2 year old from the living room - "I have boogies!"
Me from the kitchen - "Do you want a tissue?"
2 year old - "No! I got it!"
Me - "Ok come put it in the trash."
2 year old - "It's ok. I ate it."
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Saturday, September 29, 2007
Huh?
I go to a fairly popular women's website that features journals. It has been very interesting for me to read what other women are thinking. But there are times when I get confused. For instance...
A woman journaled about how if we don't tithe, demons will take over. It was this wild rant that made absolutely no sense. So in my weird sense of humor over all things religion, I posted back to her that this would actually be convenient for me. I can't find my Halloween decorations. So perhaps I will not tithe this October and the demons can just come to my home. She was not amused.
Here's what she wrote to me...
Subject: it may be weird when you dont know the things you need to know
Message:
it may be weird but once you go to church and become involve in it yourself and see what it really means to pay tithes and understand what you really mean than you wont know unless you ask. aint no wrong question.
Ok then.
A woman journaled about how if we don't tithe, demons will take over. It was this wild rant that made absolutely no sense. So in my weird sense of humor over all things religion, I posted back to her that this would actually be convenient for me. I can't find my Halloween decorations. So perhaps I will not tithe this October and the demons can just come to my home. She was not amused.
Here's what she wrote to me...
Subject: it may be weird when you dont know the things you need to know
Message:
it may be weird but once you go to church and become involve in it yourself and see what it really means to pay tithes and understand what you really mean than you wont know unless you ask. aint no wrong question.
Ok then.
Stroller Addiction
Ok, I admit it. Since I have become a mom, I have become addicted to the strangest things. Marketing companies do a good job of convincing us that we can't raise our children properly without certain items. Anyone remember the email of how we survived the 70s and 80s - riding without seat belts, no helmets when we rode our bikes, lead paint on our toys - yet we survived. Now, kids need to be bubble-wrapped before they go outside. I feel a bit like that with my kids. How did my parents ever raise me without a Bumbo? Or a spout cover? And I used to even touch the shopping cart!
I realize there are so many things I don't need in order to properly raise my kids. My boys don't need the latest Baby Einstein or the softest Little Giraffe blanket. But heaven forbid I don't have the proper stroller for the task in the back of my SUV when I need it!
We started out with the Jeep Stroller. This is what I registered for after trying to stroll around Washington, D.C. with my nephew in a POS stroller. I wanted a stroller that had a front wheel that turned. Not many were on the market when I started my registry in late 2003 (before I was pregnant - yes I was THAT obsessed!). I test drove this one around Babies R Us and I really thought it was great!
It has some other design features that I liked - the CD player! Hello! But the way the stroller sits, when a child drops a toy off the front, it catches on the tray and rolls into the under-basket. How convenient! Not sure if this was a deliberate feature as I've never seen that advertised, but it certainly makes for an easier life! No more lost toys, pacifiers, bottles....
The next stroller we got was the standard umbrella stroller. Every parent needs one. $9.99 will buy you a base model. Do people really spend the $70 or more to get a brand name one? Does it really matter?
The problem with the umbrella stroller is that it's not a good stroller for just anywhere. If you are going to the mall, yes. But try to walk around the neighborhood and stroll through a friend's yard to see them on the back porch. No way. Going to the park? These don't work so well on gravel. So we'd switch back and forth with the Jeep and the umbrella depending on where we were going.
I then saw a post on Freecycle for a double umbrella stroller. I jumped at the offer since I often walked with my son, my next door neighbor and her son and our 3 dogs. Trying to talk while each pushing a stroller and each walking at least dog was impossible. So I got this stroller and it was a nice change.
Apparently, people are willing to spend upwards of $600 on a double UMBRELLA stroller! Unbelievable. I guess there is still so much I don't understand.
When I was pregnant with my second son, our next door neighbors offered to let us borrow their Graco DuoGlide. I realize that I am the third person to borrow this from her, but I have some serious vents about its quality. The right front wheel falls off ALL THE TIME. Try going over the curb to get into the mall. You lift the front of the stroller up and the wheel goes rolling down the road. So you leave your children in the three-wheeled stroller to chase the runaway wheel. And have I mentioned I live in the mountains.... it be rollin'!
I also have read reports of the DuoGlide collapsing on kids although I have not been able to find any online recalls. I also don't like the fact that the kids aren't beside each other. There is nothing cuter than when the baby cries and my toddler leans over to console him. The one thing it has in its favor though is that you can put the carseat on it and not have to wake up a sleeping baby.
Then my sister in law gave me her stroller (yes, we now total 5!). She had an Instep Jogging stroller. I really like it except it's big and bulky. I have an SUV fortunately, or there is no way this sucker would be able to go anywhere with me. The front wheel doesn't swivel which means you have to get creative with turning in tight spaces. This is wider than a wheelchair and I found I couldn't fit through the aisles even at the Disney store!
The neat thing about this stroller is that it takes bike tires. $25 at the local bicycle shop got me 2 new tires installed (how cool do I feel saying that!). And you literally can take this sucker anywhere. I have been offroad on some bumpy trails and it handles well!
So all this about strollers? Have I mentioned I'm addicted? I have five. Five. And I am not satisfied with any of them completely! One will have a feature I like but then lack other things - for instance a water bottle won't fit in the cupholder of the Jeep stroller! What design wizard thought that one up?!?! Do real mothers actually ever get to design one?
On a recent visit to my mom's house, she offered to pull out the stroller that was given to her as a gift in 1985 when she was pregnant with my youngest brother. How many recalls were missed on that one? I just laughed and said I didn't need another stroller!
I realize there are so many things I don't need in order to properly raise my kids. My boys don't need the latest Baby Einstein or the softest Little Giraffe blanket. But heaven forbid I don't have the proper stroller for the task in the back of my SUV when I need it!
We started out with the Jeep Stroller. This is what I registered for after trying to stroll around Washington, D.C. with my nephew in a POS stroller. I wanted a stroller that had a front wheel that turned. Not many were on the market when I started my registry in late 2003 (before I was pregnant - yes I was THAT obsessed!). I test drove this one around Babies R Us and I really thought it was great!
It has some other design features that I liked - the CD player! Hello! But the way the stroller sits, when a child drops a toy off the front, it catches on the tray and rolls into the under-basket. How convenient! Not sure if this was a deliberate feature as I've never seen that advertised, but it certainly makes for an easier life! No more lost toys, pacifiers, bottles....
The next stroller we got was the standard umbrella stroller. Every parent needs one. $9.99 will buy you a base model. Do people really spend the $70 or more to get a brand name one? Does it really matter?
The problem with the umbrella stroller is that it's not a good stroller for just anywhere. If you are going to the mall, yes. But try to walk around the neighborhood and stroll through a friend's yard to see them on the back porch. No way. Going to the park? These don't work so well on gravel. So we'd switch back and forth with the Jeep and the umbrella depending on where we were going.
I then saw a post on Freecycle for a double umbrella stroller. I jumped at the offer since I often walked with my son, my next door neighbor and her son and our 3 dogs. Trying to talk while each pushing a stroller and each walking at least dog was impossible. So I got this stroller and it was a nice change.
Apparently, people are willing to spend upwards of $600 on a double UMBRELLA stroller! Unbelievable. I guess there is still so much I don't understand.
When I was pregnant with my second son, our next door neighbors offered to let us borrow their Graco DuoGlide. I realize that I am the third person to borrow this from her, but I have some serious vents about its quality. The right front wheel falls off ALL THE TIME. Try going over the curb to get into the mall. You lift the front of the stroller up and the wheel goes rolling down the road. So you leave your children in the three-wheeled stroller to chase the runaway wheel. And have I mentioned I live in the mountains.... it be rollin'!
I also have read reports of the DuoGlide collapsing on kids although I have not been able to find any online recalls. I also don't like the fact that the kids aren't beside each other. There is nothing cuter than when the baby cries and my toddler leans over to console him. The one thing it has in its favor though is that you can put the carseat on it and not have to wake up a sleeping baby.
Then my sister in law gave me her stroller (yes, we now total 5!). She had an Instep Jogging stroller. I really like it except it's big and bulky. I have an SUV fortunately, or there is no way this sucker would be able to go anywhere with me. The front wheel doesn't swivel which means you have to get creative with turning in tight spaces. This is wider than a wheelchair and I found I couldn't fit through the aisles even at the Disney store!
The neat thing about this stroller is that it takes bike tires. $25 at the local bicycle shop got me 2 new tires installed (how cool do I feel saying that!). And you literally can take this sucker anywhere. I have been offroad on some bumpy trails and it handles well!
So all this about strollers? Have I mentioned I'm addicted? I have five. Five. And I am not satisfied with any of them completely! One will have a feature I like but then lack other things - for instance a water bottle won't fit in the cupholder of the Jeep stroller! What design wizard thought that one up?!?! Do real mothers actually ever get to design one?
On a recent visit to my mom's house, she offered to pull out the stroller that was given to her as a gift in 1985 when she was pregnant with my youngest brother. How many recalls were missed on that one? I just laughed and said I didn't need another stroller!
On another random Saturday....
Strange day here. We had our next door neighbor come over to see if it would be possible to install ductwork in our house. He came here at 9 a.m. with another dude who never introduced himself. Only in Appalachia.
Somehow, both cats ended up in the attic. Fortunately (or unfortunately - depending on how you feel about cats), the bell collars alarmed me that creatures were up there.
I mowed the lawn because that damn Lyme Disease that inflicts my spouse would prohibit him from doing that and then doing anything else 100% for the next few days.
Dear Hubby is now at the church preaching. Ha. He's preaching. And here I am sitting watching Mystery ER on Discovery Health. A cat to my left, a dog to my right. Baby in the swing asleep and the toddler upstairs recovering from a bad cold. Tomorrow morning, the boys and I will go to church to hear Daddy. I would have never made a good pastor's wife. Seriously.... I thought, "Should I go tonight to the contemporary service?" And then flashed immediately through my mind, "Ah... fuck it."
And in case you are wondering, Steve and Rhonda have not paid their Dish Network bill this month. I'm taking a survey - should I just cancel it? Thoughts? I hope that if I tell them I want to cancel my service next time they call then when S&R go to fight it, they'll realize how annoyed I have been. Or do you think this will cause some sort of white trash uproar?
Somehow, both cats ended up in the attic. Fortunately (or unfortunately - depending on how you feel about cats), the bell collars alarmed me that creatures were up there.
I mowed the lawn because that damn Lyme Disease that inflicts my spouse would prohibit him from doing that and then doing anything else 100% for the next few days.
Dear Hubby is now at the church preaching. Ha. He's preaching. And here I am sitting watching Mystery ER on Discovery Health. A cat to my left, a dog to my right. Baby in the swing asleep and the toddler upstairs recovering from a bad cold. Tomorrow morning, the boys and I will go to church to hear Daddy. I would have never made a good pastor's wife. Seriously.... I thought, "Should I go tonight to the contemporary service?" And then flashed immediately through my mind, "Ah... fuck it."
And in case you are wondering, Steve and Rhonda have not paid their Dish Network bill this month. I'm taking a survey - should I just cancel it? Thoughts? I hope that if I tell them I want to cancel my service next time they call then when S&R go to fight it, they'll realize how annoyed I have been. Or do you think this will cause some sort of white trash uproar?
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Gluten Smluten
I have fibromyalgia and for some people, eating a gluten-free diet really helps. So I thought I'd try it out. Wow. It has truly changed my life. Let me tell you how in just one three letter word - yes.... "g-a-s."
In high school, I was the girl who could fart on command. Why was that, you ask? Because I was always holding something in. I always had the worst painful gas but constantly was pinching and holding it in. It hurt.
In college, friends took me to the ER one night because I was in agony. The ER doctor said it was gas. My lovable friend who ended up being my maid of honor at my wedding, got her strong Italian pointer finger out, pointed it right at the doctor and said, "There is no way in hell four 20 year old college students came to the ER because of gas." A week later, I ended up at my family doctor with kidney stones.
Then I had a tapeworm in college (I know... I know... stop with the digestive drama). I spent a semester in a beautiful third world country where a tiny little worm egg got into my bloodstream through a blister on my foot (damn you Tevas!) and thus began 10 months of medical mystery until Mr. Squiggles revealed himself in the T.J. Maxx bathroom in a Pittsburgh suburb.
Every evening of my life, I have had issues with gas pain. I don't want to go anywhere after about 6 p.m. because I am nervous I will let one slip. And my hubby will confirm that there is no just letting one slip then hiding. They be rank.
But now.... 20 days gluten free, my life has changed! I am not sore, I have no gas pains, my tummy no longer looks as if I am 4 months pregnant, and my husband does not mind being in the same room with me past 6 p.m. WOW!
Thank God this is a semi-anonymous blog.
Tuesday, September 18, 2007
TAG!
I was tagged for the first time in my Blog life!! Here are the rules for this Meme:
The Rules:
1) You have to post the rules before you give the facts.
2) Players must list one fact that is relevant to your life for each letter in your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name then use a name that you like.
3) When you are tagged, you must write a post containing your own middle name game facts.
4) At the end of your post, you must tag one person for each letter in your middle name. Don’t forget to comment them telling that they are tagged and to read your post to get the rules.
My middle name is Sue. Fairly boring and Midwestern. My name was supposed to be Amber Diane, but my grandmothers all thought people would call me Amy. Amy? 33 years later and I still don't understand it.
Anyway my parents were both unconscious when I was born. My dad had returned home from Viet Nam 9 months earlier (hence ME). He had seen his share of blood and when my mom was in labor with me, passed out and hit his head on a medicine tray. 26 stitches later, he decided to not return to the Labor and Delivery Room. They decided to knock my mom out for my birth as well since she had been in labor with me for 36 hours. Poor girl.
My dad's mom, my mom's mom and my mom's grandmother all assembled and decided to name me. I was this close (hold fingers one centimeter from each other) to being Ethel. They went from Amy being a horrible name to Ethel being the choice. Only in my family.
They thought about it and realized that they had to name me something that could be easily pronounced. My mom's name is Carol. But some of her fresh-off-the-boat relatives couldn't say Carol and instead called her "Carl." So I needed a middle name that the immigrant distant relatives would not confuse for a boy's name. Sue won out.
Ok on with the Meme:
S - Is for Sunshine. I was born on the Summer Solstice, so the sun has always been an important symbol to me. I grew up on a farm and the weather truly dictated our lives. (See the post where I mention my aunt and uncle missing my wedding because someone had to stay behind and take in hay.) When hubby and I were thinking about tattoos, I kept leaning toward the sun as my symbol of choice. And so, on the small of my back is a tribal sun.
U - U? Umbrella, Ukulele? Suddenly this is an unfair game. I asked hubby to name something that started with the letter U and he said "uncle." So... Uncle. I have an uncle who is quadriplegic. He owned his own construction company and fell off the roof, landing on his head in a pile of broken-up cement blocks. He fell 2 1/2 stories. This happened when I was 10 and it was a major influence in my life. I spent a lot more time with him post-accident than before. In high school and college, I went to his physical therapy and was his assistant in swimming therapy. (Yes, quads can "swim"). For a while I considered physical therapy as a career choice because of all the positive times we had together.
E - Everything. I know it sounds totally cheesy, but I try to find joy in everything.
Ok... Supposed to tag three people? How about Will Smama? And.... no clue who else!
The Rules:
1) You have to post the rules before you give the facts.
2) Players must list one fact that is relevant to your life for each letter in your middle name. If you don’t have a middle name then use a name that you like.
3) When you are tagged, you must write a post containing your own middle name game facts.
4) At the end of your post, you must tag one person for each letter in your middle name. Don’t forget to comment them telling that they are tagged and to read your post to get the rules.
My middle name is Sue. Fairly boring and Midwestern. My name was supposed to be Amber Diane, but my grandmothers all thought people would call me Amy. Amy? 33 years later and I still don't understand it.
Anyway my parents were both unconscious when I was born. My dad had returned home from Viet Nam 9 months earlier (hence ME). He had seen his share of blood and when my mom was in labor with me, passed out and hit his head on a medicine tray. 26 stitches later, he decided to not return to the Labor and Delivery Room. They decided to knock my mom out for my birth as well since she had been in labor with me for 36 hours. Poor girl.
My dad's mom, my mom's mom and my mom's grandmother all assembled and decided to name me. I was this close (hold fingers one centimeter from each other) to being Ethel. They went from Amy being a horrible name to Ethel being the choice. Only in my family.
They thought about it and realized that they had to name me something that could be easily pronounced. My mom's name is Carol. But some of her fresh-off-the-boat relatives couldn't say Carol and instead called her "Carl." So I needed a middle name that the immigrant distant relatives would not confuse for a boy's name. Sue won out.
Ok on with the Meme:
S - Is for Sunshine. I was born on the Summer Solstice, so the sun has always been an important symbol to me. I grew up on a farm and the weather truly dictated our lives. (See the post where I mention my aunt and uncle missing my wedding because someone had to stay behind and take in hay.) When hubby and I were thinking about tattoos, I kept leaning toward the sun as my symbol of choice. And so, on the small of my back is a tribal sun.
U - U? Umbrella, Ukulele? Suddenly this is an unfair game. I asked hubby to name something that started with the letter U and he said "uncle." So... Uncle. I have an uncle who is quadriplegic. He owned his own construction company and fell off the roof, landing on his head in a pile of broken-up cement blocks. He fell 2 1/2 stories. This happened when I was 10 and it was a major influence in my life. I spent a lot more time with him post-accident than before. In high school and college, I went to his physical therapy and was his assistant in swimming therapy. (Yes, quads can "swim"). For a while I considered physical therapy as a career choice because of all the positive times we had together.
E - Everything. I know it sounds totally cheesy, but I try to find joy in everything.
Ok... Supposed to tag three people? How about Will Smama? And.... no clue who else!
Friday, September 14, 2007
Why We Must All Read....
One of the great things about books is sometimes there are some fantastic pictures.
--George w. Bush
01/03/2000
--George w. Bush
01/03/2000
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Seasons Change Edition
It's Labor Day weekend here in the United States, also known as Summer's Last Hurrah. So let's say goodbye to summer and hello to the autumn. (People in other climes, feel free to adapt as needed.)
1. Share a highlight from this summer. (If you please, don't just say "our vacation to the Canadian Rockies." Give us a little detail or image. Help us live vicariously through you!) Wow. This is a tough one. We had kind of an uneventful summer since we had a baby in March. But thanks to a tick that bit my hubby, the boys and I made a lot of road trips so he could sleep in peace. So many a day trip stands out!
2. Are you glad to see this summer end? Why or why not?
I guess. Summer is really not all that much different for me than any time of the year. But I do hate heat, so I am looking forward to cooler temps.
3. Name one or two things you're looking forward to this fall.
Football. I love it have you know. Just bought a #43 jersey for my Monkey tonight.
4. Do you have any special preparations or activities to mark the transition from one season to another? (Cleaning of house, putting away summer clothes, one last trip to the beach) Hmm. Not sure. I will deflate the Monkey's pool and put it away with all the flower pots. And a bale of hay will appear by my front door soon.
5. I'll know that fall is really here when: The leaves start changing.
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