Need Your Help

I need two words that rhyme with each other. One has to start with V and the other has to start with X. Anyone? Anyone?

I'm Sooooo Funny

So sometimes I watch that "Last Comic Standing" show because I like to laugh and there's nothing else on but "Ice Snake" on SciFi. Husbandguy doesn't really like the comic show for some reason (although he would watch Ice Snake). It's not because he doesn't like to laugh because he does. So while I watch it, he'll go off and do other things like clean the kitchen or pay bills or something. But he doesn't miss out on anything because when there's an ad, I go and tell him all the funny jokes I heard on the show. I don't think he appreciates it though because he doesn't laugh like I do when I hear the jokes the first time. Or maybe it's my delivery...

Don't Say Chicken

Actually, you should say it when Lulu is around. It's super cute. Even if you're just talking about dinner and not asking what a chicken says, Lulu says, "bokbok."

Piano Lessons

Also, when I picked Pete up from Berry's house, I talked to her mom, Beryl, about giving her (Berry) piano lessons. So now I've really got to get the piano tuned just in case she takes me up on it.

The Excitement Is...Pending

Pete went to her first sleepover this past Tuesday. She has stayed overnight with her grandparents a bunch of times and once, when we were on vacation she and her cousin had a little mini-sleepover, but Husbandguy and I were just in the next room. Anyway, when Pete was at Berry's house (that's her friend) is when I found out about Grandpa and Meme moving closer so Pete didn't know right away. I told her as soon as I picked her up on Wednesday, thinking she'd be almost as excited and happy as I am about the news because just a couple of days before we had been talking about how, if GP and MM lived closer they could come to her piano recital (whenever that will be), and she thought that sounded good. But here's the thing: when I said, "Isn't that cool?" she said no. Don't be hurt GP and MM because I don't think she meant it. Tuesday night she got a stomach ache, which she still has, and also she didn't sleep well (because you just don't at sleepovers and she had that tummy ache) so she was tired all yesterday. Since she's still not feeling well today, I can't seem to get her excited about anything, but I know it's coming. As soon as she feels better, I bet she'll be totally excited and I can't wait because I want to have someone to share my glee with. Lulu's too little (although she smiles at me when I talk to her about it) and DH? Well DH doesn't get excited about anything. At all. Seriously. It's annoying.

Feel better, Pete! So we can do a Happy Dance and plan our first road trip.

A Little Problem

You know how Lulu calls Homer "Momo"? Well, I think it's important when we older people (older than Lulu) talk about him that we call him "Homer" because that what she is really saying even though it just sounds like "Momo." The problem is that sometimes my tongue gets confused and instead of saying "Homer" I say "Homo," which is not a term I usually use and am not interested in teaching my children. Fortunately no one has heard me say it yet except for me. Well and now you know, but still...

Hooray! The Faraway Temps Are Moving Closer!

Well, some of them are anyway - Meme and the Grandpa FKA BostonPoetGuy. Now, instead of being 16 hours away by car and 1 ½ hours away by plane, they'll be 3 hours away by car and too close to even consider flying (because it would take longer to get through security and get on the plane than the flight would last)! And we can see them for birthdays and recitals and just because we miss them (which is ALWAYS!). And it's good too because Meme has a job and will be close to her mom and sister and we can see GB when we see Meme and GFKABPG. And Lulu will get to know these temps who Pete already knows and loves and respects. Poor Husbandguy, though! I bet he'll get tired of weekend road trips before I do!! We'll have to find something super fun and tempting near their new home when they get it that we can promise him to get him to make the trip (and do all the driving)...

YAY!! Meme and GFKABPG!! Yay!!

Question

Why is it that the dummy who isn't paying attention and doesn't notice that the light is green always seems to make it through on the last second of yellow and the poor person behind him who was paying attention and would have gone when they were supposed to always has to wait through another light cycle?

Pete Says:

As a five year-old, Pete is still learning about tact. One morning Pete's Mom was making pancakes, and Pete wandered into the kitchen and (tactfully) asked Pete's Mom what kind of pancakes Pete's Mom was making. Pete's Mom said they were just regular pancakes. As Pete was leaving the kitchen then, Pete said, "Did you notice I didn't ask what that terrible smell is?"

Oh, By the Way...

That picture of Homer in the last post shows the new carpet.

LL Says:

The Famblie went to a baseball game yesterday. The mascot for the Charlotte Knights, our little local team, is Homer the dragon. Lulu was enamoured! Half kidding, I said, "Can you say 'Homer'?" totally expecting her to not say anything, and she did! She said, "Homer." Then that was all she said for the rest of the day.

Lulu says, "Momo."

Talk About Passive-Aggressive!

A Saturday post!

So, earlier, while Husbandguy was sleeping in his chair and Pete was watching a TV program and Lulu was napping, I thought I would play the piano for a few minutes. Before I had played four notes, DH exclaimed in an irritated voice, "Are you sure you want to do that now?" He claims he meant while Lulu was sleeping, but the way he said it didn't make that clear. Then, later, when he was sitting down for a minute taking a break because he really had been working hard moving stuff in the garage, I tried playing again, and he said something like, "Did you finish that thing you were going to do?" or something just as passive-aggressive. So I asked him why he doesn't want me to play the piano, and his response was that he never said that he didn't want me to play the piano, but what he should have said was that he never actually said that because it sure came across that way!

Jeez! I played the piano anyway this last time (I stomped around and looked annoyed the first time).

The Blown Kiss Goodnight

Last night, Husbandguy asked Lulu if she was ready to go night-night, and before he had even finished saying the second "night," she had stood up from her monkey-with-bongos toy and was headed to her room blowing kisses the whole way. DH said that by the time he got to her room, she had chosen a book from her little bookshelf and was standing by the rocking chair waiting for him to sit down. Is she smart or what?!

Kissing Update

If you're interested...

We tried again last night and it was way better. Husbandguy actually acted like he wanted to and I think that helped. One funny thing, though: before we had barely started the kiss, DH pulled away and exclaimed, "Why is your head so cold?!"

Muppet Haircut and Advice for PSP

So we have this blanket that is sort of like a fluffy blue Muppet (I love the Muppets), and it had this fringe on the ends that was like Muppet hair until I washed it (the blanket - including the fringe). After that, it was all tangled together like a fuzzy blue puzzle, which would have been great for me because I like puzzles, but it was also leaving Big Blue Fuzzballs everywhere that Lulu kept eating (that kid puts everything in her mouth!). So I cut the fringe off - I gave the Muppet blanket a haircut. While I was cutting off the fringe my mind wandered around a little because trimming blankets doesn't involve much thought beyond keeping your fingers out of the scissors, and I was thinking about how boring my blog is, really. A while ago, someone even told Meme, the temp responsible for the Magic Music, that it is. BostonPoetGuy (who has a new name now, but I don't remember it) seems to enjoy it, and I really like that, but would he read it all the time if he wasn't my dad? Then I was thinking about Princess Sparkle Pants and wondering if she would keep coming back if she wasn't my friend (seriously, PSP, would you?). And that got me thinking about PSP's blog and her desire to discover a friend's true sexual orientation without asking straight out (no pun intended). I had suggested she should hit on him, but it occurred to me during the trim that if he knows about her DH and two Lovey Loves, he might not take her seriously. I was going to leave another comment on her blog, this time suggesting that she offer to set him up with her friend Alison Jones (remember her PSP?) instead. Then I thought, since my blog is boring and PSP reads it anyway (thank you PSP), I would put it here. There you go, PSP. Try that.

Kisses

Yesterday, I realized that Husbandguy and I haven't had a real kiss - like we used to - in a really long time. We mostly just give each other quick pecks on the mouth (or somewhere near there) on our way to bed or out of the house or whatever. So I told DH that from now on, we're going to make a point of taking the time to give each other at least one Real Kiss every day. We started yesterday, and guess what else I realized. We are terrible kissers! We used to be really good at it, probably because we did it all the time, but now we're awful! It was awkward, like when you were 14 and were only kissing because you thought you were supposed to.

I don't think it's me, though. I think DH wasn't committed to it so when he gets home later, I'm going to give him my critique, and we'll see what happens.

I hope we get good at it again. I like kissing!

Rug Burn, Tomato Update, and Other Stuff

So we got this great new carpet that is way better than the icky pink stuff that came with the house. Except that the desk is still in the garage. I set up the computer using an end table and Pete's little table, and I have to sit on the floor. And yesterday when I was giving Lulu a shower (because the bathtub is full of stuff from under Pete's bed), my shins got wet and they burned! Turns out I have mild rug burn from sitting in front of the computer. Who would have ever thought!

We have one tiny tomato finally! It looks like a little green blueberry. I'll post a picture when I find the camera...

Also, apparently the Chiaphant sat in the garage too long because only one of the seeds sprouted and a bunch of the rest are getting moldy. Oh well. It was worth a shot. If I find the camera, I'll post a picture of the little green stem sticking up above CPh's tail. It's kind of silly, really.

This summer, Pete is learning French (I would have chosen Spanish, but I wasn't the one picking) and piano. Pete is really taking to both, I think.

So! Totally uninteresting, huh? Sorry....

Out Of Pocket

What does that mean, anyway? I think that's what I've been since Sunday afternoon when Husbandguy and Poppop moved everything breakable so the carpet guys wouldn't charge us extra. That included the computer. That's why there was no Pete Says: today. I had a good one all typed up too, but since I couldn't post it this morning, I'm going to wait until next Tuesday. I bet you can't wait.

Mommy's Magic Plate

Apparently, green beans on Lulu's plate are inedible. They are so bad that they must be spit out and placed on the table if they are accidentally eaten. But the green beans on Mommy's plate are delicious! They are so good, in fact, that Lulu demands to be fed them. And the really interesting thing about Mommy's plate is that green beans that originated on Lulu's plate become palatable once they have been waved over Mommy's plate on the tip of Mommy's fork. Apparently Mommy's plate is magic! Hmmm... I wonder if Husbandguy would eat banana-nut bread if it came from Mommy's plate...

He says "no." Maybe the magic doesn't work on him. That's so sad.

Secrets Revealed

Okay, my two regular readers know the truth about my "bosses" and "co-worker," but I think it might be time to come clean and change my format. And I'll tell you why. I want to be able to tell you all about my bosses, and I mean all. For example, Boss 2 only has six teeth, and she just got the sixth one, like three days ago. Now, if you think of my boss like your boss, you know, all grown up and whatever, and not as the Most Adorable Toddler Ever, you might wonder about the six teeth. So under the old format, that is a story I would leave out. But I don't want to leave it out. So I'm telling you now:

Boss 1 and Pete are the same person.
Boss 2 and Lulu are the same person.
Co-Worker and Husbandguy are the same person.
The Temps are grandparents, uncles, aunts, friends, etc.
From now on, while I love my job as a domestic executive, I'm just The Mom. And this is my world. 'kay?

LL Says:

LL says "duh!"

Grilled Talapia

Did George Foreman really name all of his kids George Foreman? Are they all boys?

I only ask because the other day we had grilled talapia for dinner and since it was so hot outside and kind of stormy (for a second), I cooked it on our George Foreman grill, which maybe isn't fine dining or anything, but wow! is it easy. And plus, I'm not really a fish eater so I just cared that it was cooked and husbandguy was so happy to be eating fish at home that he didn't care how it was cooked and Pete ate three helpings so clearly Pete didn't care either. Lulu even sucked it down until she tried the rice, which she liked better.

And the other day we had hot dogs and I used our GFG for those. And chicken breasts before that. I think Husbandguy might miss firing up our outside grill, but the GFG is so easy. And its 8,000,000,000º here already! And wasps come in the house when DH goes in and out through the back door. And the GFG only runs out of gas if the power goes out. And we don't have to wait for DH to get home from work on a weeknight to use the GFG (I can use the outside grill but it's 8,000,000,000º here [see above]). See? So there are a ton of reasons to use it!

What should I cook on it next? Oooooo... I know... Bratwurst! No... That should be cooked outside... Hmmm...

Pete Says:

Before Pete turned four, Pete's family was enjoying a quiet and leisurely lunch one Saturday. Pete was sitting next to Pete's Grandma, across the table from Pete's Dad and Pete's Mom, eating Pete's chicken fingers or something. All of the sudden, out of the blue, unprompted, for no reason what-so-ever, Pete exclaimed, "For shizzle! It's off the hizzle!" and then went on eating chicken fingers.

A Summer Project

Someone gave me this a hundred years ago, and it's been out in my garage, which gets incredibly hot in the summertime, for a very long time so who knows if it will still work. Husbandguy found it yesterday and I showed it to Boss 1 (who, you'll remember, is in the office with us all day during the summer) and she thought we should do it. She'd never seen one before. I hope it works. She'll think it's pretty cool, I bet, if it does. We started yesterday. This was the first step.

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Buffalo Barbecue

Moomie just told me this story about how once, when her parents were invited to a party, the hosts asked them to bring a whole bunch of stuff. One of her parents said, "We're having a buffalo barbecue, and you bring the buffalo!"

I just thought that was funny. Maybe I'm the only one...

Back to the Main Office

Boss 1's daytime office is a part-year thing. In the summer, she works out of the main office, which Boss 2 and I are really looking forward to.

She accomplished so much at her daytime office this past year. We are really proud of her. I just hope she's not bored at this office all summer. When she's around, though, we seem to do more - more offsite meetings, teambuilding activities, etc. - so hopefully she won't be.

Today is her last day at her daytime office so Mr. Co-Worker took her out for a special breakfast. I'm trying to think of something special to do when she gets back from her daytime office this afternoon. If only I knew how to make eggrolls...

Deedee from Big Bank Land

When I worked at Big Bank Land, I had a friend who we'll call Deedee. She was really cool. I used to tease her that she knew everyone. Because she did! Whenever we would go to lunch or for a walk or anywhere, we would always run into people she knew. One time, we were walking to our cars after work and I was teasing her about it and right as she denied it a city bus drove by and someone waved at her from one of the windows. She couldn't deny it then.

There isn't really a point to this. I was just thinking about Deedee and thought I'd post about her...

LL Says:

LL says "ber!"

Tomato Update

Not much to report, really. The one in the pot by itself has a bunch of flowers on it but no little tomatoes yet, and the other two have buds but not any blooms yet. This is the boring part. At least they're still growing!

I'll post a picture later if I get a chance to take one.

Pete Says:

The other day, there was a race at the Speedway, and Pete and Pete's Dad went somewhere in the car (not the Speedway), and when they got back, Pete's Dad told Pete to tell Pete's Mom what they had seen.

Pete said they saw a "flying float!" Pete was Super Excited about it.

I bet it said "Goodyear" on the side...

Passive Aggressive Present

I bet you don't get presents for your annual review. You might get a raise or a bonus or a hat with your company logo or something cheesy like that, but I bet you don't get presents, from your wish list, from everyone. We do. It's cool.

So, a couple of our temps went on vacation recently, before Boss 2's annual review, and before they left, they dropped off a box at the office and said something passive aggressive like "[Mommy's Nintendo] can put that together...if she wants to..."

Duh! "If she wants to..."? When have I not torn into a box that says "Some Assembly Required" on the outside? And they knew that! "If she wants to..."! Jeez! They could have just said,"This has to be put together. Would you do it?" I would have said, "Try and stop me!"

I know passive aggressive when I see it. I should! I'm the queen. Everyone here is... Boss 1, Mr. Co-Worker... Well, Boss 2 isn't, but I bet she will be eventually. Jeez, people! Just say what you mean!!

(Note to Self: investigate hats with company logo...)

Fun Time

Boss 2's annual review was a rollicking success! Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves. Boss 1 had a few of her people over to help celebrate, and a bunch of our temps were there. Some of them we hadn't seen in a very long time so it was nice. Boss 2 enjoyed herself a lot. She can be funny in crowds sometimes, but she wasn't yesterday. She really seemed to be in her element. It was cool. I love annual reviews (you know that already).

Annual Review

It's Party Time!

You know I love annual reviews, right? Well, Boss 2's is this weekend. We're going to have so much fun. Nobody ever gets negative reviews around here (except for that one year when it snowed, like, 2 feet the day of my review and it was cancelled) so we always invite a bunch of the temps to share it with us and have snacks and games and cake. Sometimes we even do give-aways, but I don't think we will this time. It will still be fun, though.

I wish our faraway-temps could come...