Friday Flashback: Italy 1995

Thursday Thirteen #42

Thirteen Random Things about my world this week 1. I'm having trouble writing blog posts lately because I'm keeping a very big secret right now and I stink at that. (No, I am not pregnant. No worries.) I'll spill the details on Sunday night. 2. I have bad allergies today. On a similar note, I hate Claritin-or rather, I resent it for not working very well while being the only med I can take without feeling sleepy. 3. I went on a museum field trip with Natalie's class today. I hope my co-workers and I aren't as condescending to our school groups as today's docents were to us. As our place is set up for kids, I doubt it. I hope they saw all the times I rolled my eyes at them. It was intentional. 4. I've managed to exercise every day this week except for today. Yoga was on today's agenda, have YOU tried to do it with a runny nose? Not good times. 5. In my history as PTA Pres., more kids have turned in their candy sale money this year than ever before-can I get a yay?! 6. Continuing in that vein, I finally feel like I can step down next Fall without any worries about the few things I've managed to hold together these past three years falling apart again. And that's good because...I'll be busy enough as it is. (See #1) 7. My Dad loaned me Across the Universe and I loved, loved, loved it. (Except for that funky Bono cameo which, I think, tried too hard. I did like the U2 homage at the end, though.) 8. As much as I loved it though, I'm thinking I should quit watching cheesy love stories. They make me cry and set me up for disappointment when the theatre lights come on and real life resumes. Not that real life is bad, it's just...well...real and therefore not set to music or brilliantly written by an Oscar winner. 9. My daughter Natalie really is a mini-me, Heaven help her! 10. I am never too old to be completely humiliated by my own misguided attempts at being nice. (Details to this story are available via email by request-it's WAY too embarrassing to post here-and yet way too funny not to mention at all.) 11. I had to run an errand for work last week that took me to the corner of 44th and Western. And there was that damn pharmacy where Myrtle Lodge is supposed to be. I hate CVS, just on principle. Maybe next week I'll wind up at Hwy. 9 eastbound and Four Corners so I can see the trailer park that used to be Camp Fire day camp. Since I ran that errand on the drive back to Norman, I decided to take Shields all the way back to I-35 and set my iPod to play "In My Life" because I really am one. big. dork. At least SE High School still appears to be a high school. 12. I'm going to a concert at Riverwind casino tomorrow night. I live about a mile from the place and this will be my first visit to it. 13. Our resident cat at work died yesterday. I think the last time I saw him I wouldn't let him out of the office because it was cold and I knew he wouldn't like it once he had been out more than a minute of two. It's silly, but I'm sad I didn't get the chance to say goodbye to him. He was like another co-worker there and had been there longer than any of the rest of us. He was nine years old and rather overweight, so I guess I am more surprised than I should be by this. Notwithstanding his habit of jumping on my desk when there were artifacts on it or his propensity for distracting huge groups of school kids with his presence while I was trying to teach; I'm really sorry he is gone.

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I Shouldn't Laugh But...

Caroline just put in her My Little Pony DVD with my permission. Elisa immediately began to throw a fit and start hitting her sister. As she did this she said quite plainly to her sister "No more 'effing'* ponies!! I'm gonna turn off da TV and tear it to pieces!!" ("it" being the DVD, I assume.) Then, after some chastisement by me, she told Caroline to "put you ass in bed!"

Can I just point out that Dave has been the primary stay-at-home parent with her this last year? (And that's not how I say "time for bed" even on a bad day.) For the moment, I am ignoring the bad language instead of reprimanding her and drawing attention to it, and choosing to focus on the hitting; which in the grand scheme of things I would rather eliminate first. As I type this though, I do kind of wonder what goes on around here while I'm at work.

*not really what she said, I'm being nice here.

I just found this in my Drafts folder, it was written about a year ago. Thank goodness for pre-school and Dave's switch back to the day shift. She hasn't acted out like that in a really long time.

Get to Know Me

Thanks to Alison for the meme!

Welcome to the 2008 edition of getting to know your friends!

What you are supposed to do is copy this entire post and paste it in a post that you'll write. Change all the answers so they apply to you, and then let me know that you've played along. The theory is that you will learn a lot of little things about your friends that you might not have known!


1. What time did you get up this morning? 5:45 a.m. (and I did my yoga too!)

(what happened to #2?)

3. What was the last film you saw at the theater? Juno

4. What is your favorite TV show? For now, Reaper...my "favorite" anything pretty much changes with my mood, though.

5. What do you eat for breakfast? a Luna bar and V-8 Fusion

6. What is your middle name? Louise (is there anyone here who doesn't know this one?)

7. What food do you dislike? some types of seafood, food that has been drowned in hot sauce

8. What is your favorite CD at the moment? my Notting Hill soundtrack

9. What kind of car do you drive? 2002 Red Durango

10. Favorite sandwich? turkey

11. What characteristic do you despise? insincerity

12. Favorite item of clothing? blue plaid pajama pants

13. Favorite piece of jewelry? an inexpensive pair of earrings that go with almost everything

14. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation, where would you go? Europe

15. What color is your bathroom? Blue, cream, and burgandy

16. Favorite brand of clothing? Liz & Co.

17. Where would you retire to? An RV

18. What was your most recent memorable birthday? Last year's Billy Joel concert

19. Favorite sport to watch? OU football

20. Favorite saying? "But I digress..."

21. When is your birthday? May 2

22. Are you a morning person or a night person? a night person

23. What is your shoe size? 8 1/2

24. Pets? 2 cats and a dog (Milo, Tommy, and Pablo)

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with us? The dog is pretty new, my sister and one of my best friends just found out they are expecting baby boys at the end of June and another friend had her new little guy last week!

26. What did you want to be when you were little? a mom

27. What are you today? a mom, a PTA President, and an Archivist/Registrar at a museun

28. What is your favorite candy? Again, "favorite" depends on my mood, but it is usually red licorice, Hot Tamales, or Lemonheads. Occasionally, it's also Reese's peanut butter cups

29. What is your favorite flower? yellow roses

30. What is a day on the calendar you are looking forward to? Feb, 29th (I'm going to a concert)

31. What are you listening to right now? my kids watching a cartoon and Dave checking the messages on our machine

32.What was the last thing you ate? Dinner (rotisserie chicken and green beans)

33. Do you wish on stars? sometimes

34. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? yellow-it's my favorite

35. How is the weather right now? cold and windy-ICK

36. Favorite soft drink? Diet Coke with cherry or vanilla

37. Favorite restaurant? It varies by mood-right now it's The Grapevine Cafe here in Norman

38. Hair color? light brown with blonde highlights

39. Siblings? 2 younger sisters

40. Favorite day of the year? Thanksgiving

41. What was your favorite toy as a child? A pop-up treehouse that came with a family

42. Summer or winter? summer

43. Hugs or kisses? both

44. Coffee or tea? Neither

45. Chocolate or vanilla? Chocolate

46. Do you want your friends to email you back? Yes

47. When was the last time you cried? Saturday

48. What is under your bed? plastic storage tubs

49. Who is the friend you have had the longest? Michele F. who lives in Texas (friends since we were 4, and yes I've talked to her in the last few months)

50. What did you do last night? Cleaned the living room, took Natalie to acting class, and did a little window shopping while waiting for it to be over.

51. Favorite smell? lemon

52. What are you afraid of? elevators

53. Salty or sweet? sweet

54. How many keys on your key ring? four (house, car, school store, PTA lockbox)

55. How many years at your current job? 1.5

56. Favorite day of the week? Friday

57. How many towns have you lived in? 8 (Mt. View, CA, Norman, Verona IT, Vicenza IT, Livorno IT, Rimini IT, Tucson, and now Goldsby)

58. Do you make friends easily? No, but if we do become friends you are stuck with me forever.

Music Monday

Between "Falling Slowly" winning Best Song and Diablo Cody winning for Best Original Screenplay I went to bed happy last night. And for today, I leave you with the song that's been stuck in my head since Saturday:



and the one I fell in love with last night:



Have a good Monday! (If such a thing is indeed possible.)

Just One Thing to Review Today

After hitting some all-time lows for even my pathetic personal life this weekend I feel pretty drained. I may also be coming down with a cold. And so, I've decided to fore go live-blogging the Oscars or even writing my customary Week In Review. Instead, I'll just review the one of the few worthwhile things that I've done in the last three days. On Saturday, I 'ran away' from home as I've been threatening to do and I went to see Juno by myself. Needless to say, I was in a foul mood, it was raining, and I really, really didn't want to like this movie. What I thought I would leave the theatre and write here was that this film was over-hyped and not really deserving of all its props. But, I'm afraid I can't say anything like that. The movie was adorable, quirky, touching, and very real. I think the tears started when Jennifer Garner hugged Jason Bateman as Ellen Page left the house and I laughed and cried intermittently throughout the rest of the movie. It was brilliant. I've walked around singing songs from the soundtrack since yesterday. I've got my fingers crossed tonight both for the movie and for Ellen Page tonight, even though I loved Atonement too.

It wasn't the only highpoint of my weekend. I think the Fundraiser at work went well. It turns out I don't fly as far under God's radar as I thought I did (more about that next week when it's all "official"), AND I also got to spend some unexpected time with Chris and her hubby (who shall continue to remain Anonymous here) and we even got to see The Hoff's cameo on the new Knight Rider, not to mention an episode of SNL that managed to be funny here and there. So, I guess it wasn't a wasted three days-but I've still rarely felt so giddy about getting back to my weekly routine on a Sunday evening. And now...duty calls. If I want to watch the Oscars in peace, I'd better get everyone fed, watered, and ready for bed before they start. Go Juno!

On a Break

I wanted to get on here and post my half-completed Thursday Thirteen list of all my favorite TV couples, complete with pictures. I wanted to talk about how, for the first time since I've been of voting age, none of the three front-runners for president would make me cry by winning the election. (I like some better than others, but all three are OK in my book.) I wanted to tell more funny stories about my kids. And I've got an "If I Twittered" list that's about a mile long. BUT, instead I spent my evening cuddling a good friend's new baby, getting my nails done, and my hair trimmed. Most of this was in preparation for my very busy weekend. And so, I think I'm going to have to sign off here until Sunday. Then I'll either live-blog the Oscars or post my Week In Review. Some of you can feel free to skip those posts since almost everything I watch on TV is just a bunch of crap anyway. ;>)

OK, I couldn't resist. Here are some of today's best one-liners (taken out of context, of course):

• I'm not wearing her damn apron! (Have fun with that one, Toni!)
• Sand! Yay Sand!
• Get off my ass before you run into it and I sue yours!
• But were you wearing panties? (OK that was really from last night, but still a good one to put on this list.)

If I Twittered...

Shopping for dress shoes w/o Chris, Wendy, or Lanie=NO FUN. But it IS a lot cheaper that way.

Wordless Wednesday: My Nephew To-Be (due 06/28)

The Gospel According to Tristan

Me: What's going on in this picture?

Tristan: Well, that guy in the water wants to get baptized.

Me: What about the one with the red face? Who is that?

Tristan: Oh, that's Satan. He's mad that the dude is choosing the right, and he's trying to drown him in the water.

Me: And what are Heavenly Father and Jesus doing there?

Tristan: Well...They're just waiting to see if the dude is going to fight for himself before they help him out any.

Me: I know just how that dude feels.

Music Monday

We're back to my favorite fall-back post today. So...you know the drill. Get your mp3player of choice, hit "shuffle," and list the first 10 songs that play. No matter how much they embarrass you! Then leave me a comment with your list or a link to your blog. Thanks!

Today I'm hitting shuffle on my music library while my iPod charges:

1. Lip Gloss by Lil' Mama-This one was downloaded at Natalie's request, but it's not half bad when you're sick of your elliptical trainer with several minutes to go before you can stop.
2. Pretty Fly For a Rabbi by Weird Al
3. Breakaway by Kelly Clarkson-Another Natalie selection that has grown on me.
4. If We Were a Movie by Hannah Montana-Maybe I should check and see if it's on "Library" or Natalie's iPod playlist...
5. No Good Deed by Idina Menzel-from Wicked, and I'm definitely shuffling from the whole library even though ALL of these are also on Natalie's list.
6. The Saga Begins by Weird Al-I LOVE this one so much! The Running with Scissors album is actually what got Dave and I listening to him again even though we had both been fans when we were younger. I went to this concert about 7 months pregnant with Tristan.
7. If You Believe from the Ella Enchanted soundtrack-We still seem to be pulling from Natalie's list, but this movie is one of my guilty pleasures.
8. Music of the Night from The Phantom of the Opera soundtrack-Natalie and I are going to see this in July! Yea!
9. I'll Be Seeing You by Rod Stewart-I love this one, it makes me melt. And I will be listening to all of it before I post song #10. Please stand by...
10. They Can't Take That Away From Me by Rod Stewart-Good double-play! (And it turns out Natalie had recently updated her Shuffle and had only checked the songs she wanted on there. I fixed that after song #8 with very pleasant results.) I'm off to slow-dance with Rod now.

Encore List!

OK, I just had to know what 10 songs would come up if it hadn't been limited to Natalie's favorites. So, you're getting 2 for the price of 1 (and since reading this blog is always free-isn't it quite the bargain?).

1. The Batty Bat by The Count-So now we've skipped to the little kids' playlist. (Actually, it's from my boxed set of Sesame Street songs. Who am I kidding blaming the kids?)
2. Walk Like an Egyptian by The Bangles
3. New Year's Day by U2-Yep! We're back to my music now.
4. We Are All Earthlings by the Anything Muppets-Still my music
5. Cell Block Tango from the Chicago soundtrack
6. Sometimes When We Touch by Dan Hill (from Muppets to murderers to the soft hits of the '70's. My taste is quite ecelectic).
7. We Didn't Start the Fire by Billy Joel
8. When You Believe from The Prince of Egypt
9. Landslide by the Dixie Chicks-Make no mistake, I've got Toby Keith on there too, again ecelctic.
10. Ode to a Superhero by Weird Al-Had he not written this, I might not have bothered with the Spiderman movies at all. I'm not a big Tobey McGuire fan. BUT, I do love me some James Marsden so thanks Al, I might have missed out.

OK-that's really all for this week! Let me know if you played, or played twice.

Week In Review

Reading-

SNB: A Knitter's Handbook-

I successfully finished and bound off my scarf last night and I have this book to thank for it! Next up, a scarf where I knit AND purl.

For the rest of my reading list, see the 'What I'm Reading' sidebar.

Listening-

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling-

I knew I hadn't enjoyed reading the account of Harry, Ron, and Hermione's adventure at The Ministry, but listening to it wasn't fun either. All the Muggle-borns sent to trial and Azkaban? Just awful! It is always interesting to me to note how much more WWII is part of the British psyche than it is here in America. I understand it from the generation who lived it, but Ms. Rowling is not that much older than me and it is definitely still an influence. I just thought I would throw that out there. Now it's all about camping all over England with cranky Ron. I'd say we're about halfway through the CD's.

Watching-

Degrassi-

OK, either I have completely outgrown the show or it has really jumped the shark this season. I did enjoy seeing Caitlin again and at least Jessie did fit the 'half your age plus seven' rule (barely). Is the actress who plays Ellie pregnant? I kind of wondered about that throughout the whole episode. Obviously with all the drinking she did in the episode, they aren't planning to write that into the show. I watched about three episodes this week and they each had their moments, but overall I just don't love it the way I used to-good thing the writer's strike is over.

Reaper-

Still saved on my DVR. Dave gets cranky when I watch without him, so I'm waiting for both of us to have spare time.

Jericho-

I got caught up with the older episodes on Sci Fi and started fresh with this week's new one. So far, I'm liking the older ones better. (I'm so picky this week.)



In My Netflix Queue (or whatever they're showing on DISH this week)-






South Pacific-





This is the 2001 version with Glenn Close and Harry Connick Jr. We like it when Harry sings...especially when he's shirtless. Glenn Close was probably a bit old to play Nurse Nellie, but I like the maturity she brings to the role. I really enjoy this version-we are spared the endless color washes from the earlier movie and there is more of a 40's influence in the music and costumes. I hadn't seen this since my kids were little and it was fun to have Natalie just as excited about it as I was.




The Last Mimsy-





The kids wanted to watch this. I didn't think I would like it at all until I saw all the adult actors on board (Timothy Hutton, Joely Fisher, Michael Clarke Duncan and Rainn Wilson). It was a much better movie than I thought it would be. It was clever and quirky and only annoyingly cheesy in just a few spots.

Done Whining...For Now

Just to reassure everyone who has seen or read The Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood, there was no insane beating involved with my little meltdown yesterday and the kids seem to have taken it all in stride. (YES they should help more around the house, but that doesn't justify me morphing into my mom on them-NO ONE deserves that!) Natalie and Tristan were glad to see me after school and Elisa ran from her classroom at pre-school into my waiting arms. Caroline had a great time being spoiled and pampered at Aunt M's house and Dave was more cooperative than usual at home last night. The roads are pretty slick and I'm glad I'm not stuck in some motel room by myself this afternoon (though with a good internet connection and Netflix instant view I'm sure I wouldn't be bored there). Next Friday night is our big fundraising event for work. So, I will get to dress-up, spend the evening in adult company, and last night I made reservations to stay at one of my favorites B&B's that night-it just happens to be really close to the event venue (which is the same one where my friend Lanie got married recently). If Dave is nice, I just might let him stay there with me. Unfortunately, the room was already booked for Saturday night-or I might have stayed all weekend, but I still have plenty of time to hang out in OKC after check-out. The OKC Art Museum is showing all of the Oscar-nominated animated and live-action short films next weekend, and I think that is how I will spend next Saturday evening. So, I will get a semi-decent break from the daily grind...it will just have to wait until next week. Until then, I'll just keep hanging in there.

My Life Condensed Into a Few Paragraphs

One of my all-time favorite inspirational speeches is "Lighten Up" by Chieko Okazaki. In it, she describes an overwhelmed mom of several small children who once wrote to her about how she "didn't even have time for a nervous breakdown." As a young sister missionary listening to that during my study hour, it was funny. Today, it's MY life too.

Things aren't great here at Casa Nostra ("our house"). Lots of puking, dirty dishes, laundry in so many piles I don't know what to put away and what to wash, and the usual level of whining and fighting going on all fronts. Caroline has finally stopped throwing up, but she couldn't go to school today and after my "What are we going to do with her tomorrow?" question was dismissed all day yesterday with a "We will discuss it in the morning," Dave snuck off to work extra early so it became MY problem instead of our problem. This is one of his favorite coping mechanisms and he does it in a variety of situations. It makes me crazy. Tired of watching my kids be inundated with the news images of yesterday's NIU shootings, I switched to cartoons against my better judgement. And with this distraction, no one wanted to eat breakfast, get dressed, or put on their coats-and Elisa decided it was better to pee all over herself in her clean outfit than to miss even a minute of Curious George's adventures. And that's when I freaked! I yelled at everyone, threw stuff, and burst into tears. On the way to school, I had a full on "Vivi" moment. (Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood) All I wanted to do was hock my most beloved jewelry, crawl away to a motel, and sleep for three days. (Fortunately, I have a part-time job and wouldn't have had to visit a pawn shop. Also, I have no expensive jewelry.) I alternately yelled at the kids and cried all the way to school, knowing and hating how much I sounded like my own mother. Once I arrived, I put on my happy face, collected permission slips, and counted candy money. Sometime in there, I made arrangements for my mom to watch Caroline while I was at work, and counted on 'getting the heck out of dodge' as soon as Dave got home. But, it turns out that I can't. This weekend's forecast calls for yet more ice and snow and I fear driving on that way too much to run away. Like I said...no time for a nervous breakdown. Sigh.

I guess the bad weather means I have lots of time to clean this weekend?

Giving Credit Where it's Due

So...when you have already made huge committments and your kid gets sick, what do you do? Dave couldn't take off...and I was already off work, but also previously obligated to about 6 different "volunteer opportunities" at school. You'll never believe who stepped up and took care of our little "sickie" today. Dave's Dad and Step-Mom-No, I am not being sarcastic and yes, to those of you who have known us for awhile; I am telling the truth. And frankly, we were in such desperate straits today that this pretty much makes up for everything that has happened up to this point. Maybe my kids actually will grow up with more than my mother as a grandparent after all. I am happy and still a little stunned...and did I mention happy?

Thursday Thirteen #41

Valentine's Day Checklist for PTA Moms

1. Volunteer as homeroom parent for at least one child's class-check!
2. Volunteer to bring something for every child's classroom (always fruit or veggies because I'm that mom, or rather I became her after seeing all the junk the kids ate when Tristan was in Pre-K)-check!
3. Buy Valentines for four classrooms-check!
4. Buy extras *just in case*-check!
5. Buy cute teacher gifts for each kid's class-check!
6. Take off work for the day to attend parties in three of the four classrooms (the ones at the same school)
7. Pester Remind the kids to fill out Valentines all week long-check!
8. Finally get three out of four to finish them-check!
9. Do the three year-old's for her, feeling a little sad because it's likely the last year I will ever do that for any of my kids.-check!
10. Have a teacher tell me at the last minute that there is one class without a homeroom mom who is not having a party tomorrow-check!
11. Email all the other homeroom moms in desperation and ask for help-check!
12. Get an almost IMMEDIATE response from everyone-check! (Our PTA may be small, but we can do anything!)-check!
13. Get all the Valentine's for all the kids loaded up in backpacks, ready snacks for all the parties, and get it all done before 10 p.m. only to have one child start vomiting profusely just as you are going to bed feeling good about tomorrow-check and sigh!

Oh well! Happy Valentine's Day anyway!

For more Valentine's Day Thursday Thirteens, click here!

Overheard on Tonight's Drive Home

"Mommy, when I grow up I'm going to live in Arizona. And I'm going to have a big house so you can live with me."

Sometimes, I just love that boy.

Week In Review

Reading

Atonement by Ian McEwan-

I loved the book, but even after finishing it, I still thought the movie was quite well done. It was definitely not a "happily ever after" fairy tale, but it was a very satisfying read and didn't detract at all from my love for the movie. All in all, I recommend either. (Although books are almost always better)

The rest of what I am reading is located on my Shelfari shelf on the blog sidebar (unless of course you are reading the copied and pasted version of this on my MySpace blog-then you are out of luck until I remember to copy it over there too). I can't say enough good about the SNB Knitter's Guide. While in Arizona, Anne taught me the very first, most basic knit stitch and I got started. Then, I left before I knew how to complete my project. She recommended this book to me when I emailed her about that particular dilemma and when I paid myself for cleaning Natalie's room with her Border's gift card, I picked up a copy. It's a huge help. (And Christy, I know scarves are boring, but also an incredibly good way to get lots of practice. When I finish the basic scarf, I will go on to the ribbed one, then I'll get creative from there.)

Watching

You know, I watched a ton of TV during my sick days, but remember very little about any of it. I even went to bed midway through Reaper and I really like that show. I did watch both the Democrat and Republican debates that took place before Super Tuesday, but it seems redundant to comment on them now. As it stands, I would be OK with any of the three front-runners in the Oval Office. I even like Huckabee more than I thought I did now that I've heard him speak live instead of in soundbytes-but I still think mixing religion and politics is not what we need as a nation.

At the Movies

27 Dresses

I had a horrible day teaching Primary (be ready for that sentence to recur pretty much every Sunday I spend in this calling-I'm just not a "little kid" person and do not enjoy Primary callings-this is my 3rd one since I joined the church, just for reference). Anyway, after coming home determined never to step foot in church again, I was more than happy to join Chris, Lanie, Wendy, Vickie, and Lanie's friend K (whose permission I still feel I should seek before using her name) for girls' night at the movies. (Yup-I'm a Sabbath breaker. But, I'm pretty sure I'll be at church next Sunday. And I'm also pretty sure God still likes me. Anyway...) This movie was so cute! No, it's not an Academy Award winner, but it was perfect for girls' night out. It's all about a put-upon, single gal who never stands up for herself, and I have to admit I was impressed at how mousy they made Katherine Heigl look in most of her scenes. It also featured James Marsden who I think is just dreamy (sigh)! I could really relate to Jane and therefore, I liked it even though it was just as predictable as the critics said it was. It still gets 2 thumbs-up from me and a hearty recommendation for a night out with the gals. Let's do it again, Ladies!

We also determined last night over dinner (at Alfredo's-YUM!) that while we are too old to cloudbust (Fisher King reference), we are still young enough to wear napkins on our heads (long story) and dance on bars like Jane. Thank goodness! I can live without cloudbusting, but not without acting silly with my friends. No matter how old we get.

Knitting Progress

I'm about halfway through my scarf. I'll post pictures when it's finished.

FlyLady Progress

I spent most of last week sick...don't ask.

Random Digressions

OK, so I'm still not writing the quality stuff I once thought I would when I started this blog. It's Saturday, the sun is shining, I'm feeling better, and I'm not going to worry about it. Here are a few vague disjointed thoughts that came to me over a very icky and disjointed week:

• Why did I have to be sick on the Best Day of TV ever? Instead of watching all the great musicals featured on TCM and savoring the Superbowl and all those commercials last Sunday, I only have vague memories of hearing Howard Keel, Leslie Caron, and Tom Petty singing and some fever-induced dreams of being purified to be the priestess of Avalon (yes, I do read too much Marion Zimmer Bradley) and making out with Topher Grace. Now, I've got no problem with celebrity make-out dreams, but why do mine always involve characters like That 70's Show's Eric Foreman or Steve from Blue's Clues instead of George Clooney or Brad Pitt? What's up with my subconscious mind? We'll just blame the 102 degree fever.
• Was it also absolutely necessary to be sick on the two warmest, sunniest days we've seen here in Oklahoma only to recover in time for the cold and clouds to return? Especially when I needed to clean out my car? Apparently so.
• "You just rest up and feel better" is husband-speak for "I'll let the kids run around in dirty clothes and uncombed hair while the sink overflows with dirty dishes and the laundry all gets stacked knee-deep in the pantry until you feel up to washing, folding, and combing hair again." This is very similar to the "I've taken off the rest of the week so you can rest" reassurances I used to get each time we brought home a new baby. At least it's a consistent message.
• Why did I continue to feel awful and have no appetite for two days after I was actively done with the stomach part of the virus while my three year-old was hungry and running in circles within a few hours?
• I second-guessed on Wednesday whether or not staying home from work was with right thing to do on Monday and Tuesday. Then, I realized I remembered very little about Monday or Tuesday and decided it must have been the right thing.
• I think it's funny how most conversations I've had with my friends and co-workers since I've been better have all centered around how sick we have all been complete with symptom descriptions-usually at the lunch table at work and at last night's Valentine's dinner at church. My favorite is the common theme of "Did you get to the 'clutching your stomach asking God to die' stage?" (And yes, we all did.)
• So far, the other three kids haven't caught the dreaded illness (though two of them have the other coughing crud that's going around)...but it hasn't stopped me from following them around with empty trash cans JUST IN CASE. I'm not breathing any sighs of relief yet...I feel more like I'm watching ticking time bombs. (And I could have sworn Miss Wisabus' prediction of 16 hours was right on the money. Now I'm thinking Kelly's 'one-at-a-time' theory might be the one.)
• But, any week that ends with me weighing 1.5 lbs. less, feeling like I really got something accomplished at work on the days that I did go, enjoying a visit from an out-of-town relative (one of my cousins), planning in earnest for FRED 2008, and a eating a free meal with friends (church social last night) has got to have some redeeming value to it.
• But seriously...Topher Grace?

Thursday Thirteen #40

I will be the first to admit that blogging this week has been sub-par. So, for this week's TT, I present 13 reasons why:

1. Two words: stomach flu (it's first on the list for a reason)
2. Whiny kids-nothing inspires good writing less than this, the weather will improve and they will rally, but for now...
3. Natalie's extracurricular activities are at critical mass: Mon-Theatre class, Tues-After-school piano lessons (I have PTA Exec. Board meetings once a month at the same time, so at least that works...) Wed-Valiant Girls (church group that meets bi-weekly, teaching them is part of my new calling so I would have to do this anyway), Thurs-Recorder choir practice after schoot, Girl Scouts after dinner. Tristan has bowling on Saturdays and Caroline does Daisy scouts concurrently with Natalie's Girl Scouts in Thursdays. We will eventually cut back on some of these...but not 'till the end of the school year.
4. Dishes that won't wash themselves and laundry that just sits unless I tell it where to go. (Lazy clothes!)
5. Harry Potter Book 7 on CD is more entertaining than anything I have to say.
6. Super Fat Tuesday (I'm sure I'll have more to say on this in future posts)
7. Working 5 days a week instead of 2-good for my bank acct., bad for my attempts at keeping the house clean.
8. Updating my moods on my MySpace page (I may have to download something similar for the blog-it's strangely addictive)
9. Reading other people's blogs (My Bloglines subscription is up to 88) and a couple of recommended books
10. Knitting (seriously), I'm 1/4 finished with my first scarf. (One of the recommended books was SNB: The Knitters Handbook)
11. Foregoing email and actually talking to a few of my friends live and in person, or at least by phone.
12. Visiting Aunt M (and dropping Elisa off with her for the day-my mom was there and Aunt M LOVED it!)
13. Watching the new Care Bears DVD with the kids over and over and over...(John, I would buy it for your rugrut just to be annoying-but there is NO CARE BEAR STARE in the new version! What the heck were they thinking? And without that, I just can't bring myself to pay for another one.)

Hopefully next week's blogging efforts will be more productive. For more Thursday Thirteen's, click here!

How Jedi are YOU?!

Why blog when there is fun stuff like this to do?!


how jedi are you? :: by lawrie malen

Thanks Army of MOM!

Wordless Wednesday

Let the Fun Begin...

Elisa was just sent home from preschool because she is throwing up...anyone want to lay odds on how long it will take for the other three to get sick?

Super Tuesday

As an Independent, I won't be voting today-but I hope every registered Republican and Democrat does...If you are still undecided-try this! (Just don't take it too seriously. I'm still for Obama!)

Who You Should Vote For

Hillary Clinton: 67%Barack Obama: 60%Ron Paul: 47%John McCain: 40%Mike Huckabee: 40%Mitt Romney: 27% Who you agree with on the war in Iraq: Ron Paul Who you agree with on the economy: Mike Huckabee, John McCain and Ron Paul Who you agree with on health care: Mike Huckabee, John McCain, Ron Paul and Mitt Romney Who you agree with on taxes: Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton Who you agree with on abortion: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama Who you agree with on gay rights: Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama

Who Should You Vote For?

Stomach Virus

So far, it's just me who has it and that is MORE than enough.

Weekly Winners 01/27-02/02 2008

And a good time really was had by all...here's a blow-by-blow of the 'big par-tee'

Do I really have to get up this early on a Saturday?

But look! It's my favorite breakfast...


OK, I skipped the Advil and chased the vitamin with this instead of the Diet Coke-I'm such a good girl!

But enough about me...here's the birthday girl!

And her crazy cousin (they were born less than three months apart and have always been the best of friends)

Decorating cookies


Blowing out candles

My Favorite Picture(s) of the Day


The 'Don't Give the Camera to Your Husband' Pic of the Day

But it's all good because, as it turns out, 35 isn't fatal (I was excited to finally look good in this sweater. I bought it 10 lbs. ago and only now do I feel good about wearing it.)


For more Weekly Winners, check out Sarcastic Mom's blog! (And thanks to her for being such a rockin' hostess!)

It's Almost Time for the Big Par-tee!

(If you've ever been subjected to watched The Wonder Pets, you will get the title reference)

In two hours, my house will be filled with several 5 and 6 year-old girls, many of their mothers, some older and younger cousins, my sisters, parents, and grandparents. As I learn every time I start cleaning, decorating, and preparing food for such an event; if I want something done, I need to do it myself. Oh well. It will all be worth it in the end. (Yeah, just keep telling yourself that!)

Slip-Slidin' Back Home

About thirty minutes ago, I left this on my husband's voice mail:

"Hey Dave, the driveway is a little slick this morning. I've tried a few times to get out, but we keep sliding backwards. I'm going to try using the kitty litter for traction-call me back if there's something else that works better."

About twenty minutes ago:

"Uh Dave, we're all out of kitty litter. I still can't get the car to move much further and now we've slid to where we are almost up against the house. I don't want to hurt the house or the car. I'm going to keep trying. Let me know if there's something else I should do."

About ten minutes ago:

"It's me. There's no more kitty litter. I got halfway up the drive, and then we fishtailed into the evergreen tree by the house. I'm taking the kids back inside and we're not going anywhere until I can get my stupid car out of the effing driveway."

This does not bode well for the rest of my day today...

UPDATED at Noon to add:

The ice is mostly melted off the driveway. Unfortunately, in my efforts to get out this morning, I managed to bury one of my back tires in the mud when I slid off the driveway and into our yard (precariously close to our house, I might add). Now, it is stuck up against our blacktop drive with nothing but the slimy mud as 'traction' to get it back onto the driveway. Apparently, we aren't going anywhere today. Dave and I just had a ten-minute discussion on whether or not my car had rear-wheel drive. (It does, that's why I'm always screwed at the first sign of slippery weather.) Either way he is stuck at work and unable to help. Which is really no big deal as I'm not sure having him here would improve my mood very much. I am stuck at home and about to cry from frustration. Oh, and now I have big, ugly, muddy ruts in my front yard. At least it's Friday.

UPDATED at 2:00 p.m. to add:

I liberated my car!! The problem was definitely where the back tire was stuck in the mud because there was no ice whatsoever left on the driveway. Tristan came outside and praised me and I hope I taught the girls that they didn't need Daddy to take care of a problem with the car. (Though he probably could have extracted the car more quickly than I did thanks to all his humvee experience in the Army.) But at least I've got a car again. 45 minutes before school lets out...but whatever.