and puts it by her bed. Just in case.
I TRY to fall alseep. After ten minutes of LAYING THERE, trying (among things) to slow my heart-beat so it's not CRASHING IN MY EAR as my ear is on my pillow, to calm my brain with music -- playing memory of Claire de Lune, Moonlight Sonata, Ave Maria in my brain ... Nothing's working.

So I get up and come out here. Might as well blog, right?

Half an hour later .... "MO-OOOOOOOM!!!!!!"
Pukes into the trashcan, I get her to the bathroom for another sip of water. She has to pee. I get her there. Grab the suppository, do my best to cut the blasted thing in half. Get her situated over my lap, squirt some vaseline on her bumoley, and ... well, that went considerably better than when I'd do it on a changing table. ... I get her back to bed and situated with the trashcan. JUST IN CASE and come back to write and write and type and type this all out. *sigh*

My eyes hurt. My brain is still on FULL PANIC ALERT, though. And it's almost 2:30 AM ... 

I want to cry. But that would take energy. And it would make my eyes hurt more.

I also have to pee ... but that would require going back through the bedroom and maybe waking up Michael. Again. Since he did wake up when I got up out of bed ... He asked if there was anything wrong.

"No. I just can't sleep."
"Anything I can do to help?"
"No. I'm going to go to the computer. Thanks, though."

So, yeah. Just checking Facebook and blogging. 

Sleep is for the weak, right? 

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Last night's excitement

Since it hasn't been THAT long since I blogged last ... and since I haven't really DONE anything this morning, this post's going to be a little short.

(Yes, I'm still having crap sleep. Stupid Mother Nature. I don't even remember what I dreamt about, really. Just that I woke up and couldn't manage to get out of bed for about an hour. ... Even when a child came, crawled in bed, snuggled up to my arm and then told me, "Momma, your arm is SO WAAAAARMMMM!!")

So, after blogging, I finished talking to my uncle on the phone. And I made dinner. Chicken simmered in broth with lemon slices. And green beans simmered in the rest of the chicken broth with BACON. And brownies. Since Michael and I MEANT to make brownies YESTERDAY ... and we wanted brownies for Family Home Evening.

Dinner was ready by the time that Michael got home. We ate, had FHE ... where Bruise proved that he really isn't reading up to where he should be. He knows a lot of sight words ... He wasn't reading them. So I need to be working with him today. And he's SO NOT playing on the Nintendo DS until he is reading on his own more. ... As long as he's TRYING and not giving up, we'll be happy.

We took a walk to the park and let the kids play a few minutes. (VERY FEW minutes, since Bruise took SO DANG LONG to read his Scripture Story [Jonah -- of course] ... Bucket had read the scripture that Bruise had read in Primary a couple months ago -- 1 Timothy 4:12. She did well ... there were a few words that she flubbed. And she really does read for context, not content ... like her mama. So it was really cute when she started to tell us to be "explanations of the believers"... instead of "examples." Still, she needed very little assistance.Good for her.)

Then we came home, ate brownies, and put the kids to bed.

Michael and I went through some of the pages I had bookmarked to share him ... Hey, I love the intertubes. And I like to share.
Then he started to put away leftovers for his lunch ... and he saw an ant trying to get to our brownies. So I turned on the overhead light in the kitchen ... to find a SWARM around a piece of dropped bacon.

This led to my pulling out the drawer under the oven ... where there were even MORE ants ... so we sprayed under there ... and pulled out a few other drawers to spray in the backs there to ensure that those dang ants won't get any more bright ideas ...

But, yeah. I am a killer. I staged a massacre of ants. And, while wielding my sprayer of Ortho ant killer (No, they didn't give it to me for free or anything. But I swear by it. It works!), I quoted PMS Geisha -- "I kiii you!! I kiii you!" (Truly, quoting things is quite theraputic. Indeed.)

We moved the brownies into the fridge. And Michael unloaded the dishwasher and I loaded it back up and ran a load.

And we cursed ants and that stupid possum that had taken residence under the house a while back ... which we're 99% sure is the reason we had the flea outbreak ... which is now, THANKFULLY back under control. I've only found a couple fleas on Miss Diana-Cat. And Michael's not showing any new bites for a while.

Bucket has some kind of scratch or bite on her leg. Probably from running though the field on the way to/from the park last night.
I have a scratch on my leg, since I've been lazy and haven't clipped Di-di's claws. Ugh. I should do that. They're wicked sharp.

Also, as my kids got themselves water bottles out of the fridge, Bucket brought me one. Awwwwww. That was very sweet of her. ^_^
I guess it helps that I gave them the leftover brownies for breakfast.

Hey, I'm still EXHAUSTED. And I was asleep before 11. Maybe even before 10:30 ... I shouldn't be tired. Stupid Mother Nature. Filthy strumpet.

Monday, August 09, 2010

Where did the day go??

Right now, while the kiddos are eating blueberries, I'm taking the opportunity to blog.

And I'm totally aghast at what time it is ALREADY. How can it be after 4 PM???

Here's how my day's gone so far:

  • Woke up at dark-thirty so Bruise could go pee.
  • Woke up again around 4 from a semi-nightmare.
    In it, there was a witch -- pale, with scraggly, LONG, curly gray hair obscuring her wrinkled face -- picking berries out of our backyard. Outside the window on my side of the bed. Then, somehow, she transported herself INTO the house and was messing with the cat ... between the kids' room and our bedroom. She disappeared. I grabbed the cat (which turned out to be Gingi, NOT Diana -- Yes, I had my cat who died a year and 10 days ago. Not the cat that's currently alive. But Gingi-cat WAS alive in my dream. Weird.) and went to hunt her down as Michael had to drive off in a Semi-truck. I was going to track this witch down and demand to be paid for the berries. And the neighborhood was all dark and woodsy. Not like it is in real life at all.
    And I somehow figured out that if I tracked her down, something bad would happen to Gingi-cat.
    Yeah. Then I recall dreaming about one of my friend's sons ... I don't recall what it was. Maybe just because I see lots of pictures of him on Facebook.
  • I managed to wake up and read my scriptures before the kids really got up.
  • I checked email and facebook.
  • I cleaned off the table and vacuumed.
  • We did school stuff -- writing names, numbers. I checked on Bruise's letters and letter-sounds ... He actually impressed me. He even knows some sight words ... and was WILLING to do things.
    Then we played with pattern blocks and counting bears.
  • We had PB sandwiches for lunch. The kids ate some blueberries.
  • We read some library books and I sent them to nap so I could (finally) get a bath. Where I finished my current book. Though about starting another. Decided upon washing my hair instead. Probably a really good decision.
  • Got dressed. Checked email and facebook again. Showed the kids fun cat videos ... even though they didn't take a nap.
  • Fielded a few phone calls. All from actual people. ^_^
Last night, we watched (Michael and I) "Angus, Thongs, and Perfect Snogging." It was cute ... but nowhere near as great as the books. Really, the books are much better. 

The kids watched "The Great Muppet Caper" yesterday before dinner. They didn't pay attention to it the WHOLE TIME ... but they like the muppets. We've raised these kids right. ^_^

That's most of what all's gone on around here .... Nothing too, too exciting ... except crazy dreams. (Thank, Mother Nature, you wanton strumpet of doom.)

Yup ... relatively uneventful ... Which is okay, really. ^_^
But I hope that I stop getting these weird-butt dreams.

Saturday, August 07, 2010

Crazy kids ....

While at Costco, the kids told us that "Daddy has to spank Mommy. And Mommy has to spank Daddy. And then you have to go to bed!"

Well.

Also, yesterday at bedtime, Bruise kept giving me long kisses where (though his mouth was, THANKFULLY, screwed tight into a pucker) his lips kept moving.

"It's a MOVING kiss."

So I asked him if he kisses the girl in his Sunday School class that he says he's going to marry like that.

"No" ::snickers::

"Do you kiss [the other girl he's said he's going to kiss] like that?"

"I don't know."

"Do you kiss [your Sunday School teacher] like that??"

"NO!!!!" ::laughs::

... Yeah, I'm gonna have to watch that boy. Especially since he told me last month that he's going to marry [Girl #1] in the temple. THEN he's going to kiss [Girl #2].

I told him that THAT was NOT going to fly. If he's kissing any other girls, he had BETTER get that done before he gets married.

Hey, just keeping it real.

Bucket is determined that she's going to marry a very nice boy from her class ... even though he and his family moved away.
Of course, that sweet boy's awesome mom is hoping that Bucket and her son will get hitched, too. So we like to joke that our kids are already betrothed to each other. ... It's fun. And, who knows? Maybe they will end up together. And they can say that they've been childhood sweethearts. Which would be kinda cool ... *shrugs*

(And, really, I'm glad that my kids want to marry other kids with excellent parents. It almost makes me look forward to them getting married ... and LEAVING ME!!!!!! .... Okay ... I've got some adjusting that I'll have to do. I still have at least 14 years to get used to the fact that they're going to have their own lives that won't revolve around how awesome I am. *sigh*)

But, yeah. My kids are funny.
Now, after I get the kids in bed, Michael and I have some child-mandated plans. *LOL*

My day ... let me show you it

Today I:

  • woke up to tell my son to go back to bed because it was too early to get up. TWICE.
  • made pancakes for my husband and children.
  • made a stew in the Crock-Pot
  • Somehow hurt my finger doing that ... I held the knife incorrectly and, somehow, gave myself a blister/split/thing. And it doesn't feel good.
  • Michael took the kids with him so he could have the oil changed in the truck
  • Which gave me some free time ... to browse the internet, check email and Facebook, and correct a bit on a flyer for Young Women's.
  • I took a shower and got dressed.
  • We went and picked a total of five pounds of blueberries (the kids each had a coupon for one pound of u-pick blueberries for free from one of their summer reading programs).
  • Bruise ate him pound before we got back home.
  • I rejoiced in the fact that I don't have to change his diaper. :P
  • We went to Borders where I bought a book and a friendship bracelet kit 
  • (No, I HAVEN'T GROWN UP. What????)
  • We also used coupons to get each of the kids a glitterball for free. Bucket's is larger and full of iridescent strips. Bruise's is small and lights up when bounced.
  • Bucket fell IN TOTAL LOVE with a Hello Kitty travel activity set. 
  • We stopped by the mall to let Bruce look at Legos.
  • Bucket and I went to Bath and Body Works so we could each use a coupon to get the new Dark Kiss travel-sized lotion. (Having children = free labor and ability to use that second coupon. ^_^ Wish I had thought of it when I was getting the free travel-size of Forever Sunshine a couple months ago. At least, I'll know that I can do it next time. ^_^ ... And, yes, I will share with her. ^_^)
  • Bruise settled on some Star Wars Legos. He has his own rocket ship now. 
  • Don't ask me which one it is.
    Ask Michael. He could tell you.
  • I realized that I REALLY wanted fresh bread with dinner.
  • So I made these skillet rolls.
    Since I don't have a skillet that's oven safe, I used a glass pie plate. It worked fine
    They were delicious
  • The stew turned out really well, too.
  • I finally found the bay leaf.
    In my ... um ... third bowl of stew.
  • I felt the NEED to blog ... especially since I know that my Brooke will get on my case if I forget too often.
    ESPECIALLY since I helped convince her to start blogging again so I'd have a good example to follow. ^_^ She's kept her part of the bargain, so I can't slip up, either. ^_^

I think that's just about everything.

Thursday, August 05, 2010

Jibbitz ... sounds like a new epithet for cursing ... JIBBITZ!!!

Mom and I touched up the pink in our hair. Hers took better than mine this time. It's cool.

We ate Chinese food last night. It made Mom sick. She's really, REALLY sensitive to MSG. Poor girl.

Just waiting for the results for SYTYCD ... then the grand finale will be next week. I really don't care who wins. They're all good. I think that Adecheke is going home. But it could be Robert. I highly doubt that Kent's going home. And everyone loves Lauren, too. (Kent'd probably be crushed if she got sent home.)

Michael got the sink fixed. The kitchen sink (both sides) and the laundry room sink were all plugged up with grossness ... that'd EVENTUALLY let the water drain out. Slowly. I asked him if he might come home early (yesterday), which he did after stopping by Home Depot for a thinner plumbing snake and Drano.

It took him OVER TWO HOURS ... but the sinks are fixed. Good man.

This morning, we said good-bye to Mom (who went to get a haircut and pick up hair supplies for a friend so she can get pink streaks, too -- I gave Mom the keyfob version of my Sally Beauty Club Card. Hey, $5 a year to get discounts. Might as well use it, right? I mean, Mom takes me to Costco so I can get bargains ...) and went to the library.

Our librarian ladies save things from the lost and found ... especially things that scream [my daughter's name]. Today it was a glittery sun visor and a cute reversible jacket (Her brother actually has a boy's version of it. Which is cool and much appreciated -- reversible and has a hood. PERFECT for the Coast and trips to the zoo and aquarium). We are SO spoiled.

Then, as we were making our way to the car, I found myself in a conversation with a man outside of the library. He asked me if my kids belonged to me, if there were just the two (And this was all very benign. He was sitting about ten feet or so away), and if I had a husband that helped care for them.
He then went on to explain that, as he's lived in 48 of the states, single motherhood is running rampant. And that he's NOT in favor of men who shun the responsibility of fatherhood. He was very nice and pleasant.
... And it was quite flattering that he called me a "gorgeous woman." (Especially with how I've felt about my body the past few days. ... And since I didn't have on a lick of make-up. I was just in a [nice] tee and jeans. ... It's nice to be complimented by a complete stranger. They have no obligation to be nice to you, really. ^_^)

(And when I posted about that compliment on Facebook, one of my dear friends told me that I was a "hott mama" ... and another tried to best her by telling me that she was sure I was the "hott babysitter" [since I, of course, couldn't POSSIBLY be old enough to be my children's mother. Ha ha!)

(Have I mentioned that I have EXCELLENT friends? Because I totally do.)

Then we went to the "fountain park" downtown where the kids played. And that was fun. I actually took my good camera and got some fun pictures.

On the way home, Bucket discovered that she had lost "PRINCESS TIANA!!! MY FROG! ON MY SHOE!! It's GONE!!!!!!!"
Yes, the Jibbitz of the Princess Tiana Frog had somehow come out of her Crocs (but not any of the butterfly Jibbitz) between the fountains (because she HAD it in her shoe when we sat down at the park) and the car.

I emptied the car, I searched through all our bags.

It's gone.

So I went to Crocs.com and RetailMeNot.com and managed to get another one ordered with free shipping ("secondchance" and 15% off -- but that code expires in a couple days. Just keep an eye out for new codes. Or, if you haven't already, go sign up for the newsletter at Crocs.com and they'll send an email for 20% off your first purchase. ---- And, truly, my kids LIVE in their Crocs. They wear them to play, to church, for walks ... Just about everywhere. Unless we demand that they wear a different pair of shoes [in Bruise's case. ... that boy LOVES his Crocs.)
(No, I didn't get any compensation for saying that. However, if they want to offer me some discounts or swag, I'd jump on that! ^_^ Since I wear my Crocs pretty much all the time and to just about everywhere. ... I have the flats, not the clogs ... and they go with just about anything I own. ^_^ )

But, yeah ... so, that was that.
And I found ants crawling on the counter and IN THE SILVERWARE DRAWER. EWWWWW!!!
So I cleaned and sprayed all of that.
And that's the MAIN reason why dinner was late.
That and, of course, I lost track of time while on Facebook. Oops.

I'm tired. And I hate ants. And I can't figure out how Bucket could have lost that Jibbitz. They're tough enough to get in the holes ... oh well. Some lucky kid now has it, I'm sure.

I think I'm ready for the weekend after the sink fiasco and the ants ... Still, overall, life is good.

Wednesday, August 04, 2010

Strange things that I'm apparently good at ...

I love internet tests. I know ... it's dumb.

But, according to some of them, I'm actually good at things. (I often feel rather incompetent. Or I worry that, based on family history, I might be losing my vision or hearing.)

But, according to the FM 100 Hue Test, I apparently have perfect color vision! Zero errors!

With the ToneDeaf test, the results say that I have very good pitch (Which is why I visibly WINCE when I hear people singing off key. It hurts.)

So, yeah ... I have better-than-average color vision and pitch-recognition.
And I remember weird bits of trivia.
(Like how, I'll have a conversation with a friend ... and later, s/he'll bring it up and I can fill in some details. Michael's told me that I remember some conversations verbatim. Which is strange to know.)

These skills don't make me feel SUPERIOR to others ... but it's nice to know that I have some gifts to make up for my lack of athletic prowess and business acumen and the like.

I can follow recipes well. I can usually improvise some changes that work well (adding nutmeg, orange peel, and cinnamon to a glaze for a cake) ... Though there have been the times that experimentations do NOT work in my favor (Nutmeg doesn't belong in a spaghetti sauce. A cheese sauce shouldn't be started with a roux.)

I enjoy learning new things.

I can talk to people ... Meeting new people isn't always the easiest, but I enjoy getting to know new people, helping new people to feel at ease (which is one reason I love my calling at church. I get to know these young women ... and, hey, if I can help them feel welcomed and included, so much the better!)

Some people really enjoy my writing. (TAKE THAT, stupid standardized writing standards! I'm friggin' UNIQUE and ORIGINAL! I do have VOICE! ... Yeah, I'm still a little bitter.) ... Really, if you read my writing, it sounds just like me. I have a TERRIBLE time writing dry, informational papers. I get too bored and have to inject it with some life. ... If you haven't heard me talk, I'll try and vlog sometime. Even though I worry that I get a little TOO enthusiastic .... :S

I used to know how to swing and Lindy Hop somewhat decently. I'm terribly out of practice right now. But those are FUN dances. (I'd like to learn how to tango. Seriously, tangos are AWESOME to watch ...
I mean, really? How can one NOT love the tango?

Okay ... now to see if the sink's totally working again. (UGH. At least the dishwasher appears to work. Mostly ... *sigh*)

Tuesday, August 03, 2010

Crazy Dream Montage

I don't recall ALL of my dream from last night ... or even if it made ANY sense.

There was a white mouse.

Michael was moving a bookshelf. And it still had books in it. And the books fell out of it.
One of the books fell on the mouse. Part of it got trapped. I thought that its arm/paw snapped off. But, no, it was just one REALLY LONG ... finger? thumb?

Do mice HAVE thumbs?

I think it understood me when I talked to it.

The Youth from a larger area were all getting together (IRL, they're going to be doing Roadshows in the fall. But this isn't that).
They had built a dollhouse cake. It looked good.
I was talking to one of the boys. He was about to ask me out and I laughed and told him that, bless his heart -- I'm flattered, of course, but I'm pushing 30. AND MARRIED. And the girls backed me up.
And he visibly paled.

(Yes, like I've mentioned, in my dreams, I'm thinner. Thin enough to pass as one of the youth.)

Somehow the dollhouse had a play that went with it (Obviously, I've been thinking about the Roadshow. No, our ward's skit has NOTHING to do with dollhouses. I can't say anything more, since it's kind of a surprise. Until after they perform it this Autumn.)

I know that there were people in my dream ... Maybe a past teacher or a friend I haven't seen in a while ... I can't remember anymore, though. Oh well.

Just that there was this mouse. And my in-laws were coming over. And the mouse's broken bit, I had put on a piece of a rag next to the sink in the laundry room. I have NO IDEA why I'd have done that.

In the dream it just seemed like the LOGICAL thing to do ... Yeah, dreams. Go fig.

Okay. I have to get off my duff.

Meh-ish ---- Warning: Whining and Angst Ahead

It's been one year and three days since Gingi-cat died.
I still miss her.

We went grocery shopping yesterday.

I'm still behind on housework ... but I got caught up on blogs (especially mental_floss and neatorama ... which take the longest to catch up on).

My heel is healing. Slowly. But it's getting better.

I need to take a shower.

I did some pilates this morning. I don't do so well at getting it done when the kids are awake/around. They're distracting.

I read my scriptures this morning. And prayed. By myself. I'm trying to get better at doing that. At making a habit.

And exercising, too. Since I feel all fat and gross.
And my pink streaks are starting to fade. I should dye them again. Not tonight, though ... I have plans. I'm getting out of the house to go to Mutual.

I drank some V-8 ... so I feel slightly virtuous as far as health goes. It was even the low-sodium V-8 (which is fine. It's just not as good as the Hot & Spicy V-8 ... Do they make a low-sodium version of that? Hmm).

I think we'll go blueberry picking this weekend ... since the kids earned coupons to do that. And I hate to let them go to waste. And we should take them to the pool this month. Before THAT prize goes to waste. Like it did last year. Oops.

Why can't I just wake up being 50-75 lbs lighter? Or, hey, if I woke up and had, say, 10% body fat, that'd sure be nice.

I'm a lot skinnier in my dreams. I have my high-school body, really. When I was smaller, in shape, and perkier. I miss that body.

Yeah, I sound all angsty. There's a reason for that. I should go break out the Valerian, huh? I love being a girl ... when I'm not being all PMS-y.

Yesterday, I was so tired that, even though I REALLY wanted to read my book, I couldn't concentrate on it at all. THAT is depressing.

It's too bad that doing, oh, a bazillion crunches won't get rid of the stretched-out skin on my stomach.
It's also too bad that I never really made a habit of exercising. I mean, I exercise my brain a ton. I'm always reading and trying to learn new things ... But I feel like Miz LardoButhigh-MuffinTop, nee Batwings.

I've never had extremely toned/slim upper arms. Not even when I was working at a supermarket, stocking shelves with cases of beer (those are rather heavy. Just saying).
I'd ask how Madonna does it ... but I know that she has personal trainers and a home gym and such.

Every so often, I daydream about owning a Bowflex. But would I really use it? I'd like to THINK that I would ... But thinking and DOING are often completely different. At least in my experience. *sigh*

Yup ... Miz Ray of Sunshine here, huh?

At least I'm blogging ... I'm trying to get back in the habit of doing that more often, too.

Yeah, I have lots of goals.

Well, I think I'll try those bazillion crunches. Or sixty. Whichever come first.
Then I'll see if I feel up to trying lunges or squats or TOTALLY modified push-ups.

(What happened to the days when I could benchpress 75 lbs? Or use that other machine and ... I don't know what it's called ... but, um ... it's like bench-pressing with your LEGS ... but I could do over my bodyweight with that. ... I miss being in shape. I miss being able to look all CUTE in clothes instead of like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man in drag. ... Which is what I FEEL that I look like.)

It's not like I'll ever be a size 0. Or a size 2. The smallest I've ever been was a size 5. And that was when I was going into puberty.

I'd be more than happy being a size 8 again. I looked fine and healthy as a size 8. As a size 8, it was relatively easy to find clothes that fit (and that looked good ... instead of the dreaded camel toe. Ugh.) ... I mean, my boobs were never all that manageable. But I managed ... most of the time. I could buy bras in a few stores around, which was nice.

(Hey, at least my band size is still the same. I mean, that's got to be SOMETHING. Something that proves that almost all the added weight is in my thighs and butt. *rolls eyes* Small blessings, right? )

But, yeah. I REALLY want to be able to get on a scale and have it say that I weigh about the same as when I was in high school. That'd be really nice.

YES, I am this vain that I obsess over my body when I'm CLEARLY not the same person I was when I was in high school.

For one, I'm about 50% heavier.
For two, I sure hope that I'm not as annoying ... Heaven knows that I'm still as self-conscious and insecure ...
...After thinking about this post, I most like AM just as annoying. If not more so.

Got to stick with what you know, I guess.
::headdesk::

::headdesk::
::headdesk::
::headdesk::

Okay. That's it. Enough wallowing in self-pity. I'm gonna get up and take a bath or a shower. ... And, THEN, dammit, I'm painting my toenails.

Then, maybe, I'll have Michael re-pink my streaks when I get home tonight.

Monday, August 02, 2010

Bits of randomness-essence

So, where was I?

I have an awesome husband. Well, duh. Yes.
Also, bras fit a little differently over undergarments. Just saying. Maybe it's because my garments don't fit quite all that well. Ugh.
------------

Friday morning, there were some folks working on something across the street. I was being nosy and I opened my door to spy on them. When I closed the door, part of it caught my heel and ripped a slice/chunk of skin off.

It hurts. And is taking a while to heal.
I wish my heel would heal. ... Way to use homophones, right? Yeah.
Okaaaaaaaay ...
-----------

Saturday, we went to Mariner's Square in Newport. We opted for the tickets to go see all the exhibits: Ripley's Believe It or Not, the Undersea Garden, and The Wax Works.

Also, for an additional cost, during the summer months, they have a butterfly garden upstairs. We opted to do that, too. Make a real day of it. ^_^

(If you buy the tickets to do all three, they'll throw in either a free guidebook for wherever you're buying the tickets [Ripley's, in our case. These guidebooks are kinda nice. I think they usually cost $2.00] or a tote bag ... like the reusable ones you get at the grocery store. ]The bags have the names of all the exhibits on them. Just so you know.])

(If you want to do at least two of the exhibits, go for the tickets to do all three. It's worth it ... if you have the time. ... Seriously, the tickets for all three exhibits are just $2 more than buying tickets for just two of the places. And, if I recall correctly -- since I was taking the kids to the bathroom while Michael bought the tickets -- the butterfly garden [which is SMALL ... but it was kinda cool] was just another $3 per ticket.
And, since our littles are 4 -- and kids ages 0-4 are FREE -- it worked out VERY well for us. ^_^)

We did the Undersea Garden first, which was good for the kiddos.

It's a 30-minute presentation of a diver interacting with sea creatures while another employee tells you about what the diver is doing and what s/he is interacting with -- the different fish, sea stars, eels, crabs, and an octopus.

The show went well. Bruise and I sat together while Bucket and Michael sat a little ways away. The downstairs is all contained inside a metal cabin 50 feet x 150 feet. There's a stage inside where you can watch the show ... and you can look at the tank as you walk around. There's even a little tide pool set up at the other end.

Bruise enjoyed watching the diver pick up crabs and let them swim ... or toss them around (and one of the crabs was hitching a ride on his back). Bruise ESPECIALLY enjoyed when the diver was holding up a few sea stars and he put the sunflower sea star on his head like a hat.
"HE wooks wike he has GURL HAIR!!!" was Bruise's summation.
Unfortunately, the octopus was hiding ... since I remember (when I went here when I was ... five? six? seven?) the octopus being the REALLY COOL part. Oh well.

Then we went to Ripley's. I remember, when I was a little girl and my folks and I went here, getting VERY AFRAID and RUNNING OUT TO THE LOBBY. And I WOULDN'T GO BACK IN.

So my parents were RATHER upset, since I don't think they were able to get a refund. Oops.

I had warned the kiddos before we went that, if they got scared, I would hold them; that there wouldn't be anything in there that could hurt them. (I knew this for a fact since Michael and I went to Ripley's on our honeymoon. ... And, yes, I did feel pretty dumb in retrospect.)
Bucket did need to be held a couple of times. (The mummy was one. And walking in the emptiness of space was a CLOSE call.) Bruise, however, took it all in stride and was having a great time.

Then we went through the Wax Works. Michael auditioned for American Idol (complete with Simon Cowell with a permascowl and facepalm). We didn't receive any feedback from the judges.
I declined from draping myself over Johnny Depp. But we did snap a picture of him by himself. Bucket and Michael pulled a handle on a box in a pirate's ship which emitted a scream. The box, not the ship.

Bruise, oddly enough, was the one who nearly made a run for it. He was VERY worried by the Indiana Jones-style exhibit (where there were some spiked walls that closed in a little around you -- and Michael made sure he didn't get a glimpse of the one spiked wall with a [fake] body impaled in it). He nearly went running from a rock that rolled away to show a dragon/sea serpent that rolled toward you (with bars separating it from you) and a mermaid a little ways behind it. (Gotta LOVE those 80s bangs. I used to HAVE those 80s bangs ... Wow.)
But after those, there was the Star Wars exhibit (after a rather poorly-done Lord of the Rings set ... none of the was figures really resembled the actors they were supposed to portray. Probably because, as Michael and I both recall [since we haven't been to the Wax Works for ... um ... around 15-20 years?], that scene USED to be the sermon on the mount. Ha!). Bruise and Bucket enjoyed the Star Wars stuff -- Princess Leia, Luke, Yoda, Darth Vader, Darth Maul ... and E.T.? ... Well, he was in the room, but set off from the others.

Then we made our way upstairs to the butterflies. ... The area (more than one room) is filled with flowers for Painted Lady and Monarch butterflies. Some landed on Bucket and me. We got to see butterfly eggs and caterpillars. I showed the kids the butterflies' proboscis-es/probosckes (what's the plural of "proboscis?" I didn't take Latin in school! Argh!) as they ate.
The kids weren't all that keen about butterflies landing on them ... but, for a total of around six dollars, it wasn't too bad, really.

Then we let the kids choose what we should eat. It was VERY close to having a trip to McDonald's ... but, rather remarkably, we ended up going out for pizza.

Then we went out to Otter Rock to walk on the beach.
(And I had to keep my shoes and socks on since I'm an eedjit with a huge scratch on the back of my heel. Bucket was very disappointed that I wasn't able to go walk in the tide with her. Oh well!)
The kids were ready to stay out there all day ... but we grown-ups were TIRED from waking up early ... and we headed home.

And I took a nap. Then got up, talked with my mom on the phone, and walked down the road a bit to drop a note off (to finish my Visiting Teaching. YAY!!!!! I got it done for JULY!!! Just in the nick of time!!! -- Now I have a new route. Which is cool. I think it'll be really fun. I'm sad to lose some of the sisters from my route last month ... but this will be new and exciting).

Yesterday, Sunday, was pretty normal ...

Except for the fact that our whole YW presidency was rearranged.
(For those of you who don't know what the dickens I'm talking about, we have a lay clergy in our church. It's all volunteer work ... but we're actually issued these opportunities. It sounds crazy to sum it up, I know. But just smile and nod your head. And if you have questions/whatever, comment and I'll do my best to clear it up. ^_^)
So, our YW President was released. With her being released, her two counselors would have been released, too ... Except that we haven't had any counselors for a while (it's been a few months since we've had a Beehives [the 12-13 year-old girls] counselor ... And the Mia Maids [the 14-15 year-old girls] leader moved last month).
The Advisor (teacher for the Beehive class) is our new YW president. She has two counselors who are really fun. We're keeping the advisors (teachers) for the Laurel (16-18 year-old girls) and the Mia Maid classes. We have a new advisor for the Beehives. ... And I get to stay in my calling as YW Secretary.

So, I've been updating rosters and emailing tons of things to new counselors/advisors ... It's been a little busy, but it's a good thing. I am going to miss our old YW President (she is a great lady and a wonderful friend), but I'm trying to be welcoming to this change, too.

Okay ... my kids have woken up from naptime ... and I still have been LAZY and haven't finished doing the housework or getting a shower or anything. *sigh*

Does it count that I went out early in the morning to mail off the mortgage check and to retrieve the garbage can? That counts for something, right?

And I finished up some binder covers for YW, right????

But, yeah, a good deal of the day has been on Facebook and chatting with a few friends online.

So, now to finish the dishes, fold some laundry, vacuum the house, tidy up the bathrooms, and ... oh, that's right! Make some more things for YW binders for the class presidencies. And fix up the rolls. I can do this. ... Right?

And what should I make for dinner? Choices, choices.

And we're getting groceries tonight. That'll be nice ... and will REQUIRE that I get a shower. *sigh*