Sianara(sp), see ya, bye!!

This is good-bye and Farewell.


I know, blogger.com you will miss my nonscence and BALLY-WHO, but blogger.com I have some serious patience problems. They are fixed by a certain service called Blogsome. Oh don't cry. I know that you will be ok. It really is you and not me this time. I will miss the time we spent together hours and hours, I know. I am moving on and taking my loving family, and Friday Flip ups along with me. Oh how you will miss me, I know. But we will visit the sites that are still calling you home like all my bloggy friends that are on blogger still.

Oh blogger I will leave you my forwarding address here it is....... you can come and visit me Blogger.com but I am afraid I will not be visiting you. You have really been something to show me my weaknesses and my strengths but I have out grown you.

Please join me and my adventures in self humilation over at.....

shutupnoway.blogsome.com

Friday Flippin' RULES

This is really one of my favorite things to do. Great writing and funny stuff to read is a pass time now. But seeing my stumpy thumb all over the blogosphere makes my heart happy.Who's kids sit at the computer with helmets on? Come on now that is funny stuff.She turns the everyday into "spectacular, spectacular"(name that movie and win a fun prize!!)

This week's Flip is going to someone that I have been reading often. The fact she is from Idaho makes her a winner in my book. You must check her out and I mean now....

This week's flip goes to...

Drum rolling.........

Here today...... and probably tomorrow Too.

Thrusday Thirteen

Words I love but don't use nearly enough.

1. Flatuance
2. Neato
3. Boogs
4. Bo-daget
5. Perplexed
6. Bally-hoo
7. Masher
8. Kewl
9. Boss
10. Necked
11. Sissy
12. PO-PO
13. Palieleipipido(Portuguese for Cobblestone)

The episode where he says GUCK!!

Thing 1 and I have a new ritual. After bath time we jump into bed and read two books. One is a nursery rhyme book that is Blues Clues theme. Then there is the Little Farm book.

My boy's word for poop is GUCK.

My husband has turned to the dark side and lost much weight on the Atkin's Diet. No carbs in our house.

Scene opens with reading Nursery Rhymes.

Turn to page were I start singing "one potato, two potato, three potatoe four"

On the page there are pictures of potatoes everywhere. My son doesn't know what potatoes are. His little brain converts Potatoes into "GUCKS"

Everytime we open the page he starts yelling gucks gucks gucks and tries to turn the page.
I am going to have to introduce to the POTATO.

Balance and Short

Ok just to balance out that extremely long post filled with typos - sorry. Short one.

Rachel Ray and Bobby Flay I am NOT.

Food Net work has really gotten me into the swing of being a beginer cook. I am interested in the easiest way of mincing garlic with out a food processor. (Hate the Clean-up) I have a new found love for sharp-really sharp knives- and I love to see the families face when they say,"You made this?"

As in all good habits in my life I go gun ho for about two solid weeks then the intrest wanes. This has been the experience with food. Only when I started to get bored with the dinner stuff Christmas came along and there were goodies to be made. I have loved eating the good food though so when I stopped cooking I notice that I turn to Taco Bell for nurishment. ( As my husband will tell me, "that is the worst food you could ever put in your body") Ultimately leading me back to the Food Network home page in search for more delectable dinner options.

One of my relatives came for a visit while I was still in the new phase of cooking. She is a culanary genius and can make some wonderful dishes out of mere cardboard and chicken stock.
During the visit we endulged in some homemade salsa. That was the top for me if you can make your own salsa you are a Godess in my book. So after the visit my husband and I put the kids down for the night and went to the gorciery store for some ingredients of a salsa that I found that looked enticing. We spent many happy moments that evening chopping tomatoe and onion finely and then some irregano ect.

This recipe called for jalepenos ( I don't know how to put the little accent on). Now me being a smart cookie I knew the heat of the jalepeno were in the seeds.

Note: There are people out there that would call me "flighty", "spacey", "bubbly", "forgetful" even "Ditsy". I would not call myself any of those things. I am pretty confident in myself so I would lable myself as "arrogantly ignorant".

As I start gutting the jalepenos the conversation in my head goes as follows:

Self: You know there was some trick to these jalepenos.
J.D.(also Myself): Yeah, but it probably was just how Rachel Ray used a spoon to scoop out the seeds. And the seed are where you get the hot stuff.
Self: Ok well make sure you get all those nasty seed out.
J.D.: Yeah Yeah you are so bossy sometimes.
Self: Gee my eye itches......

This is where the scene plays out in slow motion.

Hand of JD moves slowly to her eye for a danty corner pull rub.

And then we have...

Five

Four

Three

Two

One

Self: Oh that is starting to burn.
JD: Oh ---- ( replace with your favorite four letter word cause Everyone of them was used that evening.**Yeah pretty sure even that one.)

Pain traveled throughout the eye socket with in miliseconds.

**** Here is where my anatomy lessons came in handy. ******

Your eye ducts connect
to your nose duct.

Your nose duct connects
your mouth and throat duct.

Your nose ducts connect to your
eye duct.


Now for dialogue that outside my head.

JD: Oh ---- Oh---- This stings! This stings!!
BAND: Are you ok?
JD:NO!!! Oh my gosh!! I am on FIRE!!
BAND: What do you want me to do?
JD: Call Poison control!! I need to know If I am going BLIND!! QUICK!! (Followed by much more profane language).

I stuck my face under the kitchen faucet. And then grabbed a handful of ice cubes. Nothing was working. Then I hear only part of a faint conversation in the back room.

BAND:"Yes....umm... this isn't an emergency, emergency.....um hold on....."
"JD they want to know if you are still conscious!!"
JD: YES I am still conscious!!



(To myself: Oh great!! you have really done it this time, people can't even stay conscious trying to recover from this!!! You are going blind!! YOU idiot!! you will never see the sweet faces of your children, you won't see husband's face!! The sky!! Sunrises!! Not to mention wearing sunglasses everywhere!!(ok just not those geriatric sunglasses!! UGHH!!!)


Out loud:

JD: What did poison control say??
Band: I couldn't get the number for poison control so I called 911. The paramedics will be here in a couple min.....Ding DONG.
JD: Oh CRAP!!!

(Enter Four Paramedics)

By now my legs were shaking. And I was visibly shaken from the pain.

JD: I have given birth to two babies and I have never NEVER been in this much pain.

They proceeded to tell me that they thought they were called out to a party where the drinking game had gone arye. I was totally humiliated and finally asked if the pain was from the jalepeno acids burning my eyes out. They said no it was an "oil based irritant". Oh the shame!!!

"Would you like to go to the hospital??"

No if I am not going blind and All they would do is rinse out my Ducts, no. Thank you but no.

After about 40 minutes the saline bath that rinsed my eyes for 15 minutes started to dull the pain.

Thanks Rachel Ray!!! I would have remembered if you slipped on some latex gloves to protect your hands from getting oil on them. No instead you had to carefully touch the skin of the jalepeno and scoop with a spoon. Oh you are too tricky!!

So now that we have covered that ......Last night I went out to BBQ some suculent chicken breasts that marinaded in garlic herb heaven. The healthy respect for fire came back to me as I lit the burners.

Lets just say......I leaned quickly away from the range, with a little less eyebrow, eyelashes, and bangs than I leaned in with.

No, I did not try and reenact the Pepsi commercial with MJ but. I did get those unsightly hairs between my eyebrows removed. (Been meaning to get around to those!whew!)

Moral of this HUGE post.

Buy Pace Picante.

Leave the grillin' to the guys.

My Mommy and her Muscles

My Mother teaches a class once a week of three years old. She has more fun then any of the kids she instructs. Durrnig one of her lessons one little boy came up to her and started to stroke the back of her arm. Now my mother just tried to play it off as though he was feeling for big muscles,"Oh BIG muscles!!"she grumbled as he just stroked gently the back of her tricep.

She did admitted she wondered if he was loving the fluffy-ness of the back of her arm.

Fast forward to the following week's class and we have said boy comming to the frount of the class and proceeding to stroke the back of my mom's arm. She turns to him and in her grumbling voice says, "Big Muscles!!"

His eyes get big and he responds with a stroke of the frount of her body (Bre*st area) and Says
"Oh Yeah, you do Have Really BIIIIIG Muscles." Her cup size is just above the letter J. So he was right in the identification of BIIIGG.

She giggled about it, and I laughed so hard it hurt. She is a nurse and one of the funniest ones I know. She may or may not have been too embarressed to tell his parents about adipose tissue vs. Muscle tissue identificaiton skills he may have to work on. You never can tell with her she is kinda funny.

It is time to post!!! Oh good I missed my bloggin time

This week has been nuts!! Nuts I tell you. I am sitting calmly on the couch devouring a solid 9 1/2 .OZ of Cheetos Crunchy Flammin hot heaven. I have been all over the board this week, hence the lack of posting. It is so nice to beable to just veg.

So to make up for the no post here is a post and I mean a POST.

Some of the events are in photos above.

We have Piggies. We have a cleaning phase going on with Thing 2. Spray bottles and window, vacumes and cleanser wipes. And don't worry I do know that it doesn't last!!! I am enjoying it as it is here for now.

This week we have pulled out the binki from thing 1 during the day and he has added some fine new words to his vocabulary. Go figure all this time I thought it was the Baby Signs.

New words this week have been

"Orannn"=Orange
"Spasss"= splash
"Assst"= Fast (I think it will be a while until he gets the consanants down")
"issse" = Ice
" Pusssk"= Push
"ork"= fork
"ooon"= spoon
"lue"= Blue ( this could be for his chair, or Blues Clues)

I think that is it.
For Thing 2
"hey" and "hi" are pretty clear and cute as anything I have heard for awhile.

There are some new goodies to report...... "Goody" has put out a dip that has cheese, crab and chives. Oh some really good stuff. I love it smothered over some bread bread and more toasted bread.

Calling all recipies for dip. DIP I SAY. If you have a good one send it over to the comments list. I am in a mood for a good DIP!!!

It's here once again!!!

Ok this week's Blogger has an enormous following and there are some specific reasons I would like to point out.

THIS post.
Then This one.



I have had a blast being one of her many readers. This week's good job goes to......



Riley's Ramblings

You will get hooked too!! Happy blogging everyone!!

I will take one of those......

We are in line at our local grocery store and there is the lady at the checkout stand and I take a look at the gum stand and start to make my selection.

Then I ask," Do you have any recommendations?"

Wrigley's Extra Watermelon is the one given. I am recommending that, and the new KOOLERS pinha colada. Great choices for sugarless gum. I can just feel the cancer starting in all the parts of my body as I chew*.

This is kinda how it is for me. If it comes recommended I will give it a whirl.
Here are some of the things that are new to me this week.

1. Frozen Food Junkism: I am now loving three cheese sauce and Broccoli, Friday's Chicken quesadilla, Marie Calendars Chicken Broccoli and Fettucini Alfredo, Oh and the before mentioned Shredded beef Chimmichangas you can get at Sams.

2. The AP literature Reading list. I figure I am almost thirty now I can start reading and understanding those books now. Well we will see. LOL I sure didn't get them when I read them in High School.

3. The new pen that I am testing out is the Papermate Profile. It has a 1.4 Boldness to it you can't find in any of the other ball point pens. (Did I mention I was obsessed?)

4. Doing some calm breathing before taking exams.

5. Doing some calm breathing before deciding how to punish thing 1 for dumping the fruit stars all over the countertop.

6. Started checking off a list of people from my past to reconnect with. I would happily call it a "stalker list", only I am not calling any old boyfriends or past love interests. Just friends that are girls that I have not talked with for a really long time.
- The next person is my bestfriend from Jr. High. ( That should be fun!)

What are new things you have tried lately??

Folks I would like to present the Friday Flip-up of today.

She started her blog right around the time I did and I have been following for a good two months now. Her style of writing is ..... real. Lately I have been filled with heartfelt thanks for her tender posts. She has bravely thrown out a very personal and genuine post out into, the sometimes scarry and bottomless, world of the net. I know from her feedback that she is inspiring not only me but so many others as well. She writes as though she has a direct connection to the center of the human soul. She credits her Maker in all she does.

Her posts have truely have become an uplifting part of my day around blog land.

This week's enthusiastic Flip goes to........


My Quiet Corner

Good Job with your blog! Keep up the good work.

Now he's finally able to STRIP!!!

I have been trying to put off the "teach" Thing 1 to take off his clothes. I figured he'd get it. There are some true exibitionist genes in this boys genetic makeup I have been waiting to back fire on me for along time now. I will
not name names of those whose genes I am speaking BUT..............






Here they are...




























..........................There you go. If you would like some good birthday suit stories ask them yourselves.

As luck would have it Thing 1 has had no intrest in taking off his clothes until it has hindered the speed of which he can throw his dry little body into the bath. He love his bath. He was pretty quick to pick up the removal of the pants. The shirt until recently has remained a mystery.





One day after naptime I walked onto this scene .........




























Yes, shirts are tricky! And thank goodness he still remained in the DIAPER!!!


Oh and we still are installing the electric fencing around Thing 2's crib.

Projects stuff and more stuff

I do like a good project. This past week it has been Quiet Books. I am hoping it quiets my not so quiet children so I can go to church and not break a sweat for at least until they have remove all the felt pieced that I spent hours tacking down with fabric glue. Sentence run and be free I say!!

I am still in school and trying to finish. I am taking three Online courses this semester and hopefully finishing my degree sometime in the next 2 years. That will full conclude my 7th year as a college senior. At this point I have been really wondering if I want to finish or just keep going. There are so many fun things to learn. College is now apart of my hobbies as well as a life long goal.

I am looking into the field of Physical Therapy, Studio Art, and Literature. I figure if I just keep going there will be time for all three.

The three classes I have now are :
Ed Psych 6930 - Forgiveness and anger reduction.
Fam. Consumer Studies- Financial Planning.
Physical Therapy 1010- Intro to PT.

I can't imagine the world without learning new things all the time. I want to be like the founding fathers and have 5 vocational skills. The aspirations of my heart is to help my children with any type of home work they are trying to manage. My math skills could use some brushing up.

Of all the aspirations I have the one that is the most taxing and most challenging is the title of mother. I came to some really big AHHHHHAAAAA moments recently when my kids started mimicking. Using baby signs I have abated most of the terrible tantrums of the twos, until lately. Last week as we were waiting in the waiting room to be seen by the pediatrician (who is spectacular) my wee little Thing 1 has a melt down. In the mist of this one he starts hopping on his knees and clapping very hard. His face is red from the high pitched scream that is now filling the waiting room. And the guy next to us says.

"That's kinda funny. He looks like one of those Toy monkeys."

Now I am in my head trying to stay calm and at the same time giving the signal of cease and desist. This signal is not being read. With in 15 long seconds the nurse comes and calls our name. Saved.

Well it got me thinking where did he pick that one up?? The clapping mad monkey dance? Then I got mad and it all played out like this. ...

When Thing 1 first started pushing limits things I tried diaper spanking. He laughed. Only making my frustration worse. Then we tried a new tactic take the toy away. Much more effective and behavior stops almost immediately with big time crying. AHHH. Well evidently I still have some work to do when Thing 2's cereal (gerber powder stuff) is completely blanketing the kitchen floor. Instead of spanking my child I start socking the inside of my palm. I guess from that freshman year of softball in High school. Then it hits me he is just doing the things I do. His mad clappin monkey dance was mine.

That got me thinking about a conversation that I had recently with a good friend. She mentioned that one day I would eventually get out of diapers, and beable to instruct my children on the finer points of laundering their clothing. But she mentioned an interesting point that she wished she would have learned or thought of as she was my age. She said to parent with an end goal in mind.

When you teach your children, teach them with goals in mind. Goals of their character and who you want them to be. Yeah, they ultimately decide if they want to follow your goals or their own, but you have the opportunity to implant those seeds early. Now I needed to chew on that one for awhile.

For me and my family I think it is a matter of example. I believe the qualities you want your children to have are ultimately the ones that you model for them. That means if I want to build a well rounded being I need to show how a well rounded being behaves, thinks and acts. (I can't tell you how much trouble my children are in) So I decided to start with some trigger words.

Trust
Love
Respect
Honor

I will practice those for now. It starts with quiet book in church and ends with quiet books for my great- grand-babies.

This Year is DIFFERENT !!!!

I have to admitt I am not one to be glued to every tear jerking moment of the Olympics. I already have to struggle with "drama-queenism" and getting all wrapped up in the individual stories requires an emotional recovery every time they only get silver.

I was living happily in SLC during the Olympics of 2002 and didn't attend one event. My husband is still rolling his eyes ( in a kind gentle fashion of course). I decided this year was going to be different. I am going to watch and invest!! I am going to really love the skaters, looooshers, and curlers. Winter Olympics here I come.

I am amazed at what happens when you start watching it is like you put yourself in the place of these awesome athletes. I am really thinking this is great I found an Olympian that I look like. You tell me if you see the resemblence.



I bring you MY OLYMPIC MOMENT!!!










I think we have a little OMAR in all of us!!

Pushy paper products, no just pens for me Please....

It started with Bill Cosby and his silly doodle pen show when I was little. Ever since then I was in love with the Pen!! All sorts gel, ink, felt tip, and ball point. I have had the obsession for quite sometime. It is what has made journaling, homework, and calendars in my purse bearable.

I like Parker and Cross pens the best. The devastation is getting to be too great when I loose them in the car or my room, so I have slowed to a crawl on those purchases.

I go through these phases of crafts and creativity. 2002 brought the crochet phase, then that turned swiftly into the knitting phase. 2003-2004 was the scrapbooking phase. I am slowly coming down off that one. I have avoided the scrap stores and all night scrap parties for the past few months. Throughout all these phases there remains the pen and journaling phase.

I love paper goods!! I have a billion notebooks that are half full(forever the optimist). I could start my own half used notebook store. I promised myself I would start fillin in the other half of note books before I bought new ones. They are so cheap in most cases and I love the feel of a clean sheet followed by 149 clean ones.

Papermate still is the best ball point pen, blue or black. I am addicted and I love it!!

Yeah Friday Flip-up!!!

This week's Blogger is one that I have liked for a long time. She is funny and has an awesome design. Her honesty about life and herself, is what I really like. Tuesdays she is your host for one of the funniest games on the NET. Tuesday Guess it! I love this game.

She is supportive to other bloggers and has inspired me on many occasions to be a better mom, person, and wife. Her humility resounds through out her blog.

This week's winner is......

From Her Majesty's Throne

Thanks for sharing all of life's stuff and doing it with flare!!!

Thursday Thirteen!!

It has been MEME week for my blog this week.



13 quotes that have changed my worldview.

1. "People are often unreasonable and self-centered.
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind, people may accuse you of ulterior motives.
Be kind anyway.

If you are honest, people may cheat you.
Be honest anyway.

If you find happiness, people may be jealous.
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today may be forgotten tomorrow.
Do good anyway.

Give the world your best and it may never be enough.
Give your best anyway.

For you see, in the end, it is between you and God.
It never was between you and them anyway."

--Mother Teresa


2. "The chain reaction of evil- hate begetting hate, wars producing more wars-must be broken, or

we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation...Love is the only force capable of transforming and enemy into a friend... By its very nature, hate destroysand tears down; by its very nature love creates and builds up." ----Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

3. "Of the seven deadly sins, anger is possibly the most fun. To lick your wounds, to smack your lips over grivances long past, to roll over your tounge the prospect to bitter confrontations still to come, to savorto the last toothsome morsel both pain you are given and the pain you are giving in many ways it is a feast fit for a king.

The chief drawback is what you are wolfing down is yourself.

The skeleton at the feast is you."

----Fredrick Buechner

4. "Were we to take as much pain to be what we 0ught, as we do to disguise what we are, we might appear like ourselves without being at the trouble of any disguise at all."
----La Rochefoucauld

5. "When we blame someone else for our suffering, when we believethat some one else is the cause of our pain, then we need something from from that other person in order to feel better."----Dr. Fred Luskin

6. "What if I gain the thing I seek?
A dream. a breath, a froth of fleeting joy:
Who buys a minutes mirth to wail as week?
Or sells eternity to get a toy?"

----William Shakespeare

7. "Ability:
However much conditions may improve,
good odd remain,
That I will easily adjust to them and still complain."

----Paul Armstrong

8. "Pain and love are the biggest motivators to change."
----Unknown

9. "Small goals don't light up the souls of men." ---Soto

10. "One is not born a woman. One becomes a woman." ----Simone de Beauvior

11. "There is little testing of our integrity when nothing is lost." ---Vaughn J. Featherstone

12. "As I stand aloof and look
there is to me something
profoundly affecting in large
Masses of men following
the lead of those who do
not believe in men."
------W. Whitman

13. "Forgivness means that your story changes so that you and not the grievances are in control."
----Dr. Fred Luskin

Double Digit Comments!!!

I am in shock so to celebrate I am going to throw out my OOOOPPPPS! List.

This week's opps starts with...

1. I started calling Gas passing "BOOPS" mostly cause I thought it was cute. Only now it sounds like the word B**bs when my 2year says it. He is comming along in the speach area nicely and can now say YEEEHAAA!!

2. I found this and now I am so excited I can get hard back books for less than a dollar.Opps!


3. I have allowed batteries to stay in a "Thomas the tank engine" toy for too long. I am listening right now to the annoying sound of train whistling "oh susanna". It is one of those record playing toys that my Mother thought was a great idea. No argument here, only it is much better when the batteries are not included, or I am in Idaho laughin' all day long as my daughter listens to the "Happy Birthday song" in high pitched train whistling. Batteries are being held in there by screws so it is no easy task to remove them.Opps!

4. Allowed an Xbox to enter my domecile. Bad move. Distracts the band from my blogging addiction! Good move. Still opps.



More are on the way just have to turn off the Whistling!!

The Joy and Pain!!!

I love it when my babies share with each other. I don't like when they share some major bacterial/viral/haven't-been-sick-in-a-long-time-so-it-is-my-turn "cold".

When I am well I love.......

1. Planning surprises for the Band.
2. Taking my kids to the park.
3. Reading a good book.(ok. when I'm sick too)
4. Vacumming( I know this is weird) right after changing out the bag. It is like using super vacume!!
5. Washing my sink out with Soft Scrub ORANGEY ORANGE flavor.
\\6. Geo Caching with the fam.
7. Shopping for things that are less than a dollar.
8. Using all the face cream I have so I can justify the purchase of another face cream.
9. Eating insane amounts of Ice cream. Mostly of the chocolate persssuasion.
10. Buying a new cleanser, fabric softener, toilette scrub tool, or cleaning organizers to get myself excited about a dreaded task.
11.Taking the kids on walks.
12. Painting my toes.
13. Yoga lots of Yoga!!


Me Feeling good.


Today.

Remedy.Drowning my sick bones in Shreeded beef chimichangas.
AHH much better.

Friday Flip-up Hurray!!

Since last week I have been so amped to do this again!!! I have so many bloggs to Spot Light ! So few Fridays in a week!! So.... what is Friday-Flipp Up??? I would call it small Kudos with a "muted thumb". For a whole week you are famous on my Blog!! And whether you like it or not you are going to get a nice little thumbs up award as seen to my left. Just a token of my appreciation for being in the blogger world.

Now this week's blogger has some funny stuff going on all the time! She just commenced a Friday ritual herself. Friday photo day! Last Friday's post will not disappoint!! She has great material-- Her Kids. Loves a good night in with "the bacholor". And man have I laughed. HARD. She was most recently nominated for a "Share the Love" award from mylast weeks winner's blog.

Ok Ok Here it is the blogger of the Week!!!

"Oh these envelopes are so hard to open!"

It's a Mad World

Congratulations! You have done a fine job!

Now if you have a blog that you secretly visit 20 times a day let me know about it!! I am always interested in a new read. Some of last week's suggestions are on the list for the Flipp-up award.

Snotty snot snot!

Thing 1 and Thing 2. Sick. Not polio sick just snotty. Thing 1 has a great immune system. Thing 2 the opposite is true.

So begrudgingly I bring out "Big Green" ( the snot sucker) and the saline drops. We only put them back about three weeks ago!

It's been a nice three weeks AHHH.

They are so cute when they are sick. All cuddly and sweet. I love sick days. Only if they were so cuddly on regular bounce off the walls days.

It made Wednesday Wash Day really nice.....

.. and then I locked my self out of the bathroom. The towel on the back of the door fell and locked the door. As I attempted to play locksmith a little voice calls out from behind me. My attention being 90% sucked into the trigger mechanism of the door I can barely make out what this little voice is saying.

Thing 1: (Knocking on aforementioned door) DAAAAAAD????
Thing 1 : (pausing to listen)
Thing 1: DaaaaaAAAAAAD????

He has made the mistake before. He usually looks in two places for his father :
1. Bedroom (this is normally Before 7am.), and
2. The toilette. (Sacred resting ground of the BAND. Love you honey!)

I giggled to myself as I opened the door. I told Thing 1 Dad would let him know if he was in there.
Oh to be a two and something again. 

Lions, Tigers and Chairs!!!

Three yearold birthday parties are funny!! Why because most of the parents think they can do all the fun games you would do at a 6 year old's party and the kids will catch on. Well some of them did, but Thing 1 left a party this weekend with a new found fear of Lions.

Scene set up.....
Party Theme: Jungle Animals
Party Game: smack the pinhata. (resembles a Lion)
Game Piece?: PVC pipe.(well innicially, then the mother switched for a woofle bat.)

My child is second in line. Takes a good health swing. Connects, rejoices in his hitting of the pinhata. Then upon seeing the "lion" swing back towards him, FLEES the scene, signing the sign for "scared" and saying RAAAAAAAW. Which translates into Lion. Adding additional flare......

Thing 1: "Totally not cool, Mom, that thing scared me!!"

We also attempted musical chairs. It turned out to be parents yelling like they just bet all their money on "Sea biscut". Only they yelled things like "SIT! SIT!SIT down". One child followed her chair out to the hall and sat in it.

I just wish I had my camera!!

Friday-Flip up day continues...

On Friday-flipup day I would like to spotlight a fellow blogger and say NICE JOB!! You get My official Flip Thumbs Up Award.
This Friday's Nice job goes to.....

http://onewomansworld.blogsome.com/

This blogger has some great pictures that goes with her post yesterday. She also is the creator of the "Share the Love awards"

If you haven't bloggrolled her you should. Her writing is crisp, funny, refreshing, and never boring. I am always looking for a good read and I definatley found one over at One woman's World.

Anybody have any new and exciting reads send them my way in the spotlight comments. Love to hear who you love to read.

What time do your kids go to bed??

I am a recovering nap-aholic. When my kids are buggin it must be naptime!! Last week I kept them awake gave each an afternoon nap. Then it was evening and they had been eating dinner yawning..... good sign. So I put them in the bath dressed them brushed teeth and sent them speedily to bed.

The sign of relief and the excitement of me time was just setting in as I glanced at the clock.

6:03pm


ummmmmmmm..... CRUD. Parenting skills 101 states 3:00 am is now your wakey time with two very well rested childeren.

I hoped, I hoped they would sleep through.

BOTH did. Oh that gave me hope. I could have my sweet things in bed by 7:00-7:30pm!!! They would sleep all though the night. Since then it has worked!! One major nap and all my dreams can come true my shift ends at 7:00pm.

My Band has not been getting home until 9:00pm on the bad days and 8:00pm on the good ones. So the stamina is definately being challenged. They only wake up at 7:30-8:00am and I think that is a good time for me.

So what time do your kids go to bed?? If you don't have kids what time do your pets go to bed?? No pets nor kids? What time do you go to bed??

I am officially in the MOOD!!!

Ok now is the time scrambling for ideas and fun surprises for my Band for the big V-day. In the law firm that my husband and I worked at before we got married there was a girl name Lindsey. She had a Sade CD that was all love songs. One of them I paticularly liked. She put the CD on as the hold music for the office. I would put people on hold and make sure the music was playing in my speaker phone.

This was during the "infatuation" stage of my Band and I's courtship. Oh how the songs bring back some fond memories. I really discovered what the meaning of "music therapy" meant. About four days ago I found one of the songs that I hadn't heard nearly often enough. Oh BABY! I can't wait until V-DAY.

The planning part is very exciting. My Band is clueless. Plots are being formed. Surprises are being arranged. Glorious things are all going to come together and there will be much rejoicing!!!

I cannot explain details. I cannot relate any stories of V-days of yester-year. I will however like to mention again much rejoicing.(that's right he sometimes reads and I don't know if he will today.)

ANY WHOO!! Kids are sleeping must work on homework.

Weekly schedules, Projects and Stuff

I just received a brochure in the mail today for a peaceful, quaint, happy, land called "Organized." When I visited I would only stay for short periods of time. So upon returning home I would daydream frequently about what it was like.

I have noticed that the brochure has many themes one that seems to be repeating itself is....

Weekly Schedule

I haven't had one for awhile. My first memory of a weekly schedule is in grade school. Where there certain days had certain activities take place. The one that is immediately coming to memory is Friday flip-up-day where 10 enthused first grade boys would chase down the girl (who forgot it was Friday flip up day and decided to wear a skirt). This is the rest of the schedule as I can recall.


Monday- Mix up day (pants on backwards were ok this day)
Tuesday- Tickle day (this obviously was pre-sexual harrassment legislation era)
Wednesday-Wild day (anything goes day)
Thursday- ( this one I can't remember)
Friday -Flip-up day

My schedule all growed up is lookin like this:

Monday-Mania Day
Tuesday- got it together Day
Wednesday-Wash Day
Thurs- Think Day
Friday- Fun with Band Day. (not Band-aid)
Saturday- Saucy day
Sunday- Sit quiet day.


I am still missing a couple of days that are part of my week. There is sit- in -the- bath- for- hours-day, Sell my children on e-bay day, Band forgot to takeout the trash day(He is allowed "get out of jail free card" cause his Seahawks lost last night. He is a wee bit emotionally distraught.) , and feed- the -ducks- at- the -gross- local- man -made -pond -while -watching- drug- deals -go -down- day.

In my attemps to revisit the land of organized I have used some technology. My camera....Taking picture of areas in my house that need make-overs or straight up DO-OVERS. Then after I have fixed it I take another picture. JD's version of "Extreme-Zen- Clothes-folding -drawer- make- overs. It keeps me entertained.
My children are still young enough not to know that it is unnatural for Mommies to take picutures of their closets, drawers, and night stands, every couple of months. They do know that the bathroom and the kitchen don't need their picture taken. They are pretty 90 percent fo the time.

One day I plan to retire just on the outskirts of this "land of organized" I don't think we could live directly in the land because grandchildren would probably visit.

Experienced, I need the experienced.

Ok this is a pretty good attempt. I repeat we have one piggy. I haven't figured out how the dual piggy is accomplished. This was my biggest fear in having a girl. The HAIR.

The experience that I acquired growing up doing my own hair left me dazed and confused in most cases. I spent full 40 minute sessions trying to French braid my sister's hair when she was all of 6 years old. I would insist that it wasn't tight enough, straight enough, high enough, low enough loose enough, thin enough, fat enough and good enough. These sessions would abruptly end when I was caught chasing after her with a spray bottle and pick, trying to persuade her to let me try once more. I am pretty sure she could have serious couch time in a psychiatrists office over that one. Saving my daughter from this same fate is a win-win for me. She will have plenty of couch time over other things I will do.

My Band and I used to joke we have a psych fund for our children growing for them under the unassuming name of a "Education Fund".

My concerns are:

- rubberband application & removal pain. ( so I have just used small clippies)
- parting hair comb pain

which could directly cause the following:

- bath aversion.
- mother (with comb in hand) aversion.
- hair cutting place aversion.
- and eventually Prom aversion.

Does anyone have any advice or strategies that could apply? I am considering investing in hats. Many, many hats. I would prefer someone with experience but all applications will be reviewed closely.

Thank you for your prompt response.

Step into the Confessional Please

My name is J.D. I am 28 years old. (I can only state that number for two more weeks) And I frequently watch ..........
..............
..............

SPOUNGEBOB SQUARE PANTS. I tried to deny this secret love until two days ago I was laughing out loud at the episode when he holds his pinki up. I know that there are some who will take me off their blog roll, and I am ok with that.

It all started when Blue's Clues came on at 8:00am and we programmed it into the TV to change to that channel. WELL.... programming schedules and sleep schedules changed. My baby boy has been up bright and early at 7:30 am and the TV is still programmed for the channel at 8:00am. Thing 1 has no intrest and I am still listening and watching as I prep breakfast and do dishes.

I have yet to change the weekday 8am PST setting to Nic.

Am I alone in this??? Are there others that have confessions, such as these?? I have dedicated Wednesdays to confess all my querky stuff.

I am finding there may be hope in the 12 step program.
Because the guy who lied about his "Million Little Pieces" was anti 12 step program I overwhelmingly support the 12 step program.

Sympathy confessions welcome.

Random Tuesdays

Saucy, Saucy, Saucy! Love sayin it and I love when it applies. I am going to call Tuesdays Special Sauce day. I have a "policy" that I am any where from 3-5 minutes late for everything. In the case of productivity for the week Tuesdays follow suit in the amazing tardiness that plagues my life. Monday is pretty much useless for me. I make all these begining of the week goals. Then wait til it is Tueday to get them all rollin. I think it is in the sauce.

I chatted with a friend about a possible housing move. Sorted all the laundry and transported it to the area that it will eventually get into the washer. I went to the gorcery store with my two Things. I made breakfast for my Band before he was off to work and school(if you talk to the Band he would tell you all the stars are in their proper alignment if this happens). I made the BED!!

Huston the Shoes have landed. I repeat the shoes have landed. This is one of the things I most love to get.

Things I would most like to get in a surprise random gift.

1. Mascara
2. Shoes (my new ones are great and arrived lastnight)
3. Children activites idea books.
4. The most recent issue of Real Simple the magazine.
5. Organization idea books.
6. Time management ideas.
7. Socks aslo called Sockies.
8. Chocolate in it's many forms.
9. An hour one on one with my husband.

Ok so the random thought for the post is.......

People who try to stop their yawn by flexing their jaw muscles and don't yawn. I don't care how strong your jaw muscles are you can't fake it! It is one of the little things in life that will always make me giggle.

I am discovering fun new things to do with HTML. My wonderful Step Momma designed this blog and the banner for me. Thanks Thanks thanks again. YOU RULE!!

What time of the month is it??...

It is time to wait in line at the grocery store with dental floss and a Pregnancy test. Insanity may just be the definition, but as I see it there is that 99-point-something-chance that I may be having another bundle of joy.

There are reasons for my paranoia.

1. Thing 1 was a mere 8 months old when I found out I was pregnant with Thing 2.

2. My sweet Thing 2 is going on 10 months. My body is saying, "Hey, aren't you supposed to feel tired, nauseous, and all excited at the same time??

3. The name game is so fun to play when you are driving with your Band.(the Band doesn't share my enthusiasm for this traveling game.)

4. I really love the new baby smell.


I have my hands full really full. So when the three minutes were up and the window indicated negative I was OK.

Well, there is always next month.:)

Pretty in PINK ????

We introduced Thing 2 back into the room of Thing 1. During this afternoon's nap some how he found himself in her crib. I think the pink brings out his cheeks. What do you say??

The crib has been in his room for ever and he has never been interested. Now he can't stay out.

Shoot I love those kids.

Now for a MEME. I am ignorant and have no clue what a meme is. DYM help me!!!

I am not sure how I made it through Jr. High cause now if everyone's doin' I gots ta!!

1. Four jobs I've had
Photographer grip
Elementary afterschool program leader
Waitress
Telephone chatter for a Cruises and Tours CO.

2. Movies I would watch over and over
Princess Bride
Savanna Smiles
Pollyanna
"N.Dynamite"

3.Four Places I've lived
Laguna Hills, California
Moscow,Idaho
Clearfield, Utah
Huntington Beach, CA

4. Four websites I visit Daily
Sierra Trading Post.com(to see when my shoes will come)
Web Ct for the University
yahoo
Geo caching anything

5. Four Fattening foods
Mix one jar marshmellow creme and 8 oz of sour creme.(Fruit Dip)
Peanut butter milk chocolate chips in the micro spread on grams
Nachos
Super nachos

6. Places i'd rather be
On a golf course
on the beach
In a hammock
hot bath

7. Kid's shows I can tolerate on TV
1. Little Einstiens
2. Blues Clues
3. Seaseme Street
4. Thomas the train ( they are generally real short)

Ok I did it and my posting has gone wild. I am going on a break. 24 hours at least LOL.

Time to update.....

I found the Shoes they are beautiful and much like the ones I was lamenting.

In other news I am attempting girl hair dos for my 10 month old. Today's attempt Piggys!! My biggest fear is that some mom in the local supermarket today will pull me aside and say. "Honey, I have the name of a great hair stylist if you need help with kindergarten picture day." So I am practicing now. She 10 months old and too small to remember any trama that may insue.

Wittless Wednesday

Today has been one of those days. No one's schedule jived and I am really want to to put an innocent Thing 1 up for sale on ebay. I am glad there are family members like Kass who remind me of his finer points. There are somedays I am willing to just chalk it up as a rotten day and others I refuse to let it get to me.

So today's post is going to be raw. A bit stringy, with a hint of bittersweet. I am bloggin like no one's reading folks. "Hold onto your BUMS" The word Bu-- is a bad word in my house, we use BUM.

OK ..... I was in "the mood" where I start yelling at myself to calm down and breathe. In the mist of these moments I find it really hard to listen to the quiet calm me that says "You are OK. " My heart was filled with the prayer of that included "let me see the things I am supposed to today".

And then out of nowhere my little Thing 1 comes to me and signs his word for BLANKET. My natural reaction to this is to go find it. I turn to find he has handed it over to his LA LA(His nick name for Thing 2) who was sitting in a saucer fussin.

BACKGROUND NOTE:
Thing 1, who is 2 and 3 months old, hates when his LA LA gets upset. He has been known to bring her binkis, toys, and rank nasty bottles only he can find in times of need.
This morning he recieved a new BRUMMM ( Thing 1 language = truck) he is a content little boy unless you ask him to part with said bruuuummmm. This will be the case for at least 3-4 days.
Now his BLANKET is one of those items that is vital. He rarely goes anywhere without the Blanket. Linus's blanket has nothin on Thing 1's blanket.

I swoop down to eye level with Thing 1 who is still signing blanket and now nodding his head ready for the "GOOD Job" hug and kiss. I go to help Thing 2 and here comes Thing 1 with his prized possesion. The BRUMMMM. He hands it slowly and lovingly to his little sister.

It is so hard not to be thankful for each momment you get to spend sweating, mulling, working, learning, worrying and frustrating over these precious gifts when they give you the glimpse of what you need,in the momment you need it. In this glimpse I got to see the "lesson of the month" play out in my universe.

What lesson.... it was in a church meeting when the subject of forgiving others came up. It was a lesson I had heard many times before and will hear many more times in the future. I happened to be signed up for a undergrad/graduate class this semester called "Forgiveness and anger reduction" So I paid paticular attention to the lesson in church about the subject.

In my studies over the first two weeks of the course we are asked the question WHY FORGIVE? We are then asked to delve deep and find our motive for forgiveness. Mine is kinda the same as one of the leading 8 answers in our text. But with a twist. "It is what God would want us to do, and if we love God we will do it out of love for him" The twist added was that if God created man/woman then all of us have an unspeakable bond. A brotherhood if you will. We are His children.

Real joy is watching your children help and love each another. As their mother the smallest tokens of love are noted. I believe that when we forgive others we mend ourselves as well as others. The former is an instant gratification benifit however may take longer for the other party to feel the blessing. This makes our Maker happy. He has intricate purpose for each one of us. We make His work worth it when we forgive one another. Not for the mear fufillment of a commandment to "love thy neighbor" but to reach out with healing words of forgivness to brothers and sisters who have offended --knowingly and unknowingly-- and work to uplift the Children of God.

I get a human type of joy seeing my children be kind to one another. However this type of joy lasts. My Father in Heaven has given me a wonderful glimpse today.

"Each day that we awake is a new start, another chance. Why waste it on self-pitty, sloth and selfishness? Roll that day around on your tounge, relish the taste of it's freedom. Breathe deeply of the morning air, savor the fragrance of opportunity. Run your hands along the spine of those precious 24 hours and feel the strength in the sinew and bone. Life is raw material. We are artisians. We can sculpt our exsistance into something beautiful, or debase it into ugliness. It is in our hands."--- Cathy Better of Reistertown, Maryland.

Good BUY .....

We are gathered here today to express our deepest sorrow for the loss of a beloved pair of shoes.

I have a habit of wearing shoes that are one of two varieties brown or black. I rarely find a pair that I love with all my heart. The combination of comfortable and stylish is often illusive. I will always choose comfort over style.

Today is the retirement of an extra good pair of shoes. They go great around the house in sweats and they look cute with jeans(as seen on the left) and my skater patnts that went out of style in the 1990s. These paticular ones I picked up onsale for 8.99. I am in search of another pair.

Things I Look for in a shoe.....

1. Comfort
2. Color: Brown
3. Easy accessibility(I know that this breaks the cardinal rule of www.FLYlady.net but i do love slip ons)
4. Multi purpose
By this I mean functional in wal-mart, on dates, and in the backyard feeding the neighbor's horses.


I am going to begin my search online this time.

A Recipe?? OH I love a good recipe.....

I am the one on the Left..... Not the seal!
Stop looking at the seal. Many of the mishaps in my life are just like this picture.

"Look at the camera!! "

"Not that camera....!!"




Recipe for Most recent Mishap....

Ingredients

1 lb Enthusiasm
2 tbs Distraction
Stir in .....
1 new doctor's office

Mix well. Until embarrassment is the only possible outcome.

A couple weeks ago I had heard a friend compliment a co-worker about his being a "great Pediatrician". I am always on the look out for a good pediatrician because ours is just .... well mediocre. Then we talked about languages and Potuguese came up and he mentioned this Pediatrician was from Brazil. Kewl.
So last week my Thing 2 had teeth common in and was feeling yuck, I then made an appointment with this GREAT Pediatrician. He was notably good and hey he was someone who spoke a language I did.

So the appointment date arrives. We all cram into the exam room (Thing 1, Thing 2, and I).

Enter "Great Pediatrician"

Pediatrician: Hello, how are you all doing today?

Me: Great! we are here today because we had heard you were a great pediatrician.

Pediatrician (humbly): Oh why thank you.

Me(very excited!!): I also heard you were Brazilian. Que bom, voce fala Portuguese!

Pediatrician(now with his head cocked to the side, with a half smile): What?

Me ( in one breath teen-hyper-mode fashion) :I know that is exactly what I said! I am so excited para fala portuguese! Now your friend said that you are from the Northern part of Brazil around Recife?? What part are you from?? I spent some time in Bahia. I love it in the North. What part of the north are you from??

Pediatrician(reaching slowly with a stethoscope to listen to thing 2's heart beat ----Pauses----)

Me (noticing a pause slips in): I just want you to know that your friend told me what a great pediatrician you were before I heard that you were from Brazil. (add wink--Brazilian gesturer for "see how savvy I am")

Pediatrician (Deep breath, rather blank expression): Just a moment.

He listens to Thing 2's heart beat then her Lungs. Pulls back the stethoscope and says, "I am From the Middle East, who told you I was from Brasil?"

At this point it hasn't full sunk in how deep the embaressing moment was going. "Oh who was it..... Ummmm?? I am not sure .....I think ......

We changed the subject promptly, and had a lovely visit. He is a great Pediatrician. Stay tuned for Thing 1's visit to Dr. "Great".


This week has brought some fun new discoveries. Thing 2 is fluent in Wookie.
Thing 1 is still a mute so I will type his new discoveries.

Valued Lessons of Thing 1

1. Chapstick and glue sticks may appear to be the same, but are very different.

2. Mom's deodorant does smell like it would taste good.

3. Crayons write better than they taste.

4. Dad laughs when I fill the door handle, of our car, full of bottled soda.

AH let there be light.....

Ever since thing 1 has been big enough to turn on the light endless hours have been spent reading books, pushing cars, and emptying sock drawers. His bedroom light would go on at 2, 3, 4 am and stay on until it was time to wake up and find the toys he had fallen asleep playing with. He had yet to sleep in his big boy bed for longer than 3 hours at a time. Annoying? Yes, when you go to the bathroom and see the light is on at 5:30am. So we tried taping the light switch to the off position. Good for a maximum of 24 hours. This week I had had it. No light bulbs. Pulled them out. My child magically sleeps when he is put in his bed.
Day three we return Thing 2 to her crib. She had been exiled to a play pin bassinet in the office since the light discovery took place. Today we entered their room to find thing 1 giggling with thing 2 in her crib. No Buena. How he got in there involves a gymnastic feet I don't want to know that my son is capable at his tender young age of 2. I have placed the baby monitor back into their room so that we can hear the brawl before it gets violent if that is the case. He has figured out how to enter the crib his dismount is sketchy and I assume that is why he hasn't attempted it YET.... We shall see.

This evening I was in their room trying to rig up the baby monitor and its components.

You: This was difficult?
Me: In a room with no light bulbs? Yes.

Luckily for me my "Band" pulls through. He is an avid outdoors man, who sees very little of the outdoors. In his previous life as a camper he used what I call a "Head flashlight". Soooo, in I go into the dark with light attached to my head. I come back out of the room to get the other components and start my usual bark of random things to my Band. He takes one look at me and starts to laugh hysterically. I then realize the head flashlight is still attached and it is on. Let there be light.


Meanwhile in other news.... We bought a car. Yes it is officially ours. I guess we have to have the title in hand to say that but the car we have been purchasing for the past four-and-some years is finally ours. Paying off a car has had some new effects that I didn't expect.

1. Desire for a new car payment has completely diminished.
2. The thought of purchasing old cars (so that you don't ever have a car payment again) is new and very persistent.
3. The desire for the purchased car to be passed down (for the enjoyment of many generations) is growing steadily, as I have named it Doug.

My band and I are planning "debt-free-by-February" that almost rhymes. I am givin myself A for effort. We get in the mail an overdraft statement from our bank. One month ago we closed our account to this particular bank that I do not have love for. AKA Rape of America. Now the electronic debit that was issued was an auto bill pay transaction. Only when you cancel the account you no longer can have access to the online portion of the auto bill pay. Thus you would think that the cancellation of an account would cancel the auto bill pay.

Not the case. Now they want their 34 dollar- check -bouncing fee as well as a 20.00 transaction. Ok call in special forces, BAND. Love it. Band calls and proceeds to explain situation. Customer service can't remove bank charge asks band to go into the branch and pay fee and transaction. Band responds with......"I am sorry that is against my policy." Goes to branch pays for transaction not fee. It's all in how you write the policies. I love MY BAND!

Only on Sundays...

I am noticing this blog thing is addictive.... really addictive. So Sunday nights are the update night. I like limits and boundaries they are good for me.

The newness of the Year may have someting to do with my new attitude of boundaries.

Resolutions that aren't so resolute (as of late).....

1. Getting up early

2. Dealing with the goal of setting goals

3. Love more.

4. Yoga more than last year (once is more than last year)

5. Read and understand more.

6. Smile with my heart more.

Alright, started a new book and loving the thought provoking effects. "The Alchemist" written by a Brazilian named Paulo Coelho.

This year's new loves.....

Buying books.

Sheets with 320+ thread count.

New comforters for the new year.

Watching Thing 1's vocab expand with words like HEY!! and Yeah!

Waving at Thing 2 with my fingers and the back of my hand my mouth. Just immitating her.

Seeing my friends kids as they are growing up.

Can you see that roof top on the right side?

Smell of the Day.....

I am pretty sure it's skunk. Possible Dead muskrat mixed in. I discovered the smell first in the garage while changing over some laundry. No Bueno, combining two things I don't like Laundry and Smelly skunks.What is it about smells?? The "Band" can smell it too he says it may be the smell of weeds too. I am hoping really wet weeds, instead of really wet skunk.

I don't like skunks. They shift their weight weird when they walk.

The Band's picture takin' skills...

I do love my Band ... he does have thoes picture takin skills down. I notice the composition gettin better and better. The leve is so full and everything has been green lately because of the copious amounts of rain we have gotten in the past couple of weeks.

Thing 1 and Thing 2 have been good as we entertain ourselves Geo caching all over our little town. They both have runny little noses and are the epitamy of cuddly and cute. I just wish Healthy and cuddly could exist in the same space time contiuim. Thing 2 is teething and four are breaking through at the same time. I am ready for her to go on strickly "people food diet". She has been handeling the breads, meats and eggs pretty good. For a nine month-old she is pretty advanced in all her skills. Takes after my Band.

This should be interesting

I finally did it I am officially bloggin'. So here I go......