Farewell 2007!

It's time to say goodbye to another year. 2007 has had it's good days and it's bad days but in the end, it all works out and we're still here. Our goods, our bads, our successes, our failures, our pains........they all make us into the person we are. Here's to using 2007's lessons learned to make 2008 Super Great! Happy New Year to you all!!!

Home For Christmas

Home for Christmas.
Going Home for Christmas.
Going Home to be with those we love…….
~~From the “Home For Christmas” cantata. My favorite one I sang in as a teen.

Tennessee. That little white house in the valley in the middle of the cow pasture. Where my bedroom is still mine. Where my Mom makes Chex Mix and Snickerdoodles and my Dad makes his famous fudge to munch on. Where I can actually relax and rejuvenate. That’s “home”.

We are going home for Christmas tomorrow. Wishing you ALL a VERY Merry Christmas with your loved ones. See you next year.

Angels Among Us

My cell phone rang just as I saw the stopped traffic ahead. Hubby and Scott had left for skating a few minutes before us so he must be calling to warn me about an accident. His voice is very stressed and he is out of breath. "Hey, let me get to the top of the hill" "Are you OK????" The line went dead. Now, I'm concerned. Was he in an accident? I'm getting closer to the accident site now. It must have just happened. No emergency responders are there yet. I try to call him back without success.

I see the car involved in the accident. It's totalled. At first I think it must have been rear-ended but as I get closer, I see that it obviously has rolled many times. I frantically search the sides of the road and the embankments for Hubby's red truck but I don't see it. I call again and get through but it's a dead signal area so the call keeps breaking up. Finally we get to talk. They are fine but he is extremely shaken. We meet up just up the road and I hug Hubby and Scott hard and try not to cry.

A car in front of Hubby had crossed the center line. The oncoming car veered off the road on the right to miss it and lost control. He then swerved back onto the road and was headed directly at Hubby. Hubby jerked the truck off the road onto a steep drop embankment to avoid him. The oncoming car then totally lost control and rolled several times. Hubby said he watched it in the rear view mirror. Miraculously, the other driver crawled out of the car on his own although after seeing the car, I don't know how. He did appear to be injured but not seriously. I asked Hubby how close was the car to him when he veered off the road. "About a foot, I just knew he had hit us but he didn't". Luckily, Scott really didn't know what had happened so he wasn't too upset. Hubby was visibly shaken but he is OK now.

I do believe in angels. There had to have been an angel in each car today. One angel was in Hubby's truck to help him steer off the road at the last second. The other angel was in the other car and wrapped it's wings around the driver to protect him. I don't see how anyone would have survived, except by the Grace of God. Thanks to God for protecting my family.

Stage 2?

I have finally given up on denial and moved on to acceptance. Scott has always been a “spirited” child. Even as an infant, he would wail for hours inconsolably. I had strangers offer to hold him in stores so I could do my shopping. He had separation anxiety to the point of throwing full-out tantrums at daycare drop-off. When we moved and had to switch daycares, it was hell on earth.

We had hoped that the structure of Kindergarten would help him to settle down but it appears to have done the complete opposite. He is very smart and learns quickly but he can’t keep still and he can’t keep quiet. His teacher has said on some days it’s like he drank a 2 liter bottle of Mtn Dew right before school and he has no control. ADHD was mentioned actually by me but I just didn’t think that was it because he CAN focus and settle. He’s not always “on”.

Well, I did some web surfing on ADHD and saw quite a few signs and symptoms in his behavior—namely hyperactivity and impulsivity—and found out that they aren’t always “on”. We also talked with family members as 2 of our nephews have ADHD and Hubby says that Scott acts just like he did when he was a boy. So now I’m moving from denial to acceptance. Even if it isn’t ADHD, there is definitely something amiss.

We have an appointment with a counselor for Monday to review his background and behavior and will hopefully have his evaluation in January. Now that I’ve admitted he most likely has a problem, I want to fast track it and get him some assistance. But as those of you already in the system know, it is NOT a quick process. So my frustration level is mounting. But I have a good friend who has been through it and is being a great source of support. Scott’s teacher is also wonderful. She is willing to do anything we can to help him. Thank you so much, Mrs. Wall!!

It just breaks my heart to see his behavior page from school on those bad days--especially now, understanding he may not be able to control it. He’s such a sweet boy. I just want to help him so that the rest of the world can know the sweet boy that I know.

It's beginning to look a lot like.....

Labor Day!!!! Oh my gosh!! It was 80 degrees on Monday!!! We’re breaking records here! It’s really hard to stay in the Christmas spirit when you are running around in shorts and sweating. Yes, I know that many parts of the country have hot Christmas’s but I was born and raised in the mountains of Tennessee, lived in Chicago for a time and am now in North Carolina. It’s supposed to be COLD at Christmas! And snow would be nice too! Redemption may be coming. It’s supposed to drop back into the 50’s by week’s end. At least that’s better than 80!!! And we’ll be going “home” to the mountains for the holidays where my wish for a White Christmas at least has a chance of coming true. Come on snow!!

Can I go back to work and rest now?

I don't think I've ever been so glad a weekend was over. It started Friday night. I sing in the local choral group--second soprano. I used to sing first soprano but the years have deepened my voice and truth be told, I should probably be singing first alto! We had a dress rehersal Friday night to get everyone's places worked out and go over the music one last time. So I was standing for 2 1/2 hours!! Oy, my aching feet!!

Saturday, Scott had hockey practice in the morning then I had to get ready for the concert. You know, shower, do my hair, tart-up my makeup for the harsh stage lights, struggle into my pantyhose since I hadn't worn pantyhose since LAST year's Christmas concert! But it was a blast and we did a great job with only a couple of mistakes that hopefully only we could tell. The house was almost sold out!!! Scott fell asleep about 20 mins into the show and Sara did the same toward the end.

Sunday, I had my first jewelry show for my new business and it went very well!!! WooHoo!! Then Sara and I went to see High School Musical on Ice that night. It was really good!! Sara and I both sang along with all the songs and had a blast!!! Hubby took Scott to hockey practice and to a b-day party so they were rockin' and rollin' too!!

By the time I got home that night I was past exhausted!! I'm STILL exhausted!!!!! Whew!!! When's my vacation?????

Prayers for Melody

Melody at Slurping Life has suddenly and unexpected taken ill.

You are welcome to join me and others in saying a prayer and lighting a candle for her and her family.

Get better soon, Melody! We are here for you!!

Healthy You Year Update

Well, I've done pretty well so far this week. I've had breakfast everyday but today. Not a bad start. I just need to keep it up. 21 days to form a habit, right??? I did notice that I was STARVING come lunch time today and I ate more at lunch than on the days that I ate breakfast. I also seemed to have more energy in the afternoons on those days. Think I'll keep it up!!!

Christmas at Your House?

I'm doing this Christmas meme for Kim at The Bitter Ball. Feel free to join in!!!


1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper. The kidlets can see in the bags!!

2. Real or Artificial tree? Artificial. I really love a real tree but the kidlets like to put it up early and we always travel at Christmas so it’s not really feasible.

3. When do you put up the tree? We try to get it up Thanksgiving weekend so the kidlets can enjoy it. And I admit, I enjoy it too!!

4. When do you take the tree down?The goal is by New Years but at the latest, the first week of January.

5. Do you like Eggnog?I love eggnog but it is so rich!!! I usually cut it with just a little milk and then shake some pumpkin pie spice on top. MMMmmmmm!!

6. Favorite Gift you received as a child? HHhhhhmmmm…….probably my Barbie Beach Van. Santa heard us coming and left so fast he didn’t have time to unpack it so it was still in a burlap sack!!

7. Do you have a nativity scene?I do but I don’t really have a good place to display it. It’s a shame. I need to find a place. My job as a little girl was to put out the manger scene each year and I loved it!

8. Hardest person to buy for?My parents. They are very simple and frugal people and don’t want or need anything.

9. Easiest person to buy for? Probably my son. He has specific items he wants/likes but he is generally happy with anything he gets.

10. Worst Christmas gift ever received?Last year, my MIL gave me an iron. I don’t iron a single thing!! BUT it was a Rowenta and I always wanted a Rowenta so I kept it. Hubby, btw, laughed his butt off!!!

11. Christmas Cards...Snail mail or E-mail? Well, I love Christmas cards but I must admit I don’t do either. No time. I try to email to very small group of close friends but that is it.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Christmas Story, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, It’s a Wonderful Life.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Sometime in December, YIKES!!!! When I was in college I never started until after finals were over so I usually was shopping the week before Christmas for everything. But I got a lot of good deals!!

14. Have you ever 'recycled' a Christmas present?I don’t remember doing it but I’ve been tempted!!

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Snickerdoodles, Homemade Chex Party Mix, cookie press cookies (spritz), my Daddy’s fudge.

16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?We have a pre-lit tree with clear lights. But I do like the multi colored ones too.

17. Favorite Christmas Carol? O Holy Night, Sweet Little Jesus Boy, Go Tell It on the Mountain, Do You Hear What I Hear?

18. Travel at Christmas or Stay Home? Travel but I really miss all the Christmas traditions we had when I was growing up. My kids will soon be past “Santa” so I want to incorporate some before the magic is gone for them.

19. Can you name Santa's Reindeer?Yes

20. Do you have an Angel or a Star on top of your tree? Star

21. Open the Presents Christmas Eve or Morning? Well………since we travel, we open gifts with Hubby’s family on Christmas Eve (their tradition) and with my family on Christmas morning (my tradition) and we do Santa and our family when we return home. BUT…….this year, I want to do our Christmas before we leave. Santa can come early since he knows we won’t be there!!!!

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Craziness in the stores.

23. Shopping...Mall or online?I can’t remember the last time I actually went to a real mall. I hate them with a purple passion. I do a ton on-line and the rest at Walmart, Target, Lowes and Best Buy

24. Do you decorate outside for Christmas or just inside (or at all?) We never really did much outside and we did nothing outside because of Piper the Hyperdog. Inside we really only do the tree and mantle with stockings and I have some Father Christmas figurines that I’ve collected over the years that I scatter about.

25. Favorite Christmas cookie?cookie press cookies (spritz)

26. Do you own Christmasy clothing or jewelry? I love Christmas socks and I have some Christmas tree earrings, my daughter gave me.

27. Do you believe in Santa? Of course!!! That’s all you have to do……believe. I can still hear the bell, can you?


Okay, your turn!!!

Look what Hubby Sent me

His subject line said, "Lookout! There out there!!!"



My reply? "Smart a*s!!!" I wonder how long I'm going to have to endure this? Maybe I should just give in and put reindeer antlers on our mailbox!!!

BEWARE!!!

I can’t back up a car worth a flyin’ flip. So I should have known better but I was in a hurry and obviously not thinking. I was on my way to choir practice last night and got to the exit of our subdivision before I realized I didn’t have my music with me. I thought I’d save some time and back up to turn around in the neighbor’s drive. Now, as I have said, I can’t back up. Plus I don’t see well in the dark. So as I’m backing up, I hear this horrible crunching noise.

I pull forward and hop out to check the damage. I don’t see anything near me. The neighbor’s son is outside and he comes and looks and we don’t see any damage to the van or anything else so we decide I must have run over something on the ground. So I get back into the car, go up the street to turn around (making mental note that that was what I should have just done in the first place), get my music and go on to practice.

When I come back to the car after practice, I notice that the passenger tail light is broken and it looks scuffed. Now, I’m freaking out. What could I have hit? None of us saw anything!! So on my way home, I convince myself that a deer must have run behind me just as I was backing up. It sounded plausible!

Once home, I tell Hubby he needs to come look at something because I think I hit a deer. I tell him the whole story as he’s checking it out. His comment, you’ve hit the mailbox. No I didn’t. Yes you did--there’s white paint on the tail light. I argued there was no way because I wasn’t anywhere near the mailbox. So it’s 10pm and we trudge up to the neighbors to find……….a slight crunch on the side of the mailbox and red tail light plastic on the ground beside it. OK, so I backed into the mailbox. Hubby’s response? You don’t need to back up anymore.

So we worked it all out, Hubby will get a replacement tail light and I’ll call the neighbor to grovel, uh I mean apologize and offer to replace it. We brought Hyper Dog in to sleep in our room last night. Hubby crawls in bed and says, I didn’t want to leave her outside tonight…….because of the “mailbox deer”. My reply? Go to sleep, Smart a*s !!!

2008--A Healthy You Year!

I'm making my resolutions a bit early this year. I'm racing toward the big 4-0 next year and I feel like a 60-year old woman most days. I'm definitely not a posterchild for a healthy lifestyle. So I'm planning to make small changes in my lifestyle--one at a time until they become a habit. I'm getting a head start and beginning in December. My habit for this month is going to be to eat breakfast. I rarely eat breakfast and when I do it's usually not the best choices. So I'm making the effort to eat a healthy breakfast each day. Yogurt, high fiber cereal, eggs. We'll see how it goes. Can you help keep me honest? I haven't decided whether to do my accounting here or at my other blog, Health Matters, which I've not been keeping up in quite some time. I'll decide and let you know. Wish me luck!!!!

Yes, I'm at it AGAIN!!

I just didn't feel that comfy with the last template. It was pretty and Christmas'y but it just didn't feel right. So I'm trying again. Let me know what you think.

We did it!!

We helped make a difference!!!! Back in October, I posted about a fellow blogger, Kim Klein, who was competing for a blogging scholarship. She is a law student who is also battling breast cancer. Well, with our help (as well as a whole lot of others!!), she won!!!!! Read all about her receipt of her award here. I caught up on her blog and she is finished with her chemo and is doing great!!! Thanks to everyone who helped her out with a vote. We done good!!

Another Try??

Is this better? I love the background but I think it is a bit hard to read. And I've lost all my widgets and such. Honest feedback please!!!! I can take it!

Blech!!

Ok, I do NOT like what I have done to my template. I have lots of trouble trying to work with the templates here. But bear with me while I try to find something else.

What? No turkey?????

I heard this so many times in the last month. Yes, you heard me right. We do not have turkey for Thanksgiving. Most see this as blasphemy. You can't possibly have Thanksgiving without turkey!!! Even my work gives all employees a free turkey for the holiday. I, however, would have preferred a grocer's gift certificate so I gave mine to my coworker so she would have an extra for Christmas.

So turkey is supposed to be the epitome of Thanksgiving. Afterall that IS what the Pilgrams had at the first Thanksgiving.......... Right? There is only one written account of the first Thanksgiving and turkey isn't even mentioned. And cranberry sauce and mashed potatoes weren't even invented yet. Instead they are reported to have eaten duck and venison along with seafood, cabbage, onions, corn and squash. Even my 2nd grader, Sara, told me that the Pilgrims didn't eat turkey. So I wonder where the idea started? Historians state that the Pilgrims called any wild fowl "turkey" so perhaps that is why.

Well, enough of the history lesson. The boring truth is that I used to cook a big turkey with all the trimmings even just for Hubby and me. He always seemed appreciative. Then one year he suggested we have ham instead. I followed the crowd and was shocked, asking why on earth would we not have turkey for Thanksgiving? Turns out after all those years, Hubby doesn't like turkey!!!!! Well, I aim to please and a ham is MUCH easier to cook than a turkey (especially if you order a spiral honey ham, LOL!!!) and I still make all the trimmings. We can give thanks for all we have over a ham just as well as a turkey. So that, my friends, is how we came to have ham for Thanksgiving.

And Miles to Go Before I Sleep

Good gracious!!! It couldn't possibly be almost the end of November!!! And I've not writing nary a post!!! How could I?? Well, looks like I've a lot of posting and updating to do between now and Friday!!

Did I......

Fall off the face of the earth?
Climb in a hole and never come out?
Sneak away to an uncharted island?
Hole up in my room with beer and oreos?

No..................but as it is known to do, life got in the way. It is exponentially more difficult having two children in school instead of only one--twice the homework, twice the amount of papers to review and sign, twice the lunches to make and on and on and on. But we are starting to settle into a routine. I HOPE!!!

39

Thirty-nine is:

According to David Wells in The Penguin Dictionary of Curious and Interesting Numbers, 39 is the smallest mathematically uninteresting number.

The sum of five consecutive primes (3 + 5 + 7 + 11 + 13) and the sum of the first three powers of 3 (31 + 32 + 33).

The atomic number of yttrium

In the title of the John Buchan novel and subsequent films (one by Alfred Hitchcock), The Thirty-Nine Steps

The code for international direct-dialed phone calls to Italy

I-39 is the designation for a US interstate highway from Normal, Illinois to Wausau, Wisconsin.

I-39 is the 39th shortest of the primary "two digit" Interstates.

The eternal age of comedian Jack Benny, and many other people as they grow older

The traditional number of times citizens of Ancient Rome hit their slaves when beating them, referred to as "Forty save one"

Japanese Internet chat slang for "thank you" when written with numbers

"'39" is a track on Queen's album A Night At the Opera. If the tracks on Queen's original studio albums are numbered in sequential order starting with their first, "'39" does in fact fall in the thirty-ninth position

"39" is a song by The Cure on their album "Bloodflowers"

39 cents was the cost of First Class US postage stamps (first ounce) from Jan. 8, 2006 to May 14, 2007

The duration, in nanoseconds, of the nuclear reaction in the largest nuclear explosion ever performed (Tsar bomb)

The number of Scud missiles which Iraq fired at Israel during the Gulf War in 1991

World War II broke out in Europe on September 1, 1939

Pier 39 in San Francisco


At age 39:

Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong became the 1st person to set foot on the moon

Charles Goodyear led the way to the effective use of rubber

Jimmy Connors reached the U.S. Open semifinals

Joseph Smith Jr. and Martin Luther King Jr. were assassinated

I wrote this blog entry.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!!!!

Where do the monsters live, Mommy?

The other night, we had been watching Godzilla. Scott was really enjoying it and wasn't scared at all. Well......not REALLY scared. This is how bedtime went:

(Tucking Scott into bed)

What was the monster's name, Mommy?
What monster?
On TV?
Oh, Godzilla.
Where does he live? Is he just in the city or does he come into the neighborhoods?
Oh, he just lives in the city.
Our city, Mommy?
Oh, no, just way up in New York. That's a long way away.
Just in New York?
Yes, just New York.
OK, goodnight, Mommy.
Goodnight sweetie.

Bringing the Cows Home

I grew up on a small farm in the Appalachian foothills. As the leaves changed to brilliant shades of red and orange and the days changed to crisp and cool, the farm also changed. The hay in the field had been cut, baled and put in the barn for the long winter. The tobacco was curing in the rafters making the whole barn smell of its sweet pungent scent. Daddy and PaPaw would put the electric fence around the field. It was time to bring the cows home.

The cows spent the summer at my Great Grandparents in a pasture further up the mountains. There was plenty of grass for them to eat there and we needed the time to work the garden, the tobacco and the hay without worrying about the cows. But once the crops petered out and the hay was up, it was time to bring them home. Daddy would take the old red truck up the mountain and bring them home a couple at a time. We didn’t have many, just 5 cows and sometimes a bull. There was Ol’ Red, Fanny, Bessie, my brother’s cow, Ginger and my cow, Blackie. They would saunter off the truck and go right back to grazing as though they’d never left.

Our house was surrounded by the field so we saw the cows all the time. I would wake in the mornings and look out my window to find Blackie. Cows are very calm creatures, walking around slowly, eating constantly taking the occasional break to scratch their back on a tree. They are also creatures of habit. They knew when the sun started to set low and Daddy or PaPaw headed to the barn, it was feeding time.

I liked to go with them to feed the cows but I had to stay out of sight so they wouldn’t spook as they came into the barn. Daddy let me put the sweet feed in the trough for them then I would rub their noses while they ate. Daddy climbed into the hayloft and dropped hay down for them. We’d tell them all goodnight and head back to the house just before dark for a hot supper of our own.

The time eventually came when Daddy and PaPaw weren’t able to care for the cows and we had to sell them all. It was hard for everyone. I miss them. Still to this day, a cow pasture or barn will send my thoughts rushing back home.

Please Help a Fellow Blogger

Kim is a fellow blogger at The Merits of the Case. She is working to complete her law degree and she has breast cancer. She's competing for a blogging scholarship to help pay for her law degree since breast cancer treatments have put a financial strain on the family. Please check out her post and help her out by voting for her. It's free. All it takes is a click and every click helps.

Get into the PINK!!!

5 Minutes for Mom is having another give-away. This time it's a pink Casio digital camera to help raise awareness for Breast Cancer. Go check them out! And don't forget to click at The Breast Cancer Site to help provide mammograms for women who can't afford them!!

Have I Told You Lately That I Love You?

How many times a day do you say the those three little words? I say them all the time to my family--when we leave each other, when we hang up the phone, when we go to bed, and on and on and on. But how many times a day do you hear them? I rarely hear them back. Hubby only tells me he loves me when we finish a phone call. And my children never say it. Recently, I even resorted to asking them if they loved me. They both said yes but when I asked them to tell me, they both refused. Should I be concerned or is it just the age? I mean, I know they love me. They give me hugs and kisses and are happy to see me. They enjoy being with me. But they still don't verbally express their love.

Now, I've read Dr. Chapman's The Five Love Languages (awesome book, btw!!) so I know that we all have different ways of expressing love. Sara loves quality time. She is always wanting to play a game together or read together or just hang out together. She craves being with you. Scott is my little cuddle bug so he's looking for physical touch. He loves to crawl into the rocker next to me and just curl up in my arms. He gives the most wonderful melty hugs. Hubby tends to see acts of service as tokens of love (which is why a messy house upsets him so much).

Me? I'm multi-lingual it seems. I look to validate myself through physical touch, quality time and acts of service so I can see that each family member can show me their love in one of those ways. But I also want words of affirmation. I want to hear the "I love you". Is that so much to ask?

Bring 'em on!!!

Thanks to Mama Zen at The Zen of Motherhood for letting me know that today is "The Great Delurk". I LOVE comments and they are very important to me as I wrote in this post. But I admit that I’m guilty of lurking, also—especially since I tend to check blogs while at work……ssshhh, don’t tell!!!

But I’m going to make a point of leaving more comments as I visit and I’d love to hear what YOU have to say!!!! So comment away!!!!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I’ll be posting lots of related things this month to help get the word out so please stop by often and spread the word. You’ll notice in my sidebar a button for The Breast Cancer Site. This site helps to fund free mammograms just by you visiting and clicking. Your click on the "Click Here to Give - it's FREE" button helps fund free mammograms for women in need — low-income, inner-city and minority women whose awareness of breast cancer and opportunity for help is often limited. Your click is paid for by site sponsors, and mammogram funding is provided to clinics throughout the U.S. through the efforts of the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

They also sell breast cancer related products and have information on diagnosis and treatment and stories of breast cancer patients and survivors. Please help out. All it takes is a click and clicks are free!!!! Then you can help another woman have a mammogram that could save her life.

Oh, yeah, it’s the first of the month, so don’t forget to check to the girls!!!!!

Blocked!

I’m so sorry for the recent lack of posts. I have had a sort of writers block these past few days. I think of things to write about all the time. Post ideas come to me while I’m driving, cooking, bathing the kids, showering, sitting in meetings, working at my “other” job. So you see, my problem is not a lack of topics but an inability to put them to “paper”. I have sat down with my computer on many occasions this past week with a desire to write and found myself with no drive to perform and the topics that spin in my head at the most inopportune times where no where to be found.

Should I blame it on the crazy week with school open houses, Pampered Chef parties, PTA meetings, homework, school projects and hockey practices? Could it be that with this crazy schedule, I’m too tired to type? Could be!!

But don’t give up on me, yet!!! I’ve still got those ideas swirling in my head, I just need to net a few and pen them to paper and we’ll be back on roll!!! So check back soon!!!

I Want THIS One, too!!!

5 Minutes for Mom is giving away three WD Passport Portable Hard Drive. These things are GREAT! And I want one!!! Cross your fingers for me! And if you want one of the other two, go check it out.

What flower are you?

I am a Canna What Flower Are You?

"You stand up for what you believe in, even if it gets in the way of what other people think. You are proud of yourself and your accomplishments and you enjoy letting people know that."

So what flower are YOU??? Click on the link above to take the quiz and find out!!

Mommy Makeover??

Sing For Him over at Real Life has asked if money were no object, would you have a Mommy Makeover, i.e. plastic surgery? This got me thinking. I have never been a “perfect 10”….or even a semi-perfect 5, but I’m not totally ashamed of how I look. I was always small-chested but “perky”. I also have always had what Mom calls “the Smith Tummy”—that little lower-ab paunch borne by all the women on her side of the family. And I’ve always been hippy—Mom called them “birthin’ hips”!!! But since having two babies, my body has morphed into a saggy body with huge hips and a paunch that makes people think I’m about 4 months pregnant!!!! And I’m definitely NOT!!

So what would I do? Well, I’ve never wanted a chest augmentation. I always thought they looked like they had a ball cut in half and put in there—too round, not remotely natural looking. But, I wouldn’t mind a lift to put them back where they are supposed to be and make them perky again. As for the paunch, a tummy tuck would be nice. I’ve never had a flat stomach and with a short torso, it’s probably a pipe dream but it would be nice. The only thing to do with these hippy hips is to suck the fat right out of them!!! SLURP!!!!

But the real question here is would I actually do it. And I’d have to say the answer is a resounding ……. No. You see, my Hubby, my family and my friends all love me for who I am—my personality, my naivety, my silliness, my smile--not what I look like. Would I like to lose some weight and tone up my muscles? Yes, because it will make me feel better physical and yes, emotionally. But I don’t feel that I need to be that “perfect 10” to be loved. So for me, the answer is a little less late night snacking, some more walking and a few sit-ups!!!!!

Perspectives

Saturday morning I was gently awoken by the lovely sound of birds singing outside. I’ve recently noted a small finch or wren on the back porch banister most mornings and I assume that was the one. I love to listen to the birds singing. It’s such a wonderfully gentle way to wake for the day. I lay there and listened for about 10 minutes……Until I heard Sara calling me from her bedroom. I went to her to see what was up. She told me in her most dramatic voice that she wanted to sleep late and couldn’t because those silly bird’s singing kept waking her up. Different strokes, I guess?

My Very First Award!!!!!

I'm floored!!! The Rising Blogger has awarded me their Post of the Day Award for my "Just Like Me?" post. I'm so honored!!! Thanks so much, Judd!!! Please visit their site to see lots of other wonderful bloggers' posts.

Happy Birthday, Sara!!

Seven years ago, it was midnight and I was anxiously sitting in a hospital bed to see if they were going to let me stay. I was 1 week overdue and Group B strep positive. I’d been having contractions about 2 minutes apart and was ready to stop being pregnant!!!! They started an IV for the antibiotics, Yay, I get to stay!!!! I labored through the night……walking, sitting, standing, rocking, on a ball, on the edge of the bed…….no relief. The nurse said, you’re doing great, about 7 cm!!! Cool!!!! The doctor came in at 7am and said, nope, maybe 4 cm. NOT COOL!!! I want an epidural!!!!

So I got my epidural and it was heaven. I relaxed, I watched TV, I slept. Hubby went home to grab a shower and feed the dog (we had Misha then). While he was gone, the epi started to wear off. I was having to breathe through the contractions. The nurse had me change positions and that helped a little but not much. So we went with epi #2. DEFINITELY NOT COOL!!! It did nothing for the pain and only made me dizzy and nauseous. So bring on #3, which only helped a little again. We were contemplating epi #4 (which, btw, the Nurse said was NOT the record!) but the Nurse said I was complete and could try pushing.

So now we start to push. It’s now about 4pm. I pushed for about 2 hours but wasn’t getting anywhere. Baby was big and her shoulder was caught on my pelvis. Dr decided a vacuum assist was the way to go. So with a few more pushes and lots of pulling by the Dr, Sara came into the world weighing 9lbs 2oz. She was beautiful!!!! Her skin was a rosy pink, her fingers long and thin and her head was covering in copper/red hair. They handed her to me and she hardly made a sound as she nuzzled close to me and went to sleep.

Happy Birthday, Sara, sweetie!!! We love you so much!!!!

Confession time: I’m a day late, since Sara’s birthday was actually Wednesday. Sorry, sweetie!!!

Can I still call him my baby boy?

Today, my little boy took a very big step. He was excited and anxious this morning as we got dressed. He happily grabbed his backpack and hopped into Daddy's truck. I left the house alone today for the first time in years. Daddy walked him to his room and got him settled. No tears, no clinginess--just a little anxious. When I picked him up this evening, he was all excited. He had eaten all his lunch and had chocolate milk for snack. He didn't get any warnings and he got a bag of hershey' kisses. He made new friends but he couldn't remember their names. And yes, he is ready to go back on Monday. And that was how Scott's first day of Kindergarten went. I'd say it was a smashing success. But he'll always be my baby boy!!

Time to Check the Girls

It's the first of the month and time for our Breast Self Exams again!!! If you need a video demo, check here. I have my annual exam this week so I'm going to let the professionals do it for me this month. I'll post when it is done. You do the same, 'K?

I Want One!!!

Five Minutes for Mom is giving away an HP photoprinter and I want to win it!!!! I never win anything so it's a long shot but I gotta give it a try! Go check it out for yourself but if you win, don't forget to thank me too!

Follow Me!

Follow me to TopBlogMag where I'm trying my first feature for "Words and Pictures". There are lots of great articles there this week. Go check them out!

Changes

As I impatiently wait for the coming change of seasons, I thought I could at least live vicariously through my blog. Hence the autumnal color scheme. I still have some work to do but I thought I'd go ahead and put it up. What do you think?

Color my world.........Autumn

This weekend, I saw it. It was very sparse and hard to find but, yes, it was there. One single tree in the woods was turning. Its green leaves were skirted with the wonderful light yellow color that heralds the coming of autumn, my most favorite season. I would be in 7th heaven if it were autumn year round. I love the weather as the heat of the day cools off and the evenings start to have that chill bite. I love to wear jeans and sweaters and take long walks in the brisk, clean air, or simply sit on the porch swing and watch the wind blow colors around the yard—golds and oranges from the maples, reds from the sweet gums. I love pumpkin patches filled with orange and yellow corn shocks in the yards. How I long to pile up the leaves and watch the children run crashing through them sending a flurry of colors into the air like golden snowflakes to fall again into our hair. Yes, hurry along autumn—don’t be shy. I’ve missed you.

Submitted to Top Blog Mag for this week's theme of colors.

Just Like Me?

I was talking with my Mom the other day after our recent visit “home”. While there, the children had written their names on Mom’s memo board. She loves it and has promised anyone who erases it a painful death!! But she said she had to look twice at my daughter’s name to decide who had actually written it. Sara, my 7 year old daughter’s handwriting looked just like mine. I hadn’t really realized it but Mom was right. It was almost exactly the way I write—the same curve to the letters, the same spacing and size. This little thing got me thinking about what else my daughter and I have in common and how else have I influenced her.

At times I look at Sara and feel I’m looking into a mirror. It’s a good feeling. She loves music and singing, just like me. Sara is good at math, just like me. She has fair skin and freckles across her nose, just like me. She has stick straight hair, just like me. At other times I see the darker side of me. Sara is impatient and volatile, just like me. She is quick to anger, just like me.

But in many ways Sara is not like me at all. She is shy but still more outgoing than I was as a child. She is reserved at first but makes friends easily. Sara hesitates to try new things but with encouragement, she will participate and in the end excel. I was always a loner but she is a joiner and needs others around her. She loves roller coasters while I’m terrified of them. I see behaviors in her that “I” would like to have. In many ways, she is like me…..but better.

As mothers, it’s our responsibility to model behavior for our daughters, and sons for that matter. I’m pleased to see my positive influence on my daughter. However, it is very difficult to see my negative influences in her. Our goals, then, must be to recognize our opportunities to improve ourselves and to model only positive attributes for our children. In the end, I hope and pray Sara is just like me.

This post was submitted to the Mothers and Daughters Blog Carnival being hosted by Real Life.

Why I Was Late for Work Today

1. I didn’t want to go to work.
2. I hit the snooze button a gazillion times.
3. I didn’t want to go to work.
4. I had to wake Scott up 4 times.
5. HyperDog didn’t want to eat.
6. HyperDog didn’t want to go potty.
7. I didn’t want to go to work.
8. HyperDog decided to eat.
9. Sara spilled milk in the living room.
10. HyperDog NOW needs to go potty.
11. None of the clothes that fit (well, kinda fit) were clean.
12. I didn’t want to go to work.
13. Sara isn’t very good at cleaning up spilled milk.
14. Scott left his sneakers in the garage.
15. HyperDog loves to chew sneakers.
16. HyperDog left Scott’s sneakers in the yard—right next to the sprinkler.
17. Scott wanted to wear his sneakers.
18. Scott’s sneakers were soaked.
19. Scott didn’t want to wear anything else.
20. I REALLY didn’t want to go to work.

As the Stomach Churns

I was awoken from that dream below at 2:30am by a small voice outside my bedroom. “Mommy, I don’t feel well. My tummy hurts”. I got to Scott just in time for him to let loose all over the kitchen floor. Poor thing. He had gotten sick before he got to me but that too thankfully hit the kitchen floor.

I give the little guy credit for climbing down out of the top bunk and making it to the linoleum before puking! I put him back to bed (on the bottom bunk this time—didn’t want to take any chances!!) cleaned up the kitchen and lay on the couch in case he needed me. Poor guy got up again and made it to the bathroom—floor that is but at least it’s not carpet like poor Mel’s mess. Got him back in bed and cleaned up the bathroom when Sara starts called. Please God, not BOTH of them!!! She just needed to use the bathroom, whew!!!!

Scott did well the rest of the night but woke up sweaty and clammy (I suspect he had a fever that broke) with dry heaves. So I’m home with little sick boy today. Seems a tummy bug is going through his daycare class. Sara was NOT happy to have to go to summer camp while brother got to stay home. And of course, he seems fine now. Had fruity Cheerios with no reappearance so far. Oh well, we both needed a rest day. AND I get to catch up on my blogs!!

Dream a Little Dream

I had a dream last night. It was weird. Not as weird as The Farmer’s Wife’s dream but still out there. For some reason, Hubby and I were living in my Grandparents’ house in TN. We had two kids but one was a older boy about 9 or 10 and one was a baby maybe a year old (and they looked nothing like my real children). We were having storms so we had been looking for a safe place. I had found an area under the house that seemed safe but it was small and dark.

We walked out of the house and saw 4 (yes 4!!) tornados coming straight for us!!! I grabbed the kids and told Hubby about the safe place but I didn’t think it would hold all of us. He said to take them to it and he was going to watch the tornados. The kids and I went to the safe place and it was larger than it was before and there was more light.

The next thing I know, it opened up into a full basement, partially finished with a pool table and table tennis. I was surprised having no idea the house had that. I was just beginning to figure out that was where Hubby was “hiding out” when I couldn’t find him when I awoke. I have no idea what that was supposed to mean!!!!!

Two Little Fishes

Both kids started swim lessons mid July. We are a bit behind as they’ve never had lessons before. The first lesson was interesting. Sara started out really apprehensive and Scott was all for it. Half way through the lesson, the tide turned and Sara was doing pretty good but Scott was having nothing to do with it. He had realized he couldn’t touch the bottom and was terrified. Scott never went back but Sara has been doing really well. She’s even been jumping into the pool as long as her head doesn’t go under.

Her last lesson was this past Saturday and her teacher said she is a very strong swimmer and would just take off……if she would only put her face in the water. They even went down the big slide. She was nervous but she did it!! WooHoo!! So Sunday, we all went to the pool. Hubby and I both were amazed!!! Sara was going under when she jumped in and she even would put her head totally under the water to go under the rope!!! Now she WANTS to take more lessons and we are happy to oblige!

Now to get Scott going! After he played with a friend Sunday who could swim and watched Sara having fun on the slide, I think he’s decided that learning to swim is a GOOD thing!! By next summer, we’ll have two little fishes on our hands!

Almost Old

Me: Oh my gosh, I look so old!!
Scott: No you don’t Mommy.
Me: Well, Thank you!!
Scott: You look almost old.
Me: I do?
Scott: Yeah, you have some wrinkles around your eyes and your face is starting to hang down around your mouth……like Mamaw’s.
Me: Like Mamaw’s?!?! Gee thanks!
Scott: But you’re only almost old. Not old yet.
Me: I love you!
Scott: I love you too!

It's a Heat Wave!!

It’s hot. Too hot. Too hot to work. Too hot to play. Too hot to eat. Too hot to sleep. Too hot to breathe.

It’s 102F with a heat index of 114F!! I’m melting!!

Rain only makes it steamier.

Thank God for air conditioning!!

Time to Check the Girls!!

Today is August 1 and it’s time to do your Breast Self Exams (BSEs). Here is a great video demo for BSEs. My doctor uses this method too. He goes back and forth instead of circular making sure to go way down onto the ribcage and all the way up to the collar bone. Don’t forget the underarms!! And look for any odd physical changes: redness, swelling, itching, orange peel skin, heat, a sore that won’t go away. Make sure to call your doctor right away if you see any of these changes!! I admit to not keeping up with it myself even with my previous scares. But lets commit to it now!

Update: Mine is DONE!! Post a comment when your is done, too!!!

Support for Team WhyMommy

We women must stand together and support each other. Many of us are faced with challenges every day. My MIL has battled and beat breast cancer twice. One coworker is currently battling it. Her previous mammogram was fine but she recently found a lump. She had a double mastectomy and radiation and hormone treatments.

I have had my own scares, the most recent one about 6 months ago when I was having swelling and pain in my left breast. My friend experienced the same symptoms just last month. These symptoms are extremely concerning because of a new form of breast cancer. If you haven't heard of Inflammatory Breast Cancer (IBC), you must read this and share it with every woman you can. It doesn't present with lump but rather symptoms of a breast infection so it can be overlooked. My friend and I both were lucky to receive a diagnosis of Fibrocystic Breast Disease. However, we both remain wary.

WhyMommy at Toddler Planet, a young mother with two small babes, wasn't as lucky. Six weeks ago she was diagnosed with IBC. And she is working diligently to spread to word to as many women as she can. This is an extremely aggressive cancer and early detection is paramount. Please read this post on inflammatory breast cancer and share it with everyone you can. Please follow her blog to read more about her story and her family and provide any support you can. Let's spread the word!

8 Random Things About Me

I've been tagged by Laurie at Learning Life Through Unschooling to tell 8 random things about me. I'm not really good at talking about myself individually but I gave it a shot. Here's the Good, the Bad and the Ugly.

1. I play the mountain lap dulcimer. I grew up in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains where Blue Grass and Folk Music were born. My brother made one by hand when he was in middle school and I loved to play it. My dear Hubby bought me a new one about 10 years ago from an old gentleman craftsman in the mountains. He was an artist! It has the most beautiful tones!! I think I need to get it out and practice some!!!

2. I’m a freak. I have hitchhiker thumbs. You know, the kind that bend way back like they are double-jointed. It’s hereditary. So are free ears where the earlobe hangs down in a little dip and attached ears where the lobe attaches to your face without the dip. My Mom has attached ears. My Dad has free ears. I have one of each. I enjoy weirding people out with my little thumb and ear freak show.

3. I am the Queen of Fluff. I know an insane amount of trivia. If anyone has a question particularly about movies or music, they come to me. They know I’m going to know the answer 95% of the time.

4. I make candles as a hobby. I make them for myself, friends and family. I had considered launching it into a home business until reading about the entrepreneur who lost everything when sued by a customer whose home burnt down after leaving her burning candle unattended……in the bathroom…….UNDER THE TOWELS!!! EEK!!!

5. I love to bird watch. I could sit all day and watch birds at the feeder. We just put our hummingbird feeder up on the back porch so we can see them from the dinner table. It makes for quite exciting dinner conversation.

6. I used to own a cow. Yeppers, a real cow. I grew up on a small farm. My Daddy and PaPaw had several cows that they would breed. We would keep one steer for our own beef and sell the rest at market. My brother loved to name the steer and then torment my friends by asking them how good “Ol’ Tom” or “One Horn” tasted. My brother and I each had a cow and we got sell our calves at market and keep the money (minus expenses). Pretty sweet deal. I was the only kid in Jr High School with a checking account! My cow was black and white. Her name was Blackie. Yes, it was a very original name.

7. I used to raise tobacco. We grew Big Burley tobacco as a cash crop. It was hard work. We would set the plants out in the spring (I’d get out of school to help) and cut it in the summer. Then it hung in the barn to dry until fall when we would strip the leaves and tie it into “hands” or bale it. I really enjoyed this last part. I have never smoked in my life but the sweet scent of tobacco always takes me home.

8. I love to sing. I grew up singing in church—youth and adult choirs, ensembles, solos, you name it. I stopped when I went to college. Last year, I joined a local choral group and sang in a Christmas concert. I had forgotten how much I loved to sing. I’m planning to do it again this year. I can’t wait!!!

Whew!! I'm exhausted!! Now I tag The Farmer's Wife at Running in Wellies and Mama Zen at The Zen of Motherhood if they be so inclined and anyone else who might want to play. Just leave me a comment and a link. :)

A New Day

Thank you for accommodating me through this last week. The series about Misha was very difficult to write but healing in its own way. Guess this last week was the “chance of clouds”. But it’s time to move on. It's a new day and I see the sun on the horizon.

We Miss You Misha

Misha

12/9/1994 - 7/28/2005

Somewhere over the rainbow

Way up high

There's a land that I heard of

Once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow

Skies are blue

And the dreams that you dare to dream

Really do come true

Some day I'll wish upon a star

And wake up where the clouds are far behind me

Where troubles melt like lemondrops

Away above the chimney tops

That's where you'll find me

Somewhere over the rainbow

Skies are blue

And the dreams that you dare to dream

Really do come true

Remembering Misha--Part 3, When We Get To Heaven

We moved to our new home June 20, 2005. It’s very hectic moving 2 kidlets and a dog in the heat of summer. The kids missed the old house and were having trouble adjusting to the new daycare. It was a very stressful first week. Misha seemed to be adjusting fine until that first Friday.

We got home that night and sound she could hardly walk. She was unsteady on her feet like she was dizzy and her ears were all crusty like an ear infection. She wouldn’t eat or drink. The next morning she was no better so I took her to the vet. They ran some tests and cleaned her ears out good. The tests showed elevated liver enzymes but not much else. She said Misha reacted like she’d been poisoned. That didn’t make any sense. We’d been there only a week and she was always on leash and rarely made any noise so I could see no reason for anyone to harm her. They gave us some meds for a possible ear infection and sent us home.

Several days passed with still no improvement so we tried another doctor. He was an angel. He kept her for almost a week doing tests and giving her IV fluids. He called for us to bring her home saying she had improved nearly 100% over how she came in but the Misha we took home that day was not our Misha. And her blood work still showed there was something going on.

Dear Hubby took her for an U/S. He said the doctors were all chatty and pleasant as they started but the more they looked the quieter the room got. It was cancer and it was widespread. I think the stress of the move accelerated her condition. We took her home with some high protein food to help boost her energy and a hope for a few more months. That was July 14, 2005.

She was too weak to climb the stairs so we would carry her into and out of the house. We kept her with us as much as possible. She had good days where the old Misha was back and bad days. We tried to prepare the children telling them that Misha was very sick and we needed to spend time with her. She was failing quickly.

The night came when Misha could hardly breathe and she couldn’t walk. She couldn’t keep even water down. We called the vet who told us to give her some Benadryl to make her comfortable through the night. We woke Sara up so she could say goodbye. She cried so hard when we told her that Misha was very sick and it was time for her to go to heaven. She wanted to know how Misha would get there. I told her an angel was coming to carry her there and that once she got to heaven, she wouldn’t be sick anymore. She would run and play and be God’s dog. She would be able to watch us and would be waiting for us when we get to heaven.

The next morning the children and I said one last goodbye and Dear Hubby took her to the vet. He wouldn’t let me come. I was very angry with him that day because I wanted to be there. But now I understand this was something he had to do himself. He is a very private person and needed to grieve in his own way….alone. It was time. She would not have lived another day. I still, to this day, feel we let her down…..that we let her suffer trying to keep her with us for “just one for day”. Dear Hubby was with her when she passed. He said he held her and she just went to sleep……and then he cried. I locked myself in my office……and then I cried. That was July 28, 2005.

It’s been 2 years now. I still have her collar and tags in my dresser. Sara has a picture of her on her dresser and still cries for her at times. Scott was too young to really understand but he misses her just the same and has a fond attachment to anything Husky. I think of her often. I miss how she knew when we turned off the TV, it was time to go to bed. I miss “talking” with her. I miss her “cuddling” with me, lying between my legs and the couch. I even miss her begging to lick the ice cream bowl. But I know that God now has a great friend. I see her lying between His legs and His throne, cuddling. I see her playing with our friend Nancy who passed later that year and sitting with my FIL who passed last year. And I know that she’ll be waiting for us when we get to heaven when we’ll all be a family again.

We love you Misha.

Remembering Misha--Part 2, Dog Days

Misha came to live with us in January 1995 just after our 1st anniversary. She was such an adorable little puppy. And SOOOO smart!! Her crate was too big so we shortened it up with a board to keep her from messing it in. That little stinker figured out she could go over the board to mess and then scramble back to the front so we never knew. She got several days of praise for staying clean until the telltale odor gave her away! She also made a mess on the rug at the garage door. We didn’t realize this either until we noticed the rug was missing. I found it in the laundry room. She had actually messed on the rug and pushed it under, yes, that’s right UNDER the door into the laundry room!!! That was when we realized who was going to run the household!!!

And rule she did. In our house, Hubby was Alpha, Misha was Beta and I was at the very bottom of the pack. She slept in our room on our double bed with us. Actually, Hubby is 6’3” so he took at least half the bed. Misha slept at the bottom of the bed on my side and I got whatever was left. She got to lick the ice cream bowls, pudding cups and yogurt cups clean and leftover soup, sauce and gravy went into her bowl. She was a real talker too. At times I could almost swear she was saying words. She “talked” with such tone and inflection you always knew what she was trying to say.

She loved being outside watching the birds, chasing squirrels and just running!! Huskies LOVE to run! It’s innate!! They can’t help themselves!!! It was great when we moved to North Carolina and had a small fenced back yard that she could play in. We had a hard time getting her to come back inside most days!

She had the best life but that did change some in late 2000. That’s when the kidlets started to join the family. And let’s face it kids change everything. Misha was no longer the center of attention. I had two little ones a year and a half apart and Hubby was working or on-call most of the time. She wasn’t loved any less, however, spreading the time out was difficult and she was getting less attention. She was also getting older and starting to have health problems.

The time came for us to find a new home. Hubby had been commuting about 3hrs each day for over 6 years and we decided enough was enough. It took us over a year but we finally found the perfect house. It was in a rural area on 1.5 acres and it had an invisible fence so Misha would be able to run to her heart’s content!!!! She could chase squirrels and run with the kids all day! It was going to be perfect!!! ……was going to be……..

Remembering Misha--Part 1, Welcome to the Family

Comments Anyone?

Jeana over at Days To Come has posed the question, “What is the purpose of Comments”.

Realistically, when we open our blogs to comments, we are inviting everyone who reads to say anything they want about us. This can be very difficult to do. I mean, most of us bloggers are posting about ourselves, our lives, our families, our convictions, dreams, acccomplishments, fears. It can be hard to hear someone disagree with us. A negative comment can be a slap in the face. Thankfully, from my experience with my blog and others, the negative comments don’t happen very often. And honestly, I welcome a different perspective as long as it is presented with a degree of civility.

I think the other reason we take comments is to get that pat on the back. I admit that I get excited when someone leaves a comment. I secretly envy those blogs whose posts get 10 or 20 comments. That means that people are really connecting with them. It shows that they are great authors who make people laugh, or cry or think. A comment is a Kudo, a round of applause, a head nod. Let’s face it, we all want to have our Sally Field moment, “You like me…..You REALLY like me!!!!!”

So I’m gonna keep writing and reading comments. Hopefully, I learn a bit about my audience to continually improve my writing and some day I’ll have my OWN Sally Field moment!

Bow to the Queen!!!

Ring Ring!!

Me: Hello.
Hubby: I got a trivia question.
Me: OK.
Hubby: Who played “Brad” in Rocky Horror Picture Show”?
Me: Barry Bostwick.
Hubby: Thanks! That’s all I needed!
Me: Glad to be of service.

Oh, yes…......I AM the Queen of Fluff!!!!

Remembering Misha--Part 1, Welcome to the Family

Hubby and I married in January 1994 then Hubby relocated to be with me in the Far North Chicagoland. We were in our very first house and had met two wonderful couples just down the street— The U’s and The C’s. It was great! They were wonderful friends. The U’s had a female Siberian Husky named Alexis. She was so sweet. She was enamored with Hubby and would actually position herself between him and me. It was too funny!! The C’s had a male Siberian Husky named Nikita (Nikki). He was HUGE and could place his front paws on Mr. C’s shoulders (Mr. C is about 6ft 6in!!!). He looked quite intimidating but he was just a big push over!

Well, Alexis and Nikki got twitterpated and on December 9, 1994, Alexis gave birth. Six pups. She was a smaller dog and had trouble whelping them so she ended up with a C-section. She was very weak and the U’s almost lost her so the pups had to come home that night while Alexis stayed in the hospital to recover. We all got to hold the just born pups and help feed them with tiny little bottles. It was amazing!

They were adorable. Alexis Jr. (AJ) looked just like her mother. Brutus was the biggest pup of the six. Piggy had two little black dots on her nose that looked like a pig nose. Dakota had two black dots on his belly and was picked that first day to be The C’s pup. George was named after a Bugs Bunny cartoon. You know the one. “I’ll hug him and squeeze him and call him George.”

They were all black and white except for the last one…..Silver. She had the most beautiful silver/grey fur. You could always pick her out of the pup pile!! She was beautiful and different and …………and she was slowly winning our hearts.

Every time we went to visit, Silver ended up in our laps. Mr. U was always making a fishing motion when we held her--like he was reeling us in. We kept telling them we just weren’t ready for a pet. It’s too much responsibility. But still, she kept ending up in our laps and Mr. U kept making that reeling motion.

We all got together just before Christmas to celebrate the holiday with our friends—our family, really, since ours were 800 miles away. Once again, Silver was in our laps. I looked at Hubby and said, “Can we name her Misha??” And Mr. U was in the corner, frantically reeling………hook……line…….and sinker.

I'm gonna call him Shadow....

Scott got a new pet yesterday. Well, sort of. Sara picked up a snail shell at daycare and Scott just had to have it.

I want the snail!
No, it's mine!
But you have a calapitter!!!!
No I don't!!!
Yes you do! It's a cocoon!!
No, I don't, it died! It never hatched!!! (oops, sorry I never updated you on that!)
But I want the snail!!!
Fine! Take it!
Thank you.

So he did. And he put it in a sippy cup with a lid just like Sara's calapitter. I kept telling him it was empty but he said he still wanted to keep it. He even put leaves in the cup. And he named it Shadow. (He wanted to name Hyperdog Shadow but we didn't feel it fit her. He was VERY disappointed.)

When Daddy put him to bed last night, they were looking at it.

Wow, that's neat.
It's name's Shadow.
Are all those leaves for it to eat?
No, it's dead. The leaves are it's bed.

Shadow currently resides next to his bed so he can look at him. Kids!

Friday Fill-In #29

Janet of Fond of Snape hosts this every week so I thought it would be fun to play along! Sorry Janet, haven't figured out how to get your sexy Friday Fill-In button to show up.

My answers are in bold (as if you couldn’t figure that out on your own!! LOL!!)

1. _Cows_ makes me remember my childhood.
2. I like to use _garlic_ when I cook.
3. _Toy commericals that make my kidlets whine, "I REALLY want that!!!!"__ really pisses me off.
4. I've been thinking about _photography_ lately.
5. The last song I heard that I liked was _I don’t wanna work, I just wanna bang on me drum all day!!_.
6. _Dream____ by starlight.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to _pizza delivery_, tomorrow my plans include _swim lessons for the kidlets and pool time_ and Sunday, I want to _play with my camera_!

Don't forget...have fun!

Photography Class

I’ve just started an on-line photography class!! I’m super excited! I’ve always loved taking pictures and usually do pretty well with the composition but the nuances of aperture, exposure, depth of field and lighting are lost on me.

The class is “Secrets of Better Photography”. Sounds like a blast doesn’t it?? I took a pretest to see how much I know and as it turns out, it ain’t much. LOL!!! So I expect to learn a lot!! And YOU should expect to see lots of photos. Please feel free to critique them for me and in return I’ll happily to share the tips I learn. OOoohhhh, it’s gonna be so much fun!!!!!

The Power of the Playstation!

I’ve never been one for video games. Let’s just say that I’m ….. uhmm….. shall we say, a little uncoordinated. Ok, I confess, Hubby says I could trip over dust. He calls me “Queen Klutz”. And I do very well to live up to that title, thank you very much!!! But back to the video games…...I never really played them so when Hubby decided to get a Playstation system one cold rainy spring day I was like, yeah, ok, whatever. He thought it’d be a great way to spend a cold, rainy day when the kidlets couldn’t get out to play.

We started with the system and three games: NHL, some racing game that gives me motion sickness and Scooby Doo. The NHL game is VERY difficult to play even thought I kinda understand hockey. The racing game, well, like I said, Puke City. And Scooby Doo is fun but it’s one of those find things and figure out the clues games that was a little too advanced for the kids. So the kidlets didn’t play very much.

Recently, I took the advice of Dear Friend, Laurie, and bought Lego Star Wars. The version we got has games from episodes I, II and III. It is soooo cool!! Everything is “made” from Legos and you can build things or break things. When things blow up or characters get destroyed, little Lego pieces go flying!! One caution: it plays best with two players working together as a team. Scott hasn’t quite grasped the “team concept” much to Daddy’s aggravation. But the kidlets just LOVE it!!!! Scott has gone from an occasional gamer to an incessant gamer. Don’t worry, we DO limit their game time.

The benefit I see is the acquisition of a new and very powerful discipline tool. Scott actually started this himself. One day at preschool, he got sad faces for not wearing his listening ears. I asked him what he thought we needed to do about it and he replied sadly, “I know, I don’t get to play the game tonight”. WOW!!!! I had never used it as a discipline tool before and was shocked that he even suggested it! And believe it or not, he DIDN’T play the game that night. He didn’t even ask to play it. Now, he shows me when I pick him up, “I got two happy faces!!! I get to play the game!!!”

Even this morning as he proceeded to give me flack about going to summer camp, a mention of losing gaming privileges straightened him up Toot Sweet! All Hail the Mighty PS2!!!

So the game system has indeed a mighty power in this household. At least for Scott. Caitlin, Her Majesty, The Drama Queen is a different story all together………….

Monday Musings

Sorry, I’ve gotten behind so back to the Rainbow!!! The next color is............

Green

1. Who's your favorite Ninja Turtle?
2. Do you have a green thumb?
3. What's your favorite kind of salad?
4. Do you get seasick?
5. Are you a fan of the "Shrek" movies? Have you gone to see the third one?


My Answers

1. We don’t watch them (although Scott calls them “Injun Turtles) so no favs here.

2. Not really. I tend to forget to water and then I over-water. But I HAVE managed to keep my Christmas cactus alive for nearly 20 years bringing it from the brink of death several times. That’s gotta say something!

3. Watergate salad—love that green salad with the little marshmallows!! Yum!!!

4. Oh gosh yes!!!! But Bonine does wonders!!!!

5. I love Shrek!!!!! I have seen Shrek The Third but I have to say that although good, it wasn’t up to the same caliber as the first two.

That Darn Dog!!

Or maybe “Hyperdog Strikes Again” is a better title.

Let’s return to last evening. I got some hamburger and some beer at the grocer on the way home. I was going to have Hamburger Helper for dinner. I know, but the children will usually eat it and it’s quick and easy. Of course last night they cried for chicken nuggets instead! The beer was a new brand I’d tried in Baltimore—Blue Moon……..Belgium White……Wheat beer. Really good!!

I put the beer in the fridge in the garage. It’s a small dorm fridge Hubby’s boss gave to him. We use it mainly for beer which we rarely drink unless we have friends over. I got ready to start dinner and couldn’t find the hamburger. Oh yeah, I left it in the garage. I entered the garage and I saw Piper standing by the fridge. She immediately dropped her head and flattened her ears. Uh Oh!! What was that on the ground? A half eaten package of hamburger--93% lean hamburger…..1.5 pounds of hamburger…..$6 worth of hamburger!!!!!!!!!! ARRGGHHHHH!!!!!!!!!

What can I say? She’s just a pup. It was my fault for leaving it where she could get it. So Piper got a very nice meal of raw meat. The children got their chicken nuggets. Hubby and I got cold sandwiches. I think the dog got the best meal last night. At least I got a bottle of beer—Blue Moon……..Belgium White……Wheat beer. Really good!! MMmmmm!!!!

Answered Prayers

Rain moved in about 4 pm as we were eating an early supper at McD's. T-ball was cancelled so we settled in to play Lego Star Wars, read and watch some TV. After a short protest from Scott, the kids were settled in bed shortly about 8:45 pm. The much needed rain is moving out of the area. My headache is basically gone and I'm ready to turn in. I'm looking forward to a much better morning. Good night!

What's on your DVR?

We don't know how we every watched TV before getting our DVR. Here is a list of what's waiting to be watched:

Power Rangers
Supernanny (3 episodes)
Farscape (2 episodes)
The Dead Zone
Ultimate Dog Championships (3 episodes)
Good Dog U (5 episodes)
3000 Miles to Graceland
Driven
House (3 episodes)
Build an Outdoor Kitchen (5 episodes)
Spider-Man 2
Stargate SG-1
Music and Lyrics
Boston Legal (5 episodes)
Walt Disney World Resort: Behind the Scenes
Night at the Museum
24 (18 episodes!!!)

Wow!!! Looks like we'd better get on it!!!

What's on YOUR DVR?

Yes, I'm monkeying around with the site

Please bear with me while I work on the format of this blog. I like the pic but it needs to be smaller. What do you think about the colors? Do they hurt your eyes? Remember, I already have a headache so I can't tell. LOL!!!!

Oy, my aching head

I've been dealing with this headache for about 3 days now. Don't you just hate those? The ones you go to bed with and wake up with the next day? I called out of work today and spent the morning in bed trying to sleep it off again with some excedrin. No luck so far. And we have T-Ball tonite.......with pictures..........and it's going to be 99 degrees today. Just kill me now!!!

Who Needs Sleep?

My 5 year old does!!!! Poor Scott is operating on a sleep deficit the size of the national debt! It's all the Grands' and cousins' fault. We visited family for the holiday and they stayed up WAY too late. I generally try to get them in bed about 8:30 but this summer with the time change, it's been more like 9:30. But.......while on vacation, they were up until nearly midnight every night!! It's just so hard to give it up and go to sleep when you have cousins to play with. And of course, just because they go to bed late, doesn't mean they sleep late either. They get up at normal time and are just crabby patties all day long!!

Scott's main thing is to fight bedtime with a purple passion!! He wails and cries and kicks and flails lamenting that he's NOT tired, he wants water, he wants to watch TV, he wants to play video games......all the while desperately fighting to keep his eyes from closing. Even Sara is being affected. She was hitting her friends and telling her teachers "no" yesterday and this morning she was quite the little devil!!!!

God grant me strength. (And a nice rainy day so I can convince them it's later than it really is and get them in bed at a decent hour!!)

TopBlogMag

Good Morning!!

I've written an article for TopBlogMag. The theme this week was a music lyric. Boy, I had a hard time with that one. Too many to choose from!! LOL!!! And I found that writing for a specific theme on a deadline is MUCH different than personal blogging!!

Well, go check it out along with the other great articles. Be kind to me.......it was my first try. LOL!!!

Here I am!

Did you think I fell off a cliff? Jumped ship? Moved to the outback?

No......just extremely busy. Shortly after my last post I found myself having to travel for business (the horrors!), having to complete three 8 hour web training courses in 3 days and traveling to Tennessee for the July 4 holiday. I’m still exhausted!! But I have lots of new things to write about!! So stay tuned!!

And Today's Bad Mommy Award Goes To.........

Sara woke up this morning saying her neck and throat were sore. I told her she probably just slept with her neck crooked and her mouth open and she'd be ok. She only ate a bite of her waffle but otherwise seemed ok. She never said she didn't feel like going to summer camp, she didn't have a fever and I really needed to go to work so off we went. I figured she would feel better once she got there and started playing with her friends.

So the phone rang at about 11:45 and it's the day care. "Sara is throwing up." Wonderful. Must be a tummy bug. I'd had second thoughts all morning about sending her and now I felt just terrible. I got her home and covered her up on the couch to watch some tv and rest. She didn't vomit any more but her throat was still sore. I checked and saw it was red with little yellow bumps. Great. So then, we headed to the doctor. The nurse came in with the item that strikes fear in most school aged children--the throat swab. After much whining, crying and lamenting, the swab was done. Diagnosis?? Strep Throat. Of course.

I guess Sara and I get to have a Mommy/Daughter day. Hopefully she'll feel better soon because she not the easiest kid to be around when she doesn't feel well.

Blogger Illiterate

Yeppers, that’s me. Still trying to figure out this blogger stuff. Like how to post a link so that a title or phrase shows instead of the link itself or how to do strikethroughs. But the most aggravating thing right now is why the “Wordless Wednesday" post I put up last night isn’t showing for me. It says it’s published and when I search for it, it’s there, but I just don’t see it on the front page. HHHhhmmmmm…….

So, if you can’t see it, try this link: http://rayshine.blogspot.com/search?q=wordless and if THAT doesn’t work, then just search this blog for “wordless”. Enjoy.

Oh, and if you have any solutions to my other issues, I’m all ears!!!!

One last thing, if you didn't have any problem seeing the Wordless Wednesday post, just tell me I'm crazy. LOL!!!!

UPDATE: OK, so I AM crazy because now, since I posted THIS post, the other post is showing. I give up. Where are the nice men in the white coats??????

Wordless Wednesday

Monday Musings

The next color in the rainbow is……………….

Green

1. Who's your favorite Ninja Turtle?
2. Do you have a green thumb?
3. What's your favorite kind of salad?
4. Do you get seasick?
5. Are you a fan of the "Shrek" movies? Have you gone to see the third one?


1. Scott calls them Injun Turtles. But he (therefore, I) do not watch them so no favs here.
2. Nope, can’t say that I do. My gardens and house plants generally start out well but they all eventually die of thirst.
3. Chicken salad, macaroni salad, chef salad.
4. Oh gosh yes!!!! Gotta have my patch or Bonine!!!
5. We LOVE Shrek!!!!! We saw Shrek the Third last weekend and it was pretty good. But I think the first and second were better.

Monday Musings

Oh yes, late again. Maybe I should call this one Tuesday Tidbits?? Sorry. Blush I pulled the questions from the site I usually get them from but I found them to be a bit crass and “adult” for my site so I had to come up with my one. Not an easy feat, I must say!! But here they are--remember we are doing the colors of the rainbow.

Yellow

1. What is your favorite yellow vegetable or fruit?
2. Yellow lemonade or Pink lemonade?
3. How many yellow articles of clothing do you own?
4. Mello Yello or Mountain Dew?
5. Did you ever want to ride on the Yellow Submarine?


1. I love squash: fried, steamed, grilled, sautéed, you name it.
2. They taste the same but pink is more festive.
3. I own no yellow clothing, wait……maybe a pair of undies.
4. Mello Yello. It has slightly less sugar than Mtn Dew.
5. I always loved that song and I think it would be cool to do.

A curse on all dressing room mirrors!

Sara and I went shopping last weekend for clothes. Poor thing only had one pair of shorts and it’s getting pretty hot around here—90’s this week. She wanted to try everything on which is a plus because I then have “less” clothing that she refuses to wear after we get it home. She’s my modest one preferring Bermuda shorts and Capri’s over anything shorter than mid thigh. She would pull them up and if they were too short, she’d squeal, “Oh my gosh!! Those are TOO short!!” and pull them off before even getting them all the way on! LOL!! Quiet prayer, “please God, let her keep this modesty when she’s a teen!”

Well, I decided to look for some shorts too since I haven’t bought clothes for myself in ages and Piper, the hyper Border Collie has ripped most of mine anyways. Ok, first thing…….who in this world designed those “sits just above your hiney” clothes. Those should only be made in size 0 because if you have any amount of a belly or rear, you’ll never even be able to pull them up!!!!

So I looked at myself in the mirror and thought, whoa, am I on candid camera? Did someone switch this mirror with a funhouse mirror??? I looked like a butterball turkey!!! My belly poked way out in front and my rear did the same in the…..well, the rear. There is no way I’m as big as I looked!! Or am I???? I’m just slouching, I need to stand up straight and suck it in. Nope, still there!! ARRGHHH!!!!!

Time to start taking better care of myself. I need to change my eating habits and start exercising. No better time than the present. So if you are inclined to follow along with me, come visit me at http://healthmattersjournal.blogspot.com/

Camo Croc--Missing In Action

Scott came hobbling in the back door one night with only one shoe on. What’s wrong? Nothing. Where’s your croc shoe? I dunno. I can’t find it. Where did you leave it? I dunno. Why don’t you know? We were playing with them, throwing them on the swing set and now I can’t find it. I’ll just wear my sandals. Well, you’d better find it, they are brand new!! I’ve looked! I can’t find it!!

So I volunteer for the dangerous search and rescue mission. Camo Croc was most likely kidnapped by his arch nemesis, Piper……aka, Hyperdog. The first phase of the mission was to locate all of Hyperdog’s secret lairs—places she could torment Camo Croc without fear of discovery. Her favorite torture is to chew on her victims for a while and then slobber all over them until they break and spill everything, from who keeps hiding my keys to where Jimmy Hoffa is buried.

First lair I find is under the back porch steps. It’s dark and buggy under there. Shudder I find carcasses of rubber balls and soda bottles but Camo Croc was not there. Next I looked in the barren wasteland under the swing set. Nothing there but drifting dunes where Hyperdog’s been digging for buried treasure. My last resort was to enter……THE GARAGE…….an intricate labyrinth of two year old moving boxes, bicycles, roller blades, hockey equipment and a multitude of tools. If you aren’t careful, you can get lost for days……weeks even!!! I cautiously enter the maze, dropping a few bread crumbs along the way to aid my retreat. I find one of my shoes, a tortured hockey puck and several dismembered puppy toys but once again, no Camo Croc.

Then it hit me like a beam! Where is the best place to hide something? Right under your nose!! Camo Croc must be hiding in plain sight to escape capture. I make criss-cross passes over the yard. No luck. One last ditch effort in the fading light sent me around the perimeter. There I found him…..Camo Croc……making a break from the swing set to the spruce tree where he could hide. I actually almost stepped on him. He blended perfectly into his surroundins. He is, afterall, Camo Croc! A quick inspection showed no signs of torture so he must have been able to evade Hyperdog’s clutches. Mission completed successfully!!!!

We all slept soundly that night knowing that Camo Croc was safe and sound in Scott’s bedroom. But as we were getting ready for school the next morning………..Scott, where’s your shoe? I dunno…………….

The "H" Word

It’s a humbling and somewhat scary feeling when you realize that you cannot control all of the influences for your children. They go to school and they learn from their teachers and their friends. Some of these learnings match our beliefs and morals but unfortunately some of them don’t. It’s a difficult task to help them understand and withhold our beliefs and values when their peers don’t share them.

The “H” word has reared it’s head in our house twice this month. I was totally taken aback the first time I heard it. Sara and Scott were playing when Scott got a bit too rough and started pestering Sara. She told him to stop a couple of times, then drama queen went overboard and screamed, “I HATE you!!!!” at Scott. I knew she had to have heard it at school or at daycare or the neighborhood kids because we just don’t talk to each other that way. Well, we had a long talk about how words hurt and that she didn’t really mean it. She apologized and I thought that was the end of it. Yes, I know, naïve Mommy.

This weekend, they were playing in the sprinkler and having a grand time. Daddy started spraying the kids with the hose and Sara didn’t like it. In her defense, she told him to stop numerous times, but you know how Dad’s like to keep on going. And there it was again. She screamed “I HATE YOU!!!” at her Daddy. I was just floored, again. Another talk ensued and another apology.

I discussed this with a friend. Her teenager had gotten angry with her recently and wrote her a note saying that he hated her. She said he’d never said it and it really hurt her. I understand. It’s one thing to hear a 6yo say it in the heat of the moment who really doesn’t understand it, but for a child to think about it and then write on paper is huge. When they talked about it, he told her he really didn’t mean it. I thought her response was awesome. In a nutshell, she told him that he can’t say things if he doesn’t mean them because they can’t trust him. Does he really mean it then, when he tells her he loves her? That is a very powerful approach and really teaches them to think before they talk and to be honest with themselves. I don’t think 6yrs is too early to start teaching them this. And maybe there’s a lesson here for grownups too.

Belated Monday Musings

Ok, so I'm a day late. Blame it on the holiday!! Here's the next color meme. Enjoy!

Orange

1. Do you like pulp in your orange juice?
2. Do you ever visit the tanning salon?
3. Orange you glad I didn't say ___________?
4. Did you watch "The O.C."? If so, who was your favourite character?
5. Do you like your grilled cheese made with Kraft singles (or a similar processed cheese) or real cheese?


1. YUK!!! Nope! I don’t like things floating in my drinks. I rejoiced when they came out with “no pulp OJ”.
2. I did a couple of times about 10 yrs ago but I turned more red than tan and and I itched a lot so these days I get my tan out of a bottle.
3. Banana
4. Never watched the OC.
5. Processed cheese baby!! Gotta have it ooey gooey creamy!!

Out of the mouths of babes

Children have no brain buffers—they think it, they say it. Sometimes it’s good and sometimes it’s bad. But it’s generally the truth.

So this morning, I turned the TV on to entertain them while I did the rest of the morning routine of trying to get 3 kids, sorry, 2 kids and a Hubby out of the house. There was an infomercial on for some exercise equipment. Scott watched it for a moment and then turned to me and said, “Mama, you need to get that because you’re getting fat”. OMG!! I gave him one of those looks to which he replied, “You really are, Mama.” Then he goes on to say, “When I become a Daddy and get fat, I’ll get one of those, too”.

Well, at least he slammed both of us!!! LOL!!!!

Monday Musings

I found this meme from another site and wanted to share it here. They are doing a 7-week meme related the colors of the rainbow. Please post your answers in a comment here and feel free to to also post them on their site. Hope you enjoy!

Red

1. What makes you blush?
2. What was your worst sunburn?
3. If you had to wear a vial of someone else's blood around your neck, whose would you choose?
4. What's your favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers song?
5. Where (other than home, cause that's not inventive) would your Ruby Slippers take you?

Here are my answers

1. What makes you blush? Gosh, just about anything, an off-color joke (even if I’m telling it), a compliment, being startled, public speaking.

2. What was your worst sunburn? When I was in college, I got a blistering sunburn. My legs were blotchy instead of red and my skin started peeling off the very next day. The skin on my upper chest blistered and cracked and I couldn’t wear a brassiere for 2 wks!!!

3. If you had to wear a vial of someone else's blood around your neck, whose would you choose? Ok, weird question. I dunno, my Hubby’s or my children’s I guess.

4. What's your favorite Red Hot Chili Peppers song? I don’t’ have one.

5. Where (other than home, cause that's not inventive) would your Ruby Slippers take you? Can I count my parents’ house? I’d go there. Otherwise, I’d go to see my very best e-pal, Laurie. :)

Strike One!

So like I’ve said, Sara’s attitude just stinks these days. She turns every little thing into the Titanic! Lately, she’s been sassy, ugly, back –talking, whining, loud, you name it. So I decided to try a different approach since the overused “go to your room” obviously wasn’t working.

Scott is going to a b-day party this weekend at a pottery place. Sara really wants to go too so I plan to take her and let her do her own project while Scott does the party thing. So I thought this would be a good way to teach her something. So I told her that Scott was going to the party but if she wanted to come along, she’d have to earn it by behaving—no whining, no back-talking, no defiance and treat me with respect. It started as an ultimatum. One infraction and she’s done. That didn’t seem quite fair for a child this young so I changed it to three strikes.

She was doing fairly well until yesterday when she stared fussing with Scott over a spot to sit on the couch (oh, to have such “weighty” issues!). She hit him, yelled at him and actually told him she HATED him. I was totally shocked! Such talk is taboo in our house and I’d NEVER heard her say it about another person. I wanted to pull her privileges then and there (and I probably should have), but I wanted to stay consistent with the program she and I had agreed to. So she got her first strike—a big red “X” on her section of the calendar yesterday. A good visual for her so she can’t forget. She also got a good lecture on how words can hurt more than hits and then she apologized to Scott. Two more strikes and no party. It seems to be working.

Now, for the future, I wanted a different approach. This may work for those special events but what about the times in between? So, I have one of those magnetic responsibility/rewards charts that we’ve not been using because I’ve not taken the time to hang it on the wall. (I know, poor excuse!) I’m going to use that for the future. The children will each have some responsibilities specific to them and also some that they share. The shared responsibilities must be achieved by BOTH children to earn the magnet and will include: no whining, play nice, etc. I’ll give them a goal for a certain number of magnets to earn. When the goal is reached they can draw a paperslips from the “Family Fun Bucket” which will have things like bowling, mini golf, museum, dollar store, and so on and so forth.

Hopefully this will help them earn a sense of responsibility and achievement and learn that good behavior leads to good things!

That Still Small Voice

I should have listened to that still small voice in the back of my brain. I knew that we’ve eaten out way to much lately and that I should just take them home and make hotdogs or mac-n-cheese or something. But the “norm”, unfortunately, has become that when Daddy is not going to be home for dinner, we go out.

I heard that voice in the back of my head nagging at me all the way to the daycare but when we got in the car, I sighed, “do you want to go to Mickey D’s?” One little voice said, “YEAH!”. One little voice whined, “No!”. That nagging voice in my head, said, “Go home!”. But on we went and after much deliberation on the children’s parts, we decided to go to Burger King. They have Spiderman toys. Sara wants chicken fries. I ate there for lunch so I didn’t care, chicken fries sounded as good as anything to me.

I park, coax, no wait, plead the children out of the van. They are all excited about Spiderman toys and chicken fries. I walk up to the register and there is it…….the sign…….”Cash only”. What??? What is this “cash”? I don’t know what it looks like. What do you use it for? I live in a plastic world. I use my debit card for everything. I never carry cash! I jumped great leaps of joy when the fast food industry joined us in the ranks of the 21st century and started accepting plastic! I was at a loss. I drug two children whining about Spiderman toys and chicken fries back out to the van while trying to explain that I didn’t have this “cash” and we would have to go elsewhere. Envision lots of whining and lamenting in the back seat.

So next idea was to go to Wendy’s. That still small voice in my head is getting louder now, “This Wendy’s food is awful and the service is terrible, go home!”. But the children drowned it out so off we went. We walk in, no signs, so far so good. Only one person in front of us. Cool. Children have miraculously decided on what they wanted to eat. Could I be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel? Ah, but wait. The man’s order isn’t right, the cashier can’t find the right buttons on the register. The drinks are wrong……that should be a kid’s meal………where are my fries? (The light is getting closer now!) Finally, the man in front of me is done—I guesstimate about 10 mins has elapsed. I place my order. I kid you not, it took no less than 5 minutes for this guy to ring in 2 kid’s meals and a combo and another 10 minutes to get the food (What's that noise?). And the coup de grace was they forgot Scott’s yogurt which sent him into a whining fit so bad that I braved the trip back to the register to get it (The engine is thundering inside my head and the voice is screaming........"I told you so!").

So next time that voice starts to whisper in my head, maybe I should stop and listen to it. And always keep a supply of mac-n-cheese in the cupboard.