Music I like....and hate

I hate:

The Carpenters
Any barbershop-style crap
The Beach Boys
Any "artist" whose name spells something (IceT, Lud-a-cris)

I love:

Otis Redding
Sam & Dave
Sammy Haggar
Al Greene
Def Leppard
Annie Lennox
Joe Cocker

Just thought I'd share.
Stevie Wonder

Yes, well, ummmmmm

No excuses. I'm lazy.

Check this out:


http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/today/index.ssf/2008/12/holland_township_family_angry.html

Those kids are named Adolph Hitler, Himmler, etc. I hope they all grow up to be gay, lesbian, NPR-listening, PFLAG membership-holding, tree hugging, tofu eating, minority-marrying, Martin Luther King-loving adults.

What a shame. Hooray for Costco!

This is my day

Feed kids
Feed dogs
Coffee
Get kids dressed
Shower
Get me ready
Boy to school
Girl to orthodontist
Girl back to school
Me to 1st job
Me to 2nd job
Pick up kids
Home
Let dogs out (such a production)
Find something to cook for dinner
Help with homework
Do dishes
Start dinner
Feed family
Try to squeeze in some fundraiser tallying
Exercise
PTO
More fundraiser tallying
TV?
Collapse

Somewhere in there will be hosing the kids down to stop their fighting, eating lunch, driving, phone calls, checking email, cleaning something, and my wonderful husband.

I'm going back to bed.

Hey stranger, come here often?

Just reading over at Without Wax about what age kids should be allowed to call eachother. Tough call. You catch that pun? Chortle chortle.

Boy had a girl call him last school year REPEATEDLY. Thankfully, she always called when we weren't here. The few calls he does get now are from boys, and they talk about 3.4 seconds and laugh about 13 minutes.

Girl doesn't get calls, which I think is a little strange. When I was her age, I was calling my friends to chat & stuff. Several of her friends have cell phones, which is ridiculous. What does a 10 yo need a cell phone for? What Barbie emergency will they have that will require the use of a cell? Can you say over-indulged?

There's no school today, so we are home. Boy is being a beast. Him need nap. Must go clean, for that is my mission.

God is Good!

BIL's spots have gotten smaller! This is good. However, his attitude is low. He says they are "just buying time". I don't know anything about cancer, let alone brain cancer, but I do know that a positive attitude can go a long way in beating any illness.

I guess it's hard to be positive when you have cancer in your head. I know it would be for me.

We must weather the weather

Why does the weather always change when an outside event is scheduled? We haven't had rain in ages, and since boy has a field trip to the zoo scheduled for today, it's raining. Not hard, just a cold sprinkle with a lot of wind.

Don't get me wrong, I love weather. I love changing weather. I get a kick out of watching the seasons change. I have The Weather Channel bookmarked in my Favorites. But I'm more of a let's-watch-the-rain-from-the-window-with-a-cup-of-coffee-type. Not big on being out in it.

Still no word on BIL. He's going through some very heavy fatigue, the source of which can't be traced. But he's still with us, and we're still praying. Right now, I guess that's the best we can get.

How great is this?

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20081001/wl_uk_afp/britainhealthtobaccocancer

I love it. I grew up with an inconsiderate smoker, one who's idea of rolling down the car window so we could breath involved moving the glass about 1/8". If we tried to roll down our window, we were yelled at.

Working in a school, I smell the kids who come from smoking homes, and I cringe at the thought of how we smelled. The odor gets into everything - hair, backpacks, clothes. Given the lack of laundry-doing in my childhood home, I'm sure our aroma was a mix of dog, smoke, unwashed child and dirty laundry.

How is drawing smoke into your lungs appealing? I can only hope that these photos will deter people from picking up the habit.

I have a suggestion for another way to deter smoking - put the would-be smokers in the back seat of a 1964 Ford Fury station wagon (no seat belts, of course), pack them in four across the seat, and put a smoker at the wheel with his window rolled down .2386". See how much they like it, old style. Worked for me.

No news yet

So Fred went to the doctor last week, only to find out that he has to wait 2 more weeks to get his MRI read. What a psych! Can you imagine having 7 big ol' tumors on your brain, then waiting 4 weeks to find out whether they have grown, and then be told, "uh, sorry, you have to keep waiting". I think I'd be a little upset. Yeah. That's it. Upset.

The New Epileptic Barbie

I just saw a commercial for a new Bratz doll that you can make "dance". Or move thier head and upper body in this twitchy way. I swear it looks like they are having a seizure. I'm sure young girls will think this is so cool. Personally, I don't want my 9 yo shaking her goodies like that.

Girl loves her Barbies and Bratz, but only for the clothes and hair. She spends hours changing outfits and making new 'dos. They sometimes go shopping, or hang out in Barbie's townhouse. That Barbie has a groovy pad, you know.

Why are we asking our girls to grow up so fast? Why are we encouraging them to be tramps? My day will be made when Amish Barbie hits the shelves. Her accessories will be a basket of cookies, flat shoes, a box of thank you notes and a bra.

Dare to dream?

We still don't know

The BIL never called yesterday with test results. I can only think this means bad news. Yikes.

On a lighter note, I disabled the requirement that you be a "member" to post comments to my blog. Now any old shmoo can say whatever he or she wants.

My cat is biting my arm. It's gonna be one of those days.

Time to hit your knees.

My BIL finds out tomorrow if his 7 brain tumors were helped by chemo. We're all praying for good news. Please send your prayers, good energy, happy thoughts, small amounts of cash, what ever you can spare, because he needs it. Pray for guidance for the doctors and medical staff.

This is scary stuff.

How true is this?

http://www.parents.com/dgroups/persona.jsp?userId=c3e4f3100d632bf98d849ba36532e9b1&plckController=PersonaBlog&plckScript=personaScript&plckElementId=personaDest&plckPersonaPage=BlogViewPost&plckPostId=Blog%3ac3e4f3100d632bf98d849ba36532e9b1Post%3ac6ce8a20-2f4a-464c-a0d1-93fbbc0ab15d

I know someone who has two nerdy sons who are always well-slicked, tucked and belted. These poor boys have hair so well-shellacked that it's still shiny at the end of the day. The mom is probably the type who won't let them sit on their beds after she makes them in the morning.

This mom also ALWAYS has fresh-baked cookies waiting for her two playground targets when they get home. After she picks them up from school in her minivan. She puts the cookies in the oven. Picks up the kids. And.....PRESTO! The cookies are done when they get home. Can you imagine how long it took to get that timing down?

This person makes me sad. She has absolutely no life other than waiting on her family. She doesn't work outside the home. She smiles and bakes cookies and makes beds.

What would she do if her husband were to die? What skills could she use to support her family? I fear that she is so wrapped up in her little perfect world that this scenario hasn't been considered.

I guess she's probably too busy baking cookies.

Yeah, yeah, yeah

OK, so I'm a big fat liar and I haven't posted for a LONG time. Life got in the way of life. School fundraiser and cheerleading and dogs and work.

Today is the Fall Festival parade. Both kids are in it. Girl is riding the cheerleading float, and boy is riding the soccer float. Each has a bag of 200 dum dums to throw. Hope that is enough.

I've realized that I'm a very bad friend. I missed a good friend's birthday on the 14th. I had a present and everything, I just totally spaced it off. I could give lots of reasons, but I just forgot. How to make it up to her? Can I? Time will tell.

Must get ready for the parade. Yeehaw.

Ooops

Yeah, well, I've been kinda busy. Vacation. School started. You know, the usual. Plus, I'm the co-chair of my kid's school fundraiser, and president of a group at church. I know, wah wah wah, but I really have been busy.

I promise I'll post lots of crap later today.

Where have I been?

I'm so sorry, but life has been taking over my life.

The happy news - the boy has been released from the doctor and physical therapy. His arm is at 99.9% of what it was before the break. Happy, happy day!

Also, both kids went to the dentist yesterday and neither had cavaties.

And, I got my whole house cleaned the other day.

And, I get 4 hours alone today when I get my hair did. I'm going to a new gal, the mom of Sarah's best friend. She is really fun, so I'm looking forward to spending some time with her. I got a great sitter for the kids, too. The daughter of a good friend who knows how to raise her kids right.

Today, most of life is sa-weet.

The down side is that we found out a couple of days ago that Chuck's brother's cancer is back. This time it's in his brain. Seven spots, all over the place. He was diagnosed with lung cancer about 8 months ago, and after chemo and surgery, was recovering well. Since this new episode is so close in time to the first, the doctors know that the spots are malignant cancer. He started an intense, 10-day chemo treatment yesterday, then will wait 4-6 weeks to see what the next treatment should be.

This is so not good. Fred is only 40 years old. He has 3 kids, a wife, and a great career. He's never smoked and exercised DAILY. He was in the best shape of anyone I know. This disease is such a random thing for him, which is scary.

Now Chuck and I each have 2 immediate family members who have had cancer. 2 of those died from the cancer, one beat it, and one is going through it. It's a true miracle that we aren't one of those 4.

So, if you are the praying type, please send up a few for Fred. If you aren't the praying type, send some good thoughts his way. He needs all the help he can get.

My tonsils didn't weigh 12 lbs., but I have lost weight

I'm on day 4 post-tonsillectomy. It's getting a little better, but I can't believe how much I'm sleeping. Like more than ususal. Like all day. I laid down at 4:00 today and Chuck woke me up at 8:00. It's now 8:49 and I can't wait to go back to bed.

Having your tonsils out is a great way to lose weight, if you can stand constant, burning pain, the inability to cough or clear your throat and swallow. I don't know how much I've lost, but since Tuesday I've eaten a little ramen soup, some tiny marshmallows, a little ice cream and a can of spaghetti o's. And lots of Lortab. Yummy. Can you believe I also have a bottle of Oxycontin? Isn't that the stuff that I could sell on a street corner? Sweet. I was wondering how we were going to finance our next vacation.

The kids picked out their new book bags for school. Carson got Kung Fu Panda, and Sarah got a Hannah Montana messenger bag. Carson has had the same Spiderman backpack since preschool, so I think he's due for a new one. Sarah goes through at least one a year. I don't understand this difference. My girl just destroys book bags.

I desperately need a hair cut. And a color.

I'm rambling. I blame the Lortab.

The joy of vomit

Like that one, do ya? My dog just upchucked on my croc, while my foot was in it. Not the most pleasurable of sensations.

Yesterday I took a carload of kids to church camp, including my girl. It was way harder on me than it was on her. It helped that they were going swimming as soon as they unpacked, and that her dad is a counselor this year, and that several kids from church/school are there, too. It's like a week-long sleepover for her.

So me and the boy are together all week. This is a first. We've never had time like this together. He can be a bit difficult at times. This attitude of his makes me want to start "a week alone in your room camp", but I'll save that treat for another post. I'm thinking we'll hit the movies today, since there is a 60% chance of rain. I'll let him choose between WallE or Kung Fu Panda. Either way, I get popcorn and a nap, so it really doesn't matter.

I'm thinking I need to sweep my floors, do some dishes, fill the dog water. I also need to make a hair appt. for me and get a vet appt. for Tate. But that would require effort (insert whine here). I think I'll make another cup of coffee and play some Literati. Look at me go. Zoom.

A week of freedom....almost

Husband and daughter are headed to church camp next week. Husband leaves Sunday; daughter on Monday. I'll have 5 husbandless and daughterless days. Just me and the boy. I've been trying to come up with an activity that will keep him occupied for 5 days straight - Lego marathon, counting the hairs on the cat, learning advanced physics - but none seem quite right. The child is only 7.

I'm actually hoping for some quality time with my boy. Any suggestions?

Say AAAAAAAH

I'm getting my tonsils taken out on July 15. This is a very good thing, as I am a frequent strep throat customer, and strep for me is particularly bad. Lots of cold sweats, shaking, vomiting, you get the picture. Knowing that I don't have to endure that again makes surgery totally worth it.

I'm hoping that my tonsils weigh 12 pounds each, and that the doctor finds them located on my outer thighs. Keep your fingers crossed.

How much do lifeguards make?

We broke down and bought a pool. Just one of those above-ground jobs, but it's pretty big. About 2,000 gallons worth of big. I think it's 13' x 4'. Sheesh, that's a lot of drowning potential. We set it up Sunday and started filling it. The kids would have donated internal organs to get in that water, but us meanies said "No".

Yesterday, Monday, it rained all day. High was 70. You can imagine the water temp in the device of drowning. But the kids wouldn't give up. Chuck and I looked at eachother with a smirk, thinking "Yeah, they'll get in and the temp will automatically pop them out like a turkey thermometor." But in that water they stayed. And stayed. Carson made it about an hour, and Sarah a little longer. THIS DOES NOT COMPUTE IN MY LITTLE BRAIN.

How do kid's endure freezing temperatures? Does the fun factor outweigh the suffering?

The pool is full now, but we are expecting more rain today and the high is more of a low. Will this deter them? We shall see.

I've got that feeling again

OMG, I had strep, AGAIN, this weekend. It was a repeat of this weekend last year. Violent vomiting the weekend before VBS and my birthday. Yahoo. Such a lovely tradition.

On the bright side, I was able to catch it early, so I was only in bed for a day and a half. I did miss a friend's party, which I was looking forward to, which stinks.

VBS starts today. Always a good time.

Today is my 41st birthday. I still feel like I'm 15.

If I were a superhero, I'd want to be called the Elastic Waistband.

Happy birthday to me!

Disney Channel Needs Some New Talent

Seriously, Mitchell Musso - why? He is the most unattractive boy. Please, someone, give him a bag.

TMI, sister

We're at the library the other day, and I'm using the computerized card catalog. The woman next to me has a copy of the latest Land's End catalog, and she is obviously ordering something. Being that I LOVE Land's End stuff, I asked her what she was ordering. "Some shorts, a shirt, and a swimsuit" she says. I started telling her about my Land's End suit and how much I like it. Turns out she is ordering the same one - one with shorts as a bottom. "I already have one, and I love it. Plus, I just can't shave what I have to to wear a regular swimsuit."

Well shut my mouth.

Today was a good day

Today, Sarah and I had "mommy/girl time" at the mall, and then we all went to a movie together. The new Indiana Jones movie isn't as good as the first ones, but it was nice to be together.

Carson is doing great. He's still getting tired early in the evening, but otherwise is coming along.

Life is nice & boring, just the way I like it.

Day 2

Carson is doing much better this morning. Ibuprofen is controlling his pain today, so we are laying off the Tylenol with codiene. Yes, the doctor told us to avoid Ibuprofen, because some studies show that it can slow healing, but when you are dealing with a 7 year old who's had surgery and is writhing in pain, ya' gotta' do what ya' gotta' do. It's nice to have him back from the fog of narcotics.

His baseball team had their first game last night, and Carson went to cheer them on. He was pretty doped up, but sat through about 1/2 the game. I was proud of him for supporting his friends. Moments like that make me thing we're doing something right.

Today's schedule is laundry, dishes, bathrooms and floors. Oh, the excitement! Truly, I have an awesome life and wouldn't change a thing.

It's my first time, please be gentle...

This is my first post. Who am I? I'm Susan Wolfe, and I live in Kansas. I'm married with 2 kids - 9 y.o. Sarah and 7 y.o. Carson. We have 3 dogs (2 boxers and a rat terrier) and 2 cats.

I'll post again soon with dirty laundry.