The Land of Imps

My Daddy's Job

2012-02-15T22:49:00.001-06:00

Munchie and I were talking about jobs the other day.

Munchie: "Dad's job is to make gas."

She couldn't even keep a straight face on her clever play on words.

I have to admit it was a funny little pun. I had to correct her, though, that Dad's job is technically to make a "gasoline-equivalent".

Happy Valentine's Day!

2012-02-14T13:28:00.001-06:00

Spike LOVES shopping carts.

So, for Valentine's Day, a little gift.

DD thinks shopping carts are girlie. *eye roll*

It isn't like it is pink and comes with its own baby doll, dear.

He loves it, although he can't corner very well yet.

I understand, Bubba, I hate pushing those car-carts, too.

The girls had a snow day yesterday.

For an inch or two of snow.

And today, with fog as thick as pea soup, they have school.

Spike has been fighting a nasty cold.

He seems to be on the back-side of it.

He is a very difficult sick baby.

Whiny and clingy.

He just wants me to lay by him.

My DVR is empty.

I can't bring myself to watch daytime TV.

My brain cells will commit suicide.

I bought the girls some books for Valentine's Day.

They are both becoming quite the readers.

I want to get a cool bookplate for our family.

I have transitioned to e-books, but I think there is great

value for kids in book *ownership*.

I returned my Las Vegas cheap camera and found a better one for a third the cost.

This is my first photo - the flash is a bit harsh. Yikes.

Anyway, Munchie took the initiative to play with Snap Circuits!

That makes my heart sing.

She usually prefers to read or research animals.

I highly recommend the product.

Munchie has to do a presidental report.

I looked at her and she said:

"No, Mom. I am NOT doing a report on Ronnie!"

She did take my suggestion of Herbert Hoover, though,

since he was born in Iowa, was an engineer like mom and dad,

and she was so thrilled to visit Hoover Dam over break. :)

Ain't

2012-02-09T10:12:00.001-06:00

Me: "Pearl, go to your room and don't say another word!"

Pearl: "Ain't...ain't....ain't....ain't..."

Because, by my very own grammar correction, "ain't isn't a 'word'."

Pookie is one of the kids that runs full-speed at the boundary barrier and tries to find holes in it. Job wouldn't have enough patience some days....

I refuse to let my kids use the word "ain't". It is used heavily in Oklahoma, too, by adults and children. Pookie's first grade teacher even told me that is an acceptable word for the children to say and write. Huh? I rarely disagree with the teacher openly, because I think it is important that children think their early ed teachers are the smartest people ever. Seriously.... "ain't"? I'll correct that until my dying breath. Mom trumps teacher on this one.

Hmmmm... can you look a *touch* more apathetic, Munchie?

Her class destination for February is France,

so they were to make a French themed Valentine's Day Box.

One foot in front of the other...

2012-02-06T11:17:00.000-06:00

Pookie, almost 3 years old.

How can you not be happy looking at this picture?

I really have nothing interesting to update. Pookie has been staying up past 11 p.m. the last two weeks. It drives me batty. I have about 2 hours of work post-bedtime to do, and starting at 11 takes it toll on this need-8-hours-of-sleep lady.

I finished the annual last-minute-rush to release software for spring. Life in the agriculture world, I guess.

Cyclones Beat You! My dear nephew is on the lower left in the ghillie suit at the ISU-Kansas game. Ah, the memories. Last time I was at an ISU-Kansas game, I was 38.5 weeks pregnant with Munchie.

DD - 1989-1990ish, would be my guess.

Nice acid washed cargo pants, baby.

Recently, DD and I came to the same conclusion about our life - we are "existing" instead of "living", but for very different reasons. I have so much to maintain that I can't even think about doing anything elective. He has nothing to do and renting a room somewhere doesn't leave a ton of options. Then, by coincidence, I downloaded a free book of Amazon on defining the lifestyle you want and making it happen. Otherwise, you will just live the same life you have always lived.

Don't get me wrong - we have good life, but there are things we want to do before our hour-glass runs out of sand.

And finally, the staircase in my forever home:

I am sorry for your loss

2012-02-03T11:59:00.001-06:00

The girls, when they get in trouble, start ranting on how they want "their REAL mother." You know, the one that apparently would like them sass, throw fits, and be disrespectful with no consequences.

I send little notes in the girls' lunches, and on Pookie's, I signed it: "Your real mother." I asked her if she thought that was funny. She said she showed her friends what her "stepmom" wrote.

Me: What did they say?
Pookie: They said "I am sorry for the loss of your mother."

I find that phrase odd. She must have told that to a teacher because kids don't use the "sorry for your loss" lingo. Good gravy. I don't even want to know. Ignorance is bliss.

I am starting to think Spike is very intelligent. He doesn't say many words, but he carries a
"conversion", which I think is actually higher level speech. He says a sentence, waits for me to reply, says another sentence, etc. He even has voice inflection for a question in his babble.

He was melting down in Target the other day, so I handed him my debit card and sat him on the little shelf. He looks at the card, swipes it, hits a few buttons on the keypad, grabs the pen, scribbles on the screen, opens my wallet and tries to put the card back into the slot. He is very, very observant.

This morning in the grocery store, he usually pushes the cart THE ENTIRE TIME, but he let go and starts walking down the aisle. He went right to the milk, and picked up the exact kind we buy, and started carrying it to me. That just amazes me - there have to be about 20 different kinds of milk there.

Everyone thinks he is very well-trained because he holds onto the cart in the store. Good thing they don't see my pulling his death grip off the cart when we get to the car. He has a slight obsession with wheels...and doors. There are no doors opened in our house, trust me. The girls say he is going to be a hotel doorman when he grows up.

Snow...or lack thereof

2012-01-30T06:32:00.000-06:00

Ah, my back was bothering me, so I got up at 5:30. I always have the intent to get up an hour before the kids so we have more serene morning, but let's face it: I am a snoozer. I did find this great feature on my phone's alarm clock called "smart alarm". It gradually starts dim and low volume and works it way up slowly. It works better for me. The jarring out of REM sleep makes me feel more tired.

I am not complaining about the weather.

We had a few cold days, but Groundhog Day last year looks like this:

The girls have unrealistic exceptions for snow now. That was HISTORIC snowfall totals. A couple of inches is more reasonable. They missed almost 2 weeks of school. I don't want to re-live that. My sanity is more fragile this year.

Send money - my son has to wear shoes with holes in them.

He burns the toes off while scootering.

He doesn't like shoes, so I am hoping we can make it to sandal weather with these leather shoes.

Time to make the lunches....*imagine my best Dunkin Donut man voice*

2012-01-26T21:14:00.002-06:00

The Crippled Edition

2012-01-26T10:39:00.001-06:00

I can lift things fine.
I can twist my back fine.
But, I must never, ever TWIST and LIFT. My L4-L5 vertebrate slip out of place, my back spasms, and YOUCH!

I consider myself to have a relatively high pain tolerance. I gave natural birth to 3 ~9 lbs babies with hardly uttering an "ouch". Ok, ok, I did swear a bit with Spike.

I threw my back out 5 years ago. It is the only day (well, half-day) in 16 years DD took any work off on my account. I just didn't think I could safely watch the kids. That was terrible... crawling-to-the-bathroom-in-tears terrible.

Over the weekend, I was sitting on the barstool, using Skype. Spike wanted up, I twisted, reached down, and picked him up. Stupid, stupid, stupid. I know better. Thankful it wasn't as terrible as before - I could walk, albeit painfully. Anyway, a couple trips to the chiropractor with kids in tow and I just have stiffness and soreness, which is a drastic improvement from the knife-in-the-nerve-core-of-my-spine pain.

DD asked what it costs. Uh...no clue. Don't care. It could cost a $1000 and I would still do it.

The girls actually recognized that I was in pain and couldn't do everything. Munchie chased Spike down and put on his clothes (I did the diaper). Pookie emptied the dishwasher for me. Munchie was trying so hard - she was even trying to make cold lunch for Pookie and her. I already had it done, but I appreciated the thought.

Kids... they are selfish by nature. They don't even recognize that other people have needs until they are what 4-5 years old??? So, I was happy to see them think beyond themselves. It makes a mama proud.

The Wonders of Technology

2012-01-22T20:37:00.001-06:00

I have NO musical skills whatsoever.

I can't sing.

I have no tone.

I have no rhythm.
I can't tell a C from a F.

DD gets into my car and rolls his eyes that I have all the music coming from one speaker...
and don't even notice.

This song is way over my head. *whoosh*

So, I take a photo with my phone and send it to Daddy.

And he helps Munchie via Skype.

See Daddy on the computer?

Daddy *waves* from California.

The wonders of technology.

Aquarium

2012-01-21T12:31:00.001-06:00

Munchie had a friend over for her birthday and we headed to the Oklahoma Aquarium.

I enjoy the aquarium.

I think it is a bit over-priced, but the advantage of that is it isn't terribly busy.

Shark cage.

I could sit and watch jellyfish all day long.

They have a room with beavers, otters, and a raccoon.

I took Munchie to the zoo ALL the time when she little.

I should do the same with Spike.

I feel guilty going somewhere like that without the girls.

He is always strollerized, though, so maybe a trip by himself would be nice.

G.M.C.

2012-01-17T21:32:00.002-06:00

my G.M.C it has seven seets.

its very very VERY fast.

yeay! go! its fun

I LOVE my G.M.C.

Apparently the marketing department at GMC has brainwashed her.

That is me driving the purple go-cart with the big red tatas.

Me: Uh... Pookie, what are these red things?

Pookie: You are wearing an OU shirt, Mom!

That makes sense... given I have never worn anything OU in my entire life.

Scooter Boy

2012-01-16T01:16:00.003-06:00

Oh, he can move.

To Munchie

2012-01-15T00:01:00.000-06:00

Dearest Munchie,

On your 9th birthday, I am impressed with what a smart, beautiful, and witty young lady you are becoming. 9 years ago, the moment I saw your little pink face, was the first time I have ever felt instantaneous, overwhelming I-would-give-my-life-for-you love. It was one of the three best days of my life.

I love you. I am proud of you. I will never give up on you.

Love always,

Your Mommy

Pukefest 2011

2012-01-11T13:14:00.004-06:00

Both girls had a round of the stomach flu - diarrhea and my personal favorite: vomit. I.can.not.stand.cleaning.up.puke.

Munchie thankfully called me from school and was home before she threw up.

Pookie, upon getting off the bus, was TICKED off. Why? Because Munchie "got" to miss school when she was sick. Pookie was sick on a Saturday.

Of course, this is all an evil plot by me to play favorites. Good gravy. I can't win.

Everyone is healthy, and Spike and I have dodged it so far. *cross fingers*

I was quite frustrated at the girls the other day.

Me: "Why do I have to YELL to get you two to listen? I asked you nice 5 times!"
Pookie: "Well, maybe if you PAID us, we would."

Not the answer I was looking for.....

The Road Most Traveled

2012-01-07T08:38:00.000-06:00

70 degrees in January! Love it! I think we have used 50% less propane than last year during the Okla-Armageddon.

Spike, Spike, Spike. He is CRAZY. He loves to push things with wheels and ride things with wheels. Our walks now consist of him *pushing* stroller at a 0.75 MPH pace. My knees actually hurt from walking that slow. I think it is harder to walk slow than run.

1960's photo effect

It is a long road to the stop sign.
We try to go down every single driveway, too.

We stop for major obstacles like cracks in the road.
Maybe he was worried about breaking his mother's back?

Fast as fast can be, you'll never catch me!
He actually can go pretty fast and has figured out how to coast.
I'll have to get a video.

We made it to the bus stop!
Ka-yay-yippee-yippee-yay!

Not the best technical photo, but my favorite.
The girls running home with Spike speeding along on his Zebra-mobile.

Half-Baked

2012-01-06T10:56:00.000-06:00

Me: "Munchie, I can't believe you are going to be NINE next week!"
Munchie: "Yep, I am going to be half-baked."

Apparently DD told her she was half-baked since 9 is half of 18.

I have this eerie feeling that we are going to pay the price for Munchie being such a good baby and toddler. She is already starting to be defiant and assert her independence.

I have thought about this a lot. I think we will lay some fundamental rules that can not be broken, i.e. about appearance:
1) You must be modest.
2) You must be clean.
3) You must not change anything permanent.

Beyond that, freedom of choice. If you want to dye your hair purple, that is your choice. I don't approve of it and I am not paying for it. I think knowing they have the ability to do that is enough to satisfy them. Keeping their hair natural then becomes a choice instead of a requirement.

DD is a little more controlling. "No kid of mine will have purple hair!" But, you know, that is exactly the logic that feeds their desire to rebel. I'll probably win this battle. He can run the show if he deals with ALL teenage girl issues. And Lord knows he won't touch that with a 50 foot pole.

Here is a random video of Munchie. She looks and sounds very similiar to Spike. They even say "MAW!" the same way.

The Gipper

2012-01-02T11:16:00.000-06:00

Ronald Reagan Presidential Library is just a short drive from DD's house.

DD thought it would be funny to call Spike "Ronnie" the entire time we were there.

"Ronnie" fell asleep on the 20 minute drive there and was a bear the entire time.
You got to know when to fold 'em.

December 31 is the busiest day of the entire year for the library.

By 10 fold.

Who would have thought that?

Not us.

I guess it is the Rose Bowl Parade crowd?!?!?!
Pasadena isn't too far away.

Our kids' interest was low anyway, and the crowds didn't help.
The part I saw was very interesting.
Maybe I will take a quiet afternoon by myself someday and look at the displays.

There is no flash photography inside.

This area of southern California is beautiful.

I know the material was over the girls' head, but I don't think that is always a bad thing.
They learned Ronald Reagan was a president when mom and dad were their ages.
He is generally regarded as one of the better presidents.
The "darkest day" of his presidency was when the Challenger exploded.

The girls at Reagan's grave.

Orange Picking

2011-12-31T22:34:00.001-06:00

DD rents a room from a guy named Frank.

He was gracious enough to take the kids and me to a little orchard and pick fruit.

There are a ton of orange trees out here.

And lemon trees, lime trees, guava trees, tangelo trees, mandrin trees, avocado trees....

Then he juiced the oranges for us.
I usually can't stand pulp, but it was really, really good.

The Pacific

2011-12-28T22:31:00.001-06:00

The Pacific Ocean is, oh, about TEN minutes from where DD works.

TEN MINUTES!

These are from my cellphone.

*gah*

I couldn't find my point-and-shoot camera.

Story of my life.

The first time I have ever seen the Pacific Ocean.

Yes, Pookie is in her snow boots/beach wear.

This photo just makes me smile.

Look how tiny Spike is.

The Pacific Coast highway runs in between the beach and the mountains.

Ah, my baby boy.

The water is quite cold, but the girls had a blast.

Munchie even lost her shoe in an rogue wave.

They were playing tag with the waves.

Running as fast as they could so the water wouldn't get them.

I could watch them play all day.

I love the beach.

Vegas, baby!

2011-12-27T22:05:00.001-06:00

Day 1 - Travel Day, aka the day that just might kill me. Let's just say we made it and I had a gigantic canker sore in my mouth from stress. Other than Spike screaming his head off for 15 minutes and having a stinky diaper in a teeny-tiny airplane bathroom, it went OK.

Forgive the photo quality. I purchased a cheap point-and-shoot at the last minute and didn't bring my nice camera. I had my hands full and didn't want to put in in checked baggage.

Our hotel suite was very nice for $87/night. Full kitchen and everything. It was a non-gaming hotel off the strip, which was a good move.

Day 2 - The kids and I took the Las Vegas Monorail to the end of the strip.

Waiting for the monorail.....

Just for kicks..... :)

We ate at The Rainforest Cafe.
The kids really enjoyed it.
I don't know if the bang for the buck was there, but it is what it is.

The kids on the strip.
I was a little worried we would get these "WTH? You brought KIDS to VEGAS?" looks.
There actually were a ton of kids there.

We spend FORVER in the M&M store.
If you can put M&M on it, it was there.

Spike got M&M'ed out and fell asleep.
It actually worked out well because they had a free 10 minute 3-D movie we went to.
"I Lost My "M" in Vegas."

The girls had to assign M&M's to our family.
Munchie - Yellow
Mom - Green
Dad - Orange
Spike - Red
Pookie - Blue

Me: Girls, we will take a photo by the NASCAR for Daddy!
Munchie: Actually, Mom, Dad doesn't like this car. He thinks the driver is jerk.
Please note obvilious Boise State fan in photo.

Coolest product in the store - a M&M chess set.
Alas, it was $195.
Too rich for my blood.

Please note a different oblivious Boise State fan in photo.
The place was crawling with blue and orange.

DD drove the 300 miles and got in late on Day 2.

Day 3- We went to Hoover Dam. As engineers, it is just something that you have to see. The landforms are just amazing.

The girls were bored to death. At least they were well-behaved. Spike was bored, too, and a greased pig would be easier to handle.

The bored kiddos on the observation deck.
The looked better going in, trust me.

Our family on the dam.
The Pat Tillman bridge is the in the background. Wow - what a bridge!

We went back to Las Vegas and ate at the Rio Buffet.
I think it would have been more enjoyable sans kids.
First we have to get the kids food, and encourage them to try new foods.
By the time we get around to ourselves, we are grabbing this and that before Spike blows a gasket.

Spike sporting Uncle Don's Zubaz in the hotel.

Day 4 - We went to the Atlantis display in the Caesar's Palace and at the Cheesecake Factory.
It was Christmas Eve, so we went to a local church, too.

Girls by a Pegasus fountain in The Forum Shops.

Day 5 - It's Christmas! Santa found us!

Pookie with a Moshi Monsters DS game, which she was thrilled with.
I told her it was too expensive, which it was.
Lucky for her it was a lightning deal on Amazon.

Spike? Couldn't care less about gifts.

Munchie and her Wappy dog.

Pookie received a nursing pig with little piglets that attached with magnets.

Daddy helping catch Moslings into the Moshling Zoo.
He is a pro.

It wasn't that warm - mid 50's, but the outdoor pool was heated.

I love these photos - Daddy with our babies.

And that was the end of Vegas.
Overall, I am glad we went. None of us have been there before.
But, I don't think we will be regulars by any means.
It wasn't the "adult" atmosphere that bothered me so much - I expected that.
It was the pure excessiveness. Everywhere.

Next post: across the high desert to California!

Presents, Round One

2011-12-18T22:48:00.000-06:00

Munchie. That kid has LOVED stuffed animals since the day she was born. No baby dolls. No Barbies. Just stuffed animals. I had some trains and cars. Dust collectors.

Pookie was largely brainwashed by Munchie into playing with stuffed animals. She did/does like the little figurines (Littlest Pet Shop, Zoobles, My Little Pony). She also will play with fantasy animals whereas Munchie typically doesn't.

Spike? Wheels, wheels, and more wheels. Stroller wheels, shopping cart wheels, bike wheels, car wheels, train wheels. Stuffed animals? I don't think he has even acknowledged their existence. That is hard to do in our house, too. We have a zillion.

We Skped DD and opened some gifts on Saturday. It went fine until Munchie dropped a book on Pookie's foot. Pookie screams, and trust me, you haven't heard her scream if you still have your eardrums intact. Good golly, that kid is LOUD. It is a 100% guarantee little Spike will burst into tears with a shriek like that.

Munchie didn't do it on purpose, per say, but she shouldn't be throwing BOOKS willy-nilly either. Pookie threw it back, there was some hair pulling, and it is just ticked me off. All the time, effort, and money people, myself included, spend on them and this... this is how they behave.

Anyway, I took all their toys and put them in a garbage bag. Oy vey. The tears. Once they stopped crying, they earned them back slowly. It actually worked out better. They got out one toy, opened and cleaned up the packaging, played with it, and appreciated it. Next year I think we will open one gift every 30-60 minutes or so. We do open them one at a time now, but one right after each other. Someone gives them a very nice gift, but perhaps it doesn't have the immediate "wow" factor, and they kind of toss it aside. That gets under my skin.

The girls are sweating Santa . Our Elf has not brought good reports each night. Tsk, Tsk. Pookie was in tears because they don't have enough days to be good enough to make up for their fighting. I think she can pull it off, unless she is naughty on the flight. I need *perfect* behavior that day.

The Performers

2011-12-13T12:07:00.003-06:00

The girls did great on their recitals.

I ended up getting a sitter for our darling son.

He is a live wire now.

My box of tricks only lasts about 10 minutes.

We barely made it through Pookie's school program.

Spike and I have been under the weather.

Just a headcold, but annoying none the less.

DD commented that he hasn't been sick yet.

Hmmmm.... people who have to care for small children get sick more.

Interesting theory. :)

Chugga-lug

2011-12-10T01:26:00.001-06:00

I am slowly checking off my list and checking it twice.

Piano recital this weekend.

I found a sitter for Spike, because I don't dare risk a meltdown.

Hopefully, he will take a carefully timed nap.
I asked the piano teacher to put the girls close together towards the beginning.

I like these photos better than the ones with them smiling dead-center.
My babies interacting with each other.

Spike likes to scream "MAMA!" now and will keep doing it
until I say "What?"
Then he smiles and walks away.

Pookie, walking in the door crying: "WAAAH!!! WAAAH!"

Me: What is wrong?

Pookie: I was sitting quietly watching a movie during inside recess. A girl I don't know made up LIES about me, told the teacher, and now I have to miss PE tomorrow! WAAAAH!

Me: Well, that isn't right. A random kid can fabricate complete lies about you, and YOU get in trouble? I will go talk to your teacher about it. That isn't fair at all.

Pookie? Innocent? I bet. I trust the first grade teachers can sort out matters like this in seconds.

Pookie: No, you don't have to talk to my teacher. I'll just miss PE.

Way to suck it up, "innocent" girl.

After a couple of twisted stories that she backed out of when I said I would just double-check with her teacher, she fessed up that she and another kid were chasing each other down the hallway and both lost PE. Fair enough.

Take one!

2011-12-05T23:31:00.001-06:00

I *tried* to get a great Christmas photo.

All my kids in black and white.

My visions are great.

Execution? Not so much.

Spike was not too happy about sitting still.

Even when I got him to recover,

his face was so blotchy I knew the photos would be a bust.

And our little cheery Pookie?

Her face *hurt* to smile.

That kid is so dramatic.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-26T22:44:00.001-06:00

One kid barefoot and one kid wearing Eskimo boots.....

I am very thankful that Grandpa and Grandma drove all the way

to Oklahoma to see us for Thanksgiving!

The girls were a little naughtier than usual.

Vying for attention and short on sleep.

Spike loved Grandpa.

I am still trying to find shoes that Spike will wear.
All my kids hate shoes and socks.
Hmmmmm.... I wonder where they get THAT from.
I refuse to buy DD socks anymore.
Too short, too long, too thin, too fluffy, too scratchy.

All of these photos are from the Oklahoma Aquarium.
Not the best picture venue.

Spike in the shark tunnel.

Grandpa and Jaws.

At the Woolaroc Festival of Lights
Here are some photos in the daylight from our last visit.

I can't believe how time flies.

What doesn't kill you....

2011-11-20T21:24:00.001-06:00

Holidays. Logistics. They overwhelm me.

Somehow I need to get all the shopping, wrapping, shipping, and packing done before I board a plane with three little rugrats. Oh, did I mention I should probably leave the house in good order on the slim chance someone wants to show it? Yikes. I always have this "clean the house before we go" goal, and the last minute scurrying always results in chaos.

My parents are coming for Thanksgiving. DD is staying in CA. The flights were just so expensive and he surely would be delayed to and fro.

The girls are doing well. Perfect report cards. Munchie even got a 119% in spelling. I have taken a new approach to discipline. I want them to behave, I don't like disciplining them, so I end up giving them chance after chance.

Then, I realized that not once did they say "Oh, Mom has told us 5 times, NOW we will obey." I ended up disciplining them anyway, so I might as well cut to the chase. Now they have one chance with a very clear warning: "You are making bad choices. If you do it again, I will discipline you. It is your choice to be punished, not mine."

We have a lot of room for improvement in the "if you have nothing nice to say, don't say anything at all" category.

This is a preview to our Christmas photo. Peace, love, and joy.

Sin City

2011-11-11T16:19:00.001-06:00

Spike is finally at 100%, but a week of constant Mama attention = one clingy baby.

His latest gig is shutting all the doors he can find.
Then screaming until I open them for him again.
It is very strange, actually, because DD is a compulsive door-shutter.
And Spike hasn't witnessed that, so I fear it is a genetic defect.

Our Christmas plans are coming together.
Nothing says Christmas like Sin City, right?
The kids and I are flying to Las Vegas, DD is driving there.
Then we will head to California and fly back from Burbank.
I am still finalizing our to-do list. Hoover Dam, for sure.

Speaking of Christmas, I am trying to get all my shopping done before Thanksgiving.
I like shopping for gifts, but I don't like crowds.
DD is getting me this, because he noticed the lining on my current purse is in shambles.
What can I say, the man just *loves* Etsy. *wink*

Munchie's Earthquake Essay

2011-11-08T21:11:00.004-06:00

Earthquake 2011

I was asleep. But my mom was awake. She told me about it. I have never felt a earthquake strike before. Or even felt one. So it was pretty intresting. We looked it up on weather.com. On the front page was a house with missing bricks. We scrolled down. It said "1 injured." I wondered who it was. I thought there would be more.

Munchie D - Age 8 11/7/2011.

Verbatim - I am amazed she can use quote marks correctly like that. She told me she was timed on it, so it wasn't her best work. :) Apparently she was a little disappointed in the injury reports. *gah*

The Earthquake Edition

2011-11-06T14:04:00.000-06:00

Friday night. Around 2 a.m. I woke up and swore the house was shaking. Then I thought I was crazy and went back to sleep. Sure enough - 4.6 scale earthquake.

Saturday night. Around 11 p.m. Reading my Nook next to my feverish baby. The house starts shaking for about 20-30 seconds. 5.6 scale earthquake. It is kind of cool, but that is enough earthquakes for me.

Oklahoma homes are not designed to withstand earthquakes. I was thinking how I could get all the kids outside by myself. The baby is easy, and Pookie probably would wake up if I yelled. Munchie would be my problem. She sleeps very deeply and is delusional for about 10 minutes after she getting yanked out of REM sleep.

Ironically, DD is in California, and *I* have to deal with earthquakes.

I know why the U.S. government gave Oklahoma away to the Native Americans. Tornadoes, hail, ice storms, blizzards, excessive heat, wild fires, floods, and earthquakes. I guess I only have a hurricane and tsumani left on my list.

My House of Cards

2011-11-04T09:49:00.003-05:00

When DD left for California, I knew what would tumble my house of cards.

Illness.

It is inevitable that the kids will get sick.

It is inevitable that the lack of sleep + being cough and sneezed on will

eventually do me in, too.

The house will be shambles within a day or two.

Spike is quite ill with a high fever.

And he is VERY needy when he is sick.

He gets that trait from his father.

I just hope no one wants to show the house this weekend.

We had a showing each weekend in October.

Good news, but no one seems in a hurry to buy.

Thanks, Ben Beranke, for telling everyone the Fed isn't raising rates for 2 years so they can take their time.

Anyway, pray the girls and I stay healthy!

Boo!

2011-10-30T23:24:00.001-05:00

My kidlets - Halloween 2011

Ninja, Monkey, and Cleopatra

Ninja girl was not pleased to be in the photo, as you can see.

I bought this headpiece separate from the lame one that came with her costume.

We received a lot of compliments on it.

Spike is so darn cute!

His latest thing is to sign "all done" when he doesn't want to do something.

Put him in his carseat? *all done*

Put him in bed? *all done*

Poor little guy, I understand you don't want to do it, but you have to.

Munchie's Cleopatra look.

Come, my people, come.

I had to buy a long-sleeve shirt to go under her costume.

It looks better sleeveless, but it is too c-c-c-cold.

One more day of costumes and I am done.

I am not a Halloween sort-of-gal.

Ummmmmm

2011-10-27T19:53:00.000-05:00

Pookie meditating at the Tulsa Zoo.

Since I haven't been out of Central Time zone since, oh, 2002, I remind DD how lucky he is to travel. Austria, Germany, Philadelphia, Poconos, New York City, Washington D.C., Tennessee, California, Vancouver, New Orleans.....

His typical reply: I haven't been to the Tulsa Zoo, and you have been there how many times?

Yeah, because that's the same. *eye roll* Actually the Tulsa Zoo isn't that great. We are doing the HalloZOOween this year. Their Easter Egg Hunt was pretty decent.

Pookie tried her costume on today.

Me: Don't kill anyone at school, ok?
Pookie: How can I, Mom, since I don't have any ACCESSORIES!!!!

She is a little bitter about not getting a sword, knife, or other weapons to go with her costume.

I love this photo of Pookie. Isn't she just gorgeous?

Pumpkins

2011-10-20T23:02:00.002-05:00

Oh, I have been delinquent about updating my blog!

~ It has cooled off considerably this week - freeze warnings and all. Of course, like clockwork, Munchie gets that darn barky cough as soon as we have wild temperature swings.

~ I got a mystery dent in the Acadia. It was in a bad place, too. Once you see it, you couldn't unsee it. It ticks me off, since I park 4.32 miles from any other car and herd my three ~~feral cats~~ kids into the store. $75 for a paintless dent repair was well worth the money.

~ I had conferences at school. The girls get all A's, but I am always annoyed at the focus on reading and reading assessments. I kid you not - one of the assessments was "fluency in reading nonsense words." Here is a news flash - I don't care about how well my kids can read nonsense words. Teach them math instead.

Somebody wasn't happy.....

So this is as good as it gets.

Spike is a walking fool now. He also quickly discovered that he can CARRY things. Shoes are his favorite. Have I mentioned how much I HATE searching for shoes every morning? This isn't going to help.

Toodle-loo,

The Grass

2011-10-13T22:52:00.001-05:00

Interesting quote I read the other day:

The Grass is Always

Greener where

You Water It.

Daddy's Home!

2011-10-10T21:35:00.000-05:00

DD was home on Friday afternoon, and left Monday afternoon. We have missed him and were glad to have him back for a couple of days!

Will Dad meet us at the bus stop? Yes, for the 50th time, he will be there!

We didn't do anything too spectacular. That is the way I wanted it to be. DD didn't come home to run around the county. We meet with some of his friends from work, went fishing, went to the park, played chess, and wrestled on the couch.

I love this next photo. I can hear him squealing and giggling.

Bubba LOVES sand. He is getting a sandbox in the spring!

I got DD to the airport, and was sludging through mud getting the kids fed and homework done.

*ring* *ring*

Can I show your house in 30 minutes?

Egads, I guess, but it isn't going to be perfect.

Given we average one showing per month and I usually have a day's notice,

my house was not in good order.

Oh, well. It is what it is.

The 21st Century

2011-10-01T22:06:00.001-05:00

Spike used his newly honed climbing skills to reach my cellphone.... and slobbered all over it. The screen was ruined and the "1" key didn't work. Not a problem unless I need to call to 911 or any person in the local area code.

Our cellphones are 5 year old *flip-phones*. People often assume, since we are in tech careers, that we have the latest gadgets. Nope. Too much time to follow the market and too much money to buy the first generation of anything. We upgraded to Android smartphones. Oh, it is a want, not a need, for certain. But they are fun to play with!

A new Acadia, a Nook Color, *and* a smart phone. Yikes. We skipped ahead a decade of technology in a month. Now to wade through all the apps available.

Pookie is obsessed with playing "No Stress Chess." I have tried to teach the girls chess before, but it is an overload of information. No Stress Chess is a great learning tool. Love it. Pookie is already starting to understand strategy and planning moves.

Off to work in the mines to pay off my new phone.......

Sneak peek - Halloween

2011-09-30T00:35:00.001-05:00

Halloween Costumes are here!

And we had to take photos for Daddy.

Munchie as Cleopatra.

It was a little more than I like to spend on costumes, but

Munchie loves to research her costume's subject matter.

A little Egyptian history never hurt anyone.

This sums up Pookie's personality, doesn't it?

I have no doubt there will be a score of ninjas this Halloween,

but she likely will be the only GIRL "Dragon Ninja."

I haven't dug out a costume for Spike yet.

I think he will be a giraffe though.

I don't think he will keep his gnome beard on.

Buh bah?

2011-09-29T06:41:00.001-05:00

Ma ma ma ma ma ma ma MAMA!

Buh-bah? Buh-bah? Buh-bah? BUH-BAH!!!

Like a poor neglected orphan.

It is a silly thing I am going to miss when my babies are gone.

Trying to walk around with babies hanging on my legs.

*sniff*

Math kiddos

2011-09-26T12:06:00.001-05:00

Pookie asked for $20 for the fall book fair. I told her it was too much money. I love the spring book fair, where everything is buy-one-get-one free, but there are no deals to be found at the fall one.

Pookie: "You just don't want me to get books so I can't get smarter than you!"

I can't think of a more untrue theory. Most of DD's and my life energy is spent to aid our kids in becoming more successful than we are. I would be a very happy mother if you were smarter than me, my dear.

I gave her $15, and she spent a half-hour calculating up which combinations of books she could get with that money.

Pookie, that girl has a math talent. She loves nothing more than for DD to give her math problems over Skype.

DD: How many toes are in our family?
Pookie (thinking aloud): 5.....5.....5.......50!!!!!

In a matter of seconds. All math talents find the quick way to calculate things - Pookie quickly tries to get to a power of 5 or 10. Munchie often does things the hard way, even though she usually gets the right answer.

DD can hardly stand it when he asks her 4x5 and she counts by 4's instead of 5's.

The Ladder Edition

2011-09-22T20:54:00.001-05:00

I love my little guy so much.

However.....

He is getting to be a load of trouble.

His newest discovery is ladders.

He can already get up a flight of stairs in 7 seconds.

His other fascination?

The red power light on my power strips.

He *loves* to switch it on and off.

Internet on... Internet off.

DVR on..... DVR off.
Season premiere of NCIS: not recorded.
Thanks, Spike.

I bought myself a toy a couple weeks ago.
A Nook Color.
I remember why I don't read my books that often post-kids.
Because I just can't stop reading!
I have read 2 300-page books in the last 2 days.
Given, I can speed-read, but ack!
I guess it is better than watching TV.
The baby does have a cold, so lots of down-time to read while holding him.

I am going to make it into an Android tablet, too.
Once I stop reading!
The girls love to read books on it, which is a good thing.

Doesn't he just look naughty here?
Hey, Mom, want to see me scale this bedrail?

Munchie's

2011-09-18T09:25:00.000-05:00

When the wildifires were ablaze, I thought I would ask Munchie

how she would get out if the stairwell was blocked.

"Hmmm... go into the attic?"

YIKES. No, never, ever. There is no way out and

the firemen wouldn't look for you there.

"Hmmmm.. jump over the railing into the living room?"

YIKES. No. She would likely go over headfirst, since she would have to climb the railing,

and it is 20 ft. down.

Not to mention it probably would put her in a worse position.

There is no other way out from upstairs?

"Oh, the WINDOW! But it has a screen on it."

A cheap screen she could easily kick out.

Munchie has impressive language skills.

Sometimes I forget that she is only 8, and

she doesn't have the logic skills of an adult.

We are so used to Munchie's vocabulary, we don't think it is unusual.

My aunt was showing Munchie some newborn kittens this summer.

Munchie asks her: "Do they have full vision?"

My aunt was surprised and asked if I homeschooled her.

I am sure a normal 8 year old would ask "Can they see yet?"
Not my girl, she is concerned about their *full vision*.

I love you, little girl!

The Old Folks Home

2011-09-15T22:14:00.003-05:00

DD and I are brainstorming some ideas for diversifying investments. We have always toyed with rentals, but we can't do the have-a-rental-across-town since we move too much.

So, I threw out the idea of investigating a rental in a 55+ community, if it is even possible under 55. Old people are less likely to trash your home, there is a decent pool of renters for the next 20 years with the baby boomers, and the real estate market in snowbird areas were hit the hardest (Arizona, Las Vegas, Florida). Then we possibly can live in it ourselves for a few years to offset some of the capital gains tax.

DD: Live THERE? Why would we want to live with old people?

TJ: Well, we will be old, too. These active communities look pretty nice to me.

Ironically, later that evening, I read an article about how couples put a lot of effort into saving for retirement, but very little effort into planning what they want to do.

I thought about it a bit, and the appeal of these communities for me is probably more as a widow. Grocery stores, restaurants, swimming pools, shuttles to the doctors office, all within walking distance. Little to no exterior maintenance. Low crime. It is an easy social situation for me, just like college was. Everyone is looking for friends. I don't think DD puts much value on any of these amenities.

Statistically speaking, the odds are I will out live DD by a number of years. I hope to avoid relying on our kids as long as possible, if ever.

I like to ask Pookie if she will take care of me when I am old, just because her answers amuse me.

Me: Will you help Dad and me if one of us can't walk anymore? I can't lift Dad, he is too big.
Pookie (very seriously): Mom, all you have to do is call me if you need help.

That teared me up for some reason. All you have to do is call.

Pookie vs. Mom - Spelling Wars

2011-09-12T23:46:00.001-05:00

Munchie is a great reader, in part because she believes me when I correct her grammar or spelling.

Pookie. Oh dear. Every.single.thing.must.be.contested.

Me: "Spell 'pin'."
Pookie: Is it with an 'i' or 'e'?
Me: 'i' - like a safety pin.
Pookie: How do you know it is an 'i'?
Me: Because I have been spelling that word for 30 years.
Pookie: " 'i' AND 'e' can BOTH make the 'ih' sound, MOM! How do you KNOW which one it is?"

Repeat that for 10 spelling words. Each night of the week. And she knows how to spell each of them. She just likes to mess with me, I swear.

Ant Farms and Betta Fish

2011-09-12T23:19:00.001-05:00

One of our Betta fish....

Since getting these fish, the girls have been obsessed with watching the show "Tanked" on Animal Planet.

It is about these people who build huge, custom acrylic fish tanks.

Very cool.

That show is followed by the new show "Hillbilly Handfishin'.",

which is about noodling.

DD was watching a show about noodling a few years ago.

And he thought it would be fun.

I watched about 10 minutes of the show and asked...

"Where the heck are these red-necked people from? Please don't say Oklahoma."

Oh, yes, they are from Oklahoma.

*sigh*

Not a good advertisement for the state, in my humble opinion.

These are our "Space Ants."
Because they are in a gel developed by NASA.
Nice marketing there.
It is fascinating to watch them dig tunnels in the gel.
And yet it is disturbing to see them climb over and bury the dead ant carcasses.
The directions say to remove dead ants with a Q-tip.
Hmmmm.. good idea except for the thirty live ants sprinting to the exit.
They are just going to have to live with their fallen comrades.
They are supposed to live 1-3 months, I guess.

His, Hers, Ours

2011-09-08T14:05:00.000-05:00

Some people were here the other day, picking up something I sold on Craiglist. They were kind of bickering - his money, her money, this money came from selling her stuff, so it was her money, and vice versa.

I always wonder what the divorce rate is for couples who think of money individually instead of jointly. It seems like it would take a lot of energy to keep everything separate.

We never think of our assets that way, except in jest.

Me: I love you.
DD: You just love my paycheck.
Me: Technically, it is MY paycheck since I paid for your PhD, dear.

I manage all the day-to-day bills and DD does all the long-range retirement planning. It works for us. The only thing that we consistently get annoyed with is this:

DD: Can you transfer a bazillion dollars to our retirement account?
TJ: I don't have a bazillion dollars.
DD: Our checking account has a bazillion dollars.
TJ: That is because I have to pay our credit card bill next week and it is a bazillion dollars.
DD: Why is it so big?
TJ: Because of our vacation (or name your costly event).
DD: Our vacation a month ago? Why haven't we paid for that already?!?!?!?!

Credit card billing cycles are the bane off DD's existence. He would rather just use a debit card for everything. I agree in theory, but if our debit card gets stolen, we have overdrawn checking accounts, bounced checks, and weeks to get the money back. If our credit card gets stolen, we have the less painless task of disputing charges.

I cracked.

2011-09-06T12:13:00.003-05:00

I told DD I was going to crack. And it finally happened. Taking care of 3 small children, keeping a 3192-sq-feet house in show-ready condition, maintaining 2 acres of yard, having my husband 1500 miles away, and doing software development work late at night finally did me in.

DD is the egg with the oh-my-goodness-how-can-I-work-and-afford-the-asylum-and-care-for-3-kids look on his face.

I told my contract employer that I couldn't do it anymore today. It pained me greatly to not follow through with something I committed too the first time in my life. Realistically, it will probably be months before I actually end everything, but it felt like a 500 pound anchor was lifted off my chest. It wasn't that many hours, it was just a cloud of stress in my life.

I have tinkered with the idea of hiring a sitter, housecleaner, and landscaper. It just gives a The-Hand-That-Rocks-The-Cradle vibe. I don't want other people to take care of my home and family.

DD was hesitant on the whole deal. It has always been our Plan C to have me work full-time for them if something went south the DD's employment. I know it will all be for the good, though. I need to re-skill myself a bit - software skills are dated very quickly, and hit the job boards when Spike hits pre-school.

RIP, Elmer. 1999-2011.

DD's brother's dog - he was part of our collective pre-kid adventures.

Bubba

2011-09-02T22:06:00.000-05:00

My little Bubba.
He can say "Bubba" now.
And "Uh-oh!" after throwing food on the floor.

He loves spaghetti, shoving fists full into his mouth.

He is almost walking.
He can stand, cruise, and walk holding hands.
Just not solo.
I am in no hurry for my baby to grow up.

2011-09-01T09:12:00.001-05:00

Last week, I had a conversation with Pookie that went like this:

Me: Pookie, you will take care of Daddy and me if we are old and poor, won't you?
Pookie: *heavy sigh* Well..... I guess I could send you $3, EVEN if it isn't your birthday or Christmas.

Apparently, this $3 commitment has been weighing on her, because last night she says:

Pookie: "Mom, I have an idea if you and Dad don't have any food when you are old. You can catch fish to eat and drink lake water!!!"

I should note that I read her the sign at the lake a couple of week ago, indicating you should not swim in, nor eat or drink anything from the lake due to high algae levels.

I hope our investments pan out.

A classic story to show the challenges I have with Munchie getting ready for school:

Me: Munchie, here is your lunch, water bottle, and snack for school.
Munchie: Ok.

She gets in the car, and low and behold, there sits her lunch, water bottle, and snack. I grabbed it and asked her half-way to school if she had it, since she knew I wouldn't turn around.

Munchie: NO! I don't have it! I won't have anything to eat today. WAAAAAH.
Me: Didn't I tell you where your lunch was, just moments before you got into the car?????
Munchie: Yeah, but you didn't tell me to TAKE it.

*slap forehead*

So, I am putting a few dollars in her school lunch account, and next time she is eating school lunch. Trust me, it will be a quick lesson. She hates school lunch.

Since the official beginning of summer, we have had only THREE days under 90 degrees, and 43 days above 100. 104 today. I need to mow, but I don't dare risk having a heat stroke being alone with the baby.

Other than that, I am just treading water!

Updates from Oklahoma...

2011-08-24T22:07:00.003-05:00

A helicopter landing in our neighborhood.

It landed, made a loop, and landed again. Odd.

I haven't had too much interesting to update, so the mundane:

~ It is still hot. 108 today. Zoo-wee. I mowed at 2:00 o'clock, too. Our electric bill was 5002 kwH for 29 days. A new record by a landslide.

~ DD is doing ok. He is renting a room from a recently divorced guy. Pookie doesn't get it. She keeps asking me what people we are going to live with. No, no. We will get a big house for just us when we sell this one.

~ The house has been going slow. We did have a showing the other day. The people liked the house, but put an offer on another. Hot weather, school starting, and all this bad economic news isn't helping!

Financially, we are a bit ahead with Oklahoma living on a California salary. It is more of an emotional toll than a financial one.

~ DD has worked out of state for extended periods of time before. It doesn't phase us too much. I think it is actually good for our marriage. It is easy to forget to appreciate all the little things we do for each other after 15 years.

The house across the street.

I kid you not - they have been doing this stone work non-stop since July 1.

They take big rocks, in a pile on the left.

*chink* *chink* *chink*

Break it into little squares,and put it up.

It looks nice, but labor alone much cost a mint!

My Babies Turn 1!

2011-08-15T23:08:00.002-05:00

Spike

Pookie

Munchie

All is well is Oklahoma. It has been refreshingly cool ..... in the 90's.

~ DD is moved into a room for rent. I think he is all set and I just ordered him a TV from Amazon.

♫ ♪ ♩ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♩ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♩ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♩ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♩ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♩ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♩ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♩ ♫ ♪

~ School is going well so far. Munchie was balking about doing her first night of homework.   I am not nagging for another entire school year.

"You are a third grader now. You can be responsible for your own homework. If you need help, just ask and I'll gladly assist. If you don't get it done, the consequences with your teacher and grades are yours, my dear."

And she eventually did her homework without me saying another world. It is a hard thing for me to do, since the control freak in me thinks it reflects on ME when she forgets stuff. It is a life lesson she needs to learn, and better in 3rd grade than college!

♫ ♪ ♩ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♩ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♩ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♩ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♩ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♩ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♩ ♫ ♪ ♫ ♪ ♩ ♫ ♪

~ Pookie starts piano lessons tomorrow. We will see how the behavior aspect goes. She actually played a real song tonight "Camptown Ladies", with no assistance. I don't know how she did it. She must find middle C and offset the notes?!?!?!?!

The piano teacher said she can re-use Munchie's books. She is already bummed about that. I might have to buy her the same book. As much as I hate to waste money, I hate "middle-kidding" her even more.

Pookie's first birthday photos were rather pathetic. I remember that day. DD was working in Philadelphia for 13 weeks that summer, while I stayed with the girls in San Antonio. I was stretched a little thin, and the photos reflect that.

Hotel, be gone!

2011-08-13T10:46:00.001-05:00

DD is checking out of the hotel today.

When he checked in, the hotel staff said "$87/night? That is the lowest rate I have ever seen here."

I am sure DD mumbled something about he has no idea about the rate, his wife books his travel. DD appreciates me being frugal, but he doesn't like being directly involved with cheapness.

Even at the great rate of $87 + tax, that is $3K a month. Not sustainable. We thought about getting a family home right away, but that would be costly if this house takes long to sell. So, we went the room to rent route. It is a odd market out there, people are trying to save their homes and renting out a room is a viable solution. It was a frustrating experience, as Craiglist always is, but we have something that will work. Not great, but ok.

For furniture, DD only has an air mattress that may or may not hold air. He needed a desk and such. After hauling 3 truckloads of furniture to Goodwill, I am insistent on buying stuff we can re-purpose down the road. No particle board. I think we found some acceptable stuff to get him by.

Now to sell this house. It has been slow so far, but we expected that. Our house has a small buyer pool and the market here is stable at best. With school starting and it being 110 degrees, I didn't expect much traffic. We will sell it eventually, but it takes time.

First Day of School - 2011

2011-08-11T16:41:00.003-05:00

My Third Grader
I don't know why her eye is puffy.
It looks ok now.

My First Grader

We cut her hair.
Her bald spot from PreK hair-twisting finally grew out.

Mama and Spike had our second annual back-to-school
afternoon nap.

It was everything I hoped it would be.

Grandma D.

2011-08-10T23:13:00.000-05:00

This was the first time Grandma D. saw Spike.

Unfortunately, she started chemo right around the time he was born.

We always get sick traveling up to SD, and we didn't want to risk

getting her sick with her suppressed immune system.

She is doing ok, but chemo certainly took its toll.

First day of school tomorrow!

Woohoo!

Gnome Boy

2011-08-08T15:08:00.000-05:00

Oh, my, isn't this the cutest thing EVER?

I think I have a Halloween costume for Spike.

I am sure DD will ax it though.

"There is NO way you are dressing my boy like a GNOME."

Of course, he is 1500 miles away.... *wink*

The New Job

2011-08-07T13:41:00.002-05:00

DD has been at his new job for a week. It is going OK.

I knew there would be a transition period, because I did a similar move in 1999. I moved from the telecom giant Motorola to a dinky start-up. The differences in the type of engineering work you do is drastic.

In the corporate world, there are meetings, reports, presentations, processes, training, procedures, and Gantt charts. There is an entire team of managers who manage every minute and dollar. There is an HR department, there is an IT department, there is a cafeteria, and there is a fitness center. I worked on a 3 year project: one year to design, one year to implement, and one year to test.

Start-ups? Yikes. Chaotic. Engineer on the fly. There is no schedule. The investors or customer want it on this day? Then we do it, reasonable timeframe be damned. 3 years to design something when your funding runs out in one? Not going to work.

So DD is thrown into the fire a bit. They want him to design something in 6 weeks that he is knowledgeable about, but by no means an expert. He is worried that he can do extensive hard-core engineering work without all the breaks of corporate life. It is a young man's game and he isn't so young anymore.

But, I *know* this is the engineering he likes. Get it done. Make it happen. No reports, no weeklong safety meetings, no middle management BS. He won't admit it, but I see a glimmer of the old engineer coming back. The engineering passion corporate america sucked out of him.

Mi Casa

2011-08-05T21:42:00.002-05:00

We are having a slight snafu getting the realtor photos online. Trust me, you need an insane amount of patience dealing with people in Oklahoma. Their speed of operation and our speed of operation are two very different speeds.

Here they are. And yes, it did about kill me to get the house this clean by myself with three kids.

Straw Boy

2011-08-02T19:45:00.002-05:00

This little guy has been very difficult in one regard.

He has refused all bottles and sippy cups.

Try to put it in his mouth?

He can block like a World Cup Soccer goalie.

I bought almost every different kind of $%@$#@! sippy cup available.

No dice.

I tried milk, juice, water.

No dice.

I don't like nursing him every time he is thirsty in 110 degree weather.

The other day, I offer him one of the girls' cup with a straw.

He drinks almost all of it.

So, straws it is.

The girls didn't use straws until they were 3 or so.

Part of me thinks he is advanced...
and part of me thinks he just couldn't figure up how to *tilt* the sippy cup up.
Either way, it works for me!!!!!

Logistics

2011-07-31T01:37:00.002-05:00

~ Since coordinating a 1500 mile move for 2 adults, 3 kids, and 14500 lbs of household goods wasn't enough, we added a cash flow challenge. The new company is so small is doesn't have a 401K. *gasp* So, DD took his last two paychecks and allocated them almost in entirety to his current 401K. Add that to moving expenses and it's an accounting armageddon.

~ DD claims the Acadia was my early birthday present. Overall, I love it. I drove home after dark tonight, and it is amazing how much easier it is for my light sensitive eyes. I sit much higher and this vehicle has these fancy-pants headlights. It does seem people drive crazier and park closer since I got the vehicle, though.

~ DD is usually pretty humble about his professional career, but I have to brag him up a bit. He received a verbal offer from the startup company, pending his reference check. They were so impressed with his references, they asked him how much more money it would take to get him out there without us even asking. How often does that happen?

Well, I better be off to bed. Realtor photos on Monday and I have 4.23 trillion things to do.

The Streak Ends

2011-07-30T14:38:00.000-05:00

I made my first trip ever to the ER this morning.

Spike fell of my bed yesterday. It is only about 2 feet and carpeted so I didn't think he was terribly injured. But he screamed and screamed. He was super-fussy all evening and not using his right leg normally now and then. He woke up in the same disposition.

I called the pediatrician. They would see him, but if he needed an X-ray, we would end up in the ER.

I called urgent care. They would see him, and X-ray him, but if he needed a cast, we would end up in the ER.

So, I just went to the ER to start out with. It took about 2.5 hours and 3 x-rays, but there was nothing on the x-ray. Piece of mind doesn't come cheap!

Who said boys were cheaper than girls?!?!?!?! Between his NICU stint and ER visit, his first year has been WAY more costly than the girls.

The Hoarder

2011-07-27T07:35:00.001-05:00

I think I have married a hoarder.
DD is cleaning out the garage and goodness, he has a lot of stuff!
In the words of our movers: "You guys are very household light, but garage heavy!"

Me: You are a hoarder, dear.
DD: I am not. I know what I have. Hoarders don't.
Me: I guess.....Let's just forget about the time you bought a reciprocating saw when you already had one.

Me: Hoarders are resentful when people make them get rid of stuff. Remember the pickle forks?

A move or two ago, I *highly* encouraged DD to get rid of some stuff. He begrudgingly got rid of his pickle forks. Low and behold, 5 years later, he finds a potential use for those darn pickle forks when working on a car axle. If ONLY he had those pickle forks....

It is a genetic weakness, I think.

See, here is DD's nephew in front of his Beanie Baby collection.

I tried to tell him it isn't cool to be 21 and still collect Beanie Babies.

.....

Ok, ok, they are my mother-in-law's.

He does windows!

2011-07-25T14:23:00.000-05:00

Well, at least the really, really high ones.

and he pretends to be scared.

The Thinker

Insanity

2011-07-23T22:09:00.004-05:00

Munchie and Spike on ISU campus

My kids.

Some days.

Push me to the brink of insanity.

I have been staying up late. Cleaning, packing, organizing.

I am tired. My feet hurt. My back hurts.

We *just* power-washed off the back porch.

My kids decided to let a chocolate ice cream bar melt to mush on the nice clean concrete.

Then they bicker over who did it.

Munchie. Munchie. Munchie.

I am constantly lecturing her on throwing stuff away.

My house and yard is not a landfill, and I am not her servant.

So, Munchie had left an empty fruit cup on the ground.

I am out of patience with her, clearly, and sternly tell her to throw it in the garbage can before I call the orphanage.

She does it.

Not 2 minutes later. TWO MINUTES!!!!!!

She eats a snack and throws the wrapper under the swing set.

TWO MINUTES!!!!!
I don't get it.

The teenage boy next door was being lectured by his parents the other day.
Why did he mow around one of the boulders and not the other?

DD and I both thought the same thing: Classic Munchie.
She is very bright, but it is that common sense/attention to detail concept
that evades her.

And drives us insane.

Giggles

2011-07-22T19:09:00.000-05:00

I like this photo.

Aunt Teresa with Spike

This, That, and the Other

2011-07-20T16:14:00.000-05:00

The girls with Grandma D. on the Gator

This thing was the highlight of Grandma's house.
Munchie is a fast driver.
Uncle Darwin riding with Little Miss Crazy:

The moving stuff is creeping along.

DD had this old Case 446 "compact tractor".
He was going to fix it up, but we sold it.
It just isn't feasible in California.

How can you not smile at this?

2011-07-16T20:25:00.002-05:00

What's so funny? Munchie is blowing up and the letting the air out of his birthday balloon from Great Aunt Judy.

Operation Exodus

2011-07-15T21:14:00.003-05:00

Bird in South Dakota

Well, it is official. We are heading to the 70 degree, sunny, strawberry fields of Southern California.

It is somewhat risky, leaving the confines of a huge company with all its glamorous benefits to a little start-up of 40 people.

The payoff could be huge, if the company IPOs as planned and sustains until DD is fully vested in his options. *cross fingers*

I am nervous. We have moved and worked a lot of jobs in our day, and not once did it go flawlessly. DD resigned today and I am worried the new company will call with a "just kidding about that job offer. Hee hee." DD is a good match for them, and they were so impressed with his references that they even upped his salary offer without him asking.

We don't have the luxury of corporate relocation this time. I will stay here until the house sells. We won't leave a vacant house again. Been there, done that.

Off to tackle our enormous to-do list!

Finally.... FINALLY....

2011-07-13T22:51:00.000-05:00

Tonight we drove to Stillwater to get my.....

2011 ACADIA DENALI!!!!

For the first time in my life, I have a vehicle less than 5 years old. My car, well, the repair shop GAVE UP. We had to tow it to the dealer to get it fixed. We traded both Cadillacs in on the Acadia. They served us well, but I wasn't shedding too many tears.

Here is a similar car:

I like the look of black with all the chrome. It has a sunroof, too, which was the only extra feature I wanted. For the record, I didn't need a new car, or all the bells and whistles of a Denali package, but that was the biggest bang for our buck.

We had to pull the trigger because we have big adventure on the horizon. A big risk/big reward venture. DD will be heading out of dodge, and there was no way I could deal with three kids, 108 temperatures, and a unreliable vehicle all by myself.

Now to keep it clean and ding-free!

One Year....Already?

2011-07-11T08:19:00.000-05:00

One year has flown by!

My little "bub-see" is one year.

He is a sweet, smiling, happy little guy.

With a touch a naughty.

You should hear his little nerd laugh when bangs on my keyboard.

I made the most of his first year,

Savoring every minute of our last baby.

Mama loves you now and forever.

Cousin Tanisha and Spike

We're back!

2011-07-09T23:28:00.000-05:00

It has been a long three weeks. I drove from Oklahoma to Iowa, up to the Twin Cities, back to Iowa, out to South Dakota, back to Iowa, and then home to Oklahoma. We saw many family and friends, and 2 of us are now a year older.

We had a great time, but it is nice to be *home*, even if it is 105 in the shade.

I have lot of photos to upload, lots of laundry to do, lawns to mow, and bills to pay.

On Monday, this little guys turns 1. *sniff* *sniff* I think he is going to be a car guy - he is entranced by NASCAR.

When Grandpa...

2011-06-30T08:11:00.002-05:00

Takes the kids on a ride....

and sees some mud.....

This happens.
And each kid needs a turn at getting mud on them, of course.

They were all so happy and proud of themselves.
I can forgive the mess.

Chugga-lug!

2011-06-27T12:36:00.000-05:00

This is how my son crawls... interesting style.

Grandpa G. and Spike

Across the Way

2011-06-23T23:06:00.000-05:00

This is the house going up across the street,

with Munchie scootering in front of it.

This house is HUGE.

4100 sq. ft.

Egads.

To sign off, a photo of my big sister today.
For some photos, there are no words. :P

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-19T14:50:00.001-05:00

It wasn't me pounding on the piano, Mom!

Spike is sporting his new haircut.

He definitely has his Mama's thick hair.

This is how much hair baldie DD had at 18 months.

The girls were SO excited to give DD his Father's Day gifts.
They woke us up at 6:15 a.m.
As annoying as that was, it makes me happy to see them excited about giving.
There was nothing in it for them.

The girls wanted to get DD this:

I redirected them.

DD? He would have bought the Big Top Cupcake maker for me.

And it would sit, unused in my kitchen.

I was looking at this powder since it has great reviews.

I melt into a pile of sweat the second I walk outside.

Munchie thought it would be a great present for DD,

even though there is a gender-neutral version of it:

Happy Father's Day, DD!
We love you!

Almost... almost....
Daddy is #1 when is comes to teaching the skills of biking.
Running,holding the bike, in 100 degree weather, no less!

The Saga Continues....

2011-06-18T23:10:00.005-05:00

The "Death of a TJ's Car" Saga, that is.

On Friday, I piled all the kids in my car to go swimming. No small task. I almost get to the highway and:

SERVICE CHARGING SYSTEM

Great. Yes, we just put a new alternator in LAST WEEK.

So, I drove home. Switch all the kids and swimming crap over to the truck and drive that.

Later that night, we are going to take the car back into the repair place. It is about 8 miles. We have to stop and charge the car THREE times off DD's car to get it there. THREE TIMES. It is hot as hell, too.

So, supposedly, the battery is faulty. Now, that doesn't make sense to me because once started, the car should run on the alternator. BTW, I think these mechanics are a bunch of chumps. They are cheap, and they do fix all their screw-ups for free, but it is such a PITA to drive in with the kids all the time.

We pick the car up AGAIN. DD drives it less than one mile.

SERVICE CHARGING SYSTEM

WTH? The chump mechanics can't drive the car to make sure they actually fixed it. *eye roll* Back to the shop. Apparently, now they think the diode on the new alternator is faulty and they have to order the part.

DD is finally (and begrudgingly) agreeing that perhaps we need to dump the car. Hallelujah! Of course, he wants to "part it out", too, for his car which is older but the same model year. Hmmmmmm.... NO.

I asked Pookie what kind of car Mom should get. Her response? A purple mini-van. I laughed and laughed at the thought of DD driving a purple mini-van.

El Norte

2011-06-16T18:04:00.000-05:00

Did I mention that Spike HAS to feed himself?

Every meal = bath + new outfit.

Bibs last about 2 seconds.

After Father's Day, the kidlets and I are heading north.

DD is staying behind to work.

Boo hoo hoo.

A quiet house to yourself every night.

He has a one-way flight up to Sioux Falls for his vacation week.

DD watched Spike for 4 minutes the other day.

"He is too crazy for me to watch!"

Translation: "I had to get out of my recliner 5 times in 4 minutes!"

Welcome to my world.

The girls finished swimming lessons today.

Munchie passed to Sailfish, although her dives were still BAAAAAD.

Pookie passed everything but freestyle.

She won't be far behind Mumchie.

You should see her dive.

I'll have to record it.

Stuff, stuff, and more stuff.

2011-06-13T22:32:00.001-05:00

I took my card out of my camera to upload some cute photos of Spike.

Then I noticed how messy the computer area was.

So I cleaned it.

And lost my card in the process.

That'll teach me to clean!

So, a video of the beach on Memorial Day for you all.

I am on a minimalist rampage.

SIX BAGS of stuffed animals are going to Goodwill. SIX BAGS!!!!!

There is a new sheriff in town.

You want to keep it? It better be put away or I toss/donate it!

Summer Days

2011-06-10T07:36:00.002-05:00

Pookie blowing bubbles at WonderWorks

It is hot.... and windy.

Swimming lessons started this week.

Munchie can't dive and Pookie can't tread water for 1 minute.

Otherwise, they are swimming very well.

There is only 1 other kid in the class so they get a lot of face time.

Spike is picking up speed every day.

When he was so sick a few weeks ago,
I let him nurse whenever he wanted.

Big mistake.

He wants nothing to do with a cup anymore.

Not even juice!

Pookie drew a birthday list the other day.

She drew a $100 gift card.

I told her that was too much to ask for.

She re-drew it......

With a $95 gift card.

Stink Eye

2011-06-08T11:53:00.003-05:00

Gee, TJ, you haven't complained about your car in a couple of weeks? What's up with that?

Well, it is because I am still giving DD the stink eye over my car, which is obviously begging for a "do not resuscitate" order. I acknowledge the financial gain to driving it, but I HATE driving around in 100 degree weather , with three small kids, and the ever-increasing potential of being stranded somewhere.

On Sunday, while waiting for the girls to get out of Sunday School, the AC stopped working and the smell of burnt rubber wafted through the air. Great.

DD, in all his mechanical engineering glory, quickly assessed the magnetic clutch on the compressor was not functioning. The unknown question was whether we had a serpentine belt on this car, i.e the compressor and engine use the same belt.

So, I say a quick prayer and head home. My. car sounds like it is on death's door. Squeaking, grinding, jerking, But, we made it. Lucky us, we just replaced this compressor last August so it was under warranty. DD does a lot of car repairs, but he doesn't usually mess with the AC system. There are just too many expensive specialty tools involved to make it worthwhile.

So, the AC is fixed for "free", but on the drive home from the repair shop, the alternator goes out. I am hoping they just forgot to connect something. I go in, wait with the kids, walk Munchie to piano lessons w/ the other two in tow in the heat, walk back, and wait for DD to get there from work. The auto place is only 8 miles away, but it is 35 miles from DD's work.

The alternator went kaput. Of course, it is just a coincidence this happens within 1 mile of getting the AC fixed. Right. I'll play the lotto if my stars are aligned like that. The guy is cutting us a "deal" and taking $100 off the bill. We did get 135K miles out of it. The new belt probably put extra load on the already old alternator to make it fail.

So, hopefully they get it fixed today and we make yet another family trip into town to get it.

Happiness Is....

2011-06-06T15:40:00.001-05:00

I have been thinking a lot about happiness lately.

As a child, I think you are happy with the reality presented to you by your parents. I loved living on a farm and the small town atmosphere. But, we were sheltered. We hardly ever traveled, tried new foods, and our community demographic was homogeneous.

Then you go to college, and more doors and windows open. You try new things, see if you like them. New classes, new groups, new activities, new foods, new friends. I loved college, which still are the best 4 years of my life.

In your 20's, you work jobs you love. You work jobs you hate. You live in cities you love. You live in cities you hate.

I think all of that discovery is to hone in on what makes *truly* you happy. The "ah-ha!" moment for me was the realization of these points:

~ Don't worry about what makes other people happy.

~ Don't worry about what ought to make you happy.

~ Don't worry about what others will think of what makes you happy.

Once you know what things make you, your spouse, and your kids happy, invest your time and resources accordingly.

Some examples from my life:

~ I don't like camping. So many people love camping - rich, poor, active, sedentary, city-folks, and country-folks. It makes other people happy. I think I ought to find it fun since I do like being outdoors. But I don't.

~ I don't like over-scheduling of kids. People must find happiness in it since so many parents do it, right? I don't get it, and it stresses me out. A stressed out mama doesn't make for a happy family.

~ We do, as a family, like things to do with water. We love swimming, water parks, beaches, rivers, and lakes. I would love for us to be a boating, canoeing, rafting, scuba-diving, snorkeling sort of family. We have invested a lot of time taking our kids swimming and to swimming lessons so we can do those things.

End of rambling. This post was inspired by this blog post, which oddly summarized my exact thoughts as of late.

Sea Dragon Pirate Cruise

2011-06-04T14:01:00.001-05:00

One of the excursions we went on was a 2 hour cruise on the Sea Dragon.
It was heavy on the pirate theme.

Pookie loved it ~ Munchie enjoyed about 75% of it.
Some of it was a little beneath her age-level and interests.
She's 8.5 and isn't a huge pirate fan.
Maybe, maybe up to a 10 year old boy would be interested.
It is geared for the 3-7 range.

The best thing about this cruise was they entertained the kids THE ENTIRE TIME.
Water guns, sword fights, face painting, treasure chests, deck mopping, cannons, limbo, conga line, etc.
They had food and drinks available for reasonable prices.

We even saw some dolphins in the bay.

Overall, I thought they did a great job.
They didn't go far out into the gulf, though,
since the kids might wipe out with the bigger waves.

I was thinking how much Spike would enjoy this in 3-4 years.
And how much my pre-teen girls would be bored doing this in 3-4 years.
We will see how that all pans out on future vacations.
DD and Spike might have some boys-days-out.

Panama City Beach Recap

2011-06-03T11:30:00.000-05:00

I wanted to take my kids to the beach.

I wanted to see them play in the sand and waves.
Someday we might not be financially or physically able to do it.

The vacation went almost exactly as I had planned.

I didn't want to do too many excursions.

I always regret pushing my kids past their limits.

We flew into Panana City Airport (ECP).
It is just one year old and easy to get in/out of.
It was only about 15-20 minutes from our condo.

We stayed at the Majestic Beach Towers.
We rented this condo from Schulsaldt Rentals.
It was just a set of stairs from the beach.

We were very happy with the setup.
The only negatives were the elevators were slow on Sat-Sun.
It could take 15-20 minutes to find one with room.
The parking garage was a bit of a haul, but it is all indoors via skywalks.
No one wants to waste beach-front on parking!

The beach wasn't nearly as busy as I expected.
And it was relatively clean.

I like this last photo because it reminds me of a father duck with ducklings.
The sand is challenging to walk in with shoes.
Barefoot was much better.

Now to save for Hawaii!

Home again, home again!

2011-06-02T16:08:00.000-05:00

Another great photo of the sand.

I could sit there all day and just run my fingers through it.

We made it back from a great vacation.

The whole trip went very well.

I'll have to write a summary post, but first I have to unpack.

Munchie threw up all over the grocery store this morning, too.

Ick.

Pinch me - I'm Cute!

2011-05-30T18:37:00.000-05:00

The Cutest Baby on the Beach!

I love the sand on these beaches.

It is just like sugar.

Spike is going to be a tall boy, I think.

Doesn't he look lanky here?

I did get some photos on the beach.

But, sand + water + humidity + cameras = no fun.

I need to keep my eyes out for a nice cheap camera.

Hello from the Beach!

2011-05-28T18:29:00.000-05:00

Yes, we do appear to be the only family at the beach in SPF wear.

DD and the girls in the waves.

This was taken from our balcony.

Gulf-front is wonderful.

Worth every penny.

We made it!

2011-05-27T16:51:00.001-05:00

Our trip started off a little rocky. Southwest had major delays - planes out of service due to hail in Dallas and ripple effects from weather on the east coast. We knew we had a 2 hour delay before we even left home. We were traveling Tulsa->Dallas->Houston->Panama City.

We got through the airport, ate dinner, and waited at the gate. At the last minute, Southwest decided they wanted us to go directly to Houston. I think they just wanted more room for people heading to Dallas. So, instead of 2 hours to wait, we had 2 minutes. Eek. No final potty stops or diaper changes for us!

Then we were stuck in Houston, waiting for the original plane we were supposed to be on which was still in route to Tulsa. Unfortunately, I had gate checked the stroller for Panama City, so they didn't unload it in Houston.

In Houston, we sat. And sat. And sat. DD and I know the delay rule - keep moving the depart time 15 minutes. My kids - they don't get that. Anyway, we end up boarding around midnight, getting into Panama City at 1:30 a.m. Four hours late.

The kids were very good travelers, until we had to wake them up at 1:30 a.m. in Florida. They were cranky and delusional. There was a line for the rental car, too.

I reserved a full-size car - Chevy Impala or equivalent. The car rental dude offered us an upgrade for 1/2 price. Nah - we were fine. Well, guess what? They were out of our size car anyway, so we got an upgrade for free. A Ford Edge. It's Edgey.

The girls could spend the entire day jumping waves. Spike had a little bit of sensory overload with the sand, but he actually crawled in it today. Progress, we are making progress!

Oklahoma Skies

2011-05-25T13:10:00.002-05:00

Another Oklahoma sky.

We survived the storms last night.

There was some decent winds, but the storm line was losing steam by the time it hit Tulsa area.

Today, DD and I have been married 15 years.

We went to Florida on our honeymoon.

15 years later we are heading back, with 3 kids in tow.

And it is A LOT more work.

Wish us well - DD is coughing,

Spike's ears aren't 100% yet (and we have 3 take-offs and landings),

Munchie is tired and snotty.

Pookie and I might be going solo.

I hope to travel more in the future, so hopefully this doesn't keep us

home for another 8 years!

For the Beauty of the Earth

2011-05-22T21:51:00.000-05:00

The #1 thing I love about Oklahoma?

The skies and sunsets.

Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful.

Every day, whether it be sunny or stormy, has amazing

and unique cloud formations.

RecycleBank

2011-05-20T16:45:00.000-05:00

I am a big fan of this site: RecycleBank. Basically, you earn points for taking pledges, quizzes, etc. about recycling. Then you redeem them for rewards. I have probably spend less than 30 minutes total on the site and have received free magazine subscriptions to Good Housekeeping, Popular Mechanics, Whole Living, etc.. I also redeemed points for free organic baby food and other store coupons.

All the rewards were received quite quickly. If you are bored, check it out sometime. They add new things all the time.

Ahoy!

2011-05-20T16:22:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago, I asked DD his opinion on what activities he wanted to do on our beach vacation.

He was annoyed with me, probably watching some NBA game, and replied: "I don't care, whatever you want to do."

Ok, I said, but you just gave up your right to complain about what I pick.

I plan to take a boat tour into the Gulf. DD would probably pick a boat like this, "The Sea Screamer"

But, I think a pirate cruise would be fun. Bwahahahaha.... Ahoy, mateys, all aboard the Sea Dragon:

A Piece of Our Souls

2011-05-19T14:33:00.001-05:00

This girl took a piece of DD and my soul when she was created.

She is strong-willed, determined, and sharp as a tack.

She is self-motivated and ambitious.

If she is going down, she is going down swinging.

She challenges everything and never gives up.

She has been our most difficult child by a landslide,

but I also think she will be our most successful adult.

Just like my parents, I know how hard it is to be a middle kid.

Munchie had 2.5 years of our undivided attention.

We can't give that to any others.

Munchie's developmental milestones are our milestones, too.

Spike will forever be my baby.

He is our only little boy.

He has two doting big sisters.

I have no concerns about him not getting enough attention.

I cherish days like this.

Just Pookie.

She is so much fun to be around when she isn't

competing and fighting with Munchie.

Conferences

2011-05-18T09:53:00.006-05:00

I had a conference with Pookie's teacher this morning. Pookie is doing so well this year, and her social skills are drastically improved.

She got a 100 on her standardized BEAR test. She didn't miss a single question. She received all "1's" on her report card, except for her address. We do have an overly complicated address, and our address is a different town than the town they go to school in.

I am so happy for and proud of her. She is a mini-me of DD and me when it comes to academics. She has engineer written all over her.

Munchie has two days left of school. Her report card isn't going to be as rosy. The teacher said in the 4th quarter, she would focus on independent work. No help, no do-overs, no reminders. Fair enough.

Munchie. Oh, that girl is just not detail-orientated. And it drives me NUTS!

An example:

The children (have, has) _______ `fun at school.

Directions: Circle the correct answer and write the word in the blank.

Munchie will correctly write the word in the blank. However, she doesn't circle the word. 50% - F. Ironically, Munchie has never messed up subject-verb agreement or pronouns. Ever. She has said them correctly since she started talking. Pookie still uses her/she wrong at times.

Or on her math papers, she will just skip a problem. In the middle of the page... it is no harder or easier than the others. She just skips it. Obviously she has plenty of time to finish and re-check, because most of her work has elaborate doodles on the perimeter.

I have told her repeatedly that the teachers will think she doesn't know the material when she doesn't read directions. Doesn't help. I make her re-do all her worksheets at home. Doesn't help. I might as well just prepare myself for her getting an 11 on the ACT because she was off-by-one on the bubble sheet.

As long as my kids do their best work, I am happy with that. However, a kid who can read and comprehend at a 6th grade level should be able to read and follow SECOND GRADE directions. Geez. Unacceptable.

Spike is feeling better, and I caught him pulling up today on the armoire. I am still under the weather, up at night coughing. *sigh*

A Gift

2011-05-16T09:23:00.006-05:00

The old leaking radiator from my car.

The end of conclusion from my overheated car was:

The ball bearing failed in the idler tension pulley on the water pump.

With a seized pulley, the belt failed in short order.

With no coolant to cool my engine, it overheated rapidly.

The hole in the radiator was collateral damage from the high heat/pressure.

The tension pulley and belt took DD about 30 minutes to fix.

The radiator - MUCH bigger job.

If we stay in Oklahoma for much longer,
we might build a shed with a car lift for him

It is a lot of work bending over.

DD has a gift.

He is a talented mechanical engineer because

he can analyze and fix a car failure AND

he can do advanced theoretical calculations.

I have seen engineers be gifted at one or the other,
but to do both equally well is rare.

I think his mechanical skills are part genetic and part environmental.

It is a great gift he can pass on to our kids.

The ability to analyze, fix, and solve problems like this.

He does try to involve the kids here and there,

but it requires more patience when his patience is already running low.

And he needs to clean up his language a bit...

before my little girls swear like sailors.

My Four Babies

2011-05-15T19:02:00.000-05:00

Pookie is doing a John Travolta Saturday Night Fever impression.

The Lost Week

2011-05-14T12:13:00.001-05:00

Spike is still sick. I hope after each nap he will wake up his old self, but alas, he is just as miserable as before. There are some glimmers of hope when the Advil kicks in.

I took him in on Wednesday night in a downpour. The pediatrician thinks it is just a virus, but did give him some antibiotics for his double-ear infection. He had a 104 fever that day.

He has been this ill since last Monday night. He is a very clingy, whiny, sick boy. I think that is a Y chromosome trait. The girls were never this needy. He was just starting his attachment phase, and I fear how bad he is going to be after a week of my holding him 24/7.

A quote I read today:

“Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish been caught will we realise we cannot eat money.” – Cree Indian Proverb

The stars are stacked against you, baby...

2011-05-11T20:55:00.000-05:00

Get back in bed!

I have gripped about my POS car before, but DD always replies "has it ever broken down on you? No." Well, that excuse ended today.

I am on my way to school this morning, and my car starts flashing me messages. Keep in mind our car is typically driven by 92 year-olds, so the messages are for the borderline senile. It warns you if you have your turn signal on for more than a mile. :P

ENGINE OVERHEATING..... TURN OFF AC.

Ok.....

ENGINE OVERHEATING...... IDLE ENGINE.

Ok... working on it.

ENGINE OVERHEATED. STOP ENGINE. NOW.

They really meant it on that last one - beeping and flashing lights.

I let the engine cool off and hope I can get the girls to school at least. Fat chance. I got another half mile.

So, I call a friend of ours who takes the girls to school. I am still hoping I can limp home. Fat chance. I cooled the engine, filled it with water, watched it pour out the bottom of the radiator. I got half-way up the highway. Great.

To add the misery, Spike was screaming the whole time. He is sick as a dog. And I was braless wearing a ratty old t-shirt that is questionably appropriate WITH a bra. In my defense, I was up with a sick baby and I drop the kids off curbside.

Off to search for my new car.....

Sick Kidlets

2011-05-10T18:42:00.005-05:00

Well, the illness Munchie and Pookie had finally made its way to Spike. He is really sick. Oh, my. He was just a little fussy on Sunday and Monday, but last night, wowsers. Fever, throwing up, ear-tugging, coughing, refusing to eat or drink, etc.

Pookie was running a fever this morning, so I kept her home from school. The last 3 weeks of school are a joke anyway. Once the standardized tests are out of the way, it is a lot of "fun days".

I rarely take our kids into the pediatrician, but Spike was breathing kind of fast. Not ER-worthy, but I always worry about his breathing since his NICU stint his second day of life.

Spike - 1 day old - a day I never want to re-live!

I called for an appointment. They were booked all the way until 9 p.m. tonight and then until tomorrow afternoon. Guess that solved my indecision. I am sure it is a virus and if he isn't better by the end of the week, I'll take him in to check for a bacterial secondary infection.

Munchie had her track and field day today. I really didn't want to drag the kids there, but it was warm and she would be devastated if I didn't go. That girl unfortunately is not blessed with speed.

I hated track and field days. HATED THEM. I felt so terrible about myself because I was slow. Here I was an academic super-star, and I was worried I wasn't good enough because I came in next to last in a 3rd grade 100-yard dash. *shakes head*

I tell Munchie about how I felt. Then I tell her how God gives us all talents, and she just isn't a fast runner. I ask her if she has any kids in her class who struggle with their work, but are really fast runners. Oh course, every class does, don't they? I tell her to let those kids shine today, congratulate them, and just run for fun.

She was probably the slowest non-overweight kid there. But she ran for fun, didn't care where she placed, and I was so proud of her!

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-08T16:06:00.001-05:00

My kiddos and me, Mother's Day, 2011

Sadly, this is the best photo of us from today. It is going to be 93 degrees tomorrow, and Pookie will still be wearing long sleeves and pants. I told her she might want to wear shorts and short sleeves tomorrow. Her response: "WHAT??? No, I can't. I might get sunburned."

The most amazing thing about being a mother for me is how much you instantly love your own child. To have such an instant, deep, I-would-give-my-life-for-you love is beyond words.

My dreams of having a few hours to myself were gone at 2 a.m. this morning when Spike was up with a cough. He is super-fussy today and DD doesn't have an ice cube's chance in hell of dealing with him.

So, Happy Mother's Day everyone!

I survived!

2011-05-07T18:46:00.001-05:00

What a beautiful day! When DD gets home, we are going to grill some steak and sit outside.

Friday was so stressful for me. Pookie had a Mother's Day breakfast at school, and then I had to run home, get the sitter, and have a conference call with a bunch of German engineers. They had some very specific questions about a project I coded 3 years ago. Ack! Memory don't fail me now.

Apparently God didn't think that was enough on my plate, because he blessed Munchie with pink eye AGAIN. I thought about sending her to school with leftover pink eye drops since she had a tour of her new school. Knowing my luck, I would get a call from the school to pick her up right in the middle of my conference call.

Munchie's sassing has gotten a little out of control. I told her since she doesn't respond to anything else, we would have to use soap. Oddly, so far she has been pretty good with her words. One of her favorite lines, upon being asked to do something:

"Sorry, Munchie isn't here right now, leave a message. BEEP."

She is only 8. Lord save us all when she is a teen.

Stuff, stuff, and more stuff.

2011-05-04T20:18:00.000-05:00

Old Pentax Camera

I am so overwhelmed.

I need to conference call in with a bunch of German engineers on Friday. It would be highly unprofessional to have a crying baby in the background.

So, I need to find a sitter. On a school day.

I found a homeschooled girl who is going to help me out with Spike.

Pookie has a Mother's Day program at school right before the conference call, so I am going to be pressed for time.

So, now I am trying to get the house from one-step-ahead-of-deplorable to acceptable.

I need to get Spike's toys/drinks/food/clothes/blankets organized for another person.

Once again, I question why I work this contract. I can barely keep up, and we don't *need* the money.

*sigh* *sigh* *sigh*

While I am cleaning, I question why the heck we have so much stuff. Worthless stuff. Stuff, stuff, stuff. I hate it. I can't manage it.

DD tries to claim he is a non-contributer to the mess.... until I point out ten things in my line of sight he is responsible for.

I read the other day that the average person spends 55 mintues a day looking for things. I thought that was crazy at first, but given the first 45 minutes of my day is largely spent searching, I believe it. Shoes, backpacks, reading logs, homework, spelling word lists, coats, lunch boxes......

Ok, I am done complaining. Onward and upward.

Then there were two...

2011-05-02T21:05:00.002-05:00

Land of Imps has turned into "The Chicken Obituarties"

We lost another chick on Saturday night. Some animal came into our fenced backyard and chewed its way through the backdoor of the chicken coop. We have our bets on that darn neighbor dog. I think a wild animal would have killed them all. If I catch him, we are going to play some fetch on the highway. It isn't just the chickens, but he could injure our kids. I don't understand why anyone would want that liability.

Our dog, who already has an established history of eating cat crap, scratched the back of the coop to eat the chicken poop today. I think she had the brain the size of a chicken, truth be told.

The Great Chicken Experiment isn't going so well.

The girls had their last swimming lesson tonight. It was postponed from a couple of weeks ago when we had bad weather. Poor Munchie. She is almost perfect on her strokes and treading water, but her dives. Oy vey. Atrocious. It doesn't help that Pookie is practically Greg Louganis. Pookie even got a "Great Dives!" comment on her card.

Neither of the girls advanced, which I expected. The teacher is the assistant coach for the swim club and is very tough. Hopefully we can work on dives sometime before the next round of lessons.

Busy, busy, busy, busy month of May.