This infuriates me. Was this really necessary?
http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/26/rnc.obama.satire/index.html
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Well, that was a fun night!
Oh, the drama never ends in our home.
Last night, about 9 pm, I had the kids in the bath, the lights flickered, and the power went out. Mind you, it was 1 DEGREE outside. Evan got a little scared after I lit some candles, but we told them it was a little like camping. We lit a few candles and read some books, and all snuggled in our bed together. We had our comforter and grabbed the old down comforter out of the closet, and kept pretty warm.
Both Ben and Evan have some kind of cold thing going on. Last week Evan had a really nasty, persistent cough and passed it off to Ben this weekend. Evan now just has a green snotty runny nose. Ben also has a violent cough right now. Yesterday morning he was coughing so hard that it made him vomit. Last night, as we were all snug in our bed (with visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads), Ben started coughing in his sleep and threw up. A lot. All over everything and everyone. And we couldn't even turn on the lighs to clean up. So, we moved Evan to his bed (not realizing he, too, was covered), stripped the sheets, and got back to sleep. At this point, it was around midnight and 58 degrees in the house. Luckily, that was the only puke of the night, and the power came on around 3:30 this morning.
Seeing that both the boys were sick and there is vomit on two comforters, one set of sheets and mattress pad, two pillows and two other blankets (not to mention the boys), I decided to stay home from work today. I had loads of laundry both in the washer and the dryer when the power went out, so I restarted those this morning so I can do even more laundry. And to think I was only a load away from being caught up! Oh well. The boys have had (another) bath, as have I, so we're starting out in pretty good shape.
Oy vay.
Last night, about 9 pm, I had the kids in the bath, the lights flickered, and the power went out. Mind you, it was 1 DEGREE outside. Evan got a little scared after I lit some candles, but we told them it was a little like camping. We lit a few candles and read some books, and all snuggled in our bed together. We had our comforter and grabbed the old down comforter out of the closet, and kept pretty warm.
Both Ben and Evan have some kind of cold thing going on. Last week Evan had a really nasty, persistent cough and passed it off to Ben this weekend. Evan now just has a green snotty runny nose. Ben also has a violent cough right now. Yesterday morning he was coughing so hard that it made him vomit. Last night, as we were all snug in our bed (with visions of sugar plums dancing in our heads), Ben started coughing in his sleep and threw up. A lot. All over everything and everyone. And we couldn't even turn on the lighs to clean up. So, we moved Evan to his bed (not realizing he, too, was covered), stripped the sheets, and got back to sleep. At this point, it was around midnight and 58 degrees in the house. Luckily, that was the only puke of the night, and the power came on around 3:30 this morning.
Seeing that both the boys were sick and there is vomit on two comforters, one set of sheets and mattress pad, two pillows and two other blankets (not to mention the boys), I decided to stay home from work today. I had loads of laundry both in the washer and the dryer when the power went out, so I restarted those this morning so I can do even more laundry. And to think I was only a load away from being caught up! Oh well. The boys have had (another) bath, as have I, so we're starting out in pretty good shape.
Oy vay.
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Monday, December 8, 2008
Word of the Day
Buttcheetocks: Evan's mashing of the words 'buttcheek' and 'buttocks'. Does this scare you that he uses both of these words on a regular basis? My boys are a little (LOT) obsessed with all things toilet. They are toilet humor's number one fan.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
i heart new york
I just found the most fun little blog ever. I lurve NYC, and this blog has little nuggets of greatness... every day! I mean, spectacular pictures and a brief article/history lesson - I'm addicted already. Check it out if you want!
http://newyorkdailyphoto.blogspot.com/
http://newyorkdailyphoto.blogspot.com/
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
to do list for 12/3
1. Wake at 5 am with Ben standing over you. He tells you his tummy hurts and he has to throw up. Take him to the bathroom, watch him cough and tell you he's better now.
2. While the rest of the family sleeps, use your free time at 5:15 am to clean the living room, since you're wide awake anyway. What else would you possibly want to do that early in the morning?
3. At 5:30 am, Ben will tell you that he has to throw up. You tell him to go into the bathroom, and he'll tell you that he thinks he already threw up. On the stairs.
4. Clean up vomit until 5:45 am.
5. Call in to work at 6:30 am.
6. Evan will wake around 7 am. He will tell you that he needs to poop. Take him to the bathroom. False alarm. Flush toilet, wash hands, etc.
7. 7:05 am - false alarm #2. There are usually 4-5 false alarms until the real thing. Until then, he's shooting blanks. Flush toilet, wash hands, etc.
8. 7:10 am - false alarm #3... or so you think. You let Evan do this one himself, as you think it will be another dress rehearsal. It's not. Evan will ask you to come help. When you get there, you realize 1. he DID in fact poo, and 2. he didn't make it to the toilet. You'll notice not only is it on the floor and both rugs in the bathroom, it's in the heating register. And down in the duct. And it's runny.
9. Wish you would have kept the nickel between your knees approximately 4 and 6 years ago.
10. Clean quite possibly the nastiest mess you've ever had to clean. You are a human pooper scooper.
11. Everyone else awakens, and you're in a bad mood already. Realize it's only 8:00 am. Listen to Lauren tell you how tired he is. Snarl.
12. Make breakfast for the family, clean kitchen a little.
13. Work on photos for obnoxious mothers of high school seniors. After all, each of these mothers is your only customer.
14. 11:00 am - Lauren leaves for meeting with his accountant. Tells you he'll be back by 1:00 pm.
15. Turn on bath water to heat up for shower. Evan decides to jump in instead. Whatever. You let him because you don't feel like fighting. Give Evan a bath. The phone rings, you talk for 60 seconds, head back to the tub. Realize you forgot to remove the new bottle of kids body wash, and Evan has poured every last drop of it in the tub. Argh.
16. Shower, finally. Evan decides he has to pee while he's watching a movie, so instead of using the toilet, he pees into a bowl he finds. Eww.
17. Get ready for work. Ben tells you his stomach hurts again.
18. It's 1:00. Lauren calls to tell you he's on the south side, he's just leaving, will be home by 1:30 instead of 1:00. You're going to be even later for work. Lovely.
19. Leave for work at 1:40 pm. Lauren will call you at 1:45 to tell you that Ben had diarrhea as soon as you left. He didn't make it to the bathroom in time, and it's all over the floor in the bathroom. Laugh. It's finally his turn to clean up poo. 1 point.
20. 2:00 pm. Get to work. It's holiday decorating day. You totally forgot. Work for an hour.
21. Decorate from 3:00 to 4:45. Work with the decorations they gave you, until someone (a higher authority) tells you all the decorations are wrong, they're in the wrong place, everything has a place and obviously you don't know where that place is. You remind this person you didn't work here last year at this time. This person will pick at other things that aren't correct because they're not her way, then tell you not to get discouraged and keep decorating. Stare into space, dumbfounded. Hold your tongue. Don't get fired.
22. Decorate until 5:45. Finally, you can go home, as everyone else has left.
23. Get home. The boys are still taking a nap. They awaken, and you ask how they're feeling. They are both whiny. They are both thirsty. You won't let Ben have apple cider or milk since he's had vomiting and diarrhea today. He will yell at you because he wants lemonade, but you are out. You offer him a pedialyte popsicle, and he cries.
24. Ask the boys what daddy made them for lunch. They tell you daddy didn't make them anything. It's 6:15 pm.
25. Make lunch for the boys. Tell them you picked up the first season of The Muppet Show from the library for them. They whine and tell you they hate the muppet show. Exercise your patience and don't yell. Tell them sternly not to talk back and/or whine.
26. Sit down to blog about your shiteous day. Hope everyone gets a good laugh... you know in time you will. Or you might. Someday. Go to bed early so the day can end. Quickly. Now.
2. While the rest of the family sleeps, use your free time at 5:15 am to clean the living room, since you're wide awake anyway. What else would you possibly want to do that early in the morning?
3. At 5:30 am, Ben will tell you that he has to throw up. You tell him to go into the bathroom, and he'll tell you that he thinks he already threw up. On the stairs.
4. Clean up vomit until 5:45 am.
5. Call in to work at 6:30 am.
6. Evan will wake around 7 am. He will tell you that he needs to poop. Take him to the bathroom. False alarm. Flush toilet, wash hands, etc.
7. 7:05 am - false alarm #2. There are usually 4-5 false alarms until the real thing. Until then, he's shooting blanks. Flush toilet, wash hands, etc.
8. 7:10 am - false alarm #3... or so you think. You let Evan do this one himself, as you think it will be another dress rehearsal. It's not. Evan will ask you to come help. When you get there, you realize 1. he DID in fact poo, and 2. he didn't make it to the toilet. You'll notice not only is it on the floor and both rugs in the bathroom, it's in the heating register. And down in the duct. And it's runny.
9. Wish you would have kept the nickel between your knees approximately 4 and 6 years ago.
10. Clean quite possibly the nastiest mess you've ever had to clean. You are a human pooper scooper.
11. Everyone else awakens, and you're in a bad mood already. Realize it's only 8:00 am. Listen to Lauren tell you how tired he is. Snarl.
12. Make breakfast for the family, clean kitchen a little.
13. Work on photos for obnoxious mothers of high school seniors. After all, each of these mothers is your only customer.
14. 11:00 am - Lauren leaves for meeting with his accountant. Tells you he'll be back by 1:00 pm.
15. Turn on bath water to heat up for shower. Evan decides to jump in instead. Whatever. You let him because you don't feel like fighting. Give Evan a bath. The phone rings, you talk for 60 seconds, head back to the tub. Realize you forgot to remove the new bottle of kids body wash, and Evan has poured every last drop of it in the tub. Argh.
16. Shower, finally. Evan decides he has to pee while he's watching a movie, so instead of using the toilet, he pees into a bowl he finds. Eww.
17. Get ready for work. Ben tells you his stomach hurts again.
18. It's 1:00. Lauren calls to tell you he's on the south side, he's just leaving, will be home by 1:30 instead of 1:00. You're going to be even later for work. Lovely.
19. Leave for work at 1:40 pm. Lauren will call you at 1:45 to tell you that Ben had diarrhea as soon as you left. He didn't make it to the bathroom in time, and it's all over the floor in the bathroom. Laugh. It's finally his turn to clean up poo. 1 point.
20. 2:00 pm. Get to work. It's holiday decorating day. You totally forgot. Work for an hour.
21. Decorate from 3:00 to 4:45. Work with the decorations they gave you, until someone (a higher authority) tells you all the decorations are wrong, they're in the wrong place, everything has a place and obviously you don't know where that place is. You remind this person you didn't work here last year at this time. This person will pick at other things that aren't correct because they're not her way, then tell you not to get discouraged and keep decorating. Stare into space, dumbfounded. Hold your tongue. Don't get fired.
22. Decorate until 5:45. Finally, you can go home, as everyone else has left.
23. Get home. The boys are still taking a nap. They awaken, and you ask how they're feeling. They are both whiny. They are both thirsty. You won't let Ben have apple cider or milk since he's had vomiting and diarrhea today. He will yell at you because he wants lemonade, but you are out. You offer him a pedialyte popsicle, and he cries.
24. Ask the boys what daddy made them for lunch. They tell you daddy didn't make them anything. It's 6:15 pm.
25. Make lunch for the boys. Tell them you picked up the first season of The Muppet Show from the library for them. They whine and tell you they hate the muppet show. Exercise your patience and don't yell. Tell them sternly not to talk back and/or whine.
26. Sit down to blog about your shiteous day. Hope everyone gets a good laugh... you know in time you will. Or you might. Someday. Go to bed early so the day can end. Quickly. Now.
Sunday, November 16, 2008
same old same old!
Not much new to report here!
Ben is still doing well in school. I helped out in his classroom last week and had a blast. I went to art class with them, then helped out in his classroom. They were working on a Thanksgiving craft and were also making lap blankets to give out to people at a local nursing home at Christmas. I am scheduled to help out in the classroom again after Thanksgiving. If I had more time I'd do it more often - it was fun to meet all of the kids Ben talks about.
Evan is doing pretty well in his new preschool. He is potty training, which is an adventure in itself. He's such a boy. He could care less if he's wet, which doesn't help matters. Ben was really, really easy to potty train - he was just ready, and within a week he was done. Evan is another story. We're in week 4, and he's still having 1-2 accidents a day. I'm doing a load of laundry a day. Also, Ben was most comfortable sitting down to pee... Evan likes to stand up. This means there is pee all over both of our bathrooms! An average trip to the bathroom yields about 1/3 of the urine INTO the toilet... the other 2/3 is on the wall, the floor, etc. It just adds to the laundry pile! Oh well. The joy of boys!
I have been swamped with pictures, and not necessarily motivated to work on them. I'm finishing one set of wedding proofs, as well as three books in process and some family pictures. It's just difficult because I have no time during the week to work on them, and my weekends are busy with cleaning, and heaven forbid spending time with the boys. By the time I get home at night it's atlest 6, then I make dinner, clean it up, give the boys a bath, help Ben with homework and get them ready for bed. By that time it's 9 or so, and I want to go to bed! I'm usually up by 5:30 in the morning to get to work by 8. Last night I worked on pictures until 1 am and got a lot done... if I were 22 instead of 32, I could probably pull that more often. Getting old sucks!
That's about it from here. We're hosting both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, and on top of everything else I've vowed to finish the wallpaper in the dining room before Thanksgiving. I only started it in the spring! Really, it's probably 8-12 hours of work left... I just have way too much on my plate right now. If anyone is feeling creative and wants to help me wallpaper... :)
Ben is still doing well in school. I helped out in his classroom last week and had a blast. I went to art class with them, then helped out in his classroom. They were working on a Thanksgiving craft and were also making lap blankets to give out to people at a local nursing home at Christmas. I am scheduled to help out in the classroom again after Thanksgiving. If I had more time I'd do it more often - it was fun to meet all of the kids Ben talks about.
Evan is doing pretty well in his new preschool. He is potty training, which is an adventure in itself. He's such a boy. He could care less if he's wet, which doesn't help matters. Ben was really, really easy to potty train - he was just ready, and within a week he was done. Evan is another story. We're in week 4, and he's still having 1-2 accidents a day. I'm doing a load of laundry a day. Also, Ben was most comfortable sitting down to pee... Evan likes to stand up. This means there is pee all over both of our bathrooms! An average trip to the bathroom yields about 1/3 of the urine INTO the toilet... the other 2/3 is on the wall, the floor, etc. It just adds to the laundry pile! Oh well. The joy of boys!
I have been swamped with pictures, and not necessarily motivated to work on them. I'm finishing one set of wedding proofs, as well as three books in process and some family pictures. It's just difficult because I have no time during the week to work on them, and my weekends are busy with cleaning, and heaven forbid spending time with the boys. By the time I get home at night it's atlest 6, then I make dinner, clean it up, give the boys a bath, help Ben with homework and get them ready for bed. By that time it's 9 or so, and I want to go to bed! I'm usually up by 5:30 in the morning to get to work by 8. Last night I worked on pictures until 1 am and got a lot done... if I were 22 instead of 32, I could probably pull that more often. Getting old sucks!
That's about it from here. We're hosting both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year, and on top of everything else I've vowed to finish the wallpaper in the dining room before Thanksgiving. I only started it in the spring! Really, it's probably 8-12 hours of work left... I just have way too much on my plate right now. If anyone is feeling creative and wants to help me wallpaper... :)
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
breaking up with mom
So, it's been a tough few days. When my niece was born, my parents offered to help out my sister and ended up watching Amaya quite a bit while Laurie worked. My mom was a preschool teacher for a long time, so once Amaya got a little older, my mom could take Amaya to preschool and teach at the same time. When Ben was born my mom started watching him as well. My dad died when Ben was a little over a year old, and suddenly most of my parents' income was gone.
When Evan was born my mom started watching him as well. It was a good situation for both of us; she needed the money, and we needed someone we trusted to watch the boys. My mom's place was about two miles from where I worked, so everything fit right into place.
Then things started getting tricky. I left my job at Irwin and spent some time looking for another job. I worked temp jobs for a while, all of which were intermittant and didn't pay a lot. Throughout this time she still needed the money, so we kept taking Ben and Evan up there, even when I couldn't really afford it. We moved to Irvington and were suddenly 30 minutes away instead of 15.
Anyway, fast forward to now. She's doing pretty well with both her daycare and piano lessons, and I am very happy for her. She deserves vacation time and other time off as we all do. The only problem is that when she takes time off, it's VERY hard to find someone to watch your kids for short periods of time - one day isn't a big deal, but ten in a row is hard to arrange. We had someone who was willing to watch them on short notice, but recently found out she moved.
My mom left for Tennessee last Sunday - for ten days. As of last Thursday I didn't have anyone lined up to watch Evan. I looked into daycare with the local churches but didn't find anything. So... Lauren and I discussed things and decided to go back to a place where we used to take the boys (one day a week). It's about half a mile from where I work, the prices are reasonable, the place is clean and the staff is amazing. I walked in last week and it was like we never left. It's a ministry-based daycare and has a lot of things Evan can really benefit from. So, yesterday was his first day at the new daycare.
He LOVED it! His cousin Sidney is in his class, and Evan was so excited to see him. I think Evan will really benefit from the structure and being around other kids his own age. This is not the part I'm worried about.
I had to tell my mom this weekend that we were starting Evan somewhere else. She, of course, had no idea. I tried to do it in person, but once there were other parents there and once I stopped in to visit but she wasn't home. I called her and told her after she got to TN, and she was just silent. I know she was in shock. I told her why we decided this, and she just said 'wow'.
I feel really badly, but what could I do? I held off from doing this as long as I can... we've been scrounging to find people for the past year or so when she leaves for her trips (we're talking 5-6 a year), and I'm over it.
I feel like I broke up with her. I didn't want to hurt her and I know I did, but there were too many issues. If the pattern persists, she will head to TN at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Lauren and I both have to work the days after both holidays... what do we do then?
I know the dust will settle soon - I just want us all to move past this and move on. I hate weird periods like this. I'm hoping things will feel comfortable again by the holidays. Who knows.
When Evan was born my mom started watching him as well. It was a good situation for both of us; she needed the money, and we needed someone we trusted to watch the boys. My mom's place was about two miles from where I worked, so everything fit right into place.
Then things started getting tricky. I left my job at Irwin and spent some time looking for another job. I worked temp jobs for a while, all of which were intermittant and didn't pay a lot. Throughout this time she still needed the money, so we kept taking Ben and Evan up there, even when I couldn't really afford it. We moved to Irvington and were suddenly 30 minutes away instead of 15.
Anyway, fast forward to now. She's doing pretty well with both her daycare and piano lessons, and I am very happy for her. She deserves vacation time and other time off as we all do. The only problem is that when she takes time off, it's VERY hard to find someone to watch your kids for short periods of time - one day isn't a big deal, but ten in a row is hard to arrange. We had someone who was willing to watch them on short notice, but recently found out she moved.
My mom left for Tennessee last Sunday - for ten days. As of last Thursday I didn't have anyone lined up to watch Evan. I looked into daycare with the local churches but didn't find anything. So... Lauren and I discussed things and decided to go back to a place where we used to take the boys (one day a week). It's about half a mile from where I work, the prices are reasonable, the place is clean and the staff is amazing. I walked in last week and it was like we never left. It's a ministry-based daycare and has a lot of things Evan can really benefit from. So, yesterday was his first day at the new daycare.
He LOVED it! His cousin Sidney is in his class, and Evan was so excited to see him. I think Evan will really benefit from the structure and being around other kids his own age. This is not the part I'm worried about.
I had to tell my mom this weekend that we were starting Evan somewhere else. She, of course, had no idea. I tried to do it in person, but once there were other parents there and once I stopped in to visit but she wasn't home. I called her and told her after she got to TN, and she was just silent. I know she was in shock. I told her why we decided this, and she just said 'wow'.
I feel really badly, but what could I do? I held off from doing this as long as I can... we've been scrounging to find people for the past year or so when she leaves for her trips (we're talking 5-6 a year), and I'm over it.
I feel like I broke up with her. I didn't want to hurt her and I know I did, but there were too many issues. If the pattern persists, she will head to TN at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Lauren and I both have to work the days after both holidays... what do we do then?
I know the dust will settle soon - I just want us all to move past this and move on. I hate weird periods like this. I'm hoping things will feel comfortable again by the holidays. Who knows.
Saturday, October 18, 2008
check it out!
So, as many of you may know, I suck at keeping up my website. I have no idea how to handle it and I cringe at the thought of paying someone to keep it up for me.
So as I was making dinner the other night, the thought popped into my head... why not start a blog for my photography? People like blogs, they're easy to manage and I KNOW HOW TO DO IT! And it's free! I amaze myself sometimes. :)
So... check me out!
www.mimitography.blogspot.com
:)
So as I was making dinner the other night, the thought popped into my head... why not start a blog for my photography? People like blogs, they're easy to manage and I KNOW HOW TO DO IT! And it's free! I amaze myself sometimes. :)
So... check me out!
www.mimitography.blogspot.com
:)
it's too early to blog.
Good morning.
Because I missed a day of work at the beginning of October, I spent the next week and a half making up the 8 hours I missed so I will still be eligible for my bonus. I'm not complaining! I started getting up about 30-60 minutes earlier than usual, so now I woke this morning BEFORE 6 on my own, even though it's Saturday. That is a little annoying, but it's quiet right now!
Now that we've gotten this stomach bug behind us, it looks like Lauren is working on bringing the flu into our home. He started feeling bad yesterday and I'm listening to him cough and hack... I can tell he's feeling worse this morning without even asking. If Lauren isn't my third son when he's feeling well, he definitely turns into my third son when he's sick.
Last weekend Lauren and Ben went camping - all four of us were supposed to go, but Evan came down with a fever and opted to stay in bed all day (that's how we know he's really sick). Evan woke up Sunday feeling better, so I took him to a pumpkin patch a few minutes away from here. We got to go on a hayride and pick out a pumpkin. They also had this huge pile of hay to play on (he could have stayed on that all day) and corn mazes. Evan and I had a nice little date. :)
Ben is doing really well in school, and he loves it! They finished learning all their letters last week, so this week if they could correctly name them all they got a "Letter Expert" certificate and a book to keep. Ben got his yesterday, and he is so proud. He carried it around all last night, and fell asleep with his new book. I'm so excited that he is excited to learn. He wants to work on letters and color and read ALL the time. He has never been focused like this. I'm so proud of him.
I'll post a few new pics of the boys. These may end up being Christmas card photos, but I have to share. I love my guys!
Because I missed a day of work at the beginning of October, I spent the next week and a half making up the 8 hours I missed so I will still be eligible for my bonus. I'm not complaining! I started getting up about 30-60 minutes earlier than usual, so now I woke this morning BEFORE 6 on my own, even though it's Saturday. That is a little annoying, but it's quiet right now!
Now that we've gotten this stomach bug behind us, it looks like Lauren is working on bringing the flu into our home. He started feeling bad yesterday and I'm listening to him cough and hack... I can tell he's feeling worse this morning without even asking. If Lauren isn't my third son when he's feeling well, he definitely turns into my third son when he's sick.
Last weekend Lauren and Ben went camping - all four of us were supposed to go, but Evan came down with a fever and opted to stay in bed all day (that's how we know he's really sick). Evan woke up Sunday feeling better, so I took him to a pumpkin patch a few minutes away from here. We got to go on a hayride and pick out a pumpkin. They also had this huge pile of hay to play on (he could have stayed on that all day) and corn mazes. Evan and I had a nice little date. :)
Ben is doing really well in school, and he loves it! They finished learning all their letters last week, so this week if they could correctly name them all they got a "Letter Expert" certificate and a book to keep. Ben got his yesterday, and he is so proud. He carried it around all last night, and fell asleep with his new book. I'm so excited that he is excited to learn. He wants to work on letters and color and read ALL the time. He has never been focused like this. I'm so proud of him.
I'll post a few new pics of the boys. These may end up being Christmas card photos, but I have to share. I love my guys!
Thursday, October 9, 2008
I heart Jim.
I found this on youtube. Unfortunately, whoever posted this disabled the 'embed' feature.
If you are an "Office" junkie like I am, enjoy this little montage of the pranks Jim has played on Dwight.
I know I'm too into the office... I have a crush on Jim, and also a weird little crush on Michael Scott.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLeI-V9h6EY
If you are an "Office" junkie like I am, enjoy this little montage of the pranks Jim has played on Dwight.
I know I'm too into the office... I have a crush on Jim, and also a weird little crush on Michael Scott.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLeI-V9h6EY
today, the glass is half full!
I don't really have anything at all to write. We're finally all healthy (for the moment, knock on wood) and my car is fixed (after taking it in a second time and $300 later)... things are back to ho hum. I'm way excited that it's fall. This is my absolute most favorite time of year. I love watching the leaves change and being able to open the windows and sleep in a chilly house. We had our first bon fire a few weeks ago, and we're going camping this weekend (there's a haunted village at the park!) - the weather should be gorgeous. I shot my last wedding for the year last weekend, so I'm looking forward to having long stretches of free weekends (especially since Lauren is working weekends now until after Christmas).
All in all, nothing exciting. I love my boys, I'm happy with my job, I'm not broke and it's gorgeous outside. Can't complain. :)
All in all, nothing exciting. I love my boys, I'm happy with my job, I'm not broke and it's gorgeous outside. Can't complain. :)
Friday, October 3, 2008
again.
It's 1:23 AM. Ben was sick last Friday night (ALL night) and i stayed up (ALL night) with him. Saturday was uneventful, then Evan and Lauren caught it Sunday, and I was up again ALL night Sunday with them. I went to work Monday, and have slowly caught up on sleep.
So here it is, Friday at 1:23 am, and Ben got sick about two hours ago. I tried negotiating with Lauren to get him to take this shift (I'm 3-0 now), but he broke a tooth yesterday and has a dentists appt tomorrow. I do have to work tomorrow. I have another month until I'm eligible for personal or vacation time, and if I have unpaid time off, I lose my quarterly bonus (which I am really looking forward to). I can't sleep if I know someone is sick, so I may just blog for a while. I'm catching up on my Ace of Cakes. It looks like I may have to miss work. Luckily my work schedule is pretty slow for tomorrow.
Seriously, is my sleep not as important as Lauren's? I'm sorry; I'm tired and cranky and just don't want to do this again. I'm not up for an all nighter again. I just want some sleep. I'm shooting a wedding on Saturday and Lauren is working Sunday, so I'm not going to have a lot of 'do nothing' time this weekend. Plus, we did about a trillion loads of laundry last weekend and none of it has been folded or put away yet. Also, I'd prefer not to be worn out at the beginning of the wedding... I'm always worn out by the end of the day anyway.
I'm so over this stomach flu.
The good news from today is that the car guys looked at my car today and there was a piece of plastic that had gotten lodged into something (I guess it was road debris). The auto guy removed it and the car is fine. $40. I was expecting $500-$1000. This is an unbelievable relief.
Argh. I can't wait for this to be over.
So here it is, Friday at 1:23 am, and Ben got sick about two hours ago. I tried negotiating with Lauren to get him to take this shift (I'm 3-0 now), but he broke a tooth yesterday and has a dentists appt tomorrow. I do have to work tomorrow. I have another month until I'm eligible for personal or vacation time, and if I have unpaid time off, I lose my quarterly bonus (which I am really looking forward to). I can't sleep if I know someone is sick, so I may just blog for a while. I'm catching up on my Ace of Cakes. It looks like I may have to miss work. Luckily my work schedule is pretty slow for tomorrow.
Seriously, is my sleep not as important as Lauren's? I'm sorry; I'm tired and cranky and just don't want to do this again. I'm not up for an all nighter again. I just want some sleep. I'm shooting a wedding on Saturday and Lauren is working Sunday, so I'm not going to have a lot of 'do nothing' time this weekend. Plus, we did about a trillion loads of laundry last weekend and none of it has been folded or put away yet. Also, I'd prefer not to be worn out at the beginning of the wedding... I'm always worn out by the end of the day anyway.
I'm so over this stomach flu.
The good news from today is that the car guys looked at my car today and there was a piece of plastic that had gotten lodged into something (I guess it was road debris). The auto guy removed it and the car is fine. $40. I was expecting $500-$1000. This is an unbelievable relief.
Argh. I can't wait for this to be over.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
ebb and flow
You know how a whole bunch of good things usually happen all at once, then a whole bunch of bad things as well? Like, when I was in high school, within five days both of my grandmothers died and my boyfriend broke up with me.
This isn't nearly as dramatic, but it's been an off week. I was hormonal all week, so naturally Lauren and I have been bickering (if not worse) most of the week. Thursday morning he and I got into before work, then my car broke down on the way to work. Work has been busy the past few days, and I've been up late at night working on pictures. So, I was ready to go to bed last night around 7. Seriously. I could barely keep my eyes open. Lauren and the boys wanted to do a bonfire and camp in the back yard, so we did. We all turned in around 9, and everyone was exhausted. Ben woke up around 11:30 vomiting, so he was up sick until about 4 this morning. I was up the entire time - I can't sleep when I know what's coming. He's feeling better today... I'm just hoping the rest of us don't get this. Poor guy. So, now we're all stuck at home because 1. Ben is sick and 2. I have no car... so I am blogging and working on pictures while the boys hang around here.
Four years ago, right around the time my dad died, I had to replace the wheel bearings and hub on my car. It sounded terrible, and it's the same noise my car started making the other morning. I was on 465 and it started making this quiet kind of noise, and it just kept getting louder. By the time I got to my mom's to drop off Evan it sounded like my car was about to fall apart. It's still sitting in her driveway; someone is coming to look at it on Monday. Last time it was $900 to fix. Plus, I just poured $600 into it for a new radiator in June. I may just end up buying a new car, which I was hoping I wouldn't have to do. Mine is paid off, and the insurance and plates are cheap. Oh well. Atleast I'm in a position that I can do it if I need to.
This isn't nearly as dramatic, but it's been an off week. I was hormonal all week, so naturally Lauren and I have been bickering (if not worse) most of the week. Thursday morning he and I got into before work, then my car broke down on the way to work. Work has been busy the past few days, and I've been up late at night working on pictures. So, I was ready to go to bed last night around 7. Seriously. I could barely keep my eyes open. Lauren and the boys wanted to do a bonfire and camp in the back yard, so we did. We all turned in around 9, and everyone was exhausted. Ben woke up around 11:30 vomiting, so he was up sick until about 4 this morning. I was up the entire time - I can't sleep when I know what's coming. He's feeling better today... I'm just hoping the rest of us don't get this. Poor guy. So, now we're all stuck at home because 1. Ben is sick and 2. I have no car... so I am blogging and working on pictures while the boys hang around here.
Four years ago, right around the time my dad died, I had to replace the wheel bearings and hub on my car. It sounded terrible, and it's the same noise my car started making the other morning. I was on 465 and it started making this quiet kind of noise, and it just kept getting louder. By the time I got to my mom's to drop off Evan it sounded like my car was about to fall apart. It's still sitting in her driveway; someone is coming to look at it on Monday. Last time it was $900 to fix. Plus, I just poured $600 into it for a new radiator in June. I may just end up buying a new car, which I was hoping I wouldn't have to do. Mine is paid off, and the insurance and plates are cheap. Oh well. Atleast I'm in a position that I can do it if I need to.
Monday, September 22, 2008
wanted: man with brain
Evan has been sick the past few days. He had a high fever Thursday night through Saturday night, and slept pretty much Thursday through Sunday. We gave him milk again today and it didn't agree with him.
So... what does Lauren want to do? Take him out for Mexican tonight.
No.
Take him out for pizza?
No.
I make the boys sandwiches and chicken noodle soup. I'm a mom. I'm smart.
What does Lauren do? Gives the boys ice cream sandwiches in the bathtub. THE BATHTUB! I walk in the bathroom, and it looks like someone has had diarrhea in the tub (he's had it twice today)... it's not fecal matter, it's effing ice cream sandwich. Dissolved, in the water. The water is brown. I'm making Lauren re-run the bathwater and give them ANOTHER bath.
Seriously... common sense? Anyone?
Who gives a three-year-old ice cream (or any food, for that matter) in the bathtub?
AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!
So... what does Lauren want to do? Take him out for Mexican tonight.
No.
Take him out for pizza?
No.
I make the boys sandwiches and chicken noodle soup. I'm a mom. I'm smart.
What does Lauren do? Gives the boys ice cream sandwiches in the bathtub. THE BATHTUB! I walk in the bathroom, and it looks like someone has had diarrhea in the tub (he's had it twice today)... it's not fecal matter, it's effing ice cream sandwich. Dissolved, in the water. The water is brown. I'm making Lauren re-run the bathwater and give them ANOTHER bath.
Seriously... common sense? Anyone?
Who gives a three-year-old ice cream (or any food, for that matter) in the bathtub?
AAARRRGGGHHH!!!!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
that's what she said
I'm way excited about The Office starting again next week. My friend Amanda posted this on facebook... it was too good not to share. It's a compilation of many of the times that Steve Carell has pitched his favorite joke... that's what she said.
Monday, September 15, 2008
from the mouths of babes
We have a "pet" kitten - I'm pretty sure it's a stray in the neighborhood, and I'm a softy. Sometimes. We may have two - one larger black cat that likes to sleep on our porch chairs, and a new cat on the block, the kitten.
I just thought it was funny - I asked Evan what the cat's name was, and he called him 'Kittysaurus.' Pretty good for a three-year-old, especially since the kitten is tiny and thin.
Then, here's the profound statement of the weekend... from my son Benjamin, the prophet. We came out of the grocery store the other day - when we entered, it was just windy. When we came out, it had started to rain. So what does Ben say (at full volume)?
"Mommy, it's windy AND rainy? At the same time? That's like when I poop and pee at the same time!"
You can't imagine my pride.
Here's a picture of Ben. He fell asleep way early after school one night last week, before we could even get him ready for bed. :)
I just thought it was funny - I asked Evan what the cat's name was, and he called him 'Kittysaurus.' Pretty good for a three-year-old, especially since the kitten is tiny and thin.
Then, here's the profound statement of the weekend... from my son Benjamin, the prophet. We came out of the grocery store the other day - when we entered, it was just windy. When we came out, it had started to rain. So what does Ben say (at full volume)?
"Mommy, it's windy AND rainy? At the same time? That's like when I poop and pee at the same time!"
You can't imagine my pride.
Here's a picture of Ben. He fell asleep way early after school one night last week, before we could even get him ready for bed. :)
Saturday, September 13, 2008
underwhelmed
I guess it's better than being overwhelmed.
This is the first time I've been caught up on photo work since probably May... I don't know what to do with my time! Today I took the boys to Goodwill, and on the way home we spontaneously stopped at the playground for about an hour. Evan had A LOT of energy that needed to be expended. We came home, had lunch, took a little nap, and watched Purdue lose in double overtime. Lauren called from work, asked what I was going to make for dinner, and I made dinner. As soon as I finished, Lauren walked in with dinner as well. Pet peeve. Oh well.
I'll tell you what... I need to get off of Ebay! Extra time translates to STUPID searches on ebay... and ridiculous bids. I'll be in the shower (where I do my best thinking) and wonder, I wonder if they sell that on ebay. Like fabric softener (since I've forgotten to pick it up the last trips to the store). I typed in boyfriend one time. You can bid on a boyfriend on ebay. I'll put that on the back burner. I love holiday shopping year round (it makes things much easier in December and I can justify my spending during the year!); ebay is not making it any less tempting.
Ooh, here's an unfunny story. I colored my hair at the beginning of August. It was this really pretty golden brown. So, since my roots are nasty, I decided to try it again (stupid move #1) on Thursday night (stupid move #2). Lauren and the boys were watching a movie downstairs, so I headed up to work on the mop. I colored it, rinsed it out and threw a towel on it. Done.
Remember that scene in Grease when someone takes the towel off of Didi's head (Didi, right?) and her hair is purple? Ding ding ding!... except mine was black. Witch black. Goth princess black. BLACK. I didn't realize it (it was in the towel) until Lauren came in and asked what the hell happened to my hair. I figured he was being himself, then I looked in the mirror to discover my fate.
I'm not usually one to panic. I started to panic.
Logic says that even the permanent stuff fades after a few days, so my next move was to wash my hair. I washed it no less than SEVEN times between 9:00 Thursday night and 6:30 Friday morning. It took the edge off (you can see hints of brown now), but it's still way dark. If I could have worn a ball cap Friday to work, that would have been the day.
I don't like to keep my hair the same for long. I've had my fair share of bad haircuts and weird colors, and I can always tell when I find a bad one. When I got to work, people will stare and be like, "you colored your hair." No "it looks nice" or "I like it," just "you colored your hair." There were a few kind people who said they liked it, but one guy was like, "You colored your hair. Are you having some kind of a crisis?"
One of the moms at daycare is a beautician. She said to mix shampoo with dawn detergent, and that will help strip the color. I've done it twice now, but it hasn't helped much. I guess I'm just getting ready for Halloween early.
This is the first time I've been caught up on photo work since probably May... I don't know what to do with my time! Today I took the boys to Goodwill, and on the way home we spontaneously stopped at the playground for about an hour. Evan had A LOT of energy that needed to be expended. We came home, had lunch, took a little nap, and watched Purdue lose in double overtime. Lauren called from work, asked what I was going to make for dinner, and I made dinner. As soon as I finished, Lauren walked in with dinner as well. Pet peeve. Oh well.
I'll tell you what... I need to get off of Ebay! Extra time translates to STUPID searches on ebay... and ridiculous bids. I'll be in the shower (where I do my best thinking) and wonder, I wonder if they sell that on ebay. Like fabric softener (since I've forgotten to pick it up the last trips to the store). I typed in boyfriend one time. You can bid on a boyfriend on ebay. I'll put that on the back burner. I love holiday shopping year round (it makes things much easier in December and I can justify my spending during the year!); ebay is not making it any less tempting.
Ooh, here's an unfunny story. I colored my hair at the beginning of August. It was this really pretty golden brown. So, since my roots are nasty, I decided to try it again (stupid move #1) on Thursday night (stupid move #2). Lauren and the boys were watching a movie downstairs, so I headed up to work on the mop. I colored it, rinsed it out and threw a towel on it. Done.
Remember that scene in Grease when someone takes the towel off of Didi's head (Didi, right?) and her hair is purple? Ding ding ding!... except mine was black. Witch black. Goth princess black. BLACK. I didn't realize it (it was in the towel) until Lauren came in and asked what the hell happened to my hair. I figured he was being himself, then I looked in the mirror to discover my fate.
I'm not usually one to panic. I started to panic.
Logic says that even the permanent stuff fades after a few days, so my next move was to wash my hair. I washed it no less than SEVEN times between 9:00 Thursday night and 6:30 Friday morning. It took the edge off (you can see hints of brown now), but it's still way dark. If I could have worn a ball cap Friday to work, that would have been the day.
I don't like to keep my hair the same for long. I've had my fair share of bad haircuts and weird colors, and I can always tell when I find a bad one. When I got to work, people will stare and be like, "you colored your hair." No "it looks nice" or "I like it," just "you colored your hair." There were a few kind people who said they liked it, but one guy was like, "You colored your hair. Are you having some kind of a crisis?"
One of the moms at daycare is a beautician. She said to mix shampoo with dawn detergent, and that will help strip the color. I've done it twice now, but it hasn't helped much. I guess I'm just getting ready for Halloween early.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
in the heights!
I'm in love. With a musical. Roll your eyes.
I just got the 'In the Heights' CD from the library. I'm seriously about 2 minutes into it and I'm loving it already.
I know I'm the biggest dork you all know. I needed new music to listen to at work, and I've wanted to check this out for a while.
Life is so not exciting right now - I have nothing of note to report. Ben is doing well in school - but he's really quiet! For those of you who know him, you know how much of an anomaly that is. It seems his incessant talking skills have transferred to his younger brother, who decided last night that he really, really needed to talk to me (non-stop) until 11:30. PM. Seriously. Lights off, TV off, music off, mouth on.
As a result, I got up late for work today and I'm still way tired. So... I'll write more later.
I just got the 'In the Heights' CD from the library. I'm seriously about 2 minutes into it and I'm loving it already.
I know I'm the biggest dork you all know. I needed new music to listen to at work, and I've wanted to check this out for a while.
Life is so not exciting right now - I have nothing of note to report. Ben is doing well in school - but he's really quiet! For those of you who know him, you know how much of an anomaly that is. It seems his incessant talking skills have transferred to his younger brother, who decided last night that he really, really needed to talk to me (non-stop) until 11:30. PM. Seriously. Lights off, TV off, music off, mouth on.
As a result, I got up late for work today and I'm still way tired. So... I'll write more later.
Monday, September 1, 2008
clarification and annoyance
I just read my last entry, and feel like I need to clarify something... the pictures I did the other day were PG or PG-13.. not X or NC-17 or anything. I'm not into the other stuff. I realize I don't have a squeaky clean image... but I'm not shooting porn out there people!
Now that that's off my chest...
I'm annoyed with one of my photo moms. She'll just call and be like, this is Ashley's mom. (I'm working with THREE Ashley's right now.) I've told her before I prefer to work over email so there's no misunderstanding about orders and I have things in writing, yet she still calls me all the time. She even just stopped by our house once. Um, hello. I wasn't home, and she invited herself in when Lauren answered the door. She's high maintenance and obnoxious, and now I'm working with her sister (who was cut from the same mold). Argh.
And - AND - her sister (who is old enough to have an eighteen-year-old daughter) emails in text. Seriously, a HUGE pet peeve of mine. Like, you graduated from high school, USE PROPER GRAMMAR!!
Seriously - read this email and tell me if you are also annoyed. Mind you, I already told her I wouldn't travel outside of Indianapolis.
hi its Stephanie just wanting to know if u got all the info abt prices together and if gave it anymore thought abt going to white rock in ST Paul and the cost. Also i need to know how many outfits she can bring etc. please let me know something thxs
Like, are you 40 or 14??
Sorry, I'm seriously PMSing and I'm annoyed at the world today. I'll write more when I have something nice to say.
Now that that's off my chest...
I'm annoyed with one of my photo moms. She'll just call and be like, this is Ashley's mom. (I'm working with THREE Ashley's right now.) I've told her before I prefer to work over email so there's no misunderstanding about orders and I have things in writing, yet she still calls me all the time. She even just stopped by our house once. Um, hello. I wasn't home, and she invited herself in when Lauren answered the door. She's high maintenance and obnoxious, and now I'm working with her sister (who was cut from the same mold). Argh.
And - AND - her sister (who is old enough to have an eighteen-year-old daughter) emails in text. Seriously, a HUGE pet peeve of mine. Like, you graduated from high school, USE PROPER GRAMMAR!!
Seriously - read this email and tell me if you are also annoyed. Mind you, I already told her I wouldn't travel outside of Indianapolis.
hi its Stephanie just wanting to know if u got all the info abt prices together and if gave it anymore thought abt going to white rock in ST Paul and the cost. Also i need to know how many outfits she can bring etc. please let me know something thxs
Like, are you 40 or 14??
Sorry, I'm seriously PMSing and I'm annoyed at the world today. I'll write more when I have something nice to say.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
well that was interesting!
About a month ago, I got this random call from my old boss, to whom I haven't spoken in years. I used to babysit her daughter, and she called to inquire about doing pictures of her.
So, the daughter is a grown woman now, and wanted some photos (of a sensitive nature!) to make a calendar for her fiance. This is what I spent the morning doing.
The girl is 20, with long, curly hair, and she was a gymnast for a long time. Needless to say, she's GORGEOUS. She had everything planned out - a theme for every month - and brought a carload of props (including cupcakes for his birthday month, an American flag (and garter) for July, and my favorite... a taxidermied turkey that he caught. He's a hunter.) No joke. I had a real, dead stuffed turkey in my studio. It was a first!
OHMYGOODNESS. As weird as it sounds, it was a lot of fun. Her mom even came and helped her pose. She knew exactly what she wanted, and she did a fantastic job. I just uploaded the pictures to my PC, and I'm weirded out to say that these are some of my favorite pictures EVER! Unfortunately, this is the one set of pictures I can't share with the world! Boys: don't even ask. I won't do it.
I was taken aback a little that her mom was so open, and involved, in this process. My mother found out my cousin (who is happily married) was having an adult "toy" party, and she was disgusted. This girl's mom was uncovering her because she wasn't showing enough. Mom and daughter have matching tattoos.
So, all in all, it was an interesting day. A learning experience. And someone has some kick ass pictures to give to her husband!
(Still a little weirded out.)
So, the daughter is a grown woman now, and wanted some photos (of a sensitive nature!) to make a calendar for her fiance. This is what I spent the morning doing.
The girl is 20, with long, curly hair, and she was a gymnast for a long time. Needless to say, she's GORGEOUS. She had everything planned out - a theme for every month - and brought a carload of props (including cupcakes for his birthday month, an American flag (and garter) for July, and my favorite... a taxidermied turkey that he caught. He's a hunter.) No joke. I had a real, dead stuffed turkey in my studio. It was a first!
OHMYGOODNESS. As weird as it sounds, it was a lot of fun. Her mom even came and helped her pose. She knew exactly what she wanted, and she did a fantastic job. I just uploaded the pictures to my PC, and I'm weirded out to say that these are some of my favorite pictures EVER! Unfortunately, this is the one set of pictures I can't share with the world! Boys: don't even ask. I won't do it.
I was taken aback a little that her mom was so open, and involved, in this process. My mother found out my cousin (who is happily married) was having an adult "toy" party, and she was disgusted. This girl's mom was uncovering her because she wasn't showing enough. Mom and daughter have matching tattoos.
So, all in all, it was an interesting day. A learning experience. And someone has some kick ass pictures to give to her husband!
(Still a little weirded out.)
Sunday, August 24, 2008
dirty feet
We always say that when the boys have dirty feet, it's been a fun day.
We had a lot of fun this weekend. Yesterday we went to the Festival of Lanterns at Spades Park. It was really interesting - there were hundreds of colored lanterns strung across the park, and they lit them all about 9:00 last night. They had food vendors and crafts booths and live music. Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band played as it got dark; if you ever have the chance to see them live - go! They look like they walked out of 1850 West Virginia.
Today we went to the Mt. Comfort Air Show, which was amazing also. Afterwards we grabbed some dinner and took our bikes over to Ft. Harrison. Ben, Lauren and his friend Tom all went on a bike ride, and I took Evan to the playground. We brought Evan's bike, but for some reason he wanted to carry it instead of ride it, so he and I hung out on the swings.
So, yeah, the boys fell asleep in the car on the way home. They were filthy! Evan seriously looked like pigpen. I know there won't be time in the morning, so I gave them sponge baths while they were sleeping. Not perfect, but much cleaner.
A fun time was had by all. :)
We had a lot of fun this weekend. Yesterday we went to the Festival of Lanterns at Spades Park. It was really interesting - there were hundreds of colored lanterns strung across the park, and they lit them all about 9:00 last night. They had food vendors and crafts booths and live music. Reverend Peyton's Big Damn Band played as it got dark; if you ever have the chance to see them live - go! They look like they walked out of 1850 West Virginia.
Today we went to the Mt. Comfort Air Show, which was amazing also. Afterwards we grabbed some dinner and took our bikes over to Ft. Harrison. Ben, Lauren and his friend Tom all went on a bike ride, and I took Evan to the playground. We brought Evan's bike, but for some reason he wanted to carry it instead of ride it, so he and I hung out on the swings.
So, yeah, the boys fell asleep in the car on the way home. They were filthy! Evan seriously looked like pigpen. I know there won't be time in the morning, so I gave them sponge baths while they were sleeping. Not perfect, but much cleaner.
A fun time was had by all. :)
Monday, August 18, 2008
My (little) big kindergartener.
Benny started kindergarten last Wednesday! I'm excited to report that he absolutely loves it!
He comes home every day and talks for a while about what they worked on and (so far) has been very excited to get up in the morning and go back. They have homework that is assigned on Fridays (not due until the next Thursday) - last Friday he attacked me before I even got in the door, and got upset that we couldn't work on it until Saturday. If he's anything like his mom, he'll get over that. So far he's loving art and music class. It's fun to see what he's worked on that day - he's even improved his name writing already. :)
I took a lame picture of him at home (Evan jumped in and gave me his signature "drunk eyes" look), and Lauren took his camera to the school to get a first day picture. Of course, the batteries were dead (mine weren't!), but my camera was at home. Oh well. He looks really cute in his little uniforms.
He comes home every day and talks for a while about what they worked on and (so far) has been very excited to get up in the morning and go back. They have homework that is assigned on Fridays (not due until the next Thursday) - last Friday he attacked me before I even got in the door, and got upset that we couldn't work on it until Saturday. If he's anything like his mom, he'll get over that. So far he's loving art and music class. It's fun to see what he's worked on that day - he's even improved his name writing already. :)
I took a lame picture of him at home (Evan jumped in and gave me his signature "drunk eyes" look), and Lauren took his camera to the school to get a first day picture. Of course, the batteries were dead (mine weren't!), but my camera was at home. Oh well. He looks really cute in his little uniforms.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
I can't imagine
I got news tonight that my friend Kristi's baby, Austin, died today. He was 10 months old and had a twin sister, Alyssa. I guess his sitter put him down for a nap and checked on him about 45 minutes later, and his lips were blue.
I just had lunch with Kristi today. I'm just so in shock - I can't imagine what she and her family are going through. So... if you think about it, say a prayer for them. Kristi and Jeff have three other kids - Emma, Logan and Alyssa.
I just had lunch with Kristi today. I'm just so in shock - I can't imagine what she and her family are going through. So... if you think about it, say a prayer for them. Kristi and Jeff have three other kids - Emma, Logan and Alyssa.
this week's obsession!
I don't know why it took so long for me to discover this. As you all have figured out, I'm a musical nerd. This opened on broadway late in 2006, and won best musical in 2007. And, now, I'm obsessed. Seriously. I started listening to it Monday morning and haven't stopped.
Check this out from Spring Awakening! (Sorry for the Rosie O'Donnell...)
Check this out from Spring Awakening! (Sorry for the Rosie O'Donnell...)
Monday, July 28, 2008
full moon or what?
Insanity. I can barely keep my eyes open, but listen to this!
I have had FOUR friends/family members give birth in the past week. Isn't that insane?
Welcome to the world, baby Caroline, baby Noah, baby Laney and baby Gavin!
I'm not drinking the water!
I have had FOUR friends/family members give birth in the past week. Isn't that insane?
Welcome to the world, baby Caroline, baby Noah, baby Laney and baby Gavin!
I'm not drinking the water!
Saturday, July 19, 2008
Rite of Passage
Greetings from Chicago! It's been a wild 24 hours. Okay, well, wild by mom standards.
There are a few things that I kind of consider a rite of passage for a parent: pregnancy/labor/childbirth, first birthday, kindergarten (still not ready), dealing with the embarassing details your child leaks to the neighbors, and uncontrollable vomiting outside of the home.
The boys and I got home last night around 7, knowing that we had to do a week's worth of laundry, pack, and get ready to leave early this morning. I was up until 1:00 this morning doing laundry, and up again at 5:30 to shower and pull stuff out of the dryer. We got out the door by 7 (the goal was 6:30), and the boys were exhausted, of course. So, we're about 45 minutes into our trip and Evan doesn't look so good. He was tired, which I expected, but his face was flushed and he was looking really uncomfortable. I thought maybe it was because we were in the car and he didn't have any food in his stomach, so we stopped for some breakfast. He drank some water and ate a hash brown... and up it all came. We stopped four times in an hour to clean him up, then he finally went back to sleep. Like, we were two hours into the trip; what were we supposed to do? He slept for an hour and a half, and now he's totally back to his normal self. You'd never know he was sick. It was odd.
So, now Lauren is working some hip hop concert (yeah, Lauren) and we're laying low in the hotel for a while. We got checked in and gave Evan a bath. I didn't know what we were going to do today... now I'm thinking we're going to take naps and make sure everyone is feeling okay for a while. There are a few strip malls around here, but we don't really need anything. Who knows. Right now, Spongebob is holding us over. We still have seven hours left, of course. I'm a little leary of taking Evan to the pool.
Lauren called, and apparently all these famous artists are walking by and all the vendors are all excited and waving and getting autographs. He has no idea who any of them are.
I hope it gets better from here!!
There are a few things that I kind of consider a rite of passage for a parent: pregnancy/labor/childbirth, first birthday, kindergarten (still not ready), dealing with the embarassing details your child leaks to the neighbors, and uncontrollable vomiting outside of the home.
The boys and I got home last night around 7, knowing that we had to do a week's worth of laundry, pack, and get ready to leave early this morning. I was up until 1:00 this morning doing laundry, and up again at 5:30 to shower and pull stuff out of the dryer. We got out the door by 7 (the goal was 6:30), and the boys were exhausted, of course. So, we're about 45 minutes into our trip and Evan doesn't look so good. He was tired, which I expected, but his face was flushed and he was looking really uncomfortable. I thought maybe it was because we were in the car and he didn't have any food in his stomach, so we stopped for some breakfast. He drank some water and ate a hash brown... and up it all came. We stopped four times in an hour to clean him up, then he finally went back to sleep. Like, we were two hours into the trip; what were we supposed to do? He slept for an hour and a half, and now he's totally back to his normal self. You'd never know he was sick. It was odd.
So, now Lauren is working some hip hop concert (yeah, Lauren) and we're laying low in the hotel for a while. We got checked in and gave Evan a bath. I didn't know what we were going to do today... now I'm thinking we're going to take naps and make sure everyone is feeling okay for a while. There are a few strip malls around here, but we don't really need anything. Who knows. Right now, Spongebob is holding us over. We still have seven hours left, of course. I'm a little leary of taking Evan to the pool.
Lauren called, and apparently all these famous artists are walking by and all the vendors are all excited and waving and getting autographs. He has no idea who any of them are.
I hope it gets better from here!!
Monday, July 14, 2008
supermom or superbad?
Last night, we had dinner at a reasonable hour, got baths, read books, and the boys were asleep in their own room (under mommy's homemade old sheet tent) by 9:00. I WAS supermom.
So, tonight, I've spent the whole evening angry. Ben hasn't had a nap, Lauren is in a mood, my mom is in a mood, and the boys are obnoxious (all three). Lauren chose 11:30 last night to bring up the new kindergarden dilemma - seriously, 11:30. We were two hours into a 2.5 hour movie, we paused to go to the bathroom or something, and he wants to talk school. I told him we'd talk about it today, and when I saw him for nearly the first time today at 7pm, his idea of the "discussion" was telling me what he had decided and what he was going to do... all this WITHOUT discussing it with me, or more importantly, Ben.
Here's the dilemma. Don't most schools start in the 7:30 to 8:00 range? There was an article in the paper about IPS the other day, and how the schools aren't starting this year until 9:30. My problem, as many other parents', is that I am expected to be at work at 8 am. My boss knows my situation and has been gracious enough to offer to work with me, but something tells me that my coming in between 10 and 10:30 every morning isn't his idea of flexible. Now, Lauren is self employed, and if any of you know him, he's usually around the house most of the day. He doesn't even finish reading the paper until probably 10 or so... so why couldn't he take Ben to school? Doesn't that sound logical to everyone else? His question (statement) last night was "What are you going to do about Ben? Quit your job?" Um, hello, no. There is a church next to the school that is going to do after school care, and we have discussed that already since I won't be back in Irvington until around 6 every night. So, in lieu of a conversation, he told me today that tomorrow he's going to the school to un-enroll Ben.
This infuriated me. I can't even begin to tell you how excited Ben is about school. He's excited that he's going at all, but also because it's two blocks away and he's familiar with the school and the neighborhood. And the coffee shop next door, which he thinks he'll be able to go to on recess. This is all he's talked about for the last year. You can't just tell him you're un-enrolling him because you're angry with the situation. There was no discussion, no asking our opinions, just knee-jerk reacting, at which he is an expert.
I know that once Lauren cools down, probably tomorrow, we'll get this figured out like a normal, calm, rational couple. I just wish we didn't have to go through the crap to get to it... every time.
Sorry, I just needed to vent.
So, tonight, I've spent the whole evening angry. Ben hasn't had a nap, Lauren is in a mood, my mom is in a mood, and the boys are obnoxious (all three). Lauren chose 11:30 last night to bring up the new kindergarden dilemma - seriously, 11:30. We were two hours into a 2.5 hour movie, we paused to go to the bathroom or something, and he wants to talk school. I told him we'd talk about it today, and when I saw him for nearly the first time today at 7pm, his idea of the "discussion" was telling me what he had decided and what he was going to do... all this WITHOUT discussing it with me, or more importantly, Ben.
Here's the dilemma. Don't most schools start in the 7:30 to 8:00 range? There was an article in the paper about IPS the other day, and how the schools aren't starting this year until 9:30. My problem, as many other parents', is that I am expected to be at work at 8 am. My boss knows my situation and has been gracious enough to offer to work with me, but something tells me that my coming in between 10 and 10:30 every morning isn't his idea of flexible. Now, Lauren is self employed, and if any of you know him, he's usually around the house most of the day. He doesn't even finish reading the paper until probably 10 or so... so why couldn't he take Ben to school? Doesn't that sound logical to everyone else? His question (statement) last night was "What are you going to do about Ben? Quit your job?" Um, hello, no. There is a church next to the school that is going to do after school care, and we have discussed that already since I won't be back in Irvington until around 6 every night. So, in lieu of a conversation, he told me today that tomorrow he's going to the school to un-enroll Ben.
This infuriated me. I can't even begin to tell you how excited Ben is about school. He's excited that he's going at all, but also because it's two blocks away and he's familiar with the school and the neighborhood. And the coffee shop next door, which he thinks he'll be able to go to on recess. This is all he's talked about for the last year. You can't just tell him you're un-enrolling him because you're angry with the situation. There was no discussion, no asking our opinions, just knee-jerk reacting, at which he is an expert.
I know that once Lauren cools down, probably tomorrow, we'll get this figured out like a normal, calm, rational couple. I just wish we didn't have to go through the crap to get to it... every time.
Sorry, I just needed to vent.
Friday, July 11, 2008
not ready.
Ben starts school August 13.
I am NOT ready.
I thought I was ready! I really did! I'm not a sappy person who takes pictures of everything (okay, well not my kids) and cries at everything. I didn't cry when my kids were born. I never understood why these women get so emotional when their kids go off to kindergarten. Then, last night when I realized Ben goes to school, real school, in a month that I won't be in there to help him with things. He's going to have to figure things out on his own. My little baby is going to (probably) be the smallest, youngest kid in class, and I won't be there with him. I actually crawled in his bed with him last night and held him until I fell asleep. My little 33-lb boy who isn't even five yet will be on his own. I don't know if I can do this!
Friday, June 27, 2008
So now what??
Okay. I'm going to warn you, I'm angry and I'm venting.
So I had (not have) a wedding scheduled for 7/12. It just happened to be this guy I dated in high school. I do admit I was stupid for 1. waiving the deposit, 2. telling him he could return the contract when they were ready, and 3. trusting him in the first place.
We booked this wedding back in October, right after they got engaged. I've been trying for a month atleast to get in touch with him to do engagement pictures (part of the package) or atleast get him to tell me where and what time the wedding was. He emails me back today, finally, and they're using a "friend of the family" (what am I??) who is a wedding photographer, and that it's been paid in full for a while now.
Yes, today, two weeks before the wedding. Unfortunately, I do know him well enough to tell when he's lying. I think he's known for a while, and I think he's put off telling me about it. Seriously, I turned down another wedding because of his - another wedding at full price - and now, nothing.
I can't even begin to tell you how angry I am. At first I wanted to return his email and chew him out and call him every name in the book. My standard rule is to wait 24-48 hours until I calm down to address something like this. Lauren and I have been discussing this quite a bit tonight, and I realize that I've mixed the business and the personal. It's hard not to do when someone appeals to your personal side (as an old friend) and you trust them (as a friend), then cancel at the last minute. It's certainly not professional for me to tell him he's a slimy asshole of a liar. I have other friends whose weddings I have treated the same way, and so far everyone has been equally respectful and things have worked out well. I don't want to have to change how I do business, especially for the good people I know and work with.
So, what do I do now? Do I charge a cancellation fee? Charge him for the wedding? I don't have a signed contract, so I have nothing to hold over him. I'm sure I won't get the money out of him - is it wrong for me to let him know that this was an underhanded and disrespectful thing to do? I mean, I'm sure he knows that, but I don't know that he cares. Normally I would decide to not burn any bridges because people always need pictures, and I appreciate referrals. This time, I don't know that I'm concerned about it.
Any suggestions??? Seriously, whatever opinions/ideas/suggestions anyone has are welcome and appreciated.
AARRRGGGGHHHHH. Thanks for listening to me vent.
So I had (not have) a wedding scheduled for 7/12. It just happened to be this guy I dated in high school. I do admit I was stupid for 1. waiving the deposit, 2. telling him he could return the contract when they were ready, and 3. trusting him in the first place.
We booked this wedding back in October, right after they got engaged. I've been trying for a month atleast to get in touch with him to do engagement pictures (part of the package) or atleast get him to tell me where and what time the wedding was. He emails me back today, finally, and they're using a "friend of the family" (what am I??) who is a wedding photographer, and that it's been paid in full for a while now.
Yes, today, two weeks before the wedding. Unfortunately, I do know him well enough to tell when he's lying. I think he's known for a while, and I think he's put off telling me about it. Seriously, I turned down another wedding because of his - another wedding at full price - and now, nothing.
I can't even begin to tell you how angry I am. At first I wanted to return his email and chew him out and call him every name in the book. My standard rule is to wait 24-48 hours until I calm down to address something like this. Lauren and I have been discussing this quite a bit tonight, and I realize that I've mixed the business and the personal. It's hard not to do when someone appeals to your personal side (as an old friend) and you trust them (as a friend), then cancel at the last minute. It's certainly not professional for me to tell him he's a slimy asshole of a liar. I have other friends whose weddings I have treated the same way, and so far everyone has been equally respectful and things have worked out well. I don't want to have to change how I do business, especially for the good people I know and work with.
So, what do I do now? Do I charge a cancellation fee? Charge him for the wedding? I don't have a signed contract, so I have nothing to hold over him. I'm sure I won't get the money out of him - is it wrong for me to let him know that this was an underhanded and disrespectful thing to do? I mean, I'm sure he knows that, but I don't know that he cares. Normally I would decide to not burn any bridges because people always need pictures, and I appreciate referrals. This time, I don't know that I'm concerned about it.
Any suggestions??? Seriously, whatever opinions/ideas/suggestions anyone has are welcome and appreciated.
AARRRGGGGHHHHH. Thanks for listening to me vent.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
I couldn't say it better...
This is me at work. Okay, it's not really me, but it could be. This is one of my favorite scenes from Six Feet Under.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
Just in case you missed it...
Most of the original cast of Rent was on the Tony's and sang 'Seasons of Love'.
Love, Love, Love. :)
We got back late from Louisville - I was upset that I missed most of the Tony's, but I did get to see 1. Rent, and 2. Patti LuPone win best actress, which made me happy. She's done a ton of stuff on Broadway, including a kick-ass Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd two years ago. I'm a geek, I admit it. I'm kind of a gay man, I know... but I grew up around this stuff. Being a child of two musicians has its effect on people.
Love, Love, Love. :)
We got back late from Louisville - I was upset that I missed most of the Tony's, but I did get to see 1. Rent, and 2. Patti LuPone win best actress, which made me happy. She's done a ton of stuff on Broadway, including a kick-ass Mrs. Lovett in Sweeney Todd two years ago. I'm a geek, I admit it. I'm kind of a gay man, I know... but I grew up around this stuff. Being a child of two musicians has its effect on people.
So much to blog about!
I have my PC back!! Yeah! That also means I have a gazillion photos to catch up on! We went to Louisville for Father's Day - I got some unexpectedly cute pictures. We took this riverboat cruise (complete with Elvis impersonator and lunch), then headed to Joe Huber's Family Farm in Starlight, IN and hit the kids' farm and petting zoo. There is also a winery there, but we skipped it this time. (Can you believe it?)
So, here are a few fun shots from this weekend. In the middle of our lunch and his performance, Elvis stopped to ask Evan to trade him sunglasses. Evan didn't know what to think. We saw a double rainbow on the drive home in Franklin, IN. Also, our tigerlilies are have bloomed (yeah!) and there was one with a grasshopper on it today. And I just happened to have my camera in my hand. :)
Enjoy!
So, here are a few fun shots from this weekend. In the middle of our lunch and his performance, Elvis stopped to ask Evan to trade him sunglasses. Evan didn't know what to think. We saw a double rainbow on the drive home in Franklin, IN. Also, our tigerlilies are have bloomed (yeah!) and there was one with a grasshopper on it today. And I just happened to have my camera in my hand. :)
Enjoy!
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
reduce-reuse-recycle
One thing I love about Lauren is that he is committed to being earth friendly. Even when I first met him, before we ever heard the term 'carbon footprint' or labeling everything 'green'... he's been into recycling... probably since I was in high school. He's very good about finding ways to reuse things we buy (plastic bins, newspaper, etc.) and if we can't use it, we'll recycle it.
One thing we've agreed on is that buying pre-owned products is another way to recycle (or reuse). We're big on craiglist.com, goodwill and ebay. We have an old playground set that we bought from a farm in Indiana somewhere - it's a little faded, but the slide is still fun for the boys. We use coffee grounds and eggshells to nourish the flowers, we have a little natural (weed) patch in the backyard to keep things natural, and we're big on borrowing from the library instead of buying. I'm all about canvas bags and walking wherever we can.
So, with that being said, I think I'm a little addicted to ebay. I've got this good job now, and y'all know I'm more of a jeans and t-shirt girl than I am a panty hose and skirt kinda girl. The last few years I've mostly had jobs where I can get by with jeans, sneakers and even flip flops. So now I'm in a place where there is no casual Friday... and we can't have "sockless feet." I hated that women were wearing hose under their summer shoes... open toes with a seam across them (eww). I now own three pairs of those hideous things. It's too hot for socks!
Back to ebay. Because I love cheap and pre-owned, it's become a little addiction. I bid on six shirts tonight for $30 (including shipping). Any of these shirts would have been $30 new, alone. Ebay is a dangerous, dangerous world. I mean, I type in a brand name, a size, and all of a sudden there are hundreds of listings for all kinds of inexpensive things. It's a crazy world.
Hi, my name is Melissa, and I am an ebay addict.
One thing we've agreed on is that buying pre-owned products is another way to recycle (or reuse). We're big on craiglist.com, goodwill and ebay. We have an old playground set that we bought from a farm in Indiana somewhere - it's a little faded, but the slide is still fun for the boys. We use coffee grounds and eggshells to nourish the flowers, we have a little natural (weed) patch in the backyard to keep things natural, and we're big on borrowing from the library instead of buying. I'm all about canvas bags and walking wherever we can.
So, with that being said, I think I'm a little addicted to ebay. I've got this good job now, and y'all know I'm more of a jeans and t-shirt girl than I am a panty hose and skirt kinda girl. The last few years I've mostly had jobs where I can get by with jeans, sneakers and even flip flops. So now I'm in a place where there is no casual Friday... and we can't have "sockless feet." I hated that women were wearing hose under their summer shoes... open toes with a seam across them (eww). I now own three pairs of those hideous things. It's too hot for socks!
Back to ebay. Because I love cheap and pre-owned, it's become a little addiction. I bid on six shirts tonight for $30 (including shipping). Any of these shirts would have been $30 new, alone. Ebay is a dangerous, dangerous world. I mean, I type in a brand name, a size, and all of a sudden there are hundreds of listings for all kinds of inexpensive things. It's a crazy world.
Hi, my name is Melissa, and I am an ebay addict.
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Animal House
I am supposed to be editing pictures. I have not yet started. I would much rather be in bed. I am in the office, and the boys just got out of the tub. Evan just ran in, wearing only his towel and my flip flops, and stood in front of the fan and tooted... not once, but three or four times. He also laughed very heartily.
This is so typical of my house. Someone help me please???
This is so typical of my house. Someone help me please???
Monday, June 9, 2008
Whoa, it's been that long?
Okay, okay, I've been busy! Plus, my laptop is in for repairs, which means if I want to check my email I have to leave the boys alone somewhere else in the house... while I'm holed up in the office. We all know where that gets me!
Not much is new here. With all the rain our basement has leaked twice in the past week, as well as the basement in Lauren's office, aka my "studio." So, I left work early last Wednesday - I was going to head up to the hospital in Carmel where my grandfather had emergency surgery Tuesday night. Instead, I ended up dragging over a load of backdrops to wash. I was very lucky - all my lights and other equipment were up off the floor, so just the backdrops got wet (they were hanging on the stands). My black and brown ones were fine, but my brand new white one (used once) was pretty badly stained by the darker ones. $20 at the cleaner's fixed it, though, so I'm considering myself pretty lucky.
We're heading out of town for Father's Day to Louisville - Lauren wants to get away for the weekend. We're going to some jazz restaurant that's also an art gallery, and we're also doing some riverboat lunch on Sunday. It should be fun. :)
I hope everyone is doing well - hopefully I'll update again soon!
Not much is new here. With all the rain our basement has leaked twice in the past week, as well as the basement in Lauren's office, aka my "studio." So, I left work early last Wednesday - I was going to head up to the hospital in Carmel where my grandfather had emergency surgery Tuesday night. Instead, I ended up dragging over a load of backdrops to wash. I was very lucky - all my lights and other equipment were up off the floor, so just the backdrops got wet (they were hanging on the stands). My black and brown ones were fine, but my brand new white one (used once) was pretty badly stained by the darker ones. $20 at the cleaner's fixed it, though, so I'm considering myself pretty lucky.
We're heading out of town for Father's Day to Louisville - Lauren wants to get away for the weekend. We're going to some jazz restaurant that's also an art gallery, and we're also doing some riverboat lunch on Sunday. It should be fun. :)
I hope everyone is doing well - hopefully I'll update again soon!
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Hey, so it's been a while.
Yeah, it's been a while. We've been working outside a lot in our 'spare' time, so I haven't had much time to blog. We had plans to go to a local bookstore to hear some live music tonight, and about five minutes before we were supposed to leave Evan fell asleep. He missed his afternoon nap, and after I got him changed to leave he crawled in my lap and fell asleep. Lauren, of course, thought this was all a conspiracy and that Evan and I planned for him so we could get out of heading to Bookmama's. You know Evan and I are mischievous like that.
Anywho, Lauren and Ben are gone, and Evan is asleep upstairs. Aaahhh... quiet. :)
We did celebrate Evan's third birthday on May 3, which was fun. I can't believe my little baby is three.
I started my job full time on May 5. Everything has been going well on that front. I'm shooting a wedding next weekend up in Hebron, IN, and will have a chance to see a few old college friends.
Otherwise, not much is new on the homefront.
Hopefully I'll have a more exciting post next time. Oh, like how Lauren has taught the boys the word "penisaurus." Lovely, isn't it? Nothing like three boys flashing you, laughing about their penisauruses.
Anywho, Lauren and Ben are gone, and Evan is asleep upstairs. Aaahhh... quiet. :)
We did celebrate Evan's third birthday on May 3, which was fun. I can't believe my little baby is three.
I started my job full time on May 5. Everything has been going well on that front. I'm shooting a wedding next weekend up in Hebron, IN, and will have a chance to see a few old college friends.
Otherwise, not much is new on the homefront.
Hopefully I'll have a more exciting post next time. Oh, like how Lauren has taught the boys the word "penisaurus." Lovely, isn't it? Nothing like three boys flashing you, laughing about their penisauruses.
Monday, May 5, 2008
Thursday, April 24, 2008
yeah!!!
After almost three years of temp jobs, small jobs, and more temp jobs, I got a job offer today! I've been temping since February for this company, doing payroll and accounts payable. So anyway, it's a real offer, with real pay and real benefits and everything.
It's a huge weight off my shoulders... a big relief. Yeah!! :)
It's a huge weight off my shoulders... a big relief. Yeah!! :)
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Well, shit.
I just checked all the blogs that I regularly checked, and they were all updated, which means I need to update. I really have nothing to say. AKA... well, shit.
Not much is new. Pictures are starting to pick up again now that it's pleasant (and greener) outside, so that makes me happy. I've kind of been in a funk since about January - partly (mostly) from the weather, and I was a little burnt out with photography. I've got a wedding coming up in May, so I need to get back in the swing of things.
I'm just glad it's warm and gorgeous outside again. I can't tell you how much it improves my outlook on things.
Can I just give all you girls out there some props? I hate that word - props - but I didn't know what else to say... high five? kudos? Ugh. Anyway, I just read two blogs where the wives were cutting the grass (not the husbands), and I'm getting ready to do the same. I think Lauren mowed the grass once (maybe twice) last summer. Growing up, my mom never did anything outdoors. It was 'man's work'... which is why I think I was more of a tomboy than a lacy girl. Anyway, I'm glad there's some middle ground, and I'm glad to see y'all out there enjoying the weather.
I'll put you out of your misery now.
Not much is new. Pictures are starting to pick up again now that it's pleasant (and greener) outside, so that makes me happy. I've kind of been in a funk since about January - partly (mostly) from the weather, and I was a little burnt out with photography. I've got a wedding coming up in May, so I need to get back in the swing of things.
I'm just glad it's warm and gorgeous outside again. I can't tell you how much it improves my outlook on things.
Can I just give all you girls out there some props? I hate that word - props - but I didn't know what else to say... high five? kudos? Ugh. Anyway, I just read two blogs where the wives were cutting the grass (not the husbands), and I'm getting ready to do the same. I think Lauren mowed the grass once (maybe twice) last summer. Growing up, my mom never did anything outdoors. It was 'man's work'... which is why I think I was more of a tomboy than a lacy girl. Anyway, I'm glad there's some middle ground, and I'm glad to see y'all out there enjoying the weather.
I'll put you out of your misery now.
Friday, April 18, 2008
long time, no blog
I'm still alive! We've been busy!
So, first, we started swim classes last week. As expected, Evan is fearless and Ben is still scared. They're both getting more comfortable, though, so that's good. Ben is still afraid to get anything above his shoulders wet, and Evan is now jumping in the water on his own, go figure.
So, first, we started swim classes last week. As expected, Evan is fearless and Ben is still scared. They're both getting more comfortable, though, so that's good. Ben is still afraid to get anything above his shoulders wet, and Evan is now jumping in the water on his own, go figure.
Well, poo. I've had about ten blogs I've been saving in my head for the past two weeks, and now I can't remember them.
I'm glad the tax season is over - now Lauren will finally get a well-deserved break. Of course he's doing SanDisk demos all day today and tomorrow, but after that, it should slow down.
We got Ben's paperwork to get him registered for kindergarten. Can you believe it? He'll be five this summer, then start school a few weeks later.
Hmmm... movie reviews? We watched Enchanted and Sweeney Todd. Enchanted was very cute, especially if you have a daughter between the ages of 2 and 13. Sweeney Todd was very, well, bloody. I loved LOVED the musical, and know the broadway soundtrack by heart. I was worried I wouldn't like having two people singing who couldn't sing. Johnny Depp wasn't bad (I heart him), but I didn't care for Helena Bonham Carter. Mrs. Lovett has to be able to sing. Overall, though, it was pretty good. Tim Burton is amazing, and I may have to buy it. Don't tell anyone.
I hit my first garage sale of the season. I heart garage sales. No big purchases, but I did get Mean Girls at Half Price Books for $0.50 yesterday! Score! I love it when that happens.
Okay, I think that's it.
Friday, April 4, 2008
What is the deal about Fridays at lunchtime??
Two weeks ago, it was styrofoam. Today, shampoo.
Right now, our dining room is completely torn up. The hideous wallpaper has been stripped and the walls have been repaired, now we just need to size the walls and they'll be ready to wallpaper. Anyhoo, normally when I make meals for us, if it's just the boys and I at home, I will have them play in the living room or dining room (the dining room is between the living room and kitchen) so that I can see/hear them. Today, it wasn't an option, as the dining room is sealed off and everything downstairs is covered in plaster dust. So, I left the boys upstairs playing while I went down to make lunch. Ben comes down screaming that "Evan's in trouble," which in Benspeak could mean anything from "Evan took the blanket off the bed" to "Evan's head has popped off and there is blood gushing everywhere." So, while I was trying to decipher what Ben actually meant, Evan sat upstairs emptying a NEW bottle of shampoo into the carpet.
Like, please, can I catch a little break??
I realize it's just shampoo - I know it doesn't really hurt the carpet, and it won't stain. It's just a pain in the ass to clean up! Half the bottle was in the carpet in the hallway, and the other half was in the carpet in their bedroom. Argh.
As a side note, you don't do this to a girl on her first full day of a diet - I wasn't well equipped to handle this! All I had eaten was an apple and a piece of string cheese. Please!
So, Evan went into timeout for a while as I spent, oh yes, an hour and two carpet cleaners to get (hopefully) all the coconut shampoo out of the carpet. They're quietly eating lunch in my room right now, and will be down for a nap in a few minutes. After I strap Evan in a straight jacket in his bed and he's drugged and sleeping, I will think about taking a shower. We all know how that works! Then I'm going to drink a bottle of vodka (it's 1.5 points a serving! Score!) and a 2L of diet coke. It should fulfill my requirements for the day and take the edge off.
(I am just kidding about the straight jacket and alcohol.)
(Maybe.)
Cheers!
Right now, our dining room is completely torn up. The hideous wallpaper has been stripped and the walls have been repaired, now we just need to size the walls and they'll be ready to wallpaper. Anyhoo, normally when I make meals for us, if it's just the boys and I at home, I will have them play in the living room or dining room (the dining room is between the living room and kitchen) so that I can see/hear them. Today, it wasn't an option, as the dining room is sealed off and everything downstairs is covered in plaster dust. So, I left the boys upstairs playing while I went down to make lunch. Ben comes down screaming that "Evan's in trouble," which in Benspeak could mean anything from "Evan took the blanket off the bed" to "Evan's head has popped off and there is blood gushing everywhere." So, while I was trying to decipher what Ben actually meant, Evan sat upstairs emptying a NEW bottle of shampoo into the carpet.
Like, please, can I catch a little break??
I realize it's just shampoo - I know it doesn't really hurt the carpet, and it won't stain. It's just a pain in the ass to clean up! Half the bottle was in the carpet in the hallway, and the other half was in the carpet in their bedroom. Argh.
As a side note, you don't do this to a girl on her first full day of a diet - I wasn't well equipped to handle this! All I had eaten was an apple and a piece of string cheese. Please!
So, Evan went into timeout for a while as I spent, oh yes, an hour and two carpet cleaners to get (hopefully) all the coconut shampoo out of the carpet. They're quietly eating lunch in my room right now, and will be down for a nap in a few minutes. After I strap Evan in a straight jacket in his bed and he's drugged and sleeping, I will think about taking a shower. We all know how that works! Then I'm going to drink a bottle of vodka (it's 1.5 points a serving! Score!) and a 2L of diet coke. It should fulfill my requirements for the day and take the edge off.
(I am just kidding about the straight jacket and alcohol.)
(Maybe.)
Cheers!
Thursday, April 3, 2008
Round Three
Oy vay. I broke down and joined weight watchers again. We'll see how this works this time!
I decided to go again - I've been pondering it, and hoped that the meetings might help. What's nice is that there is a meeting very close to where I work, and they have meetings Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon. So, I went today, and re-registered, and weighed in.
I didn't really want to stay for the meeting. I decided to go ahead, and walked in and sat down. The meeting I was in was led by an older woman, about 75, and she was going around asking everyone questions. If you know anything about me, at times, I can be painfully shy. In college I had no problem getting up in front of 200 people and talking, but stupid little things like small meetings where I don't know anyone intimidate the crap out of me. I know, it doesn't make any sense to me either. So, the leader is headed over my way, and I feel my face just turn red. Wait... it gets better. I look over, and there's a woman I work with sitting there, waving at me.
I had been seen. That means I have to go back.
Maybe it's a sign that I need to be there. When I got back to work, she told me a few of the other women at work are also members, which is fun. If I can get past the crippling shyness, this (maybe hopefully) could work.
Also, I found a fun weight watchers blog with recipes - it's here, if anyone is interested.
Wish me luck! Third time's a charm, hopefully! I'm also hoping the $40 I paid for the next month will keep me motivated. :)
I decided to go again - I've been pondering it, and hoped that the meetings might help. What's nice is that there is a meeting very close to where I work, and they have meetings Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon. So, I went today, and re-registered, and weighed in.
I didn't really want to stay for the meeting. I decided to go ahead, and walked in and sat down. The meeting I was in was led by an older woman, about 75, and she was going around asking everyone questions. If you know anything about me, at times, I can be painfully shy. In college I had no problem getting up in front of 200 people and talking, but stupid little things like small meetings where I don't know anyone intimidate the crap out of me. I know, it doesn't make any sense to me either. So, the leader is headed over my way, and I feel my face just turn red. Wait... it gets better. I look over, and there's a woman I work with sitting there, waving at me.
I had been seen. That means I have to go back.
Maybe it's a sign that I need to be there. When I got back to work, she told me a few of the other women at work are also members, which is fun. If I can get past the crippling shyness, this (maybe hopefully) could work.
Also, I found a fun weight watchers blog with recipes - it's here, if anyone is interested.
Wish me luck! Third time's a charm, hopefully! I'm also hoping the $40 I paid for the next month will keep me motivated. :)
Tuesday, April 1, 2008
Taking Inventory
Time for a little spring cleaning on the thirty-something front.
The past two days I've gotten off work a little early, and decided to do something for myself. I decided I needed a few things done, namely a pedicure, hair coloring (to cover the new gray war going on on my head) and work for the eyebrows (the bushes were starting to look a little like Frida).
So, yesterday I took stock. I hadn't shaved recently enough, to the point of where it would have been an insult to whomever was to do my pedicure. I bought hair color already, so that left me with the brows. The place where I usually do my brows is closed on Mondays, so I tried a new place in Fishers (I was there to pick up the kids) - Min Shu's Threaded Eyebrows.
I had seen an episode of Oprah where she had it done, and she was all like, "I can barely feel it."
I want whatever she was on! No pain, my ass!
It only took about ten minutes, but hello, it was a lot of ripping of hair. Everything around my brows was red and swollen, especially right after it was done, but it's still pink now, 30 hours later. My skin usually rips when I get it waxed, so I guess this was an improvement. They do look nice, if you can get past the irritation.
Let's talk gray hair. I've been trying to find the perfect color to match my roots, because I'm tired of coloring and I've wanted to eliminate it all together. In the past few weeks, however, my hair has turned against me. These gray hairs keep creeping in, and I don't understand it. Seriously. I colored my hair in January(ish), so I don't understand how my hair can go from the hair I'm used to (thin, light brown) to LONG hairs that are wirey, unruly and GRAY! Seriously! LONG hairs that are gray - shouldn't the last coloring have taken care of that? And it's like this whole gray posse has infiltrated and taken over. Argh. I colored my hair tonight - it's still wet, so hopefully I won't be crying in the morning because it's too dark.
I did the pedicure today, which is the first time I've done it since I was pregnant with Evan. I did it then because it made the cankles look a little less hideous, and I couldn't reach my toes. Also, I couldn't really tie my shoes, and flip-flops were about the only shoes my feet agreed with. So, today I got my feet in shape for spring. My toes are happy now. :)
The past two days I've gotten off work a little early, and decided to do something for myself. I decided I needed a few things done, namely a pedicure, hair coloring (to cover the new gray war going on on my head) and work for the eyebrows (the bushes were starting to look a little like Frida).
So, yesterday I took stock. I hadn't shaved recently enough, to the point of where it would have been an insult to whomever was to do my pedicure. I bought hair color already, so that left me with the brows. The place where I usually do my brows is closed on Mondays, so I tried a new place in Fishers (I was there to pick up the kids) - Min Shu's Threaded Eyebrows.
I had seen an episode of Oprah where she had it done, and she was all like, "I can barely feel it."
I want whatever she was on! No pain, my ass!
It only took about ten minutes, but hello, it was a lot of ripping of hair. Everything around my brows was red and swollen, especially right after it was done, but it's still pink now, 30 hours later. My skin usually rips when I get it waxed, so I guess this was an improvement. They do look nice, if you can get past the irritation.
Let's talk gray hair. I've been trying to find the perfect color to match my roots, because I'm tired of coloring and I've wanted to eliminate it all together. In the past few weeks, however, my hair has turned against me. These gray hairs keep creeping in, and I don't understand it. Seriously. I colored my hair in January(ish), so I don't understand how my hair can go from the hair I'm used to (thin, light brown) to LONG hairs that are wirey, unruly and GRAY! Seriously! LONG hairs that are gray - shouldn't the last coloring have taken care of that? And it's like this whole gray posse has infiltrated and taken over. Argh. I colored my hair tonight - it's still wet, so hopefully I won't be crying in the morning because it's too dark.
I did the pedicure today, which is the first time I've done it since I was pregnant with Evan. I did it then because it made the cankles look a little less hideous, and I couldn't reach my toes. Also, I couldn't really tie my shoes, and flip-flops were about the only shoes my feet agreed with. So, today I got my feet in shape for spring. My toes are happy now. :)
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Another Reason I Hate Styrofoam
Um, yeah. Here's what happens in our house when Daddy is gone and Mommy decides to (heaven forbid) take a shower for a few minutes...
Don't let the smile fool you... it was the calm before the storm. The boys decided to tear up a block of styrofoam that was once about 8x10x2 (part of a Christmas gift that was headed downstairs for the trash). I got out of the shower and walked into a snowglobe in our room. It was stuck to the walls, the bed, and a pile of clean laundry ready to be folded. It also migrated out into the hallway and into the boys room. This is no exaggeration - it took me a full hour to vacuum. The stuff sticks to EVERYTHING!! I had to stop to vacuum off the vacuum three or four times, not to mention myself. I got the boys cleaned up as much as possible and stuck them on our bed for time out until I could get everything cleaned up. I think they learned their lesson... it was by far the longest time out on record.
I love my boys! I also can't wait for them to grow out of this phase!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
La Vie Boheme
Watch this!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SPxtv3KW9A
This is a clip from one of my absolute favorite musicals, Rent. It's the movie version - I tried to find a quality clip from the broadway version, but couldn't find a clean one that sounded good (1996 was pre-dvr). Boo, hiss. The movie came out a few years ago, and 6 of the 8 original cast members are in it... good enough for me.
I read an article in either Newsweek or Time last week that Rent is closing June 1, after a long 12-year run on broadway. I remember when it first came out - I was in my sophomore year in college, and I got the soundtrack soon after. I fell in love with it immediately. I did some work with the AIDS Quilt and other AIDS-related projects in college, which made for an even stronger connection to the show.
Not surprisingly, I desperately wanted to see the show sometime. Lauren and I have taken a few trips to NYC in the past few years, and in 2004 we got to see it. Finally! I'm fortunate that he loves Broadway as well, but his idea of a musical is Rodgers & Hammerstein, intricate sets, and 50-year-old music. He didn't know what to expect of Rent... he thought it was going to be more like Oklahoma, and was more than shocked when the show started. Maybe not so much shocked, but appalled. The set is very simple (folding tables and a grid they can climb on), the music is rock (written in the late 80's), and the theme is very modern (AIDS, drugs, homosexuality). He basically thought it was a cheap shot at a Broadway musical. The story starts out that three guys (Mark, Roger, Collins) are living rent-free in their friend (Benny's) building... and Benny calls and asks for the past year's rent (he told them they could live there for free). Lauren, being a landlord, was offended from the start at the idea of people stiffing the super. He wanted to leave at intermission. I, of course, absolutely loved it. I was crying at the end... not the petite tear rolling down the face, but the hiccuping, can't-catch-your-breath, gasping cry. How embarassing is that? At a musical! Oy vay.
Anyway, Lauren has now had four years to reflect on the show, and said he was ready to see Rent again... now that he knows what to expect. I thought, wow, great. He's accepted it, knows what it's all about, and he's ready to enjoy it. Whatever! We watched the movie on the projector, and he still didn't like it. He totally missed the point! Again!
We got into this huge discussion over it - he didn't like the "at risk" behavior; he basically doesn't feel sorry for people who put themselves in risky situations. There is an amazing book about the beginnings of the AIDS Virus, called "And the Band Played On: Politics, People and the AIDS Epidemic" by Randy Shilts. Jonathan Larson (who wrote Rent) lived through a lot of the initial scare of AIDS (like the book), where he knew quite a few people who contracted the virus but they didn't know how or why. Mind you, this was in the 80's, before researchers knew how the virus worked or how it was spread. So, while these characters may have put themselves at risk, it's not necessarily their fault that they contracted HIV/AIDS. I also reminded Lauren that he has put himself in risky situations before (long before we met), in his crazier days. He still couldn't connect the dots.
Anyway, I'm just happy that Rent has done this well - 12 years is an amazing run. It has reinvented Broadway, and has spawned more rock musicals... which bring in a younger audience and keep Broadway thriving. I wish I could see it one more time in it's original run, but I am very thankful that I could see it atleast once. :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0SPxtv3KW9A
This is a clip from one of my absolute favorite musicals, Rent. It's the movie version - I tried to find a quality clip from the broadway version, but couldn't find a clean one that sounded good (1996 was pre-dvr). Boo, hiss. The movie came out a few years ago, and 6 of the 8 original cast members are in it... good enough for me.
I read an article in either Newsweek or Time last week that Rent is closing June 1, after a long 12-year run on broadway. I remember when it first came out - I was in my sophomore year in college, and I got the soundtrack soon after. I fell in love with it immediately. I did some work with the AIDS Quilt and other AIDS-related projects in college, which made for an even stronger connection to the show.
Not surprisingly, I desperately wanted to see the show sometime. Lauren and I have taken a few trips to NYC in the past few years, and in 2004 we got to see it. Finally! I'm fortunate that he loves Broadway as well, but his idea of a musical is Rodgers & Hammerstein, intricate sets, and 50-year-old music. He didn't know what to expect of Rent... he thought it was going to be more like Oklahoma, and was more than shocked when the show started. Maybe not so much shocked, but appalled. The set is very simple (folding tables and a grid they can climb on), the music is rock (written in the late 80's), and the theme is very modern (AIDS, drugs, homosexuality). He basically thought it was a cheap shot at a Broadway musical. The story starts out that three guys (Mark, Roger, Collins) are living rent-free in their friend (Benny's) building... and Benny calls and asks for the past year's rent (he told them they could live there for free). Lauren, being a landlord, was offended from the start at the idea of people stiffing the super. He wanted to leave at intermission. I, of course, absolutely loved it. I was crying at the end... not the petite tear rolling down the face, but the hiccuping, can't-catch-your-breath, gasping cry. How embarassing is that? At a musical! Oy vay.
Anyway, Lauren has now had four years to reflect on the show, and said he was ready to see Rent again... now that he knows what to expect. I thought, wow, great. He's accepted it, knows what it's all about, and he's ready to enjoy it. Whatever! We watched the movie on the projector, and he still didn't like it. He totally missed the point! Again!
We got into this huge discussion over it - he didn't like the "at risk" behavior; he basically doesn't feel sorry for people who put themselves in risky situations. There is an amazing book about the beginnings of the AIDS Virus, called "And the Band Played On: Politics, People and the AIDS Epidemic" by Randy Shilts. Jonathan Larson (who wrote Rent) lived through a lot of the initial scare of AIDS (like the book), where he knew quite a few people who contracted the virus but they didn't know how or why. Mind you, this was in the 80's, before researchers knew how the virus worked or how it was spread. So, while these characters may have put themselves at risk, it's not necessarily their fault that they contracted HIV/AIDS. I also reminded Lauren that he has put himself in risky situations before (long before we met), in his crazier days. He still couldn't connect the dots.
Anyway, I'm just happy that Rent has done this well - 12 years is an amazing run. It has reinvented Broadway, and has spawned more rock musicals... which bring in a younger audience and keep Broadway thriving. I wish I could see it one more time in it's original run, but I am very thankful that I could see it atleast once. :)
updates
Just tying up a few loose ends.
Grandpa: Still in the hospital. He went in Jan 21 for an outpatient shoulder surgery, and has had quite a few problems since then. He did stop breathing a few days after surgery, then was diagnosed with diabetes, had a mild heart attack, and now has to have his gall bladder out (maybe). He was also addicted to sleeping pills and went through a pretty violent rehab. He's actually in St. Seton now, which is kind of a halfway house between the hospital and being back on his own.
Diet: hahahahahahahahahahaha It was a good joke, wasn't it?
Swimsuit: Bought a speedo (function not fashion), and I'm fully convinced that I look like an egg in it. It sucks everything in really well, but reshapes everything as well. We took the kids to a water park last weekend, and while I was self-conscious, I also realized there were far worse swimsuit sins being committed than was I was doing. FAR worse. Maybe it will inspire a diet... probably not, though.
Books I'm reading: Hmm... Since I have about no time to read anymore, I started reading a Patricia Cornwell novel a few weeks ago, and haven't made it very far. When I was single (and loving it), I could finish one of her books in a day or two. I think the book is due back on Friday... doubt I'll finish it. The fun news is that someone at work connected the dots for me... I love reading but never have time, and I can listen to my MP3 player at work, but was bored with my music. Ding ding ding! Books on CD! I'm listening to the unabridged version of Wicked (it's like 20 hours long), so I'm doing anywhere from 1-3 hours a day (depending on how much I really need to concentrate on what I'm doing). I LOVE it! I have a few other books to scan in... one by Sophie Kinsella (Bridget Jones-ish) and one by David Sedaris (comic). It's a whole new world!
Work: I'm working for Indiana Health Centers, doing A/P and Payroll. Everyone is pretty nice and the hours are pretty flexible. I'm still a temp, but they told me they'd like to have me on permanently by the end of the month. The company is in Castleton, it's a non-profit organization (what I originally wanted to do with my degree), and I'll be doing payroll, which is kinda HR-related (my degree). It also will pay pretty well and provide good benefits, which is always a plus.
Shopping: I've done way too much lately. I keep finding good deals on stuff, though! Garage sale season is right around the corner... DANGER!
Boys: My boys are doing well. We're all SO ready for spring! We all just had the flu or something like it, and we're all mostly over it.
:)
Grandpa: Still in the hospital. He went in Jan 21 for an outpatient shoulder surgery, and has had quite a few problems since then. He did stop breathing a few days after surgery, then was diagnosed with diabetes, had a mild heart attack, and now has to have his gall bladder out (maybe). He was also addicted to sleeping pills and went through a pretty violent rehab. He's actually in St. Seton now, which is kind of a halfway house between the hospital and being back on his own.
Diet: hahahahahahahahahahaha It was a good joke, wasn't it?
Swimsuit: Bought a speedo (function not fashion), and I'm fully convinced that I look like an egg in it. It sucks everything in really well, but reshapes everything as well. We took the kids to a water park last weekend, and while I was self-conscious, I also realized there were far worse swimsuit sins being committed than was I was doing. FAR worse. Maybe it will inspire a diet... probably not, though.
Books I'm reading: Hmm... Since I have about no time to read anymore, I started reading a Patricia Cornwell novel a few weeks ago, and haven't made it very far. When I was single (and loving it), I could finish one of her books in a day or two. I think the book is due back on Friday... doubt I'll finish it. The fun news is that someone at work connected the dots for me... I love reading but never have time, and I can listen to my MP3 player at work, but was bored with my music. Ding ding ding! Books on CD! I'm listening to the unabridged version of Wicked (it's like 20 hours long), so I'm doing anywhere from 1-3 hours a day (depending on how much I really need to concentrate on what I'm doing). I LOVE it! I have a few other books to scan in... one by Sophie Kinsella (Bridget Jones-ish) and one by David Sedaris (comic). It's a whole new world!
Work: I'm working for Indiana Health Centers, doing A/P and Payroll. Everyone is pretty nice and the hours are pretty flexible. I'm still a temp, but they told me they'd like to have me on permanently by the end of the month. The company is in Castleton, it's a non-profit organization (what I originally wanted to do with my degree), and I'll be doing payroll, which is kinda HR-related (my degree). It also will pay pretty well and provide good benefits, which is always a plus.
Shopping: I've done way too much lately. I keep finding good deals on stuff, though! Garage sale season is right around the corner... DANGER!
Boys: My boys are doing well. We're all SO ready for spring! We all just had the flu or something like it, and we're all mostly over it.
:)
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
road rage
I'm honestly trying not to complain all the time when I blog, but this is a pet peeve of mine, and I'm hot right now.
It's a nice day out, so I took the boys for a walk. Part of the appeal of this neighborhood is that it is very family friendly, and when it's nice there are a ton of people out walking.
With that being said, there are a lot of very aggressive drivers who tear through here. I'm on a street that is off a busy road (E Washington), and there is a small park (Irving Circle) just north of us, maybe 100 yards. So, while we were on our walk, there was an older man, maybe in his mid sixties, speeding through, fast enough for me to remember his car. As we were crossing the street at the circle we noticed him again - he was headed toward us. He came out of nowhere, and about slid to a stop. I turned around and made eye contact with him and told him to slow down. He rolled down his window, asked what I said, and I said, "You're driving awfully fast through here, you need to slow down." The guy told me to mind my own business, and I told him I was because I was PROTECTING MY CHILDREN. Like, seriously, old man, have a little consideration.
He's got a burgundy sedan, I don't know what make or model. If you see one with eggs on it, it wasn't me. :P
It's a nice day out, so I took the boys for a walk. Part of the appeal of this neighborhood is that it is very family friendly, and when it's nice there are a ton of people out walking.
With that being said, there are a lot of very aggressive drivers who tear through here. I'm on a street that is off a busy road (E Washington), and there is a small park (Irving Circle) just north of us, maybe 100 yards. So, while we were on our walk, there was an older man, maybe in his mid sixties, speeding through, fast enough for me to remember his car. As we were crossing the street at the circle we noticed him again - he was headed toward us. He came out of nowhere, and about slid to a stop. I turned around and made eye contact with him and told him to slow down. He rolled down his window, asked what I said, and I said, "You're driving awfully fast through here, you need to slow down." The guy told me to mind my own business, and I told him I was because I was PROTECTING MY CHILDREN. Like, seriously, old man, have a little consideration.
He's got a burgundy sedan, I don't know what make or model. If you see one with eggs on it, it wasn't me. :P
Monday, March 10, 2008
excuse me!
I intended to write about Evan's new favorite toy, and got a little distracted.
Evan's new favorite adventure is a full throttle Easter Egg Hunt, but he's not so much into eggs... rather a distant cousin... the tampon. I seriously can't keep him out of my tampons, no matter where I hide them! What's worse is that Ben keeps asking what they are, and insists that they're rockets or missiles or something. Like, how do you explain this? I'm not planning on explaining it to him anytime soon! Any ideas?
So I got distracted because I was looking for tampon pictures online. It's freakishly ridiculous how many pictures there are of people either (1) shopping for tampons or (2) sticking them up their noses.
I found this and thought it was humorous... excuse me!
Evan's new favorite adventure is a full throttle Easter Egg Hunt, but he's not so much into eggs... rather a distant cousin... the tampon. I seriously can't keep him out of my tampons, no matter where I hide them! What's worse is that Ben keeps asking what they are, and insists that they're rockets or missiles or something. Like, how do you explain this? I'm not planning on explaining it to him anytime soon! Any ideas?
So I got distracted because I was looking for tampon pictures online. It's freakishly ridiculous how many pictures there are of people either (1) shopping for tampons or (2) sticking them up their noses.
I found this and thought it was humorous... excuse me!
Saturday, March 8, 2008
adventures in camerabuying
It's 6am. I've been up since 4:30. Insomnia, again.
I decided to come down and balance my checkbook, and I'm glad I did. When I bought the D50 10 days ago, I brought it home and it wasn't working correctly. Thursday I returned it to Roberts Downtown, which is a story in itself. Let me preface this by saying that this experience is atypical of what I usually have with Roberts. I've been using their printing services for probably ten years now, and have bought other random photo items there. Also, since Lauren is a SanDisk rep, he's in there atleast twice a month and knows most of these guys pretty well. So, I walked in around 9:30 in the morning, and I was the only customer in the store. There were five or six employees standing around talking and one asked if he could help me. I told him I needed to talk to someone about returning a camera that wasn't working. So, this guy (I won't use his name, but it rhymes with James) takes my camera.
Rhymes with James: Do you know what's wrong with it? (Uuuhhhh, no, I'm just a dumb blonde)
Meek Melissa: Yes (he stops and turns around)
Rhymes with James: Well, what's wrong?
Meek Melissa: There are a few things wrong with it. The scroll bar is locking, I can't download pictures straight from the camera to the computer, and the camera is draining the battery while it's off - it won't hold a charge for more than 12 hours.
Rhymes with James: That's it? (Isn't that enough?)
Meek Melissa: Yes
Rhymes with James: (silence, silence... so much that he barely utters another word to me during the transaction. He holds out his sinister hand and without looking at me says) Credit Card (I hand him the credit card, he swipes it and gives me a receipt)
Meek Melissa: Thanks
Rhymes with James: (more silence)
Mind you, he never even opened the box to make sure everything was in there - I could have returned a brick and gotten my $375 back. I was going to ask him if they had any other camera bodies I could look at, but since I felt like I was totally inconveniencing him already, I decided just to head back to the camera department.
And guess who followed me back to help me? My new friend, James. (Oops! Didn't mean to leak his name!) So, this is fun!
Me: I just wanted to see if you had any other D50 bodies back here - I'd really like to have one.
James: We don't have any.
Me: I've been working with Scott (who has been excellent to work with), and he said they had two more up in Carmel.
James: They don't have them in Carmel. Everything that is refurbished is here. I don't know why he told you that. (His face was all distorted like I was a common idiot for asking)
Me: Can you call Carmel and check for me?
James: (looks at his watch) Store's not open yet. (it opened in 10 minutes, as if nobody were there already) Can't check.
Me: What is your name?
James: (for the first time, he makes eye contact and has a little confidence in his voice) James (as if he's all polite)
Me: Thanks.
So, I walk out, totally discouraged. I call Lauren, and he said this guy can be "gruff" sometimes. I prefer the term asshole, but hey. So, I'm almost home when Lauren calls again and says that he called Roberts in Carmel (they answered the phones before they opened! Can you believe that??) and they did, in fact, have two D50 bodies, and were holding one for me. I drove up there, and the guys were really nice. I got my D50 and a few other little things, paid, and came home.
Here's where the banking fun comes in. When I logged onto my bank account, it was low by about $800, which was a little shocking. The Roberts transactions weren't on there yet, but there was a discrepancy between my available balance in two places on the website. When I pulled out the receipts, I realized that even though I got nasty service and actually took the camera back, I have been charged for it twice. Twice!! The jerk debited my account instead of credited it! And... since I picked up a new camera at Roberts in Carmel, I essentially paid three times for one camera. Lovely. I added up the amounts and, voila, the amount I'm short by equals my camera times two (plus a few incidentals).
Yesterday I decided not to call and complain about the service. Today, since I need to clear this up, I will be complaining. Heads will roll today, folks, heads will roll.
The fun news is that I love the camera. Here's one of my favorite new pictures:
Argh. So frustrated.
I decided to come down and balance my checkbook, and I'm glad I did. When I bought the D50 10 days ago, I brought it home and it wasn't working correctly. Thursday I returned it to Roberts Downtown, which is a story in itself. Let me preface this by saying that this experience is atypical of what I usually have with Roberts. I've been using their printing services for probably ten years now, and have bought other random photo items there. Also, since Lauren is a SanDisk rep, he's in there atleast twice a month and knows most of these guys pretty well. So, I walked in around 9:30 in the morning, and I was the only customer in the store. There were five or six employees standing around talking and one asked if he could help me. I told him I needed to talk to someone about returning a camera that wasn't working. So, this guy (I won't use his name, but it rhymes with James) takes my camera.
Rhymes with James: Do you know what's wrong with it? (Uuuhhhh, no, I'm just a dumb blonde)
Meek Melissa: Yes (he stops and turns around)
Rhymes with James: Well, what's wrong?
Meek Melissa: There are a few things wrong with it. The scroll bar is locking, I can't download pictures straight from the camera to the computer, and the camera is draining the battery while it's off - it won't hold a charge for more than 12 hours.
Rhymes with James: That's it? (Isn't that enough?)
Meek Melissa: Yes
Rhymes with James: (silence, silence... so much that he barely utters another word to me during the transaction. He holds out his sinister hand and without looking at me says) Credit Card (I hand him the credit card, he swipes it and gives me a receipt)
Meek Melissa: Thanks
Rhymes with James: (more silence)
Mind you, he never even opened the box to make sure everything was in there - I could have returned a brick and gotten my $375 back. I was going to ask him if they had any other camera bodies I could look at, but since I felt like I was totally inconveniencing him already, I decided just to head back to the camera department.
And guess who followed me back to help me? My new friend, James. (Oops! Didn't mean to leak his name!) So, this is fun!
Me: I just wanted to see if you had any other D50 bodies back here - I'd really like to have one.
James: We don't have any.
Me: I've been working with Scott (who has been excellent to work with), and he said they had two more up in Carmel.
James: They don't have them in Carmel. Everything that is refurbished is here. I don't know why he told you that. (His face was all distorted like I was a common idiot for asking)
Me: Can you call Carmel and check for me?
James: (looks at his watch) Store's not open yet. (it opened in 10 minutes, as if nobody were there already) Can't check.
Me: What is your name?
James: (for the first time, he makes eye contact and has a little confidence in his voice) James (as if he's all polite)
Me: Thanks.
So, I walk out, totally discouraged. I call Lauren, and he said this guy can be "gruff" sometimes. I prefer the term asshole, but hey. So, I'm almost home when Lauren calls again and says that he called Roberts in Carmel (they answered the phones before they opened! Can you believe that??) and they did, in fact, have two D50 bodies, and were holding one for me. I drove up there, and the guys were really nice. I got my D50 and a few other little things, paid, and came home.
Here's where the banking fun comes in. When I logged onto my bank account, it was low by about $800, which was a little shocking. The Roberts transactions weren't on there yet, but there was a discrepancy between my available balance in two places on the website. When I pulled out the receipts, I realized that even though I got nasty service and actually took the camera back, I have been charged for it twice. Twice!! The jerk debited my account instead of credited it! And... since I picked up a new camera at Roberts in Carmel, I essentially paid three times for one camera. Lovely. I added up the amounts and, voila, the amount I'm short by equals my camera times two (plus a few incidentals).
Yesterday I decided not to call and complain about the service. Today, since I need to clear this up, I will be complaining. Heads will roll today, folks, heads will roll.
The fun news is that I love the camera. Here's one of my favorite new pictures:
Argh. So frustrated.
Friday, March 7, 2008
a little campfire goes a long way
So we've finally gotten the flu, or something like it. When I say "we," what I really mean is that the boys have it now, and I will have it soon. Poor Evan has had a fever for a few days, and today spent all day sleeping. So, loving my son like I do, I decided to build a fire for him in the fireplace. We just got a new batch of firewood, and for some reason, it's very smoky. Most of it is being drawn up into the chimney, but now the whole house smells like campfire. And, like I said, a little goes a long way. I've got the fans on, candles burning, and I put the fire out (I only let it burn a few minutes). Now we're headed upstairs so I can open the windows down here and let in the 20 degree air. Lovely. It's overwhelming, really. Nauseating.
We're watching Spiderman 2. It really is a good movie.
I've realized after blogging for a few months that I don't really write much with any substance. I used to write every day - I kept journals starting when I was about 14, and wrote all the time until I had Ben. Funny things happen when you have kids... I went from writing about philosophy and religion to writing about things like poo and juice boxes. It's all part of the job I guess, eh?
I ended up getting a back up camera, a refurbished Nikon D50. It's nice because the batteries/charger/lenses are all compatible with what I have now, and I got it for a very reasonable price. I also have a new backdrop coming in the next few days - it's a white vinyl one (the ones where you can't tell where the wall blends into the floor) and I'm super excited about trying it out. I got my D70 cleaned up and learned how to do a sensor cleaning, so now it's in good condition again. I'm excited! :)
I need to go mop up some snot. Have a good one.
We're watching Spiderman 2. It really is a good movie.
I've realized after blogging for a few months that I don't really write much with any substance. I used to write every day - I kept journals starting when I was about 14, and wrote all the time until I had Ben. Funny things happen when you have kids... I went from writing about philosophy and religion to writing about things like poo and juice boxes. It's all part of the job I guess, eh?
I ended up getting a back up camera, a refurbished Nikon D50. It's nice because the batteries/charger/lenses are all compatible with what I have now, and I got it for a very reasonable price. I also have a new backdrop coming in the next few days - it's a white vinyl one (the ones where you can't tell where the wall blends into the floor) and I'm super excited about trying it out. I got my D70 cleaned up and learned how to do a sensor cleaning, so now it's in good condition again. I'm excited! :)
I need to go mop up some snot. Have a good one.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Finally!
Oh my goodness, did you all enjoy the spectacular weather today? I didn't realize how nice it was going to be! I did pictures at 2:00, and walked outside and was amazed! When I got back, I got the boys ready and went for a long walk. We got back and we all wanted to stay outside longer. We never raked the leaves last fall - we wanted to wait until everything had fallen (what's the point of raking every few days?), and by the time everything did, it was snowing. So, now that last fall's leaves are matted into the lawn, I decided to rake today. The boys got their bikes out and got all muddy and dirty - one of the little things you miss in the winter. We even have tulips that are peeking out of the dirt! We found a caterpillar in the leaves and Ben (Superhero wannabe) freaked out. I looked up at one point and counted fifteen people (and five dogs) walking on the street... everyone is finally out of hibernation (until the weather drops again, that is)! We walked to one of the local pizza places down the street and had dinner. I love that today was warm!!
Man, what a nice day. We have the windows open and the fans on to get some fresh air in here. This worked out well today - we decided to do a no-TV day today because the tv watching is getting a little out of hand. I think we should do it every Sunday - it's been kind of nice. So, now we are headed upstairs to read some books and go to bed.
Funny story (it's only funny because I'm in a good mood from the weather) - we had breadsticks with our dinner tonight, and Evan realized that you can sip up marinara through a straw and shoot it out. Luckily, it only got on the table (and a little in Daddy's cup). I am so ready for him to be out of this phase.
:)
Man, what a nice day. We have the windows open and the fans on to get some fresh air in here. This worked out well today - we decided to do a no-TV day today because the tv watching is getting a little out of hand. I think we should do it every Sunday - it's been kind of nice. So, now we are headed upstairs to read some books and go to bed.
Funny story (it's only funny because I'm in a good mood from the weather) - we had breadsticks with our dinner tonight, and Evan realized that you can sip up marinara through a straw and shoot it out. Luckily, it only got on the table (and a little in Daddy's cup). I am so ready for him to be out of this phase.
:)
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
oh no...
I just realized... if the boys are in swim lessons and I have to get in, I seriously need to do some swimsuit shopping. I've been hiding in my maternity swimsuit since 2003. Sadly, it still fits.
Can you hear me crying?
I actually got a suit from oldnavy.com, and it was cute on the model online! Not so cute on me. It fit okay, but showed uber cleavage, more than I care to share. I sent it back today.
I got the jeans shopping thing down, now it's time to tackle swimsuits. I am so not looking forward to this. If anyone has any suggestions (other than losing monster weight), please feel free to share.
You know, shopping in general kind of sucks sometimes. Like, I found a bra that was about 90% perfect, and now they've discontinued it, of course. I can't even find it online anywhere. I realized if I do the short, boot cut jeans from Old Navy, they are always going to fit. Score. But swimsuits? I bought one in high school, one in college and one when I was pregnant. They're not for fashion, but sadly, function. I used to swim laps so I'd get the athletic ones. In Harry Potter they have the Cloak of Invisibility... I wonder if anyone makes a swimsuit in that style. I would pay for anything that could hide the former baby bump (that still IS a baby bump).
Ho hum.
Can you hear me crying?
I actually got a suit from oldnavy.com, and it was cute on the model online! Not so cute on me. It fit okay, but showed uber cleavage, more than I care to share. I sent it back today.
I got the jeans shopping thing down, now it's time to tackle swimsuits. I am so not looking forward to this. If anyone has any suggestions (other than losing monster weight), please feel free to share.
You know, shopping in general kind of sucks sometimes. Like, I found a bra that was about 90% perfect, and now they've discontinued it, of course. I can't even find it online anywhere. I realized if I do the short, boot cut jeans from Old Navy, they are always going to fit. Score. But swimsuits? I bought one in high school, one in college and one when I was pregnant. They're not for fashion, but sadly, function. I used to swim laps so I'd get the athletic ones. In Harry Potter they have the Cloak of Invisibility... I wonder if anyone makes a swimsuit in that style. I would pay for anything that could hide the former baby bump (that still IS a baby bump).
Ho hum.
killing time
I've been listening to Tech Talk with Lauren for about ten minutes now. I haven't even said anything for that long... he's talking about his computer. It is so painful it makes me want to cry. All I have to do is say "uh huh" every few minutes. I don't have the heart to tell him that I don't give a $^!*. He loves technology. I'd so much rather be talking about .... actually, nothing. What I wouldn't give for some quiet... atleast the blog is making me forget about the words going in my right ear and coming out the left.
Thankfully Ben just ripped the phone out of my ear. Ben can always make him change the subject.
Lauren got the boys signed up for swim lessons at the Raymond Park Aquatic Center. Ben will be in a class with 3-5 year olds, and Evan will be in a 3-36 month class with me. I'm glad Ben will not be with me - he's really scared of getting his face wet. Maybe he'll work better with someone he doesn't know.
Ben gave the phone back. Lauren is rambling. Surprise!
So I've been working a temp job for about three weeks now, and they offered me a full time position. It's an A/P & Payroll position, and pays pretty well. It's a non-profit organization in Castleton that has health care clinics around the state for low-income individuals. I'm hoping everything works out - I've been "offered" full time positions before, then they do layoffs just before it's time to get hired on. I'll believe it and get excited when it happens!
Still listening to rambling. Now it's onto his GPS, which is a nice break from computer chat. We're at 22 minutes now. Blah blah blah Microsoft blah blah blah license blah blah blah battery blah blah blah desktop blah blah blah.....
Somebody save me, please???
Thankfully Ben just ripped the phone out of my ear. Ben can always make him change the subject.
Lauren got the boys signed up for swim lessons at the Raymond Park Aquatic Center. Ben will be in a class with 3-5 year olds, and Evan will be in a 3-36 month class with me. I'm glad Ben will not be with me - he's really scared of getting his face wet. Maybe he'll work better with someone he doesn't know.
Ben gave the phone back. Lauren is rambling. Surprise!
So I've been working a temp job for about three weeks now, and they offered me a full time position. It's an A/P & Payroll position, and pays pretty well. It's a non-profit organization in Castleton that has health care clinics around the state for low-income individuals. I'm hoping everything works out - I've been "offered" full time positions before, then they do layoffs just before it's time to get hired on. I'll believe it and get excited when it happens!
Still listening to rambling. Now it's onto his GPS, which is a nice break from computer chat. We're at 22 minutes now. Blah blah blah Microsoft blah blah blah license blah blah blah battery blah blah blah desktop blah blah blah.....
Somebody save me, please???
Monday, February 18, 2008
What's grosser than gross?
DISCLAIMER: If you have a weak stomach, you may want to pass this one up.
Remember that game you used to play when you were ten, and you'd ask your friend what's grosser than gross? Here's one I remember:
What's grosser than gross? You pooped your pants. What's grosser than that? You took them off and threw them against the wall. What's grosser than that? They slid down the wall. What's grosser than that? They walked back up again.
Yeah, it's stupid. It's like the diarrhea song, which brings me to my next point.
Evan had a fever last night and this morning, and all three of the guys have had diarrhea since then. So, last night Ben comes down the stairs naked. Here's how it went down:
B: Mommy, I think I had diarrhea or something.
M: (Does anyone else find this hilarious that our initials are BM? Moving on..)
Are you okay?
B: Yeah, I had a little accident.
M: (I head upstairs) Do you need help?
B: Yeah. I think it was diarrhea or something. It's kind of grayish-brown. I tried to go to the bathroom, and just felt a splat.
M: Let's get you cleaned up.
(I walk in the bathroom, and there is no mess, and no underwear. I cleaned him up.)
M: Ben, where is your underwear?
B: I don't know.
M: Ben, you know where your underwear is. Where is it?
B: I'll go get it.
M: (I follow him into his room and turn on the light)
B: I think it's behind the toybox.
M: (eww eww eww)
M: How did it get behind the toybox?
B: I don't know.
Yeah, seriously, he threw his diarrhea underwear in the corner, behind the toybox. I felt so bad for him - it's been such a long time since he's had an accident, even at night, and I know he was embarassed. On the other hand, seriously, EWWWW! I had to clean diarrhea off the wall, toy box and out of the carpet. It was grosser than gross.
Ewww.
Remember that game you used to play when you were ten, and you'd ask your friend what's grosser than gross? Here's one I remember:
What's grosser than gross? You pooped your pants. What's grosser than that? You took them off and threw them against the wall. What's grosser than that? They slid down the wall. What's grosser than that? They walked back up again.
Yeah, it's stupid. It's like the diarrhea song, which brings me to my next point.
Evan had a fever last night and this morning, and all three of the guys have had diarrhea since then. So, last night Ben comes down the stairs naked. Here's how it went down:
B: Mommy, I think I had diarrhea or something.
M: (Does anyone else find this hilarious that our initials are BM? Moving on..)
Are you okay?
B: Yeah, I had a little accident.
M: (I head upstairs) Do you need help?
B: Yeah. I think it was diarrhea or something. It's kind of grayish-brown. I tried to go to the bathroom, and just felt a splat.
M: Let's get you cleaned up.
(I walk in the bathroom, and there is no mess, and no underwear. I cleaned him up.)
M: Ben, where is your underwear?
B: I don't know.
M: Ben, you know where your underwear is. Where is it?
B: I'll go get it.
M: (I follow him into his room and turn on the light)
B: I think it's behind the toybox.
M: (eww eww eww)
M: How did it get behind the toybox?
B: I don't know.
Yeah, seriously, he threw his diarrhea underwear in the corner, behind the toybox. I felt so bad for him - it's been such a long time since he's had an accident, even at night, and I know he was embarassed. On the other hand, seriously, EWWWW! I had to clean diarrhea off the wall, toy box and out of the carpet. It was grosser than gross.
Ewww.
Friday, February 15, 2008
permanent blog
I could seriously write the same exact blog every day with growing compassion. There would be two topics: one would be my strange habit of waking around 2 am, totally unable to sleep, and the second would be how much I absolutely despise winter.
Yeah, so I wake up around 2 am every morning for no reason. I get up, I pee, and it's over. I'm awake. No bad dreams tonight, I had zero caffeine or alcohol yesterday... just awake. I'm too tired to do anything productive, really, so I usually blog or Nick at Nite.
I've tried to find the positive side to winter. I've tried really hard. I just flat out hate it. I was talking to my aunt who lives in Louisiana, and she was like "Why would anyone want to live somewhere that cold on purpose?" Good question. Now, I've heard there are actually people who thrive in winter, whose bodies are conditioned for it... I believe it's urban legend. I was thinking this the other day... when I had to scrape the ice off my car to go to work in the morning. Then again, after my car was at work, because the initial trip warmed my car enough to melt the new snow, then cooled down enough to make a perfect sheet of ice on the car again. That was just lunch time... I even got to do it a third time before I went home. Then... this is the cherry on top. I went to get gas and the gas tank was iced shut. 20 degrees out, windy, and my ass is at the Speedway station with a ball point pen trying to clear the ice out enough to put gas in the car. So... please remind me, why am I not sane like the rest of my family who is in LA??
Seriously, March 21 couldn't come fast enough. Bring on the sun! Bring on the green grass and the open windows and the fresh air! I'm tired of being trapped in the house. I'm tired of the cold feet and the 10 minutes of bundling we have to do every time we want to run outside. Last year we moved into the house in the winter, and the neighborhood totally came out of hibernation once the weather started to warm up. It was wonderful! People out taking walks, riding bikes and enjoying themselves. People we'd see many times a day we now haven't seen since about November. It's like side-by-side bomb shelters... one day we'll all come out a year older and two shades paler.
Punxatawny... couldn't you deliver one early one for us some time? Please?
Yeah, so I wake up around 2 am every morning for no reason. I get up, I pee, and it's over. I'm awake. No bad dreams tonight, I had zero caffeine or alcohol yesterday... just awake. I'm too tired to do anything productive, really, so I usually blog or Nick at Nite.
I've tried to find the positive side to winter. I've tried really hard. I just flat out hate it. I was talking to my aunt who lives in Louisiana, and she was like "Why would anyone want to live somewhere that cold on purpose?" Good question. Now, I've heard there are actually people who thrive in winter, whose bodies are conditioned for it... I believe it's urban legend. I was thinking this the other day... when I had to scrape the ice off my car to go to work in the morning. Then again, after my car was at work, because the initial trip warmed my car enough to melt the new snow, then cooled down enough to make a perfect sheet of ice on the car again. That was just lunch time... I even got to do it a third time before I went home. Then... this is the cherry on top. I went to get gas and the gas tank was iced shut. 20 degrees out, windy, and my ass is at the Speedway station with a ball point pen trying to clear the ice out enough to put gas in the car. So... please remind me, why am I not sane like the rest of my family who is in LA??
Seriously, March 21 couldn't come fast enough. Bring on the sun! Bring on the green grass and the open windows and the fresh air! I'm tired of being trapped in the house. I'm tired of the cold feet and the 10 minutes of bundling we have to do every time we want to run outside. Last year we moved into the house in the winter, and the neighborhood totally came out of hibernation once the weather started to warm up. It was wonderful! People out taking walks, riding bikes and enjoying themselves. People we'd see many times a day we now haven't seen since about November. It's like side-by-side bomb shelters... one day we'll all come out a year older and two shades paler.
Punxatawny... couldn't you deliver one early one for us some time? Please?
Thursday, February 14, 2008
kimodo alligator
Hi. It's 2 am. I'm awake. I have to be awake again in four hours, and I'm awake now.
The past two nights I've had really bad nightmares - the kind that wake you up, jumping out of bed, and then you can't get back to sleep.
We have some friends who live in Staten Island, Dave and Marsha. Marsha works in downtown NYC, and was taking the Staten Island ferry the morning of 9/11. She saw the first plane hit the WTC, and said the plane was close enough to her that they could see the passengers in the windows, and could see the fear in their faces.
So, last night in my dream, I was on a flight, but we saw a missile underneath us tear through about five buildings in NYC, and somehow we knew we were the next missile. Did I mention the missile was fluorescent camouflage, like Austin Powers' jumbo jet?
Today, I got off work early and stopped by the library to exchange books for the boys. Evan loves dragons, and I found a book about kimodo dragons. I flipped through it at the library, but we haven't read this one yet. So, tonight I had a dream that I bought both a kimodo dragon and some other kind of creepy animal for Evan. I put the animals down in our room (which was my room growing up), and left them there until Lauren got home from work. When he got home, the boys were asleep and I took him in the room to show him the pets. The dragon was on a new chair, and I was afraid it was going to poo on the new white pillow that was on the new brown chair. The other random animal turned into a bag of chocolate milk. Suddenly, the dragon's head grew into a foot-long alligator head, and it started to move. I was on the bed, thinking I was safe, and it jumped over to the bed and onto my back and it's face was in my face. I seriously jumped out of bed and grabbed Lauren. Luckily, Mr. Snore didn't budge.
So, now, even if I was tired I couldn't sleep because of the noise level in the bedroom. I'm on the couch, watching the Cosby Show, trying to forget about the pet that never was.
I am SO taking the book back to the library first thing in the morning.
The past two nights I've had really bad nightmares - the kind that wake you up, jumping out of bed, and then you can't get back to sleep.
We have some friends who live in Staten Island, Dave and Marsha. Marsha works in downtown NYC, and was taking the Staten Island ferry the morning of 9/11. She saw the first plane hit the WTC, and said the plane was close enough to her that they could see the passengers in the windows, and could see the fear in their faces.
So, last night in my dream, I was on a flight, but we saw a missile underneath us tear through about five buildings in NYC, and somehow we knew we were the next missile. Did I mention the missile was fluorescent camouflage, like Austin Powers' jumbo jet?
Today, I got off work early and stopped by the library to exchange books for the boys. Evan loves dragons, and I found a book about kimodo dragons. I flipped through it at the library, but we haven't read this one yet. So, tonight I had a dream that I bought both a kimodo dragon and some other kind of creepy animal for Evan. I put the animals down in our room (which was my room growing up), and left them there until Lauren got home from work. When he got home, the boys were asleep and I took him in the room to show him the pets. The dragon was on a new chair, and I was afraid it was going to poo on the new white pillow that was on the new brown chair. The other random animal turned into a bag of chocolate milk. Suddenly, the dragon's head grew into a foot-long alligator head, and it started to move. I was on the bed, thinking I was safe, and it jumped over to the bed and onto my back and it's face was in my face. I seriously jumped out of bed and grabbed Lauren. Luckily, Mr. Snore didn't budge.
So, now, even if I was tired I couldn't sleep because of the noise level in the bedroom. I'm on the couch, watching the Cosby Show, trying to forget about the pet that never was.
I am SO taking the book back to the library first thing in the morning.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
