| Your 2006 Summer Anthem Is |
 Promiscuous by Nelly Furtado "I'm only trying to get inside your brain To see if you can work me the way you say It's okay, it's alright I got something that you might like" |
Well, we're back in KS. I'm in the process of putting my house back in order, and trying to unpack everything. Here's a synopsis, I'll give the full report when I've had some more rest.
Get to Dallas Saturday afternoon, in-laws pick up kids, we see a kick ass DMB concert. They closed with the most amazing version of Rapunzel, the whole show was just insanely energetic, as usual.
Start driving towards in-laws house before heading to Galveston, something tells me to double check that we don't need our birth certificates for the cruise. OH SHIT! We do, and it has to be originals, which are at home. HAUL ASS to D/FW airport, book flight to Kansas City for me, N drives to his parents. I drive the 3 hours to Ft. Riley, get BCs, sleep a couple hours, and head back to KC to fly into Houston. This brings us to 11am Monday, the ship leaves mid-afternoon. Drive to Galveston, board, sail, awesome day in Progresso/Meridia, sail, rainy but fun day in Cozumel, sail (and whenever I say "sail", I mean spend WAY too much money, and drink way too much alcohol), get back to the states yesterday morning, drive to Central TX to pick up kids, eat, rest for a couple hours, drive home. Get home this morning, try to normalize as quickly as possible. Stay tuned for the full report and some pictures.
We leave 7am tomorrow for Dallas, and I'm such a procrastinator that I haven't even packed yet! I have to get my van in for new tires this morning, pack for me and the kids, pick up some last minute items, and drive the sugar gliders to the lady I got them from, about 2 hours away. This is going to be the LONGEST day ever. Thank god for Starbucks!!! So, I'll probably have internet access at some points during the trip, I know they offer wireless on the ship, but I intend to spend a great deal of time drunk and laying in the sun, so not too much blogging will happen. I promise to post some great pictures when I get back, and visit (and comment on) every single blog in my Bloglines. Adios!!
I swear I am the ONLY person in the world who can injury themselves in the stupidest ways. For example, I regularly fall UP the stairs. I did yesterday, carrying the kids food, and bent my nail back past the nailbed. Then, while out last night, I managed to cut my arm on my jeans. There was NOTHING in my pockets, I was not near anything sharp, but I moved my arm, skimmed my leg, and suddenly I'm bleeding, and have an inch long split in my forearm. I go outside, and call Nate to see if he thought I should go for stitches (how I expected him to DX it over the phone I don't know, but I did), and it was decided it was too shallow to need stitches. Still, I've got two butterflies and a guaze pad taped to my arm now. Ridiculous... So, at the end of the night, I walk into my friend's apartment to get my stuff and head home, and realize I've lost one of the beads to my eyebrow ring on top of everything else. I'm falling apart here, and it's only Friday!!!
Go visit Karla, and read about the most unusual birthday gift ever. My bday is next month, and I can only hope my friends are creative enough to come up with something so hilarious... after all, blog fodder doesn't produce itself, ya know?!
A sign of our world, I'm sitting here on my laptop, listening to my MP3 player, and text messaging. Shane is plaing his VSmile, and Mads is watching some TV. A few people I know are doing an "unplugged" month, no computers, no TV, etc... I don't think I could survive. I like my electronic luxuries, thankyouverymuch!
Filed In: STFU, K? THX!
The WIC program, a program providing supplemental foods to pregnant/nursing women, and children birth through age 5, is undergoing it's first signifigant change since it's conception. I have been on WIC for most of the last 5 years, and since the programs are state-run, each state is different, but runs within the same guidlines. A certain amount of milk, eggs, cheese, specific cereals, peanut butter or beans, and 100% juice is allotted to each child over age 1. (There is a different list for pregnant/nursing mothers, and formula is provided for non-nursing children up to age 1) They have decided to reduce the amount of juice and add fruits, veggies, and whole grain breads to the list. I think this is a wise move, because the juice is the one part of the program I NEVER use all of. I have more Juicy Juice in my pantry than any human can possibly need, and have often decided to forgo the juice, or give it to a neighbor rather than continue to build my supply. Juice makers are not pleased with this, since it means less profit for them, but I think more than 6-8 oz of juice a day (of course, my children get the rest of their servings in other forms) for a small child is TOO MUCH, and WIC currently provides for much more than that. Considering about half of the children in America are eligble for this program, it could definitely make a difference in bringing healthy foods into low income homes. Think about it, a mom is shopping, and can buy the cheapest white bread for $1, or whole grain bread for $2 or more. This doesn't seem like much, but to a family on a budget, it is. Those fresh veggies that provide way more nutrition than canned or frozen are also more expensive, and some children living in low income homes never get the opportunity to experience them. Excellent move on the government's part here!
Today, Shane cut off his mohawk with safety scissors. Then Mads let him cut her hair. It was horrible, she has bald spots, and her once shoulder length hair is now a pixie cut.
Aftermath...
Waiting to get it fixed...
After the salon. It doesn't look too bad from the front, but there are a couple of noticable bald spots on the back, and it's going to be hell growing back in.
I'm exhausted, I don't think I can take any more of this stuff!! Call your parents tonight, and apologize for every evil thing you ever did. Grrrr.
Well, my Saturday was much better than my Friday night. My friend Meegan and I convinced another friend of ours to host a party, because he has a loft above tha bar we hang out at, and it's an incredibly cool place. So, it was originally going to be a toga party, but we couldn't find enough women to make it anywhere near an even ratio, so we scrapped that idea, lest it be 2 girls, and 20 guys... awkward. So we showed up with an insane amount of alcohol, everyone else brought some as well, and we got to drink, laugh, and act like idiots all night long. I had my camera, and one of the guys who lives there had his as well, so lots of incredibly hilarious photos were taken, I'll only post a few.
The beginning of the night, part of the crew.
Me and one of our hosts, Mike (Apparently I decided to attack him for a picture. Oops!)
Our other host Joe, and Mike the Pilot (we actually do call him "Mike the Pilot", to differentiate between him and Joe's roommate.)
Of course, today wasn't so great, because Kasey wrecked on the last lap of the race, and got a DNF. Not. Happy. Oh well, shit happens. I'm tired and cranky, but it was well worth it. Of course, I haven't got an Idiot of the Week this week, although Floyd Landis is a prime candidate. I'm slacking, so we'll just give it to him. Congrats, dumbass... you can't get away with doping on the Tour de France.
After a week of tantruming kids and more stress than one could possibly imagine, I'm not a happy camper tonight. I'd go as far as saying I'm downright pissed off at the world. Oh, and it's Get Drunk Friday, and guess who is remaining painfully sober. Yep... not a good night.
I had finally caught up with everyone's blogs, and then I find myself way behind again. Ugh... either way, I made it through most of my bloglines, and if I didn't comment it's only because my eyes are about to start bleeding from too much time staring at the computer. Go give Katy some support, Clint just came down on orders for Iraq, when they thought he was non-deployable. That's a tough thing to deal with (actually this time last year the same thing happened to us, but the orders were cancelled 5 days before his flight), especially when she only has until October to prepare.
So, I finished my donation for Shannon's Blogathon, and I must say that the United Cerebral Palsy fund makes donating a bit of a headache. Shannon is trying to pack for her trip, and I'm bugging her for her address, because it's demanding I provide an honoree complete with name and address. What happened to anonymous donations? Is anyone else having this problem, or am I just retarded? (Don't answer that...) Seriously, I think I make my life harder than need be. Either way, go donate!! The Blogathon is over, but this disease still needs support.
I was looking through my Flickr album, and the pictures of Maddie in her cast, and thought I should write about what happened to her again, in hopes that it prevents another baby from getting hurt. In Novermber 2004, my daughter woke up, stood up in her toddler bed, and broke her leg. You can read the original post about it here. She caught her foot in the slats circled in red.
She then fell over the railing, and hit her knee on the floor, causing a spiral fracture of her left femur. Nate had gotten the kids up that morning, and didn't instantly realize anything was seriously wrong, he just picked her up to comfort her. When he realized she was really hurt badly, he laid her down and yelled for me. I came into my living room to find my daughter screaming, one leg an inch shorter than the other. She spent the rest of the day, and the entire night in traction at one of the best hospitals in the country, they had to keep her so doped up on morphine she was near comatose. They set her leg the next morning, in a hip spica cast.
She spent 4 weeks in that cast, my baby spent her Christmas in that awful thing. She then spent 2 weeks in a walking leg cast. We were lucky, because although the break was severe, it didn't require surgery, which could have stunted her growth plates. This entire nightmare was caused by a railing that is supposed to protect your children. Believe me when I say the 6 inch fall off the bed is much safer. These beds are still on the market, sold under the Graco name, and manufactured by Simplicity. We bought ours at Walmart, and I've seen them at the Walmart here recently. Graco did a recall on over 3 million beds in March of 2005, because of similar injuries, but because they don't MANUFACTURE this one, it was not included, and the design never changed. The CPSC sent an investigator to our home, and filed a report about Madison's injury, I called both Graco and Simplicity, but nothing was done to prevent this from happening to another child. Please, when shopping for a toddler bed for your child, do NOT buy a bed with this type of railing. Honestly, you can skip the toddler bed altogether, a twin mattress on the floor may not look as cute, but it's a lot safer. I knew at least 5 other parents who had this bed at the time of Maddie's injury, and thankfully they got rid of them after hearing what happened to my daughter. If you have one like it, please do the same!!!
So, I was pining over some shoes yesterday, and kind of going "Eh, I don't need to spend $60 on a pair of heels." I mentioned this to a (male) friend, and he said "Hell, most of my shoes cost more than that... that's not too bad." Well, all the excuse I need, if a straight guy doesn't see any problem with it, it must be reasonable. So, I ordered shoes... (neither pair ended up being $60 anyway... sales rock!)
Thing is, this first pair, I have a pair very similar, but dressier, that I wore to a ball. I'm kinda having buyer's remorse, I should have at least ordered them in brown instead of black. Oh well!
Second pair... so cute!! I cannot wait to get them in. I ordered a shirt, too, because it put me over $100, and therefore I got a discount anyway. Ahhh... feel better now!
I don't know if it will have quite the same effect, but I will get some instant gratification shopping therapy later, I have to go to the mall and buy running shoes. Does that even count for a girl with a new-found love of shoes?!
So, I decided to look back into my August 2005 archives, and see what was going on a year ago. There were some good posts in there, like this, this, this, this, and this. What the hell happened, that I have nothing substantial to write about anymore? (Actually, I know the answer, but we're not going to discuss that.) The only bittersweet part of looking back is references to a friend who I've just lost contact with. (Not for lack of trying, I don't know what happened to our friendship.) Still, it's pretty neat to go back and read your old stuff. What were you writing about a year ago, assuming you've been blogging that long?
As a bonus, here are some posts from early 2005 as well.
First up, Tony Stewart, although he's packing on some weight this year.
Keeping with the NASCAR theme, Carl Edwards for Tonya
And for Jazzy, a double shot of Matts... (I have no idea who the second Matt is, I've never watched Gilmore Girls!)
This is so neat, a virtual message in a bottle, and you can receive messages that come "on shore". I sent out three so far... try it out!!
Marsha pointed out that Mike Rowe, from Discovery Channel's Dirty Jobs, is a hottie, and should make my lineup. I also neglected to add my love, Joaquin Phoenix, and babyfaced Kasey Kahne, so we'll throw them into the mix as well. Any other hotties you guys want to see? It'll brighten your day! *wink* I'll even take requests for females, in the name of equality.
Of course, I had to choose a pic of him winning. ;) Now if he wins the Brickyard this Sunday my weekend will be complete!
Apparently I've reverted to toddlerhood, at least in my eating habits. I've been eating pretty much nothing but burritos with melted cheese for the last couple days. Suddenly, I completely understand why kids can eat nothing but chicken nuggets or mac and cheese for days on end... mmmm comfort food. Hey, at least it's not pints of Ben and Jerry's!!!
I've decided on my own version of Buzz's ECF, and it's only Tuesday. Og, and unlike the great Buzz, I'm being totally selfish and only posting for my choices. *wink*
Nicole must have been thinking along the same lines, because she posted this and this... mmmmm!!
The gorgeous D. Beckham. I don't care what anyone says... Metro is hot.
Mmmm... some Vin Diesel (Again, the metro is HOT)
And Allen Iverson looking oh-so-adorable with one of his babies (I think it's Tiaura, but hard to tell)... who can resist a cute Daddy pic? (Anyone who says he is a thug gets their ass kicked. I mean it!)
Edited 2 Aug 06: It's only 0951 CST, and I already have a headache. I think I'll leave this post at the top until I feel better. Mmmmm... eye candy.
I've swept the floors 3 times today, cleaned the house up, and have done tons of laundry, but it still looks like a freaking tornado came through!! The kids have the habit of peeling crayons, which means I keep sweeping up wrappers. I am considering unwrapping all crayons before giving them to the kids, just to keep my sanity! Then there is the dog who refuses to poop outside. WTF?? The piles of laundry that never seem to be done, the errands than keep getting put off, and of course I forgot yogurt for the gliders at the store today. ARGH!!!! Not having a fun day!!
