I’d like to buy the world a …
I stumbled upon something startling a couple of weeks ago. I have found a new drink that I love – maybe even more than DP (GASP!). Yes, Hell is definitely freezing over.
Anyone who knows me knows that I’ve been a serious Dr Pepper-holic since I was 10. The first thing I drink in the morning? DP. The first thing I wanted after I gave birth? You guessed it.
Anyway, I have started drinking Diet Black Cherry Vanilla Coke and I’m LOVING it. It doesn’t even taste diet to me.
Well, I guess the good ol’ folks at Dr Pepper are going to have to shut down a couple of plants and lay people off now. My sincerest condolences….
Speech therapy, tongue troubles and external hydrocephalus
My son will be 3 on October 10. He’s one of the sweetest two-year-olds I’ve ever known; he really has a tender heart. He does have his moments, but I think most of his meltdowns come from his lack of ability to communicate effectively.
As you may know from my earlier posts, he has been diagnosed with an expressive speech delay – that means he can understand what I’m telling him, but he has a hard time talking. We don’t know why. He’s been seeing a speech therapist for about 6 months now and not a whole lot has changed. He is making steady improvement, but he’s still the better part of a year behind. Read the rest of this entry »
Sigh.
I found my daughter with a sopping wet shirt twice yesterday. It was sticky and wet and looked like she’d spilled a large amount of juice on herself.
I went and turned her sippy cup upside down and shook it several times, to see if it was leaking. I did the same with her brother’s cup, to no avail. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how she got so wet.
Then, we went to the park last night to feed the ducks. Even though I had cooled it off for a couple of minutes, the car was still pretty hot when I put them in it, so I handed her a drink. She took a sip and promptly drooled it out of her mouth, as if she’d been shot full of Novocaine.
Now that I’ve solved the mystery, I have to figure out how I’m going to get her to stop! The more I seem to scold her about such things, she thinks it’s a game. But, it’s hard to ignore when she’s ruining her shirts. Guess it’s time to break out the bibs again.
Just press repeat
I’ve figured out that the bulk of what I say throughout the day could be recorded and looped. This is what it would sound like (no, really, I’m not kidding):
Ow.
I knew when I input this category, it would be used sooner than later. I am one of the all-time-greats of klutzery. When I was growing up, my mother always told me I was an accident looking for a place to happen. I haven’t changed much since then, and now my husband is the one teasing me about my clumsiness.
So, I was in the grocery store night before last and I was carrying a hand basket. It contained a 12-pack of diet Black Cherry Vanilla Coke (go get one, they’re good) and a box of dish detergent. So, the basket was pretty heavy, and I kept switching it from hand to hand.
Somehow, when I tried to pass the basket from one hand to the other, I slipped. I guess my right hand didn’t know what the left hand was doing. Anyway, the heavy basket fell on my flip-flop-shodden foot with a thud. I resisted the urge to scream, paid for my groceries and limped out.
Another day in the life.
My man and his muscles
Gabriel just got his first tattoo (came out of a cereal box). He’s so proud.
Cold snap
It’s 88 here in Austin, TX right now. I might have to go find my mittens.
The weather man keeps saying it’s going to rain, but it hardly ever does. I’ve been waiting for a good thunderstorm for quite awhile. We’ve had very few this year. It seems like the only good one we had, I had to drive in, which is no fun. I only like storms when I can see them safe from home.
Jay and I are both weather buffs and have talked about becoming storm spotters, but I’m sure that won’t happen until the kids are up and out of the house – or at least old enough to take care of themselves.
I’ve always been deathly afraid of tornadoes, but I’m fascinated by them at the same time. I think I’d like to see one from a distance, as long as it wasn’t headed my direction.
My husband, on the other hand, isn’t afraid of anything (except for spiders, but that’s another story), so when I’m running for cover, he’s wanting to go outside and look for the potential tornado.
Knitwit
After seeing a friend whip up a baby blanket on her new Knifty Knitter loom recently, I was inspired to go out and buy one.
First the station wagon, then the minivan, now the knitting … all I need now is a rocking chair and a cat sitting at my feet.
Things to do before I die
My only remaining grandparent, my maternal grandmother, died this morning. It was a good thing, though – she had Alzheimer’s, and she’s definitely in a better place now.
It’s got me thinking, though, about life. And my legacy. And lots of other things.
I know it’s a cliche, but I think maybe writing a list of things to do before you die gives you some good perspective. It will continue to be a work in progress, and I intend to revsit it and refine it from time to time.
Read the rest of this entry »
Signs of the Apocalypse
My 2-year-old son voluntarily washed his hands today. Voluntarily.
Normally, when I wash his hands, he screams like I’m trying to kill him. So, in the interest of peace, I have been a slacker when it comes to his hand-washing. But, he just climbed up and did it today out of the blue.
Maybe tomorrow he’ll voluntarily use the potty. Right now he can’t seem to wrap his brain around it. He’ll come up to me and say “I pee pee in the boppy! Yea!” after wetting his pull-up. I always tell him, ‘no, you did NOT pee pee in the potty, you went in your diaper.’ To which he usually smiles at me blankly. And my husband wonders why I’m not pushing the potty training yet. I’m not a glutton for punishment.
This is just sad
Let me start off by saying I’m NOT a democrat. I’m not a republican either. My political beliefs are complex and I don’t really fit into either party. But that’s not what this post is about.
I just read an article full of nasty quotes by Fox’s PR department (see article below). This is ridiculous. If these people put as much brainpower and effort into something worthwhile, we’d surely have a cure for cancer by now … and heavens knows what else.
Before you start getting huffy and sending me quotes from the “other” news stations’ PR departments, let me say this: YES, I know, the pendulum swings both ways. Both sides are guilty in the endless, not-so-’civil’ war between the parties. It’s still just sad to me that our society has de-volved into this mess.
Late-night ER visit
What is it with my family today?
I just got home from the ER with my 2-year-old son, Gabriel. I took him there about 1:30 am because he had a barking cough and was wheezing terribly. They said it was croup, gave him steroids and sent us on our merry way. I’m just glad it wasn’t asthma or anything like that.
My children NEVER get sick during the week – it’s always on the weekend, when our only options are to call their pediatrician (whose after-hours-call fee is $35 … grrr), wait it out and hope they are OK, or take them to the ER.
And I usually err on the side of caution. I don’t EVER want to have to say “if I had only…” when it comes to my kids’ health and safety.
Little heathens
So, my husband nearly Atkins-ed himself to death. I got a call from him this morning and he sounded like he was having a heart attack or something. He went to the nurse at his work and he took a test that indicated high levels of keytones and abnormally high levels of protein. The nurse advised him to quit the diet ASAP and move on to a more healthy, balanced diet with lots of veggies and whole grains.
So, to celebrate (the end of the strict diet), we went to a buffet tonight. I splurged for the first time in the last two weeks of dieting, and it was goooood.
But our children, on the other hand, were embarrassing. Mikaela drummed on the table incessantly, engaged in a kick fight with her brother, and tried to escape from her highchair. Gabriel belched loudly and then grinned broadly, as if to congratulate himself on a ‘good one.’
Threats never seem to work in those places, unfortunately, and my dirty looks go unheeded. I’m going to have to call my mom and ask for pointers on the stink-eye. One look from her stopped me in my tracks when I was a kid.
oh, don’t tell me you’ve never thought about it.
… now I have to explain to my husband why there’s carrot chunks stuck in the tub drain.
photos
You know, I’m never entirely satisfied with any photo taken of me. This one makes me look fat; my face is shiny in that one. Pre-2000 photos of me showcase my fuzzy eyebrows before I started plucking them, which look like wooly caterpillars about to wriggle off of my face.
I think I’m going to take all the pictures of me with things I like and mesh them into one. That oughta be one heck of a photoshop project. Would it be wrong to borrow a body part from J’Lo?
I have photoshopped pictures in the past, mostly for fun. Don’t believe the saying “pictures never lie” – photoshop can make almost anything possible.
I’m not THAT PC
Political correctness has served some great, noble purposes in this country. Thank God it’s not PC to say the “N”-word anymore, for example – so, hopefully, most of the people who still think that way are at least keeping their mouths shut so the rest of us don’t have to hear it.
But I can only take PC-ness to a point. When people start trying to impose inter-societal mores on international relations, that’s when I want to scream.
One of the first things I learned in International Relations (I was a Poli-Sci minor): anarchy is the rule of law on the international stage. Diplomacy only goes so far, and the UN is, in reality, a bulldog with no teeth. One country ultimately has no control over another. Each individual country is only looking out for #1. So, to expect the United States or any other nation to play Mr. Nice Guy and “be fair” with other countries is laughable.
You may be wondering what riled my ire? Read this story:
Nifty product of the day
I recently got this cup for both of my kids (well, Mikaela’s is slightly more girly-looking). It’s the Playtex Coolster Tumbler. It’s like a kiddie version of an adult coffee tumbler.So, now your kids can walk around all day looking like they’re sipping on lattes. No, seriously – this cup is great. The package says 4 and up, but my 17-month-old and 2-year-old are doing just fine with it. And it’s a heck of a lot more spill proof than the last product we bought – Munchkin’s spill-proof, leak-proof insulated straw cups. The Munchkin cups were neither spill proof nor leak proof, but in their defense, the customer service department is sending new lids and straws to replace the ones I have. If that works, I’ll update this post and let you know.
Kids are like snowflakes
Every day, my kids surprise me with the funny things they say and do.
To encourage Gabriel to eat his banana at lunchtime, I recently asked if my monkey wanted a banana, to which he eagerly jumped up and down and made monkey noises.
Ever since that day, Mikaela has associated that noise with food. So every day, she runs to her high chair at mealtime and says “oooh ooh! aaah aah!”
Oh, well – at least she’s getting her point across. I just hope we can break her of it before she goes to school. I don’t need anymore evidence pointing to the fact that my home is a zoo.
Sounded prophetic to me.
When Kim Jong Il decided to fire some nice Fourth-of-July fireworks off, I was immediately reminded of the Soundgarden song, 4th of July, from their Superunknown album.
Well, the world apparently didn’t end then (not that I really thought that it was going to), but the lyrics are kinda creepy nonetheless.
“… Cause I heard it in the wind
And I saw it in the sky
And I thought it was the end
And I thought it was the 4th of julyPale in the flare light….
And leads the scorched ones here
And everywhere no one cares
The fire is spreading
And no one wants to speak about it …Now I’m in the fall out…”
The Queen of Rationalization
Well, I’m no longer doing the Atkins/South Beach diet … I’m still doing low-carb, but I’ve added whole grains, some fruits (mostly berries) and – most importantly – dark chocolate (it’s good for you! The doctors say so! I swear! Now if I can just get them to say that about Krispy Kreme donuts…) back in to my diet.
The meat, cheese, egg and salad diet was getting old, and it was leaving me really tired. I feel so much better now. Now, if I can just make myself not rationalize drinking regular dr. pepper and chocolate ice cream, I’ll be doing well.
“Look at that pretty sunset that God made.”
Jay and I were walking out of Target this evening with the kids in tow. We’d been rushing around all day, as usual. On our way to our minivan, we passed a lady who was putting her kids into her car. She popped her head up as we passed and exclaimed, wide-eyed, “Just look at that pretty sunset that God made!”
I stopped and looked at it and acknowledged her, and then she told us to have a blessed evening. I passed her by and then REALLY looked at the sunset – something I don’t do nearly enough in my hustle and bustle lately – and thanked God for it.
My description might make her sound a little loony, but she wasn’t – she was overflowing with joy and wanted everyone to Know what she Knows. I was touched.
I’ve been a Christian since I was 3. But I spent a lot of my younger years living my life for no one but myself in reality.
And I still struggle. I just get so caught up with life. There’s always an excuse not to get up and go to church on Sunday morning – and we are trying hard to stop making them and just GO.
It’s even been hard to say a complete prayer since I had kids. I mean, I have .. I DO pray, but my prayer life is definitely not what it once was. My mind wanders all too often to what I need to do tomorrow, what the kids are getting into, you name it.
But, I keep learning the same lesson over and over again, and you think it would’ve sunk in by now: without praying before and during my day, it always turns out to be stressful and/or just downright horrible. But when I start the day out by asking God for the strength and wisdom and patience to get through that day, it’s SO much easier to cope.
Speaking of Christianity, I read two articles recently that really impacted me. I’d like to share them with you.
word to the wise
Munchkin spill-proof insulated straw cups are NOT SPILL PROOF. My kids are steadily turning my entire livingroom carpet the color of grape juice.
I think I’m going to write Munchkin a letter. I don’t like paying $4.50 for a cup that is very much not what it says it is.
Another good day
Why haven’t I lost 80 pounds yet?!?
I hate being patient when there’s nothing else that you can be. Too bad instant gratification in the weight-loss area costs upwards of $5K.
Well, anyway, I am doing really well so far. We had the greatest filet pinwheels with spinach and feta cheese tonight. Yum.
I do miss fruit, though. Not bread as much – but, I sure could go for a nice summer peach right now. Sigh.
Old valentintes
I just dug through my old “memories” box this evening, and I re-discovered something my mom had saved and given to me recently – my preschool valentines. They’re dated from 1978-1983. I probably have about 30 – ranging from Wonder Woman to Ziggy to Garfield to Mickey Mouse. I wonder if they’re worth something? I guess I’ll put them on ebay. I need money more than I do memories. 
irony
Sometimes I get a wild hair, and you’d better get out of my way, because I want to do something, and I want it done NOW!
So, a couple of days ago, I went and bought the kids some new toys because they’ve outgrown most of the ones they have now. Read the rest of this entry »
Diet going well
Still at it. My homicidal tendencies have subsided quite a bit, and I’m sure it’s due to finally coming down off my extended sugar high. Read the rest of this entry »
Low-carb diet, day number 3
Jay and I have once again purged the carb-y foods from our pantry and embarked on a low-carb diet again. We’ve had some great successes with it in the past, but we have trouble being disciplined enough to keep the weight OFF. Read the rest of this entry »
Retro Sesame Street
I love toys and videos from the 80s. Gives me the warm fuzzies.
I got my kids some old Sesame Street videos at a yard sale Saturday, and I remember the episodes from my own childhood.
I like the old Sesame Streets better than the new ones – I can’t put my finger on why, but they definitely used to be cooler back in the day.
Real estate update
Well, it’s been a long last couple of weeks.
We kicked the original real estate agent and mortgage broker to the curb, found new ones, and made another offer on that same house that we were looking at. However, there was another offer and they decided to go with that one.
Jay and I were driving around in that same neighborhood (that the house we ‘lost’ is in) looking at other homes. When we passed the home we’d made an offer on, the owners were standing outside. I refrained from leaning out and saying “TBBBPTHBPH!”
Aren’t you proud?
Anyway, we are going to take a break for a little while, I think. In reality, we should wait until we find out whether – and where – Jay’s going to get a teaching job before we move. It’s hard to cool your heels when you’ve got 4 people living in a small 2-bedroom apartment, but I know we should wait a little longer.
hair
Mikaela has really bad hair. She has a swirly (forgive my lack of technical terminology) part/cowlick thingy in the front of her head, right above her forehead – and another in the back. It makes her hair really hard to deal with. Most times, her hair is hanging in her eyes.
So, a couple of days ago, I decided to blow her hair dry after her bath and style it with a round brush. I was hoping that styling it would keep it out of her eyes. Unfortunately, the end result made her look like a little Marty Stuart.
in bed
While I was in college, I went on a date with this guy I’d met through some mutual friends. He took me to a great Chinese restaurant. After our meal, he opened his fortune cookie and read it, followed by the words “in bed.”
Not yet familiar with this custom, I said, “You know, Ben, if you’re trying to send me subliminal messages, you need to work on being a little more subtle.”
He laughed and told me that everyone does that – you read your fortune and then add “in bed” to the end of it – and hilarity ensues. Or confusion.
Years later, I was eating Chinese with a group of friends, and we were reading our fortunes aloud. Barry’s eyes got as wide as saucers as he read: “You are good with horses.” To which the rest of us yelled “IN BED!” and howled with laughter.
This is an interesting custom. I wonder how it got started.
From the Wikipedia page on fortune cookies:
“There is a common joke involving fortune cookies that involves appending “in bed”, “with a battle axe” or “between the sheets” to the end of the fortune, usually creating a sexual innuendo or other bizarre messages (e.g., “Every exit is an entrance to new experiences [in bed]” or “You will solve your greatest problem [with a battle axe]“) .”
… eh, not the greatest description. I’ll update this post when I can find a history of the phrase.
