Merry Christmas, late, of course

I missed having a Christmas post, but oh well. I've been sick with the flu this week and so lots of things have slipped past, relatively unnoticed. But not Christmas... never Christmas!!

The kids had a great day, and that's the important thing. They both got incredibly spoiled - which is amazing, considering the year we had around here. If I've learned one thing this year it's not to take the blessing of a job and income for granted, and most people do whether they realize it or not. If you look at all the people you know who "cry poor," and then look at what they have to work with, you'll see what I mean. I'm kind of ashamed that it took some serious unemployment for me to realize this, but better late than never.

But that's not my point. Christmas. Which Kyan has taken to calling, "Jesus' Christmas" because he knows it's Christmas and he knows it's Jesus' birthday, but can't quite separate the two just yet. It's really kind of sweet. We made sure we sang Happy Birthday to Jesus to kind of help with that.

For gifts... well, I'm not going to go into that. Suffice to say they were spoiled. I just don't see a point in posting pictures or lists of what they received. They're happy, spoiled rotten, and after this year? Extremely appreciative little boys. But the best part? At different times of they day they both said to me - out of earshot of the other - that the best part was having me home. *grin* Because it's not like I'm gone *that* much (although some days it feels like it), but they still miss me when I'm gone.

So Christmas? Rocked.

And the New Year? Should be better. Hopefully will be better. Things can always be worse, but we're ready for, due for, and in need of better.

Merry Belated Christmas to you and yours, and may your New Year be better than the old. Because really? No matter how good it was, we can all use better!

Thank a soldier

I received this message in my email and wanted to share. It only takes a minute - I just sent one myself - and will make a soldier's day.

XEROX IS DOING SOMETHING COOL

If you go to this web site, www.LetsSayThanks.comyou can pick out a thank you card and Xerox will print it and it will be sent to a soldier that is currently serving in Iraq . You can't pick out who gets it, but it will go to a member of the armed services.

How AMAZING it would be if we could get everyone we know to send one!!! It is FREE and it only takes a second. Wouldn't it be wonderful if the soldiers received a bunch of these? Whether
you are for or against the war, our soldiers over there need to know we are
behind them.

This takes just 10 seconds and it's a wonderful way to say thank you. Please take the time and please take the time to pass it on for others to do. We can never say enough thank you's.
Thanks for taking to time to support our military!

Twilight

Just got back from seeing Twilight - FINALLY!

Loved it!

And not just because of this...



I mean yeah -- who wouldn't want to look at that for 2 hrs??? But the movie was good too. Really.

Disclaimer: He's 22, so it's not nearly as pervy as it looks. I swear!!

Did you see it?

Did you see the Rick Roll during the parade?? Gotta be a record for the most people Rick Rolled at once. Classic!

Lots of anger and nowhere to put it

I am furious. I raise my children to respect other people and their viewpoints, even if I find them to be uninformed. Is it really too much to expect other people to do the same?

Apparently.

Hey, guess what? If you can't respect other people and their beliefs, you have no business expecting them to respect yours. But that seems to be too much for some people. Teach your children - if they don't like being called a name... oh like say GAY for example... then they should not be calling other people that particular name. Like, oh... the Golden Rule?

What really gets me is the hypocrisy. Don't go nuts when another kid calls your kid a name, but look away when they do it. I don't know about other churches, but mine teaches us to be kind and loving, to respect others, to respect our elders (this would include NOT calling another child's parent a "retard"[nice word, btw]), and to be truthful and honest. Don't just talk the talk, you must also walk the walk. Otherwise, you're a hypocrite.

It is so hard for me to hold back right now because there are SO MANY things I want to say. Lies that I would love to expose. But I won't. Because I'm not that person. Never have been, never will be. But again... it better stop. Because if I have to, I will make it stop.

2nd Annual To Write Love on Her Arms Day

If you facebook, see http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=11245747740 for the event information.

If you don't, see http://www.twloha.com/

On Thursday, November 13, we're writing the word LOVE on our arms to promote depression and suicide awareness. Please check the above links on Facebook or the web and participate. All you have to do is write LOVE on your arm, and talk to anyone who asks about it. You can also send donations thru the website - or even to your local suicide prevention hotline if you like. Please read the Vision link on the website to see what it's all about, and consider participating.

All you need is love, right?

The post I wish I could've written

Of course he said it better than I could. He is a professional writer. I am a blog hack. But this post is exactly what I needed to "hear." So thanks, Wil, for saying what I needed to but couldn't.

YES WE DID!

Why it's important to do research...

I never believe anything I read - especially on the internets - until I research it. Even things I think are silly, or out and out lies. Lately, there has been a glut of video and "proof" that Barack Obama isn't an American citizen. Seemed like desperation and lies to me - not to mention libel and slander (which is pretty darn illegal), so I checked into it. Following are the facts.

Probably the most widely e-mailed Obama "tip" at the moment alleges that he isn't a natural-born American citizen and thus isn't eligible to run for president. This began in the die-hard pro-Hillary section of the blogosphere, which spent part of the summer discussing laws that deal with the citizenship of a child with one American parent born abroad. When it emerged that this challenge wouldn't hold water if Obama had been born in the United States, the focus shifted to the allegation that he had been born outside the United States.

In August, a Pennsylvania lawyer, Philip Berg, filed suit in federal court in Philadelphia. Berg, who also has been active in arguing that there was "government complicity" in the attack on the World Trade Center, demanded that the court force Obama to produce his original birth certificate. The court dismissed the lawsuit.

So why isn't this getting wide coverage? Well, first, there's lots of evidence that Obama was born in the United States, and none that he wasn't. The campaign handed over an official copy of his short-form birth certificate — the standard document produced by the Hawaii Department of Health — to Factcheck.org. And Poliltico has confirmed the authenticity of a contemporaneous announcement of his birth in the Honolulu Advertiser.

Berg fights on, though, on a website with supporters known as ChileMan, ChileWoman and MommaERadioRebels. He recently told conservative talk radio host Michael Savage that he has an audiotape of Obama's Kenyan grandmother recalling the candidate's birth in a Kenyan hospital.

"l'll release it in a day or two," he said six days ago.

A spokeswoman for the Hawaii Department of Health, Janice Okubo, said she's forbidden by state law from releasing birth certificates, but directed a reporter to the FactCheck.org item dismissing the rumors.

Careful what you say...

LIBEL AND SLANDER occur when a person or entity communicates false information that damages the reputation of another person or entity. Slander occurs when the false and defamatory communication is spoken and heard. Libel occurs when the false and defamatory communication is written and seen. The laws governing libel and slander, which are collectively known as DEFAMATION, are identical.

Might be time to move on

I am really uncomfortable with this blog. I don't feel like I can always post what I want because of certain people who may or may not read. I prefer to avoid confrontation (I'm more the passive-aggressive type - whee!) and have been holding myself back because there are things I dearly want to say that would absolutely bring on confrontation. I am seriously pissed about something that my son has been dealing with and I can't post it here. I'm upset about other things and can't post here. There seem to be more "I can't" issues than I can these days and that really isn't what I want here. This is my blog and I should be able to post about myself and my son without worrying. So I've been thinking it's time to move to a new address. Before I do anything, I need to find out how/if I can import my archives and probably come up with a new design and title. I won't be sharing the address on this site... if you want it please ask and most people will receive it. I'll let you know when I'm ready for that - I haven't even chosen a name yet.

So that's where I'm at right now. This just isn't working anymore.

NKOTB!

Aw yeah! Totally went this weekend! Yes I'm a geek and no I don't care. I had the BEST time with 2 of the BEST people! Stacy and Kristin - thank you for such a great time! You guys ROCK! I wrote the whole experience up at our message board, but I don't really want to copy it here. For once, just saying we went, we had a blast and that I'd totally do it again in a heartbeat - is enough. And for the record? Those boys are all still hot and they put on an even better show than they did back then!

--------------------------------

Moving on... to something that's really bothering me. There is a child we know who has been giving my kid a hard time because *I* am voting for Barak Obama. Yeah. They're 12. And the part that really bothers me is this kid is not only making my child uncomfortable, the things he's been saying are full of hate and lies. Let me say this one more time, slowly, for those of you who haven't bothered to look into who you're voting for.

Barak Obama is not a Muslim. Do I need to repeat it again? Fine. Read it slowly.

Barak. Obama. Is. Not. A. Muslim.

He's a Christian. Just like the family of the child who is attacking - yes, attacking - my child are supposed to be. I just don't feel that's a Christian attitude or way of being... but that's just what my church preaches. Maybe others are different?

Anyway, as far as I'm (and a lot of other people are) concerned, it wouldn't matter even IF Obama was a Muslim. Because I know that all Muslims are not terrorists any more than all Christians are snake handlers. Oh yes, snake handling is an offshoot of Christianity. You can't make this stuff up. So, for those who actually believe this nonsense I have looked up what ideals Muslims are to live by. Some of it might look a bit familiar to you Christians out there...

Muslims believe that Surat Al-Israa' was revealed to Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) in Makkah after his Night Journey from Makkah to Jerusalem.

In this surah, Allah mentions some basic commitments of Muslims. Without fulfilling these commitments, no individual or group can succeed. Muslims have to live by these values and should invite humanity to these principles.

These principles are not limited to one race, tribe, or group; they are universal in their scope and application. These are also called the hikmah or the teachings of wisdom. If followed properly, they are capable of increasing the goodness and wisdom of all people.

These principles are as follows:
1. To worship Allah alone

This means to recognize Allah as the ultimate reality and to recognize Allah as the Lord, to worship Him with all sincerity and to submit to Him in every aspect of life. A Muslim's life is nothing but total commitment to Allah.

We are not only monotheists but we are also theocentric people. Allah is the center of our life and He is our total and ultimate concern.

2. To be respectful and kind to parents

This is to acknowledge the compassion and kindness of parents, to be grateful to them, and to do one's utmost to reciprocate that love and compassion.


3. To be good to relatives, to the poor, and to travelers

This is to remember that we are interconnected in this world. Our responsibilities are not only towards ourselves and our immediate families, but also to other relatives and to the society at large.

We are all in need of each other and we are all fellow travelers in this path of life. We must see what we can do for others. Muslims must live a socially responsible life. Social responsibility begins with the family and other relatives and it includes all those who are in need.

4. To be careful with money and not waste resources

One should be neither too tight with one's money nor too loose with it. Extravagance is not right, but also one should not become stingy and miserly. A Muslim is committed to the balanced life style.

Money should be earned in halal (lawful) ways and it should be spent in the right manner. This principle can be applied to all resources that Allah has given us. Wise and conscientious use of resources is a very important commitment of Muslims.

5. To take good care of children

As we recognize the rights of the parents, we should also recognize the rights of children. Our children are our future. We must see that we raise healthy, intelligent and morally responsible children. Our commitment should be to raise them in safe and healthy environment. We must protect their life as well as their sprit and mind, their morals and manners.

6. To steer clear of adultery and illicit relations

Sexual perversions bring the greatest harm to individuals and societies. Observing the proper rules in this matter lead to health, happiness, and a good, moral society. Muslims are committed to pure, clean, and socially responsible lifestyle.

Islam teaches that one should not come even close to adultery or fornication. This means proper dress codes for males and females, proper behavior in mixed societies, and proper control on social relations and entertainment.

[Special attention should be paid to this next one!!]

7. To respect every life and not to kill anyone unless in the pursuit of justice

This means that one should recognize the sanctity of all life and should not do anything that may jeopardize life. One should avoid aggression and violence, because these things lead to murder. Every Muslim must be committed to peaceful ways. Conflicts should be resolved by dialogue and negotiations, not by killings and murders. However, justice must be maintained, because just punishment brings safety and protects life.

8. To take care of the orphans

Orphans and all those who are vulnerable must be taken care of. Their rights must be recognized and they should be protected from all harm. A Muslim must be deeply committed to the care of the young, poor, infirm, and handicapped. Kindness and compassion is the basic commitment of a Muslim. It includes everyone and includes the animals.

9. To fulfill promises and commitments

Promises and contracts are an important part of human life and human civilization. When promises are not kept, people lose trust in each other and the whole society becomes weak. Muslims must be true to their words. Our commitment must be to speak the truth and to be honest and when we make a pledge we must do our best to fulfill our pledges.

10. To be honest in business dealings

Honest business brings progress, success, and blessings. All business, whether commercial, social, or political must be done with a sense of justice and fairness. A Muslim is committed to fair dealing in every thing and with every one. Dealing with a Muslim means dealing with full confidence. A Muslim businessman should be the most truthful businessman. A Muslim worker should be the most honest worker. A Muslim in any profession should bring honor to that profession.

11. To act upon knowledge and not follow hearsay or act on half-truths

Information agencies, the media, have a great responsibility. A lot of injustice is done when misinformation is given or information is misused. Muslims should be committed to truth in information. They should promote truthful and honest reporting about everyone, including their enemies. A report coming from a Muslim source should be the most trustworthy report. In a similar way, Muslims should be extremely careful with their actions and reactions. They should not react against everyone without proper evidence.

12. To be humble and have no arrogance

Moderation and balance is the best thing in one's behavior as well as in one's attitude toward others. A Muslim is a dignified person, but he or she is humble. A Muslim is not boastful, arrogant, or vainglorious. A Muslim thanks Allah for all His gifts. For everything, the ultimate praise is for Allah and the real glory belongs to Allah.

These are the basic commitments of Muslims as individuals and as people. These are the principles of wisdom and the universal values of Islam. When they are followed, they bring justice, peace, and happiness in this world and they will indeed bring success and salvation in the Hereafter. Let us all try to make these our real commitments.

I know that was a little long, but I hope you read it. I'm just really sick of the ignorance and religous intolerance. My whole point here is that before making judgements we all need to take the time to research what we're saying. And remember... your children will repeat what you're saying at home - so please make sure what you're saying is truth.

Colin Powell endorses Obama

Oct. 19: Appearing on “Meet the Press,” former Secretary of State Gen. Colin Powell – who has been courted by both major party candidates – announces that he will back Barack Obama for president.

Literally A-Ha

Children of the 80's will love this! I know I did!

Baptised!

Jaben and I were baptised today!

I know some who read this are surprised, but it's been a long time coming. We found our church - First Baptist - a little over 2 months ago and fell in love with it. Jaben wanted to go check it out because of the after school roller skating program they run for the intermediate school students. It's just across the street from the school, and Jaben spent many afternoons skating to Christian music and listening to the word. He absolutely loved Pastor Paul and convinced us (not that it was hard) to visit the church and see what we thought. So we did.

For myself, I felt pretty comfortable from the first service. Pastor Paul is an awesome preacher and his sermons are so easy to listen to - which is a huge difference from the preaching I heard as a child. Just felt like a good place to be. But what really clinched it for me was the baptism. Jaben and I have been talking about it for a while, "when we find the right place." After a few weeks of attending, Pastor Paul mentioned that there would be a baptism service coming up and for any who were interested to speak with him. To both of us, that just screamed of the sign we needed that we were in the right place.

So. As of today, Jaben and I are both very happy new members of the First Baptist Church. It is good, and we are all very happy there. It's so nice to know that Jaben will have the support of his church family thru his teen years, and that Kyan will always have a church family growing up.

Vote! Or don't... whatever.

I love this - please watch!!

Bat out of Hell or Jaben's video

What is up with me and the double titles lately? Getting odd in my old age, I guess.

Anyway, Jaben posted a new video on his youtube account and I think it's really good - so I want everyone to see it. He was just playing with the video camera and decided to add music... Meatloaf, to be precise. It's pretty amazing, the video matches most of the tempo changes and in parts it looks like he's singing - which he isn't. Turn your sound up and enjoy -- I may be really biased, but I think this is a great video!

Hehehe....

Done with www.yearbookyourself.com -- ME, thru the years...

Lipstick on a pig, or McCain is a hypocrite

First video is the reason McCain is a hypocrite. Thinkin' it shows it's a pretty commonly used phrase.



Second video is Obama's response. I will say that his campaign hasn't been as clean as I'd like to see, but he did handle this quite well. And um... McCain hasn't had to put up a special website to refute lies told about him. So.

Some Photos or Catching Up

I never managed to post pictures of Kyan on his first day of preschool, so here they are!

Getting ready to leave home...

Just in the door, ready for Mommy to leave already!

Sitting down at the table, starting to work his puzzle. This is what they do when they first arrive.

Cute kid, huh? He did really great the first 2 days, but since then he's been crying when I leave. I'm not quite sure what happened, but am hopeful he'll get better as the year goes on. It really sucks that he gets so upset, but fortunately his teachers are awesome about it, and he's really fine about 2 mins after I'm gone. Still... I wish the crying would stop!!

These next 2 pics are of a birthday cake - or cakes rather - I made for my cousin's little girl's birthday party yesterday. I think they came out beautifully! Course now everyone wants me to make their birthday cakes.... which is fine by me! It's actually a lot of fun!

Chocolate cake with white icing...

White cake with chocolate icing...

Must run in the family...

It's that time again... DRAMA CLASS!

We're doing A Christmas Carol again, and again, Jaben will be playing Bob Marley. Now, he's not overly happy about that... he wanted a different part this time and expected a different part this time. But, it is what it is and he'll do his best. Plus, the next play is Pinocchio and I think Jaben would be an adorable Pinocchio! The best way to get that particular part is to do his best and rock out a part he's not entirely happy with. Now, Bob Marley is a really good part, don't get me wrong. It's a show stopper - roll on the floor laughing if it's done right. And he CAN do it right. So, he will.

The one big change we have this time around is Kyan. He is participating in the rehearsals! He did the singing audition (OH SO CUTE!!) and began learning the dances with the other kids. Jill told him his part is Child 1 (which she made up to make him happy) and he's trying really hard. I don't know if he'll actually make it on stage when the time comes - that's up to him and how he does - but he's going to work along side the other kids as long as he wants. And he's so CUTE doing it!

I forgot my camera last night but believe me I will have it next week! You gotta see it to believe it! GO Kyan!!

Awesome hand me down from big brother!

We've had this Power Wheels Harley since Jaben was little, but couldn't find the charger for the longest time. Well, my mom's been using her time off to clean out and organize and found it! Check out little Kyan on his big bad Harley - I swear I've had to pry the kid off for meals all day! It's all he wants to do and he's having the best time! Yay for big brother's old toys! 

And a short video as well...

ooh, how 'bout one post a month?

And let's make it a good one!

Or not.

Happy Birthday to me! I have cramps! YAY!

But, there will be cake. Oh yes, there will be cake.

HONK!

Wanna see a picture of me with 2 cute guys?

Jaben and I went with some friends on Friday night to see HONK! at the Huron Playhouse. I get the tickets for free thru my old job (ahhh, a perk I will sorely miss) and we just had the bestest time! It was a great show - funny, sweet and the actors are wonderful!

Of course Tina put up a post about it right away - complete with pictures - so go here to see what she had to say... and to see that pic of me with 2 cute guys!

They're even cuter in person - trust me!

Really cool

Check these out! I made these from Jaben & Kyan's birthday posts. You should be able to click on them to make your own. Very fun, very fast and I think they look really neat! Sorry they're so small... if you click you can get to the page and see them larger.

Jaben's



Kyan's

Beth's bachelorette party - or - my cousins rock

am sooooo tired!! When you're 35, it's probably not the best plan to go out with a bunch of 25 an unders. But omg it was so much fun!!!! Sometimes it's just the BEST to be one of the DDs... I got such a kick out of watching everyone. ;-)

We had the limo for 8 hrs, and most of the girls were drinking the whole time. We had a scavenger hunt thing that our moms put together - things like getting a pic of the bride kissing a bald man on the head, getting a piggy back ride from a stranger, and having a random guy practice walking her down the isle. Tooooo funny!! We went to Hooters for dinner and the waitresses put Beth (the bride) up on a chair and made her do "I'm a little tea pot" - THAT was hysterical and we got many pictures of it. By the time we were done, some of the girls were very much trashed. My favorite cousin was sooo trashed, another cousin couldn't walk straight, and my sister had to be poured into the car to be driven home. I kept checking with her the whole way to make sure she wouldn't vomit in my car. THEN I remembered the child locks were on in the backseat! Panic - but her gf was in the front with me and swore that if Kel was going to blow she'd get the door for her in time. Fortunately that was unnecessary. Thank goodness, new car and all.

I had to get up at 8 this morning to take Jaben to his viola lesson, so I am wiped out today! I still have to make the "this way to the wedding" signs for the reception and start getting Jaben ready for camp next week, so no rest for the weary. Sleep is for the weak anyway, right?? I needed that night tho - we had such fun and really? My cousins rock!

Twelve years ago today...

12 yrs ago today I was sitting in the hospital room (incidentally the same room Kyan was born in) watching Rosie O'Donnell and the monitor for contractions.

12 yrs ago today I had no idea what was coming next... all I knew was that I couldn't wait to meet my baby.

12 yrs ago today my life changed forever and I am so thankful for it.

Jaben is 12 today. TWELVE. How did I get to be the mother of a 12 yr old? I don't feel like I'm old enough! One more year and I'll be the mother of a teenager! Gosh, that sounds so old! He starts middle school in the fall, he's got his own interests and friends, he grunts his answers and doesn't tell me everything anymore. He already acts like a teenager in so many ways.

But he's amazing. He's so smart and funny - he's got a great sense of sarcasm, which is my favorite. I love that about him! He's handsome and kind, sweet and loving. He doesn't show that he cares what other people think of him - he cares of course and he's working on that - he doesn't let the opinions of others affect his actions, his day, or how he feels about himself. I think that's very rare in a kid his age, and even tho I know it came, in part, from everything he's gone thru in school and with other kids, it's a good thing because it's a quality that will serve him so well in his future. Even tho his little brother drives him crazy, he's an amazing big brother. He loves him and protects him and only wants the best for him. As long as it doesn't interfere with Jaben getting his share. Very, very normal, and I'm glad he gets to have that experience, even with the age difference.

I don't think I'm the best mom, but I think I'm the best mom for him. Because he's the best kid for me. Some people believe that we choose who our parents are going to be before we are born. I'm not sure if I believe that or not, but it sure is a humbling thought. Why would such an amazing person choose me? I can't begin to imagine, but whatever the reason, however I got him, I'm so lucky and am so blessed to have him in my life.

Happy 12th Birthday, Jaben! I love you so much!

Dumbo

I've been trying to keep Kyan occupied and let him have a little fun while we're home together. It's mostly just me and him since Jaben is so busy - he has a life outside of this house! (yay Jabe!) So yesterday we went to the library to get some books for both of us and a free DVD for Kyan. I can't tell you how excited I was to find Dumbo!

I haven't seen Dumbo since I was a little kid (Jaben says he's never seen it and I believe him - I don't remember ever watching it with him), so I didn't remember much about it, except that Dumbo is a flying elephant. The things I had forgotten! I loved the movie and so did Kyan, but I kept thinking that there is no way Disney would get away with this movie today. I'm pretty open minded, but even I was a little uncomfortable with the "grown up" elephants making fun of, and excluding Dumbo - who was just a baby, and the frequent use of the word "freak" to describe Dumbo... simply because he had big ears. So if that bothered me, I just can't see how it would get by today. Imagine the "Dumbo protests" there would be!

I had also completely forgotten about the scene in which Dumbo and the mouse get drunk (!) and see the pink elephants. Seriously... a baby elephant in a Disney movie getting drunk! It was funny. Probably somewhat inappropriate (especially since I had to find a way to explain to Kyan what was going on - the water made them silly), but funny nonetheless. And the elephants on parade sequence? So very, very cool. It's got some great classic Disney animation and is a bit psychadelic, which, I think, makes it unique. Check it out for yourself:

One more

Okay, seriously? I'm not nearly as into politics as I seem lately. But I had to share this video. I receive emails from a group called MoveOn.org and today I got this video. They're trying to raise money to have this commecial with John Cusack aired (you can go to their website to donate). I love John Cusack and I love that he seems to share my feelings about this upcoming election. Check out the video, check out MoveOn.org and get informed. And, if the spirit moves you, donate to help get the commercial aired. Thanks!!

It's quiet

It's after 9am on a Tuesday and both boys are still sleeping. I don't think Kyan's ever slept this late in his life and I even went in to check and make sure he was still breathing! I think the heat of the past few days got to him and he's just worn out. He was running around in the hot playroom last night and threw up. The heat is not his friend - he has such a delicate system to begin with that he just can't handle it. He and I went yesterday to buy an air conditioner for the living room window. It's not fabulous, but it makes the house livable. We're going today to buy one for my bedroom. Even tho the temp has dropped today, we're still going to need it.

I have been working on a few things. I've gotten my resume put up on Monster. I'm working on a second blog to showcase some of my portfolio, as well as my resume. That's going to have to be without the contact info - other than the email address. The site doesn't look too good yet - I had a block or something when I finally sat down to do it, but it will get better and I will link to it when I'm ready.

I also have an order form to redo for my aunt and uncle's business. I am hoping to get to that later today, so that I can get it to them for proofing and revisions.

I need to clean my house, go thru things on the back porch and in the garage for the sale in a couple of weeks. I need to organize my bedroom, Kyan's room, paperwork I haven't filed or even really touched in too long. I need to have breakfast.

Things are moving along, albeit slowly. It'll get there, and it's easier to be motivated today than it was yesterday. It's cooler today, the heat makes me drowsy. At least now tho, when it gets too hot again, Jaben's and my sunburns are healed enough that we'll be able to go swimming again.

Also, Jaben's play(s) was this weekend. My sister took pictures for me since my camera died. As soon as she gets them to me I will post some. He was amazing! It always blows me away to see him on stage -- he's gotten so comfortable and seems so natural you'd never know the amount of work that goes into each show. Wait until I post the pictures - he was a simply awesome Artful Dodger! 5 shows under his belt and he's signed up for #6 in December. WTG Jaben!

I've only got one thing to say...

Unemployed

Yesterday was my last day of work. It wasn't even a full day, I was there just a couple of hours tying up "loose ends." Like, deleting the favorites file from my computer and printing out reference sheets.

Unemployment has been applied for, resume put together, portfolio in progress... and a lot of empty time ahead. I can do anything, everything, and nothing. I can redesign my entire life or simply look for another position, doing the same thing. With likely the same outcome.

But what do I want?

I want to create. I want to telecommute. I want to raise my children myself, but I want to work and show them what can be done, what must be done. What do you do with all that empty time?

I have no idea.

For now, for the present, I will be here, with my boys, spending time. Cleaning, running a garage sale. Tomorrow I think we will go to the open house at NASA. You don't get many chances to do that and it fits right into our new budget. Free.

And after that? After that is a lot of open time, free space, a whole new blank page waiting to be filled. But what to write?

Goodness Gracious

So much to write about, but wow, for someone who is about to be unemployed, I sure have a lot going on. Translation? Too busy to blog.

And since I'm in a gloom & doom frame of mind lately (hey - gimme a couple weeks, okay?) I leave you with the lyrics to the late, great Kevin Gilbert's Goodness Gracious.

Goodness Gracious is there nothing left to say?
When the ones that get to keep looking
are the ones that look away
It's pabulum for the sleepers
in the cult of brighter days

Goodness Gracious at the mercy of the crooks
We're broke and stroking vegetables
and there's way too many cooks
In every pot a pink slip, In every mouth a hook

Goodness Gracious I'm not listening anymore
Cause the spooks are in the White House
and they've justified a war
So wake me when they notify
we're gonna fight some more

Goodness Gracious not many people care
Concern is getting scarcer
true compassion really rare
I can see it on our faces. I can feel it in the air
Goodness Gracious me.

Goodness Gracious my generation's lost
They burned down all our bridges
before we had a chance to cross
Is it the winter of our discontent or just an early frost?

Goodness Gracious of apathy I sing
The baby boomers had it all and wasted everything
Now recess is almost over
and they won't get off the swing

Goodness Gracious we came in at the end
No sex that isn't dangerous, no money left to spend
We're the cleanup crew for parties
we were too young to attend
Goodness Gracious me.

Goodness Gracious my grandma used to say
The world's a scary place now,
things were different in her day
What horrors will be commonplace
when my hair starts to grey?

Wow what a sucky week

Okay, the reason I haven't posted in over a week is because it's been the worst week on record.

First, Kyan's sperm donor has asked to have a review to possibly reduce the amount of child support he doesn't pay. I can't for the life of me figure out why he's allowed to do that since he's in severe arrears, but the laws in this state suck, so he is. Whatever, I'll deal with it. It's not like I can get less than the nothing I'm getting now.

Then on Weds, my boss came to me and (tearfully) told me that she can't keep the company going and that we'll be closing at (most likely) the end of June. My insurance will be good until then, but she doesn't know what kind of hours I'll be working. Thankfully, I have time off that she owes me so we won't be completely screwed. The economy bites and I'm really not sure what I want to do now, and at this point I'm not in a state of mind to write about it here. The only thing I do know, is that this gives me July and August to spend with my kids, which rocks. I mean, I went back to work when Kyan was 4 weeks old and haven't spent more than 5 consecutive days with him since. So we're due, I think. I just wish it wasn't being brought about by unemployment.

Ugh.

So, if anyone still reads this poor, abandoned blog, I wanna know - if you had the chance, what would you do? Since I'm really not sure I want to do graphics anymore (it's really a dying field), I want to see what else is out there. So what would you do?

It's funny tho... the thing that started this bummer week was the whole child support issue, but turns out it's probably going to backfire on him. Most likely conclusion? He'll end up ordered to pay more.

[sarcasm] And gee don't we feel sorry for him. [\sarcasm]

Geez, wait long enough between posts?

Sorry, never said I was an everyday blogger. I do need to get better about that tho. So many things missing. Updates on Jaben's role in Oliver Twist (he's the Artful Dodger, btw). His show is June 8 @ 3pm - tickets are $5 for anyone who wants to attend. I know I'm biased n stuff, but he's so cute in this role!! Okay, so I'm calling an almost 12-yr old cute... but he IS! Just don't tell him I said it!

And speaking of cute, should we talk about Kyan? No major milestones lately, just some super fast growing (I swear all of his pants are capris now), and the usual everyday surprises. The things this kid says... And of course no immediate examples come to mind. He was great at our little Cinco de Mayo party last Sunday. Okay, so it was the 4th, so Quatro de Mayo, but whatever. We had a pinata and it KILLED him knowing it was there and full of candy until we actually allowed him to take a crack at it. Course it was a tough one and it took the grown ups some turns till we were finally able to get it open, but it was a great time!

Finally, a blog post by Wil Wheaton that I really liked. I definitely appreciate and agree with many of his political views, and this one was great!

I will try to do better and write more posts. Maybe something amusing, informative, or just more interesting than what's here. And yes, I'm aware that I've been tagged. I'll get to that - I promise!

Yay blogger!

I just finished writing the MOST BORING BLOG POST IN EXISTANCE, hit publish, had a blogger error, and am no longer the proud author of the MOST BORING BLOG POST IN EXISTANCE.

Damn.

Except I just typed bamn, and had to fix it. Wouldn't want to rip off Emeril.

*sigh*

I am not going to be able to re-create the MOST BORING BLOG POST IN EXISTANCE (however I'm afraid this one is a very close second) so I guess I'll stop now.

Someone better do something amusing around here soon. I really need something interesting to write about!

Eczema

Kyan has eczema. He's always had eczema. He was born with eczema. He never, ever had that beautiful, soft, can't-stop-touching-it baby skin. He's always, always, always had eczema. And so I've learned how to care for it and make it better. Not cured, but better.

I highly recommend Huggies shea butter baby wash, coupled with Huggies shea butter lotion. Sensitive skin, fragrance free type, of course. Works wonders.

Except lately. For the past 2 weeks he's had a nasty outbreak on his bottom. I've tried everything - and I mean everything (mom told me to try Crisco on it and I DID!) and nothing works. It's gotten better... he can sit on it now. But it's not clearing up.

So, off to the doctor we went. We couldn't see our regular doctor, but got in quite easily with his wife (who is a total sweetheart! and you've got to love a practice that is truly a "family" practice!) who was so, so helpful. Kyan was more than happy to show off his hiney (what 3-yr old boy isn't?) and even shook it around for her. And now? Prescription cream (I believe she said steroid??) at bedtime every night, Benedryl at bedtime every night (wait, permission to drug my child to sleep??), and a special kind of soap.

Oh, and my favorite. No baths.

Gulp.

No baths for a 3-yr old in the spring.

Okay okay, not really "no" baths, but much fewer. Which does not bode well with a kid who only gets one every second or third night as it is. But, water is a no-no for a kid with eczema (especially as bad as his bottom is at the moment) so we shall forgo (most) baths for the time being.

I must resort to wash cloth sponge baths for now. Fun. If you have a little boy, I'm sure you're familiar with that lucious little boy smell of dirt and sweat. It's lovely, one of my favorite smells, actually. But imagine that smell on limited baths.

For possibly weeks.

In the spring.

Yeah.

I wonder if it'd be bad to Febreeze my 3-yr old?

Happy Earth Day, y’all!

It’s Earth Day today!

I love Earth Day! I love hearing about all the great ideas people have for recycling, conserving, and making the earth a better, cleaner place. A lot of people have grand ideas and spend a lot of time on this, but there are a lot of things you can do simply, easily, and even for free!

Turn out the lights!! If you don’t need it, turn it off!

Same goes for the tv.

Wash your clothes in cold. Yes, they really do get just as clean.

Use “green” products where you can. Sometimes they cost more, sometimes they don’t. Vinegar and water is a great cleaner, and I promise the smell doesn’t linger.

Recycle. Cans, bottles, newspapers, cardboard, milk cartons – all can be recycled!! My city even provides free containers for paper products. All you have to do is call and request one and they will drop it off! It goes out with your regular trash – no excuse not to! Teach your kids the difference between trash and recycling early. It will never be an issue if things have always been done this way, and they are more likely to do it themselves when they get older.

Cloth grocery bags. Available almost anywhere, bigger and stronger than paper or plastic, and can be used forever. They’re awe-some, I promise!

Don’t buy plastic water bottles!!!!! Get yourself a nice bottle you can re-use, and fill it up! If you don’t like your tap water, get a water cooler, or jugs of spring water – reuse those milk jugs!! There are so many ways around plastic water bottles.

For the hardcore… electric tools.

We have an electric lawnmower. It runs on batteries, and honestly is the easiest to start, best running lawnmower we’ve EVER had. I highly recommend it! Below is a shot of the one we have:



You can also get tools that run on a cord. My leaf blower and weed eater are electric, but I do need a power cord for them. No big, I have 2 long super cords and an outlet in my garage. So very easy!

If you’re in the market for any of these products, I highly recommend electric! Think of the money you’ll save on gas!

My last suggestion/idea is a hybrid or alow emissions vehicle. That’s one big bonus with my new car – it is a certified low emissions vehicle (LEV). I love that! It uses very little gas and doesn’t put as much “bad stuff” back out. This is a BIG purchase, but still, if you’re in the market it’s definitely something you should consider.

Hopefully we’re all already doing what we can for our planet, but if I’ve mentioned anything here you hadn’t thought of or would like more information on, please leave a comment and I will help in any way I can.

Happy Earth Day!

My son… the exhibitionist

So Kyan’s new thing is peeing outside. I know that’s normal for little boys (and some little girls too) but yesterday he took it to new heights . Or lows, depending on your viewpoint.

We were on the big back porch getting ready to go into the house when Ky said he had to pee. So of course I told him to go in and use the potty. But oh no, not my boy! He gave me his sweet little devil smile and said, “No mommy, I pee here.”

Here, being outside.

Since I’m not one to argue with a newly potty-trained 3 yr old, I said fine, just don’t do it on the porch.

So he didn’t. We haven’t been able to fix up the porch yet, so he went over to a broken-out window, and proceeded to whip it out and pee on the driveway thru the open window!

Which would’ve been fine (I know, a little too mellow, perhaps?), except mid-stream two little girls rode by on their scooters, and Kyan waved at them and said brightly, “Hi!”

Um, yeah. No more peeing outside.

Sick to death of the bullies

Jaben called me from skating last night, asking if he could walk home. His grandma was supposed to pick him up so I told him to get ahold of her. He didn’t sound right so I asked him what happened, and he said nothing. But by the time I got home that nothing had turned into a giant purple bruise on his chin.

Some little brat had tripped him. Again.

One kid has already been banned from skating for messing with Jabe, and now he’s got a new bully to deal with? What the hell?!?

Is it because he doesn’t stand up for himself? I know that’s part of it. One well aimed, well timed punch and I think that’d be it. Or it would at least help.

Or is it because he’s creative, artistic, slightly different from the other kids? In a LOT of ways he’s a typical 11-yr old kid. But in some ways, the best ways, he’s his own person. Is that threatening? I know it’s not good for peer-relations to be different at this age, but he should not have to deal with this crap for being who he is.

And what about the parents of these kids? I know some parents who allow, and even encourage this kind of behavior. “Be the bully, not the victim. You can do whatever you want, whenever you want, to whomever you want. ..” Blah blah blah. Grow the hell up and teach your kids to be decent human beings. There are also the parents who are completely clueless as to who their kids are. Or worse, are in denial. Pay attention to who they are and what they do – NOT what you would like to think they are. I am fully aware that my son (and I’m sure at times Kyan will follow suit) can be a jerk at times. It is my job to correct that, when it happens. If you’re not, if you allow it to continue, you are not doing your job, and are, due to your negligence and poor parenting, responsible for the kids your child is tormenting.

I asked him last night if he liked himself. Or rather, if he loved himself. I told him I’d read somewhere that the best way to be happy is to first love yourself. He thought about it for a minute, then smiled and said yes, he does love himself and he likes who he is. And I guess that’s what’s most important. They can leave bruises on the outside, but on the inside he’s hanging in just fine. Thank God.

*yawn*

Dayam I'm tired.

I think I stayed up too late Sunday night watching Return of the King. But can you blame me? Orlando Bloom. 'Nuff said.

Then yesterday Kyan's daycare provider needed the day off, so I hung with him all day. We came to work for 2 hrs (trust me, that was long enough), and spent some time outside. Then we took Jaben to guitar lessons, then spent MORE time outside.

He ended the day filthy and I ended it exhausted.

I'm glad we had so much time outside tho. It's already cooler today and is supposed to start raining tonight and not end until... Well, they haven't actually SAID when.

This is Ohio... the snow melts and the rains come. We give raincoats for Easter. April showers doesn't begin to describe the torrential downpours that are sure to come.

But I'm okay with that. As long as we're done with the snow? I can deal with the rain.

Today, it's chilly but pretty... I think I'll take Ky to the park while Jabe is at scouts. We'll be chilled, but he'll be happy. Might as well get out there while we can!

SQUEEEEEEE!!!!!!!

I'm like, 15 again!

All five original New Kids on the Block members – Joey McIntyre, Donnie Wahlberg, Danny Wood and brothers Jordan and Jonathan Knight – will appear together in the Today Show's courtyard on April 4!!!



Now excuse me while I drool a little bit...

Gotta love that Fit!

I am LOVING my new little car!! Nothing to report yet on the promised amazing gas mileage, but the car itself rocks! The color is more copper than orange, but I’m calling it orange. We LOVE it! Jabe and I had a ball driving it home last night.

Kyan… well, not so much. I asked him on the way home what he thought of Mommy’s new car…

“I don’t like it.”

Me: Why don’t you like it?? I LOVE it.

Ky: It’s different.

Apparently Kyan’s not a big fan of different. Still this morning, putting him in the wonderfully new-smelling car to head out for the day he wanted to know why we were driving **this** car. He said we needed Mommy’s big white car. Well, it was silver, but whatever. I guess we’ve found out Kyan doesn’t like change.

He’d better get used to the Fit tho. He’s going to be learning to drive in this car!!

Hopefully will be able to post pics soon.

Ch-ch-changes...

Only a few small changes. At least here. Mostly that I finally updated the blogroll. So there are new, wonderful blogs for you to read, to your right. Check them out, you won't be sorry!

Other changes are not so small. I finally did it. I bought a new car. Must. Remember. To. Breathe.

Yeah, I'm a little freaked out spending that kind of money. Contrary to what some people might think, I hate spending money. Especially that much all at one time. But it was a good move, really. It's going to save me TONS on gas every month, the financing is the best I could possibly imagine getting, it's a cute car, and, to be honest, I haven't been comfortable in the Jeep since it was stolen. Depending on how the gas actually works out, I could be saving a good $100/mo. I didn't get as good of a deal on it as I'd have liked, but I had some things working against me (high mileage, payoff) so they did the best they could.

I don't have the car yet. It will be delivered Monday or Tuesday (hoping for Monday) and I will post a pic of the actual car when I get it. But for now, introducing my new, soon-to-be delivered Honda Fit (yes, this is the color and we LOVE it!)...

What do you do….

When one child has lost his PSP by taking it outside, putting it down, and FORGETTING ABOUT IT, then neglects to mention this little detail for…oh, THREE DAYS?

And the other, who seems to have forgotten he is potty trained for an entire day - when told, “I do not want to hear another word out of either of you,” responds with...

“Word.”

eBay, anyone?

Easter 08; in pictures

First, you must color the eggs...










All the little egg dyers, lined up in a row... looks like not everybody wanted their picture taken...




Next, the Easter Bunny comes and leaves goodies for all the spoiled little boys...




and hides the eggs in really obvious places....




Then, you must find the eggs (it's good to have a big brother to help!)...






Hmm... there must be more eggs here somewhere...




Ah-ha! Success!




What spoiled boys we are!




And at the end of a long, busy Easter, there's nothing like a good nap!



Hope your Easter was as eggs-ellent as ours!!

Bullet point weekend

I can only manage bullet points today. Sorry. Why? Because...

• I've caught Kyan's cold and it SUCKS. My EARS itch - from the congestion, I think - but omg it's miserable.

• Easter is tomorrow! And how did that happen??

• We're coloring eggs today.

• People are coming over to help color eggs and my house is TRASHED thanks to my being sick.

• MORE FREAKING SNOW. Enough already.

• Will try to get pics of egg dying and post up later. For now, gotta run.

• Happy Easter, y'all!

Busy week

Sorry no posts, I've been very busy this week. In fact, this needs to be very short. Between work being crazy, Kyan being sick, and the thousands of other things I need to accomplish (and am NOT), blogging has had to take a backseat. Again. Aren't you sick of me repeating that? I do have to report that Jaben's orchestra concert was so good last night!! None of my pictures came out tho and I'm so unhappy about that. I'm going to try to photoshop them into usefulness, but I'm not holding my breath. When all the orchestras performed together (intermediate [Jaben's grade], middle school, high school) for some reason they put the little kids in the back and I couldn't see Jabe! Towards the end of the song I spotted part of his face between some people, so I zoomed in on that with the video camera. Yes, we've got video but no good stills. And it's such a bad shot you can't even tell he's playing - he just looks like he's standing there - but at least you can tell he was up there.

He looked so cute in his little shirt and tie!! THAT, I got a photo of before we left and I can try to post it later. I think he's just a handsome kid.

Time is short, bear with me and I'll try to have a more interesting/entertaining post soon!

Thinks I've been thinking

I come up with all kinds of interesting things to blog about in strange places. Like, the shower, on the potty, driving in my car... you get the idea. So I was thinking it'd be cool if I could somehow log in, like with some kind of voice activated device, kind of like one of those goofy looking Bluetooth things, and just blog it before I forgot it.

I initially thought of some kind of embedded chip, but that brings up all kinds of issues I don't want to deal with. So yeah, I want a bloggy bluetooth. It probably exists, and even if it did, I'm sure I can't afford it.

Also, I want to be able to better organize the shows on my DVR. Why aren't there folders? It'd be so convenient to have a folder for each member of the family, so that everyone's shows would be separated and I wouldn't have to scroll thru 14 Spongebobs, 6 half-watched video game shows, 5 Einsteins, 6 Blue's Clues, and a couple of pre-teen movies and To Catch a Thief's to get to the ONE thing I've recorded this week. Please, DVR people... folders.

Lastly? Procrastination is bad. Need to dry hair, need to wash leaked on sheets (no, not by me! We have a leaky pull up to thank for that), go thru Jaben's camping stuff, and maybe, just maybe wash a dish.

So what do you think?

We survived the blizzard and things are melting/thawing out. In fact, it was NICE today. I think it would've been warmer if it weren't for the "cooler effect" caused by the giant piles of snow all around, but it was a pretty nice day. I haven't checked the weather yet, but hopefully we'll have more nice days to come. I am sooo sick of snow and cold. Enough already!

Tell me what you think of my new layout? I'm still figuring the whole HTML thing out, so at this point I'm just working on re-designing and all that, but I think it's coming along nicely. Still needs work, of course, but I think I'm getting there. Fairly feminine, but since so much of this is about my boys, it can't be too girly. Right?

Oh - and I've got some blogs I have begun reading recently that I need to add to the blogroll, so look for additions there soon as well!

Now that I'm done playing (for tonight, anyway!) it's time to head to bed! I might not have to work tomorrow, but I still have to get Jaben off to school. Joy.

Have a great night and a super Friday!

Aftermath

Just a couple of quick shots of everything shoveled out. It took us 4 hrs to do this. I don't know if you can tell from these pictures, but the snow ended up being a little over knee high on me. And I'm 5'5".

Front walk


Back






In case you wondered, NO we do NOT want any more snow this winter!!

Got snow?

We do! I'm MORE than willing to share, if you'd like. So much for our weekend plans. Instead we'll be holed up in the house at least for today. Maybe we'll be able to dig out tomorrow. We'll see.

A few snow shots...

Lovely view out my front door. 10 points to whever can find the sidewalk!



Same street, different angle. Usually you'd be able to see our porch in this shot, but with the snow it's a bit... um... buried.



A few from the back...









Update: It's now almost 5:30, it still hasn't stopped snowing and I'm beginning to wonder if it's going to! This is insane. The snow in my driveway is easily knee-high and it's going to take forever to dig out. The roads are all closed except for emergency so it's not like we could go anywhere even if we could get out. This absolutly sucks. And it's MARCH! I'd post new pics but the batteries in my camera are now dead. *sigh*

200 POSTS!!

I can’t believe this is my 200th post! Yay for me. Actually I just realized that as I opened blogger, so I don’t have any super-cool 200th post thing planned. If you’re reading, feel free to post a “you rock” comment. You know you want to.

So how am I going to use my epic 200th post, you ask? Why, to talk about what a lousy mom I’ve been lately, that’s how!

Ever have days/weeks/months when you feel like all you ever do is yell at your kids? Yeah, that’s how I feel lately. None of us seems to be able to do anything right. They don’t do what they’re told and I don’t handle it well and yell at them about it. I made a first step at making things better with Jaben by posting a chore chart for him. One of the reasons we’ve been having problems lately is because I feel like I don’t get enough help around the house. Seriously, how hard is it to put clothes in a drawer or laundry basket?

So every night when he gets home from school, he needs to check the chore chart and do what’s listed. And then do his homework. Very simple. He was told on the first day as well that the consequence for not doing it was to miss the Haven. Since this is the first week, I gave him 2 nights of skipping (after warning him that it’d better be done on night 2) and then told him no Haven tonight. Nobody is happy with me today, but I didn’t have a choice. I’m sure Jaben thought I’d give in and let him go, and I so wanted to let him go. But I couldn’t. If I give in already, the whole thing is wasted effort and he’ll see that I have no follow through on anything and he can do whatever he wants. That’s not the message I want to send to him. I want him to learn that there are consequences when he doesn’t do what he’s supposed to, and that there are rewards when he does. He hasn’t been the easiest, most well behaved child lately (where did the LYING come from, anyway?? Is this normal for this age or is it just my kid??) so we’ve got to start somewhere. And this is that start. I don’t like it, but it’s my job.

Now Kyan is a little trickier. With him it’s not leaving his things lying around. He is at the age where he likes to help me and wipe up his own messes, so that’s not the issue. With him it’s crying, hanging on me all the time, and being so clingy. I know that’s a good thing because it means he loves me, and I realize how lucky I am to have a happy, healthy little boy who is here and can hang on me and love me to distraction. But he needs to become more independent. He needs it and I need it. He will be starting preschool in September (please God let the ride work out!!) – did I mention we got the card in the mail saying he got in, and will be in the class I wanted him in?? So yes, that will help. For the time being tho, I am at a loss. I am hopeful that more one-on-one time will help, so I’m taking him to the mall on Sat for the “Easter treasure hunt welcome the bunny” thing they’ve got going on. Just US. He needs that and so do I. Kyan and mommy and it should be fun. Maybe he’ll even get some time in their play area. I think he’d like that.

And just so you don’t think I’m neglecting Jaben, he is getting some one-on-one time Saturday too. The Jamestown concert is that night and of course we have tickets!! But I’m thinking about taking him out to dinner, again, just us, so that we can talk and bond a little bit, and maybe find a way to see eye to eye on the things we’re having the most conflict over.

You know, most of the time this mom thing isn’t too rough of a road. There are hugs, kisses and giggles along the way, and I know how lucky and blessed I am. They’re healthy, mostly happy, and they’re here. But some weeks… it’s hard to not post them on eBay.

I voted - did you?

Whether your primary is today (ours is!), or has already happened, I hope you voted! I would love it if you voted for the same candidate as me, but it's not a requirement. Just VOTE for someone!!

coughObamain08cough

*********

Tonight is the Boy Scout red and green banquet. We made cookies and actually didn't burn most of them! Major improvement over last week, let me assure you.

Kyan doesn’t want to go tho. I mean, I’m sure he will. His not going would mean me leaving the house without him – and we know that’s not going to happen. I can’t imagine he would want to go… it’s not about him, he has to eat food he’s not familiar with, made by people he doesn’t know, sit still and not play…. Just not the place an active 3 yr old wants to be. But I’m betting he won’t stick to his idea of “stay home with bama (grandma).”

Speaking of Kyan, cute little story I posted on my message board I thought I’d share here.

Yesterday morning Kyan had on these drawstring sweats that had pockets. He put his hands into the pockets and was walking around that way (loves his pockets, that one) and I commented that he looked like a little old man when he did that. Ky gives me that cute little mischievous grin, hunches his shoulders, shoves his hands further into his pockets and uses them to hike his pants up as high as they'd go, bent his knees and waddled in an "old guy" walk across the living room. Cracked. Me. Up!

All over the place

My thoughts are all over the place today, so hang tight and we’ll see if we can make sense. Ha! Good luck with that!

Weds is the closing on our old house. I never did get over there and take a few more pictures or copy down Jaben’s growth marks on the wall. I’m not going to get there tonight either. I guess we just have to say goodbye to it and move on.

I signed Kyan up for preschool in the fall. If it works out, he’ll be going Tuesdays and Thursdays from 9-11:30am. He’s only 3, I don’t feel he needs more than that right now. Maybe next year I’ll be able to work him into one more day for the 4-yr old class to prepare for all day kindergarten when he’s 5, but one step at a time. I had a ride all worked out for him, but that fell thru. So I was panicking, in spite of having 7 mos to figure it out. I think it might be okay tho – my cousin said she might be able to do it, so ** whew **. Kyan can go to preschool after all. He needs it, and better still, he wants it. I’m excited for him to get to do this – I think he’s going to love it!

I’m trying to figure out if it’d be possible to get rid of my car. Not to be carless – I wouldn’t be able to get to work that way. But to get rid of the Liberty and get something more fuel efficient and, if I was lucky, with a lower payment. That’d be nice, but it’s probably not likely. I owe too much yet, I think. I’m not necessarily upside down (I researched), but I’d still end up tacking what I owe onto a loan and that might negate any fuel savings I could get. But it has to be considered, and possibly researched because with gas prices at a ridiculous $3.19/gal, and probably $4.00/gal by summer I cannot afford to drive my Jeep anymore. I HAVE to have something that uses less gas. I don’t have the money for what could be $65.00/week for gas. If I could get something more fuel efficient for the same or a lower payment, I’m okay with basically paying for a car and a half over the long run to be able to get by week to week right now. KWIM? So if you’ve got any suggestions or ideas, please share!

In other news, one cousin is getting married (!) on the 4th of July this year (yay Bethany and Josh!!) and another cousin is pregnant and due in Oct. I need to see what baby clothes I have from Kyan so she can have them if she wants. My kids are growing by leaps and bounds, things are crazy as usual but I think we’d be bored if we were less busy. I did get a great nap on the couch yesterday with Kyan and that totally rocked, especially since naps are a luxury I can’t normally afford.

Yeah, I know I’m still all over the place. Rather fixated on that car and all I have to do tonight – like make cookies (again – and I won’t burn them this time!) for the scout’s red and green banquet tomorrow night. It was supposed to be last week but got cancelled due to snow. Shouldn’t be a problem this week.

That’s all I’ve got for now. Maybe I’ll sleep better tonight and the rest of the week (couldn’t shut off the brain last night) and have a more comprehensible post in a day or so. Thanks, if you stuck with me!

Feelin like a bad mom

11 yr old boys are difficult. And lazy. And spacey. I believe all of them are that way, so why would I expect different from MY child?

Because he's MINE, that's why.

We were all home yesterday. Day off for Kyan and me (due to a workflow issue it made more sense to be off Weds and work Friday) and Jaben had a snow day. Yay! The whole day home in the middle of the week!

So what did we do??

Cleaned and fought, that’s what.

I cleaned, the boys fought, then I *tried* to get Jaben to clean and he and I fought. That child has the messiest room I’ve ever seen but he absolutely refuses to clean it. And since I don’t want him to miss out on anything, there aren’t any real consequences. So why on earth would I think he’d clean the playroom yesterday without serious threat?

Silly me.

We need a system, he needs to know his responsibilities consistently, and I need for him to HELP me out. Between the 2 of them, those boys can trash the entire house in a half hour. On a slow day. I am only one person and I am TIRED.

So rather than continuing to yell and completely destroying our relationship, I downloaded a chore chart format for Jaben today. Sure I could make one for him, all special and stuff, but I do not have time. Plus, I really just want this to be fast and easy. This will tell him what he needs to do each day of the week so that he can do it in HIS time, so long as it’s all done before bed.

I think I should also make him a morning routine chart (list?) to help him remember what to do in the morning. Like brush his teeth.

Say it with me now…. Ewwwwwwwwww!

Kalahari pics and update

Sorry it's been a while. I'm a busy girl, doncha know! But we had a great time at Kalahari last week!



The boys love it there and would go every week if they could.











A room with a view...



We also got to meet up with Stacy, which was great and not nearly enough time. We had about an hour while they waited for their room to be ready, but the kids all played in the dry play area and Stacy and I gotto talk. It was nice and I'd really like to do it again sometime soon!

Inother, slightly more amusing news... I've been working on Kyan's manners lately. Y'know, making sure he says "excuse me" when he passes gas. Except now it's, "Excuse me,Kyan," every time! And when someone else does, they have to say, "Excuse me, Kyan" as well. It's kinda cute. Then again, it may be one of those things you have to hear in person.

And in PLAY news -- Jaben got the part of the Artful Dodger in Oliver Twist!! We could not be happier or more excited! Can't wait!!

Rotten teeth, rotten kids, needing a getaway

Looks like I’m going to live. Thanks to you who posted with the sympathy! It was pretty miserable for a couple days and while I still can’t chew on that side (shudder) or let anything even remotely hot or cold touch it, I’m doing a lot better. Few things are worse than heavy dental work. It’s just brutal.

It’s also completely thrown me off. Imagine chewing gum on a tooth like that. Ain’t gonna happen, right? Right. So I’m off the nicotine gum for now and will get back to it when the fear that it might touch my tooth and rip something up or out passes. I expect a few more days at least. Then, it’s right back up on that horse!! Bet you’re looking forward to more posts on THAT! But… since I refuse to give up it’s going to happen. Your support is invaluable (hint, hint!).

*******************

Yesterday the boys were home with mom for President’s day, which was great for them. And apparently they had a great day – big breakfast, lunch at McDonald’s, total grandma spoilfest.

Until.

Grandma wasn’t thinking and put Kyan down for his nap without a pull up. He’s never slept in his underwear before so it could’ve been ugly. But when he woke up he was dry! Atta boy, Ky! Unfortunately the celebrations were cut short when, upon being brought into the bathroom to go ahead and potty, Mr. Kyan threw a fit, sat himself down on the bathroom floor and proceeded to pee his pants. Grandma didn’t care much for that (ya think?), stripped him down and sat him on the couch.

For me to deal with when I came home.

*sigh*

And that was just the beginning of the night from hell. Neither of those boys were very pleasant to be around last night. Got to the point where I wanted to take one head in my right hand, the other head in my left and ….. SMASH!!

Fortunately this is not an option.

You’d think two little boys who are going to Kalahari tomorrow – Thurs would behave better than that. I swear if it was refundable I’d have been tempted.

Or not. I really wanna go . Waterparks rock, but also I get to meet up with Stacy, who I’ve “known” from my message board for a few years and will be going with her family about the same time. I am so excited to meet her it's kind of silly! With that as incentive, I don’t care how rotten those boys are, I’m going. And I will try to get some decent pictures to share since I have a working camera now.

Till then, have a super week!

*whimper*

I got a filling today. In a molar. It was a really bad one.

No, I'm not being a whimp. Hell, I went thru childbirth on pitocin with no meds... I can handle one little filling!

Except this one isn't little. I swear the man rebuilt my tooth using filling material. There was smoke. And blood.

Okay, I'm making up the smoke but the blood was real.

You know it's bad when the dentist says he'll call the next day to check on you.

Ow.

Probably rambling

I've got a few things I want to talk about but no structured post (unusual, right?) so I'm just gonna write.

First things first. I know you're all (all 2 of you) dying to know if I'm smoking. Well. *sigh* Don't tell Jaben, but yes, I have been. Somewhere in the vicinity of 4-5 a day, which is HUGE for me. But still not where I want and need to be, which is at 0. So I'm moving on to nicotine gum. I've got 3 or 4 in the pack I've been cheating with all week, so once those are gone that's IT. I'm buying the gum tonight, so I'm sure there'll be more whining posts to come. But I need to want to have to do this. Just my way my time. Just... don't tell Jabe. Please. I'll have that conversation with him when I'm ready.

I have to tell you – Kyan rocks!! He’s been wearing his big boy pants for 3 weeks now and he’s doing so awesome! I’m almost ready to call him totally trained, but not quite yet. He goes when he needs to, but he still wants me to come with him. He will tell me he needs to go and runs off to the bathroom, but I’ve got to say, “I’m right behind you!” or he’s not fully comfortable. Usually. He is still wearing his pull ups to sleep, but to be honest I don’t care if he sleeps in pull ups until he’s 6 as long as he’s using the potty during the day. We had a bit of trouble with the pooping part, but once he did it, it was easy. He’s doing incredible with it now!! So yay Kyan for getting past this final milestone for PT-ing! He has been naked trained for so long and I’d gotten to the point where I thought he’d never underwear train. He’s just doing so good and he’s so awesome!

Next week is our annual trip to Kalahari! We’ve made the reservations and got an amazing deal! There were no good packages available online, so my mom called to see if they had any corporate deals associated with her company. I don’t know if what we got is due to her company or just something we got lucky with, but I only paid $98!! Amazing!! The best I could’ve done online was like $269 so this is a major savings. No “specials” to go with it like what we had last year, but that’s okay. We saved a LOT on this deal and with the expanded water park, we’re going to have a blast even without all the extras. Can’t wait!!

Jaben had his review for Boy Scouts last night, to see what rank he will be at. He was shooting for Second Class, and he thinks he should have that, but doesn’t know yet. I can’t wait to find out! He loves Boy Scouts and hopes to some day become an Eagle Scout, so this is very important to him. He’s got the Klondike Derby this weekend, which is a one night camp, and the next day they compete against other troops doing Boy Scout related tasks. That’s about as far as my understanding of the whole thing goes, but he’s excited about it. Oh, and he’s started his drama classes up again (Oliver! And we’re hoping for the part of Dodger cuz he’d ROCK that part!), AND his grandma bought him a guitar and lessons! Jabe’s a busy boy these days, that’s for sure.

I need to post new pics of these boys – they’re growing so fast! My sister sent me a camera (thanks again!!) when she sent Ky a birthday gift (Fisher Price camera that he LOVES – I should post some of his pics too) so I should be able to get some decent pics of them soon. And Ky’s birthday pics should come in soon. And I never posted the Christmas pics. So yeah, I need to do some picture catch up!

Guess that’s it for the random ramblings. If you got this far, you rock! And um… thanks for reading. I’m sure this read worse than one of those “Christmas Newsletters”!

If you love it so much why don't you marry it?

Remember that taunt from grade school?

Well, I'm gonna marry my Swiffer Wet Jet. I am seriously in love with this thing! I had one a while ago and brought it with me when we moved, but alas... it was broken. So I have been using the old fashioned mop and bucket method.

And it was fine, for what it was. But it really didn't seem to get the floors very clean, no matter how often I changed out the water. I even tried hands-and-knees cleaning once (we have NO carpets - ONCE was enough!!) and that didn't seem to work very well either.

But ah, the Wet Jet. I wish I'd bought you sooner. It's so much faster, much less work without having to fill and empty a bucket over and over. Also, I know that my floors were filthy because I used 2 pads per room, and used the entire (small sized!) bottle of cleaner that came with it. I will have to buy more - 2 more because I will probably be obsessed for a while(!) and my beautiful floors will be spotless! Oh and it smells so good. Nothing better than a clean smelling house.

Now I am just waiting for my beige slipcover to come out of the dryer (who's idea was THAT color anyway??) and then I should be done for the day. It's amazing how much eaiser it was without the mop.

Oh, how I love my Wet Jet!

Row row row your boat...

Seriously, it needs to stop raining. Like, 6 hours ago. I'm going to need an outboard on my car just to get home.

Who's raising YOUR kids?

If you’re one of those stay-at-home moms who look down on working moms, or consider them to be lesser parents than the stay-at-home variety, move along, nothing to see here.

** waits patiently **

Are they gone?

Okay good. Let’s talk about ‘em!

Just kidding!!

Seriously though, I made the mistake today of reading a message board of SAHM vs Working Mom debates. There’s a reason I avoid those places… I only read it today out of boredom, I swear. There was a thread titled, “Why do you SAH?” and my favoritest answer in the whole wide world was, “Because I don’t want strangers raising my children.”

OMG why didn’t I think of that?? Here I am, every week, moving my preschooler from daycare to daycare in search of new strangers to raise him for me!

** pops forehead in perfect V8 fashion **

I KNOW that’s not what they meant, but seriously. Strangers? Raising? I hardly think so. First of all, I KNOW my DCP and I trust her. If I didn’t, he wouldn’t be there. That’s not to say I didn’t make a few errors in judgment when it came to care for Jaben, but I learned and in the end he had a great situation with a provider who treated him as a member of the family.

She loved him, she fed him, she got him to school in the morning. But did she raise him?

Um, no. Not hardly. I raised him, and am in fact still raising him… with the feeding and the washing and the teaching of right behavior, and the cleaning of the vomit and dirty dishes, and the morality (what? A single mom with morals?? Unheard of! *snicker*), and the clean your room or I’ll kill you, and the….

Well, you get the picture. *I* raise my kids. With a little help from my friends.

[singing] Ohhhh I get by with a little help from my friends….[/singing]

Ahem.

I’m not against SAHM’s, it’s just when I read those things it makes me kind of gag a little. I remember when I was pg with Jaben, someone (who shall remain nameless) told me that yes, other people would in fact be raising my child. Oh how ignorant and wrong she was. I actually get a little tired of the whole debate. Why is there a debate and why should there be? Everyone just do what’s best for yourself and your family and don’t worry about what other people are doing.

THE GREAT AND POWERFUL OZ HAS SPOKEN!

Um yeah. I might need a nap or something.

Consumed by poison

I am consumed with the thoughts of smoking a cigarette. I am off patches, I am really just fiiiine on my own, with no assistance.

Except.

Except that I cannot get the thought of smoking a cigarette out of my mind.

I know it smells.

I know it would taste terrible.

I know it would, most likely, make me feel ill.

And yet.

And yet...

I wonder if just "one" would remove that thought from my head.

Yuck, that's awful. Ugh, my stomach is upset, I'm dizzy now. Don't want to do that again.

Yes, it might help. At least I'd know.

It's not going to happen. I am sitting here at work, unable to leave the phones. So I remain consumed by the thought.

Of just one... just one to get me thru.

Ew

I was working on a post today, but I'm still feeling pretty run down from this cold/flu thing, very tired, burnt out with work and just not much fun. So I think I'll just leave this post at a "hey, hi" and try again when I'm feeling more up to it.

Rocket cake!

Kyan's birthday party is tomorrow and so we decided to make him a rocket cake! Actually, the idea was given to me by the girls on my message board. It was a great idea... the results are... well, it still looks like rocket at least. Kyan said it's his best rocket cake ever! And he's had so many to compare it to! He's also run around singing, "My rocket cake is so crooked! My rocket cake is sooo crooked!"

But... mommy did the best she could, and really, it's not so bad, is it?