MORE FROM GOOEY...

Gooey: "Can I use your back scratcher? My back is scratchy (translation: itchy)."

Daddeee: "You can use it but leave it here."

Gooey: "I can't have your back scratcher?"

Daddeee: "No. I'll leave it to you in my will." <---Daddeee trying to be funny...unsuccessfully

Gooey: "When I get bigger, I'm going to have a back scratcher like yours."


Way to dream big, son!

ANOTHER GOOEY FUNNY...

A house down the street from us has one of these in their front yard along with one of those large blow up snowmen. The other night we were on our way home and passed that house. Gooey got all excited and pointed out the large snowman.

Gooey: "Look, Mommeee, at that large snowman!"

Me: "Yes, I see it. Isn't that neat?"

Gooey: "It is."

And then he points out the snowglobe and says,

Gooey: "And look at that snowman tank!"

Snowman Tank? Too funny!

IT'S BEGINNING TO SMELL LIKE CHRISTMAS...

Yes, I said smell, not look. I despise Christmas decorations but I do them for the kids. They just make the house look so cluttered and I'm allergic to clutter (I sneeze a lot because my house is cluttered from 2 boys and a husband).

I said smell because the house smells like Christmas. There's a candy cane scented candle burning in the living room and there's a cookie-baking residue scent in the air from Christmas cookie baking last night.

Packages wrapped...check.
Gooey tucked in bed...check.
Chocolate chip cookies...check.
Peanut Butter cookies...check.
Champagne for Mimosas** chilling...check.
**nice excuse to drink first thing in the morning
Stockings stuffed...next on the list.
Breakfast casserole made...second on the list.

Yes, I'm making my casserole tonight because, well, that's what the recipe says to do. I like this recipe because I can make it tonight, chill in the fridgedaire, then pop it in the oven tomorrow when, at the butt crack of dawn, the kids wake me up to see what Santa brought.

Among those 2 things to get done, I need to go in search of a kerchief or at least find out what the heck it is. Why, you ask? Well, because the story says so. "Mom in her kerchief and I in my cap". Daddeee has plenty of caps. I just don't think I own a kerchief. Does that mean we can't settle down for a long winters nap? Try and stop me!

And why is it that I can't seem to get through these sorts of festivities without an injury? Tonight I managed to slice my finger with the fillet knife. I'm on my second band-aid and am in need of a third one. What would Christmas eve be without a trip to the emergency room for stitches? I don't think it's that serious, though. At least I hope not.

Well, now that I've rambled on enough, I'll leave you with this.

Whatever holiday you celebrate, I wish you a Happy One and a Prosperous New Year (in case I don't catch you before then).

PS. are all of your presents wrapped?
PPS. Will you send me a hot EMT to save me from my bleeding finger? I prefer them scantly clad with big muscles.

CSI COOKIE CUTTER...

(insert favorite CSI theme song here)

This is what happens when good cookies go bad:


AKA WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

AKA FAMILY CHRISTMAS COOKIE BAKING NIGHT

AKA DADDEEE'S MORBID SENSE OF HUMOR

MORE ORNAMENTS...

I wanted to share a few more ornaments from our family Christmas tree.

This ornament I got several years ago but for the life of me I can't remember where it came from. Of course, I can't remember what I had for lunch today so that's not a big surprise. The picture isn't fabulous but in case you can't tell, it's Foghorn Leghorn, son.

I picked this one up when The Teenager was a little tyke. He really loved Dondals (as he called it) so I thought this one was perfect. It's still his favorite ornament. You can't see it in the picture but you can insert a light from the tree so the sign lights up.



Speaking of The Teenager, this one was his ornament for his 2nd Christmas.

Everyone has to have a Spongebob on their tree. But if you don't have one, don't worry. We have several to make up for it.

And a tip for anyone with little ones and/or pets, put these on the bottom of your tree. We put a bell on each bottom limb to help alert us to little hands/paws playing with the tree. It's a great (and cheap) alarm system.

AHHHHHH....

Have you ever had one of those itches that drives you crazy and then you finally reach it and it feel SOOOOOO good?

OH THE WEATHER OUTSIDE...

...is nasty, cold, icy, snowy and messy. We got 3 inches of snow a few nights ago topped with a little freezing rain yesterday. Needless to say, we won't be making the trek to White Cloud tomorrow because we know the roads up there won't be cleared yet.

Instead, we're going to a Christmas party with friends at The Bar and then to some more friends' house for a small after-party. They've invited us to spend the night with a promised brunch with all the fixin's the next day. We have such wonderful friends!

So stay tuned for party details (and pictures if I can stay sober enough to use my camera)!

COUNTING DOWN...

Not only am I counting down to Christmas but also to this Saturday to celebrate our 15th wedding anniversary.

I'm so excited because we're going back to White Cloud, Kansas to stay in a cabin on the Indian reservation. We had such a good time last year that we decided to go back (it doesn't have anything to do with them sending us gift certificates for free dinners).

We'll get to leave earlier this year and take a little more time driving up there. That is, if the weather cooperates. We got 3 inches of snow today and are due to get freezing rain on Thursday. I'm crossing my fingers and toes that it'll be cleared up before Saturday.

It's not long until Christmas either. I'm done with most of the shopping for the boys. I only have stocking stuffers to buy. I haven't bought anything yet for Daddeee. I don't have any ideas as to what to get him. I'm so stumped.

I'm also in need of ideas on what to get Gooey's most spectacular babysitter. She's the type of person that doesn't need anything so I'm drawing a blank on ideas.

I'm sending AMC Theater gift cards to the in-laws so that's already decided. I just need to get on the ball and get them sent.

Other than all that, I'm uber-excited about all of it. Come on, Christmas, bring it on!

GEE WAS MY FACE RED!...

Last night was The Teenager's Winter Orchestra Performance. It was a fabulous display of all the hard work that the kids have put into their instruments this year. I was incredibly proud because The Teenager played first chair!

Since he has to be at the school 45 minutes before the performance begins, I took him and Daddeee followed later with Gooey. This way, Gooey doesn't get bored and we're able to enjoy listening to our talented child. Daddeee and Gooey also left early because the program was long and began to run past his bedtime.

Soon after they left, I received a text message from Daddeee telling me that Gooey had left his hat. It was dark in the auditorium so I began to feel around on the floor as best I could. I reached my hand down into the fold of the seat where Gooey had been sitting and grabbed what I thought was his hat. It turned out to be the foot of the man sitting in the seat behind me!

I apologized emphatically and explained that I was only trying to find my son's hat. He gave me a look as if to say "you mean you can't tell the difference between a shoe and a hat?"

I was so incredibly embarrassed I sank down into my seat for the remainder of the performance.

ORNAMENTS...

Many, many, MANY years ago, when Daddeee and I first got married, we decided that we would begin collecting ornaments for our Christmas tree. Each year we each pick out a new ornament. We've been together for so many years now that the only ornaments on our tree are the ones that we've chosen over the years. I want to share some of those ornaments and why we chose each one.

This is the ornament we bought for The Teenager's first Christmas.

And Gooey's first Christmas ornament.

To be continued...

Sorry for the cruddy quality of the photos. I'm having camera difficulties.

17 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS...

Today we went to the Christmas party for Daddeee's company. The food was awesome as always and the kids had a ton of fun.

Gooey was so excited to see Santa that he ran right up to him, waving all the way, and jumped up onto his lap. I was shocked. I really figured he'd chicken out and I wouldn't get a single photo of him on Santa's lap.

I couldn't get him to smile for the camera, though. He'd only smile after the photo was taken. Silly boy.

The one I thought was going to be tough to get a picture with Santa was the easy one. The Teenager was the difficult one to get to sit on Santa's lap. A little bit of threatening solved that problem and I got a wonderful photo of both of my boys with Santa Claus.

They offered balloon animals, coloring pages, stuffed animals (Gooey got a stuffed reindeer) and face painting for the kids. Gooey chose an elmo for his face.

SHAME ON YOU!...

Well, not all of you but some of you.

Yesterday I went to the funeral of my sister's mother-in-law. It wasn't an emotional funeral for me. I knew her but really didn't like her. Yes, you can chastise me for saying such a thing about someone that just passed away but she annoyed the crud out of me (putting it mildly).

First off, she wasn't a good mother to my brother-in-law while he was growing up and never made amends with him about it. The reason she annoyed me the most is that she would never call me by my name. She always called me Jenna. My name is pronounced Jee-nuh. She knew this but still continued to annoy me on purpose.

Anyway, the funeral was nice. It's the procession to the cemetery that got me. For some reason, I can't help but cry when I'm in one or when I see one. I'm not talking about a simple tear or whimper either but a full on blubbering bawl fest. I can't help it. I don't know why they effect me in this way.

But yesterday, I was appalled at the number of people that wouldn't take two minutes out of their lives to pull over and let the procession go by. There was even one car (yes, you in the red Ford Explorer!) that joined in the middle of the line so that he could get to his oh-so-important destination faster.

The purpose of pulling over is to show respect to the deceased and their family. I feel it's the least that I can do to for those people in that procession is pull to the side of the road for a few minutes (and in my case, cry like a baby) and let them pass. I like to say a small prayer for the family that they'll be able to get passed this sad event easily. Sometimes, I feel the Lord's Prayer helps.

So next time you see a funeral procession, pull aside and let them pass. If you feel like it, say a prayer for the family.

But, please, be respectful.

HO, HO, HO...

It's Gooey Claus!

It began with a hearty Ho! Ho! Ho! (notice the jolly little belly?)
"His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!"

He really got into it after a few Ho! Ho!'s.
"He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself."
(ok, so Gooey Claus isn't chubby and plump. Just go with it.)

Then it got a little crazy! This Gooey Claus gig isn't as easy as it looks!
Hey! Someone help! I can't see!

HAPPY BELATED THANKSGIVING...

I'm a little late but I sure hope you had a good Thanksgiving holiday. I sure did.

I started out the day with all intentions of eating healthy all day so that I wouldn't be famished with an all out pigfest for dinner. I failed miserably.

I did have my healthy cereal for breakfast but it all went south fast from there. Dinner wasn't until 4pm and with a busy day, I failed to eat again until then.

Gooey and I took a disappointing trip to KMart. They didn't have the phone I wanted *not a surprise by any means* so I chose the next best choice that was supposed to be for $19.99 but didn't ring up for the sale price. The rude checkout girl informed me she couldn't do anything about it, I would have to go to customer service. The even ruder customer service gal told me it wasn't the phone in the ad. I knew this already. I told her it was the one with the regular-non-Thanksgiving-sale sign on it. She called back to electronics (after an incredibly long sigh that to me meant I was ruining her day). Evidently, someone was going to look because they left me standing there waiting for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, several other people were there because their sale items were ringing up as regular prices. People, check your receipts! I finally ended up just getting a refund and will NOT go back to KMart. It's no wonder they're a failing business around here.

Anyway, I've wandered from my original thought once again. I made Grandma Mary's cauliflower casserole (Thank you, Bama Sherry for sharing this glorious recipe!). By the time I got everything done that needed to be done, it was time to head to mom's house.

My mother is an awesome cook. She completely outdid herself this year. The turkey was amazing along with the mashed potatoes and gravy, macaroni and cheese, green bean casserole, dressing and hot rolls. Yes, I ate every bit of it. There was no diet today. My famished body sucked up so many calories, fat and cholesterol, it'll take me until January to recuperate. But I don't care.

It was Thanksgiving and I have much to be thankful for.

ASK SANTA...

For the past month or so, every time a toy commercial comes on tv, Gooey announces, "I want that!"

At first, my answer was "You'll have to ask Santa."

Gooey then began to announce at the first beat of any toy commercial, "I want that. I'm going to ask Santa."

I had to come up with a new answer. I settled on "Well, you'll have to be a good boy or Santa won't bring you all the toys you ask for."

He then began to recite "I want that! I'm going to ask Santa and be a good boy!"

Sigh. My answer: A simple "OK".

Now, when a toy commercial comes on television, we hear "I want that I'm going to ask Santa and be a good boy OK!"

Yes, it comes out all in one breath. No punctuation required. No response needed from me.

Will Christmas hurry up and get here? Please!

HOW IRONIC...

I was on my way home from work tonight and the car in front of me had a bumper sticker that said something about when George W went into office, the price of gasoline was $1.46.

When I passed the next gas station, the price of a gallon of regular unleaded was...$1.46.

Ironic.

THE BIG BANG THEORY...

If you're ever having a bad Monday, just turn your television to The Big Bang Theory on CBS at 7pm CST. A few minutes watching (and laughing) at this show will make you forget about whatever big pile of Monday you stepped in.

The show is based on 4 scientists, 2 are roommates and the other 2 are friends that hang out at their apartment. I think I connect with this show so much because I'm such a nerd at heart. Yes, I am and always will be a nerd.

I'll post more about this fantastically funny show another time but for now I'll leave you with this:

"I believe the appropriate metaphor here involves a river of excrement and a Native American water vessel with out any means of propulsion" - Dr. Sheldon Cooper

Get it? LOL

IT'S SUNDAY...

and I'm being incredibly lazy. I'm sitting here in my bedroom and it's a disaster. I'm not kidding. I'd post a picture to prove it but somehow, word would get to my mother and she'd come spank my butt for not cleaning my room.

In my defense, it's not my fault that the bedroom is such a mess. Well, not entirely. Daddeee is a slob. There's a hamper right outside the bedroom door, yet his dirty clothes are in a pile right inside the bedroom door. An entire 3 feet away.

He also has tool issues. There are hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars worth of tools that he owns in this house. When he uses one to do whatever little honey-do, he leaves the tool where the project took place. Then he gets mad when he goes to get a tool and can't find it. Well, honey, just like I tell the kids, if you'd put things back when you're finished, you'd always know where it's at. But I'm not that kind of wife. I don't preach to my husband. At least not to his face anyway. It's usually under my breath as I trip over a pile of screwdrivers left in the oddest place.

But I've wandered from my original thought. Yes, my bedroom is a mess and I'm lazy. I know I need to do something about it but I don't want to. I think it's because I just don't know where to begin. Do I start with the pile of laundry or do I tackle the pile of papers on the desk? I could start with making the bed, I guess. Sigh.

What I do know is that as long as I'm sitting here, nothings getting done. Well, nothing except my butt spreading across this chair. How many calories do you burn cleaning house? As messy as my house is, I should burn tons of calories by the end of this day.

ABSOLUTELY LIVID!!...

Yes, I'm mad. I'm completely, utterly pissed off.

Daddeee corresponds with his sister in Chicago via email. They're both pretty busy so this allows them to keep in touch. Their latest conversation turned to politics and it totally went downhill from there. They have completely opposite views regarding everything political.

Within their heated email conversation it came out that his sister thinks we're bad parents. The Teenager visited her with the grandparents a little over a year ago and the zipper broke on a pair of his jeans while he was there. In her eyes (and this is what she said), we don't provide adequate clothing for our child so she took him to the GAP and bought him new jeans and a hoody. Daddeee had the money to go buy himself a motorcycle but not enough to buy jeans for his son that the zipper wouldn't break on. WTF???

A little about this wonderful sister in law: She's a couple years younger than me, has been married for 9 years, has a soon-to-be 5 year old son, and is a career woman.

I don't have a problem with any woman wanting a career and family but she travels 4 out of 7 days a week and has a live-in nanny that takes care of her child. She has someone else raising her child.

Evidently, she has yet to learn that once a son reaches a certain age, a mom no longer has complete control over his wardrobe. I can no longer pick out clothing for The Teenager like I used to. My tastes aren't "hip" enough. He doesn't tell me if something has a hole in it (and who has the time to inspect every piece of clothing while during laundry?).

And how does 1 pair of jeans with a broken zipper translate into child neglect? He had other jeans with him that fit and had functioning zippers. No one asked her to clothe our son.

So you can see why I'm so angry. I've never, EVER not provided things for my children. Compared to when I was their ages, they have a whole lot more that I ever had. And for someone who barely even sees her own son to judge me. At least I'm home every night with my children. I cook their meals and I tuck them into bed EVERY night. Oh I could go on and on.

We mailed her a check for $50 for the clothing she bought for The Teenager. That's the end of it for me.

CREATURE OF HABIT...

Anyone that knows me well knows I'm a creature of habit. If I don't do things a certain way, I'll forget something. It's borderline OCD for some things but it's mostly just to keep me sane.

I have a ritual for getting ready for bed. I'm usually already in my jammies prior to bedtime so that's not really a part of it. Once sleepy-time hits, I take my nightly pills in the kitchen, then go into my bathroom for a teeth brushing, face washing, and hair combing. Then I head up to my comfy bed, set the alarm clock, and turn on the tv to flip channels until I fall asleep. I get quizzical remarks from Daddeee because when he comes to bed the tv is usually on some shopping network, the weather channel, or even worse, the golf channel (none of which are *my* channels).

Well, after a little escapade the other night, I've had to add a new item to my ritual: toy patrol. I was fast asleep when I awoke to a sharp pain in my thigh. At first I thought maybe Daddeee was beating me in my sleep or possibly a charlie horse payback for not drinking enough water. But no, it was a matchbox car embedded in my thigh. There's nothing worse than having a miniature Ford Mustang almost permanently attached to a part of your body. No doubt a small gift left by my youngest.

This isn't the first time for such a thing. I've experienced the parental rite of passage of stepping on a lego only to have 4 neat little circular marks on my foot for days.

Evidently, I've added another.

WEIGHT MANAGEMENT...

I wanted to do a post to answer the question I've been getting from most people. How are you losing weight?

My meals go like this:

• Breakfast: I eat a Fiber One bar every morning. I'm usually in a hurry so this is perfect for me to eat in the van on the way to work. I also have my travel mug of coffee with milk and Splenda. This usually lasts me most of the morning.
• Morning snack: usually an apple or a banana.
  
• Lunch: A salad. Sometimes, if I've been to Sam's Club, I'm lucky enough to have the spring mix lettuce, otherwise, I use iceberg. I keep containers of black olives, black beans, garbanzo beans, shredded cheese, and mushrooms in the fridge so I can add these to my salad if I want. I also include a protein, whether it be a boiled egg or a meat leftover from the night before. I love salad dressing and lots of it so I use one that's low in carbs, usually 2 or less. My current fav is Green Goddess. Some days I'll also eat a piece of fruit with my salad.
  
• Dinner: I know I also have to feed 2 growing boys so dinner is usually where I get the most calories. I make a meat, mostly chicken, along with a vegetable or 2 and once again, I eat my salad. I do try to stay away from starches.
  
• Evening snack: If I get hungry in the evening, I normally will grab a piece of cheese.
  

I don't drink any regular soda. It's been all diet pop for over a year now. I really love the Diet Coke with Splenda, Pibb Zero, and Vault Zero. I make iced tea at home with only a small amount of sugar. I know all the experts say to drink water but I'm just not a water drinker.

If I get hungry for something sweet I'll eat it, but only a couple of bites. It's just not possible to watch the entire family have dessert and not enjoy some too.

It's a pretty simple plan. I've been doing it since June and it's working for me.

OWL UPDATE...

I haven't done an update in a while on the whole weight loss thing. It's not because I've stopped losing. I just figure maybe people would get tired of hearing about it.

I know in years past when I would hear of someone, even close friends, losing weight I would be so jealous that I would wish they'd just shut up. Now I'm on the other side and it feels so great that I don't want to shut up.

So when I first began this journey, I set a goal for myself for the end of the year. I sort of reached that goal today. I only say sort of because a couple of months ago, my scale went ballistic so I had to buy a new one. The new one weighs 4 lbs heavier than the old one. Figures, right? So if I had been using my old scale, I would have reached that goal today. But since I'm using the new one, I still have 4 lbs to go. Not bad considering I have until the end of the year. I know I'll make it. I'm challenging myself to reach it by the end of this month.

So all in all, I've lost 46 lbs. I know, a huge accomplishment. I'm so excited. It really motivates me to continue on (I still have a long, long way to go).

A lot of people have asked me how I've done it. I've done 2 things.

I walk. I walk with the boys. I walk when I can at work. I've found I really love to go walking. I'm hoping to venture out and find some new places to go walk.

My second thing I've done is portion control. I no longer sit down and eat a huge meal, most times having seconds. I've also added new foods. I eat a lot more fruit than I used to. Fruit is all natural, one of God's diet tools. I've even gotten some friends started on this too.

In the future, I'll post some sample menus. Just not tonight. I'm whooped. I don't work tomorrow (WOOHOO, PTO day!) and I want to spend the day getting a lot done so I need to go to bed.

In the meantime, WOOHOO for me!

MARRIAGE EXPIRATION...

Today at lunch, the girls and I had a rather interesting conversation. Let me fill you in on my lunch friends.

S is my age and has been married for almost 16 years. She has 4 kids. Her husband is an alcoholic. They stay married for the kids and because they're barely making it and can't afford a divorce.

R is my age also and is on her second marriage. They've been married for 7 years with each bringing their own children into the mix. This alone causes friction in the relationship.

Y is married but separated with 3 kids. She hasn't seen her husband in more than 8 years. He doesn't pay child support. He hasn't even seen the kids all these years. Not only can she not afford divorce, but she can't even find him in order to divorce him.

Daddeee and I are coming upon our 15th anniversary. We have issues. Not serious issues, really, but thought provoking issues.

So here's the idea we came up with. We should just completely do away with divorce. Instead, marriage should come with an expiration date. We all agreed that 5 years sounded good. At the end of your 5 year marriage, you have the option to renew or just let it expire and go your separate ways.

Anyone getting married knows ahead of time that for at least 5 years, they're tied to this person. No more option of divorce. Now, we did think about the what ifs that can arise such as abusive spouses, etc. Those situations would have to be dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

So what do you think? Is this a good idea or just the warped idea of a bunch of grumpy women? Would you renew your marriage at your next 5 year interval?

TODAY'S THE DAY...

Yes, today's the day we will make history. Either we will have our first black president or our first female vice president. I'm sure other things will make history today but this one is at the forefront.

I'm not going to go into who I voted for and how I voted on issues. That's something I believe is for me to know and that's all that matters.

What I do want to say about today is that IT'S OVER! There will be no more he said/she said, he did that or didn't do that, he associates with this person etc, etc, commercials. I never, ever thought I'd look forward to the annoying Sonic people sitting in their cars discussing what they will order or talking about what they did order and how they will eat it. I look forward to more of the incredibly annoying "beep beep dot com to shop for cars online" jingle. I want to watch the creepy woman eat a nasty, dirty $5 bill on the Quiznos ad. I yearn for Dominos to tell me they'll deliver pizza to me in just a half an hour, even though it's no longer free if they don't make it in time.

I can't believe I'm saying this because commercials annoy me to no end. But, all of these annoyances are so much better than political ads.

A WHOLE NEW ME...

Thirteen years ago, I went through a major change in my life. I was no longer the carefree, no worries 20-ish year old. That day changed forever who I would be.

Thirteen years ago, I became a mom. It was a Thursday. After 14 long hours of labor and delivery, at 5:41pm, my first son was born. I fell in love immediately. No one can ever make me believe that love at first sight doesn't exist.

The Teenager, as he is now ~officially~ known, came into my life as this sweet innocent little baby. He is now this obnoxious, annoying person that, the majority of the time, I can only say "get away from me" to. He's learned where and how to activate every one of my buttons. Why he does this, I still haven't figured out. We do have our wonderful moments occasionally, though. They're just not as often as they used to be. We're working on having them more often. I'm trying to be more patient and he's trying to be less annoying (or so he says). We'll see how this new mom-to-teenager relationship goes.

I cut him slack because I know, just as my whole life changed 13 years ago, his life is changing constantly now. He's becoming a brand new person. He's expected automatically to be more responsible, to make better decisions, and to be more grown up all the while, strange hormones are invading his system like mold invading the block of cheese in my refrigerator. No one sees it happening, it just creeps up and there it is. Plus it begins to stink.

I'm still in love with this wonderful creature that came into my life those many years ago. I just have to learn to accept the new person he's becoming, whether I like it or not.

HALLOWEEN PAST...

Yes, yet another Halloween has past. I'm so glad. I'm such a Halloween Scrooge.

Gooey has talked about being a scary pirate for months but when the time came, he didn't want to wear his costume. I'm such a mean mom, I made him put it on. Once he was in it, he was fine.





We trick-or-treated our way over to the babysitters house so that he could show off his costume. All in all, we had a good time. Once we got home, we handed out candy to the creepy sounds of a CD that Daddeee dug up from our old CD collection. The Teenager and Daddeee bought some dry ice and had a really creepy fog going across the front lawn.

It was a fun night for all.

*No pictures posted of The Teenager at his request.

OH WHAT A WEEK IT'S BEEN...

It's been such a busy week, I really don't even know where to begin.

We've purchased costumes and pumpkins for Halloween. All is almost ready for tomorrow.

Gooey has talked for months about being a scary pirate for Halloween. We went and bought him a really cute pirate costume and he screamed that it was too scary and he didn't want to wear it. Daddeee, the mean parent that he is, finally forced him to put it on. He's so adorable in it. I can't wait to get pictures before trick or treating. The Teenager chose a scary ghoul costume. Wonderful. Gooey's afraid of it too. As a matter of fact, he's afraid of almost everything these days.

We were in KMart a few days ago and we triggered a Halloween skeleton and at the same time, someone in another aisle dropped something and it made a loud noise. Gooey screamed bloody murder! People were coming over from other aisles to see what was going on. It was so embarassing. If he is afraid of everything, tomorrow night isn't going to be fun at all.

On top of preparing for the holiday, the fuel pump went out on Daddeee's truck. Nice. I think the Money Gods know when you have extra money and they laugh and make things like this happen. I had been putting money away into a fund for the past 6 months to cover all the expenses we have coming up with The Teenager's birthday, Thanksgiving, Daddeee's Big 40, then Christmas. I get the money tomorrow. Now it will go towards auto parts. I should just rename the fund something like "Funds to entertain the Money Gods".

Back to some fun stuff. We're having a pumpkin contest at work. The stipulations: it must be a pumpkin under 4 lbs and it can not be carved. This is my entry:







What do you think?

SNIFFLE, SNIFFLE, ACHOOOO!...

I called home after work yesterday afternoon to see what was going on. I was told by The Teenager that everyone was sleeping. I knew Gooey had been fighting a cold and The Teenager had the beginnings of one, but I didn't know that Daddeee had succumbed to the germs too. I didn't go home. Instead, I detoured to The Bar where my sister works and sat with her for a while drinking a diet coke. I was only able to hide out for a short while before the "we're getting hungry" phone calls started.

I did eventually come home and make the family a big pot of turkey potage (that's what the package called it, to me it was soup). I've always thought one of the best defenses against colds and flu is good soup. We spent the rest of the night just lounging around.

Just my luck, I woke up this morning with the cold too. Luckily, it's not a debilitating-can't-lift-my-head-off-the-pillow-to-get-out-of-bed kind of colds. I just have the sniffles, sneezes, and stuffy head. It's enough of a cold, though, that I don't plan on doing anything other than playing on the computer or watching some tv while lounging around in my jammies.

Being sick in this house always leads to the debate about which cold medicine is best. Daddeee swears by the nighttime, sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching, fever, best sleep you ever got with a cold medicine Nyquil, while I believe in the plop, plop, fizz, fizz, oh what a relief it is Alka Seltzer cold medicine. The Teenager has tried both but hasn't sided with either of us as of yet.

Another benefit of this bout of colds is we've found a new tissue. Kleenex has come out with a new anti-viral tissue. They are 3-layered tissues and the "specially treated middle layer helps stop cold and flu viruses in the tissue". They're super soft and incredibly absorbent. I highly recommend them. I had 2 boxes already here at the house but when I went out and did my shopping today, I bought 2 more. A household can never have enough tissues when everyone is sick.

This pretty much sums up how my weekend will be spent. I know, too exciting for any one person to handle.

TRYING TO BE BETTER PEOPLE...

Yes, I'm making an effort to make myself and my family better people (whether they like it or not). We're not awful people but I know we do have some flaws. We have room for improvement.

One thing I do want to improve upon is being thankful for what we have. We're by far not rich people financially but we are rich in other areas, such as friends, family, etc. I want to begin our journey to greatness (a long trip, I know) by saying grace before our meals. We need to thank the higher power, God in our case, for the wonderful things we've been given, especially in these trying times. I just wasn't sure how to go about doing it.

When I was a kid, we always said the "God is great, God is good. Let us thank Him for this food. Amen." This would be an easy one but ever since I became a smart-aleck teenager (is that where The Teenager gets it from?), all I can think of with that prayer is that good and food do not rhyme. In my head, food is pronounced with the same "oo" sound as good. It doesn't work for me.

My favorite prayer was one that my husband's step-mother's mom (that's a mouthful!) used to say. Mary was such a lovely woman and had such grace about herself. I adored her and miss her terribly. The only problem is, I couldn't remember it. It's been driving me nuts.

So last weekend, while in Springfield, I sat with my cell phone while no one was looking, and text messaged it to myself. The in-laws have the prayer painted onto their kitchen wall with lovely stencils. Darn, I could kick myself for not taking a picture of it.

So, whether the family likes it or not, our meals will now begin with this:

Lord, we are grateful for these and all the many blessings that come from Thee. In Jesus name we pray. Amen.

Short, simple and sweet. (just like me lol)

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY...

Autumn over the Missouri River

OH SO SINFUL...

Like I said in yesterday's post, I spent the weekend with the in-laws. The in-laws aren't bad people, but the whole packing up a family of 4, hauling things 3 hours south of here, being jovial towards everyone after a 3 hour drive with a road-raging husband, a cranky 2 yr old and a bored teenager, doesn't make for a fun trip. What made it worse was repeating the whole process the next day to come home. I was exhausted.

So tonight, I threw all dietness to the wind and made The Pioneer Woman's Creamy Herb Potatoes. They were sinfully delicious and I know I probably packed on a good 2 lbs eating the small portion that I did eat. It's so worth it every once in a while and I justify it by telling myself my stressed mind needs it. Well, it does!

I recommend checking out all the other recipes on her website because they are so good. I'll warn you, though. If you're purposely trying NOT to block every artery in your body, don't make any of her recipes.

I had lots of leftovers if you want some. If not, I'm going to pop them in the freezer and save them for another stressful-in-need-of-creamy-goodness day, which will probably be tomorrow.

So I'm cutting this post short because now I have to go walk a few miles to get rid of the guilt.

OWL update: 42.1 lbs lost

WHO ARE YOU MOST LIKE?...

It was a busy weekend out of town at the in-laws for a family reunion so I'm pretty tired. I had to get all the housecleaning, grocery shopping, etc. done this afternoon. Plus riding in a car for 3 hours didn't do much for my back. It's pretty achy tonight.

I saw this and thought I'd share. I'd be interested who you are like. Come back and share with me.

Your result for Are You a Jackie or a Marilyn? Or Someone Else? Mad Men-era Female Icon Quiz...

You Are a Grace!

You are a Grace -- "I need to understand the world."

Graces have a need for knowledge and are introverted, curious, analytical, and insightful.

How to Get Along with Me

• Be independent, not clingy
• Speak in a straightforward and brief manner
• I need time alone to process my feelings and thoughts
• Remember that If I seem aloof, distant, or arrogant, it may be that I am feeling uncomfortable
• Make me feel welcome, but not too intensely, or I might doubt your sincerity
• If I become irritated when I have to repeat things, it may be because it was such an effort to get my thoughts out in the first place
• don't come on like a bulldozer
• Help me to avoid my pet peeves: big parties, other people's loud music, overdone emotions, and intrusions on my privacy

What I Like About Being a Grace

• standing back and viewing life objectively
• coming to a thorough understanding; perceiving causes and effects
  
• my sense of integrity: doing what I think is right and not being influenced by social pressure
  
• not being caught up in material possessions and status
  
• being calm in a crisis

What's Hard About Being a Grace

• being slow to put my knowledge and insights out in the world
• feeling bad when I act defensive or like a know-it-all
• being pressured to be with people when I don't want to be
• watching others with better social skills, but less intelligence or technical skill, do better professionally

Graces as Children Often

• spend a lot of time alone reading, making collections, and so on
• have a few special friends rather than many
• are very bright and curious and do well in school
• have independent minds and often question their parents and teachers
• watch events from a detached point of view, gathering information
• assume a poker face in order not to look afraid
• are sensitive; avoid interpersonal conflict
• feel intruded upon and controlled and/or ignored and neglected

Graces as Parents

• are often kind, perceptive, and devoted
• are sometimes authoritarian and demanding
• may expect more intellectual achievement than is developmentally appropriate
• may be intolerant of their children expressing strong emotions

IT'S A GIRL....

I haven't posted this previously because we weren't sure things were going to work out but we adopted a little girl. A little girl cat to be exact.

My friend, D, took her mom to get a new kitten last year at the animal shelter. They were wanting a kitten but discovered this beautiful 5 yr old cat that had lost her owner. The owner's son found that his father had passed away and the cat was crying on his lap. D and her mom decided to adopt her. Well, D's mom had to move away and couldn't take the cat. So, D convinced us to adopt her. I told her it would only be on a "let's see how it goes" basis.

So far, she's fitting in fine. We renamed her Kiki because it sounds like your saying "kitty kitty" really fast and she'll come to you. She's a beautiful long-haired cat and has a very sweet disposition. So far, she'll only stay upstairs but I'm going to work on getting her to come downstairs.

She's not a huge fan of dogs (D has 2 rather rambunctious dogs) so she steers clear of Ranger but they're slowly getting used to one another.

At least now I'm not the only female in the house. Go estrogen!!

PS. I'll post pictures of her soon. I haven't had time lately to catch her for one.

BLOWING OFF STEAM...

Tonight was The Teenager's fall orchestra concert. He's been playing the violin for 2 years now and has gotten pretty good. We, Gooey included, really enjoyed the concert.

Each time he's had a concert in the past, I've told my sister about it and she's forgotten. "You should have reminded me," she'd say.

So last night, I reminded her and she said ok. Again, tonight, on my way home from work, I called her and reminded her, giving her exact time and location. Did she show up? NO! Big F-ing NO!

When her kids were younger, I rarely missed a concert, event, etc of any kind that they participated in. She has never once made it to one of The Teenager's events.

I wish I could say that posting this to blow off steam helps but it really doesn't. I'm so angry with her. It'll be interesting to hear what her excuse is this time.

TO COMMENT OR NOT TO COMMENT...

Yes, that's a good question. I love to read other people's blogs. I really do. I probably visited your blog today. Or yesterday. Maybe it was the day before.

I'm awful, though, because a lot of the time (ok, I won't lie, most of the time.) I don't leave a comment. It's not because I didn't like your post. It's simply because I just didn't know what to say.

Blog commenting reminds me of when I was back in high school and it was yearbook signing time. Someone would bring their yearbook over and ask you to sign it. The comment had to be fantastic because it would forever be etched into the history of this person. The same with blog comments.

I crack under the pressure.

Someone needs to create an acceptable generic blog comment that you can leave that just simply means "I was here. Loved what I read. Will be back to read more later." At least the blogger would know their time and imagination (or whatever else goes into a blogging post) didn't go unappreciated. All pressure on the blog reader would be relieved. Antidepressant sales across the world would weaken. Wine consumption would decline. No more blog comment duress. Hallelujah!

If only...

THE BIG DAY...

Yes, today was the big day. I'm not talking about just any ordinary day. I am talking about THE day...the day for my annual exam at the doctor.

All of you women know what I'm talking about. This is something that you can't deal with lightly. It's an occasion that you have to psych yourself up for. You prepare for it days in advance.

I started my preparation Saturday. I went shopping for new underwear and socks. Yes, I buy myself a new pair of nice panties every year for this event along with a new pair of socks. Now, I know that the doctor never sees the underwear but it's all part of the psyching-up process. The new socks are a requirement. When you stick your feet up into the stirrups, you don't want the stain of the grape jelly you stepped in at breakfast to be seen. Your feet are pretty much in the doctor's face.

Sunday was shaving day. I spent an hour, possibly longer, in the bathroom shaving every part of my body that needed a good shaving. I'm a lazy shaver. If I'm only going to be wearing knee-length pants, I don't bother shaving my upper legs. Why bother with what's not seen? Do you really think that the paramedic breathing life into your body, after the accident that your momma always predicts is going to happen, is really looking at your unshaven legs? This particular ceremony requires the full leg shave plus some neat trimming of other crucial areas.

So this morning was shower time. Yes, I used up every possible drop of hot water within a 5 mile radius. It's something that has to be done. A woman has to be her cleanest for an exam of this caliber.

But I adore my doctor. She makes me feel so comfortable about the whole process. Well, at least as comfortable as a woman can get when someone is inserting a metal speculum into such a private space.

I did fine. I survived for another year. Plus I have my pretty new panties as a bonus.

BONUS: According to the doctor's scale, I've lost 39.5 lbs!

WESTON APPLE FESTIVAL...

We spent the day yesterday at the Weston Apple Festival. The weather was gorgeous and we had a wonderful time, although we hardly saw any apples at all. Strange.

Gooey wanted the ride a pony at the pony rides but I knew that if we tried, he'd probably have a cow and end up not riding so we settled on petting a pony instead. I was really surprised he even got close.

After the festival activities, we went to Weston's statuary where we got to paint concrete apples. Even The Teenager got involved.


This was Gooey's first time painting and he really did a fabulous job, with a little help from Daddeee.

My great-niece was with us and her daddy was helping her paint her apple.

Daddeee and Gooey working on his apple.

We took a family photo near their pond. It was beautiful spot and other than my cheesy grin (I was trying to get everyone else to smile together), it's a pretty good photo.

BREAST CANCER AWARENESS MONTH

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I encourage each of you to help spread the word about how important self-exams are for the early detection of breast cancer.

Please feel free to snag this graphic for your blog, website, email, etc. to help spread the word.

The code to make it link back to this so that others can help spread the word too is:

<A href="http://mommeee.blogspot.com/2008/10/breast-cancer-awareness-month.html" target=_blank><IMG alt=Photobucket src="http://i84.photobucket.com/albums/k3/my2sonsmommy/BCAM.jpg" border=0></a>

Leave me a comment if you're using the graphic. Let's see how many people we can get to spread the word.

Chicken again?...

Several friends of mine are struggling. They're struggling with being able to afford their bills, groceries, etc with the current economy. I really wish I could help them out but things are tight for us, too.

So I'm sharing an idea that I use all the time. Yesterday, I put a chicken in my roaster. It was just an average size whole chicken that I got on sale at the grocery store. When I find these sorts of things on sale, I normally buy several. So I roasted this chicken and we had it along with noodles and peas. I got lucky with this chicken because it was a very meaty one. I cleaned the leftover chicken off the bones and, lucky me, got enough for 2 more nights worth of dinner.

The first half of the leftover I will shred and cook with a can of tomato sauce, chili powder, cumin, and garlic powder. This I'll spread over a flour tortilla, top with cheese, another tortilla, and grill it in a skillet. Presto! Easy quesadillas.

The rest of the chicken, I'll shred, add some diced boiled egg, diced pickles, and mayo for a simple chicken salad.

If anyone wants more specifics on these recipes, just holler. Even better, share your frugal ideas by commenting.

We could all use some help in this day and age.

IS IT HORMONES?...

I got yet another call from the school today about The Teenager.

He was in in-school suspension this past Friday for writing the word "dick" on his notebook with a dry erase marker on the school bus. Today, it's detention for not turning in his signed progress report.

We asked him about Friday's incident and why he did it. His answer? "Because so-and-so told me to." What? He can't think for himself? Reminds me of the old saying, "If they told you to jump off a bridge..."

Today, he tells his teacher that his little brother took the progress report off of the table. I know this isn't true. I signed his report for all classes but the one for this class I never even saw. I asked him why he lied to his teacher and I got the deer-in-the-headlights look. I could hear crickets.

I'm at a loss as to what to do with this child. Do these children hit puberty and just become stupid? Does testosterone cause the brain neurons not to fire anymore?

I could seriously use some advice here.

PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION: BAR STYLE...

Yesterday afternoon, Daddeee and I went to the Kansas City Power & Light District to participate in an Presidential Election at The Flying Saucer.

Here's the way it works: you buy a beer in the glass of the candidate you wish to vote for. The glasses are so cute. They each have a caricature of the candidate along with the saying "Get off your (insert picture of a donkey) and vote!"

We each chose to have our beers in glasses with Barack Obama to cast our votes. Daddeee had a German lager and I had a Granny Smith Cider. Mine tasted just like apple juice, but was alcoholic.

Being the geek that I am, I had to have a McCain glass also. I had to have the complete set. Maybe it's the OCD in me, I don't know. So, to keep the votes equal, Daddeee had another beer in an Obama glass to cancel out the McCain vote (the waitress said they couldn't sell a glass without the vote counting). Plus, The Teenager wanted his own Obama glass anyway.

All in all, it was a nice afternoon out with my hubby.

I took a photo of the glasses for you to see. Ignore the feet of my photography assistants in the background.

See who's winning

Which glass would you buy?

BABY NAMES...

No, I'm not in need of a baby name. My baby making days are over unless fate steps in and changes something major.

I bring up baby names because 2 different families that I know of had babies this week. My online friend, Amanda, had a little boy last weekend and my real life friend, Brian, had a boy on Tuesday.

Amanda struggled with what her son's middle name would be until the day he was born and Brian & his wife didn't name their son until days after. This seems strange to me. I had names picked out for both of my children prior to even knowing what sex they would be.

I guess a person could look of this from two different perspectives. Some would probably say that naming a child is such an important thing that it's not something to rush into. Others might think that it's such an important thing that it's on the top of the list. I felt the latter.

For anyone interested, The Teenager's name is Trey Christopher. If he'd have been a girl, his name would have been Mariah Jo.

Now, for Gooey, the story is a bit interesting. His name is Joseph Maxwell (named after my dad). If Gooey had been a girl, his name would have been Jillian Marie. And actually, he was a girl up until I was 8 months along. They told us at our 5 month ultrasound that we were having a girl. Three months later (after my all-pink baby shower), they did another u/s to determine the size of our little girl, only to discover boy parts! What a shock that was. I mourned the loss of that little girl for a short while but I wouldn't trade my Gooey boy for any little girl in the world!

I'm interested in what other people's thought processes were/are about choosing baby names. Did you choose names way back when you were little, playing house with your friends or did the hospital make you finally choose a name to put on the birth certificate?

$700 Billion...

I'm not so sure how I feel about Congress saying yes to the expensive rescue of these big corporations. That's a lot of money. I wonder if these financial institutions deserve to be bailed out. I know there are a lot of "little people" that would be affected by their downfall but it's hard to get past companies where the CEO makes more in a year than I'll ever see in my lifetime.

And I have trust issues. Do I trust that the money will be used as it's intended? They say it will be paid back. Will it actually be paid back (with interest?) and the funds put back to where they were intended to go in the first place? Where is this money coming from anyway?

Let's put this into perspective. According to the Census Bureau, the population of the United States as of today (8:09pm CST) is 305,256,510 people. If you divide up that $700 billion, each person in the US would get $2,293 plus some change.

Each person could buy themselves a new 60 inch LCD television. That would be a huge luxury for most people. Many people could take that money and buy themselves a decent car to get to and from work. Others could pay off a debt that's hanging over their head. In a sense, they could bail themselves out.

Let's take this to a larger scale. According to the same website above, there are 6,726,013,183 people in the world. Each person would get a tad bit over $104. That would pay my light bill for a month, groceries for a week for my family, a few new outfits for my boys, or just a wonderful dinner out with my husband (I work hard, I deserve that occasionally).

Daddeee came up with a wonderful idea. Instead of issuing that $700 billion to the Secretary of State, why not divide it up between all citizens of the US and let each individual person decide if they want to donate their $2, 293+ dollars to these companies or keep it to bail their own family out of whatever crisis they're experiencing? I think I'd keep my chunk of change and deal with my own issues. I know that's being selfish but I don't see anyone stepping up to help me anytime I'm in a crisis.

Or even better, with that kind of moolah, why not, literally, buy the world a Coke? That would be a good start towards world peace.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY...

I know this is supposed to be wordless but I wanted to let you know what this series of pictures is. The Teenager and I were sitting on the front porch when we noticed this cloud in the sky in front of us. The cloud remained in the same place in the sky but continued to change in the most amazing ways. It was a spectacular example of nature.

OH GEEZE...

Gooey is a loud boy. He talks constantly and he's nowhere near learning to use his indoor voice.

We didn't make it to Walmart but we did go to Target today to get our trash bags. Target's closer to home and I wasn't up for a long drive to Wally World.

So we're cruising the store and Gooey's being his usual loud self. We get the trash bags we came for and decided to peruse the Halloween costumes and other goodies. Gooey's announcing to everyone within 20 aisles that he's looking for a pirate costume (news to me since he previously told me he wanted to be SpongeBob). We found a pirate costume but it's $24.99. Not going to happen. Mommeee will wait until it's on sale.

So we head on to grab some shampoo because I did remember that I was almost out. So while I'm looking in the shampoo hoping they'll have something new to tame this wild mop of mine, Gooey's going on and on about how he wants to go back and look at the pirate costume again. I told him no but he wouldn't take no for an answer. Finally, at my wit's end, I told him if he didn't stop, I was going to spank his butt.

Smart little whipper-snapper that he is, he comes back with "Mommeee, are you going to pull this cart over and spank my butt at Target?"

UGH! I'm fighting a losing battle.

A NICE DAY OFF...

Gooey and I are home today spending the day together. His babysitter is becoming a Grammy again so she took the day off.

It's nice to have an extra day off now and then. I've managed to get to the light at the end of the laundry tunnel. I have one load in the dryer and one left in the washer. After that, I'm done until next weekend.

We have to make a Walmart trip for trash bags today so I believe I will also get some pictures printed while I'm there. I haven't done that in quite a while. It'll be nice to have updated pictures to show off of the boys.

The bad part of having today off will be going back to work tomorrow. Companies suck because they give you "PTO" to use for such occassions but then they frown upon you when you use one. I know I'll have a ton of work to catch up on when I go back. Tomorrow will suck.

Anyway, Gooey and I have had breakfast, watched cartoons, played outside, and put away laundry. It's only 9:30 and I feel like I've been awake forever. Gooey's playing in his room though, so I'm sure it will take me the rest of the day to clean it up. He's the messiest kid I've ever met.

I forgot to share with you all. We converted Gooey's bed to a toddler bed over the weekend. He's really funny about it. He's all excited about having a "big boy bed" but he hasn't figured out that he can get out of it alone. But don't tell him, we want that to be a secret.

WEEKEND IS OVER...

It's been a busy weekend for us. We went yesterday to the Plaza Art Fair at the Plaza. The artwork went from amazing to creepy. My favorite exhibit was of an artist who creates something along the lines of wax people but his material was something I've never heard of. It took us a while to figure out that the people weren't real.

We ate while we were there too. Most of the Plaza restaurants had booths selling their food along with drinks. Daddeee and I shared a turkey-bacon panini from Plaza III along with a Peach Balini. A Peach Balini is made with champagne, peach schapps, and a few other things the guy wouldn't share with me. It was delicious. The boys had burgers from M & S Grill. Oh and we also taste-tested some of the best sangria ever from Figlio's.

Today consisted of laundry, laundry, and a little bit more laundry. The Teenager cleaned his room and discovered all the clothing that he kept insisting no longer existed.

So here I sit after about 8 loads of laundry, a trip to the fish store for some algae eaters to help me maintain the tank, a full day of dealing with 2 children that seem to irritate each other and me, and several poopie diapers because Gooey boy has a touch of the stomach flu. It's been such an oh-so-exciting weekend. It's no wonder I'm so exhausted.

But that's the life of The Mommeee.

CORNER CAFE, THE IN-LAWS, AND TORNADO SIRENS...

We had dinner last night at Corner Cafe with the in-laws. There's nothing like cramming 3 months worth of happenings into 2 hours all while trying to chew your food without spitting bits of salad all over someone because they have the knack of asking you a question immediately after you've put a bite into your mouth.

Last night's dinner was extra special because tornadoes were touching down around us and the sirens were blowing. Did we even flinch? Of course not. We're native Missourians and we're used to it. Well, tornadoes weren't literally near us but one did touch down about 30 miles away.

In addition to the twisters, we had rain. I'm not talking "Oh, it's raining out". I'm talking "can't see out the windows, muddy water rushing down the street, some idiot's gonna get stuck in his car because he drove through it" kind of rain. I think Fox 4 said we got close to 5 inches last night.

All in all, it was a good meal. Corner Cafe has awesome home-cooked kind of food. I did pass on the pie which is probably a first.

OWL UPDATE...

I haven't updated lately so I thought I'd throw a quick post in with a little update. As of yesterday, I've lost 35 pounds. It's awesome!

The HR Manager at work stopped me yesterday afternoon and asked me how I was doing it. He's the first person that's noticed that has actually said something. It made my whole day!

Belts, safety pins, and duct tape will not longer help the situation. I'm going to be that woman on Funniest Home Videos who's pants fall down in from of an entire restaurant full of people. Oh well, I'll just have to learn to accept embarassment.

Would you like a full moon with those fries?

GROWING UP...

Bubba reminded me the other day that he's going to be a teenager in less than 2 months. That can't be. He's my little boy. He's as tall as me now too. That's not saying a lot since I'm only 5'3" but he can look me straight in the eye.

He acts like a teenager, too. He's mastered the smart-aleck quips that grate on my nerves. The acne is starting to form on his face, although not because I don't hound him to wash his face constantly. And the phone calls. I don't even bother to answer the phone anymore because I know there's little chance of it being for me.

I dread all the other aspects of having a teenage son. There are issues that I am completely unprepared for. I can handle basic sex education but when it comes to the manly art of burping the worm, doodling your noodle, spanking your monkey, or any other creative euphamism you choose to use, I'm at a loss. This area is totally, udderly reserved for his father. How do single moms do it?

But, getting back to the purpose of my post today, from here forward, Bubba will now be known as The Teenager. There's a sound in my head each time I think of him as The Teenager. It's a doom sort of sound. I can't explain it but I'm sure those of you with teenage kids know exactly the sound I'm referring to.

So keep the Celexa coming and if anyone wants to send me alcohol, email me for my address.

LABOR DAY WEEKEND...

We haven't done anything exciting this weekend for the holiday. Because of the nature of Daddeee's business, he had to work Sunday and today.

We spent Saturday hanging out around the house and then met friends at Pizza Street for a birthday party. It's always such a wonderful time having dinner with friends while the kids play.

Sunday was spent doing the usual Sunday things. I cleaned up the house and did the laundry. I know Sunday is supposed to be a day of rest but the Lord will just have to understand that busy Mommeee's have to do things. We cooked out London broils on the grill with potatoes (I had cauliflower instead), Chinese green beans, salad and sliced tomatoes.

Today, I got up and made breakfast for the kids (which Bubba decided to sleep through) and sat on the front porch and enjoyed a cup of coffee. Several neighbors came by to say hello and chat. I'm headed down soon to pack us a picnic lunch to take to the park. So today will be my day of relaxation.

Here are a few photos I took this morning of a certain gooey little boy that I adore:

I've heard mullets are coming back in style. I just love his curls.

Tapping his foot to a beat only he hears.

What's that noise? One of his favorite questions.

OPERATION WEIGHT LOSS UPDATE...

I took a trip to the doctor today for a check-up and refills on prescriptions. It was an awesome visit...until the end.

I've lost 30.5 pounds! I'm so excited and can't wait to lose more. The only downside of all this is that my clothes are starting to sag and the clothing budget for me right now pretty much sucks. There's nothing worse than having a new shape and wanting to show it off but the only way to do that is with some magical usage of safety pins and duct tape. Do you think I can pass off a belt made of duct tape as something stylish? I doubt it.

The reason the visit wasn't so awesome at the end was because she reminded me I was due for a tetanus shot. Yuck! I'm a wussy and hate shots. The shot wasn't so bad but the pain I'm feeling in my arm now bites. I'm trying to clean house and dragging my left arm around behind me is really slowing me down. My dream of a spotless house today has been dampened by an immunization. Oh well, I really didn't want to spend my day at home alone slaving anyway.

PHOTOS...

I was playing around with some photos using tips found on The Pioneer Woman's site. I love the black and white photos. I especially like the ones with a highlighted color left in. Gooey's eyes are just too beautiful to not highlight. The picture of both of the boys has some sepia added in.

WEEK ONE...COMPLETE...

Yes the first week of Gooey going to his new sitter is complete. A complete success, that is. He had some issues at first. He cried when Daddeee dropped him off and then cried that evening anytime we mentioned going to "Gammy's" house.

Now, he can't wait to get there. He talks about Gammy all the time. He's even sad that he doesn't go to Gammy's house tomorrow.

And, I do believe, Gammy is smitten with Gooey. She raves about how well behaved he was each day. She's even amazed that he asks for a nap each day. She's been babysitting forever and a day and in all her years, she said he's the first child to ever ask to take a nap.

A little history, Gammy was my babysitter from the time I was 18 months until I started school. She is the best babysitter ever. I feel so incredibly lucky to have her watching my child.

I feel so much better knowing they both adore each other.

MY OH MY...

Why does it seem like time just flies by so quickly? Before I know it, days and sometimes, weeks, have past since my last post. You'd think that it's because I live such an exotic life that I have no time to post.

Actually, it's just about the opposite. I don't live an exotic life at all. I live a very ordinary life. Wake up, get the boys ready for school/babysitter (YAY! School has started again.), head off to work, work my fanny off for little pay, come home, cook dinner, play with the kids, nightly chores, sleep, rinse and repeat. Yup. That sums it up.

But I've decided I like my mundane life. We've had excitement added to our lives with a not-so-honest relative that was due to move in but we dodged that bullet before it hit.

I'm thrilled that school has started and I once again have a routine for my family. I like routine. It's predictable. No surprises.

But even my routine, mundane life keeps me so busy that I don't post as often as I'd like. Part of my problem is that I can't think of things to post. Unless I'm driving. Or sitting on hold with an office. It's at these times that I think of the most awesome stories or thoughts to post about. My problem is retaining the thoughts or ideas. I'm awful at remembering things. I've been told I should carry a notebook but I can't even remember to pick it up to bring it with me.

So until I can solve my issues, your stuck with dull updates and humdrum thoughts. But hey, they're from me. That should count for something.

I'M 18 ALL OVER AGAIN...

Last night was the first night of my 20 year high school reunion. It was an informal get-together and a loca bar. The entire night was a blast.

Seeing some old friends brought back all the same feelings of being in high school again, only this time with the added thought of "will anyone remember me". The feelings were senseless worries because, as it turns out, I was memorable. To some people, at least.

Connecting with old friends was wonderful. Daddeee got to meet the first boy I ever kissed. His girlfriend, whom I was good friends with in school, asked Daddeee if he wanted to hit him, jokingly of course. It made for a fun topic of conversation. By the way, we were seven when the "infamous kiss" took place.

The bad that played was "The Reagan Years" with lead singer, Al Bickley, a fellow graduate. They played 80's music and were surprisingly fantastic!

I also made some new friends last night. I knew their names in school but never had classes with or hung out with but we had a lot of fun getting to know each other.

So tonight is the continuation. We're having cocktails and dinner at the Crown Plaza Hotel. Daddeee surprised me and got us a room for the night. I'm so excited.

MORE CONVERSATIONS WITH GOOEY...

Gooey: Daddeee, what's that?

Daddeee: That's an airbrush.

Gooey: What you do with that airbrush?

Daddeee: I paint with it.

Gooey: When I get older, I can paint my boobies with it.


-Where does he come up with this stuff?