Michelle Talks A Lot

I know...It's been MONTHS

2009-11-11T04:13:00.001-08:00

I haven't felt much like blogging, if you couldn't tell. I've been in a foul mood for the last 5-6 months. Been busy with the kids with sports and all and babysitting and all that. I haven't exactly been able to get excited about things that would normally get me excited enough to post something. I miss my blog though. I'm going to try and get back to it, just...not right now. I have to work myself back up, I guess. Hope you all are doing well!

Above is a picture of the boys from Halloween. I made Shane's Hamburger Helper Hand costume and I'm quite proud of it!

Whatever

2009-06-01T20:45:00.000-07:00

So, my hockey fun is over. The Blackhawks aren't going anywhere from Detroit but hey, it was a good effort. I don't care about the rest of the teams so I don't care about the Stanley Cup Finals. Done. Done. Done.

In other news, it's time for baseball with the kids. A practice here, a game there, the usual running around. Troy is finally on a team with some kids who aren't quite as wacky or annoying as his last two teams. Thank God, I don't think I could put up with another year of that. He's on the White Sox (FOR SHAME!) but they got new shirts so they don't actually say "White Sox" on them. Shane ended up on a team without a coach so everything was up in the air for awhile. One of the dads finally stepped up and they are having fun. He somehow ended up on the Cubs (THANK GOD) which should more than make up for having to wear a White Sox shirt last year. The older they get the more fun it is to watch. At least they can catch the ball once in a while.

School is over this Friday. I am NOT looking forward to it. I volunteered to help with Field Day for three and a half hours. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm already regretting it.

Did I ever mention how much I can't stand Troy's teacher? She actually replaced his First Teacher, who I loved and adored, so Replacement had a lot to live up to. She's not cutting it. First Teacher was super nice and treated the kids in a soft-spoken, warm way. Even the super wacky kids. First Teacher is on bedrest due to complications with her pregnancy. Shane told me Replacement is the 2nd meanest teacher in the whole school on their list of mean teachers (I know the 1st meanest and I think it's a tie) Replacement is snippy and cold, even to the parents! I wanted to smack Replacement in the face one morning but thought better of it when I saw 24 six and seven year olds looking at us. Most of the parents have been unhappy with Replacement and are just waiting for the year to end and also hoping that the kids aren't scarred from snippy Replacement teacher who should be teaching high school and not elementary students. For this I am thankful for the end of the year. But not the fact that I'm pretty sure my kids will fight a lot and the house will always be messy.

It's June 1st and I went to Troy's baseball game in shorts and sandals, because I was hot and it was a little muggy. We weren't at the field 15 minutes when the temperature dropped about 20 degrees, the sun disappeared and the wind kicked up. By the time we went home my fingers were numb and I was freezing my ass off. WTF??? The f-ing weather around here is ridiculous. Whatever!!!

Patrick Sharp is a Hottie

2009-05-24T07:54:00.000-07:00

That. Was. Awesome. Gotta love the crowds in Chicago.

I couldn't watch the rest of the game after the Redwings scored their first goal. It was 3-1 Blackhawks, but in my limited experience with Chicago sports, it just isn't a good sign unless they're up by 5 or 7 goals (touchdowns, runs, etc). I sat outside and waited for updates as the game progressed. Of course, they were tied at the end of the third period. I couldn't watch that either. But then Blawkhawk hottie Patrick Sharp made it into the net and they ACTUALLY won. I don't think they're going to win the series but it was nice to win one at home. Go Blackhawks!

Just for fun...Hockey for The Ladies ...based in Pittsburgh so a little heavy on the Penguins but that's okay.

A Little Compassion Can Go a Long Way....

2009-05-21T13:03:00.000-07:00

You know, I just read the most depressing story about a young mother who suffocated her 3 year old and buried him in the sand of a playground. She said she didn't want him growning up with no one caring about him, like she had grown up. Now that's some fucked up shizz. But, that being said, what happened to her? Why hadn't anyone cared about her? What made her the way she is? Why did she think that life was so hard she didn't want her son to endure it? I don't think a lot of people understand the effect of physical, verbal or emotional abuse on children and young people. Sure, there are plenty of people who had fucked up childhoods and grew up to be pretty well-adjusted. And there are those that had great childhoods that grew up to be complete assholes. But everyone is different. Everyone has a different way of coping. She may be mentally ill or clinically depressed? Does it really matter? Maybe she's been reaching and no one noticed. Who knows? Sometimes all it takes is one word of encouragement from someone you respect and like to really make your day. I'm not always the nicest person on earth, but I hope that at least once in my lifetime I said something to someone that helped them through some kind of funk. Maybe just a little something that helped them to get out of some kind of dysfunctional atmosphere, to have a boring yet satisfying day. One without drama and dread. I am always grateful that the only drama I am facing is that my son's baseball team doesn't have a coach. Really not so bad, is it? So, I am going to say something nice to more people, more often. I can't promise it to everyone, but I will try at least. Have a nice, comfortable, satisfying day!

Yes, I Watch DWTS...and I Vote. VOTE

2009-05-20T06:59:00.000-07:00

Say it isn't so! How could Gilles and Cheryl NOT WIN THE MIRROR BALL on DWTS?

It's just not my week. First the Blackhawks lose and now my favorite dance team on Dancing With the Stars, Cheryl and Gilles, comes in second place. Not to diss Shawn Johnson, the Olympic gold medalist, but Gilles deserved to win. I blame myself of course. I was actually on a treadmill at the gym on Monday night when DWTS was on. I watched it while sweating my ass off and when the show was over I picked up my cell phone texted "Vote" to Cheryl and Gilles seven times, the maximum allowed from one number, still on the treadmill. I didn't get home in time to actually make phone calls from my home phone and vote some more, so I went to the computer to vote on-line. But I couldn't remember my stupid screen name on the ABC site. I sent a request to have my sign-on info sent to me but it took forever. Of course, they say it may take up to 24 hours to get the info which would have made it impossible for me to vote anyway. So I gave up and went to bed, thinking I would check again in the morning. I was babysitting and ended up going on a long bike ride with a stop at Dunkin Donuts. Then hung out in the backyard since it was so nice out. I thought about going on-line and checking my e-mail but thought that Cheryl and Gilles were a shoo-in and that my votes wouldn't make much of a difference anyway. We ate lunch and when I did check the e-mail there was all my info. SO I dutifully went back the DWTS voting page only to discover that I had missed the deadline by about an hour. If I had paid attention, the deadline was something like Noon Eastern Time. Not Noon Central or whatever. But no matter, they were going to win.

And then they didn't. There was less than a 1 percent difference between 1st and 2nd place! So, yes, I had become complacent, over-confident, sure that everyone was going to vote like me! But alas, no. So from now on. I will vote on time and in every which way that is possible. This will extend to all my local, state and federal elections as well. I REALLY do think that everyone my age, my gender, my everything, thinks like me and it's so not true. I've learned that the people around me actually think I am kind of extreme, which I find funny. They don't understand me and I don't understand them. In my fair city with a population of 170,600, the last mayoral election only had a 13 percent turn out. REALLY? That is pathetic. I voted. Vote. Vote, people, vote! You seriously have nothing to complain about if you don't take 10 minutes to go and vote. Look what happened to Gilles and Cheryl...all because I didn't vote.

GAWD I HATE DETROIT

2009-05-19T21:06:00.000-07:00

Khabibulin stopped 35 shots. Chicago loses to Detroit in overtime...3-2.

I so Hate Detroit

2009-05-17T21:05:00.001-07:00

Oh Lordy, they've lost the first game...not a good sign. But it ain't over 'til it's over. Go Hawks!

Blackhawks 7, Canucks 5

2009-05-13T08:14:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! Blackhawks eliminate the Canucks 7-5 in Game 6!

Blackhawks 4, Canucks 2

2009-05-10T20:35:00.000-07:00

VANCOUVER, British Columbia – David Bolland scored the go-ahead goal on a power play with 5:05 left, and the Chicago Blackhawks beat the Vancouver Canucks 4-2 on Saturday night to take a 3-2 lead in the Western Conference semifinal series. AP

Weeeeee!

2009-05-08T17:24:00.000-07:00

Just win already, I can't take this overtime crap!

Chicago Blackhawks tip Vancouver Canucks 2-1 in OT
Win pivotal Game 4 to even series
By Chris Kuc Tribune reporter
May 8, 2009

AARRGHHHH!!!!!!!

2009-04-19T22:09:00.000-07:00

No, Dr. Berman, don't say it! You just said "Vagina"...you can't say "masturbate" again! The country will turn against you! Oh crap, now you just went and did it anyway.

I am so annoyed right now. I've been watching Oprah lately. Yeah, you know, Oprah. And I admit she gets a little wacky sometimes but I have to give credit where credit is due. She actually has had a number of shows about health and the human body that have been very informational and educational. For example, Dr Oz, a cardiac surgeon, is on a lot. He answers ANY question you want to ask. Doesn't care what it's about...gas, menstrual cramps, itchy skin, etc. She also has other doctors on that come from other specialized backgrounds such an OB/Gyn, pediatrician, whatever the topic demands. So, she's lately had on Dr. Laura Berman, a pretty well-known sex therapist. They've been addressing the issue of when to discuss sex with your children, what is age appropriate, what is normal behaviour, what they think they know, and what kind of questions to ask, what is the correct information. All age appropriate, of course. As I was watching the show, I thought "FINALLY! Someone is educating women on their own bodies! There is a discussion about what preteens and teens are doing! On Tv! During the day! Stuff people should think about!" Yeah, well, lo and behold, who KNEW that Oprah's best-friend Gayle is a prude and an idiot! She actually had the nerve to say something to the effect that girls don't masturbate, and if they do, they shouldn't. Want to know why? Because girls are different from boys. Say that again...??? What??? It seems Miss Gayle thinks it's okay for boys to spend hours on end masturbating, but that it isn't for girls. Because then they will want the real thing and go have sex with every boy they meet. She also seems to feel that the amount of (AGE APPROPRIATE) information given to young girls and teen girls should be very limited. As in, they shouldn't know anything beyond the technical. Nothing about pleasure, about knowing your body, respecting yourself...just, whatever you do, don't get pregnant I guess! What in the hell? She's the editor of O magazine and she doesn't want to educate the young women in our country? SSOOOO scary!

As if Gayle wasn't bad enough, I went to the Oprah.com message boards to see what everyone was talking about. Oh, for Pete's sake, the amount of ignorance and stupidity was overwhelming! So many people, such ridiculous statements! One woman actually said "Sex is not supposed to be for the pleasure of women, it is only for the married couple, and then for the man." LIKE SERIOUSLY, ARE YOU KIDDING? One commenter said "Dr. Berman is obsessed with sex." Um really, dumbass?? The show was ABOUT SEX. She's a SEX THERAPIST. Hence, she TALKED ABOUT SEX. Don't get me started on the people who didn't really understand what was being talked about, they got all freaky and said things like "Dr. Berman wants my ten year old to use a vibrator!" "Vibrators could hurt small children!" and the religious "You aren't supposed to put anything in there that is mechanical and isn't a penis" (gotta throw out the tampons, I guess) along with "I'd rather my daughter slept with her boyfriend than use a vibrator because (the bible) says you can't use anything that isn't part of the human body"..Oh okay, but your daughter can have sex with her boyfriend? Can you understand my consternation? I wanted to bang my head against the desktop. I wanted to scream "You ARE IDIOTS!" As far as I'm concerned Dr. Berman gave out information that was educational, appropriate, and CORRECT. No smudging, no fudging, just the facts. Oprah was behind her all the way and openly disagreed with her BFF. Let's not forget, Oprah herself went through some difficult times as a young girl and teen, I just BET she wishes she were armed with this kind of information to protect herself....

Oy vey, it's 2009, I thought we were beyond all this ridiculousness. Was I ever wrong.

The Chicago Blackhawks...

2009-04-18T21:51:00.000-07:00

making me excited about hockey again.

"Flames vs. Blackhawks
Jonathan Toews scored two goals to rally Chicago to a 2-0 lead over Calgary."

Yahoo sports headline. Nuf said.

Go HAWKS!

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T05:31:00.001-07:00

Happy Easter everyone! I made these Easter cookies to bring to Dan and Paula's house. Look at them...crave them.... They are pretty good if I say so myself. Have a great day!

Spring Break can Kiss My Ass

2009-03-28T18:58:00.000-07:00

Spring break! WOOHOO! And here's how my kids and I spent Spring Break...

Monday: Shane very tired all day. They both don't eat much and don't play with their friends. Shane goes to birthday party at 4:00pm. Troy passes out on couch and sleeps for about 2 hours. He wakes up with a red face, a headache, and a fever. Shane comes back from birthday party, is fine, watched tv for a bit. I look at him and his face is completely red, has a fever.

Tuesday: Shane and Troy have fevers all night and day. Run to CVS for more more Tylenol and Motrin, also Gatorade, just for the heck of it. Kids stay on couch and watch tv.

Wednesday: Shane and Troy still have slight fevers. Feel tired all day. I run to CVS again for more gatorade and Nyquil, for me, just in case. Shane seems much better, I think about canceling his already month late birthday party on Thursday but he swears he feels fine. Troy complains that his calves hurt.

Thursday: Shane wakes up, he feels great! I give him some coffee cake for breakfast. He takes one bite, goes in the bathroom and throws up. Troy is crawling out of the bedroom because he can't walk, his legs hurt so bad he can't stand and starts crying. I carry him downstairs and call the doctor. Can't get in until 2:30pm. I call Misa and tell her I can't babysit Mina and Lara, which is fine because Mina is still so small and doesn't need the flu. I call the party place and reschedule Shane's party for next week. I spend an hour e-mailing and calling parents to let them know the party is cancelled. My head hurts and my shoulders are achy. Great. We head out to the doctor and get there at 2:25. I have to carry my 63 pound 7 year old to the car and to the office. They are running late. At 3 pm they put us in a room...at 4:30 the doctor finally comes in...she's got a runny nose too. I feel like total shit by this time. He's got inflamed muscles caused by the flu virus, she doesn't want him on his feet until Monday...rest and Motrin. We get home at 5pm. I call to tell another mom that Troy can't make it to her son's gymnastics party because, well, he can't walk, and what would be the point, right? I get a fever. I go to bed at 9 and sleep for 9 hours.

Friday: Shane is feeling better, he's getting mouthy and talking back, not to mention he's extremely noisy. Troy still can't walk, but he can stand for a few seconds. Troy sits on couch all day. So does Shane. We take Motrin and dayquil. I have a fever again and not feeling great. We go to bed at 9.

Saturday: I sleep until 7am...which is totally unheard of. I never sleep for 10 hours. I take some Dayquil and start laundry. I feel okay but at 1 pm it starts all over again and I spend the entire day in front of the tv set watching 7 hours of Big Love OnDemand. Troy takes about 4 steps...yea!!!! My baby can walk again! Shane is basically back to normal. I still feel like shit.

Sunday: I sleep until nine. I get up, take a shower, and sit in front of the tv set. The kids are fine now so they are fighting, wrestling, giggling and making a lot of noise. I go upstairs around noon to get away from them. I sleep for 3 hours. I wake up and feel a lot better but go to bed at 8:45pm, thinking I won't sleep that well. But I fall asleep pretty fast and wake up only once to go to the bathroom. Get up at 6:30 feeling human again.

So much for Spring Break, I guess we're just lucky that we were too poor to go anywhere. WooHoo!

Wearing Green and Cemetaries

2009-03-22T11:07:00.000-07:00

So March 17th, 2009 was was the 10th anniversary of my father's death. Yup, Saint Patrick's Day. Which was fine by me actually, since he was known to enjoy a hearty glass or two of Guiness or Glenfiddich, or something like that. Anyway, we make an annual pilgrimmage to the cemetary to visit him in this gigantic mausoleum at this huge Catholic cemetary nearby. He was cremated so really he's just in this small box in the wall of a small room that used to be an office that they converted into a room for cremated deceased people so that they could make better use of space and make more money. I am not so into this, visiting the cemetary, because I really don't think you have to go there to visit with your deceased loved ones, but it's my mom's thing so we go. Then she takes us out to lunch, so really, not such a horrible thing to do. My mom used to make Shane say "Hi" to Papa so he would go up to the wall and yell "HELLO PAPA" where his name marker is. This was when he was toddler though, so you know, he really didn't know that it was just ashes in there. Who knows what goes through a 2 or 3 year old's mind? Misa and I would laugh hysterically because it just seemed (seems) so surreal. Then we have to march down the very ornately and marbly designed halls of the mausoleum to the chapel for a couple of prayers and pictures. Where my mom would tell the kids to "Say Hi to Jesus". Seriously, so goofy. Pretty crazy this place. Marble everywhere so you can tell who had the money to buy into this place. Saints line the walls along with couches in 60's and 70's floral motifs. There's music piped in too, if you're not creeped out enough the music seems to help with the dead people going to heaven mystique I guess. Seems so gaudy and weird, and you're surrounded by dead people on top of it. LOTS of them.

We ended up looking for Mike's grandparent's graves and that took at least 45 minutes. The place is huge and not so well marked but we had to kill time because Misa was running late. I had Lara with us and she ran all over the graves very cheerfully while other people politely cleaned off their loved ones' markers and straightened out flowers and whatever. She picked up flowers and flags and stuff and was quite excited about it. She couldn't really grasp that we were walking all over dead people and that we really shouldn't play with those things...but oh well, it was a nice day out. How are you supposed to act in a cemetary anyway? So that's what we do in March. Besides wear green and pretend we're Irish. Hope you had a great Saint Patrick's Day!

My First Time

2009-03-01T16:51:00.000-08:00

Yup, I did it. It was my very first time and it felt great! I blocked someone from sending me e-mail. Never had to do that before and just a few seconds ago, I did. I had to block my best-friend's father from ever sending me e-mail again. Why? Because his undies are all up in his ass over Barack Obama. He is sending a constant barage of anti-Obama mail he got from someone who got it from someone, who got from someone, who got it from some source who claims to be a PhD in something that sounds important and may or may not be from England...or is Canada? I started to reply to a lot of his e-mails but honestly, it was just pissing me off. And he's not going to stop. Anyway, I don't know why he would find it appropriate to send me e-mail like this since he knows my views. I have never used e-mail to send any kind of political ranting to my friends that I know don't agree with me. So anyway, I had enough. I was thinking though...maybe I should just barage him with all of my Planned Parenthood updates and news...that should really get his goat. What guy in his late 60's gives a shit about Planned Parenthood or it's causes? It would drive him batty. Maybe I should do that...hmmmm. Should've sent him the National Condom Week e-mail...damn, missed my chance there. I might just have to un-block him....

So it begins....

2009-02-08T21:26:00.000-08:00

It begins...the snide comments about Obama. I mean, for fuck's sake...it's only February 9th and I've already been told that he's made "several mistakes". From his cabinet appointments to the ecomony...he's fucked everything up. Did you also know that Obama "isn't really African-American"? I've been told that too. So, yeah, uh, yeah, whatever that means, or what it's supposed to mean...I'm not really sure. You know, I'm not a politician. I'm not an economist. I don't have a PhD in genetics, or whatever. I don't even know the history of Illinois very well since I grew up in California. I just know that I don't have to see Shrub anymore, or hear anymore of his nonsense. I'm so happy to have someone in office that can speak in full sentences and not look like he's snickering at some kind of inside joke all the time. The best part is, I never, ever, told anyone who was a Shrub supporter what I really thought about him. I never put down their beliefs or opinions. I just let them have their say, regardless of what I thought, and let them say it. But, golly gee whiz, now that we have a not-really African-American Democrat in the White House, I get bull shit from these gung-ho Republicans. Okay I GET IT. YOU DON'T LIKE OUR PRESIDENT. Well, GUESS WHAT? I DIDN'T LIKE THE ONE BEFORE HIM!!!!!!!!!!!! OKAY???!!! Now, shut the fuck up. I don't really care to hear your uneducated opinions on everything under sun. You're starting to sound more and more like Sarah Palin. And that's NOT a compliment.

For fun I am posting this from Margaret and Helen. Titled Kiss My 83 year old Ass, this post just makes me want to find Helen and plant a big old kiss on her.

KISS MY 83 YEAR OLD ASS by Helen Philpot

The election is over. Barack Obama is now President Obama and Bush has slithered back to Texas where I am sure he will drink himself into obscurity. Palin seems to have been successfully de-clawed for now. I have sworn off Rush Limbaugh and The View, and Fox News was never really an option for me. So… now what do I do? I think I might read a few of that big-footed Ann Coulter’s books and then point my “guns” at her scrawny ass. She bugs me almost as much as Palin so this could be fun.

But until then, I would like to comment on that Ass Hat who has been posting as Anonymous:
“And where were YOU the past 8 years? Only ready to go because a Democrat is POTUS? Reading through this blog, the “verbal vomiting” that is used towards anyone that has dared to disagree is astonishing. The attacks on Republican politicians, pundits, or anyone that dares think differently are shameful. How hypocritical.”
The better question is where were you? Let me tell you where I was. I was in shock that we had a President saying “I am the decider” like some toddler upset that his parents told him no more candy. We were turning a blind eye to torture. The President’s answer to everything was war. We celebrated lower taxes while ignoring the massive debt that was building. It was as if common sense had disappeared entirely from the White House. For God’s sakes at one point Cheney claimed the Vice President wasn’t a part of the executive branch nor was it part of the legislative or judicial branches. Bush’s entire Presidency was an utter failure and at times the nation held him in lower esteem than it did Nixon during his resignation.
So Anonymous, if we didn’t have anything good to say these last eight years it is because there was nothing good to say during these last 8 years. Nothing.
And if you don’t like what I have to say then you can kiss my 83 year old ass because on this blog I am the decider. I mean it. Really.
And while I am on a roll… the same thing goes for all these Republican jack asses in the Senate and House who suddenly have an opinion about everything. Shut your pie holes. You had your chance and you blew it.
It’s nice to have an intelligent person in the Oval Office again. I mean it. I really, really mean it.

Ah yes...ASSHAT. A new word that Helen discovered reading the comments on her blog. So at 83 you CAN learn new and interesting things...and you can still make an impact on the rest of the world. Love it.

President Barack Obama

2009-01-20T10:05:00.000-08:00

Oh hell yeah! I've been waiting a long time to say those words.

"President Barack Obama"

Oh, and let's not forget

"Vice-President Joseph Biden"

Though I have a lot faith that "Barack", yes I like to call him by his first name, will do the best that he can as president, I'm worried. I'm not really sure what I'm worried about. I guess that I'm worried that the first time Barack screws up it will turn into a big huge "I told you so" from people who are not so supportive of him. And then the next time there is a screw up, there will be another one. There will be a huge list of "I told you so" items posted somewhere, everyday, by someone. Yes, a lot of HOPE rides on him and his decisions, but he's not the Messiah people. He is not a god. He just seems like a man with a lot of dignity, intelligence, and just enough compassion to lead this country and it's people into better times. I sure hope so. I, for one, wish our new President and Vice-President the best.

Damn, it's cold

2009-01-15T16:54:00.000-08:00

My life is so boring that I have to blog about how fucking cold it is in the midwest. I've been in my house for two days straight and didn't even put make-up on, which IS a big deal because I wear make-up EVERY DAY. I am getting so fucking lazy it's pathetic. The schools closed so all the kids were home. Most of them were at our house, which was fine. They were having fun and left me pretty much to do my own thing.

2009 has been pretty slow and uneventful thus far. I have already read 4 books THIS year. That's how bad it's been. Has anyone read Twilight by Stephenie Meyer? I'm glad everyone likes it. But there is a reason why it's considered a "Young Adult Novel". Because it reads like a 13 year old girl's diary, that's why. It was like reading V.C. Andrews, only for 6th graders. After Anne Rice, Twilight didn't do much for me. I'll tell you what HAS caught my attention though...the HBO series True Blood. I like it. It's kind of funny and has a lot of sex and violence...what's not to like. It was created by Allan Ball, who also created one of my all-time favorite series 6 Feet Under. True Blood isn't exactly brain food, but it's entertaining and smart. I love Anna Paquin who plays the lead, Sookie. So with all my boring days at least I have True Blood.

Oh, and I went to a book-signing with 2 of my girl-friends. They are both hard-core fans of Perez Hilton, queen of all media, the gossip gansta...well, you get what I'm getting at. I used to read a lot of his blog, not so much for the actual celebrity gossip but because of his snarky comments and CHILDISH drawings he would add to photographs of celebrities. For instance, when Katie Holmes was pregnant he would draw a picture of an alien baby on her growing stomach, or maybe coke dust under someone's nostrils, pee running down someone's leg...you know, things I found HIGHLY entertaining. Like I said, I lead a boring life. Anyway, we went, bought his book, he talked, we got his autograph. I'm going to admit it, I liked him. He was funny, nice, great to his fans, he knows what he's doing. He's got about 10 minutes left of his 15, and he's going to get the most of it that he can. I even found his book to be pretty funny. I will also add that there were probably only 5 people there that were older than me. I'd say the age range was about 16-25 years old. Then there was me (40's), Amy (late 30's) and Jill (early 30's). I pointed out some older people but Jill insists they were just there because they had to drive their grandkids there. Okay, maybe. Here I am with Perez...who I now find rather adorable.
That's been it so far. And snow, lots of snow. That's it. Til next time....

Merry Christmas to all...and to all a Good Night!

2008-12-24T17:42:00.000-08:00

It's freezing and the streets are sheets of ice, but it's Christmas and I love every bit of it! We even went to church today and apparently God is merciful because the ceiling didn't cave in on us. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah, Merry Winter Solstice, Happy Kwanza, etc etc etc. Whatever your holiday, may it be filled with comfort and joy!

Rod, Rod, Rod...

2008-12-10T11:34:00.000-08:00

Rod Blagojevich, you stupid fuck. We already knew you were a crook, but I don't think most of us thought you were a "dumb as a box of rocks"crook, which you are. Thanks for making Illinois look like it's being governed by a bunch of gangsters and making it your own private little money-making venture, and thanks for making a history-making election look shitty. You are an ass.

Go to jail, go directly to jail. Do not pass Go, do not collect 200 dollars.

Thanksgiving Rocked

2008-12-06T06:29:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving rocked. As usual we had too much food but it was awesome! I didn't think to take pictures of the food, but I should have.

Maya was in town visiting my mom so she got to experience Thanksgiving with us, too bad Rob missed out!

The Ladies chatting in the dining room.

Gary, Mike, and Tim watched football most of the time. I don't think I even saw Gary for most of the night.
My Mom with the Grandkids.

Playing LeftCenterRight, it gets pretty crazy.

The kids having dessert.

Lara, hugging her winnings. This is the 3rd time a child has won LCR! They need their own table.

Now it's time for Christmas! I was so tired from Thanksgiving but Troy insisted that we put the tree up. So all the decorations are up and the lights are on...time to go shopping! Hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving!

15 Random Facts About Me

2008-11-14T10:52:00.000-08:00

I've been tagged by the Constantly Dramatic One to reveal 15 random facts about myself. 15? I'll try.

1. I cannot drink alcoholic beverages. Not that I don't like them, I just can't. Not all the time. Depends on what I'm drinking. What usually happens is I'll drink a glass of wine, or beer, or whatever, and my pulse rate goes up, my face turns very red, and my eyes get glassy. Sometimes when it really hits me my heart rate is extremely fast and I feel like I'm going to pass out. I have to put my head down between my knees and wait until the feeling passes. I usually drink some ice water and try to breath normally. If I drink consistently I can build up a tolerance. Red wine is a mystery. Some reds don't bother me at all, some make me sick. I can drink Miller Lite without a problem most of the time. In Italy I drank some kind of ale and I turned bright red and was extremely hot. It was in the middle of cold snap and Mike wanted to put his cold feet on my face because I was literally putting out heat from my face. It's very attractive too, as you can imagine. I am currently trying to build up a tolerance by drinking Mike's Hard Lemonade every night. Don't laugh, it's true.
I had a boss who was half Japanese and he told me that sometimes Asians lack an enzyme that helps to digest alcohol. Sounds good to me.

2. I was in the marching band in high school. No, I didn't play an instrument, I was in the color guard. You know, one of those girls that threw a flag around. I'm sorry, but it was fun. I actually liked it. Yes, most of the band members were nerds. It was only for one year, don't make too much of it!

3. I am actually very social, but just aloof enough. I like parties, family gatherings, holidays, girls' nights out, even baby showers and wedding showers. I would like "home parties" like Party Lite, Tastefully Simple, and Tupperware, if it just didn't involve buying things. I do go to these things just to go, and don't buy anything. I am good at talking to people, even ones I don't like. I actually go to these things a lot for what I call "recognizance missions". Yes, if you have a child at my school or live near me and invite me to one of your home parties, I will gladly come. Not because I like the product you want me to buy, but because I can check you out. I can check out your home, I can check out your kids, you know, all that stuff. You can find out a lot about people by going to their homes. How do I know if I want my kid to go to your house? Does it have a weird atmosphere? Does it smell like pot? Are your kids disrespectful? Do you and your husband talk to each other nicely? Do you have TONS of electronics and video game systems? Are there crosses hanging on your walls? Are there Sage Sticks in your kitchen? Who else did you invite? Do I like them? So many questions can be answered by going to a couple of these parties, they've been very helpful in the past. I will always be nice to you, but if I think you or your kids are whack jobs I will keep you at arms length.

4. I babysit for my friends and they pay me generously. I sometimes feel weird accepting money from them but they assure me they are grateful that someone they know and trust is watching their kids. So sometimes I get other people asking me about babysitting. So many people need childcare but you know what? I won't watch your kid if:
A) She's a girl and wants to talk to me all the time. I love my neighbors' kids, but I cannot stand talking to 7,8,9,10 year old girls. They never stop! I'm not used to it, and frankly, I'm not interested in what they have to say. So, call me impatient or mean or whatever, I don't care.
B)Your kid is unlikeable. Honestly, some people have spoiled their kids so much they are unpleasant little assholes and bitches. I don't want to watch these kids walk in front of my house much less spend an hour with them in my home. NO THANKS.
C) Your kid cries about everything. I can't stand it when a kid tattles and cries about every little thing that happens. I want to stab myself in the head when this happens. Sorry, I can't put up with it. Yes, if my kid were like that, I would have to put up with it but it's YOUR kid, not mine. Maybe s/he has some kind of emotional issue and I'm sorry but I am not capable of patience when it comes to these things. D) I don't like you or I think you're trouble. I know I am nice to you and am friendly. But that is because I am a polite person and don't really have a reason to be rude to you. But I don't like you because you would take advantage of the situation or be a general pain in the ass. I also don't want to get sucked into your drama or bullshit.
To all these people I would quote 3 times what I charge all my friends and neighbors that I DO babysit for. And guess what? They usually don't ask me again.

5. I love sci-fi and fantasy. Star Trek, Star Wars, The X-Files. Dr. Who. I admit it. I've read Anne McCaffrey (Dragon Riders of Pern) Frank Herbert (Dune), Mary Stewart (The Merlin Series). Now, I don't get all nerdy and stupid over it but once in a while I get a little carried away. I have a lot of X-Files books and dvds. I went to the X-Files Convention in Chicago. I have an X-Files mug that Misa gave me and used for years until it seemed the logo was starting to fade off. I'm not against other genres of movies or literature but when I'm in the mood, you can't stop me from getting my sci-fi fix.

6. I hate country music and NASCAR. I don't want to get into the details of why I hate country music and NASCAR, I just want to state that I hate them both. A lot. Like "puts me in a rage" hate.

7. I believe in spirits, "ghosts" if you prefer. I believe that there are true psychics and mediums. And no, I've never been to a psychic or medium to be read. I don't want to because there are too many fakers out there. I believe places or buildings can be "haunted". So yeah, I watch Ghost Hunters on sci-fi. I watch it because as nerdy as it is, they come from a place of skepticism. They love nothing better than to "disprove" paranormal activity. I read up on and watch shows about the possibilities of hauntings and the after-life from all different cultures and religions. I grew up with parents who were/are very open about talking about the dead and getting "visits" from them or the fact that we had some unexplained experiences in our house. They were shrugged off as a fact of life and not bothersome to their Catholic faith. So, we're a strange family.

8. I am very competitive and would love to see my kids kick the ass of every kid they ever go up against in sports, or anything. When I was in elementary school I was competitive about everything...grades, how many books I could read, kick ball, gym class, winning the class president vote, etc. You name it. But it was frowned upon and I learned not to be so competitive so I wouldn't get in trouble. Now I live vicariously through my kids. But again, I've been muzzled so that I encourage them to "have fun" and "just try your best". When I want to say "Don't take that crap from that brat, tackle him as hard as you can and get in there!" or "I'm not our here for my health, you know! You better start participating or you're grounded!" Yes, I know they are only 6 and 8 years old. That is why I don't coach and I video tape everything, so that I cannot yell inappropriate things to my kids or someone else's kid.

9. I am 5 foot 7 inches. No way in hell am I telling you how much I weigh.

10. I wear contacts and I DESPISE wearing glasses. I hate wearing glasses.

11. I like my husband. Yup, I do. We get along just about all the time. He's a nice guy. I'm glad he puts up with me.

12. I dye my hair. I have dyed my hair for years, several different shades of brown and sometimes even with a little red in there. I didn't know I had grey hair until I didn't dye my hair and let it grow out a bit. Boy, now I will never NOT dye my hair, those grey little fuckers are multiplying.

13. Yes, I like to swear. And sometimes I swear in front of my kids. They know they are not supposed to. I told them they can swear when they have jobs and live on their own. Hey, I can't smoke, I can't drink. At least give me this.

14. I will be celebrating 10 years of NOT smoking this Christmas day. Don't think I didn't think about celebrating by lighting up one of my beloved Marlboro lights. But I won't. It's kind of like alcoholism with me...can't have just one.

15. I am a holiday geek. I LOVE fall and winter because of the holidays. I don't even care which one. I love Halloween and yes, I decorate for it. I LOVE THANKSGIVING and decorate for that, too. Pumpkins are my favorite things on earth. Don't know why. I just love them. Christmas Eve and Christmas day are awesome, too. Decocrate the heck out of the place for Christmas. Lights everywhere. I will be out in a snow blizzard putting up the lights. If you invite me over for Kwanza or Hanakkah, I'll be right there with ya. Yup, I love the holidays.

So there it is. 15 totally random facts about myself. Now go and meditate on them.

WooHoo! Obama Wins!

2008-11-05T10:47:00.001-08:00

Whheeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I can hardly contain myself. Obama wins!

Election 2008 Obama vs McLame

2008-11-04T08:51:00.000-08:00

Woohoo! I voted OBAMA today but OBAMA I'm not going to OBAMA tell you who I OBAMA voted for, it's OBAMA a private matter and all OBAMA that really OBAMA matters is that OBAMA you actually go out OBAMA and vote.

Have a Happy OBAMA Election Day!

Margaret and Helen

2008-10-10T20:54:00.001-07:00

My sister-in-law, Paula, sent me this link to a blog called Margaret and Helen . It's mostly written by Helen who is 82, going on 83 in December. Helen talks politics and let's just say Helen and I will be voting exactly the same come November. I love that she's over 80 and voices her opinion in a way that, well, I wish I could! The comments she gets are hilarious as well, so if you can't stand Palin...check out her post Sarah Palin is a bitch...there, I said it, which was followed by Yep, I called her a bitch and I'm not taking it back. I just want to grab her and hug her, check it out!

Books I've Read This Year

2008-09-28T06:00:00.000-07:00

Books I've read this year:
By Frank Herbert:
Dune
Dune Messiah
Children of Dune
God Emperor of Dune
Heretics of Dune
Chapterhouse: Dune

Hellstrom's Hive

I love Frank Herbert. Re-read all the Classic Dune books so I could read Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune and not be completely confused. It was a fun time. Hellstrom's Hive was hell to read though. Wouldn't recommend it. Especially if you're not a sci-fi geek or environmentalist. Goofy.

By Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson:
HUNTERS OF DUNE
SANDWORMS OF DUNE

Of course, I was enthralled with Hunters of Dune and Sandworms of Dune. Two novels based on Frank Herbert's "Dune Chapter 7" notes...found in a safe-deposit box after his death. Or some kind of story like that. I'm Dune obsessed. Do not talk to me when I am reading a Dune related novel. I will not answer you.

By Brian Herbert:
Time Web

Meh. It was okay. Not as good as the Dune stuff. Kind of like 7th grade reading for me. But I wanted to check out some of his other stuff.

By Peter Straub:

Mr. X
Lost Boy, Lost Girl

Peter Straub is one of those authors that writers like Stephen King rave about. I've read quite a few before and was never TOTALLY excited about most of them but thought I'd give him another try.
Mr X was interesting but still very much a Peter Straub novel. Very involved and very mystical and goofy. Fascinating all the same.
Lost Boy, Lost Girl was a little strange too, but like I said, it's Peter Straub. Not quite the ending I was expecting, almost romantic in a way. Weird.

By V.C. Andrews:
April Shadows
Girl In The Shadows

Horrible, but easy reading. They weren't even interesting in the Flowers in the Attic way. You know, with a lot of family dysfunction that usually involves incest or something fun like that. These two books could've been one novel. They sure know how to suck money out of people that's for sure. It's not like V.C. Andrews is known for having novels of great distinction but they do have some entertainment value, like, say The National Enquirer. It's not meant to be great journalism. Thought the second one would provide a little more fascinating, possibly perverted/fucked up story line, but not so. I guess I have to say it was boring. But I read it anyway. A book has to REALLY piss me off before I put it down and not finish it.

Now I am back to more crafty pursuits since I have 3 people with 4 babies on the way. I am crocheting my little fingers off making gorgeous baby blankets that will become beloved family heirlooms in a few months. Haha. No but really, I make nice ones, not cheesey ones. I don't think I'll have time to read anything until next year. I'm one of those people that if I have a book, I do NOTHING else but read until I am done with it. You want dinner? You'll have to wait until I'm done with this novel/chapter/page...depending on how much I'm into it. I really have to limit myself so as not to completely neglect the children, house, friends, and tv watching. I do have my priorities you know.

Fall is here!

2008-09-22T08:44:00.000-07:00

The boys both had football games last Saturday and we hosted a cookout for our "group" Saturday night. The "group" consists of about 9 core people that used to hang out together all the time back before we got married or had real lives and jobs. They were all involved with our wedding in some way also. So, 5 of the 9 managed to make it. The weather was so nice out we ate outside on the deck with a bunch of candles and just relaxed. The boys stayed with Mike's parents that night and got to hang out with Nick and Colin. Then on Sunday they both had birthday parties to attend. It was EXHAUSTING! Insanity.

Troy's been telling me nightly for about 2 weeks now that he hates football and and he hates practice. He's a pretty good athlete and ran in for 2 touchdowns his first game. And I know for a fact that he LOVES football. He kept saying it was "boring" but Mike finally got out of him that he doesn't like to run the ball. Yeah. So, WHAT KID DOESN'T LIKE TO RUN THE BALL? Mine. Such a weird kid, but it all comes down to, he doesn't like the attention he gets when he does well. He hates it when people say "AWESOME RUN, TROY!" or "Great job!" or clap or yell his name. Some other dad called him a "stud". We're like, uh, yeah, don't tell him that. Fortunately, the coaches have been moving the kids around to different positions and so he didn't have to run the ball so much. The best part is, the VERY first play of the game, the ball got kicked right to him. He picked it up and ran it in for a touchdown. Mike and I were like, OH GREAT. But he was fine after that. He almost admitted he had a good time.

We also went to a Cubs game Wednesday night just to add more activities to our week. It was fun, but it seems any time we go they lose. So depressing. But everyone is excited about the Cubs making it to the playoffs, so that's okay. We ended up sitting next to Ronnie Woo-Woo, the most annoying Cubs fan ever. Shane and Troy were cracking up. I taped a little of him doing his schtick. Sorry if you're a Ronnie Woo-Woo fan, but honestly, it gets old. People around us were calling their friends and family on their cell phones and asking Ronnie to do his thing. After the second phone call I was ready to punch him in the mouth. No, not really, but, I was getting a little irritated. Here's a little taste of his talents:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSEqWYZ-hyc

Fall is here! Costco already had gorgeous mums for sale, so I loaded up on 6 plants. I'm not a big flower person but mums get me everytime. I buy loads of them in the fall and just cover my front yard and deck with them. Ta ta for now, summer! I won't miss you.

Neighbor of the Year Part 2

2008-09-14T04:55:00.000-07:00

So, I felt horrible about leaving Coach's Kid at practice so on the way to school I ran into Coach and apologized profusely. He was fine with it and said it was not a big deal and that he wasn't even sure he told Coach's Kid who was going to take him home, etc etc. Still I told him I had to make it up to Coach's Kid and take him out for pizza or something that night. I had e-mailed Coach's wife but I hadn't gotten a reply so I stopped at their house on the way home from school and she was even more mellow about it. She was like "You probably didn't even see him, I know him, he ran off somewhere" and "Don't give it another thought!" stuff like that so I felt better but still, I felt horrible. I also e-mailed the coach who drove him home and he sent back a message that started "So Funny" and then "It was no problem". Which I'm like "IT'S NOT FUNNY!" But I am relieved that everything went fine and that Coach's Kid is not traumatized. And everyone was like "It's not like you left him in Wisconsin!" and yes, he only lives a block from the practice field, but still!

So, I took Coach's Kid, his older brother, Gunnar, and the boys for pizza and we had a blast. Both of the coach's kids are nice, funny kids and they all got along well. I also provided a ton of quarters for game room entertainment so they were busy and full. And I feel a little better. Whew!

Neighbor of the Year

2008-09-11T21:10:00.001-07:00

Holy Crap, people. I have just gone and proved that my brain IS, in fact, dead. I am a horrible horrible neighbor. I JUST realized that I told one of Troy's coaches that I would drive his kid home from practice. Coach couldn't make it because of a meeting and his wife wasn't feeling well. He asked me if I could take his kid home and...I COMPLETELY FORGOT AND LEFT WITHOUT HIM! Is that horrible, or what?!! It was dark out (7:30pm), all these kids were running around, I was standing there talking to one of the mom's about picking up something from her house, and I told Troy "Okay buddy, let's go!" and I do kind of recall thinking that there was something else going on, but didn't know what it was. Only a few cars remained and I assumed all the kids running around belonged to one of those cars. SO I happily drove off to another neighbor's house to pick up a couple of things before heading home. I made dinner, did homework with the kids, they went to bed and I settled in front of the tv to watch All My Children. I started to fall asleep but decided to check my e-mail before going to bed and all of a sudden it dawned on me "I FORGOT TO TAKE COACH'S KID HOME!!!!!!!!!!"

Holy Crap, I am an asshole. I feel horrible. Now I can't sleep. They must think I'm a complete moron, an idiot! I didn't even see him. He must've been with all the kids that are usually running around after practice, and I just assumed all was well. I don't even know how he got home. I want to call Coach and his wife and apologize but it's after 11:00 pm. They only live a block from me, and practice is only a couple of blocks from there, and the other coaches live right around the corner, so I am assuming one of the coaches took him home. But I was the one that was supposed to. I'm going to be doing a LOT of apologizing tomorrow. I hope they don't hate me!!!

MoveOn.org: McCain's Dangerous Choice

2008-09-01T10:48:00.001-07:00

Dear MoveOn member,

Yesterday was John McCain's 72nd birthday. If elected, he'd be the oldest president ever inaugurated. And after months of slamming Barack Obama for "inexperience," here's who John McCain has chosen to be one heartbeat away from the presidency: a right-wing religious conservative with no foreign policy experience, who until recently was mayor of a town of 9,000 people.
Huh?
Who is Sarah Palin? Here's some basic background:

- She was elected Alaska 's governor a little over a year and a half ago. Her previous office was mayor of Wasilla, a small town outside Anchorage. She has no foreign policy experience.

-Palin is strongly anti-choice, opposing abortion even in the case of rape or incest.

-She supported right-wing extremist Pat Buchanan for president in 2000.

-Palin thinks creationism should be taught in public schools.

-She's doesn't think humans are the cause of climate change.

-She's solidly in line with John McCain's "Big Oil first" energy policy. She's pushed hard for more oil drilling and says renewables won't be ready for years. She also sued the Bush administration for listing polar bears as an endangered species—she was worried it would interfere with more oil drilling in Alaska.

-How closely did John McCain vet this choice? He met Sarah Palin once at a meeting. They spoke a second time, last Sunday, when he called her about being vice-president. Then he offered her the position.

This is information the American people need to see. Please take a moment to forward this email to your friends and family.

We also asked Alaska MoveOn members what the rest of us should know about their governor. The response was striking. Here's a sample:

She is really just a mayor from a small town outside Anchorage who has been a governor for only 1.5 years, and has ZERO national and international experience. I shudder to think that she could be the person taking that 3AM call on the White House hotline, and the one who could potentially be charged with leading the US in the volatile international scene that exists today. —Rose M., Fairbanks, AK

She is VERY, VERY conservative, and far from perfect. She's a hunter and fisherwoman, but votes against the environment again and again. She ran on ethics reform, but is currently under investigation for several charges involving hiring and firing of state officials. She has NO experience beyond Alaska. —Christine B., Denali Park, AK

As an Alaskan and a feminist, I am beyond words at this announcement. Palin is not a feminist, and she is not the reformer she claims to be. —Karen L., Anchorage, AK

Alaskans, collectively, are just as stunned as the rest of the nation. She is doing well running our State, but is totally inexperienced on the national level, and very much unequipped to run the nation, if it came to that. She is as far right as one can get, which has already been communicated on the news. In our office of thirty employees (dems, republicans, and nonpartisans), not one person feels she is ready for the V.P. position.—Sherry C., Anchorage, AK

She's vehemently anti-choice and doesn't care about protecting our natural resources, even though she has worked as a fisherman. McCain chose her to pick up the Hillary voters, but Palin is no Hillary. —Marina L., Juneau, AK

I think she's far too inexperienced to be in this position. I'm all for a woman in the White House, but not one who hasn't done anything to deserve it. There are far many other women who have worked their way up and have much more experience that would have been better choices. This is a patronizing decision on John McCain's part- and insulting to females everywhere that he would assume he'll get our vote by putting "A Woman" in that position.—Jennifer M., Anchorage, AK

So Governor Palin is a staunch anti-choice religious conservative. She's a global warming denier who shares John McCain's commitment to Big Oil. And she's dramatically inexperienced.
In picking Sarah Palin, John McCain has made the religious right very happy. And he's made a very dangerous decision for our country.
In the next few days, many Americans will be wondering what McCain's vice-presidential choice means. Please pass this information along to your friends and family.

Thanks for all you do.
–Ilyse, Noah, Justin, Karin and the rest of the team

Sources:
1. "Sarah Palin," Wikipedia, Accessed August 29, 2008 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarah_Palin
2. "McCain Selects Anti-Choice Sarah Palin as Running Mate," NARAL Pro-Choice America, August 29, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17515&id=13661-5751220-f5nl8Ax&t=1
3. "Sarah Palin, Buchananite," The Nation, August 29, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17736&id=13661-5751220-f5nl8Ax&t=2
4. "'Creation science' enters the race," Anchorage Daily News, October 27, 2006 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17737&id=13661-5751220-f5nl8Ax&t=3
5. "Palin buys climate denial PR spin—ignores science," Huffington Post, August 29, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17517&id=13661-5751220-f5nl8Ax&t=4
6. "McCain VP Pick Completes Shift to Bush Energy Policy," Sierra Club, August 29, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17518&id=13661-5751220-f5nl8Ax&t=5
"Choice of Palin Promises Failed Energy Policies of the Past," League of Conservation Voters, August 29, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17519&id=13661-5751220-f5nl8Ax&t=6
"Protecting polar bears gets in way of drilling for oil, says governor," The Times of London, May 23, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=17520&id=13661-5751220-f5nl8Ax&t=7
7 "McCain met Palin once before yesterday," MSNBC, August 29, 2008 http://www.moveon.org/r?r=21119&id=13661-5751220-f5nl8Ax&t=8
Want to support our work? We're entirely funded by our 3.2 million members—no corporate contributions, no big checks from CEOs. And our tiny staff ensures that small contributions go a long way. Chip in here.
PAID FOR BY MOVEON.ORG POLITICAL ACTION, http://pol.moveon.org/. Not authorized by any candidate or candidate's committee.

Just A Thought....

2008-08-30T11:43:00.000-07:00

Times like these, it's hard not to hear my mother's voice in my head. I can tell you that my mother, the former governor of Texas and a remarkable feminist leader of her time, would have been downright outraged right now. What would have offended her most about McCain's decision to put Sarah Palin on the ticket is how utterly calculated, how awfully pandering it is to women. It is the worst kind of politics. Mom would have said, "Women voting for this ticket is just like chickens voting for Colonel Sanders."

Cecile Richards, President
Planned Parenthood Action Fund

The Day Before the First Day of School

2008-08-26T20:39:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is the first day of school and I am SOO excited! I can't wait! Woohoo! Yippee! Wheeeeeee! Oh, am I overdoing it a bit? Sorry, not to seem so happy to get rid of the kids but they're making me crazy and THEY are ready to go back too! I think they're as sick of me as I am of them. I think it's normal. Any parent who claims to "miss" their kids when they go back to school needs to find a life. Get too wrapped up in your kids and there is nothing left of you. But enough of that.

Met the teachers last night at the school's Preview Night. They both seem very nice and I've heard good things about them both. I have to say, I don't always have the most faith in the public school system, but I have to admit that I really don't have any complaints with the teachers that my kids have had so far. When you register, they ask you to write down what your child is like, what strengths, weaknesses, personality characteristics they have, and what kind of teacher you think your child needs. I must say they have been pretty darn good with the match-ups. Last year I said that Shane needed a teacher that would motivate him to want to do MORE than just what is required, get him to want to do well, and not just finish the work. His teacher was AWESOME and he really worked hard to get good grades and wanted to please her, it was an amazing transformation. Troy needed a teacher who would get him to come out of his shell a bit. He's VERY quiet and doesn't talk to you if he doesn't know you. He doesn't initiate a lot of conversation with other kids and doesn't really WANT to make new friends. We get calls from kids all the time but he doesn't want to play with them, he's a homebody. His Kindergarten teacher was great, too! I never thought I would hear the words "I love school" out of his mouth but there it was! She had the kids CONVINCED that she cried every weekend because she missed them so much. And they BELIEVED her. At least Troy and Cathleen did.

Shane and Troy can't sleep, I think the excitement is getting to them. I can't sleep either! I love school!

Insomnia:Ramblings

2008-08-16T22:40:00.001-07:00

I can't sleep. I'm really tired but I can't sleep. My allergies are annoying me and my arms and shoulders are achy because I trimmed the damn bushes around my house. How pathetic is that? I hate our landscaping, it's ugly and depressing. I have half a mind to pull everything out or set it on fire. Setting it on fire would be easier. Plus I wouldn't have to pay to have the yard waste taken away. The stupid wind tunnel that is my street literally pulled one of my plant hooks off of the column of my stoop, so now I have one hanging plant instead of two. The impatiens aren't blooming anyway. I obviously don't have a green thumb. I need a minimum of ten tousand dollars to get my front and back yards professsionally designed and landscaped so I don't have to look at the crap I have now. I don't know why it's bothering me so much. It's been pretty much the same since we moved in but now it's really really really getting on my nerves. The curb appeal just isn't there. Looks like crap.

What else is bothering me? Money. Don't have enough of it. That bothers me. I hate this time of year, it seems everything is due at once...car insurance, life insurance, church dues for religious education that my kids don't want to go to and I really don't blame them. What else? Trying to keep the damn house clean. It just never stays clean. Everytime I cook a meal the kitchen turns into a mess. I can't very well tie the kids down and keep them from doing anything but honestly, what the fuck? The house gets so disgusting and let me just say, the boys' bathroom is the worst. They can't pee in the toilet for some reason and someone decided poop smears on the toilet seat is no big deal. Are you kidding me? I thought I was done with potty training 4 years ago. I guess not. Too much information you say? Oh well, too bad.

Light bulbs. There are 2 light bulbs in one ceiling fixture (it has 4 bulbs) that are CONSTANTLY burning out. So I am always looking at it and noticing that the bulbs are burned out or I am standing on a damn chair unscrewing the screw thing that holds the nice glass dome thingy over the bulbs so that I can change these two damn light bulbs for the 2nd or 3rd time this month. Less if I'm too lazy to do it but then I'm always looking at it when I turn it on, which drives me crazy too.

Ants. They're still in my house and I cannot get rid of them. I just periodically spray Raid Ant killer around after I clean to keep them at bay. Seems to work and the guy from Orkin or Terminix told my in-laws to do that when they had ant problems. But they still show up now and then, the little bastards. Let's not forget the fucking rabbits that are eating my hostas that they haven't touched in 6 years and now decided to eat them to the ground. I'm seriously going to be caught in my pajamas hacking one of them to death some early morning when I look out my back door with my morning coffee and in a rage grab my nice Wusthof Chef's knife and commit rabbit murder with not one iota of regret.

Time. There's no time! By the time I have time to vacuum, the kids are in bed sleeping, so guess what?? I don't vacuum! And then the vacuum cleaner wasn't working anyway so what is the point?

Let's not forget my crazy mother, yeah, I don't talk about her much because if you can't say anything nice DON'T SAY ANYTHING AT ALL. Let's just say she's stubborn and old. Nuf said.

THIS IS MY LIFE PEOPLE. The petty concerns of a housewife and mother. May not seem like a big deal to you if you're not a housewife or parent but it's MAKING ME CRAZY. Yeah, yeah, yeah, people are starving, the world is over-heating, smoking is bad for you, Dubya is still the president, and the Olypmics are on. I really don't care right now.

I'm just glad school is starting in 11 days (but who's counting). I may just get my house in order. And my sanity. We'll see about that.

Lake Geneva Trip

2008-08-11T17:26:00.000-07:00

So for the 4th of July we did a typical Illinois thing and went to Wisconsin for a week. We stayed at the Grand Geneva Resort where we go every year with Mike's family. We just pretty much sit around by the condo pool, or the outdoor hotel pool, or the indoor hotel pool, eat, swim a little bit, lay around some more, swim some more, hang around "in town", hang out at the pool, etc. You know, stuff like that.

Driving through Wisconsin REALLY does look like this.

The entrance to the Grand Geneva Resort. Looks nice.

On the driveway into the resort you can see one of their golf courses. I'm not sure which one this is, either the Brute or the Highlands. Gorgeous scenary regardless!

Such a midwest lake thing to do...they had a waterskiing show on the 4th of July before the fireworks.

Shane and Troy with their cousins, Nick and Colin. They LOVE the water. I'm just glad they are old enough to be in the pool by themselves now. I caught up on a lot reading.

Mike, Shane, Colin, and Troy in the hot tub at the hotel. Colin stayed an extra few days with us while his mom, dad, and Nick went home. Shane and Troy had a blast with him.

We went to Great America in Gurnee, IL one of the days we were up in Wisconsin. We spent 3 hours in the waterpark before hitting the main park.

It was so hot that I willing to do any ride that involved water. Mike got some good pictures of us as we went by. We got soaked, and I was HAPPY about it.

I've been experimenting with the video option on my digital camera, it seems to do a pretty good job...the fireworks on the 4th.

Thought I'd end with a bang...ha ha.

Hey Professor, See Ya on the Other Side

2008-07-29T22:58:00.001-07:00

I just watched Primetime's tribute to Randy Pausch who passed away last Friday after a courageous battle with pancreatic cancer. I don't want to get all mushy and gushy but you have to give the guy credit. He didn't waste any time that he had left and his Last Lecture: Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams had a HUGE impact on millions of people. I don't think he expected that in his last year he would accomplish so much and inspire so many. It is sad to hear of his passing but he obviously will never really be gone.

All strength and support to his wife and children. You still Have Everything You Need.

10 pictures of me

2008-07-24T09:17:00.000-07:00

The Constantly Dramatic One has asked that I post 10 of my favorite pictures of myself. I don't know that I have ten faves but here are a few that I found on the computer. Let me remind you that I don't have a lot of pictures of me from before 2002, because that is when I got a digital camera. I don't have very many pictures of myself because I am always the one taking the pictures. So, in most of these pictures I am with my kids because that is the only time I ever am in a picture. With my kids. I despise pictures of myself, so I don't have any of just myself.

1. I don't know when this picture was taken, or why, but it was a scanned picture under a "holidays" folder. I think I was about 8 months pregnant with Troy at the time, but you can't really tell. I like it because it's the only one I found with just Mike and me in it.

2. This is a picture of me with my two sisters. I'm in the middle. I just had Troy and I don't think I look that bad considering.

3. Here I am with my sisters again. I honestly think this picture and the other one are the only 2 pictures I have with the three of us together. Misa, on the left HATES picture taking but I believe this was taken at my rehearsal dinner the night before my wedding, so she had to behave. Notice we all have different hair color. I think Maya (in the middle) is the only with her true hair color. Mine changes every few months, and Misa maintains a blue/black or burgundy/black color. Maya is 10 years older than me but has no grey hair. WTF?

Oops, correction. It's been brought to my attention that this picture is from MISA's rehearsal dinner, not mine! Sorry, it's all a blur to me.

4. This was at one of Shane's karate tournaments. Like I said, I'm usually only in pictures with the kids. My hair isn't greasy and I don't look like a freak. And the four us look alright.

5. Okay, so it's not so clear, but we went to the Brookfield Zoo one year (2004?) because they decorate the entire zoo with tons of Christmas lights and Christmas trees, a huge blizzard came along. It turned out to be a really gorgeous winter night. The drive home was horrendous, but we had a great time.

6. I like this picture because of the jack-o-lanterns and it was taken in the fall, my favorite time of year. This was another Brookfield Zoo excursion where they had thousands of carved pumpkins throughout one section of the zoo in celebration of Halloween. When the kids were smaller the Brookfield Zoo provided tons of entertainment for us...at only 89 dollars a year. Beth and I used to take the kids all time when it was nice out...pack a lunch, run around and see cool animals, it was a bargain.

7. One year, our friends, Pam and Sal, got tickets to the Bears Game when they played the season at my alma mater, the University of Illinois. Pam went there too though I didn't meet her until after we graduated. She had all kinds of fond memories of the campus and surrounding cities. I just remembered walking a lot all over the huge campus and drunken fraternity guys annoying the crap out of me. We had fun though and I bought a new sweatshirt while I was there.

8. I don't even like this picture of myself all that much, but it was fall at a Sonny Acres pumpkin farm. I love pumpkins. They are my thing. I have pumpkins and pumpkin things all over my house once October hits.

9. Easter Sunday in 2002 with Shane and Troy. I like this picture because the boys are in front of me and even though Troy is only 3 months old, I don't look too puffy. Plus the kids look cute.

10. Oh, look! It's me with David Duchovny. Back in the day I was a huge X-Files fan and was obsessed with Fox Mulder. Okay, so I glued a picture of my head on top of Tea Leoni's head. So sue me. This was at least 10 years ago, probably more, I don't remember. I like my 80's hair. I was mistaken for Italian or Mexican a lot back then. I am SOOO seeing the new X-files movie. Amy my neighbor said she would go see it with me. I think she's the only other person I know who actually liked the show when it was on. Mike went with me when the first movie came out.

So that is it. It was interesting to have to look back on pictures from a few years back so I'm glad I did it. Now I'm going to go join Weight Watchers, again.

Summer

2008-07-21T15:33:00.001-07:00

Oy vey. Summer. Not really a fan of summer. It's okay for about 3 or 4 weeks then I've had enough. There are several reasons for this.

1. I don't like the sun. I don't like sweating. I don't want a tan. Yet this year I have the darkest tan ever in my life. Why? Because I chose to have kids and the kids like to swim, play baseball, and play in the backyard with the hose. So I am outside a lot. Like, A LOT. I try to stay in the shade and use sunblock religiously. But baseball fields aren't known for shade, and neither are public swimming pools.

2. I don't like water or swimming. But, because I chose to have children and must keep them busy because they are not in school and they drive me crazy at home, I have pool passes for the entire family. It's not so bad now that the kids are old enough to run around on their own, but I am STILL at the damn pool. In the sun. At least I can catch up on some reading.

3. I get tired of kids' sports. Yes, I do. I love my children dearly, but let's be honest. You really only want to watch your own kid. And baseball is a bunch of 'hurry up and wait". Wait. Hurry up and bat, run around the bases (if you're lucky) then wait again. Just keep repeating that. Stand in the outfield, wait for a ball, get the ball if it actually gets to you, then throw it back. Wait some more. I spend more time talking than watching the game. Plus you have to drag equipment, chairs, snacks, etc with you, at least 5 times a week. Super. This year Shane had a game EVERY. SATURDAY. NIGHT. AT. 6:30. PM. for 8 weeks straight. WTF?

And then there's that issue of having kids who don't ever show up, or don't really want to be there, or want to be there but really can't play the game, and probably never will be able to play the game. Makes the game damn long...if you know what I mean. Or the younger kids. Troy's team was fine, way better than the little brats he played with last year, but still, they are 6 and don't really care about the game, as long as there's a snack or something involved at the end of it, they're happy. For example, Kid never pays attention. He never runs the bases, even when he's batting. He zones out. Mike was having a talk with him, explaining some baseball thing. Kid is looking right at him, paying attention, looking interested, listening...Mike thinks "Wow! He's finally getting it, he's listening to me!'' And kid says very enthusiastically "I CAN SEE MYSELF IN YOUR SUNGLASSES!"

The games, while limited to 1 hour and 45 minutes felt like an ETERNITY. SOOOOO long, SOOOOO slow. Plus the head coach was never there, not entirely his fault, but still, Mike ended up coaching for most of the season. NOT what he was expecting. But he's a good dad and way better with kids than I am. I just yell a lot.

4. Sleepovers. The kids love sleepovers, which is fine once in a while, but if Shane had it his way, he would have everyone spend the night every night of the week. If not, he wants to spend the night at someone else's house. They get tired and cranky and yet still want to spend the night somewhere, anywhere. Dude, can I just wake up and have some coffee without three additional kids in the house?

5. Bugs. I hate bugs. I hate ants which are invading my home as I type. I hate bees and waspy things which love to build nests above my front door and fly around and dive bomb people. I hate the gnats that swarm in one area and float around your head for some unknown reason. Lightening bugs are cool and all but the kids around here are constantly trying to catch them and putting them in jars and things until they die, which is gross.

6. Last but not least I really don't like summer because I am FAT. Bathing suits, sleeveless type shirts, shorts that make you look shorter and fatter, you know what I mean. And whatever happened to 3/4 length sleeves? I have the arms of a sumo wrestler. And those scoop neck tee's they keep coming out with don't help the double d's look any smaller or perkier. Please, oh God, please! What happened to v-necks and 3/4 length sleeves? My saving grace this year? Capris and empire type tops. Hides the waist, minimizes the girls (to a certain extent) and the capris hide the thighes. Damn those short and puffy sleeves, what are they thinking? I just want my jeans and sweatshirts please.

A Day of Infamy

2008-06-09T20:57:00.000-07:00

Well Sports Fans, baseball season has started and the boys have been assigned their teams. Troy is an Oriole. Which is fine. Nick, my nephew, has been playing for the Orioles in his league, so that is cool. And Shane...well, it was hard at first. It almost brought the poor boy to tears and nearly made him throw his cleats in the trash. He was assigned to the...White Sox.

OH MY GOD. NOT THE WHITE SOX. ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?!!

So, anyway, after the initial shock, Shane walked around in a depression, professing to QUIT, and quietly asking me if he REALLY had to play baseball because he REALLY didn't want to play anymore. Finally after a couple of days of this, I told him we could burn the shirt at the end of the season. That seemed to calm him down, and besides that, a lot of his friends are on the team and they were just as shocked as he was. His coach is an ardent Cub fan and his son went into some kind of catatonic state, trying to protect himself from the emotional turmoil of being assigned to the White Sox. When I got the initial e-mail from the coach's wife about the team assignments I just replied "No fucking way are we wearing White Sox shirts." Don't worry, I know her, and she was perfectly understanding. In a sort of protest, Shane wears a Cub shirt to every practice. Everything's fine now. The Cub fans have calmed down. The 2 or 3 White Sox fans on the team are happy and the rest of them just try not to think about it too much. The best part of this story is that my other nephew, Colin, is also on the White Sox in his league. Not the best year as far as team assignments for this family. But we shall get through this.

Personally, I don't really care. I used to own a White Sox shirt because I liked their uniforms. Until the day I tried to wear it to Mike's grandma's house. He told me I had to change or else she'd kick me out of the house. For real. Of course, I'm not from the Midwest and not a huge Major League Baseball fan. I didn't understand the Cubs/White Sox rivalry until I married into it. Now I know. I have come to realize that the brainwashing has worked and that my kids will forever be Cub fans, will forever hate the White Sox, and that I am now a part of it all too. Ahhhh, don't you love it?

Talking A Lot

2008-05-25T21:56:00.000-07:00

I do talk a lot. And sometimes I regret that I talk so much. It seems like a good idea at the time, and as I'm saying what I'm saying, I KNOW I am right. I KNOW it. And then looking back at it, I'm sure I've scared some people off and that I've made an ass out of myself. But that's okay, because most people stick around for whatever reason. I have my opinions, and I like to voice my opinions, and sometimes I think I'm kind of an opinion bully. I just have to say whatever I have to say and I really don't care what the other person thinks. Because I am RIGHT. If I am not RIGHT about something, I am at least more enlightened or progressive than the person I am talking to. I know, I sound stuck up. I don't really think I am, I just think I am...mostly Right. Actually I've gotten better. I used be really crazy and just say things that were obviously based on my opinions without really considering the other person's opinions and just pummel them with reasons why they weren't thinking right, that they were close-minded, etc etc etc.

Example: The Dixie Chicks. Remember that whole controversy when one of them (I believe her name is Natalie Maines) said something to the effect of "Just so you know, we're ashamed that the President of the United States is from Texas" ? They were in London at the time. Um. Okay. I thought that was pretty tame. I mean, I was just ashamed that our President came across as a big doofus head, so when the shit hit the fan, I was embarassed that American citizens proceeded to act like a bunch of idiots and freaking out over this comment. My whole thing is, if you're an American, you are allowed to say whatever you want about the president without getting arrested or killed because of it. I also thought that if a man had said it, or perhaps another male politician, it would've made news, but he wouldn't have received death threats like the Dixie Chicks did. Just my opinion, people.

When they were on the cover of Time, someone made a comment to me that they were "bitches" and "didn't support our Troops" blah blah. And I just had to come back with "Why? Because they voiced an opinion? Isn't that what our troops are doing? Protecting our right to FREE SPEECH?" and they said something like "Yeah, but they were in LONDON" and that just didn't make any sense to me and maybe I went over the top with a full-throttle outburst about IF THEY WEREN'T WOMEN they wouldn't be getting all this criticism, and country music "fans" looked like uneducated yokels for sending threats and burning Dixie Chick CD's, and that they and anyone else had a right to criticize our president/government/mayor without fear of imprisonment, etc etc etc etc etc. I honestly didn't think I was being THAT bad. I wasn't yelling or being mean. I was just shocked that this person, a woman, who I thought was a little more open-minded, could HATE the Dixie Chicks because of that one comment. This conversation happened so long ago, and she brought it up today as an example of one of my "rages" that I tend to go into when I think something is annoying/unfair/unjust/stupid. I really didn't think much of it but apparently I left quite the impression on her. So, should I not do that? Should I NOT say anything? Or do I change my approach? I don't know. I've toned it down, but is that enough? I just try not to talk so much anymore.

Picture from Nataliedee.com.

Workout Pullout

2008-05-18T19:01:00.000-07:00

Huh. I've been watching Bravo TV's reality show Workout with Jackie Warner since it's first season. At first it was fun and interesting, and let's face it, Jackie's interesting. She seemed cool and confident and sexy, smart and professional. But as I watch the third season, I'm really disappointed. She's turned out to be a terrible boss and business person, not professional at all. She's somewhat of a lesbian slut. She dated one of her trainers, who was supposedly straight. She makes out with her girlfriends in public and makes other people uncomfortable. Bragged that any straight woman in L.A. was a drink away from becoming a lesbian, or something like that. She let's her personal feelings rule her and she expects people to read her mind and accept her deplorable behaviour. If she likes you, you're totally in, but if she doesn't like you, you're fucked. She treats her clients like crap, too. She's SO inconsistent! She's really become somewhat of a joke and fans are turning against her. I thought to myself "She's really not a nice person, who the fuck would put up with her?" As it turns out, a lot of people. There's something about her that attracts people to her and she knows it. I think eventually most people will get a grip and jump that ship. This show will be cancelled because she is unlikeable. It's too bad, she could've really made a difference in how lesbians, and women, in general are perceived. She's really just a dumb himbo.

I'm pulling out.

First Communion

2008-05-03T08:58:00.000-07:00

Shane just had his First Communion last Saturday. It was cute. He had on a suit and tie and looked like a little man. My mother was totally giddy about the whole thing. She gave him a bunch of religious based gifts and a large monetary gift, which, of course, made the whole thing worth it for Shane. He hated religious education, which, really, I didn't blame him. I hated it, too, and I was tortured with it even after my confirmation. I never really got anything out of it. None of my friends were Catholics. It wasn't fun or even remotely interesting to me. I mean, it was okay, and I guess going to church and learning about it isn't necessarily supposed to be fun. Looking back I found it to be at least educational in a cultural and traditional sense. And I have a lot of beliefs based on the Christian religion but not necessarily based on any one denomination. I'm not really sure what you would call me. I'd say I'm almost new-agey in a way, but not so goofy about it. Whatever, I just think that if you are good person and are nice to other people than that is all that really matters. So anyway, I hope Shane takes what he learns and questions it and tests it, and see what works for him.

Going Under

2008-04-24T22:04:00.001-07:00

This morning I took Mike to have an Upper G.I. endoscopy done. He has acid reflux and it's been going on for about 11 years. He's pretty good about not complaining about it, but he does have to be careful about what he eats and how fast he eats it. It's been getting worse and normal OTC type drugs don't really help. When he gets hit with one of his attacks, it hits him in an instant, and he can't really predict when it's going to happen. Sometimes we'll be eating dinner and he'll just run off to the bathroom where he proceeds to upchuck everything he just ate and then have to deal with the acid coming up his esophagus. So anyway, the doctor gave him some kind of prescription which Mike is really happy with but was told he should have the endoscopy done just to make sure there hasn't been any damage to his stomach or esophagus. The best part of this procedure and, I'd say just about any procedure, is going under.

When Mike woke up the first thing he said to me was "That was great!" and then babbled on about how he'd like to have some of that stuff for home when he can't sleep (which is EVERY night) and some of other gibberish I couldn't really understand. Then he passed out again for about 20 minutes and when he woke up the first thing he said was "That was great!" He didn't remember talking to me at all the first time he woke up and pretty much repeated almost word for word everything he said to me the first time he woke up, without the gibberish, that is. Anyway, I have to agree. When I woke up from minor surgery last year the first thing I said to the nurse was "I love anesthesia! I don't remember a thing!" And it was heaven, except for the headache, which the nurse thought was maybe a caffeine thing, but she gave me a Motrin and in ten minutes I was good to go.

I was a little hesitant about going under. The first time I went under I was in for digging the old wisdom teeth out and that sucked. But that is totally painful and your mouth is all swollen. For something like an endoscopy type thing where there isn't an incision made, it's like nothing ever happened. It's like you took a great nap but you're just a little groggy afterwards. I know if you're one of those types that vomit or are combative after you wake up, yeah, not such a good deal. Or if you're one of those that wake up but are paralyzed and can't talk or open your eyes and can hear everything the doctor says and what he's doing, then that REALLY sucks. But for those of us where going under is actually a pleasant experience, it's a blessing and for that, I am grateful for all anesthesiologists. Don't piss those people off, they are your candy men/women. They can make the pain go away and they can make you forget your pain. Nothing better than that if you're going to have to have weird objects probe your orifices. Oh, and Mike is fine. No damage to his stomach or esophagus...yea!!

Paranormal Activity? NOT

2008-04-19T13:50:00.000-07:00

My life has been incredibly boring lately. Pretty much the same old thing day after day. Although I did manage to meet Tracey for dinner the other night. It was her birthday on the second. We went to P.F. Changs, which was okay. We ordered 2 dishes and the mongolian beef was great. The noodles that we ordered were not so great. But anyway, we went shopping afterwards and I bought a of couple shirts which I desperately need. Then we hit Caribou for some coffee, which, by the way, was delicious!

On Friday, I also met my friend, Jill, for coffee. She had a kidney transplant last December and it's hard to get together with her. She has to stay away from sick people as much as possible, and we were all sick at least 8 times the last few weeks. Her kids were getting sick, too, and she had a bout of stomach problems for 10 days straight. It was hard to ever find a time when we could meet. When we did finally meet she had what she thought was a "Ghost Story" for me. We are both fans of Ghost Hunters on Sci-Fi and she is what some would consider a "sensitive". She has dreams about her loved ones that sometimes come true, and she has premonitions about future events. Nothing on any real incredible level, but more so than most. SOOO anywhooo, she had awakened to her bed shaking and thought she was having tremors caused by her various medications. But her curio cabinet in her room was shaking too and her husband also woke up. There was a thumping sound coming from the wall so her husband went to investigate. Her daughter's kitchen set in her room was shaking back and forth and hitting the wall. Since her husband was half-awake he told her the ceiling fan must have been blowing on it. Jill thought maybe it was an earthquake but her husband told her she was crazy. He went right back to sleep. Jill, on the other hand, couldn't sleep because she was freaking herself out thinking there was paranormal activity going on in her house. When her husband got up a little bit later to go to work he heard on the radio that there had been an earthquake. So anyway, that was the big topic of conversation all day Friday. The midwest had been hit with an earthquake. That is really the last thing I would have expected, and I didn't feel a thing. I was glad I had moved from California to get away from the "Big One" and here we have a nice earthquake to remind us all that we never know what is going to happen next.

Oh and...
Speaking of organ transplants...here are a couple of links you may be interested in if you would like to register to become an organ donor. It only takes a moment to check it out!

http://www.organdonor.gov/ and http://www.lifegoeson.com/

Randy Pausch

2008-03-31T12:15:00.000-07:00

I recently saw Randy Pausch on the Oprah Show. He's a professor at Carnegie Mellon University and is dying of Pancreatic Cancer. On Oprah, he gave an abridged version of his "Last Lecture" which he gave at Carnegie Mellon. It's really something he did for his kids and it's full of useful, inspiring, and loving messages and advice. I have yet to watch the full version of his lecture, but I did somehow end up watching his lecture on time management, something he fully believes in now especially since his time left is short and questionable. I found it to be informative and entertaining. He gives specific examples aimed at students and for those in the working world, which can just as easily transfer to your home life.

I'm working up the courage to watch the whole of his Last Lecture which I think will be fun and beautiful, but very emotional. The fact that he is in his forties and has small children seems to be so unfair and sad, but he is a positive energy and very inspiring. I think it is worth watching. So, here is his website
Randy Pausch's Home Page.

And his Last Lecture.... called Achieving Your Childhood Dreams

UPDATE: I watched the whole lecture and it was great! Well worth the time. Randy Pausch is funny, entertaining, and lovable. Check it out!

New Neighbors

2008-03-24T20:43:00.000-07:00

Our old neighbor, Alex, was great. He was single, was never home, and didn't care that our kids ran through his yard every day. His house is in between my house and Beth's house. We saw him occasionally when he would mow his lawn or grill something on his deck. But that was pretty much it. He was Filipino and would spend weeks in the Philippines visiting family and he had a nice, down to earth daughter who lived with her mom most of the time. We lived in fear that he would one day move and we would be stuck with people who would put up a fence and didn't like kids. Right now no one has fences in our immediate area. We're pretty much the only part of the subdivision that doesn't have fenced-in yards, but we like it because it's like a giant football field and the kids can run from house to house and we can see everything from our decks. The guys usually congregate somewhere in the middle with their beers and the kids run around like crazy. It's been kind of like a Desperate Housewives scenario without all the weirdness between neighbors, but alas, it wasn't meant to last. Alex moved out.

He got married (which we didn't know about) and built a bigger house nearby (which we did know about). He just couldn't sell this house though. Real estate hasn't moved around here in months. He even put it up for auction at 75 thousand below his asking price. Finally he decided to rent, which I was NOT happy about. All the rentals around here always end up getting trashed or the family is weird. Anyway, he was careful and picky and finally rented to a young engaged couple. They moved in in February but because the weather has been so bad I never introduced myself. I saw the guy a few times when I was snow blowing in my pj's with no make-up on so I would just wave and he'd wave back. Pat and Beth met him and said he was nice. His name was Mike. I figured when the weather got a little warmer I would take some cookies over and introduce myself.

About a week ago I was on the phone with Beth when I saw yet another Ryder truck in the driveway. I told Beth "Gee, they have another truckload of crap" After I hung up the phone Beth noticed they were putting things IN the truck, not out. So Pat went outside "to put something in his truck" and struck up a conversation with Mike. Mike then informed him that he was moving out because he came home from work and caught his fiance in bed with another guy. Holy crap! Of course all the guys around here were kind of giggling and Pat said he was going to invite her to their St Patrick's Day party. Us women were like "Oh great, why didn't SHE move out??" Beth, of course, kept saying "There are two sides to every story and we don't know what really happened." But then we both witnessed a guy parking in the garage who wasn't Mike and has been there ever since, so Beth has reconsidered and announced the girl a SLUT. I just hope this guy isn't named "Mike" too because then there would be 4 Mikes in a 6 house area and that would just be too much.

I'm pretty sure we won't be seeing much of her, and the kids will still be able to run through the yard without a problem. Summer's great!

Treadmill Fun

2008-03-20T21:32:00.000-07:00

The other night I watched Super Nanny while on the treadmill and it was the best episode ever! I love that show just because I enjoy watching children who aren't mine being complete undisciplined brats while their pathetic parents try desperately to act like they have some kind of control or authority. These two adorable but totally whacked out boys were completely violent and out of control, and I laughed out loud several times as the poor dad was kicked or punched in the "weenie" over and over again. And he never once really got mad, like really mad. He just sort of took it. I would've been in a rage! I also found myself making faces of disgust or surprise every time one of the boys hit or kicked the nanny, or spit on things or smeared snots on things...for real. I was hoping no one was watching me on the treadmill because of it, and the fact that I kept laughing. It was so bad that I saved it and made Misa watch it when she came over the next day. We were laughing so hard we were in tears. Yes, other people's misery makes us laugh. And it sure made an hour on the treadmill rather enjoyable.

I have been getting into this whole working out thing lately. And I don't even have an I-pod (yet). Beth and I had our last session with the personal trainer and she really put us through some shizzz...but she was cool. She used to be a smoker and told me she still has one occassionally and that if it were healthy for her she'd still be smoking. That made her an ex-smoker BFF in an instant. So much bonding can occur between ex-smokers even when you're in the middle of leg lunges. I will miss our little sessions but I sure as hell am not paying for anymore of them! I asked Mike to make up a little work out schedule for me based on her scribblings and he bought me a notebook with his recommendations and sections to keep track of reps and weights and such. Gee, I don't think he wants me to work out much, do you? No, really, it was very nice of him and he's been helping out around the house more since I'm actually "at the gym". God, that makes me want to hurl every time I say that! So not me. Anyway, I went this morning and tried the first day of working with weights, which was fine except I didn't know what machines were what so I had to walk around and read all the signs. I felt like a total amateur, which I guess I am. Anyway, I am trying to make an effort...now if only I could stop eating 12,000 calories every day I may actually get somewhere.

6 Year Old Karate Tournament

2008-03-20T16:42:00.000-07:00

Troy was in a karate tournament a couple weeks ago, and as usual, the retards, I mean, the Sensei's who work the thing really irritate me. Yeah, I KNOW it's a bunch of 6 year olds and the whole thing is really a money-making machine for the karate club, but they just aren't consistent in giving out points. I saw one match where the Sensei stated that a kick must be above the belt to count as a point and 15 minutes later Troy is up there and his opponent kicks him right in the nuts. I could tell by the look on his face that he was pissed off and in pain but he said he was alright. Then the stupid Sensei gave the other kid a point. I'm sorry, but, in 6 year old karate if you're not made to wear a cup, kicking of the family jewels is not a point. I don't care that in "real" karate it's a point. Anyway that pissed me off but Troy was mad now and beat the crap out of that kid. Ha ha, so awesome, he placed first on both days. So there, you little shit. I take much pleasure in my sons' victories, as immature as it is. Just bragging.

That is all.

Oh, by the way, since I found out Troy remembers his dreams, he's been telling me that he has several of them all about the same plane. He even calls them "episodes", as in "That one was episode 64." He cracks me up.

Update

2008-03-11T18:56:00.000-07:00

Just to keep myself on track and accountable to SOMEONE, even if it's on a blog, I just thought I'd post an update on my New Year's Resolutions.

The first resolution was to get some kind of exercise , which went well for about a week and then wained. I joined a health club, which turned out to be a good idea . Beth is the type that once she gets into something she really gets into it, so she guilts me into going a lot. We also had an orientation type session with a trainer who thankfully reintroduced us to weight machines, and will be having 2 more sessions to round things off. We make appointments, which means we HAVE to go. So anyway, I have managed to get there on my own at least 5 or so times in the last week and get in a work-out. I actually don't mind it. So...so far so good. Beth bought me ear buds to listen to the TVs while on the treadmill, and I'm also looking into getting an I-Pod, which I was always too cheap to invest in. The Lady Who Doesn't Lunch had mentioned that a little music might help motivate me and after listening to Shane's little MP3 player, I think it might work. I warned Mike that this may get a little expensive since I also needed to get some decent shorts and other assorted work-out accessories to make me want to go the gym. Ha ha, I can even make a resolution to exercise an excuse to spend money!

Resolution number two was to reread all 6 of the classic Dune books, and I am on book 6. Not too shabby if you ask me. I had forgotten how science-fictiony the last 3 books are and sometimes I find it a little tedious, but I am enjoying all of it, just the same. I'm finding it hard to find the time to finish up this last book because once I start reading everything else goes to the wayside. The house is a mess, I don't want to cook dinner, I don't want to answer the phone, I don't want to go to bed, the kids annoy me because they interupt my reading, etc. etc. It's not a good thing. I suppose I could read while on the treadmill, but I don't really like doing that.

I know it's March, but it's a little like Weight Watchers, you need to check in once in awhile to keep on track. Besides that, I don't want to go to the doctor weighing 20 pounds more than the last time I saw him, SO embarassing!

Dream Sharing

2008-03-08T21:59:00.000-08:00

I've mentioned before that I have long and vivid dreams that I can usually remember. Mike doesn't remember a thing about his dreams, even when he wakes me up talking or yelling in his sleep. Shane woke me up one night because he said he a bad dream, but he couldn't tell me what it was about. I figured I was the only one in the family who remembered dreams until dinner a couple of nights ago when somehow Troy and I got to talking about dreams. He told me about his dreams and one in particular that he's had 5 or 6 times. Our conversation went something like this:

Troy: First, there's this big airplane that is flying around, and it crashes into a train on the ground and KILLS it. I LOVE that part! But the plane keeps flying and there's a piece of the train hanging off of it.

Me: So, the plane crashes into the train on PURPOSE, and KILLS it?

Troy: Yeah.

Me: Well, that's sort of violent.

Troy: There's more.

Me (totally surprised because I'm not used to getting details): Really, what?

Troy: Yeah, the plane flies around and then lands and the guy comes out.

Me: The guy? You mean the pilot?

Troy: Yeah, the pilot.

Me: He lands the plane with part of the train hanging off of it?

Troy: Yeah.

Me: What does he do?

Troy: Walks around.

Me: Is that it?

Troy: Pretty much.

Me: And you've had this dream 5 or 6 times?

Troy, giggling: Yeah, I love it!

Okay, so it's not so earth-shattering, but the boy at least remembers his dreams. Then I told Mike and Troy about the dream I had where I was a man and made out with Tom Cruise. Which is why I'm convinced Tom Cruise is gay. Mike just kind of rolled his eyes at me and Troy laughed hysterically even though he has no idea of what I am talking about it. Hey, at least I have someone to share my dreams with!

Holy Crap, It's Christian!

2008-03-06T17:59:00.000-08:00

Christian Siriano is the winner of Project Runway! He's an annoying little shit but I was secretly rooting for him. I don't really know why because I was really irritated by his cockiness at first. I was kind of hoping Jillian would win, and I liked Rami's stuff, but it never really wow'd me. Anyway, I guess I was hoping Christian would win because he at least has some kind of a personality whereas Rami and Jillian were kind of boring. Plus, he called everyone "bitches" and didn't care that he said the word "fierce" every 5 seconds. Before the Bryant Park show he told his models to "stay skinny, don't eat anything" in a way that only Christian could get away with. And I did like his clothes. I even really liked most of his collection at Bryant Park. I suppose if I were as skinny as a stick I would wear his stuff. I had to admit to myself that he's pretty damn good for his age and his designs really stood out. So, anyway, congratulations to Christian on a well-deserved win.

I'm a huge Project Runway fan. Love the show. But I mainly watch the show for Tim Gunn. Who doesn't love him? He's kind of like every one's favorite father figure. He doles out kindly advice using a vocabulary worthy of having a dictionary nearby, but also can hang with the regular people. He's dignified and genuinely seems to care for the people he works with. I absolutely ADORE him. Why doesn't everybody just listen to him and do as he says??? He knows what he is talking about! Plus, he's kind of sexy.

I Heart Tim Gunn, I really do. He can tell me to "Make it work" all day and it wouldn't bother me.

Damn Ice

2008-02-27T06:05:00.001-08:00

Oh Lord, I've gone and done it. I joined a health club. I really need to, but I really don't want to. So sad how lazy I am. Mike and I went to upgrade his Individual membership to a Couple's membership...cause it's cheaper that way...and I was supposed to come back later with Beth (who also joined) and do some kind of muscle toning class with her. Anyway, the boys were with us and when we got out of the van I was telling Troy "BE CAREFUL, IT'S ICY OUT HERE!" and he goes and jumps out the door and falls on his ass. He was fine. So on the way back out to the car I reach for the door handle and COMPLETELY go flying in the air with both feet. I haven't slipped on ice since college! Thankfully I was holding on to the door handle for dear life but I landed on MY ass and then fell back and landed on my left shoulder blade, which was followed by a light touch of the back of my head on the ice. Holy crap, scared the shit out of me but I really just pulled a shoulder muscle holding onto the door handle. I took an Advil when I got home just in case and didn't go to the class with Beth. Haha. Good excuse. Anyway, I'd rather just use the machines anyway. So I am hoping this will be a good motivator to really get me to exercise since I really haven't kept up since my big New Year's Resolution announcement. Sigh...so not enthusiastic about it.

Sports Galore

2008-02-21T17:08:00.000-08:00

Oh joy. Baseball season is nearing. Pitchers and catchers have reported, or so I thought I heard Mike say. I mean, it's February and I'm freezing my ass off and I can't tell you how many times I've heard "2008...this is the year!" (Let's hope so, I mean, it's been a hundred years). Though I've pretty much heard that EVERY YEAR since I moved to Illinois and became surrounded by Cub fans. I also forgot that Mike is having his fantasy baseball league draft thingy at our house. What the hell am I supposed to do for 6 or 7 hours while a bunch of grown men sit around with magazines, books, newspapers, and notebooks, strategizing their next moves? Well, it keeps them out of trouble, I guess.

I just paid all baseball and football dues for the boys this week. Yes, I know, I paid football dues in February. But that's how it is. Plus I just got my tax refund and if I don't pay it now, I'll be scrambling later. Mike is going to asst coach Troy's coach pitch team, and asst coach Shane's football team. As much as I like the kids to be involved in sports, I really find it to be a pain in the ass. I feel like a horrible mother, but, honestly, I'm just kind of lazy and don't really want to take them to their practices and watch them. Although I do because I feel guilty if I don't. I don't know how parents with multiple kids get everyone where they are supposed to be at the right times. I have a hard enough time with 2 kids. I am going to be feeling doubly guilty because I have for the last 2 years taped every single one of Shane's football games. Now with Troy playing I know there will be conflicts so I think I'm just going to have to tape all of Troy's games and only some of Shane's games. It's a bad thing to start.

I will admit this though...I rather enjoy watching Shane tackle the crap out of another kid. And when Troy is in a karate tournament, I rather enjoy watching him punch another 6 year old in the chest. I mostly enjoy it when they win. I am waiting to see Troy out-manuever another 6 year old on the football field. And this is why I tape things. Because I am a competitive loud-mouth who will yell things at her children. I can't help it. When Shane was in Karate and I taped his tournaments I would yell things like "Middle block! Use the middle block!" Then when we watched the tape Shane would say "I don't know why you do that, I don't even hear you." With just a hint of annoyance in his voice. Oh well. Now I just moan and grunt a lot, with an occassional "RUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!" But that is all. I don't think that's too bad.

This Winter Sucks

2008-02-17T17:39:00.000-08:00

I love snow, and winter. I really do, but it's actually getting old right now. We've had massive snow at least once a week for the last 3 weeks, which is fine, but it's been too cold and the kids won't even go outside and play with all that great snow we have. We're stuck in the house breathing each other's germs and getting sick every week.

I actually went to the doctor this past Friday. I have been fighting a stuffy head cold for days, which I thought was going away but came back with a vengence on Wednesday. I had massive post nasal drip, my throat was sore and I was developing a cough. By Friday morning I was full of that lovely yellow mucus stuff and desperate for relief. I knew antibiotics were the only answer. Honestly, I NEVER go to the doctor unless it's for a pap smear or a mammogram so you know it was bad. Anywhoooo, the antibiotices are truly a wonder. I took my first dose Friday night and by Saturday morning I was feeling TONS better, not perfect, but wayyy better. I am sooo glad I went. I'm all for preventative type doctor's appointments, like getting a full physical and the usual female related type tests, etc. but when it comes to a cold or flu like thing, I just usually dose myself with Dayquil or Nyquil, take a hot bath, drink hot tea with honey and rest. I'm usually much better in a day or two. THIS particular illness was way resistant to any of my usual home remedies and I'm just glad I got an appointment within an hour of my call. God bless the appointment lady for looking through all of the doctors for me. Seems everyone is sick this year.

We've had one catastrophe after another around here, and it's become rather depressing. We had the shooting of 6 women (5 dead) in a Lane Bryant store in Tinley Park, and of course, the crazy ass who shot up a lecture hall of students at Northern Illinois University, just about an hour's drive west of us. My neighbors directly across from me have a daughter who is a sophomore there and though I don't know them well, she was the first person I thought of when I saw the news reports. Thankfully, she is safe and sound, but that is awfully close to home. I haven't seen her, but wonder how this will affect her the rest of the school year. As a mother, I don't know if I could send her back. The gunman apparently was off his meds and showed no outward signs of mental instability, so what are we supposed to do? I don't know about stricter gun laws, I don't know if we should be able to arm ourselves more, I don't know about any of that. I just know that there are a lot of people out there who have lost loved ones to guns in a very short amount of time, in the most senseless of ways.

I'm afraid for my kids.

I've been FASHIONABLY tagged

2008-02-08T13:11:00.000-08:00

The Constantly Dramatic one has tagged me. Unfortunately, it has a lot to do with fashion, which I abandoned about 15 years ago. But I will do it anyway, just to prove how sad I am and that I really am a middle-aged American mom in the Midwest.

BASICS:

Name: Michelle

Age: only 41

Location: Illinois, USA

FAVORITES:

Store: Anywhere I can find something that fits me.

Designers: I don't have a favorite.

Brand Names: Whatever fits me

Colour to wear: Black, Olive, Wine

Items of clothing you own: Mostly Jeans and boring shirts

Type of jeans: Whatever fits. I have to try at least 40 pairs before I find ones that fit properly and don't make me look like I have billowy legs or a huge flat tire around my waist. I am NOT exaggerating, I tried on at least 40 pairs the last time I went shopping.

Type of tops: Um, mostly t-shirts and basic shirts. Boy am I pathetic.

Type of shoes: Running shoes. Casual black and brown shoes. Heels for when I actually have to dress up which is about once a year.

Clothing on opposite sex: Relaxed fit jeans with nice shoes. Mike always looks good in jeans.

Type of accessories: What's an accessory? Do earrings count? That's pretty much all I wear.

What would you never be caught dead in? tube top...Gods! The thought of it is causing sharp pains in my head.

How many clothes in your wardrobe? I don't know. A lot, though I have favorites I wear all the time. Why I have favorites I don't know, because they are all pretty much the same.

What was the last item of clothing you bought? A black v-neck cotton shirt with 3/4 sleeves, kind of like the rest of my shirts

If you owned your own fashion label, what would it be called? Pathetic

Which celeb's style would you love to steal? Style? What's that? Um, maybe Brooke Shields? I see her in jeans a lot. I really don't know.

Do you follow trends? Trends? Well, I have boot leg jeans, is that a trend?

What's 'in' in your area right now? Anything that costs a lot. Actually I have NO idea. The jewelry home parties seem all the rage right now. Lots of jewelry.

What color is a NO for you? Red, orange

Short skirts or long skirts: I don't do skirts

Jeans or corduroys: Jeans

Hats or sunglasses: Sunglasses

Tight or baggy jeans: tight ones, gotta have something to hold it all in

Bright colours or dark colours: dark usually

Skinny belts or wide belts: no belts

RIGHT NOW:

Wearing: Jeans and a sweat shirt ... SURPRISE!!!!

In your bag: money, credit and debit cards, receipts, lip gloss

Saving up for: Nothing, have to pay off the cards first

Wishing that you own: A Toyota Sequoia...oh is this supposed to be fashion related? I'm wishing that I owned a body worth buying fashionable clothes for!

Favourite top: Um, one of the many black shirts that I own

Favourite jeans: I have none! Well, I guess there are a couple I wear more than others

Favourite shoes: Black Sofft shoes.

Favourite dress: I hate all dresses. My family genetics don't allow for a torso, the women are basically BOOBS and STOMACH. Dresses just don't work for us.

Favourite belt: Don't wear belts. Where would it go? Between the boobs and stomach I guess. Not a good look.

Favourite hat: Don't do hats

Favourite piece of underwear: My bras. Keeps the girls happily in place.

So there it is. All about my fashion sense. Try not to cry for me, it's okay.

I'm Off to VOTE!

2008-02-05T05:20:00.000-08:00

I'm off to vote this morning...I've made my decision and I'm sticking with it. I hope I'm not disappointed.

What???

2008-01-23T19:15:00.000-08:00

So, we've been out of town for a couple of days. We went to the Wilderness Resort in Wisconsin to swim in the waterparks and have some fun. I had a blast because I didn't go in the water once. The kids are older now and can pretty much entertain themselves and besides that, Pat, Beth, and the kids were there along with Donna and her kids. I hardly saw my kids, they ran around and swam for hours. I finished book two of the Classic Dune books (Dune Messiah) and started the third (Children of Dune). I was relaxing just reading my book in one of the newer parks at the resort. It's bigger with a giant wave pool and less of the fountain, spraying, bucket type, water attractions a lot of the parks have. I could hear the music better there, too. Mike had gone to get margaritas for everyone and I was sitting alone with Baby Nick. "I Need You Tonight" by INXS came on over the speaker system and I started thinking about the time a friend and I went to see INXS in Springfield, IL. It wasn't far from the U. of I. campus and I almost passed it up. I called the box office to ask about tickets and the lady on the phone said "Why don't you just buy them at the window?" I was like "Are you serious?" and she kind of laughed and said "yes, there's no hurry" or something like that. So my friend, Spiro, drove us to Springfield, we bought tickets at the window and ended up in the last row on the main floor. The "last row" was Row 24 or 25...it was hilarious! I don't think there were more than a thousand people there. It was great. And they were huge at the time (1985? 1986?) I thought. We laughed all the way home and Spiro ripped on me for not really wanting to go. We had a good time. Anyway, I was thinking about that and how sad it was that Michael Hutchence had crossed over, that he had taken his own life, what a waste.
Then Mike walks up to me, drinks in hand and says "Heath Ledger is dead."
I'm like "WHAT?!"
He says "Heath Ledger is dead."
I said "What do you mean? How?"
Mike says "I don't know, it was on the CNN Banner on the bar tv"
I'm shocked. Really, I am. After sitting there for a while I can't take it anymore.
I get on the phone and call Tracey at home. I ask her if she's heard Heath Ledger is dead. She hasn't heard, but my phone dies.
Beth comes to the table and I tell her Heath Ledger is dead. She's almost as shocked as I am. I use her phone to call Tracey again. I know that by the time I get back to her she'll have looked it up and have some info. She confirms that Heath Ledger is dead and that a drug overdose is suspected.
AARRRGGGHHH! I HATE THAT! I hate it when someone who has talent and I enjoy, dies because of a dumb reason like overdosing on drugs!! On the way home, we hear the autopsy was INCONCLUSIVE. I'm sure they're waiting for toxicology results. I was/am hoping that his death was the result of a brain aneurysm, or some kind of hidden congenital heart defect, a bacterial infection, something unknown, unseen, and unpredictable. So I won't have to be mad at him for destroying his own life. Such a waste. It really pisses me off. Please be something else.

One Day at a Time

2008-01-10T04:47:00.000-08:00

I have used the treadmill twice since Monday. I will use it today. I hate it every minute of it.

DUNE, Book one of the Classic Dune series. Done. Starting the second book DUNE MESSIAH. I love every minute of it.

New Hampshire

2008-01-08T20:12:00.000-08:00

So, Hillary takes New Hampshire. This is getting interesting. I'm still not sure who I would vote for...but I've had this nagging notion that it's about time we get a woman into the White House. Most Democrats I know are Obama freaks, but he never won me over completely. And neither did Hillary. I just don't know....

Celebrity Observations

2008-01-03T11:53:00.000-08:00

Just some musings....

1. I am digging Justin Timberlake's FutureSex/LoveSounds CD. Yeah, I know I'm a little late in the game. But I'm a 41 year old stay-at-home babysitter/mom. Give me a break. And I still like a little Samhain and Beastie Boys once in a while, I didn't completely cross over to the pop side.

2. Britney Spears is on the verge of a major breakdown and ain't nothing can be done about it until she runs through the streets naked and bald screaming with a glass of scotch in one hand and a straight razor in the other.

3. I don't care what anyone says, Tom Cruise is a freak and his daughter with Stepford wife Katie Holmes is an alien.

4. Victoria Beckham is a stick with 2 boobs. What is wrong with her? She doesn't even look real, and so plastic and tanned and angry. Even if she isn't angry, what's with that stern expression on her face?

5. David Beckham is hot, even if he did fall for Victoria's weirdness.

6. Lindsey Lohan is a beauty and could be a great actress. Unfortunately, she will kill herself with booze and drugs. Or at least turn into an ugly pockmarked and palsy meth addict.

7. I don't think Brad Pitt is that good looking. I don't understand what all the commotion is about.

8. Paris Hilton isn't all that stupid. She plays stupid. She knows she can get away with a lot and...she does. Well, maybe she is stupid.

9. If Nicole Richie were going to get knocked up at least it was with Good Charlotte's Joel Madden. He doesn't seem to be the type to put up with bull shit. Good Lord, someone has to have some common sense around here.

10. R. Kelly is a pervert and a pig. Anyone who thinks he isn't is just plain stupid and ignorant.

11. Kanye West gets on my nerves.

12. Bon Jovi is a money-making machine. And if it weren't for one Jon Bongiovi, Richie Sambora would be in a ditch somewhere with Denise Richards and a six-pack of Bud Light.

13. I love Jon Bon Jovi. I can't help it.

14. Whatever happened to Jesus Jones?

15. Jessica Simpson really IS that stupid. It's not an act. Nick Lachey is lucky to be rid of her. What was he thinking?

16. I am rooting for Josh Duhamel and Fergie. I hope they get married, have lots of kids, and die in old age together. I like Josh. He just seems like a nice guy.

Celebrities I think are hot or very attractive:

1. Kyle Lowder. Soap star currently on The Bold and The Beautiful. Not the best actor ever, but as far as eye candy, he is number one on my list.

2. Jon Bon Jovi. Yeah, that's what I said. Jon Bon Jovi. And I don't care what anyone thinks, there are about 2 billion other women (and some men) who agree with me. He's also a guy with integrity.

3. David Duchovny. Discovered him on The X-files and have never forgotten him. Just something about him. Oh yeah, loved The X-Files.

4. Simon Baker. Of tv's The Guardian. Haven't seen much of him lately, which is too bad because I think he's a decent actor and easy on the eyes.

5. Heath Ledger. Yes, I think he's pretty good-looking, especially when he showers and gets a decent haircut. The deep voice is pretty sexy, too.

6. Jacob Young. Yet another soap star currently on All My Children. He's just good looking.

7. Paul Rudd. Not your typical screen idol type, but cute and funny. Seems natural. One of my favorite movies is Clueless with Alicia Silverstone and Paul Rudd.

8. Johnny Depp. Remember 21 Jump Street? Ah, so much better now...he's just got that something. And a great actor on top of it. Loved him in Chocolat.

9. Nick Lachey. Nothing spectacular about this guy, but I like him. He's like your big brother's best-friend who's cute and nice to you.

10. James Spader. Yeah, I know, not so much now. But I fell for him after I saw Sex, Lies, and Videotape. And Secretary was a great movie, too. Who else but James Spader could pull that off?

:)

New Year's Resolutions

2008-01-02T19:58:00.000-08:00

My usual new year's resolution is to NOT make any resolutions. But this year I decided that I would actually make a couple. First off, I have to start exercising. I lost about 25 pounds last year and I think I gained most of it back. Not sure though because I won't step on the scale. It never used to bother me but lately I get really depressed when I weigh myself so I just don't do it. I know I need to make a commitment to it, but it's very difficult for me. I don't "enjoy" exercising and even though I know I should do it, I don't. I do get into phases where I do, but honestly, it annoys the crap out of me. Not just the actual exercising, but the sweating and the having to take a shower and fixing my hair, etc. It's time-consuming. Yeah, I have the time to do it, but it's all very inconvenient to me...like at night. Yeah, I have time at night. But then I'd have to shower and dry my hair. I cannot sleep with wet hair, and besides that I still have to take a shower in the morning. I feel greasy and gross if I don't take a shower. Or I could exercise in the morning. Which wouldn't be a big deal to get up at 5 am and exercise but then I'd have to go to bed earlier which I refuse to do. It's really the only time I get to myself. I NEED to have a couple hours after the boys go to bed to do what I want. Read, watch tv, surf the net, pay a couple of bills, whatever. After watching kids all day I need a little quiet time. Seriously. It's exhausting to have to be caring and fun and do crafts and get snacks and drinks, and break up fights, and talk about kid things in kid language, and read books, and feed babies, etc. It's okay while you're doing it but by the time your own kids go to bed, you really just need to sit around and veg. For your own sanity. For MY sanity. So anyway, I have to come to some kind of schedule or mindset where I make exercise a priority. This will be very, very, very difficult.

My second resolution is to re-read all six of the Classic Dune novels by Frank Herbert before reading "Book 7", which is actually 2 books written by his son Brian and Kevin J. Anderson. So very confusing. I started reading the Dune novels when I was in 5th or 6th grade. I can't remember. I am somewhat of a sci-fi/fantasy fan and Dune was one of those books that just sucked me in. In the last few years I discovered Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson wrote a "Prelude" to the Classic Dune novels after Frank died, so I read those 3 books. Then they came out with 3 more books that went even further back regarding the "Legends of Dune" that were set thousands of years before even the "Prelude to Dune" novels. After reading those 3 books, I received the "Book 7" books which are a continuation and conclusion to the Classic Dune books. The problem is, I don't remember where the Classic Dune novels left off. I started to read the new books and I realized I'd have to do some research or something to get caught up. I was totally confused. I pulled all my Dune books out and after flipping through a few of them I decided I had better just start from the beginning. I'm actually looking forward to it, so this will be one resolution I will enjoy keeping. We'll see how I do.

Any positive vibes of exercise encouragement will be greatly appreciated.

Happy 2008!

2008-01-01T20:11:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year, everyone! Looking forward to 2008 but I'm kind of sorry to see the holidays go. We actually spent New Year's Eve in Chicago at the Embassy Suites with 4 other couples and our 14 lovely children. Surprisingly, there was no drama and the kids all got along really well. The 4 of us spent the day at the Museum of Science and Industry before checking in and I think we all had fun. We got there around 10 something and for most of the day Troy just kept asking me what time it was. He knew we weren't checking into the hotel until 4 but he was DYING to go swimming and that is all he really thought about. Still, I think the boys had fun, we did the "coal mine tour" and the Omnimax Theater, which was cool and a nice break from running around. Oh, and just an FYI, it was 12 dollars to park at the museum. There was another blogger (Constant Drama from Malaysia) who was recently in Chicago and couldn't believe how much parking was.

Once we got to the hotel it was evident that a lot of the people there got "The Rate". It was really cheap for a family of 4, or in Beth's case a family of 6, to stay at the Embassy Suites for some reason. Though, for information's sake, it was 41 dollars additional for valet parking. Beth found "The Rate" on-line and called everyone and we all ended up going. There wasn't a party or anything but they had a "reception" 5:30 to 7:30 with free drinks and munchies so the drinkers had a good time there. I don't drink so I didn't care but the kids got kiddie cocktails and thought that was a blast. There was also a great breakfast buffet served the next morning. We went to Navy Pier to watch the fireworks in the snow at 7 and then the kids went swimming until about 9:30. The pool was hilarious. You could tell most of the people there got "The Rate". Lots of families and a lot of Miller Lite in cans. I'm sure the employees at the Embassy Suites just loved all that. I was really tired of everything and actually wanted to throw in the towel around 11 but most of the kids weren't having any of that. I think all but 3 made it to midnight and they had some fake champagne in plastic cups. We were on the 10th floor and they had a lot of fun screaming and yelling at midnight over the balcony. The Embassy Suites staff were very patient with the kids and put up with a lot.

Everything went smoothly until we tried to leave. First off, Mike parked in some parking garage somewhere and not the hotel. It took him about a 30 minutes to come back because he couldn't find the car. When he finally got back, Shane informed us he had to use the bathroom, which takes 20 minutes at least. Good Lord, the boy is like a grown man when it comes to his bathroom habits. So I put the luggage in the car and sat in it with Troy until Mike came back...20 minutes later, when Shane asked me where his PSP was. He left in the lobby on the window sill when he ran to the bathroom. I had NO IDEA, though he kept insisting that he told me. He just got it for Christmas and I was livid. Anyway, I ran back into the valet lobby where the desk clerk told me I had to go to the security office. While we were waiting for the elevator I was yelling at Shane...things like "I TOLD YOU NOT TO LOSE IT!" and "HOW COULD YOU?" Stuff like that, when a guy walked up to us and said "Oh, did you lose a video game? I turned it into Security" I was so relieved that I actually told the guy I loved him. But it took another 20 minutes or so to get it because we had to find the security office, where no one was to be found. I found some guy who paged someone for me, and when that guy showed up he couldn't find it in the office so he was calling all the other security guys until we found the guy who had it, but he was on the 13th floor so we had to wait for him by the registration desk. It was ridiculous. I was just glad to get it back. We finally left the hotel at 11:50 and I think we'd said goodbye to everyone at around 10:30. But we all got home in one piece and I didn't have to beat any of the kids, a good start to the new year. Happy New Year, everyone!

Today's my Birthday

2007-12-27T21:09:00.000-08:00

Yup. I am officially 41. Had a very nice day actually. Troy came into my bedroom as soon as he woke up and wished me a happy birthday while I was in the shower. Beth made me Monkey Bread for breakfast and Shane ended up at her house all day. Lara played on the computer for two hours while Troy took a nap. I watched a movie that I recorded on the new DVR I received for Christmas. I don't think I've had such a mellow day in months! Then the boys surprised me by taking me out to dinner to Famous Dave's. I felt a little bad since we normally just order pizza and I didn't do much for Mike's birthday, but who am I to argue? Now I am stuffed and watching my soaps. A good way to end the day if I say so myself. :)

Boxing Day

2007-12-26T09:03:00.001-08:00

I am right now sitting in my pajamas in front of the tv at 11:00 am and I plan on staying this way for the rest of the day. My mother and my sister actually got up early and went out to hit all the after-Christmas sales but I decided that I am already in too much debt. Plus, I am feeling pretty lazy and don't want to make the effort to go out.

Christmas was fun. On Christmas Eve we went over to Mike's Aunt Jackie's house where the kids opened presents and the adults exchanged secret santa gifts. There was a little drama regarding my stupid brother-in-law and his stupid wife who haven't bothered to bring their daughter to Thanksgiving or Christmas, which hurt Diane's feelings a lot. She is 18 months old and is now at the age where she's understanding what is going on and talking, etc. She's really cute but we never see her. Unfortunately, they dangle that baby in front of Diane to get her to babysit or give them money, but they don't appreciate all that she does for them and treat her like shit. Mike is kind of funny about the situation, he just says things like "My brother's always been an idiot" and "And that kid doesn't have a chance". I want to beat them senseless. Honestly we just want to see the baby.

Of course, we ate a lot of appetizers and snackies. We played another game of Left Center Right where again, one of the kids won the pot. Colin, my 8 year old nephew, won but gave everyone a dollar. This is a kid that has about 200 dollars in twenties laying around his room, so what does he care? The next day we had brunch with Misa, Eric, and Lara and opened more presents. Then Bill, Diane, and Uncle Tom came over and we exchanged more presents. Then Judy came over and we had a good steak dinner. All in all a good day. The kids were the quietest they have ever been. The boys each got a PSP and spent most of the day staring at a little screen playing Battlefront or Lego Star Wars. Santa was very good to them. I can't believe it's all over already. I'm a Christmas nerd and wouldn't mind if it went on for a couple of more days. Hope everyone out there had a good day, regardless of what you like to do or believe in.

Joy to The World

2007-12-25T19:25:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a Good Night!

Genetics...Can you fight it?

2007-12-23T10:57:00.000-08:00

Seriously, it's not bad enough that I watch soap operas, read fantasy/sci-fi, and believe in the paranormal, I am now turning into the Mom That Likes to do Things with Her Family Even Though No One Else Wants To.

The park district over here set up a big lights display in one of their parks, with a stop to see Santa in the middle of it. It was snowing outside and I told Mike and the kids "Hey! Let's go see the lights at the park...it'll be fun!" Mike was like, "oh, uh, okay" Shane said "NO" and Troy said "Do we HAVE to go out?" I was in total disbelief. So I said "Are you kidding me? You'd rather sit at home than go out and see Christmas lights?" The boys just glared at me. So I said "We'll get Hot Cocoa at Starbucks or Caribou...how about that?" Of course Shane was totally up for that so I demanded everyone get their coats and shoes on. We drove to the park, which had a nice display of lights and I was all "Oh! Look at that! Isn't that cool?!" The kids enjoyed it until we got to Santa's house and I'm all "Woohoo! Let's go see Santa!" Troy said okay, and Shane said NO. So now Troy doesn't want to go. I yell "GET OF THE CAR...WE'RE GOING TO SEE SANTA!!!!!" There were only a couple of people ahead of us and as we're standing in line I hear Shane behind me grumbling about having to see Santa and I hear Mike say "Just do it, your mother wants you to!" (I vaguely remember my father saying something similar to me). So we see Santa and I take a picture, a cute one I think. Then we drive to Caribou and have cocoa and coffee and a dessert. I'm sitting there with my husband and two kids and I say "Wasn't this fun? We hardly do anything all together!" And I don't get a response really, they're all just concentrating on their M&M cookies and chocolate muffins and I'm sitting there all giddy that I'm having coffee with my family at Caribou. And it dawns on me, I am one of those Moms. I am one of those Moms that wants to do things as a family and no one else really cares. They're just doing it because I made them. I bribed them.

I am turning into my mother.

Oh, yeah, it's happening. My mom is like that, wanting to do things with us kids. Since I can remember. And I also remember rolling my eyes a lot and dreading the gatherings. Now that the grandchildren are here, she wants to do everything with them, too. It's maddening. And now, I'm doing it to my kids. Yup. I guess you can't fight genetics.

God help my kids.

The Golden Compass

2007-12-09T04:49:00.000-08:00

I've recently been sent an e-mail regarding The Golden Compass movie. I find it rather funny actually that so much controversy is surrounding this movie because of it's "anti-Christian", "anti-Catholic" messages. I have yet to see the movie or read the books so I think I will have to do one or both before I can make a decision on whether it's going to warp my children's minds against religion. I, myself, am rather ambivalent when it comes to organized religion (I'm a Catholic, sort of) and spirituality anyway, so I'm a little pleased that this movie has rattled so many cages.

Here is the e-mail I received from a well-meaning aquaintance:

Spread the word about this movie .......... The Golden Compass It is coming out on December 7th It is marketed for children and in the end they kill God and everyone can do as they please. It stars Nicole Kidman, which will help to make it seem mainline and OK.

However, it is written by Phillip Pullman, a proud atheist who hates Chritianity and wants to 'kill God' in the minds of children. The movie is a 'dumbed-down' version of the first book in a trilogy which themes get progressively darker and darker. Please pass this on so that unsuspecting parents won't be lured into it. We all know that Satan's best works are ones that seem nice and harmless on the top. This seems to fall into that category.Most of all, read for yourself what Snopes has to say about it. http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp
If you are as alarmed by what you read on snopes as I was, please forward this email.
Be sure to read the SNOPES article!!

This is a warning about an upcoming movie for children in December. It is called The Golden Compass and it stars Nicole Kidman . I don't know if you have heard anything about it or not, but they are going to advertise it as a normal children's movie but in the end it is trying to teach children that there is no God. It is based off of a trilogy of children's books and the author is an atheist. They evidently do some strange things in the movie and at the very end a girl and boy are supposed to be depicting Adam and Eve and then they kill God. They are trying to be very mild about it through the movie until the end so a lot of parents won't even know that it is coming so I wanted to pass the information on to you before you decide to take your children to see this movie. Also, it will be promoting his books so you may want to be come familiar with the authors name and the books that he writes! If you want to read more info about it the website is:http://snopes.com/politics/religion/compass.asp I know that I was astonished that someone would make a movie like this and especially directed towards children!! I just wanted to pass the info along to you so you could warn your friends with children as well!

Hmmm, I'm not really sure what to think about all that! I hardly think Nicole Kidman would make a children's movie in which the main characters "kill God", but, like I said, I haven't read the books or seen the movie. I did go to Phillip Pullman's website, and frankly, the guy is a little cranky, maybe a bit more full of disdain than he let's on, and ego-centric. He seems to have toned it down a bit for his site but here is a quote that might reveal a little bit about his attitude:

"His Dark Materials seems to be against organised religion. Do you believe in God?

'I don't know whether there's a God or not. Nobody does, no matter what they say. I think it's perfectly possible to explain how the universe came about without bringing God into it, but I don't know everything, and there may well be a God somewhere, hiding away.
Actually, if he is keeping out of sight, it's because he's ashamed of his followers and all the cruelty and ignorance they're responsible for promoting in his name. If I were him, I'd want nothing to do with them.' "

Tsk tsk tsk...he so does like to stir the pot! Apparently he has said some pretty straightforward and not so nice things about religion and religious people in general so I guess I can see why they wouldn't like him, but, look at all the attention he's getting now. He doesn't care. And here's why:

"What inspires you?

'Three things. (1) Money. I do this for a living. If I don't write well, I won't earn enough money to pay the bills. (2) The desire to make some sort of mark on the world - to make my name known. To leave something behind that will last a little longer than I do. (3) The sheer pleasure of craftsmanship: the endlessly absorbing delight of making things - in my case, stories - and of gradually learning more about how they work, and how to make them better' "

I think that pretty much explains everything. Keep protesting, he loves every minute of it.

Mike's Birthday

2007-12-04T08:51:00.000-08:00

Happy birthday, Mike! Mike is my husband who I take for granted and don't pay enough attention to. He's very understanding and pretty much puts up with whatever I do and doesn't say much about how I do things. We'll be celebrating by ordering a deep dish pizza from Nancy's. We've been doing this for years. It started when we were living together and he was in school. We had NO money so even ordering pizza was a big treat. Nancy's deep dish was our big birthday dinner and years later we still look forward to it. We still don't go out to eat very often since we're always trying to pay off some sort of bill but we'll shell out for a good pizza or Italian food.

Anyway, Happy Birthday, Mike! I love you and appreciate you more than you know!

Worshipping the Porcelain God, Winter

2007-12-03T20:35:00.000-08:00

On one lovely day, Troy and Shane spent a few hours throwing up and dry heaving and occassionally sitting on the altar they were so often visiting. At least I didn't throw up, I hate that. I spent a lot of time in the bathroom though and drank a lot of Pepto Bismol. It's not my favorite thing going down, but it sure is great on the way out. Welcome to Family Fun Flu Fest #2! Mike didn't get sick until 5 days later so it wasn't exactly the whole family, but close enough. It sucked ass. There was a day at school when 6 kids in one class all starting throwing up at the same time. They even called an ambulance because one kid actually passed out. It was pretty scary. They thought it might be food poisoning since they just had Halloween parties and called in the Health Dept. The school was scrubbed down but as it turned out it was a viral thing. We've had 3 illnesses in the last month and it's really annoying. Right now I'm going through a cold and after 5 days have finally reached the part where I cough a lot. It's great. SO no time for blogging with Thanksgiving around the corner and dealing with loads of laundry and disinfecting everything.

Thanksgiving was great! I admit it. I made everything a day ahead and instead of using my china, used crock pots to keep everything warm. I have never been so relaxed. We played a game of Left Center Right, a great dice game that the whole family can play and is pretty quick. There were 19 of us but Troy paired up with Mike and Sarah paired up with her mom. It was hilarious. Everyone was really into it and the kids were having so much fun. I ended up videotaping the end of it because everyone was freaking out and as it turns out Shane won. He was SOO excited I thought he was going bust a vein. You would have thought he won the Super Bowl or something, but I guess winning 51 dollars is a big deal to a seven year old. I'm also lucky to have family that doesn't really drive me nuts. There's always that ONE idiot in the family that can piss you off, but he wasn't there this year. No big deal to me. It was probably one of most enjoyable Thanksgivings I've ever had.

Now we're off to Christmas and already I feel behind. I finally made it to the post office and mailed gifts to Maya and Rob. I don't have a problem with the USPS, but I'm telling you, the British seem pretty slow when it comes to the mail. My mom sent Maya a package one year and she never got it, so she went to the post office to ask about it and within a few days it "showed up". I think it took 3 months for her to get it. It seems the package was sitting on a shelf somewhere and was forgotten. I try to mail Christmas gifts sometime in November just in case. Last year I sent a package before Thanksgiving and she didn't get it until December 24th. Misa, on the other hand, sent a package a week or so after Thanksgiving and Maya got it in about 14 days. Go figure.

I finally put the big Blow up Turkey away from the front yard and have gotten some of my Christmas lights up. I'm usually out there the day after Thanksgiving but this year I put up the trees inside and kind of forgot about the front yard. It looked a little silly to see a turkey and orange lights among all the Christmas decorations the neighbors put up, but I let the poor thing hang out for a few extra days. The weather has been so mild that I was fooled into thinking I had plenty of time but I waited until last Saturday which was a joke. While I was outside the weather dropped about 20 degress and I was suddenly in a middle of a snowstorm. The lights I managed to get up ended up being sleeted on and developed a pretty thick layer of ice. The timer was in encased in ice by evening and I had to pound on it to get it off. So I guess that does it, Winter is here!

NFL Hall of Famer

2007-11-09T18:26:00.000-08:00

We went out to eat tonight to celebrate two very good report cards from the kids. While we were eating Beth called to tell me Dan Hampton, #99, Chicago Bear and Hall of Famer was about 7 minutes away at a Jewel store signing autographs. We finished off our food and ran home where the boys picked up their white Super Bowl Urlacher jerseys and a Chicago Bear Football for Hampton to sign. They got in line and got to meet Dan Hampton. He signed all three items and posed for a picture with Shane and Troy. So cool! Shane told him he played defensive tackle and Hampton told him that "the defensive tackles control the game" and "to stay low and hit hard". How awesome is that?

Gobble Gobble

2007-11-08T08:45:00.000-08:00

Well, Damn! Thanksgiving is only two weeks away. It snuck up on me, which is is unusual because I usually start planning the menu as soon as I get my November Bon Apetit! I need to make a shopping list pronto, though I know it is mostly going to consist of the following:

Unsalted Butter
Salted Butter
Heavy Whipping Cream
Fat-Free Low-Salt Chicken Broth

Well, you have to have at least one thing that is fat-free and salt-free. So there it is. Everything else is just extra. Our meals usually consist of turkey, mashed potatoes (where do you think all of the cream and butter goes?), gallons of gravy, bread stuffing, sometimes a sausage dressing, candied yams, dinner rolls, green bean casserole (YES DAMN IT, a GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE), another green vegetable (haricot verts or broccoli), some kind of sweetened baby carrots dish, plain old canned jellied cranberry sauce, and whatever else comes to mind. It's a freaking heart attack filled meal. The stuffing is to die for, the bird has to be stuffed with it, just has to. But we need a lot so we make lots of extra to mix in with the turkey stuff, add a little chicken broth and throw it in the oven again to ward off potential food poisoning problems. You know, we've been stuffing turkeys for years and none of us have ever gotten sick. But I guess over time you might develop some kind of mutant super e-coli bacteria or something, so can't be too careful.

Dessert usually involves pumpkin pie, apple pie, chocolate chip cookies (Mike's dad and Uncle Tom have a need for cookies at all times) and a couple of other new desserts I would like to try out. Thanksgiving is also the day I try out new recipes on people. And I don't really care how it comes out, no one knows the difference anyway. I just like trying new things. I make Misa whip the cream, no fake shit out of a can on this day. I don't know what she does but it's really yummy. Yeah, I know. How hard is it to whip cream? Not very, but you know, there's the adding of the powdered sugar, a little Grand Marnier, it just turns out better if she does it. Actually Misa does the bulk of the work that I can't do, like carve the turkey, make the gravy, finish off the stuffing and the mashed potatoes. Again, the most awesome mashed potatoes ever. Just the right consistency, a nice blend of butter, salt, white pepper, and cream. It's a freaking dream.

I must say I am not totally unprepared. I got sucked into the Meijer store because they had one of those roasting oven things on sale for 29.99. Not bad, I thought. But then, I had a four dollar off coupon for anything over 19.97. And also a coupon for 10 dollars off a total purchase of 50 dollars or over. On top of that, you got up to 25 dollars off a turkey and a free 8 inch chef's knife if you bought the roaster oven, so anywhooo, I got an 18 pound turkey for 2 dollars and a free knife, which, yeah it's a little cheesy but it was free. So I have a turkey and a roaster oven. With a total of 40 dollars off I don't think I did that bad.

And Damn! I gotta get out the inflatable turkey for the front yard. Tracey gave it to me. I don't know why she didn't like it. I love it. I'm the only one on my street that has one. I am so cool. I am now totally into the Thanksgiving thing...I am sooo ready.

Another One (or two) Bites the Dust

2007-11-06T08:40:00.000-08:00

So honestly. What the fuck? Another young mother and wife is missing in our lovely suburban dreamland. Stacey Peterson is 23 years old and married to a 50-something year old police sergeant in Bolingbrook. He says she ran off with another man and that she's where she wants to be...Uh, okay fuckhead. Without her kids. While in nursing school. She wanted a divorce too and now she's "run away". I totally believe that, don't you?

It's huge news right now with Court TV in town with Gretchen what's her face and Mark Furman at the sight of a pond dragging. Mike and I actually saw a bunch of TV news vans at the pond when we were driving home from a trip to IKEA and he was like "Hey! What's going on around here? There's a bunch of tv vans over there!" I didn't realize this was such big news. Family members of Lisa Stebic, another "missing" wife in a middle of a divorce from Plainfield, were part of the search crews looking for Stacy or any sign of her. They will probably never find her. The guy is a cop and also flies small planes. Her body could be anywhere. They are also looking into the "accidental" drowning death of his third wife in a bath tub. I'm sorry. But people don't just drown in a tub unless they had a heart attack, seizure, or whatever or were on drugs or alcohol. Turns out Stacy's mom is missing too. I guess he got rid of her when Stacy got pregnant by him when she was around 17. Can anyone say "SERIAL KILLER"?

There was another case where a 39 year old woman went missing when she went jogging in a park in Chicago Heights. She was separated from her husband of 19 years. Unfortunately, they found her body shortly thereafter and I haven't heard much else about it since most attention has turned to the Stacy Peterson case in Bolingbrook. Haven't heard much about the husband, but you gotta know he's under major scrutiny.

I'm afraid Stacy Peterson is just another one in a long line of women killed by their husbands or boyfriends. What is wrong with people? Something is up in Naperworld and it's surrounding cities and it's not good.

Steeler Football Notes

2007-10-28T13:21:00.001-07:00

Woohoo! Shane's football season is over with two wins in a row. Which is fantastic considering they had 4 losses in a row. I had a pretty good time this season. The kids and parents were fun and nice, a good group. We only had one dad who was an asshole and he never talked to anyone except to yell at his own kid. He was constantly yelling things to him from the sidelines and whenever he came in from the field he was in his face giving him "advice". The kid never knew what to do. Pretty pathetic. I'm sure his kid will hate him in about 3 years. But the rest of us had fun and are looking forward to next year. Go Steelers!

Flies

2007-10-28T13:18:00.001-07:00

Why are there flies in my house all the time and why do they constantly land on us and buzz around our heads. I understand that I have about 32 children per minute opening and closing doors in my house and that the flies come in at those times. But why are they so frickin' annoying? They're not normal house flies that buzz around. They seem a little smaller and are VERY ANNOYING. I've been chasing them around the house for like a month now. I hate them. Besides fly paper, how can I get rid of them????

Ghost Hunters

2007-10-26T20:41:00.000-07:00

So, I did a nerd thing. One night while watching a recording of Sci-fi's Ghost Hunters show, I pulled up the laptop and looked up the TAPS website...The Atlantic Paranormal Society. Lo and Behold! Grant and Jason, the founders of Taps and the two guys who are basically on the show all the time, were coming to Illinois, to a town kind of near me. I immediately e-mailed my sister who is also a Ghost Hunters fan, and for 7 dollars a person, planned on ordering tickets to see Grant and Jason (plumbers by day, ghost hunters by night)! We were so excited! I don't know anyone else who watches this show so I really wasn't worried about getting tickets. I called the box office and they told me the place held about 1100 people so I didn't order tickets until I heard from Misa. When I looked later, they were almost SOLD OUT so I immediately called and got my 2 tickets. It was general admission and we got there about an hour and a half before the show started and there were already about a 150 people in line. Need I mention the HUGE NERD factor going on in that building. I felt a little silly at that point. But I didn't care, we were going to see Jason and Grant, and it was worth the 14 dollars and hour car drive.

Jason and Grant were really funny and totally cool. They actually aren't nerds at all, surprisingly. They did a little presentation, did a Q&A session, and signed autographs. They showed a lot of video of "paranormal activity" and recordings of electronic voice phenomenom, which we all applauded or oo'd and ah'd at. We got great seats and Jason was just inches from us at several different points of the night while he got questions from audience members. The Q&A portion kind of sucked because people asked stupid questions and there were a lot of little kids there that asked a lot of stupid questions, it got to be a little painful at times. Unfortunately, during the Q&A people got up and got in line for autographs so it would've been like a 4 hour wait. We decided to head home instead. That was a little disappointing because I would've liked a picture with the 2 of them, just for the nerd in me, but oh well.

I think it was Tracey who told me that this was almost as bad as when I went to the X-Files convention a few years back. At least I got Mr. X's (Steven Williams) and Walter Skinner's (Mitch Pileggi) autographs. I think this was worse, but it was still a rockin' experience. I love the show, can't help it.

Dreams

2007-10-24T16:10:00.000-07:00

I have dreams. Lots of them, all night long. They are very detailed and long. Usually I am at school and have a final and I am searching in vain for the classroom. It's usually the University of Illinois campus and I'm wandering in and out of buildings and dorms looking for a way to my test. On top of that, I hadn't attended the class all semester. This can go on all night sometimes. Anyway, I had a different dream last night. Not quite sure what it was all about since usually there are many people involved and lots of different locations, but at one point I look into the bottom of a large garbage can, or something like it, and the bottom is covered with some disgusting kind of stew of garbage and assorted maggots and such. It's so bad that I literally gag and think I'm about to throw up, but I wake up just in time to stop it. It was weird. I didn't feel grossed out once I woke up, but it sure did feel real. It kind of freaked me out.

Visitors

2007-10-17T11:55:00.001-07:00

My sister and her husband are safely back in England, trying to recover from 10 days of my mother. I'm serious. She can't leave them alone for FIVE minutes when they are in town. She got mad because they went shopping by themselves. Though she kept saying things like "I hope they don't mind that I didn't go with, I'm just sooo tired, blah blah blah." After she said that for the 15th time, I finally said, "They DIDN'T want you to go!!!!! They just wanted to run from store to store and buy things they need!!!!" I mean, seriously, they shop a lot when they are here because things are so much cheaper, but they really hadn't had a chance to because of doing things with/for my mother. She gets so worked up over the time, it's hard to relax. So anyway, I had a pleasant visit with them when I could. I told them that the next time they come into town they can't tell my mother for a couple of days. That way Misa and I can actually talk to her without nosy mom butting in every five seconds. I wasn't kidding. Sigh.

DrOOL Notes

2007-10-15T16:55:00.000-07:00

Days of Our Lives. A show so bad you can't stop watching it. The show that introduced Kyle Lowder to me and made me watch even when it was really, really, bad. Now they've killed off John Black of John and Marlena fame. I'm not sure what the deal is, but I have a feeling he (the actor) wanted off the show. No kidding. The fans are in an uproar. Anyway, that is beside the point. I just never realized how crazy fans are over their soaps until I started to obsess over Kyle Lowder. Of course, he's off the show now but I am still watching. He played John's son on the show so I wonder what they are going to do for his funeral. There's a genious blog called Prevuze (www.prevuze.blogspot.com) that literally posts an entire episode's worth of snark that makes me cry from laughing so hard. It's written by some woman who I believe resides in Canada. She gets a feed of DOOL a day ahead and posts the episode practically word for word, along with some great writing of her own and wonderful pictures to boot. It makes me appreciate DOOL in all it's lunacy and hope it never gets cancelled just so I can visit this blog on a daily basis. The people who comment have their own talents and make me laugh, too. No one criticizes the actors on a personal level, it's all about the characters and the insane storylines. I hope the writers at DOOL realize how much we fans rely on Prevuze to keep us interested. Now if we only knew when John is coming back from the dead this time....

Crazy Talking Neighbor

2007-10-14T22:08:00.000-07:00

Troy has this kid in kindergarten that he played t-ball with over the summer. He stays home afternoons with his grandmother who doesn't speak English. So when I ran into his mother I told her that Troy and Cathleen would like to play with him one day after school. But this mom told me that he wasn't allowed "down there" because of the neighbor's backyard behind me. I'm like WTF? What does their backyard have to do with my house? So yeah, I agreed that their backyard was less than desirable. They are very nice people, work hard, and are strict parents. But their backyard has a 2 story playhouse that they built that looks like shit, a trampoline, an unfinished pond, and other crap here and there. Yeah, I don't like it either, but what does that have to do with me? Then she said the mom behind me told her that she watches the kids from an arm chair in her family room...I'm like "Yeah, so?" I mean, I don't lord over the kids when they are playing in the backyard. I can see them from my kitchen and my family room. Then she kind of implied that we were noisy and had parties all the time. Now I'm REALLY confused because I think we had ONE party all summer and that was for Patrick's First Communion. I think the problem is is that we don't have any fences. So maybe it looks like the kids are running wild, they run from house to house. Over the summer the kids played baseball, football, or kickball EVERY DAY, with and without the dads. Yeah, so there were like 13 boys in our backyards all the time and occassionally 4 or 5 girls. That's what they're supposed to do, it's fucking summer! If that's a fucking party than so be it. Now I'm annoyed and pissed off because this mom doesn't know us well enough except to say "hi, how are you doing?" and some idle chit chat. She's not home all day so she doesn't know what goes on around here. I'm sick and tired of people being judgemental over stupid things and acting morally superior. I told Troy that he just shouldn't ask if this boy can play because his mother says he can't. I told him it was because his grandmother doesn't speak English. So next time he climbs up on his playset and waves to us and asks us to play, we just have to say we can't. He's just gonna have to sit there and watch the 4 or 5 kids in my backyard play on a beautiful day. Nice. And his mother can fuck off.

Bliss

2007-10-05T18:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to the love of my life! 11 years of wedded bliss!

Is this for real?

2007-10-04T19:23:00.000-07:00

Ann Coulter said:

“If we took away women’s right to vote, we’d never have to worry about another Democrat president. It’s kind of a pipe dream, it’s a personal fantasy of mine, but I don’t think it’s going to happen. And it is a good way of making the point that women are voting so stupidly, at least single women. It also makes the point, it is kind of embarrassing, the Democratic Party ought to be hanging its head in shame, that it has so much difficulty getting men to vote for it. I mean, you do see it’s the party of women and ‘We’ll pay for health care and tuition and day care — and here, what else can we give you, soccer moms?’”

This chick has balls, or she's just a whack job with a big mouth. She just likes to be quoted and will say anything to get publicity. And here I am, giving her what she wants. What a bitch.

ARRGH

2007-10-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

My sister and her husband are coming into town this weekend for only two days, and I can't think of anything interesting to do around here. They flew in from England, where they live, and are right now in California doing "touristy" things with my mother, so they may be too exhausted to want to do anything anyway.

We lived in Northern California for about 11 years and moved here when I was 14. My mother kept saying things like "We lived in California for 11 years and I NEVER got to see any of it!" (which is totally not true) When Maya (my sister) asked her what she specifically wanted to see or do, she didn't have a clue. She said "I don't know, touristy things". She's starting to feel her age and wants to go to all these places "before I can't walk anymore." Misa ended up taking her to Great America (where she injured herself on a ride) and to the Renaissance Fair up at the Wisconsin border. Misa certainly has been doing a lot of penance lately. I, on the other hand, have not. Maya is certainly doing a lot of penance with this trip, but she's in England, so I suppose this makes up for many years of not having to do all that much.

I feel like I've done plenty the last few years, but according to my mother I "don't need her anymore", I "don't come to her house anymore"(which I don't because she won't let me clean anything and when I do there's always something "missing"), I "don't want to see her anymore", I "don't care about her", I "don't call her", etc etc. etc. She's been telling this to people since my father died 8 years ago. She just recently told all this to my neighbor, a very good friend of mine. The woman gives me a migraine.

She just called me from her cell phone. I couldn't get to the phone because a neighbor was at my door. I tried calling her back but it just kept ringing. Then I listened to my voice mail and as she was talking my call must've gone through because her message went something like this:

Hi Michelle, it's me. We're in Carmel...OH! Uh, oh, huh...is this working? I hope it's working, well, anyway, I'll call later. Bye.

Apparently the call waiting went off but she didn't know what it was. Then when I tried calling her back, she had turned the damn thing off. WHAT IS THE POINT? I need a Motrin.

Men's Issues

2007-10-02T05:28:00.004-07:00

Huh. Pretty funny. I just saw an Oprah show on Men's health issues. Strange that that would be on so soon after I actually thought about it. But anyway, let's just say they focused mostly on the penis and the rest of it's components, go figure. I thought it was pretty informative though after reading the message boards a lot of people went a little nutty about some of the info given out. For instance, many disagreed with Dr. Oz's statement that men that who were uncircumcised were more likely to develop infections than those that were not. Big controversy there. They also went into sleep deprivation a little bit and talked a bit about baldness. I really think there has to be another show to go into more general things like heart disease and diabetes. Hey, it was better than nothing and a lot of men seem to have questions that many are too embarrassed to ask. I applaud the Oprah Show for even attempting to "go there" and put it on television!

Just wanted to mention that after weeks of controversy and lots of protests from the whack jobs, the Planned Parenthood in Aurora is set to open this morning. I don't think that comes as a big surprise and I don't think Planned Parenthood is surprised either. Let's just hope that the women who need care go to this location and are not harrassed by the protesters who seem not to care about all issues that involve women's health care.

Fred and Kim Goldman

2007-09-23T10:37:00.001-07:00

I just watched Fred and Kim Goldman on the Oprah Winfrey show. I taped it when it aired and just got around to it. Oprah seemed perplexed by their decision to publish OJ the Murderer's book "If I Did It". But I understand. If I were them I would pursue OJ until my dying breath. If OJ flipped me the bird every chance that he got, I would make it my life's mission to make his life miserable. The fact that they got the rights to the book was a nice kick in the ass to OJ. The fact that they are publishing it is even a better kick in the ass because OJ gets nothing out of it. I'm sure he's freaking out. Oprah and some audience members kept calling it "blood money", but I don't see it that way. I see it as a way to piss OJ off. And they deserve to make his life as much of a living hell as possible. So far I think they've been pretty civil, I don't know that I could be as civil as they have been. He stabbed their son to death and he laughs at them every day because he got away with it. I say do whatever it takes to get at OJ. They deserve a little satisfaction no matter what the rest of us think.

Justin Timberlake

2007-09-22T22:19:00.001-07:00

I've been watching Justin Timberlake's HBO concert, FUTURESEX/LOVESHOW whenever it's on and I think I'm becoming a fan. I hated the title. Sounds ridiculous. But he puts on a good show. I've never bought an N'Sync cd. Or a JT cd, but I'm almost tempted to check out his latest.

Either he's a really good actor or he actually likes his fans. After all the bad publicity he's gotten lately about his shitty attitude and poor treatment of fans, I was getting ready to write him off. He seems to be enjoying himself on stage and he has a nice smile that seems sincere, and a cute laugh. But, like I said, he must be a good actor. Let's not forget that this was an HBO SPECIAL so I'm sure he really turned it on because of that. And it annoys me that his mother is always around. Seems a little weird.

7 Year Old Football

2007-09-15T16:17:00.001-07:00

WooHoo! Shane's football team, the St Raphael Steelers, have won their first game of the season! It was only their second game but the first game was kind of a bummer. First of all, Shane hurt his foot on a trampoline and couldn't play the first game. Yes, I KNOW trampolines are dangerous, but after several attempts at keeping the little spaz off of the thing, I gave up. Yes, I KNOW I am the mother and should MAKE my children listen, but you know what? I am tired. TIRED. So I decided to let him on it with the warning that when he shatters his heel or breaks his ankle, he WILL NOT PLAY FOOTBALL for the entire season or forever, and that he will not get any sympathy from me. So for the entire summer, the kids have been on the trampoline and Shane "bruises a bone" (the doctor's explanation) 3 days before the first game. He couldn't even walk on it. He crawled around the house all day the first day. Didn't go to school. Took him to the doctor, then the hospital for x-rays, then to practice so he could watch all his teammates play while he crawled around on the grass with his foot wrapped up in an ace bandage. Pathetic.
The first game our defense was pretty sad. Pat is head coach, and he kind of sucked Mike into being an assistant coach. They were really looking forward to a decent game but the other team scored 3 times on kick off. They did manage to get a touchdown so they were happy about that. Anway, they could've used Shane. Not to brag, but he's a 2nd year player and pretty good. At 95 pounds, he's a little intimidating. The new players were tentative and a little confused. So to see them win 3 touchdowns to 1 (there aren't extra points at this level) was really fun to see. They all seemed to just gel and really get into it. Shane had a couple of good plays and didn't seem to be bothered by his foot at all. Best of all, Pat and Mike were happy as clams and I didn't have to listen to them analyze the game over and over and over again. The kids had a blast and the parents all had a good time. Now, let's hope they kick some ass next weekend! (Yes, I am one of those parents who cares if we win or not, I can't help it!!!)

Go STEELERS!

Women's Issues

2007-09-10T12:07:00.000-07:00

There is a Planned Parenthood going up in our lovely town and, of course, there is an uproar because the facility will be providing abortions. That is to be expected, and I'm not going to go into a debate about whether they should be provided or not. My only concern is that people in general don't take women's health issues very seriously. This facility is going to provide health services to women who are poor and/or don't have health insurance or the means to travel someplace where they can get it. Services such as pregnancy tests and birth control, to name just two.

As all you women out there know, it is quite an ordeal to get all the necessary tests and procedures done to insure our general and gynecological health. Since I turned 40 last December I decided to finally get to a doctor and get a full physical. I also wanted to address some "female issues". So I went to an internist, who did a pap smear and breast exam, as well as a full physical. Then I had a mammogram and a pelvice ultrasound. As a result of the pelvic ultrasound I was referred to a gynecologist who did a uterine biopsy. I then had 3 different procedures done, a hysteroscopy (which resulted in the removal of 2 polyps), dilation and curretage (for thickening of the uterine wall, which may or may not be a precursor to cancer), and an endometrial ablation (which lessens heavy bleeding during menstrual periods). Since I have medical insurance through Mike's work, I paid a total of about sixty or eighty dollars in co-pay (it's an HMO). My surgery alone totalled almost $10,000. That does not include all the doctor's visits, lab fees, and radiologists, etc etc etc. I can't imagine that someone without medical insurance would even consider a visit to a doctor for an annual physical. Especially if you are already struggling to pay your car payment or mortgage. So, my point is, I think a facility like this Planned Parenthood is a much needed resource if only to give women a chance to get a much needed test or prescription. Aurora is a big city with a large population of uninsured and minimum wage workers, and yes, I KNOW it's not my fault or your fault that they don't have AWESOME jobs with AWESOME incomes or AWESOME insurance. But they are there and they deserve to be able to get healthcare without having to travel an hour or more each way to get it. As women, we should be encouraging each other to get pap smears and mammograms and to be educated about our bodies. There are ways to PREVENT health problems if caught in time.

One thing that really surprises me is the strong reaction to the vaccine against the human papilloma virus, strains of which can cause cervical cancer. It is recommended that girls and young women get this vaccine against the human papilloma virus at a very young age, before puberty if possible. Of course, the whack jobs out there think that if you give this shot to young girls they will run out and have sex with everyone possible because they will think they are "safe" from cervical cancer. I find this preposterous and insulting to our daughters. For years we have been talking about a "vaccine" against cancer, and here we finally have one, and just because it is related to a part of a woman's human reproductive system and can be transmitted sexually, the whack jobs are against it. HPV is everywhere! Why wouldn't you want to protect your daughters from cancer? It just doesn't make sense to me. I saw a very informative show on Discovery Health channel that should be required viewing for all women and parents of young girls. You can watch it at the Discovery Health CME (continuuing medical education) web site http://www.discoveryhealthcme.discovery.com/ under HPV and Cervical Cancer. I think you'll find it fascinating, especially after hearing from women who have had and survived cervical cancer.

Now that I think of it, I really don't know that much about the other half's health issues. Seeing that I have 2 boys and a husband, I guess I better start looking into that!

Shocker...Hollywood Marriage on the Rocks!

2007-08-20T18:31:00.001-07:00

My favorite Soap Hunk, Kyle Lowder, and his wife, Arianne Zucker, are separating. I am strangely upset by this. I guess because I was caught up in their storyline on Days of Our Lives I was hoping they would be one of those rare couples that actually make it. Oh well. He's still hot and that's really all that matters. :)

ARRGHHHHHHHHHHHH!

2007-07-16T22:09:00.000-07:00

NO. I am not losing anymore weight. I'm not sure how much I've put back on, I haven't weighed myself for about a month or more. I'm still thinner than I was. But not by much. I bought some work out stuff and am hoping to get motivated.

Family and Murder, Suburban Style

2007-06-26T05:55:00.000-07:00

Summer is here and the feeling is free and easy. And a little deadly. Our lovely west suburban American dream lives have been getting a little dose of death and violence from our not so happy neighbors, and beyond.

So far we have a missing mother of two from Plainfield. Of course, she and her husband were in a middle of a divorce situation and she had actually filed for a order of protection or some such thing and then she suddenly disappeared. My conclusion? She's dead. The husband did it. He is playing the doting father and devastated husband to a tee, but c'mon! How convenient that she suddenly "disappear". And he had the nerve to file for full custody of his children because, Oh My God, what if she comes back, kidnaps the children, and disappears again?! Nice. Nothing can be done because her body has not been found, and they don't have enough evidence to arrest anyone, and by anyone, I mean the husband, for murder, or any kind of foul play. He earns points for not getting arrested and not killing his kids. But his time will come.

Beautiful and ever-expanding Oswego can now boast a history of family dysfunction and murder for all to enjoy. A wonderful and young family of 5 is now down to one after their SUV was found with Mom, 2 daughters and 1 son all dead of gunshot wounds. Dad was found with a minor GSW in the thigh...hmm...the thigh, NOT the head, NOT the chest, wandering around looking for help. I originally heard on the news that he claimed his wife shot him and he escaped. But then later I heard that while he was being treated at the hospital, he was saying things like"Um, can you call my wife and let her know I'm here? She gets worried when she can't get a hold of me". Uh, yeah, not buying that one bucko. Nice try, though. After questioning neighbors, it seems that Mom was seen as pretty nice and kid-oriented and Dad was kind of a jerk with control issues. So anyway, my conclusion? They are all dead. He is not. He did it. Plainfield Dad earns points for NOT killing his children. Oswego Dad has been arrested. Oswego Dad should be tortured until his skin peels off and insects eat his brain out. Okay, then!

Oswego also gets the distinction of having 5 of their own teenagers killed in a drunk driving "accident" one fine night. It's becoming quite a city. And Aurora gets a bad rap, go figure.

Then there's the poor woman in Ohio, who was pregnant with her second child with a married ex-cop. Well, first of all, it just wasn't a good situation. And he sounds like a psycho-path. No empathy for anyone, all about himself, and takes no responsibility for anything that happens in his life. A control freak and a bully. They found her dead. He has been arrested. He gets a couple of extra points for NOT killing his son, but loses them for killing pregnant Mom in front of him, and then leaving him alone in the house while he buried his mother in a shallow grave. Nice. Ohio Dad needs to go to prison and get ass-raped for his remaining days. Harsh? I don't think so.

These stories remind me of Naperville Mom, who, in a middle of divorce, decided to kill her four children and half-heartedly tried to kill herself. Then there was Naperville Mom who shot and killed her husband on Christmas day, then shot her two daughters in an effort to keep Dad's mistress from taking the kids from her (HUH?). And also the loving and doting son in Naperville who killed his parents in their Naperville home, and then took their bodies to his sister's house where he then killed her and her husband. All in an effort not to get into trouble for stealing money from his parents. So bizarre.

So anyway, life is good and boring here for us. But you know what? Boring is good.

Life Goes On

2007-05-18T15:20:00.001-07:00

I am so sad about Doug's passing on BravoTV's series, Workout. He was practically the ONLY one there who had any common sense, and just seemed like a really caring, compassionate, guy. I just loved him. I feel really bad for Peeler, another trainer, who really looked up to him and loved him. He's just devastated and can't hide the way he feels. So sad. Doug really seemed like someone who made a difference in people's lives. I really don't think there is anyone who can fill his shoes.

School is almost over and the only thing I know is...I don't have to drive Troy to preschool anymore! He's going to kindergarten next year so finally...the boys will be at the same location! Woohoo!

I had day surgery to work out some female issues. It was great. I went under, woke up, felt like shit for a couple of hours, and then...I felt great. Not bad at all. Hoping the procedures I had keep the old uterus and hormones from trying to make my life hell for the next 20 years or so. So much fun, being a girl. I tried explaining to Mike the stuff about PMS and cramps and emotional instability, menopause, etc. but he just looked at me like I was crazy. It's just not fair that men don't have to deal with this crap, or something like it. He honestly looked shocked when I told him that I have one day a month where I can go into a rage in under 2 seconds just because a child of mine said something snotty. I do. I go into a rage and everything turns white. Not red, white. And then I say something like, "you had better leave this room and stop talking or you will be in BIG trouble" and God help the poor child if he doesn't leave in the next minute or so. Just being honest. Anyway, I have yet to harm my children or anyone else because of it, but I know it is going to happen and I know when it is happening, and I know why it is happening, but you know what? I don't care! Just get out my way.

I've only lost 2 more pounds in the last month or so. I keep going up, and down, and up and down. It's ridiculous. I am trying to get back on track but I'm finding it extremely difficult. It's so easy to fall back into old habits, and so fun, too...haha. I bought a new bathing suit, and admittedly, I do look better, but have a long way to go. I wish there was some way to stay motivated! Hopefully by my next post I will have found my way!

She's back!

2007-04-10T16:14:00.000-07:00

Oh, thank God. She's back! Jackie Warner from Bravo's reality series "Workout" is back on the air. I love her. If I were a lesbian I would be IN love with her. I don't know why but she's cool. I love the show. They're all a bunch of drama queens, I can't believe they're all grown up. It's so funny how people appear to be, but really aren't. I think just about everyone acts like an ass in real life, sometimes accidentally in public, like George W. Bush. But anyway, love her, love the show.

Easter was cold but fun. Totally fell off the Weight Watcher wagon and thorougly enjoyed myself. It was at Bill and Diane's house and everyone brought a little something. Tres yummy. Jossalynn turned one on the 6th, time sure does fly by quickly. Waiting for winter to leave the midwest, for Pete's sake, it's friggin' cold outside! Now I know I like cold, but it screws me up when it's supposed to be spring and there are snow flurries covering up my Spring bulbs. It was warm on Christmas and I really didn't feel good. It made me feel "OFF". And it just keeps going. Maybe there is something to this global warming stuff. Or maybe not.

HMMMMM

2007-03-23T11:45:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been awhile and I really don't think I've been missed. Got through Christmas and New Year and all the holidays thereafter. The boys had their birthdays, too, so they are both a year older and as happy and crazy as usual. I've lost 24 pounds since the start of the new year so I've got that much going for me. Looking forward to summer for once, if only because I won't have to get up early and run around all day. Troy will be going to kindergarten in the fall and that makes me so happy since I won't have to drive him to preschool anymore. It's such a pain. Shane and Troy both have grown so much that it's hard to believe that they are my little babies that I used to hold and cuddle. Now I have real conversations with them, and they learn and retain things, and they can argue and bargain and figure things out themselves. It's really gratifiying to see them grow and develop into happy kids. So fun. Mike has a new job that he doesn't like but will have to put up with for awhile. I'm not working at the fitness center anymore because I am babysitting for Beth while she goes to nursing school. Mostly it's just Cathleen and Baby Nick who are no problem and Nick is just the happiest thing ever, smiles constantly. So things are moving along quickly and as usual. That is all.

Santa Claus: Believe In Him? Don't Believe In Him?

2006-12-08T17:18:00.000-08:00

I am a firm believer in Santa Claus. Not that he's a guy that lives in the North Pole with a bunch of elves and reindeer, but as a symbol of the season and a general spirit of giving. If he's based on Saint Nicholas, I don't see why Santa is something that people should be afraid of or talk about with disdain. He's a NICE GUY! He's generous! He's fun! Saint Nicholas was a member of a wealthy Christian family, when his parents died he sold off his inheritance to help the poor and perform other good deeds and miracles. He was persecuted for his religious beliefs but never wavered in his faith. He is a Patron Saint to many (Sailors, travelers, children, prisoners, etc etc) and places (too many to recount).

So Santa isn't exactly an accurate portrayal of Nicholas, per se, but based on his spirit of generosity and kindness, is he such a bad guy to have around the house on Christmas? I don't think so, I think knowing the history of Saint Nicholas and the emergence of Santa Claus as we know him today really puts a wonderful aura of happiness and joy to the season. Celebrating Christ's birth is, of course, the reason for this religious holiday, and who better to help celebrate than a man who loves and protects children, and also brings them gifts.

Look, I'm totally not a good Catholic, and I have a lot issues with the Church that are neither here nor there. But what I do have is a respect for the Saints, Saint Nicholas especially, and my Confirmation Saint, Saint Francis of Assisi. Were they not a part of my religion they would still have my respect for the lives that they led. Come on, non-believers, give Santa a break. I don't care if you don't believe in Santa, but don't act as if my children and I are idiots for believing in him. I believe in what he stands for and the joy that he brings. I know you non-believers think I am nuts, but I think you're a Scrooge. So there.

Christmas Edition: Getting to Know You, Me

2006-12-01T18:17:00.000-08:00

I get these "Getting to Know You" e-mails occasionally, so I thought I would post mine to get in the mood for the Christmas season.

Welcome to the 2006 Holiday Edition of Getting to KnowYour Friends! You know the drill. Highlight, copy, andpaste (not forward or reply) and change my answers toyour answers!!!!!.. Enjoy!! Everyone has time for afew moments of fun! Don't be a scrooge!!!

1. Egg nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate Baby

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Wrapped, unless it's really huge or it's a bike or something awkward.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? I have white lights and colored lights. I used to do all white but it was getting boring to me.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No. I don't some weirdo kissing me if I accidenally stand under the mistletoe.

5. When do you put your decorations up? As soon as possible after Thanksgiving, though this year most of the neighbors had their lights up and I still had a turkey in my front yard.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Don't have a favorite, but our bread stuffing is up there as one of the favorites though we just usually have that at Thanksgiving, along with mashed potatoes that my sister makes.

7. Favorite Christmas memory as a child:

I don't really have a favorite, I just like the season as a whole. I liked getting up in the morning and opening presents. My dad wasn't fond of the holidays and he would walk around saying "Bah humbug" I remember my mom making a mess of the kitchen and nagging my dad. And then my dad would run around cleaning the house, which, I mean, what was the point? No one was coming over and it would just get messy in a matter of hours anyway. My brother-in-law would annoy Misa, and my mother couldn't understand his English accent, so that was a hoot. It was totally annoying until we got to sit down and eat dinner. Then we'd have to clean up the mess in the kitchen. It was exhausting. Thank God Misa started cooking so it wouldn't be such a mess. Though, everyone would still be crabby, except for me. I'm always happy on Christmas! Which is why Christmas is always at my house. No crabby people allowed.

This would make an excellent post to my blog. I'll have to post it. Which is what I'm doing now!

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? I always knew there wasn't a "Santa" out there per se (especially after I snuck out of bed to watch my parents put presents under the tree and even before that I always wondered why he had the same wrapping paper and writing as my parents), but I ALWAYS knew that Santa is in the hearts of those who believe! "Yes, Virginia, there IS a Santa Claus!" Santa Claus is you. (AWWWWWW, wasn't that just sweet?)

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? We go to the in-laws on Christmas Eve and open gifts from them and from our Secret Santas.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? Tons of lights and all kinds of ornaments. If I had a bigger house I'd have at least two big trees up.

11. Snow! Love it or Dread it? Love it! Of course, I don't have to drive in it to work or anything. I don't play in it, I like to look at it. It puts me in the holiday mood and I have to bake something with some kind of music blasting.

12. Can you ice skate? I have skates, I'm not sure I ever used them.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? No, not really. I used to just ask for things I needed but didn't want to pay for.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? Watching my children's excitement and making sure the family is together at some point

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Any dessert is fine with me.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Don't have any traditions really besides making sure there's plenty of food to munch on all day

17. What tops your tree? A Gold Star

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving? Both. I love shopping and I like getting gifts.

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song? Jingle bells, I guess. Especially the batman version.

20. Candy Canes! yuck or yummy? YUCK

21. Favorite Christmas Movie? It's a Wonderful Life and A Christmas Story. It's a tie.

Have a VERY MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!

Thanksgiving Orgy

2006-11-29T12:43:00.000-08:00

Well, it's Wednesday, and I think I'm finally done with cleaning up from Thanksgiving! It's always very tiring but worth all the work. I took off a week from work to get ready for Thanksgiving and it was so nice not to have to go anywhere. All the usual suspects were there and I had a nice time, since we made all the food on Wednesday and just re-heated most of it on Thursday. No one could tell the difference and I wasn't running around sweating to death. Worked out good if you ask me. Now it's time for Christmas shopping...can't wait!

Back to Work

2006-11-12T20:27:00.000-08:00

You know, I have this little part-time job which isn't so bad really. When I come in I usually work with one of two girls who are in college or graduate school. One is 22 and the other is 23. At the end of my shift I worked with two high school girls, one a senior and one a junior. One of them changed nights and now I work with a girl who is married with a toddler, very nice, but the most BORING person to work with! I honestly would rather work with high school kids, at least they're kind of fun or at least have some interesting school stories to talk about. This girl, I'll call her "Older Girl", is really really quiet and boring. I can't stand it. And even though I only work with her for an hour I find it really difficult because I don't know how to act around her. I don't know if she's "by the book" or if she's laid back. I don't know if I should engage her in any kind of work conversation because I don't know if she's one of those that tells the boss everything or if she doesn't really care about a litttle gossip. It's maddening. I'm sure she's in her twenties, she's definitely younger than me (who isn't there?) but I dread the night she comes in. SO ANNOYING. She's not rude or stupid that I know of, just BORING. I'm not very comfortable around her and I don't really know why. She's a little dumpy, no make-up, no personality. I know, everyone can't be fun and perfect like me. Sigh.

WTF?

2006-10-26T21:25:00.000-07:00

I really don't know why I keep up this stupid blog. Nobody reads it. At least not anyone I'm related to or would give a shit about any of this stuff. I get the occassional comment from someone I don't know. It's all pretty silly. I guess I can get things off my chest. And I can type "FUCK" and who's going to complain? No one. FUCK FUCK FUCKFUCK FUCK. Woo hoo! Fuck this, this is fucking stupid. What the fuck? Go get fucked. Fuck you. I'm fucked. You're fucked. What starts with "F" and ends in "CK"? hmmmmmmm...firetruck! hahaha. Well, I'm going to pay some fucking bills, have a fucking great day.

Coaching Kids Sports

2006-10-23T20:13:00.000-07:00

Shane is finally in his last week of football and though it's been fun, I'm glad it's over. It's been three months since this all started and frankly, I'm done. I've been really impressed by "head coach" Paul and Pat, I guess he's an assistant coach, for their patience with the kids and how they handle the practices and games. Always supportive and saying positive things. Occassionally there would be a little discipline action going on but what did you expect from a bunch of 6-7 year old boys? They don't pay attention, they wander around, they wrestle with each other, they run to their moms or dads whenever they feel like it, sometimes you gotta tell them who's boss. Or do you?

Good Lord, people. Get a grip on yourselves. These are a bunch of 1st graders (though we found out a couple of them lied and are really kindergartners, but, whatever). Do we have to kiss their little asses every time they whine about something? I honestly understand if the kid is a little sensitive, or if the parents are forcing the kids to play and they don't want to, but you know what? To be a part of the team, you have to actually SHOW UP TO PRACTICE, PUT IN A LITTLE EFFORT, LISTEN TO YOUR COACHES. And not have your fucking parents complain about every LITTLE THING. That would really help a lot.

No, your kid is not going to be quarterback. Why? Because he needs a to work a little harder. Enough said. Oh, it's not enough. How about this, your kid doesn't know his right from his left. Or, maybe, he's missed 4,5,6, practices, totally not his fault. YOURS. I can't stand it. While I'm standing there talking about the lack of discipline or respect, you've got another parent watching the same damn team complaining that the coaches are too mean or not good enough. AARRGH.

I don't know how many times during a game, some little football player wandered off to talk to his mom or play with his friends and wasn't there when the rest of his teammates had to get out on the field. What's up with that? Stay with your teammates, watch and support your teammates on the field, PAY ATTENTION. What's with these parents that don't tell their kids to GET BACK TO THEIR TEAMMATES? I saw Pat tell his players "Stay here, don't move, I need to know where you are in case we have to get out on the field." He said it twice, and as soon as he turned his back two of them walked off. Okay, so it's not a federal offense, but c'mon! After two and a half months you'd think they'd get the concept. It's NOT that hard. I was constantly telling Shane to get back to his coach, and you know what? After the 1st or 2nd game, he quit wandering around. And he watched his teammates.

Never in my mind did it ever occur to me to question the coaches' decisions. First off, I don't know shit about football. Second, they were handling the kids pretty well and the kids were learning. Third, they are FIRST GRADERS, they're not going to be in the damn Super Bowl. Fourth, I know my kid needs structure and boundaries to be able to learn and improve as an athlete. Fifth, he had a blast. Isn't that really all that matters? The parents are the worst and best things about kids sports. The ones who don't like the coaches or what they do should remember that these coaches are volunteers and dads (or moms) who donate at minimum 10 hours a week of their time to make the program work. If you have a legitimate complaint, then complain. But don't let your kid whine his way into making you believe a coach is mean because he got a little discipline thrown his way. He's going to grow up to be a big pussy. And you are going to look like an asshole for complaining about petty things. Those parents are the ones who really made this experience suck for me. Not the kids, not the coaches, it was the parents who complained or made snide remarks.

Okay, so not all the parents were that way. It was just a few. Most were supportive and fun and that's the way it's supposed to be. I, for one, would NEVER coach a kids' team for anything. I don't have the patience and I would tell off a Mom or Dad. Now that just wouldn't do. So, I totally have a new respect and appreciation for people who coach kids sports. Now, if I can only keep from turning into one of those psycho parents who yell at their kids all the time and want to WIN! WIN! WIN! I'm trying, I really am.

The Stork Has Landed Part Four (kids)

2006-10-18T13:21:00.000-07:00

Beth went to the hospital yesterday early in the morning for her caesarian and has finally gotten to meet NICHOLAS LAWRENCE ZBYLUT! He came in at a low 8 pounds 9 ounces. Yes, I know, that's not really that low but with Beth, anything under 9 pounds is small. I haven't seen the baby yet, going tonight, but from what I understand he's a beautiful blondie and everyone is just going gaga over him. Congratulations Pat, Beth, and sibs Patrick, Jack, and Cathleen!