Tuesday, February 28, 2006

The Town...

... it is papered.

Okay, not really. But I did e-mail one resume, snail mail one and drop off two. My goal is 1 call. Just ONE. Please. Someone call for an interview. Please?

Today is the day...

... I go paper the town with my resume. ACK!

Monday, February 27, 2006

GAH!

I just have to say that I must now scrub my eyes out and soak my brain in some Clorox solution because my mother - MY MOTHER - just left a comment on this post about inappropriate sex.

Now, my mom and I are close. And things such as this may have been discussed in person in the past. Also, I love the fact that she comments here but for some reason I may be going blind from reading her comment.

It might be the fact that I wasn't expecting it. Or that I saw it actually typed out. At least in person I can sort of see where the conversation is headed. In person, there is no visual proof. In person, I can la-la-la my way through such a comment. Or you know, deal with it somehow.

But here? Here I want to gouge my eyes out. Seriously. It has scarred me for life and I have no idea why.

Grey's Anatomy

Let's face it. The whole chat about a TV show is so done and yet? I can't stop myself so if you haven't seen last night's episode or don't watch - move on, come back tomorrow for some (hopefully) entertaining better different stuff.

Ok, now, if you're still here...

The whole George/Meredith/what have the writers done/this is so, SO WRONG/sex thing... well, the writers pulled it off. I have to admit. As painful as it was to watch, a teeny-tiny part of me understood and related and yes, haven't we all started something we knew to be wrong/but maybe it will be okay and then realized 2 seconds in NO, no this is wrong/can never be right/my GOD, WHAT HAVE I DONE? I say yes. Maybe not the inappropriate sex but something else. Or maybe it was inappropriate sex. Doesn't matter. We've all - ok, I've - been there (and Mom, Dad, Jeff - it was not, I repeat NOT inappropriate sex).

What saved the disaster from totally wrecking the show was the honesty with which it was portrayed. The fact that George realized what a mistake it was and wasn't crushed by it was the only way to go. Well, okay they could have done the whole George is a mess and falls apart thing but then no one would respect George and I for one would have had even more trouble watching the show in the future. Oh, and YAY! new, cute doctor interested in George. Whoohoo!

The whole Izzy telling George to tell Meredith was again - Real. After him whining about it for 2 seasons it was time for him to take a stand. Izzy was doing what needed to be done. And Izzy and the whole Alex/Denny thing. LOVE IT. Although, if Denny dies any time soon? I'm not going to be happy.

And Bailey! I'm so glad she has not disappeared with her maternity leave. Her scenes with Addison were hysterical (and a bit frightening for those of us with a va-jay-jay - love that term).

I love that Addison too is real and not someone you can just hate. She's really trying. And tell me I was not the only one who had that split second of not knowing if she got it on with McSteamy in the woods that morning. TELL ME. But of course, she didn't. She's starting to get a bit too wishy-washy with McDreamy though. Basically begging for his forgiveness and tip-toeing around him. I hope she takes a stand in the coming weeks.

But again, they had to end with those horrid last minutes. McDreamy and Meredith friends? NO. I say NO. Again and again. NO! Because this only leads us to believe that they will slip and something will happen and McDreamy will cheat on his wife. Or that their friendship will save them when things end with Addison. And yes, we do want McDreamy and Meredith to end up together but the speculation! The knowledge that they are making ANOTHER mistake. How do we fix this? I guess we wait for the writers to show us, yet again, that they can make this okay.

Almost forgot! If you want to read what the writers of the show have to say? Go to their blog Grey's Writers.

Sunday, February 26, 2006

The Machine...

... it is WORKING!!!!

It is also on load 2 of 569,432. Guess where I'll be for the next 3 days.

Washer Update

I know you are all waiting with bated breath on the status of my washing machine. After all, you want to know if/when the MoMMY household will run out of clothes so as to not have to smell our stench.

The new offending part has been placed in the machine... YAY!

The machine is still in pieces... BOO!

I think we must all stop holding our breath or we'll turn blue. Maybe later today. Barring any problems. Please GOD, barring any problems.

Saturday, February 25, 2006

Things are looking UP

  • It seems that 11 hours of sleep have made all the difference. I'm feeling, if not yet 100%, much, much better.

  • The washer should be fixed before I go to sleep tonight. We will leave it at should as I do not want to anger the appliance Gods. As of this moment, I did not have to pay for Sears to come fix my washer. I download the schematic of the motor and forced my husband to pull it apart himself. I watched the repair guy the last time it broke and had a feeling it was the same part. I was right. It was. Now if we can just get our hands on said part and put the machine back together we are good. Otherwise? I may have to call and pay eleventy-million dollars in labor just to have them put the thing back together.

  • My pipe is enclosed and the new wall is up. YAY! Looks lovely. Now all I need is a new ceiling, a bit of work over the door frame, some trim and a whole lot of paint. Then I can begin my work on the foyer. I have decided to leave the floor until after the rest is done. (That means for another life time.) It actually seems doable now though. Big breakthrough.

  • My size 10 jeans STILL FIT. (I shall take the good news where I can.)

  • The boys go back to school in 1.5 days.

  • I offically begin applying for jobs on Tuesday. (wait, is that a good thing?)

  • I just downloaded The Very Best of Elvis Costello. Ah... I missed him.

Friday, February 24, 2006

Warn Me Next Time

I really wish someone had warned me that a truck backed up into my room last night and drove back and forth over my sleeping body. Although, how it got up on the second floor still has me curious.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Got Jobs?

I realize the posts around here have been pretty lame as of late. A bit on the light side.

The thing is my head has been wrapped around doing our taxes and then a new budget and that inevitably led to rewriting my resume and searching for another job.

So the writing of the blog has been on the back burner a bit.

The good news is...
The taxes are done.

The kind of sucky news is...
My best hope at the moment is to work at the grocery store. Don't get me wrong, I love my grocery store. I mean it. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. But, I have a college degree and somehow that makes me feel as if I should be doing something other than being a cashier with all the college students and high school kids. Bad attitude? Maybe. But at this point I really would be thrilled to work there. Besides, they're rated #2 of the best places to work in the country. So? I could do worse.

The odd interesting I just feel like writing about it news...
I was trying to put together a resume for the grocery store job and another job (that I do not need a college education for) and I realized I have had a LOT of jobs in my life. In fact, for fun (or OCD, or obsession - whatever) I put together a list of all the jobs I've had. No babysitting type things or jobs held for less than three months - and yes, there have been some of those. The list? It is LONG. 18 JOBS. EIGHTEEN! In the last 21 years. GAH! Granted, not all earned me money. And 6 of them (these last 8 years) have overlapped. And no, I did not list motherhood even though that is the most time-consuming, energy-sucking of all the jobs.

The other thing I noticed is most of the job changes were because I moved. Not down the street but to other states or regions. Out of commuting distance. At least my future employers do not need to worry about that happening.

So to sum up...
I am rambling. It is late. I must go to bed. Oh, and I'm hoping someone will hire me soon because my blogging is really suffering with all the worry and whatnot.

Wednesday, February 22, 2006

The Horror!

Not only are the children on vacation...

My washing machine just broke.

Waaaahhhhhhh!!!!!!!

Tuesday, February 21, 2006

Weight-loss Story #5

Huge News in the MoMMY Household...

I just put on my size 12 jeans and they were TOO BIG!!!!

Let me repeat... JEANS. TOO. BIG.

I'm now wearing my size 10's*.

And yes, they are a bit snug. BUT!
But, I was able to button and zip them without effort!!!

(I heart stretch jeans.)

*Yes, I'm a modern woman with a modern wardrobe. I have jeans in sizes 6-12. And, I have worn them all in the past 4 years. Such a sad commentary on my weight gain really but great for me now!

Monday, February 20, 2006

The Insomnia

It is killing me. And catching up to me.

And I'm out of Diet Mt. Dew. My new best friend.

And the boys need to be at school at 8:20 for ski club in the morning.

And did I mention the insomnia and no Mt. Dew?

I really need some sleep.

And someone to come clean my house. But not yet. Because... because of big news!!!

My dad is going to close off the pipe in my foyer this week. Really! It's only been exposed for FIVE. YEARS. He is also pulling the plaster off the wall and replacing it with dry wall. YAY!

I hope it does not take another FIVE. YEARS. to fix the ceiling. (But it probably will.)

One More Thing...

Please tell me Meredith is not going to sleep with George. Please tell me the previews are WRONG, WRONG, WRONG. Pretty please.

WARNING

Today is first day of school vacation.

I hope I make it out alive.

Saturday, February 18, 2006

Weight-loss Story #4

Emabrassing weight-loss secrets from MoMMY. (I've lost 9 lbs. so far! YAY! for 9 lbs. less. The number on the scale? Still scary.)

When your looking for some volume (which I often am) or you have an issue stopping the eating (me, me, me):
  • 1 bag 98% fat-free microwave popcorn (4 pts.)
  • homemade salsa (0 pts.)
    • 1 lg. tomato - diced
    • 2 green onions - diced
    • cilantro
    • salt
    • couple splashes lime juice
You will probably have to eat it with a spoon. Emabrrassing and messy? Yes. Tasty and fulfilling the need to do a little binge-type eating? You bet!

You probably won't be able to finish it. I can. But, I'm obviously a pig and could eat a small country. You will be FULL. And sometimes? You just want to be full.

Friday, February 17, 2006

Why?

Why the insomnia you ask? Let me tell you. At least you'll get a good laugh. It's funny, I know.

I have a bit of a fear. I've had this fear as long as I can remember. The fear is...

...

Can I really tell all of the internets? Am I ready to be ridiculed?

Ok. It's weather related.

I know, I know. Lots of people are afraid of thunder & lightening - but that's not it. I mean, I wouldn't want to be caught in the middle of a field during a storm but snug in my house, I'm good.

Tornados? Yes but I live somewhere where they are very rare. This is honestly one reason I don't live in the south. Or Midwest. Although, I'm not sure I would live in the Midwest anyway. It's nice and all but too far from the ocean.

Earthquakes? Yes. But again. Not much going on here. A little, itty-bitty one every few years. Never even felt them. So, not what kept me up last night.

And my God! Don't I have a lot of weather related fears. Who knew? Who realized? Not me.

The one fear I do have to deal with about once or twice a year is...

The wind. Commence laughing.

Are you feeling better yet? Calmed down? Ok. Last night we had winds in the 60-70 mph range and it scared the crap (but apparently not the snot) out of me. I woke at 3:30 a.m. to the sound of the wind trying to push through my home. The house shook. The bed shook. The giant pine that is taller than the church next door and is right next to the house, shook. A lot.

I was wide awake instantly. I then proceeded to let the dog out. Yes, even he was not happy with the wind. I ran outside and brought in as many things as possible. Yes, I knew this was coming yesterday. But? I think I was in denial. I was hoping the front would miss us. Really. I was banking on it.

So, after a half hour of pulling things off porches and pushing other things against walls so they wouldn't become projectiles I went back to bed. But the sound. And the shaking. I COULD. NOT. SLEEP.

So I got on here and stayed busy until around 5:30 when I started to get sleepy again. Went to bed and the exhaustion won.

An hour later I woke to the alarm and the wind and the shaking. I turned on the news because, Good God we can not send our children out in this. I found all the schools to the west were closed. I waited and waited and finally got up 10 minutes before the bus was to arrive. I went downstairs, flipped on the TV (why are they always on the letter AFTER your school when you turn the TV on?), and did my usual schtick of "Put this note in your bag." "Why are you not dressed?" "Eat already!" "The bus will be here in 5 minutes!" And then? Our school showed up on the closed list. YaY! Yes, an extra day of vacation. BUT! I want my children alive right now and the wind - it is scaring me. If this was 2 Mondays from now I might feel different but right now I fear for their safety.

I flipped off the TV and... the power went out. I told the kids to BE QUIET AND NOT WAKE THEIR BROTHERS and went back to bed.

Apparently, high winds during the day will not keep me from sleeping but at 4 a.m. they will.

Around 11 my saint of a mother came and picked the boys up so I could sleep and they could have heat. The power came on just as she arrived. So now I have heat too. YAY! And she took them anyway! YAY, YAY!

Now the winds are in the 20-30 mph range and I am much more calm. And yes, when I was a child I was afraid the wind would blow me away. Where to? No idea. But the thought of being carried off by the wind was terrifying.

So now you know my deep, dark secret. Keep it well peoples of the internet.

Thursday, February 16, 2006

One More Thing

The oldest broke another finger.

Let me just let that sink in...

...


Yes, he broke another frickin' finger. Unbelievable. In 2.5 weeks. That also makes 3 broken fingers in this house since September.

If I didn't know better I'd think we found a new punishment in the MoMMY household - "Did you just say 'NO' to me?" whack!

Of course, none of them have happened in our care. Or our house. Or even in our presence.

You were wondering what caused this latest break? Basketball. At recess. Sound familiar? Last time it was Football at recess. Both times he was blocking. Both times he reached up and hit & hyperextended the finger that ended in injury. The school nurse suggested steel fingered gloves. Know where I could get a pair?

The oddest part about all this? Out of all 4 kids, we have had 4 broken bones. This INCLUDES the 3 broken fingers. The first broken bone was EIGHT and 1/2 YEARS ago. The last 3? All in the last 5 months.

I must go now and pretend to sleep (bit of insomnia) or at least grab another box of tissues. My face is trying to rid me of leaden snot and I have to get up in 2 hours.

Head Full of Lead

I never realized until today that snot, when packed in your sinus cavity, is the approximate weight of lead. Or, you know, someone packed my sinuses full of lead when I wasn't paying attention. And then caused them to slowly drip out in the form of snot.

Wednesday, February 15, 2006

Closing Valentine Remarks

They have taken to hugging the wall. I think the heart is growing on them. (and that just sounds wrong)

Also, if you couldn't tell, the heart is HUGE. They can't reach their arms from one side to the other. In fact, I can barely reach.

In other Valentine news...
I received flowers! From my husband! It only happens every couple years or so, so it means so much more when I get them. And, I said AND, he told them not to do the standard v-day bouquet and to make it interesting and include my favorite - tulips! So happy. *sigh*

In more Valentine news...
Zach (5) got a valentine from his brother's (7) friend's younger sister. She is, if not in kindergarten, going next year. She wrote "I love you Zach!" and "Love, Eliza" about eleventy million times and drew pictures of hearts and the two of them standing together on the front.

Zach's response? It's scary.

Why? She loooooves me.

Tuesday, February 14, 2006

Kid Conversation

Things that may have been said while first viewing The Great Valentine Surprise 2006:

"Are you going to wash it off?"

"Does Dad know about this?"

"How long is this going to be here?"

"What happens at Christmas?"

"What about when my friends come over?"

"No, we love it. Really."

The Great Valentine Surprise 2006


The foyer - as seen from the stairs.

This is when having a house in need of serious work comes in handy. Hopefully, someday the whole room will be this color (to match the vestibule). But first we must fix the hole in the ceiling and the exposed pipe on the opposite wall.

The Day They Named for St. Valentine

The day, it is all about Valentine's and doing things like baking brownies at 7am for your oldest who informed you yesterday - 10 minutes before you had to leave for Hebrew - that he signed up to bring in brownies for the big celebration. And let's not forget the tantrum of "You must make them NOW. I need them in the morning. If you really loved me we would skip Hebrew and bake brownies. And then we would eat them and you would make more." Or something like that. Except the last 2 sentences might not have been vocalized. You know he was thinking it though.

Valentine's Day also means I left things to the last minute because was there not just a holiday yesterday? Did I not have to prepare for the 100th day of school?

So in my grand and highly annoying way, I thought of a great surprise for the family. The Great Surprise. Really, that's what I'm calling it. But I can't tell you what it is yet because the husband has been known to read the stuff I write here once and a while and then he might know what The Great Surprise is.

Oh, and The Great Surprise? Probably not as FUN! and EXCITING! as I'm hoping. In fact, lame might be a good description. But we're working with a budget of $0 and not much more time.

Also? The fact that a surprise* orthodontic appointment was scheduled for today has put a crimp into the time for preparing The Great Surprise.

So am I preparing The Great Valentine Surprise of 2006? No. I'm blogging. But I'm going right now. Really. I am.

* and by surprise I mean I put it on the calendar 6 weeks ago and forgot until I noticed it this morning.

Monday, February 13, 2006

100th Day

**Note: this started as a 'this and that' post but was hijacked by the 100th day. Please forgive me. I was forced to give in to the 100th days' demands. They threatened me with a week of snow days just before next week's school vacation.**

It's the 100th day of school here. YAY. Big to-do in kindergarten with their collection of 100 things. Zach's is 100 Legos built into a - well, a something. It is my usual day to go in and help out in class but their celebration (whatever that entails) is at the same time and the parents are invited. Can't wait to see what they do. Really. YAY.

The secret side of the 100th day of school (or the 'side no one thinks about') - This means we are more than 1/2 way through the year. It MEANS... Summer is that much closer. And we all know how I love summer. With all the kids home. All the time. Have I mentioned, YAY?

A private side of the 100th day of school - Eons ago, or maybe just about 5 years ago, I wrote a picture book for my oldest son about the 100th day of school. The teachers have liked it when I sent it in (the older boys always wanted to bring it in and show it off) but I realized yesterday that it's been missing for the last 2 years. So, last night I spent a couple hours making it into a book for Dylan to take to school. (The original was lost in the great loss of 2005.) I proudly presented it to him this morning and.. and, he was all, "Yeah, I guess I'll read it at school. Do I have to give it to my teacher?"

Of course I was all, "No. Just give it back and I'll BURN it. I need no validation from YOU. Hell, the publishers didn't want it why would my own child? you don't need to read it if you don't want." At which point he insisted he wanted to read it at school. I hope that gleam of crazy in my eye didn't frighten him.

On the other hand, Zach mentioned that his teacher had a copy. It's from when Alex brought it in 3 years ago. She printed copies for all the kids and had them illustrate them. She also asked if she could keep it to use with her classes in the future. Who was I to deny? It seems she'll be reading it today. Hopefully, BEFORE the parents come in. GAH! The humiliation if she were to read it while I was present - with other adults in the room. I think I may be too sick to go in.

Anyway, I was going to try to turn it into a PDF thingy or something people could download for their own kids but I can't figure out how the hell to do it. All my attempts FAILED and most of my morning WASTED. So, if you would like a copy of the "book" and you have Microsoft Publisher, leave me a comment or e-mail and I'll send you the file. If you don't have Publisher and you have an easy (read: something I'm able to do) way for me to get it to you, let me know. I figure someone should enjoy the thing. If I can't get it published, at least some of the kids can enjoy & illustrate it. Oh, and if you do print it and your child does illustrate it? I want you to send me a copy. Please.

Friday, February 10, 2006

Little Bit O'Fun



Make your own here.

(Thanks to le petit hiboux by way of Sarcomical)

Question

Please, tell me one thing you like about yourself.
I really need to know.

And if you happened to catch that last post that I just removed. I'm sorry for all the whining. Really. Please forgive me.

**Edited to add: I'm putting the last post back up now that no one will see it. I know the family won't go back and read the archives so I'm safe. As I said before, this is my record of my life and I'd like it up to look back on. No need to read it.

Weight-loss Story #3

**WARNING - Mom, Dad, Jeff - DO NOT READ THIS. I AM SERIOUS**

This isn't so much a weight-loss story (because I haven't lost in a while) so much as something this weight-loss journey has caused me to examine.

At the meeting I went to last night we were asked who we were doing this for. We all know the answer is suppose to be "me!" We were told that we must love ourselves enough to do this. We should be able to look in the mirror and say, "I love you."

The leader of our group asked a few people what they liked about themselves and I prayed - PRAYED - she did not call on me. Deep down I always liked things about myself. I may not admit them because as a teenager especially, we are not allowed to show love for ourselves. Stuck-up, full of herself, etc. were all used to keep us in check with the loving. But deep down I did. I was smart and strong and even *gasp!* pretty.

I was also stuck-up, full of myself and looked down at those small town kids who thought I was something less.

I'm not sure when all that changed. I think it may have started in college. Those were the best years of my life up until that point but they were also all about putting me in my place.

No longer one of the smartest, most creative, worldly kids in the class - I was suddenly struggling to keep up. My laziness caught up with me. I learned that people were much more adventuresome and energized than I'd ever been. And that is when I remember my bouts of depression first occurring. Of course, I didn't realize that's what it was at the time. The self-loathing that made me want to sleep or watch TV but certainly not get up and move or be social.

They never lasted all that long and the inbetween spaces were happy and fun. I was up, I was down I was hardly ever in the middle. I got an A on a project, I'll never be able to pull the new assignment off, a party, a deadline - on and on.

I moved. I moved forward. I kept going because I was STRONG. And DETERMINED. And success is only achieved by perseverance. Eventually someone would give me a break and I would prove my brilliance. Then I would think about it and realize I'd never be able to pull the job off. And panic. Then I'd relax because I didn't get the job anyway.

Then I got pregnant and married and was a mom. A good mom. I found solutions to problems and helped keep the family afloat. I had another baby and things were still going fairly well. Then another baby and things were great. Really! Or maybe I was just sleep deprived. But I was Suzy homemaker and we did crafts and projects and life was good.

Then baby #4 came along. And I had to leave my job because I. COULD. NOT. DO. IT. ALL. And we moved - or tried to - and I had a breakdown from all the stress. But then we did move and I remember nothing for a couple of years. Really. Nothing at all.

And then I was depressed. I gained more weight. I went on medication. I went into therapy. I was getting my life back. And then? I was back.

Except I wasn't. I'm not. I lost those pieces of myself somewhere along the way. The strength is gone. The smarts? Not so smart. I meet smart people all the time and I've realized - I'm not one of them. Pretty? For real? No. Not anymore. Talent? Let's just say generic.

What I know I am is lazy, a raving lunatic with my kids, a nag, annoying, broke and fat.

Am I worth the time, money and effort of losing the weight? I really don't know. My kids are worth it. My husband is worth it. But me? Not so sure. No, that's a lie. I'm sure I'm not.

What does it say about you when you honestly can't think of one thing you like about yourself other than I am here for my kids. Because a bad mother is better than no mother.

Please, tell me one thing you like about yourself. I really need to know.

And a note to my mother, father and husband... If you read this? Shame on you. And? We shall not speak of this. Seriously. Or I will change my blog address.

Thursday, February 9, 2006

Why?

... am I such a crappy wife?

For Sale

One 11 year old male.

He is short in stature, cute, blondish, blue-eyed. He is quite smart and plays the flute well (when threatened).

He knows more than anyone else (so he thinks), talks non-stop and is extremely annoying will shower attention on you.

He has recently suffered many injuries to his body but all are recovering in a timely fashion and none require medication.

He skis, reads Hebrew, plays baseball and video games. He can cause dogs to howl with the pitch of his whining knows how to take care of a dog and torture help out with younger siblings.

WARNING: It is possible he recently suffered a head injury and we weren't informed.

Wednesday, February 8, 2006

Please Ignore the Previous Post

I do not want to delete it because I want the record (this blog) to show the places I've been. But please ignore my whiney self-loathing. It's pathetic.

That is all.

Time, the Great Crusher of Dreams

I'm in that place again. I'm hoping it's just for today. Or maybe a couple of days. It's a bit dark in here.

I've been thinking about what kind of person I am. You know, glass 1/2 full, 1/2 empty, sees life as fun, as adventure, as a drag, a whiney, bitchy, nag. Anyone know what I'm saying?

I know I use to be a glass 1/2 full, life is full of adventure, let's make it fun because if we don't it won't be FUN! And an ADVENTURE! And that is just too dull for words.

Now? Now I'm more of a 'things could be worse', 'I have a really great life... Really!', 'I have no reason to complain', I'm just lazy and unmotivated and pathetic. Fun takes too much energy. Adventure takes even more energy. Dull should be my word.

But I have kids! And they are fun! And they create adventure! And we are past diapers and sleepless nights and functioning out of sheer biology.

Somewhere I lost something. I'm not sure where or when.

Was it when my dreams died? Was it spending so many years sleep deprived?

My therapist told me I'm a minimizer. I'm not a drama queen. But I've learned things can always get, or be, worse. It's best not to tempt fate. We must realize that things are good. Or they might be taken away.

Why do they teach us we can have it all? Why do they teach us work hard and you will succeed? Or happily ever after?

Why do I feel time has run out for my dreams?

Tuesday, February 7, 2006

Did We Really Want to Know?

Today on the news I saw a horrifying story. When I went to research it on Google I found many more items on this topic. I may be the last to hear about it. But! If not, I feel I should let you know what is going on.

The topic? The Cochineal Beetle. Also known as Carmine. Also known as a red dye that is in many foods we eat.

Hmmmm... not so hungry anymore.

Yes, it's true. It's in yogurt, juice and who knows what else. Will I be checking my groceries from now on? Yes. You bet. Until of course, I forget all about it and stop.

The big hoopla this week is that the FDA is considering making companies put the fact that it is BUG. JUICE. on their labels.

Yes, crushed up bugs are in our food. Ewww. That is one of those things I'd prefer to just not know. TMI anyone?

Update: The Oldest Boy

The finger is healing. The eye is healing. But he keeps injuring himself.

He's fallen down the stairs, tripped over a chair at school, and suffered various other minor injuries. Most of which leave bruises. He's starting to look like he's been beaten. His attitude has been in check though and he's been very helpful around the house. I'm not sure what this says about him. And no. I haven't been beating him.

What is with this child? I'm afraid to let him out of his room.

Monday, February 6, 2006

I have returned.

From where you may be asking?

From life.

The children are home. It's a parental torture superintendent's day at school. The children have been playing nicely all day (apocalypse anyone?) and were even quiet until around 9:30 this a.m. Not that they haven't kept me on my toes.

The wind and snow is finally doing it's wintry thing and I've decided to stay home and forgo work and Hebrew school. The truth is, I made the decision earlier when the snow was heavy and the streets were covered. Now? Now that it's time to leave the roads are clear but we are still staying home. I can work another day.

I think everyone needs a day of quiet imaginative play. Tucked inside while the weather rages out. A pajama day. Today is that day.

And for me? A bit of cleaning. A mountain of laundry. And the joy of watching the kids play together.

Friday, February 3, 2006

Open Letter to Biltmore's Who's Who People

Dear sadly misinformed people at Biltmore's Who's Who,

Yesterday I received a very curious envelope from you.

You informed me you were considering including me in your 2006/2007 Who's Who of Executives and Professionals.

Excuse me as I pick myself off the floor. My sides are hurting from the laughter.

Can we say scam? Or are you trying to taunt me? Are you just mean? Trying to shove in my face that I do not even fall into one of the mentioned categories? The only thing I'm an executive of is this house. Maybe that's what it is. Executives and Professionals of the HOME. Except I don't even excel at that.

Oh, goodness. The tears. The laughter. The exercise my stomach muscles are getting from this letter.

In closing I would ask you to do a bit of RESEARCH before mailing such letters. Unless of course you are just mean. Then by all means continue with your flagrant disregard for actual fact. In the case of you trying to scam me? Again, I mention RESEARCH. It would work much better.

Sincerely in pain from the laughter,
MoMMY

PS - Written on 8/20/2007
Another letter? Are you kidding me? Seriously?

Thursday, February 2, 2006

The Avoidance... It's Back!

Some say it's the 4's meme. Some say the 5's. I say, we'll see what I can come up with.

And yes, it's a meme. And yes, I said I don't do memes because I suck at them. But I figure 4 things? 4 things I can come up with. Maybe. We'll see.

5 jobs I've had:
1. Roll girl - yes, it's really called that. I was 14. It was a "fancy" restuarant.
2. Laboratory receptionist - one of my favorites. I got to flirt with all the cute doctors-to-be.
3. Copy shop slave - really, what is there to say?
4. Pizza maker - Ick.
5. Print shop typest/counter girl - Great job. Got to flirt with an artist living in a local hostel.
---These were all before graduating college. I could go on and on. But I won't.

3 movies I can watch over and over - I'm not really into watching movies over and over. But ones I'd planned to watch over and over and actually purchased are:
1. Shakespeare in Love
2. Garden State
3. Grease

5 places I've lived:
1. Uxbridge, MA - small town I grew up in
2. Dorm in Rochester, NY - Best time of my young life
3. Various apartments/houses in and around Rochester (including Henrietta, Corn Hill and downtown) - also great fun
4. Dorms in Flagstaff, AZ - beautiful place, odd people though I did make some great friends
5. Small town/Rochester area - where I've settled my family

5 TV shows I love:
1. Gray's Anatomy
2. My name is Earl
3. Lost
4. Alias
5. Scrubs

5 places I've vacationed:
1. Elmore State Park, VT
2. St. Louis, MO
3. Kismit, Fire Island, NY
4. Puerto Penasco, Mexico
5. Mt. Tremblant, Canada

0 of my favorite dishes:
Seriously? It's things like this that make me despise memes. I. DO. NOT. KNOW. Depends on the day, the time of day, whether I'm PMSing, etc.

3 sites I visit daily:
1. Bloglines (HA! gets me out of having to choose)
2. MoMMY (I'm nothing if not egocentric)
3. lately - ebay, MoMMY wants a new camera

5 places I would rather be right now:
1. In bed with the husband.
2. Getting a pedicure.
3. Girls' weekend (must. wait. until. June.)
4. Living in a fully renovated version of this house. (stolen from Toni)
5. Somewhere warm. With a beach. And an ocean. And maybe a frosty drink in my hand.

I'd also like to add that I do these things once in a great while because I have no about page, no 100 things, no nothing to get to know me better than what you read in my posts. So... if your not happy to see the meme? Skip it. And blame Toni. Because she said I could do it.

The Good, The Bad & The Avoidance

The good news is that yesterday was uneventful.

I had to go to a meeting for work (which I totally did not need to be at) and kept expecting the phone to ring to tell me of a near drowning (at swim lessons) or gymnastic injury that required a hospital emergency room. Luckily, there was no call. Or unluckily as the meeting was quite dull. I'm still not sure why it was indicated that I needed to attend - but, whatever. My job still rocks.

The bad news?

At the present moment there is no bad news. Here's to hoping it stays that way for more than the next 10 minutes.

The Avoidance?

My household to-do list is growing by leaps and bounds as I've been frittering my days away dealing with crisis and such. Also, more frittering of time as I'm apparently trying to avoid working on my goals of kicking my photography career up a notch. Yes, I set a list of things I need to do to try to take a step in at least one direction. I figure if this one doesn't go well I'll have to switch my attention in another direction. But still... avoidance.

Why?

Good question. Do we really want to examine why I'm avoiding this? Will it help me get my butt in gear? Maybe. So, let's begin the journey into my not-so-stable mind...

Or we could just skip it. Well, you can skip it. I shall delve in.

Step one: Call woman about possible show at local college (where I'm an alum). She suggested it back in - well, I don't remember when - but months ago. Said it was something she might be interested in doing. There are many details I need, to pursue this. And? What if she has changed her mind? Then all other steps are unnecessary.

Step two: Contact local arts council and fill out forms for a grant to produce actual work for exhibit. Because I can't afford to do it on my own.

Step three: Prepare for exhibit.

Now let's see... why am I avoiding this? Could it be because I don't want to prepare for the exhibit? No. I enjoy that work. Could it be getting the forms from the art council? Probably not. I can most likely do this online. Gee, could it be the fact I need to call and speak to a woman about my photos and risk rejection? I need to actually do this on the phone. Now, I don't have a phone phobia but personal rejection that is not in a letter or e-mail? ACK! At least with the letter or e-mail you can collapse in the privacy of your own home. On the phone? I'd have to keep speaking. I would have to know what to say. I never know what to say. (Yes, I talk a lot but I don't ever know the right thing to say.)

I must go breath into a paper bag now...

Wednesday, February 1, 2006

The Eyeball... It is Fine.

So the eyeball?

It is fine.

I may have overreacted a tad bit.

And that doctor who needed to go to a meeting so we needed to get there RIGHT AWAY?

It took about 45 minutes to see him.

While we waited, the majority of people asked what happened. They also noticed his finger.

Much laughter at my child's expense. Okay, not really at his expense but IT'S FUNNY. So? Much laughter.

The assistant found it amusing too.

I may have mentioned to the doctor that I sort of overreacted. At which point he informed me "surprisingly" many people overreact to eye injuries. Hmmm... imagine that. He said he sees this stuff all the time but most people only see it once or twice in their lives. I mentioned this is our second eye injury so I'm done - enough for one lifetime. He then proceeded to look at me like I had two heads. I'm guessing he's expecting to see me back.

The other thing he told me? The nastiness that is his eye is suppose to get worse looking before it gets better.

No. Don't worry, I won't post pictures. I realize no one really wants to see this. I did take a picture though because the boy was unable to see what it looked like. So I took a picture in the waiting room. He thought it looked as if there was a hole in his eye. He also thought that was cool. Let me repeat - A HOLE.

Calm down. There is no hole. Just a deep scratch. Guess he can't be as cool as he wants.

The whole ordeal ended with him getting a couple drops in his eye. And Whalaa! Done.

Alex has taken every opportunity to sick Tyler out by pulling his lower lid down. Tyler, the child who perpetrated the crime, has no stomach for blood. He almost vomited last night. At that point I had to stop the showing and explain to Alex that Tyler was just getting back for when Alex scratched Tyler's cornea 5 years ago. Yes, it's true. The other eye incident I mentioned. No blood though.

So now? I decree we are done with eye injuries. Unless of course the parenting Gods wish to laugh at me AGAIN.

The Parenting Gods Are Laughing

IN. MY. FACE.

It's all because of this line:

"I figure we're good for a couple more months now."

I am a foolish, foolish woman.

Yesterday the first two children arrived home. We had a full schedule of homework, cub scout work, dinner making ahead. I had it all carefully orchestrated in my mind. (See how foolish?) Homework and cub scout stuff of child #2. Then the 2 littles would arrive home and we would work on their homework. (Really, I should have seen the disaster that lay ahead.) Then I would prepare dinner. Hubby home. Eat. And child #2 would go to cub scouts. I would then put the rest of the children to bed early.

All I can say is hahahahahahaha...

What really happened?

The first 2 children arrived home. They did their homework. Child #2 was heading upstairs with me to do cub scout thingies and whack! He backhanded his brother.

Why?

hmmmm... I never asked.

Result?

Child #1 was on the floor SCREAMING. Holding his EYE.

I ran over asking, "WHAT IS WRONG?"

I'm thinking, finger? Remembering the day before's broken finger. But NO.

HIS EYE.

I finally rip move his hand to reveal...

BLOOD. DRIPPING. FROM. BETWEEN. HIS. EYELIDS.

His EYE people.

Blood.

Now I don't know about you, but it freaked me the hell out.

So now I must determine where in his eye it was coming from.

Inside lid?

Possibly.

Eyeball?

We have a winner.

It came from his freaking EYEBALL.

BLOOD.

And then the door bell rang.

No, really.

It was child #2's den leader. No meeting. He's sick. Yeah, yeah, my child is BLEEDING. FROM HIS EYEBALL.

So I pushed the man out, laughed (Because it is funny. Really. A broken finger one day and a bleeding eyeball the next - funny stuff, my life.), called the doctor, gave him a paper towel to hold his eye in place catch the blood, and then called the eye doctor.

We had to rush him in because the doctor had a meeting to go to.

I left child #2 at home, called my mother (thank GOD for her) to come over, called the husband and arrived at the eye doctors in the matter of about 7 minutes. This is also the approximate time the 2 littles were due home.

On the way there I laughed (a bit maniacally) much more and then apologized to the son. Then I laughed more. COULD. NOT. STOP. This is funny. Really. Oh, and he realized he could see fine at this point. He also said he was fine. No eye doctor needed. He's fine I tell you. To which I reply, "We shall have the doctor check it anyway because IT. IS. YOUR. EYEBALL."

And then we both laughed a little.

There are more funny bits but honestly? I need a break from the drama. I also need to shove the 2 littles onto the bus in 4 minutes and they will not get dressed.