Clueless

That's it... I've gotta know! Am I the ONLY person out there not listening to NPR? I mean, OMG! Nearly everyone I know mentions NPR, and I've never heard it before. I didn't even know what NPR was until I started blogging, but now even non-bloggers (is there a such group?) are talking about it. What the hell is going on that I wasn't informed of? Where do I find this NPR? Dammit, I'm always out of the loop. I seriously need to pay more attention to these trends!

Editor's note: A quick Google told me why I'm so uninformed. NPR has a station out of UT Austin that I get a weak signal from. There is a station in Waco as well, but I don't pick that one up at all. I guess that's my excuse.

Awwww!

Last night was one of those nights where I wished I had a bed to myself. N and I fought over covers, space, kicking, the whole nine. Anyway, the result was a crappy night's sleep. This morning he got up with the kids, and took them outside so he could work on his dad's truck. At about 10 they came in, and the kids came to the side of the bed to hand me flowers. They picked 2 yellow flowers for me! In addition to getting to sleep in! That's an awesome way to start your day. (Wednesday and Thursday is our "weekend" since N is off) Today was a pretty good day, a nice change from the grumpiness and stress. I'm a lucky girl. :)

Blech!

I haven't been posting for the past couple days because my mood is sucking hind tit. (I pick up all these phrases from N, he's such a bad influence!) Seriously, I'm normally happy and excited around this time of year, because winter is over and I love the warmth and long days. Unfortunately, my life is so stressed right now that I'm stretched so thin I'm about to snap. It will pass, it always does, but it leaves me with little patience or focus to write. I promise to be more interesting soon. Anyway, I really appreciate everyone who stopped by and read the post about the beds, because there were at least a couple people who owned that bed, and maybe our story will help save their child from injury. A big thank you to Tish and TheQueen for posting about it, and helping spread the word.
Hmmm... complete sidenote. Does anyone out there watch "It Takes A Thief" on Discovery? I'm not going to explain the whole premise, you can go to the site and check it out, but I really dislike Matt. Most people would probably dislike Jon, but Matt is so fake, he acts sort of high and mighty as if he weren't also an ex-burglar. I watch way too much Discovery and TLC, in case you were wondering.

The best I can do

Just about every parenting related site I go to is talking about the Graco recall. The injuries involved in that recall are very similar to Maddie's broken leg. She broke her leg after getting it trapped in the railing of her toddler bed. The bed was manufactured by Simplicity, Inc, but sold under the Graco name. It is not included in the recalls, and Graco took very little interest in the incident, since it wasn't technically their product. The CPSC filed a report on Maddie's injury, including a visit to our home to investigate. Unfortunately, it seems this company will continue to make unsafe products, so I want to do everything I can to get our story out there. Every single convertible bed Simplicity makes has the same design flaw that cause Maddie's entrapment. PLEASE if you have a baby or toddler, do not buy these products. If you have one, discontinue use. If you know anyone who is shopping for a crib, especially a convertible, pass this info along. My daughter was in a hip spica cast for 4 weeks (see pic), and a leg cast for 2, because of a product I bought to keep her safe. Below is a pic from Simplicity's site, www.simplicityforchildren.com. It was a difficult site for me to find, even the JPSC didn't have a link, only an email, and google only picked it up by model number. The particular bed we have is sold at Wal-mart and other retailers. Ultra Deluxe 5-in-1 bed.



The bed

My hand in the toddler railing


Madison in cast


Updated: I think I should add a brief description of what happened. Madison woke up and stood up to get out of her bed. Nate was at the door to gree the kids, and she tried to get out of her bed to go to him. Her leg slipped through the bars on side rail at the foot of the bed, getting caught at her shin. The force of her movement caused her to fall forward, and then wedged her leg between the rail and the mattress. As she fell towards the ground, with her leg still caught between the railing and the mattress, her leg bent and twisted. The impact caused a spiral fracture of her femur. She was hospitalized in traction overnight, to set the bone back into place so they wouldn't have to do surgery, which might have caused further damage to her growth plate. The spica cast in the above picture goes up to her chest, and was in place for 4 weeks. After that time, she was placed in a walking leg cast for an additional 2 weeks.

Happy Easter

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Easter, or whatever you may be celebrating this weekend. :) Oh, and our water was on when we woke, up, so my blood pressure is somewhat back to normal. My kids are jacked up on sugar, and DH will run a new episode tonight, so it's been a good day so far. Enjoy the rest of your weekend!!

Blood Vessel just popped in my head

My water came back on the other day at 5pm. 8 hours without water, no warning, no explanation. At midnight tonight I went to wash my hand, and MY MOTHERFUCKING WATER IS OFF AGAIN!!!!!! I still don't know why, since apparently the water company was unaware. I pressed the button to get the emergency line, and it asks me to leave a message so they can page the tech. I'm sure the lazy ass tech will not get his ass up at midnight on Easter Sunday, so I have no fucking water again. Then it dawns on me, it cannot possibly be healthy to have water from lines that break every other day. They never give us a boil advisory or anything, they claim to flush the lines after every break, but wouldn't bacteria get in my lines after being broken? My water was the color of skim milk all last weekend, inexplicably. WTF?! Seriously, WTF!!!!!! Oh, I just called, and recieved a bubmling message about a possible leak reported, but they don't know exactly where, since it's raining, and they'll update ASAP to let us know what areas will or will not have water soon. Wow, fucking beautiful! See? Do y'all see that blood vessel about to pop out of my temple? Listen close, I'm sure you'll be able to hear my brain explode in a few minutes!

**editor's note: I apologize for all of the cursing, especially on Easter. I couldn't help it, blood pressure was too high to control myself.**

The freakin' Easter Bunny is coming!

I can't remember the last time I was so excited about Easter. Last Christmas was equally magical, since I didn't have the kids the year before, and this was the first real "Santa" experience we'd had with them. Now, in preparation of the EB's visit, I'm WAY stoked. I love encouraging the magic of these holiday creatures, and it's almost more exciting than it was when I was a child and believed myself. It's probably been 14 years or so since holidays were magical to me, and the flame has been rekindled now that I'm a mom. As a matter of fact, I saw a bunny hopping around my back yard the other night at 1am. I woke N from a dead sleep telling him "The Easter Bunny is early! He's hanging out right there! Come look!" He stumbled to the door, with much grumbling, and said "Take a picture". He wasn't amused. Anyway, I've been running around like an idiot, drunk on the excitement of watching the kids' first Easter egg hunt, and the beginning of new traditions. Since my family is so far away, I haven't had any family traditions in years. Nate's dad moved here last summer, and his mom will move down here in June. (She stayed behind so their youngest could grad high school in Indiana). We've been going to Opa's house on Sunday for NASCAR races, and BBQ in good weather. It's a nice family tradition for all of us, especially since N and I come from small towns where all our extended family was around in our childhood, and moving to a military town was a culture shock. Our new Easter Tradition is going to Oma and Opa's for breakfast, after they get back from church. (Practicing Catholics, and we are not) So... tomorrow we'll get up, the kids will stumble upon their baskets, and search for some eggs here. We'll then go to Opa's for a huge breakfast, and he'll dole out some grandparent spoils, and the kids will search for more eggs. Since there is no race tomorrow we'll hang out for a bit, then come home so N can take a nap before work. What are your Easter plans/traditions? Do you do anything special to perpetuate the "magic" of the Easter Bunny? I hope everyone in blogworld has a wonderful weekend!!

Chills

Let me start by saying I believe in ghosts. I consider myself a logical person, and while there are many things I don't believe in, I've had enough "ghostly" experiences to believe. Nate is even more of a skeptic than I, but has a healthy respect for all things supernatural. Nate just called me. He was driving alone on a back road on Ft. Hood, a dark road mainly used for trips to the field and other non-commuter purposes. We've been having storms lately, but he was speeding, probably doing 80 down this dark back road. He had his music up loud, and clearly heard someone say his full name. Mind you, no one calls him by his full name, I only do it when I'm mad, and even his mom only calls him Nathan. He quickly realized it was his grandmother's voice. She died in July 2003, back in Indiana. They were very close, and he's always felt a connection to her since her death. Anyway, when he heard his name he looked to his left, and saw her reflection in the window. She told him to slow down. He was freaked out, and pulled over to the side of the road to catch his breath. When he started driving again, he went around a bend in the road and there was a longhorn standing in the middle of the road. The longhorn weighed at least a ton, just standing there in the dark. (Ft. Hood has protected cattle roaming it's land) He would have hit this longhorn doing at least 70mph in a small sedan, had he not been warned. Regardless of whether you believe in ghosts or not, that's just freaky. Then again, my husband could have died a few moments ago, so whatever happened in that car, I'm eternally grateful.

Silence!!

I wanted the kids to talk, waited so impatiently for those first words. Then, when they weren't talking as much as other children their age I freaked out. After they turned 2, I had Shane evaluated for speech delay, and he was borderline, but began improving at 30 months or so, just after my divorce was finalized. Since then he has made vast improvements, and has recently begun naming everything in sight. "Wed, Mommy! Geen, Mommy! Puppy, Mommy! Juice, Mommy! Boo, Mommy! Puhple, Mommy! WAIN!!! Wain, Mommy! Funder!", you get the idea. It is non-stop, and he will repeat the word to you until you acknowledge him and say it back to him. This makes it had when I cannot understand him, and I try to respond with a "Yeah, Booboo... Good job!!" rather than parroting whatever he's trying to say. No, that's unacceptable, you must repeat after Shane. Now. My entire day is filled with the words I so desperately longed to hear, his sweet little voice making intelligent noises rather than grunts. Now, I can't make it stop! A "Please be quiet, Daddy's on the phone." is followed by "Daddy phone? Mommy! Daddy phone! Shhhh!" and my point is lost on him. Then, it's immediately back to labeling every object, creature, and event in Central TX, on a continuous loop. Need. Valium. NOW! File this under "Be careful what you wish for!" If you call my house, don't be surprised if I don't answer, I've stuffed my ears with tar for a moment's peace.

It's not just me!

See? Other Desperate Housewives fans are getting pissed. I'm SO excited for tomorrow's episode, but I am pretty peeved about the time off. This article said the repeat last week was the first repeat in the normal time slot, but I think that's wrong. Seems there have been at least a couple. Oh well, who would have thought so many people would be so caught up in a TV show!!

Hmmm...

I had posted in February about the Fruit Roll Ups commercial with the tongue talk tattoos. I swear it looked like a penis stuck in the door at the end instead of a tongue. Cori though I was nuts, but maybe I'm not the only one. I saw the commercial today and they changed the end so the tongue didn't get caught. See Cori? I didn't just have dick on the brain!! ;)

Dear water company,

I pay you a lot of money, way more tha I would pay if I lived in the city limits. That's ok, it's the price I pay to not have close neighbors. When we moved in and your "employees" (read: non-English speaking contractors) broke the water lines EVERY DAY, I tried not to get too mad. Even after 2 months of outrageous bills and no water pressure, I tried to be nice. It's been 8 months, and we pay our bill on time, we generally don't complain, I'd like to think we're decent customers. For the second time this week my water is unexpectedly off. I called you, and your recording tells me our water should be on at noon. It's 12:33, we've had no water all day, and my husband is freaking out. He would like to take his shower please, and I refuse to let him use the bottled water to do so. Really, Water Company, he's losing control, he needs his shower. All we want are toilets that flush, showers that run, and enough water to wash the dishes. Oh, and could you please TELL US next time our water will be off, I'm pretty sure you are supposed to do that. Please and thank you.

Your stinky customers,
The Insanity Family


Editors note: It is now 3:01pm CST and the water is still off. Hmmm... we called and the new message says it should be on by 3pm. (Only a message because they are off for Good Friday. Lucky them!) We went to lunch and came home, thinking N would be able to shower before work tonight, but to no avail. I hate these people.

See, what had happened was....

This newstory was in today's paper. I would link it, but the KDH archives in a strange way, so I'm not sure if it would be found tomorrow. Either way, this is probably the strangest account of a shooting, I'm not even sure why it was newsworthy, you can barely comprhend it.


Killeen weekend shooting victim disputes police report


By Jimmie Ferguson

Killeen Daily Herald

From his hospital bed Wednesday, one of the three men severely wounded in a Killeen shooting over the weekend said events did not occur as released by the police.

Tristan Duane Putnam, 21, who was at Scott & White Memorial Hospital in Temple, said he was hit twice, once in the back and a grazing on his hip, in the shooting incident that occurred at 10:43 p.m. Sunday at an apartment building at 809 Root Ave. in Killeen.

Putnam said his body will not function the same way again, that he is numb from the waist down and was using a walker to get around.

“The doctors told me that I might never be able to use the bathroom on my own again,” Putnam said. “They are leaving the bullet in that hit me in the back right below my spine.”

Putnam hoped to be released from the hospital today.

He identified the other two wounded men as his friends, Jason Oneil Jones, 21; and Scotty Lee Kollman, 22. Kollman was shot twice in the leg and was treated and released the same day. Jones, who was also shot in the back, was released from the hospital Tuesday.

Putnam, who had just moved into his apartment the Wednesday prior to the shooting, said his mother, Charlotte Putnam of Kyle, had brought him some groceries.

Putnam said he and his friends brought the groceries up to his apartment, and his mother stayed around for about 30 minutes. As his mother was leaving, she had to drive from the back of the apartment building to the front.

“But the shooter in the gray Chevrolet Malibu was parked in the middle of the parking lot, and my mother couldn’t pass,” Putnam said. “There was the gray Malibu, the red Lincoln Continental and the black Mazda on one side, and then there were my mom’s car and two or three other cars behind hers trying to get out.”

Putnam said he heard his mother blowing her horn, and he came down to see what was wrong. “She said, ‘See if you can get him to move,’ and I went over and asked him. I said, ‘Hey my man, do you think you can scoot up a little bit, so the cars behind you can get out?’” Putnam said. “He started cursing me out, telling me, ‘Get away from my car, I’m doing something. I don’t care who’s behind me.’ He said, ‘If you don’t get away from my car, I’m going to show you something.’ I said, ‘My man, my mom is back there and is trying to go home.’

“He said, ‘Matter of fact, let me show you something,’ and started reaching under his seat. I guess he couldn’t get to the gun, because it was too far under the seat,” Putnam said.

“So, he let the seat back and turned around with his feet in the back seat and his head under the steering wheel ... I guess trying to get the gun from under the seat. So, I backed off.”

As he was backing off from the Malibu, Putnam said everybody asked him what was the man doing, because he wasn’t moving.

“I said that he was talking like he has a gun,” Putnam said. “He (the man in the Malibu) opened his car door and said something like, ‘... Shut up,’ and I said, ‘Man, all I asked you to do was move your car.’”

Putnam said the man in the Malibu, as well as the red Lincoln Continental and the black Mazda, then left the parking lot and drove to the nearby Jack In The Box, visible from his apartment building.

Charlotte Putnam, 46, said as she was leaving, she pulled up to the intersection near the apartment building, and the man in the Malibu pulled up next her in his car and pointed the gun at her face.

“As I was leaving, I saw the cars at the Jack In The Box, and something told me not to leave. So, I punched in 9-1-1 on my cell phone, but never dialed it as I told them (her son and his friends) to go in the apartment,” Charlotte Putnam said. “I told them to go into the house, because we did not want any mess out here.

“In the process of me telling them to go in the house, he pulled up next to me,” she said. “Next thing I know, he asked me, ‘Is that your (expletive) son?’ I said, ‘Yes, all he asked you was to move your car.’ He said, ‘I’m going to kill your (expletive)son,’ and put his gun in my face. When he did that, I stepped on the gas and turned the corner. I hit 9-1-1 and started blowing my horn so they (her son and friends) could see me and run. But they didn’t see it coming.”

After the shooter in the Malibu threatened his mother, Tristan Putnam said the assailant walked around asking where he was. “And somebody said, there he is, and the man started shooting,” Tristan Putnam said.

Tristan Putnam said he was at the top of the stairway of his apartment, and when he was hit, he fell to the bottom.

“When the paramedics got to me, my bottom half was laying on the stairs and top half was on the concrete on the ground. I couldn’t get up,” he said. “My friend standing in front of me, Scotty, got shot in the leg, and he and my other friend, Jason, took off running.

“When they took off running around the building, I guess the shooter had the drivers of the other two cars with him waiting for my friends to come around. When my home boys did, they started shooting at them,” said Tristan Putnam, noting that’s when Kollman was shot for the second time in the leg and Jones was shot in the back.

“The newspaper (the police) said there was a verbal altercation, but there was never a verbal altercation,” Tristan Putnam said. “All I asked was for him to move. I didn’t even touch his car.”

Tristan Putnam said he didn’t know his assailants, even though he had seen the man driving the Lincoln Continental around the apartment building since he started moving in and all day that day at a barbecue at one of the other apartments.

Tristan Putnam said he had no idea why the man in the Malibu reacted the way he did.

“When I walked up to his car, I never touched it. I didn’t disrespect him or anything,” the younger Putnam said. “I believe he was on some kind of drugs. His eyes was bloodshot red. He was leaning over in the passenger seat, and when I asked him to move his car, he turned around and had a bunch of money in his hand. As soon as I walked up, he started cursing me and telling me if I didn’t get away from his car, he was going to kill me.”

Killeen police are looking for three black men. One is described as being 5-foot-9, medium build, 24 to 30 years old with two to three gold-capped teeth and wearing a T-shirt and jeans and driving a gray or green Chevrolet Malibu.

The man driving the black Mazda wa 5-foot-9 to 6-foot-1, with short hair, 170 to 180 pounds and wearing all black. No description was given for the driver of the red Lincoln. Anyone with information about this case is asked to contact the Killeen Police Department at 501-8830 or Crime Stoppers at 526-TIPS.



Contact Jimmie Ferguson at

jferguson@kdhnews.com

Huh?

Gone Slackin'

Sorry everyone, I've been neglecting you. The weather is gorgeous, and N is off work until tomorrow night, so I haven't been online too much. I promise to post something worthwhile soon, and get caught up on all of your blogs. Pinkie swear! In the meantime, I'm going to pull a Michele. Visit 3 blogs on my blogroll, and say "Hi!!" You never know what you'll find!

Can we please move on?

Terri Schiavo. I support her husband, I think our federal government should have stayed out of it, and Bush is even more of an ass for signing that bill. Apparently, 2 surveys in the US say most Americans agree with me, but I see a whole lot of disagreement online and in the news. I don't think that's because there are more supporters of the Schindlers than Michael Schiavo, just that the "Save Terri" folks are raising all holy hell, and the rest of us aren't. Whether you are for or against the removal of her feeding tube, I wish everyone would stop talking about it. Same debate, over and over, no one is going to change anyone's mind, so let's agree to disagree and let it go. It's a family matter, let the families and the judges work it out. (No G, this wasn't directed at you, just a general disgust because there are other things going on in this country, and no one is paying attention.) Seriously, I'm tired of the same arguments repeated 184,067,204,567 times a day.

Asshat

Stealing pictures of someone's pregnant belly and another person's kid and trying to pass them off as your own? Wow... that's a whole new kind of twisted. SJ posted about this, The thief claims to be 16, with a 17 month old, and about to deliver another kid. Now that she's been caught stealing internet pics, she's put text over a couple saying "This isn't even my belly, I stole this from..." The pic of "Caleb" her 17 month old? Yeah, his name is Justin, he was lifted from a family's personal photo site. WTF is wrong with this person? For any potential thiefs, if I catch you stealing pics of my kids to pass off as your own, I'll hunt you down. Be forewarned. For anyone with hacker knowledge, I know of at least one person you could practice your skills on.

Have a napkin ready

Miss Zoot sent her readers over here for the dixie cup story, and she had warned us it was incredibly funny, so I refrained from drinking while reading the post. Then, I took a big sip of my Coke as I read the next post, about the dog pooping on the car seat, and their trip to Charleston. When I read "If I found a human thumb in my risotto, I would probably just pick around it and sigh dejectedly." I laughed so hard I burped. Anything that causes more than one bodily function at a time is true comedy. I love Doxie's writing, she's definitely worth reading.

How well do you know your neighbors?

On the message boards, we were discussing Jessica Lansford and her tragic death. The topic of sex offenders comes up from time to time, because we're moms and worry about these things. Have you checked your state's registry? I have, and there is a registered sex offender a few houses down from me. In TX you can see the crime committed, age of victim, etc, so I know this man raped a little girl. I also know that there are more than a few offenders on there who were arrested for statutory rape, they were 18 and their partner was not. That makes me sad, because people will forever judge them because they are registered sex offenders, when in reality they aren't predators. (Of course, this doesn't always hold true, but like I said, in TX it lists whether the crime was aggravated, with a minor, etc.) My point here is another member on the message board, who has a baby girl, said there is a sex offender living on the street behind her. She had signed a petition to have him forced out of the neighborhood, but nothing came of it. My response to her was you can't kick him out of the neighborhood, because even though you don't want him there, he has rights. I'm not sticking up for rapists, but once they have paid their debt to society, they have to live somewhere. Be glad that he's registered, because many (like in Jessica's case) don't register as they are required, and it's the ones you don't know about that you have to worry about. If you know about them, you can protect your children and yourself better, but ones who have not been caught, or haven't registered, could be living next door and you wouldn't know. Also, think about this... If you sign a petition to get an offender out of your neighborhood, and he/she decides to leave on their own because of the embarrassment, he might not register at the next address. After all, it cost him his home once, he was ostracized to the point of having to move. Why register and go through that all over again if you can fly under the radar and avoid it? So, for the sake of safety, just leave these people alone. Yeah, no one wants to live near a predator, but you probably already do, because that's the sad state of the world. Be glad Megan's Law, and the laws that followed, allow you to know about the predators, and protect yourself. Then again, don't let your kids roam free around people you don't know. Teach them not to talk to strangers. Be a parent, because no list or law can take the place of that. (And believe me, that's in no way implying the Lansfords didn't do what they could, that was a horrible tragedy, and my heart goes out to the family. I'm only saying we cannot expect to rid the world of these monsters, we need to accept that and be careful.)

He cleans up pretty nice

I posted back in February about Ron White looking pretty rough, like maybe all that whiskey had finally taken it's toll. He looked pretty good in the first Blue Collar Comedy Tour, but in the second it was awful. Same jokes recycled, he was greasy, bloated, and looking like death. Well, someone must have clued him in, because he was on the Comedy Central Jeff Foxworthy Roast tonight, and looked sober, thinner, and much better. Granted, he still *really* needs a haircut, but at least his hair wasn't slicked with oil, and he wasn't looking like a drunken whale. His trademark glass of scotch was a fake, and his cigar was not burning, which probably means his new wife made him head on over to the Betty Ford clinic or else. Whatever it was, I'm glad to see it, he's a hilarious comedian and I'd hate to see him drink himself to death. Well done, Ron. (For the record, I'd really like to see him cut his hair like the pic on his website... much more attractive than the long hair thing!)

He cleans up pretty nice

I posted back in February about Ron White looking pretty rough, like maybe all that whiskey had finally taken it's toll. He looked pretty good in the first Blue Collar Comedy Tour, but in the second it was awful. Same jokes recycled, he was greasy, bloated, and looking like death. Well, someone must have clued him in, because he was on the Comedy Central Jeff Foxworthy Roast tonight, and looked sober, thinner, and much better. Granted, he still *really* needs a haircut, but at least his hair wasn't slicked with oil, and he wasn't looking like a drunken whale. His trademark glass of scotch was a fake, and his cigar was not burning, which probably means his new wife made him head on over to the Betty Ford clinic or else. Whatever it was, I'm glad to see it, he's a hilarious comedian and I'd hate to see him drink himself to death. Well done, Ron. (For the record, I'd really like to see him cut his hair like the pic on his website... much more attractive than the long hair thing!)

Just in case you were wondering

Carissa asked under my last post what I would have done, since I mentioned I would like to go under the knife for cosmetic surgery. So, for any of those who are curious, I'll post my list here. Keep in mind this doesn't mean I have horrible self esteem, I'm not trying to trash myself, these are the things I would have done if I won the lottery and had nothing better to do. :)

Nose job, because my nose doesn't fit my face well. Boob job, because the beautiful breasts I had pre-twins are now much smaller, and I kinda liked the old set. Tummy tuck because I only gained 32 lbs with the twins, but it was all out front, and the stretch marks and loose skin left on my small frame are atrocious. (See? being thin isn't always the best thing around... I'm thin and can't even flaunt it!) Laser resurfacing, I have had acne for over a decade, and it's left it's mark. Veneers on my teeth, a nice bright smile is always nice.

So there you go, my little fantasy list of cosmetic improvements. Cori and I often chat about what we'll do when we hit the lotto, or the fairies drop the money in our front yard, and one of the things on our "agenda" is getting some physical improvements together. Preferable at one of those country club plastic surgery hospitals. You know, where you go stay and get pampered while recovering, mixing your Vicodin with frozen drinks and lounging under palm trees. So... what would you get done, if anything? Come on, indulge yourself with us!

Bringing in more money than oil

Texas is working on passing a tax on cosmetic surgery. Currently, NJ is the only other state with such a tax, but TX is a major plastic surgery state, joining CA, FL, &NY. Basically, lawmakers are saying this is going to add money to the TX budget, but in reality I think it's going to drive patients out of TX. Let's see, if I'm going to spend a couple thousand extra would I rather it go to tax or a trip to FL for my surgery. Hmmm... palm trees or government pockets, tough call. Maybe when I go under the knife (and yes, I fully intend to if I can afford it), I'll fly out to Cori's, kill 2 birds with one stone. Just a thought...

*Chirp* *Chirp* *wheeze*

You hear the crickets? Damn, the blogworld has been quiet lately! I know a lot of us are using Blogger, which has been crapping out every 6 hours or so, but still... where the hell is everyone?? I guess it's because of Spring Break, maybe you are all out doing frivilous things like spending time with your kids and stuff. Bah... slackers! The only other explanation is it's me. Does my breath stink? *Does a quick pit check* I'm pretty sure I don't smell bad, so was it something I said? (That's probably the most likely explaination) Oh well, I'll just keep talking, hopefully someone chimes in from time to time. Today was the DAY FROM HELL. Well, maybe not the #1 DFH, but a real close second. I couldn't sleep, and once I quit trying at 5:30am, the kids were awake. This is abnormally early for anyone in my house to be up, the *only* time I see the sun rise is when I haven't been to sleep. My kids are generally the same way, but Shane was wheezing from his cold, and woke his sister up in the process. I do my best to make them both comfortable, sicne they are both hacking and sniffling, and wait for N to get up. When he gets up I ask him to listen to Shane's chest with his stethescope, and he confirms I was not imagining the wheeze and difficulty breathing. Decision time. We cannot get into our doc's office, but Shane has had an episode of asthma-like symptoms before that sent us to the ER Easter Sunday 2003. The wheezing has eased a bit, but it could get worse at night as these things tend to do. If it gets worse at night, I don't have a car since N is working nights, and this could be trouble. (I live about 20 minutes out of "town") We decided better safe than sorry, we took him to the ER. Well, the doctor was great about it, he knew how to treat children well (as opposed to the military hospital, where they treat kids like whiny little adults, no bedside manner), discussed the possibilities, the treatments, what to look for, and what to avoid. Since Shane's wheezing was not as bad as it had been the last episode, they didn't do a nebulizer treatment like we expected, and instead gave us scripts for elixer Albuterol and elixer Prednisone. Before the doc listened to Shane, N had told him he was an EMT, and heard wheezing in all 4 lobes. At first he kinda chuckled, since a lot of "emergency medical techs" don't know much beyond Band-aid 101, but he did say N was correct, he seemed a little taken aback by that. It made me smile, knowing that at the very least my husband knows what to do even when I don't. All in all, it was a Looooooooonnnnnnnnng day, and the kids are FINALLY sleeping, though the steroids made Shane bounce like Sonic the Hedgehog on crack. Me? I'm barely awake, and very cranky as you can tell. Ok, I'm off to night night land... and let the record show the first bastard to call my house before 9am will be hunted down and shot.

A peek into their insanity: part 2

A wonderful blogger chimed in a bit late on the interviews post, and I had promised to have her interview up earlier this week. Of course, with Blogger giving all of us hell, it didn't happen, so here it is, a little late. This blog momma goes by Daxahol after her little cutie pie Daxon. He's just over a year old, and lately she has been going through the process of re-entering the working world. I always enjoy her blog, and who wouldn't love her header, "All Flowery an' Shit"? So, check back with her to see her responses!

1. You may have covered this on your site, but I have the attention span of a gnat, so I'll ask. How did you come up with the name Daxon?

2. You can choose from any profession in the world, without regard to location, pay, or required education. What do you choose and why?

3. Where would you like to retire, and how would you spend your days? What is the most important factor in the location? (ie: close to family, warm, cold, etc)

4. Daxon wants to move to LA and become a star, but he's only 12. (We'll assume he has the talent and drive needed to succeed) Do you pack up and move to follow his dream, or make him wait until he's out on his own?

5. What is your favorite thing about Canada? How about least fave? Is there anywhere else on the globe you'd rather live, and raise a family?

Well, there you have it, a peek into another crazy life full of diapers and love. Don't forget to tell her I sent you!

Who needs a title

Happy St. Patrick's Day. I'm part Irish, but I really slack on celebrating this day, especially since I'm not a big drinker. After all, the American way to celebrate this Irish holiday is get wasted on green beer, but that's not my scene. Either way, Cori gave me a fun activity for the kids to do, and I think it's going to be a tradition. You place a chocolate gold coin at the bottom of a glass, and add a few drops of green food coloring. Scoop some ice cream on top, add a little milk, and let the kids stir it up. It "magically" turns green, and they find the coin from the leprechaun at the bottom. My kids don't really "get" the whole idea, but they couldn't have been happier with a green magic milkshake and candy at the bottom!

A totally different topic, but Cori and I were talking a few minutes about about step-dads, particularly those who step up to the plate. I have one, and he's been my dad since the beginning, he never thought twice about taking me on as his own child, even though I was 8 when my mom met him. Cori has one too, in a similar situation, and N's dad adopted him at 5. Nate has been Daddy to my kids since they were about 18 months old, and if you didn't know better you'd never guess they don't share biology. You probably know more than a few great dads out there, and at least a couple of them didn't have to step up like they did. Keep that in mind, there are so many deadbeats (both moms and dads), but we really need to focus our attention to those who are wonderful. So here's my thank you to my Daddy, and my husband, for loving your kids even if you didn't "have" to.

Hmmm... it's been kind of a boring week, and I haven't got much to talk about. Here's a little poll for you parents that celebrate Easter. How far in advance do you dye Easter eggs? Do you hide hard boiled eggs or plastic ones. Do you have any nifty traditions? This is the first year the kids are starting to show interest in the Easter Bunny activities, and we haven't yet decided how to do things. I'm having so much fun carrying on the "magic" part of the holidays, it's almost as good as believing in Santa and the EB!! So tell me, what do you do to make it special for your little ones?

You've got to be kidding me

Interesting things going on in the world today....
This makes me sick, mainly because Graner, a Spc, got 10 years for a much lesser crime, and this 1LT is going to stay in the Army, and only serve 45 days for killing someone. The UCMJ is a beautiful thing, folks. It's not what you know...
Another bit of sickening news? Robert Blake was aquitted. Yeah buddy, you and OJ can go play some golf now... it's an elite club.
Things in the blogworld?
Jay and his tea
Tish has a new career prospect
Melissa's house is talking, it might be time to up the meds ;)

That's all I've got right now, talk amongst yourselves!

Grrrr... Blogger is being a punk!

Blogger hasn't let me in in over 24 hours, so I'm pretty happy to just get into my dashboard today, and hopefully get this post up. You ever wake up and know it's going to be one of those days? That was yesterday. I went to put my contacts in, and noticed a chip in the edge of one. Ok, throw them out, get a new pair. Open the new pair, and the right lens was torn in half. This is a new brand for me, and their packaging is a bit difficult to get the lens out of, so I don't know if I sliced it or it was defective from them. Oh, well... open another one, and now have an uneven amount of lenses. Grrrrr. The kids chose yesterday as official "Act Like Brats" day, and their daddy must have been in on the plans, because it was a bad mood day. Grrrr.... Ok, we get a phone call with less than stellar news. Nothing major, just a speedbump to put a damper on our evening. GRRRRRRR! Finally, the kids were in bed, the house was quiet, and I quit for the night. I try to blog and Blogger is giving me hell. Of COURSE!! The day wouldn't have been complete without it!! I took a sleeping pill and went to bed, wishing I had just stayed there all day instead of even bothering with the whole deal. Today is shaping up to be a *little* better, so we'll see how it goes. Pray for my computer, because if this post doesn't go through I'm taking this hunk of crap down to Michael Dell's house and throwing it at him. (Of course I realize it's Google/Blogger's fault, but Dell lives closer.) Is 2pm too early for a drink? I need one!

**editor's note** Check the time on this post. Blogger is not posting it, so it will stay open on my PC until I get it to go through. I'll post the time it goes through later. 8:51pm it finally went through... twice. Silly program!!

Reason # 1,239,572

To De-lurk... since we are all (or at least a couple people) experiencing some technical difficulties with blogrolling, I'm visiting sites off my comments. So... if you didn't comment, I can't come see you! Comment once in a while... I need the reassurance, I'm terribly insecure!

Wait... come back!!

Monica... you commented on my last few posts, presumably here from Musikdude's, but your site address doesn't work! I want to visit, so if you stop in please post the correct link. Hmm... I'm off to track you down! ;)

Randomness at it's best

First of all, why, oh why, can I not get my blogroll to load?! I'd say it loads correctly 4 times out of 10, and that's on a good day. I will be doing my rounds tonight, if only I get the stupid list to populate! Ok, next topic... how to get hung up on. Call my house and ask for my ex-husband by first name. When I tell you that he is my ex, and I have no idea why he would give out my number as a contact number, quickly ask if we were together when he bought something he didn't pay for. When I let you know it is nearly 8pm, and I am not appreciating this call, rudely let me know that you are allowed to call until 9. Um, I don't care what the state or federal laws are, you are not allowed to call this house after business hours for a business matter. Also, when I let you know you need to take said collection up with X and please stop calling me you know you are about to get hung up on. Fair warning. The last thing I heard was "We will continue to call..." CLICK. No, I'm pretty sure you won't, I'll be happy to send a cease and desist, because X doesn't live here and is not my problem anymore. I mean, just in case you were wondering, that's the quickest way to get hung up on. :D Anywho... on to bigger and better things. Things have been more than hectic with N's Army (re) enlistment. Prior service enlistments are usually a bitch anyway, but this one has been particularly trying. We had to open a congressional inquiry, which still didn't clear up our problem. (I'm not surprised, our congressman is a Republican't) FINALLY, after rattling quite a few cages in the high tiers of the local command, (as in a Colonel, a couple Generals, the people who would rather eat rocks than talk to lowly former Sergeants) shit rolled downhill as N predicted, and the recruiters started being pleasantly cooperative. As in the guy who had previously blown us off, hadn't lifted a finger to get this processed, and had been as rude and unprofessional as possible is now jumping through hoops for us.) The error the Department of the Army had made was a serious one, one we could have sued for had it come to that, when all we wanted was N to be enlisted as he deserved to be. Hopefully, our battle is coming to an end, and it looks good for us. We are supposed to find out something "concrete" tomorrow. Keep your fingers crossed for us?
The kids are blossoming in language and skills, it's funny how we thought they might never catch up to other kids their age, and all of a sudden you BAM! Were they holding out on me or something? Shane knows his colors well, and they are working on counting. (I think Mads is just playing dumb about the colors, she used to have them down pat but now everything is "green") Mads loves to sing her ABCs, and she is getting closer to the right order everyday. That girl is going to be a star, she LOVES to entertain and sing and dance. Is it wrong that we encourage her to "shake her butt"? It all started with the "We did it!" song from Dora... they do a little butt shake there. Either way, their intelligence sometimes surprises me, not because I didn't think they had it in them, but because they seem to pick up stuff out of the blue. The bad thing is they sometimes pick up stuff they shouldn't. I'm in trouble, I need to start changing my habits!

Eeeek!

I feel like I've been caught in my pjs at 3 in the afternoon or something. I just found out that I'm Musikdude's Mystery Site today, and of course it's at a time that I've been slacking! So... don't mind me, I'm not usually this lazy! ROFL. I promised something worthy of your time today, and I'll deliver on that promise in a few hours, but in the meantime feel free to grab a Coke, put your feet up, and have a look around (ignore the dust bunnies, they don't bite). My good friend Cori posted about our crazy conversations, so you can go here to see what I'm really like (don't forget to say hi, she's one of my bestest friends!). Also, I have a bit of a game for you. Post a comment with the address to one site you read that you think deserves some recognition. I'll post the whole list tomorrow, and we can all find some new sites to add to our never-ending blogrolls! Thanks for stopping by!

Well doesn't that suck?

Nothing like finding out your lifespan is short for brightening up your Sunday night. Ok, so I know this isn't a "real" assessment, but still...

You Will Die at Age 58

58 Not bad, considering your super wild lifestyle Want to live longer? Try losing a few bad habits.

What Age Will You Die?

I promise to post something worthy of reading tomorrow, I've been neglecting my poor blog lately. Have a good night!

I'm Baaaccckkk!

Did ya miss me? You know you did! (Or not... but let me pretend, it makes me feel better!) Anyway, I'll be spending most of my night catching up on my blogroll, I've missed you guys. It's funny how attached to this blog I've become, it's a nice little outlet for adult thoughts and "conversations". Anyway, enough babble-assing (Jenn, I LOVE that word!) on to the good stuff. We've had a blast hanging out with Uncle "Ducky", the kids just adore him. He must have great luck because his trip here has been blessed with our spring best weather, 70s and beautiful all week. The boys have been having a blast catching up, the kids just love playing with their uncle, and I enjoy having him around, even though the typical 19 year old in him can be frustrating. Anyway, he's a great guy, and we've been trying so hard to convince him to come to TX next year, go to school down here instead of Indiana, but I doubt it will happen.
We took the kids to the park the other day, and spent all day playing on the playground and looking at the ducks swimming in the pond. When we were leaving Madison was mad, and had a tantrum. Nate was carrying her and she did that silent, red, angry scream... you know, no noise just open mouth. She then stopped breathing, eyes shifted to the left, body locked up, and face turned blue. Nate laid her down on the sidewalk (stiff as a board and blue), and gave her a quick sternum rub, which made her take a breath, but it was terrifying. Meanwhile we're getting the evil eye from other parents, like we're just beating our kid or something. People, if you see someone's kid throwing a fit, it is not helpful to stare and whisper like your child *NEVER* has a tantrum, and how awful are those parents. Seriously. Also, if your child likes to hold their breath, stay calm, and blow in their mouth. If that doesn't work, rubbing your knuckles on their sternum will. Worse case scenario? They'll faint and start breathing again, they cannot hold their breath forever. Funny thing is Dusty used to do it, and the ped told my mother-in-law just let him pass out. He's now a healthy 19 year old college baseball player, it didn't kill him. No one said parenthood wouldn't be scary.
Ok, just a couple quick rants. First of all, am I the only Desperate Housewives fan who is a little pissed about the lack of new episodes? It's been a couple weeks now, and there will not be an episode this weekend or next weekend. The 20th is the next episode, and it's an older one, which means well over a month without anything new. How can you have a top rated show, and then just not run episodes? That's a quick way to lose fans, especially if they are like me, and can't even remember what happened last. Come on ABC, this is cruel. Besides, I wouldn't watch ABC at all if not for DH, it's definitely the best thing they have going for them!
Victoria's Secret... let's talk. I've been a good customer, I spend lots of money on my Angel card, I pay it on time, and every undergarment I own bears the VS label. That said, I bought a new bathing suit, VS brand, through your catalog. It was not a cheap suit, but I liked it a lot, more than any suit I've found since having the kids. The bottom didn't fit so well, even though I bought the same size I always buy, I guess your panties and swimsuits use different measurements. Anyway, not only do you charge me $5 to send it back, but I called to order the next size up, and again put it on my card. The rep tells me it'll be shipped right away, and I would be refunded for the other one when they received it. No problem, right? Well, it took 5 days for an in stock item to ship. FIVE DAYS. If it was in stock, what was the problem? The email you sent said it would be shipped pending credit card approval. I used YOUR CREDIT CARD! You already know that I have the available credit considering you issued me the card and credit line, so why the wait for the approval? Also? You send me my items USPS using the slowest method possible. I paid an arm and a leg for shipping, only to take for. ev. er to receive my stuff. The return label you send? UPS, and it's cheaper. Why is that? Not only do I have to wait forever to my items, and pay to return them, but I have to drive into town and find a UPS store. Not. Happy. Do you hear me? Customer not happy! I spend way too much on your products to be unhappy, so if you could kindly fix it I'd appreciate it.
Ok, I'm done ranting now, especially since Tish says it will give me wrinkles. She forgot to mention the high blood pressure and stress headaches, but it's whatever. :) Off to visit everyone, have a great night!

Making a date

With the blog world that is! I will be up and running tonight with new posts, my week in review, and a couple of rants. Who is on my rant list? ABC, Victoria's Secret, and anyone else who manages to piss me off before the kids go to bed tonight. I'll see you tonight, don't forget to bring flowers and wine , after all, I am an old fashioned girl sometimes!

Still here!

I'm still alive, and I haven't forgotten about the internet. My brother in law is visiting from Indiana, so we've been hanging out with him, and enjoying some great weather. The kids love their Uncle Ducky, so I'm sure to have some great pics for you this week. In the meantime, check out some of the blogs on my blogroll, there are so many interesting read out there you never know what you are going to find!! Feel free to talk amongst yourselves!

A Peek Into Their Insanity

Today I'm going to distract you from my insanity to take a look at a couple other crazies. Now, I say crazies with the best intentions, because both of these bloggers are wonderful, interesting people, but they're mommies, and parenthood is nutty. First up is aka_monty from The Daily Bitch. A real life Supermom, she spends her days juggling kids, work, blogging, and writing a book. She's snarky, entertaining, and honest, never afraid to tell it like it is! Let's see what kind of information I can drag out of her!

1. I've got to know about the pencil lead. How'd it get stuck in your thigh, and why didn't you get it taken out?

2. What can you tell us about your book? How long have you been working on it, and are you working on any others?

3. You have your choice of any man in the world, and you are guaranteed to have a long, happy marriage. Who do you pick and why?

4. What do each of your kids do that makes your heart just melt? Do they use that to get their way?

5. Money is no object, and you are planning your dream home. Tell us about it, what special features are you putting in?

Ok folks, check back with aka_monty for her responses, and don't forget to say hello!

Our other guest is also working on a book (or 5) and is the physical therapist we all know and love. Between patients, kids, and some huges dogs, she finds time to work on her novels and keep us entertained with her incredible blog! Let's get the dish from Tish!

1. You have writer's block (Tish? Never!), and you have a deadline to meet. What remedies do you use to get the creative juices flowing again?

2. You have some crazy relatives, including a klepto grandma. What is your craziest trait?

3. What has been your biggest adventure so far? Was it planned or spur of the moment, and are you glad you did it?

4. You are hosting a dinner party for 10, including you and your hubby. Who do you invite? (Dead or alive, choose anyone you want)

5. What are 5 things you are determined to accomplish before you die?

Again, check back with Tish to see her responses, and let her know you stopped by. Don't forget to snoop around at both of these wonderful sites, and see what wonderful insanity they have to share!

So what?

I'm sure you've heard about the chimpanzees who attacked some people at a sanctuary this week. I actually saw it on CNN headline early yesterday morning, but I decided to look up an article last night, after a commentor on Brando's blog mentioned one of the victims had his testicles ripped off. Yeah, that seemed worth looking into. Well, the Houston Chronicle ran this article, and the man did indeed have his nose, foot, and testicles ripped off. Wow, talk about your bad day right? Well, the couple who was attacked was visiting a 39 year old chimp named Moe who had lived with them for decades. He was removed from their home for biting off part of a woman's finger, but he was not one of the attacking chimps in this incident. At the end of the article there is an old quote from the victim about the incident that caused Moe to be removed from his home. "Animals bite, people bite, Mike Tyson bites. So what?" You can't help but wonder if he still feels that way now that it was his nuts and not some woman's finger.

Tish uncovers the truth... film at 11!

Tish is enjoying her childless break, as the kids are with Grandma, and she even got some alone time since the Hubs went golfing. During this break, she managed to put together an in depth look into the lives of 5 bloggers. I'm one of them, so here's where I bore you with the details. Actually, it shouldn't be too boring since Tish came up with the questions, so stay tuned!

1. What started you in blogging? Well, Cori and I belong to a message board for parents, and the topic of blogging came up. We read a couple of the blogs, and in order to comment you needed a blogger account. So we both signed up, and decided it would be fun to give it a shot. Now, the fun has spun out of control, and I'm in need of a 12 step program, but I'm loving every minute!

2. How did you meet your husband? I had started working in car sales shortly after deciding to divorce. Nate started at the dealership a week after me, newly split with his wife as well, and needing steady income while getting his EMT certifications completed. After about a week of meetings, I came in one morning to find him sitting at my desk. He told me "I'm moving in" (there were not enough desks on the showroom floor) And we spent 12 hours a day sitting across from each other, with a few pesky customers interrupting. After a couple weeks we started seeing each other, got the rumor mills flying, and I moved to the pre-owned side so business and pleasure wouldn't mix. 4 months later we moved in together, and we married 16 Dec 2004.

3. Tell us three stupid things people say to mothers of twins, and your retorts. Somewhere in my early archives, there is a post about this very topic. Hmmm, my favorite three?
"Are they both yours?" (yes) "Well how many months apart are they?" (2 minutes) "Oh! They're TWINS?" (Here's your sign) No real retort here, because really, what can you say?
"Are they identical?" Um, no... only one of them has a penis, that pretty much rules out being identical. (This inevitably leads to "I thought all twins HAD to be identical." Oh, yes, you're right, one of them isn't actually mine, I just like to pretend I have twins. You caught me!) You'd be surprised how many people obviously failed Biology 101.
"Oh, two boys?!" Yeah, we just pierced that one's ears, and dressed him in ALL PINK because we REALLY wanted a girl.
Granted, that last one is specific to me, not all MoMs, but all three of these have actually happened. More than once. They happen less now that the kids are older, but as infants it was a "Here's Your Sign" marathon.

4. If you had one day to replay, what would it be and why? I wouldn't replay any bad days, even if I could change them, because those experiences made me who I am today. I'd replay the day the kids were born, only if I could take Nate with me. It breaks my heart that I can't share that with him, because he loves them more than I could ever imagine. I'd want him to witness it, and get it on tape. (Before you go "EWWWWW!" I delivered by C-section, Shane was breech. I didn't have a video camera then, and my dimwitted Ex bought an outdoor disposable camera, so there are no good hospital photos.)

5. What is your advice to women going through a difficult time with an ex? WRITE IT DOWN! All of it, dates, times, phone calls, missed visits. If your state will allow it, record all phone convos. Trust me, this will pass, honesty will prevail, but you can speed up Lady Justice's hand if you are armed with the right information. If you aren't divorcing, just broke up with your boyf or whatever, keep your chin up, get dolled up, and go out. Believe me, there are BETTER fish in the sea. Have fun!

Well Tish, thank you for having me on your show, it's always a pleasure to sit down with you. Remember folks, have your cats spayed, or you'll end up like the CCL!. Good night!

That *is* the highway

I'm usually not good for much early in the morning, other than stumbling around and being grouchy. On mornings that I've not slept, except for the 40 minutes or so before you call my house, it is not wise to call me for driving directions. My 19 year old brother-in-law called this morning asking me where the highway was. He flew in last night, and is driving his dad's truck up to Oklahoma to visit a friend for the weekend, then spending next week here before heading back to college in Indiana. He was telling me something about being at the Jack in the Box and the Exxon, across from the bank, which is on Hwy 190, but I think he might have been asking where I 35 is from there, and I gave him some useless gibberish. "That's the highway right there, runs east/west. You're good. Be careful" Dusty, I hope you found I 35 all right, and you learned a very valuable lesson today. Don't call before 9AM unless someone is dead (in which case ask to speak to N), because I lose about 75 IQ points until mid-morning. Sorry bro...

A Public Service Announcement

Have you seen Saw? If not, I don't recommend it, especially if you are a scaredy cat like me. Ok, ok... you say you have to see this movie? Well, let me tell you what NOT to do. Don't watch it at night. I barely slept last night after watching this movie, it took quite a while to get the images out of my head. Don't watch it the day before you'll be all alone all night. N had off last night (thus the movie viewing), but is working all night tonight. As in, left at 4PM, won't be home until dawn. I've never been one for horror movies, I didn't watch a single one until Scream came out. You think I would have learned my lesson, because the next night I babysat my toddler sister, on my parents' 15 acre property, and spent the whole night in their bedroom holding the phone and a butcher's knife, German Shepard at my feet. See? Big sissy baby right here, I'm not ashamed to admit it. Scream was a joke to horror movie fans, but it had me debating whether I should call the state police (and surely die because their response time was like 12 hours), or bypass them and call my dad's coworkers in the next town, in hopes they'd take personal interest in my limbs staying intact. That is, if the killer didn't cut the power lines that ran down our long, dark driveway. How about the time I tested my courage by watching one of the old Halloween movies with a friend? Screamed so loud I set off my parents' burglar alarm. Didn't even know that was possible! What was I talking about again? Oh, yeah... Saw. Fucking horrific, there is no other way to describe this movie. Infuriating at times, completely confusing, nasty, scary, psycho movie. Nate even commented on how twisted the guys who wrote it must be. Now I'm alone, and spooked. There is no way I'm going to sleep tonight. Great, huh? In my defense, I've seen quite a few horror movies in the past few years, and I haven't lost sleep like this before. The freaking cats from the CCL? They keep setting off my motion detector, just adding to my anxiety. It's just pretend, it's just pretend, it's just pretend... (that worked better when you were a kid and didn't know about the real life crazies out there) I want my husband to come home!!

Tag, you're it!

First, let me say Blogger is a meany stupidhead program, because I had this post completed, and hit publish, and Blogger ate it. I hope you're happy Blogger! >:P

Ok, now on to more important matters, or something like that. Cori tagged me with the interview thing that's going around. (That makes it sound like the flu, but it's a good thing, it's fun!) This means I get to post my answers, and then interview 5 more people. Staying with the trend, I'll interview the first 5 commentors. (Of course, I don't often get 5 comments per post, so I may just hand pick a couple victims!) But first, I need to answer the questions Cori left for me. I should add that this wasn't an easy task for her, we've been friends for about 8 months, and talk daily. That doesn't leave much mystery about the other person!!

1. What is the sexiest part of N's body? That's an easy one... his shoulders and arms. Muscular and snuggly, I adore having his arms around me!

2. Do you have any birthmarks? Nope. My kids have some, but not me. The oldest mark on my body is a pencil point in my face, it's been there since I was 4.

3. Besides mine *wink wink*, what is your favorite read on your blogroll? Ha! I know your tricks! I plead the 5th, your honor, there are too many really great ones to choose from!

4. Nate is told he can be stationed anywhere in the continental US. What post would you choose for him? 'Cause I totally know you would end up making that decision! You're absolutely right, I would be the one to choose, if only because Nate would do anything to make me happy. This is a really tough one. Sticking to just Army posts, (and since you said "continental US" the really cool ones like Puerto Rico and Hawaii are out) I'd probably choose Ft. Dix, NJ. It's about 20 minutes from my hometown, I miss my family. (Unfortunately, Ft. Dix is scarcely populated now, we'll never be stationed there.)

5. If you found yourself in front of a crowd of thousands and you had to entertain them, what talent would you whip out? (And flashing doesn't count) Damn, you know me too well!! Actually, I have terrible stage fright, so my only "talent" would be standing frozen and saying "Uh... um... oh God... um..." and stuttering. I have very few performing talents, so I'd have to grab my husband and stick him out there. He's a great comedian, he'd definitely keep them laughing!

Well, who wants to be in the hot seat next? Just leave me a comment, and consider yourself tagged! Oh, and don't forget to head over to my good friend's site, and let her know how awesome she is!

Confessions

Jenn came clean with the world on her blog, and did a great service to the moms out there struggling with addiction. She posted this about an article on the "rise" of meth use among moms, and I think she is hit the nail on the head. Now it's my turn. I am a recovered addict. A mommy who ended up addicted to drugs in order to take on the world. I didn't do the NA/AA meetings like Jenn, I quit cold trukey, but I've relapsed once. And I battled again, hopefully I've won for good. That relapse almost cost me my children because it came in the midst of my divorce, with a medication prescribed to control my anxiety disorder. This happens every day around us, even though we think it could never happen to us, or our neighbors, friends, or family. I am not pointing the finger at society for my battle with addiction, I know all too well that I made that choice, took that rocky path. However, I do recognize the pressure of society to "do it all" when you are a parent. To cram 36 hours of activity into 24 hours a day, to function on little to no sleep, and still be Supermom at all costs. Will people judge me when the find out I've battled addiction? Of course, because in our minds addicts are only homeless bums who would rather get high than work. But as Jenn has said, this demon knows no social status. It's the young mother trying to stay afloat and raise her children, it's the soccer mom with a PDA full of PTA meetings, Scouts, playdates, and school functions. It's the wealthy socialite with lunch dates and charity functions. It could be your next door neighbor, one of the people in your car pool, your boss. It could be you. For Desperate Housewives fans, I know more than a few moms who could relate to Lynnette, frazzled, over-worked, out of control, and trying to get it all done. As I watched her addiction to Ritalin unfold, I told a close friend how I wish we could have the benefits of endless energy, without the pain of addiction to pills. She has 3 children of her own, and she agreed, it would be so great to be able to get it all done effortlessly. The most honest thing the writers of the show put in there was Lynette asking her friends why no one talks about the feelings of failure, though we all face them at some point. It would be so much easier if we supported each other, instead of telling every other parent out there how they are fucking it up. I'm sure you read about the Mommy Drive-bys at Chez Miscarriage. Well, they happen, every day, and it needs to stop. This job isn't easy, and no one knows all the answers. And when one of us falls down, we need to pick them up, help them brush off, and get through it.

The Common Denominator

I had a bit of a guilty moment. There are so many blogs I love, too many to really read each day, but someone had surfed by mine on Blog Explosion. This person also had twins, and I checked out her site, and immediately realized I would never want to know her in real life. Seriously, there are a lot of you I'd like to meet one day, but this was a definite no. So why do I feel guilty? I feel like there is a bond between us as mothers of multiples, and that I should become insta-friends with her. She doesn't discuss her children at all, her whole site is discussing a toxic relationship she cannot seem to break from, and I really didn't want to bother reading past the first post. We really had nothing in common other than boy/girl twins. Yet, because of a not all that uncommon experience we've both had, I feel this silly urge to force myself to like her. That is so not me, I'm very cut and dry. I either like you or I don't and you know, because I tend to lack the internal censor that people refer to as tact. Maybe it's because it's that time of the month. Yeah, that's it... I'll blame it on the hormones... why else would I stress about something this insane? Pass the chocolate please!

So excited!!

All of the words I'd use to describe Hello! image hosting are not suitable for family entertainment, and are probably illegal in many states. The Webwench turned me on to Imageshack's free hosting, which is how I got to finally add my Genuine Bash buttons and my Certified Redhead barcode. Yea!! So, in honor of my new found image hosting abilities, I'm going to share a few pics of the kids. Enjoy!!


Madison sleeping in the car


Shane playing outside


This is in the hospital, they are in the incbuator together... see how tiny they were?


Nate and me at a club a year ago. That's the last time we went clubbing, how sad. BTW, his name is Nate. Nathaniel. He asked me today why I only refer to him as N. I don't know, force of habit. Either way, now you know. Are you happy, honey? I love you even though you're a pain.

Part time job

Reading my blogroll is like a part ime job with crappy pay. Seriously, I just spent 3 hours reading blogs, and I frequently do from 9 or 10 pm until I go to bed. Is there a Blog Anon? I think I need to go there. Now.

Not what Victoria had in mind

My underwire broke (a $40 bra and the underwire breaks? WTF is that?) so I took my bra off, and laid it on the couch. We go through bathtime, and the kids come into the living room to get dressed. I walk in to see Mads wearing my bra, looking like something out of "Honey, I shrunk the kids" after a fall in the laundry basket. I really couldn't help but laugh, and actually thought of grabbing the camera, but is that really one for the scrapbook? She takes it off, and I go into the battle of combing her hair, and getting her into pajamas. While I was distracted, Shane grabbed the undergarment, slung one strap over his head, creating an interesting bib. He then tried to swing it around his neck, and when that didn't really go according to plan, he had some fun pulling it like a bungee necklace. Should I have been disturbed or laughing at this point? This is a kid who helps me sort laundry with color commentary. "Shane's pants, Madison's pants, Daddy's pants, and (grabbing my tinest pair of undies) MOMMY'S PANTS!" Um, thanks son, give mommy her underwear and go play. No, don't put all of our underwear on your head and run around. Where did you learn that? N!!! Come look at your boy, where did he get THAT idea? That's it, Mommy is going to start folding laundry alone. (All part of their master plan) Is this life with boys? I grew up in a female household, things like putting underwear on your head didn't happen. God help me, I need some Valium.

I said so!

Madison's new thing is "I said so!". Apparently, we have given that answer one too many times, because she is picking up on it. Tonight, as I tucked them into bed, though that was nearly 2 hours ago and they are still up, she kept saying "Mommy wait!" Why Mads? "Just wait! Because I said so!" But Mads, it's bed time, we have to go night night now. "No Mommy! It's not nap time! No night night! *insert toddler speak that I didn't understand here*" Yes baby, it is night night time, see? The sun is not out, we need to go to sleep so we can have fun tomorrow. Do you want to go to the park with mommy and daddy tomorrow? (from both kids) "NO!" Ok, well we have to go to bed. "No Mommy! it's not nap time I said so!" Ok, I give up, night sweetie! Give Mommy a kiss? "No! (I start to walk away) MOMMY!! (in that exasperated tone usually reserved for the teen years) Kiss!"
I think she won that round, though I'm not really sure. Either way, I can see the little mommy in her, and something tells me her brother is going to get bossed around frequently.

Song for the moment

I'm just really not feeling up to updating, but I'll try to come up with something tonight. In the meantime, have some song lyrics

"She wants someone to call her angel/ somone to put the light back in her eye/ she's looking through the faces/ and unfamiliar places/ she needs someone to hear her when she cries/ and she says take me away/ and take me farther/ surround me now/ and hold... hold... hold me like Holy Water/ she just needs a little help/ to wash away the pain she's felt"

Anybody? Here's a hint, the guitarist has the words Love Everybody on the back of his guitar, he's known for turning it over to show that at the end of a song.

*** Updated*** Since Cori scrolled down and commented asking for a little assistance, the song is Holy Water by Big and Rich. More country, I know darlin'! 3 years I've lived here now, almost to the day... it has an effect on you!