Bel Wonders...

How is a person not supposed to feel like a nag when 99% of her requests for help or suggestions for activities/dinner menus/etc. are met with either a sigh, an eye roll (literal or figurative), or a half-hearted "I suppose"?

LL Says:

Recently, the girls, Husbandguy and I were riding home in the car from HG's parents' house, and Lulu exclaimed, "A flying cow?! That isn't right!!" HG and I both scanned the roadside signs and buildings for what we were sure was some cartoon-like representation of a cow in a cape but didn't see one. So we asked and Lulu said, "In the sky!" We looked - still nothing. Lulu said, in her best DUH voice, "That cloud looks like a cow."

If You Need a Dozen Small Children Organized into a Ring...

This morning, one of Lulu's teachers incredulously described Lulu organizing an impromptu game of ring-around-the-rosie yesterday. Apparently she started out with 2 of her friends, and then with minimal, careful instruction ("Everyone hold hands!" "Back up a little, everyone; spread out!"), she eventually had all of the children but one (he was tired) going round and round the rosie in a joyful ring.

I love my tiny tyrant. And apparently everyone else does too...

Bel Wonders...

...do the commenters who leave links to adult chat rooms in Chinese as comments on my posts really think I'll publish their comments without translating them first? And is TIBM really the right forum for your link? Anyone is welcome to leave a legitimate comment, but I don't provide free advertising.

Finally Winter?

Nuh-uh! All through December, Lulu kept denying that it was winter. It couldn't be because it hadn't snowed. Even when December 21 came and went (without flakes from the sky) it was not winter. "Mommy?" she queried, "When is it going to be winter?" Sorry, sweetie. We live in The South. Sigh...

But Maybe There is a chance of winter starting this coming Friday, though. Keep your fingers crossed in your mittens for us, okay? It's nearly February, afterall, which is the month when we usually start our tomato seeds and realize in a few weeks that we waited too long and the month before spring starts (the thermometer starts heading back up consistently on March 1) so our time to have winter this year is running out.

LL Says:

In the middle of one of those Here-I-Come.../No!-Don't-Get-Me! games that little kids like to play (you've played it - you know you have), Lulu was NoDon'tGetMe-ing and ran right into the kitchen wall. THUMP! (poor kid!) She looked surprised and then brave as she rubbed her elbow and said, "I'm fine! Just a little damage."

Bel Wonders...

How hard is it really to turn one pant leg either inside out or right side out so it matches the other one rather than putting the pants in the hamper half inside out?

(Now you wish you had my life, don't you?)

Yummy New Things

You'd Be Wrong You would think that, having been a vegetarian for nearly a year by now, I would have cooked tofu before now, but nope, that wouldn't be true. While we were at TG and Meme's this weekend, though, Meme said, "For lunch today let's cook this Tofu with Spinach and Mushrooms in Ginger Peanut Sauce from my really awesome cookbook that also has a yummy recipe for roasted sesame green beans," (that is exactly what she said - pretty much) and I said, "Okay!" and we did. Neither of us has ever cooked with tofu before so we followed the recipe (don't tell HG - oh wait, no, we changed it a little by using crunchy peanut butter and adding water chestnuts - we should have also added red pepper, but anyway...)... where was I? Oh right! We followed the cooking-the-tofu part of the recipe.

And? The Point? My lunch today was really good. And it turns out, cooking with tofu is really easy. And I think I'll be doing that more now. Because the rest of my family eats stuff that used to walk around, and that just doesn't appeal to me.

I Am Not Just Deluding Myself

GO Santa! For Christmas, the girls asked Santa for a Wii, and being a thoughtful kind of guy, Santa also delivered a Wii Fit. I am kind of in love with the Wii Fit. I could take or leave the actual Wii - who has time to play video games? But (and I think I said this before) without the Wii Fit, I wouldn't exercise. Seriously. Sad, I know. Since we plugged it in a couple of weeks ago, I have "exercised" all but 3 days.

Lucky Dog If it weren't for the Wii fit, also, our sweet little bundle of puppy energy wouldn't get walks. I'm not super motivated to take her out, even though I should be, and the rest of the family says, "She's not my dog." I do make sure that she gets lots of playtime indoors and cuddling and brain-taxing training so she's not unhealthy, but the poor thing needs to go outside. I KNOW! So, when I feel like I'd like to be Wii Fit-ing but the TV is busy with something else inane, I strap that sweetie in her harness and we go around the block, about a mile, at a brisk pace. It's not much, but it's way more than we were doing. And it was one of my original reasons for wanting a dog.

Happy Birthday to ME! Today is my birthday. All I asked for was 1 thing: the AE Sports Active package for the Wii. And I got it. YES! I had zero time this morning to work out. I had literally 1.5 hours and I also needed to eat and shower and update my facebook status, but I plugged that disc into the consul and checked it out anyway. Guess what? It has pre-made workouts! So I could just say, "I want to work out for 20 minutes and not have to make any decisions about what to do next," and my Wii could comply. It was AWESOME!

Thin ≠ Fit You probably knew that already. So did I, but inertia is so hard to overcome. I told myself I needed to exercise. But I never "got around to it." It's not like I sat on my flat, tone-less butt eating cheese balls and watching My Stories. Often. But laundry and Facebook and driving to piano lessons don't do much more for your stamina than cheese balls and TV. So I picked the 20-minute, easy workout this morning because I was limited on time and was pretty sure I couldn't get through the hard one. Guess what! It kicked my tone-less butt! It was awesome!! I want to do it again. And again. And again until it isn't hard anymore.

Who Knew? Seriously, all it took to get me motivated was an avitar who somewhat resembles me and does air punches when I work a little bit harder than before.

I Know I know that I will eventually need more than my beloved Wii and a 20-minute walk with my fuzzyface if I want to be really fit and healthy. But it's a start. And I'm motivated to keep going, which might eventually turn into "going" outside or something. weird...

Inspirational Thought

If you don't try, you can't fail.

Discuss.

Sad but True

If it weren't for Wii Fit, I wouldn't exercise. You may hear more on this later...

Pete Says:

A person we know was taking a very long time in the bathroom. Pete said, "He's having intentional difficulties."

Somehow I doubt his "difficulties" were on purpose...

Farewell, Good Friend

I didn't get a photo of this because we were concerned that Abby might eat him, but I thought you might like to know that Stuffy was murdered last night. Husbandguy found him in the living room in a pool of his own fluff. Meanwhile Abby was chewing on his squeaker (HG said, "his brain") around the corner. His death was clearly violent, but judging from the tear in his neck, it was likely also quick. Poor creature. Stuffy leaves behind a weird green fish-looking thing, a rubber wiener dog in a bun (hot dog), and several different colored balls. He will be missed. And likely replaced.

Contradiction

Ew! also AWW! Normally, if Lulu wakes up in the night, she makes a wretched noise and tries her hardest to get us to come to her by wailing and whining and gasping and being generally overdramatic. I have asked her repeatedly not to shriek, "MOMMY!" like she's being eaten by a tiger if she just needs to use the bathroom because it scares me. Last night, though, she woke up and made a retching noise and came out of her room and calmly said, "Mommy?" When I answered, she said (calmly), "Would you come into my room?" At a time when a little drama would have been acceptable (she had thrown up in her bed), she was as mature and calm and level-headed as can be.

I love that kid!

Well, I Guess I Won't Be Winning Any Awards for Posting Every Day

It's harder than you would think. Especially when you have kids and appointments and laundry and other commitments. I'll post twice today, though. I take it back.

Growing

2007

2008

2009

(Thank you, TG)

What I Think About...

I said this to a friend recently, and thought I'd share it with you, since I didn't have any thing else and keep almost missing my every-day post.

Sometimes I don't want to be the one who has to answer when someone yells, "MOM?!" but at the same time, I wouldn't want anyone else to do it for me.

Aaauugh!! I Suck at This!

Man! I almost missed posting again!

Stuffy

This is Stuffy.

Santa left Stuffy peeking out of Abby's little stocking.

Stuffy is frequently the reason for a desperate, whimpering search for a great hiding place. We often find Stuffy behind pillows or under coats that have been left on the couch. One time, Abby even tried to dig a hole in the tree skirt to bury her. If one of us hears poor Abby whimpering, we don't worry that something is actually wrong with her; instead we ask whoever is closest to her whether she has her Stuffy, and the answer is consistently, "yes."

Best toy ever, apparently...

Pete Says:

During lunch today, Pete came up with a good name for chicken-style vegetarian products:

ChickUn (get it?)!

Also, today she turns 8. sigh... Happy Pete Day!

So, Actually, Turns Out, She's a Blonde

before

Who Knew?

I took Abby to PetSmart yesterday for her first real haircut and asked them to cut off the black tips but to leave her fluffy, and this is what we got: A New Dog!

after

LL Says:

You know I have MS, right? And that I give myself a shot every other day for it, right? Well, while we were at the beach, Lulu wanted to watch me have my shot so I let her. I have this spring-loaded machine that actually does the injection for me so she watched me mix the solution and fill the syringe and load the machine and then followed me to the bathroom where I pushed the button and started the injection. Usually my shot hurts a little. Sometimes, not at all. This time, it hurt like crazy so I said, "Ow, ow," quietly so not to alarm her, and she said, with obvious concern, "What, Mommy?" and I said, "It hurts, kiddo." And she exclaimed, "TAKE IT OUT! TAKE IT OUT!" Aw! Poor kid. She's a sweetie sometimes.

Of course, I told her I had to finish my shot before I could take it out and we waited anxiously together and checked to see that I wasn't bleeding when I did finally take it out. Then she laughed at me and ran to tell Husbandguy that she had laughed at Mommy because Mommy was hurting, HAHA! Sometimes she's not so much a sweetie. But she's still pretty cool.

It All Depends on Your Point of View

Two Takes Yesterday (or the day before), I commented to Husbandguy how strange it seemed that exactly 1 week before that we were at the beach and had been for several days. He agreed that it did seem strange. "But also nice," he added. I didn't answer immediately with a vigorous, "HELL YEAH!!" (probably because I didn't feel like it) so he went on about how relaxing our vacation had been and how good the girls listened and blahblahblabbityblah. First of all, I'm not sure whose girls he was talking about and secondly, I think our definition of what is relaxing is more different than I previously realized.

All in the Family One explanation I've come up with for the difference in our experience is the fact that we were there with his parents. I know that I have a much more relaxing and enjoyable time at TG and Meme's than he does. Our families are different. There are times when I find watching television "relaxing" and diverting but not when the first thing you do when you get out of bed or come in the door is turn it on and then leave it on and drool in front of it until you go out again or until you pry your eyes open to stumble off to bed. When it's on constantly, it's just irritating! Also, I personally wouldn't choose to watch football and FoxNewsick all the time (although I didn't mind the Rose Bowl - I did mind that HG's mom wanted Oregon to win but couldn't tell me why she chose them over OSU, but she did change the channel from FoxNewsick when Mike Huckabee promised to talk about abortion and I said, "Can we turn this to something else?"). And I think HG's memory of the girls not fighting, etc. has a lot to do with the fact that they figured out they should ask him if they could turn the TV on in the other room instead of me because he always said yes, even after I'd said no. Of course they're quiet; THEY'RE CATATONIC! Bleh. I wish the condo had been bigger. Or the weather had been warmer.

Plus, Also HG had to go back to work when we got home. Me too, I guess (although technically I was still "doing my job" on vacation), but my work is more rewarding than his most of the time.

But no one got sick and they only made me go to 1 buffet. So while HG may have had a better vacation than me, I wasn't miserable.

Found This on my FB Profile

You do this too! Then tell me you did it so we can all share. Okay?

25 Things About ME!!

Rules:
Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.


1. I met my husband at Wal-Mart. We rarely shop there anymore.
2. We got married at the courthouse on a rainy Thursday and wouldn't trade that for a big wedding ever.
3. I will talk to you for hours about Multiple Sclerosis if I'm sure you're interested.
4. My girls are my whole world.
5. I love my little 2002 Accord, all 70,000+ miles of it. I wouldn't change anything (except if I had to I would have heated side mirrors and satellite radio).
6. I hate my tiny 2004 ranch and would change everything about it - location, size, stories, yard, kitchen... Especially the kitchen.
7. I like good draft beer, which is interesting only because until 2009 I didn't like beer at all.
8. Chewing noises and other squishy mouth sounds gross me out.
9. I was writing a novel and got to just over 10,000 words and stopped writing and can't seem to start again.
10. I have a tattoo of an elephant on my left shoulder. His name is Toby and he's holding a flower. I got him because Husbandguy said, "You're not the kind to get a tattoo."
11. I rarely follow a recipe when I cook. Recipes are for new or uncertain cooks.
12. I color my hair. Shhhh! Don't tell anyone!
13. If I could live anywhere in the country it would be in a cottage on the coast of Maine. Literally on the coast. Year-round.
14. When my littlest was a baby I celebrated every poopy diaper because they only came every 3 days.
15. My current job is the best job I've ever had and the only one I haven't wanted to quit after 2 years.
16. I wish I spoke more Spanish.
17. I would love to take piano lessons again.
18. I've been to a strip club more than once and had a good time each time.
19. I love to read. And read. And read. And read.
20. I usually have the self esteem of a chunk of concrete.
21. I hate cleaning. I can't throw anything away and prefer only to dust when there's enough dust on everything that dusting makes a visable difference and then only if I have to.
22. I didn't nurse either of my girls, but it wasn't for a lack of desire or effort. It broke my heart to give that first real bottle, but they're both okay so far...
23. Most Tuesdays feel like Friday to me all day.
24. I love my family. The ones near and far away and wish that we all lived a lot closer together than we do.
25. I'm not going to tag anybody but would like you to consider yourself tagged if you want to do this (I'll add a tag for you if you want me to...).

Whoops!

I almost missed it. I'll get better. It was a busy day today...

I'm Not Really Here

I'm actually at the beach. Or on my way home from the beach. Every year Husbandguy's mom and dad rent a condo on the top floor of a high-rise on the beach and we spend the week there (click here to read about last year). Keep your fingers crossed that no one visited the hospital this year. It's sad when your main goal for vacation is that nobody is so sick they have to go to the ER. Unfortunately, the last 2 years we've gone, someone has been miserably sick. I'll tell you all about everyone being well this year when I get back. I hope...

Big Year Ahead

Can they be almost
Eight and four?
Thankfully it's not more!

You're Gonna Get Tired of Me

Sorry. But I've decided to try to post every day again this year.

You don't have to come read every day, I mean, if you have time to spend getting caught up every once in a while.

But please leave a comment from time to time so I don't feel lonely. I like to say that I do this blog-thing for me, but really I love the audience.

You scratch my back read my blog, I'll read yours. Okay?