May the Force be With Him

So Goober has turned into a super Star Wars geek. Which isn't such a bad thing. I like that he has something that he enjoys, not because all the other kids do, but because he himself likes it.

For Halloween I have to figure out how to make him Darth Vader and have it be school friendly (aka no mask and minimal makeup). So that should be a challenge.

Here is a snippet of our dinner conversation this evening:

Me (talking to Jer): Yeah, the kids watched Star Wars today, you know, the one with all the snow.

Jer: ahhh you mean Hoth.

Um, yeah, like I would keep track of the names of the planets! :P the one were Luke is WAY whiny... oh wait. That would be all of the older ones...

At this point Goober pipes up....

Goober: Yeah, Degobah.

HOLY CRAP! My FIVE year old knew the STAR SYSTEM.... should I be worried? I dunno of I should be impressed or worried... awwww crap! I think I should be impressed... how many kids would pick THAT up... he hasn't even watched it a kigillion times.

Oooo Somebody LIKES me! :)

Becky and FluffyChicky tagged me! So I guess I'd better get runnin :)

Random and/or weird?! Ok, I think I've got this :)

1. When I was in college I once stopped and gave a hitchhiker a ride. (it was totally raining, I felt bad for him... and he was skinny and I figured I could take him if I had to... ) I was old enough to "know better" and he was a hippy. Totally smelled of something suspicious, I told him he had better not have any on him, and he said he didn't, I had suspicions but I gave him a ride anyways. He was really weird.

2. Once when I was about ten years old I road my bike about 5 miles to a friends house. If that doesn't sound too bad, I did it to "show" my big sister I would. She was supposed to be watching me and when I asked her to drive me to my friends house she refused... I pestered the CRAP out of her till she got SERIOUSLY annoyed and told me if I wanted to go so bad I should just ride my bike. So I did. Yes, I was a serious PUNK as a kid. (Sorry Win!)

3. I got a navel pierce right after I met Jer and suckered him into getting a pierce too, you know, for SYMPATHY pain. :) BTW both of our piercings are now no more... besides I don't think navel piercings and being hugely pregnant three times would work too well :P

4. I'm way paranoid about window wells :) Check out #3 on that post, I think it pretty much sums up that weirdness....

5. I had about a billion animals as a kid and absolutely loved it, but now in hindsight totally pity my mother for having to go through that!!! 4 horses, 2 cats, 2 birds, and a dog all at the same time would put ME into the mental hospital. SERIOUSLY. My mother is totally wonder women. And my kids will be lucky to have ONE animal at a time... poor poor depraved children!

6. I'm a total perfectionist as far as cleaning goes. So I just don't do it most of the time. That's right!!! Because I can literally take up to three hours cleaning one bathroom. I just don't know when to stop. So, instead of cleaning I now flutter my eyes at Jer and say something to the effect of "oooooooh maaaaaaaaaan, I reeeeeeeaaaaallly need to clean the bathrooms.... SIGH." Then if that doesn't work, I ask him to do it for me the next day while I wipe the counter.

7. I had like fifty kagillion nicknames as a kid. Mostly from my dad :) And some of them were really strange. Let me list some m'kay? (this may enlightened you about some of the names on the poll.) K, here goes.... Pril, Pearl, Aprillium, Scrapper Belly (and alternately "Scrapper" or "Belly"), Scrapperillium, Wretched Child (in response to "Old Man"), Little Retard Girl (here's a nod to my oldest sister!), Egg roll, Apes and many more that I can't think of at the moment.... Seriously!? How many nicknames can a kid have? :D

KK and now I get to touch some peoples lives! Woot.

1. Erika (cause she helped me think of some of these... HAHAHA teach YOU to help a friend! )

2. Arin

3. Rachelle

4. Nat

5. Kar

6. Stephanie

7. And last but NOT least! Melissa!

WOW

Well, the House of Representatives has voted down the $700 Billion plan to bail out the economy.

Personally, I'm conflicted on this issue....

Now what?

PS On the same topic. You know how all the media is trying to freak you out with the whole "Largest One Day Point Drop EVER!!! 777 down on DOW!" Well, make sure you understand that the stock market is a lot larger than in the past. It was NOT the largest percentage drop ever. It fell 7% today compaired to the drop in 87 that was 20.5%. Though the headlines are dire, be sure to check out the articles. Sometimes the headlines are misleading. My figures are from here.

Changing MY Bloggy name....

Who knows to what though! Too many times I go to comment on one of those MEGA readership blogs and there is already an "April" that has commented. I know, I know... nobody reads those comments anyways... right?

But what if they DO?

And what if it's all confusing?

I know, such important things to think about! NOTHING could be more important... right? :P

Anywho... I have some weird ideas for bloggy names, but really, who's good at naming themselves... right? So I have a poll up on the sidebar (right side). go VOTE on it... or if you have a better idea leave me a comment on this post :)

Ewwwww Politics

Ok, so last night I watched the presidential debate. Interesting. I don't think anyone really hit it out of the park. There was a lot of facts without the whole story on both sides of the debate.

Example: Comments about Henry Kissinger and supporting communication between America and other less desirable countries. BOTH candidates were right. Obama said that Kissinger supported communication with countries like Iran (true), while McCain said Kissinger didn't support presidential communication without preconditions (true). Both of these statments can be true at the same time. Um what are we disagreeing about HERE? They seemed to agree on more things than they disagreed on, but put it in kind of a combative way. What is that all about?

While I've been keeping track of the political campaigning (which doesn't seem to focus on a lot of the issues) I've noticed that most of the bloggers I come across are for Obama. They seem to really focus on Palin and her drawbacks. Saying things like "this is why she scares me". Which is fine. They are allowed their opinion. As am I. So here is my two cents.

This is why he (Obama) scares me:

If you watched the debate did you notice that to almost every question he was asked his response included adding programs. Even when asked what things he would drop due to the economic crisis his answer involved programs we needed to add. (BTW neither candidate said much as to what they would drop, outside of McCain mentioning the possibility of considering a spending freeze on all non essential programs). The thing I don't get... as a fiscal conservative is this. How can he honestly pay for all of these programs without taxing the middle class more? Especially when the rich know all the loopholes. If you tax them more, they will just be more bent on finding loopholes to get out of it. And they will find them. Because our tax system is jacked up.

To sum it up +++programs canNOT = no increase in taxes to the middle class. And Adding increased taxes on just about everyone seems like it would be economic suicide in the current situation. Possibly leading to more serious issues, cause lets face it, the economy effects everything. It just doesn't make any sense to me. So if someone can explain how this could possibly work ... I'm all ears.

Er... eyes.

Er WHATEVER.

I'd be happy to read it and try to be open minded :)

Little Li bloggy name change.

KK, so now that I have had time to get to know Little Li better :) aka as in more than just a couple of days (when I first posted about him) I've decided to change his blog name. No longer shall he be known as "Little Li" but as "Energizer Bunny". The kid is constantly going! CONSTANTLY. Till the battery runs out... then he crashes hard. So it seams to fit :)

Fight or Flight?

Ok, so everyone knows what I'm talking about when I say "fight or flight" right? You know, the response to being scared snotless? Some people punch their spouses in the nose when they sneak up behind then to lovingly tickle them... other's run away like the energizer bunny on crack. Supposedly it has something to do with adrenaline or some such nonsense.

Well, I think my body missed the memo.

I do neither.

That's right. Maybe my body mutated back to before all of this "survival of the fittest" stuff. Cause you know what happens when I get scared? DO YOU KNOW?

I freeze.

That's right. Kinda like one of those spasmatic goats. 'Cept I don't tip over... I just stand there frozen. (please, oh please don't try to scare me and tip me over... I know cow tipping is fun. April tipping induces rage issues) :D

Kid falls down the stairs= me frozen at top of stairs.

Jer luckily got the genetic memo. When a kid falls down the stairs he is at the bottom BEFORE they are. Totally jumps ALL THE WAY down the stairs and sometimes catches them as they reach it. He's like superman, but instead of leaping tall buildings in a single bound... it's stairs, and he's REAL. That's kinda nice :)

Glad HE got the memo!

What do you do when something startles or scares you?

Protecting Your Kids

Granted I'm still relatively new to this whole parenting thing. I admit I'm naive and downright clueless about a lot of things. But if there is one area I desperately hope I succeed in, it is that of sex education. And yes, I've started teaching my kids already.

Wait, wait, wait, ....

Now before you freak out! I'm most definitely NOT teaching them about the whole shebang yet! I know my kid are WAY too young for that! But here are some of the things I have discussed with them... and need to again, and again, and again....

1. Our family Doesn't Keep Secrets: I know this rule may sound kinda extreme to some of you, but let me explain. SURPRISES are fine. Christmas, Birthdays, Surprise Parties, etc... but if someone tells my kids a "secret" then they need to tell me ASAP. The main purpose of this rule is to help protect them from sexual abuse. It does have a nice side effect though! If a friend is trying to get one of my kids to brake a rule and "keep it a secret" or "not tell mom and dad" SWOOSH (By the way, that is the red flag going up!) Then they need to tell mom and dad. End of Story.

2. We talk about "Good" touching and "Bad" touching. Good = hugs, pats on the shoulder, etc while Bad = hitting, kicking, and touching of private parts. And about what needs to happen if "Bad" touching happens... aka scream, and run away, tell mom and dad. (since Goober is in school now I need to modify this to include teachers) I usually try to remember to talk to them about this during bath time.

Just tonight I was looking around at all the different blogs I like to check out and jumped on over to Feminist Mormon Housewives... which has a great post on this topic and some great comments to that post as well. If you read the post, PLEASE read the comments. I have linked the post to the words "great post" right above, for those of you who are new to all of this blogging business. :)

I am now going to add a couple of new things to my list of things I need to be teaching my kids RIGHT NOW. And remember, my oldest child is 5 years old. Not very old at all.

The new things are:

Teach that "Bad" touches also shouldn't be done to others. And that if ANYONE (including mom or dad) does a "bad" touch you can also tell Grandma or Grandpa, or a teacher, etc etc.

I also need to be a lot better about privacy with my kids. We are currently working on this. It's been difficult until recently due to the amount of potty training that had been going on. But I think it should be starting to work a lot better now :)

I thought one of the commenter's ideas was wonderful and I plan on using it. On how to teach your children about abusers. I'm going to paraphrase here ... "abuse is a type of bullying. Some bully's hit and kick. Some bully's name call and say bad things. And some bully's touch private parts. All of these bully's want to make you afraid, and in every case you need to tell a grown up (aka mom and dad or a teacher etc etc)." I would hope a trusted grown up is near by when it happens. (cause bullying will happen) But even if you haven't told... even if it happened forever ago. TELL A GROWN UP.

Anyways, as I read the post I thought it was important to remind all of you to continue to educate your kids so that they can be safe. I know I get caught up in the every day things and tend to grow lax once in a while. This was a great reminder for me in this area!

Please remember that even if you think your kids are safe from this sort of thing... so do most parents of abused children until they find out, sometimes years later.

Please let your kids know how much you love them, educate them.

How many adults does it take to walk a kindergarten class somewhere?

Yes, this picture is fuzzy. Yes, my camera is fine. Can you imagine having a flash go off in a gym full of a WHOLE school full of children in the middle of a puppet show? Knowing my kids the whole school would have instantly gotten up and ran as fast as they could to ask if they could see the picture. :D

Anywho, today I went and helped Goobers class walk to the other (larger) elementary school nearby to go to said puppet show.

How many adults would you think it would take to walk 17 kids (only counting Goobers class) about 4 blocks distance? 3? 4? 5?... Well, we had 7 or 8. Just about everyone was able to hold an adults hand if they wanted :) Cute kids, but a little coddled sometimes. :D

The mysterious ways of sleep.

Ok people. I went to bed at 9:30 last night. NINE THIRTY! That is freakin EARLY. Granted, I had a massive headache, which prompted me to skip a hot bath (which I usually do in the event of a headache... because I am a bath person. Really, ask my parents. I can stay in the tub for HOURS with a good book) And for your info I usually go to bed around 11 or possibly 12.

So my question is this: WHY AM I STILL TIRED!?!?

Oh Sure!

So right as I blog the deepest blog of my life (counters, usually deeply buried in misc stuff)... guess who gives me this beauty? Nat! Yay.... love you too girl!

KK, rules:

1. The winners (whom I dictate... HAHAHA I have the POWER!) put the sticky sticker of uber stickiness up on their blog to say "Look at me! Look at me! I'm COOL... or at least someone else thinks so!"

2. Then they get to link back to me. Because I'm cool and I want some credit!

3. Then they get to nominate 7 of their own winners! Spread the love baby!

4. Then leave a little note on the chosen blogs so they aren't left in the dark. :)

And My Picks are....

1. Becky at On top of the world (or at least really far north). I went to high school with her... haven't seen her in forever, but still think she is great! I love her Therapeutic Thursdays! :D

2. FluffyChicky at It is Mostly Fluff... Again, someone I went to high school with. I love the fact that she is so real and wants to strangle children sometimes... JUST LIKE ME! :)

3. Sue at navel gazing at it's finest. The thingy said NOTHING about knowing the person in real life! I don't know her in real life. But I adore her blogginess. She is the QUEEN of blog. mmmm ... that doesn't sound to flattering, does it? But she can brighten my day anytime with her blog because she has more talent in her left pinky toe than I have in my brain! Who knows, she's probably received this like fifty kajillion times. She rocks THAT much!

4. Holli at Holli's Blog. Cause she is always so positive and takes such CUTE pictures.

5. Jeremy at Overpowered and Underused... cause he's my hubby and I love him even if his blog IS underused... and kinda lame :) But props for being my main squeezy anyways! :)

6. Jamie at Jackie & Kassie's Sweet hairdos. Again, don't know her but LOVE LOVE LOVE her blog. Anyone with little girls that need ideas for doing their hair... THIS IS THE PLACE!

7. Melissa at Chelsea Chronicles. Another high school friend. So cute. She has a really uber cute family, and she has the struggles with cooking as I do!! Wish she and her family lived closer.

K, So I did that in a totally random order. Just so you know. :D

Well, ummmm

At least the counter is clean! And a couple of other things. Thanks to Jer (who is a total stud and cleaned the bathrooms and vaccumed the whole house.) But me? What did I do? Oh. I wiped off the counter... yeah, um, that's a lot... right? (help me with my justification here people! I know you have days like this too... )

Once Upon a Time....

....everyone thought I was nuts. Actually, I'm not really sure they don't still think I'm nuts! Heck, I think I'm nuts most of the time... I grasp at my sanity on a daily basis. Though many who don't know me really well (which is most people) probably think that I'm one of the most boring people they know. Little do they know! MWHAHAHAHA. (cough cough) Anywho, back to my story.

Let me back up further. Sorry, this is going to be a bit long :)

I was in college once. Really I was! And I had no boys that were interested in me. True story. None. At least none who were brave enough to let me know it, and actually take me on a date. Which would have been fun, cause as much as I liked my college roommates (which in some cases was a lot) I would have loved to have someone interested in me around. Come ON! Every girl finds that at least a little flattering even if they aren't interested in the guy in return. Maybe some of the problem was that girls outnumbered guys by about 5 to 1 at my college. I Got To Spring Without My Ring! Wish I could have gotten my tuition back... that would have ROCKED.

Believe it or not, I was NOT heartbroken about getting through a church school without getting married. I just would have liked to have a little insy bit more fun :)

After getting my Associates Degree I decided I was going to go on a mission. I had been thinking a little about this since I was about fourteen years old. What a great adventure. Yes, a hard adventure... but a good one none the less. Right? So, I proceeded to get my mission papers and fill them out. In fact, I got them all the way filled out. Yup, I was going to do it! I was going to go on a mission. Good for me! YAY.

I was excited, can't you tell!? No, really! I was!

Well, My birthday came up... and for some reason I didn't feel like turning those papers in. Even though I had told my WHOLE FAMILY I was going to go on a mission. No kidding. Grandparents and everything. I decided I just needed a summer to hang out and play. I decided I really liked my own company. I liked who I was and I was going to have a little fun before I left on that good ol' mission. As excited as I was to go, something was holding me back.

Well, In July I found out just what that was.

July 1st I met boy... a boy who was INTERESTED IN ME! (or at least I thought he was.) I remember telling my mom "I met a really great guy, and I'm NOT introducing him to my friends till AFTER he has made up his mind on ME!" (can you tell I had issues with friends "stealing" the boys I liked? I mean... come ON! They were supposed to read my mind and know who I liked so that they wouldn't steal them... cause I definitely wouldn't tell anyone who I had a crush on unless it was PRIED from me!)

This boy was cute. And he was quirky. And he was nice. And he was an insy bit nerdy. I know that sounds kinda bad... but Risk? Risk is NOT a party game and he adored the thing! But by this I knew that he had absolutely no problem with who he was and what he liked. He was confident in the person he was.

Four days later (4Th of July) he invited me to go to a family function with him. Cause we had way to much fun together and, lets admit it, spending the day apart would have been boring. (We didn't like to be apart for too long. :)

Within the month he asked what I would say if he asked me to marry him. Wow, that was fast! Marry him?! I hardly even knew him! I said no.

And I said no...

And I said I don't know...

And then I said yes! Then I asked if that was a proposal. Cause it was kinda lame and he hadn't talked to my dad or anything. And he needed to do it "officially" with a ring... and on his knee... and boy was I picky! :) Oh man...... what was I going to tell my grandparents about my mission plans!?

Well, August 4Th he asked me to marry him "Officially" after talking to my dad (who by the way was a little bit freaked out. I mean... who did this kid think he was?! Asking me to marry him so soon.) When he asked fireworks went off.

No seriously! Someone lit illegal fireworks near where we were at and no, it was NOT PLANNED.

We set a date. November 17Th. Thanksgiving Break. Good time to get married, eh? Heck everyone already thought we were nuts for getting engaged so quickly... better give it a couple of months to sink in. Right? Right!? .... mmmm no. Not right. We moved it up. HAHAHAHA

We already knew we were going to spend the rest of our lives together... so why not? (keep in mind this is an enamored, in love, couple who hadn't heard too many marriage horror stories yet... I mean.... really? how many of those stories do you hear by the time you are 21? You're practically a teenager!)

September 22ND it was. And that is what it stayed.

That beautiful Saturday morning I got married to the man of my dreams... even though the world thought we were Nuts (with a capital N). And boy am I glad I did... cause I'm sure if I hadn't that someone else would have snapped him up quick and I would have been sore out of luck.

I mean, come on! How many guys have no issues with helping to clean the house? or change diapers. Or cook. And how many realize that when his wife is grumpy it's time to help her to clean the house because that is probably what is overwhelming her. And how many know that when she blows up over something it will soon be over, and she'll be sobbing on his shoulder about how much she loves him... and then he'll be done with that whole bit for at least a month. :) Gotta love those hormones, eh?

And how many guys would call their mom to see if she could take the kids for a night and most of the next day just so that his wife could have a chance to sleep in for a change. (that is what he did this last weekend for an anniversary present... which was so much nicer than anything he could have bought!) I was afraid that my kids had broken my ability to sleep in! When I woke up at ten a.m. I was really relieved that wasn't the case! (the silence was really a pleasure too!)

After seven years of marriage and three children I have NEVER regretted marrying him so quickly. Never.

Call me NUTS, I still love him just as much... and you know what? I'm still bored when he isn't around :D

And Jer? I still love you so much it hurts... and I could never imagine my life without you.

- Your Wifee

My Favorite Late Night Comedian

And he was my favorite BEFORE this monologue. I adore Craig Ferguson. here is his thoughts on politics and voting. And GUESS WHAT? IT'S NOT AT ALL PARTISON! Yay for Craigypoo. This is about 9 min long but Sooo worth listening to the whole thing. This is SO how I feel.

The Shunnage Has Begun.

Ok, See that cute kiddo up there? Yeah that one. Do you think he would give his mom a kiss if she asked? Do you? You do? Well you would be WRONG. Very, Very WRONG.

Today as I'm sitting at my computer he came into the office to tell me something. As he was about to leave I thought (no kidding!) "I'd better get as many smooches off of this kid as I can before he decides to stop giving them to me", You know, cause kissing mom is Soooo EMBARRASSING!

"Goober, can I have a kiss"

He looks as me suspiciously.

"Sweetie, can you give mom a kiss?"

He starts to back up.

"Goober!"

He backs out of the room.

I admit, I had to chuckle. What a Goob. Within 3 minutes he came back and gave me a kiss then proceeded to ask if he could play "Hungry Hungry Hippos" while Little Li was still asleep for his nap (I don't want Li to eat the marbles.... ugh). My response?

"Oh, SURE.... now I only get kisses when you want something huh?"

He proceeds to smile sweetly, then starts to giggle.

What a funny kid.

Pleeeeeease.....

Ok, look at left sidebar.... see that little "Followers" thingy. CLICK IT.

Are you Clicking?

I hope your clicking.... man your taking foreeeeeeeeever.

mmmm, FINE be that way!!!

I'm gunna go gorge myself on ice cream now Thank You Very Much!

(did you click it yet? ....don't MAKE me grovel... it isn't pretty.)

Why I'm So Warped or "I Hurt When You Hurt"

Overall my childhood was a pretty good one. I grew up in a good family with parents who loved me and did what they could for me. I might even say I was spoiled in many ways... Yes, my dear sisters, I admit it! I think most of it came from the fact that my parents were better off by the time I came around and was growing up than they were when my sisters were young. Anyways, to my point. I had a good childhood, but I had my challenges too. Just like every other kid, I guess.

When I was in early elementary I had issues with keeping up with my class, thank goodness I had a wonderful teacher who spotted it and was willing to help me as much as she could. She communicated well with my parents to help them understand what was going on and therefore, when we moved to another school right before my 5Th grade year my mom and dad knew what needed to be done and got the new school to work with me as well. By the time I entered junior high I was caught up and actually ahead in some subjects. Yay for good teachers!

That of course was not the sum total of my hardships. Some of those stay with me to this day, in the back of my mind making me question myself and others, but that is for another day.

You see, when I moved into our new home in the fifth grade I didn't have any friends (like most kids when they move to a new neighborhood and a new school). I of course did my best to make friends quickly so that I wouldn't feel so alone (which by the way is the worst feeling in the whole world in my book). The first kids I met were on the street I lived on. There was only one boy in my grade that lived on our street and you know how elementary school kids feel about the other gender. BLECH! So I made friends with kids younger than me. Two girls in particular. They were pretty fun to play with even if they were two years younger than me... I mean, beggars can't be choosers, eh? At least we had fun.

For a while.

Then one of them decided she didn't like me so much anymore, and when we had been playing happily for a while and the other girl came around she would tell me that she wanted to play with "Anna" alone. (yes I changed her name for those that may know her) Basically she dismissed me. I wasn't wanted around anymore so go home.

I didn't have any other friends yet.

Oh did that hurt.

I can't tell you how badly. There just aren't words to convey how cutting it is to feel unwanted.

My mom did her best to comfort me. She told me I didn't need them anyways. The thing was though... I did. I needed friends. After a while of trying to "just deal with it" and getting hurt over and over again I finally decided that what mom said was true. I didn't need them.

Granted this time in my life passed, I made new friends when school started and went on my merry way (so to speak).

I look back at that time and remember my mom telling me "I hurt when you hurt!" or "this hurts me too" ... as a kid I never really got that. I never really understood until recently.

Actually I never fully understood till this week.

Because this week, my son was excluded. Oh man, does that hurt. But you know what? When I told him "If they don't want to play with you, they aren't your friends. Can you find another friend to play with?"

Guess what?

HE DID.

Parenting Advice Needed

This morning I got a call from the Principal of Goobers school. Apparently Goober had an incident with another student (whom I know) and the other little boy ended up going home because he got a goose egg on his forehead.

No being too sure of what happened I asked Goober when he got home. Apparently the other little boy didn't want to play with him and tried to run away. Goober chased and claims he tripped and pushed the boy as he fell, causing the boy to fall as well.

The dilemma that I've come to is this: did Goober really trip, or has he talked about this enough with the duty, Principal, and me enough to have come up with a story that will get him out of trouble? He is 5, so I wouldn't put it past him.

I've tried to give him the benefit of the doubt, but I keep wondering if he isn't being straight with me.

What would you do?

Mwhahaha!

Pfffft. Those of you know me, know that I DON'T COOK! :D I really kinda detest it. Actually, it's not the cooking part I detest, it's the fact that I have to come up for stuff to cook for every meal.

So when I was looking around on different websites today and clicked over to one of my favorites, Mormon Mommy Blogs, I had to crack up. It has me miscategorized under "People Who Cook Stuff" ... ROFL I have to say, you got the wrong girl. Any other girl might be encouraged to try. Nope. Not me. I'm stubborn like that.

Anyone want some Ramen?

Bored

So today we went to the river to feed the ducks (and geese and annoying seagulls that like to fight with all the birds you actually want to feed).

For some reason or not you aren't supposed to feed the little duckies anymore. I had actually heard this from a friend, but when I saw a sign with a duck on it I carefully avoided reading it... along with at least 4 other sets of parents that were there at the same time as us. I know, I know, I should have been an example... but sheesh! It never hurt said ducks before... do I don't really see what the issue is. I know, justification, Bad Mommy! Feeding the ducks is something my kids enjoy a lot and it doesn't cost a dime! And really... how many things do you know that kids age 5,3, and 1 ALL enjoy together that cost NOTHING? mmmmm? Ok then. Point made. Moving on. I forgot my camera... Doh!

After feeding the overfed ducks we decided to head to my parents house for a while and enjoy ourselves there for a few hours. By the time we got home both Little Li and Missy My had fallen asleep in the van. And Goober want to play PlayStation... but he couldn't find the controllers for it. After much whining and gnashing of teeth I asked him if there was something else he would like to do for a while.

"Nope"

That's right.. there is NOTHING to do on a gorgeous fall day with MINIMAL WIND (hear that? It's gasps coming from anyone who has ever been to the Snake River Valley. It's ALWAYS windy here!) That's right. Nothing to do. No Bike riding, playing in the backyard, or even in the sandbox.

Good thing Jer found the controller under another toy huh? Cause I think my kid would have imploded from boredom.

I really need to get him out of the house more before snow hits. Ugh.

Wow... Purple!

Ok, so as most of you know I like to change my hair... A LOT. And as most of you know I recently (like 3 months ago) chopped off almost all of my hair. Don't get me wrong, it's really cute, I like it. But it's also REALLY SHORT.

For the record... my hair grows REALLY SLOWY. Like total of 3 inches in a year. Uber frustrating when you are trying to grow it out. Which I have tried many times, failed, tried again.... fail again, and again. And finally came to the conclusion that I just LIKE short hair more. Ha!

Hence my deciding to cut it REALLY short. And dye it. Purple. Well, technically it was really dark red. But before the first 3 washes it was purplish in color.

Fast forward three months. Nasty, McNasty Roots. I have light brown (aka mouse brown) hair naturally... so when I get roots under a darker dye it's looks like I'm going GRAY. Yup that's right, gray. And not a little gray... like all of my roots gray.

So today I got an appointment with the hairstylist to fix said grayish look (yuck)and give me a trim.

and guess what?

Yup, I'm purple again. WOOT!

At least I'm not gray eh? Thank GOODNESS red fades quick... as in 3 washes quick. Cause otherwise I think I might cry. Cause purple hair that looks like it was accidental really isn't MY style(no offence people).

I Remember...

I remember waking up that morning and my mom telling me to turn on the TV.

I remember watching the plane crash into one of the towers and thinking "That wasn't an accident...."

I remember listening to the reporters come to the same conclusion about 10 minutes later.

I remember being really angry.

I remember everyone watching the TV everywhere I went.

I remember being horrified as I saw people jumping from the towers.

I remember going to work and having my employee trainer not show up.

I remember listening to the radio all day.

I remember my dad was out of state.

I remember worrying that one of my close friends husbands might be in the Pentagon.

I remember taking real pride in those firemen and police officers that lost their lives that day. (they chose to try to save as many people as they could and payed with their own lives.)

I REMEMBER....

Partisan?

Why is it that as soon as you happen to state what political party you are affiliated with suddenly you are one of two things: Heartless or Naive? Why is it that most Democrats automatically assume that just because you happen to vote Republican most of the time that you all the sudden don't give a crap about your fellow man or his struggles? And Why is it that as soon as Republicans find out you vote Democrat most of the time you are suddenly dumb as a doornail?

Oh how I wish there was a viable political party in this country that was moderate. Not one extreme or another. That understood that most things in life are not answered by extremes. Take the abortion debate for example: I don't think that abortion should be a free for all with no regulations. I don't think it should be taken lightly. And I do think it should be considered as a last resort... yes I am pro-life. BUT WAIT A MINUTE..... I'm also pro-choice. I think that in certain cases it should be allowable and not looked down upon (gasp). Such instances would be rape, incest, or the likelihood that either the mother and/or the child would die anyways. In these cases (and a couple that haven't occurred to me I'm sure) I think a women (and her partner if applicable) should have the option of abortion. So where does that leave me?

That's right, in neither political party... because they each want extremes. All or none. And only one set of opinions, you can't have half of one parties values and half the others aka pro Gay marriage and anti-abortion... doesn't work either. There has to be a better way. No wonder citizens in America are so frustrated with our political system. It makes polar opposites in parties... and seemingly allows for no middle ground. I think it supposed to force them to work towards the middle ground but all I see happening is them switching one extreme for another like some morbid game of Monopoly ("you can have this extreme if we can get this one!"). UGH.

Uh. Oooooh.

Seriously, I'm concerned this kid is going to be a brat if his mother doesn't get a GRIP. He is so spoiled! I mean... sheesh, every time he cries she picks him up! You would think with 2 other kids in the house she wouldn't have the energy. But nope, she just makes sure her left arm is UBER strong (cause, lets face it... he's getting heavy!).

But I have to admit... he does say "Uh Oh" way cute.

Today is the day....

(or one of those days!) that I'm truly glad to be a stay at home mom. I wouldn't have wish to be anywhere else in the whole world.

Why? You may ask...

I dunno, it was just a good day. Mostly it was small things... which is what my days are made up of so really that is saying quite a bit.

Cute things like:

Making Goober lunch for school for the first time and having him uber excited over what I packed him.

Having Missy My cuddle on my lap for a while as we sat and watched Incredibles for the umpteenth time... and the added bonus that it's actually a show I can handle watching that many times!

Looking at Little Li with his new haircut and thinking that my baby is getting so big. He will soon be a toddler. Time flies so fast!

Watching Li toddle around... soon he won't be loosing his balance every 8 steps or so.

Having our wonderful neighbor having Missy over to play with the other kids while Li was down for a nap and Goober was at school.

Having Goober tell me that he shared his candy (which I packed as dessert) with some of his friends at lunch time... color me pink that he thought to do that. Something I'm teaching IS sinking in!!! Either that or he's just nice sometimes... but I'll still take credit. :D

Having Li cry when I leave the room. I know that sounds sappy and he does it for just about anyone in the family... if Goober or anyone else leaves the room he cries too. But I like the fact that sometimes I'm missed not because I'm not there to get a blanket or something to eat, but just 'cause he doesn't want me to leave.

Having Goober, Missy, and Li, play in the sandbox and NOT FIGHT! Hallelujah!!!

While Missy and Goober were in the bath after said sandbox Li came and just lay on the floor between my feet and just looked at me. Content as could be. So Cute.

So ya. Some days are great. On the really bad days I need to be able to remember that. I maybe by writing it down more often I will. Usually I don't find the time to write about the "just" good days. I'm going to work on that more... It makes life better for everyone :)

The Proper Way to Eat a Burger?

With a spoon!!!

Talk-o-holic

Ok, so anyone that knows me in real life knows I like to talk.

A Lot.

I have about 5 people that I call on the phone almost every day just to "see how they are doing" a.k.a. to talk to someone ever the age of five. I usually end up talking on the phone for over an hour a day, but personally I like talking to people in person a lot more... and it doesn't even really matter what it is about.

The thing that I find myself wondering though is if I'm one of those people. You know the ones... those people that you dread calling or getting a call from cause they are SO DANG HARD TO GET OFF THE PHONE... or they won't let you actually leave when you see them in person.

These people bug even me... and oh, I so hope I'm not one of them! And I hope I don't turn into one of them as I get older. Please if you see this happening.... I BEG YOU... please SLAP ME!

Can I Ask a Favor?

If any of you have linked me on your blogs with my last name.... would you please remove it? I'm trying to keep a little anonymity here for internet safety. Call me "paranoid" if you want, or link it as "freaky neighbor" or "Wow TMI blogger" or whatever. Because this is not a private blog and I do not know who all is reading it, I would greatly appreciate you taking off our last name... m'kay? Kay.

Thanks a ton!

April

P.S. And for future reference if I comment on your bloggy I'm gunna use my bloggy nicknames, fun fun

A Good Laugh!

Ok so the other night I was Blurking (for you non bloggers out there, this is lurking around reading other peopls blogs without commenting..) and I found this HILARIOUS story. The blogger that posted it said it was sent via email to her...so who really knows who to give credit to for this Pee Your Pants Funny Article... anyhow... enjoy!

The Waxing Story

My night began as any other normal weeknight.

Come home, fix dinner, play with the kids. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours: 'Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out of the medicine cabinet.'

So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom. It was one of those 'cold wax' kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off.

No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be? I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!)

So I pull one of the thin strips out. It's two strips facing each other stuck together. Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees.('Cold wax,' yeah...right!)

I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. It works!

OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad.
I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire.

With my next wax strip I move north. After checking on the kids, I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship. I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet.

Using the same procedure, I apply the wax strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my hoo-ha and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek. (it was a long strip)

I inhale deeply and brace myself....RRRRRRIIIIPPP!!!!

I'm blind!!!Blinded from pain!!!!....OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!!!

Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip.CRAP!

Another deep breath and RIPP!

Everything is spinning and spotted.I think I may pass out...must stay conscious...must stay conscious.

Do I hear crashing drums???Breathe, breathe..................OK, back to normal.

I want to see my trophy - a wax covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair.

I hold up the strip!

There's no hair on it. ! ! ! ! !

Where is the hair?!?!?!

WHERE IS THE WAX???

Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip...it's not! I touch. I am touching wax.

I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair. Then I make the next BIG mistake...remember my foot is still propped upon the toilet? I know I need to do something.

So I put my foot down.

Sealed shut!

My butt is sealed shut.

Sealed shut!

I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself' 'Please don't let me get the urge to poop.' My head may pop off!'

What can I do to melt the wax?

Hot water!! Hot water melts wax!!

I'll run the hottest water I can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right???

*WRONG!!!!!!!*

I get in the tub -The water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit.

Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub...in scalding hot water. Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax.

So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cemented myself to the porcelain!!

God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!!!

I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone. It's a very good conversation starter 'So, my butt and hoo-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!'

There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal but she does try to hide her laughter from me. She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, 'Are we talking cheeks or hole or hoo-ha?'

She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her. I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box.

YEAH!!!!! Right!!

I should be the joke of someone else's night. While we go through various solutions. I resort to trying to scrape the wax off with a razor.

Nothing feels better than to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!!

By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counselling for this event.

My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace....the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax.

What do I really have to lose at this point?

I rub some on and OH MY GOSH!!!!!!!

The scream probably woke the kids and scared the dickens out of my friend. It's sooo painful, but I really don't care.

'IT WORKS!!

It works !!'

I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up. I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair....THE HAIR IS STILL THERE.......ALL OF IT!

So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts. I could have amputated my own leg at this point.

Next week I'm going to try hair color......

Gah!

So last night at about 11 pm Missy My woke up crying... she was too tired to tell me what about so I tucked her back in and assumed it was a nightmare.

Fast Forward to this morning.

Missy wakes up crying again.... but this time shes awake enough to tell me "Wannit Off!

Turns out she had a clear pony tail holder on her wrist all night! Not only was her wrist very red but her hand was puffy too. GAH!

She does this once in a while, but usually I catch it before she had it on her wrist for too long. Having them be not clear helps a bit. Her hand still works fine and the puffiness has mostly gone away along with the redness... (the picture was taken 5 min after I took the holder off). Hopefully she will remember NOT to put those things on her wrist anymore. :P

State Fair

Yesterday we went to the state fair! We all had a lot of fun and ate tons of stuff that is bad for us! I forgot my camera... but when we got home I took pictures of the kids face paint :) Bat girl and Spidey! (Bat girl rubbed some of hers off sue to crying about being too short for some of the rides.... :P