Wild Hair Day

Max's school had crazy hair day last week so we did what we could on short notice. Mom's hair products to the rescue! Here he is in all his spikey haired glory!

kinda sassy...just sorta...

Ever have one of those days where things are a little sideways, where you feel off center, but not really? Well, I'm having one of those days today. It was a fantastic day all the way around and now I'm kind of wondering if someone gave me caffeinated coffee (hit Starbuck's TWICE today - will explain). Can you imagine the damage that would do? It's been YEARS since I had a big huge swig of caffeine, so you can only imagine.

Anyway, took the little guys to see Diego in DC today. Loads of fun and got to see some old friends from Texas. The boys obliged me and held up their Baby Jaguar masks, but then promptly handed them back and went about the business of watching the show. We hit up McD's after and then took the Metro back home, where the boys promptly fell asleep. Then, we had to hang out at the mall for an hour or so, so we grabbed some snacks then headed up to the new ice rink. There was someone skating, so the little boys got to see what ice skating was all about. Funny thing - they said that it looked like skateboarding, but that you couldn't plop on the board on your belly. Not sure they got the whole cold ice part or the skates part, but they did see the nice lady leaving marks on the ground - and they weren't so pleased with that.

On the way home (Tom left work early as he's already worked a full week this week) my smart ass hubby was making fun of my wanting to take pictures of all the pretty lilies in the median. He was waving his hands thinking I was actually going to take a picture driving 45 mph two lanes away from the flowers. So, I took that picture, and these are the pretty lilies!

Then tonight after dinner Max asked me to come down and dance with the three of them. I bounced, spun, and wiggled until I had no dance left in me. Oh how dancing has changed since the 1980's...well, maybe not. Max was doing his best break dancing imitation, and a pretty fine job of it I might add! Then I headed off to Starbucks (second time today - we hit SB up this morning while we were killing time so we didn't get on the Metro in the middle of the rush) to plan the MOMS Club activities for the next two months. Met a very nice lady with a four year old and an infant who was there to help me get this thing planned out. Might have a playdate there - she seemed really nice and her kiddos are also both boys.

So, all in all a pretty decent day. Not sure where the sassy came from, but my off center kind of day was a good one!

Remember Dark Angel?

So I was sitting here checking my e-mail while watching TV and had a sudden minute of panic. Did I name my first born son after a TV character??? Oh, no. That's not good. I was watching Dark Angel on the Sci Fi Channel. Dark Angel was one of my favorite TV shows several years ago, and while it was only on for two seasons, I really enjoyed watching it and followed the story pretty closely. Unfortunately they canceled it before they finished the story and I was bummed. Jessica Alba played the lead character - Max, and thus you see my panic. Which came first - TV Max, or my Max? They both showed up around the same time, but could I have actually named my kid after a TV character?

I hopped online to see if the show came on BEFORE or AFTER my Max was born. A big WHEW here...it didn't start until October 2000, so Max was NOT named after Miss Jessica Alba! He he he...that would be a bit embarrassing. Talk about a major faux pas!

On a celebratory note, Sam is officially out of Pull Ups! Yea! Woo Hoo! Yee Haw! We are DONE DONE DONE with diapers! He actually has been out of them for a while, but still wanted to wear them at night and since we subscribe to the lazy parent potty training school of thought, we let him. But, this past weekend he went three nights without a diaper and no accidents. And, he's been Pull Up free since and still no accidents! Yea!

happy dance happy dance happy dance

This is for you Sam...

Mom MY Ride!

This is so scary true...and such a Zima ad. I'd pack Guinness if it were MY van, but you HAVE to see this and you'll know EXACTLY what the inside of my van looks like...minus the milk - that's just gross. (Thanks Susan!)

JCPenney Wins

I really REALLY dig these commercials. JCPenney just wins on this one. The message is true - Every Day Counts...



I'm still searching for the longer one where the little man hands the teacher the bug jar and it says "It's the thought that counts." If you see it online anywhere do let me know so I can grab it.

Oh how things have changed...

While out running errands yesterday I took Ian and Sam to Silver Diner for lunch. Silver Diner is just that - a diner - old style. It has a jukebox, serves up these big shakes, and has everything from burgers to meatloaf to food so gross that I won't even mention it. They also serve beer and I'm not sure how many of the old diners did that. But I digress. There are murals all over the walls inside, including one of an old style Car Hop. You know - the kind with the roller skates and short skirt. Ian saw that and yelled out "HEELY'S!" I nearly fell over laughing. She was wearing roller skates and he had no idea what they were, yet he knows what Heely's are. For those not in the know, they are these sneakers that have wheels on the bottom. Here are a few pics:

The come in various colors and are not only for boys, but also for girls and apparently grown ups. Although, I've honestly never seen one on anyone over about 13 years old. Not sure that this craze has caught on in the high school crowd. And it is a craze. Our elementary school sent home a note a few weeks ago saying that you must remove the wheels from the shoe or you would be sent home. Apparently they are either disruptive in school, or kids were getting run over. Just my guesses, nothing more. I've seen kids zipping around the mall, the grocery store, and anywhere else with a flat surface with these things on. You are basically self propelled, so kids really dig these shoes. Max has asked for them several times and I tell him "No." Then I mutter under my breath "Yeah, Over my dead body." Of course, now that I've said that out loud to someone other than Tom, I'm most likely going to eat those words very soon - I'm just sure of that. Maybe they will fade away or become uncool before Max really REALLY wants to get them. Oh geez - there's also Ian and Sam, who both obviously know what they are. Man am I in trouble...

Got Kids?

Every once in a while I see something that sucks me right back in to wanting kids. These aren't things like pictures of cute kids which do it pretty much all the time, but the kids' accessories. I mean things like Sippy Cups, blankets, toys, cool new car seats or strollers (yes, that too draws me in - gotta love technological advances that make things look so much cooler and work so much better today than back when...). So anyway I was reading this cool blog that I really enjoy and saw this cute little ad out of the corner of my eye:I just had to click on it! And what did I find: COW PRINT ONESIES! O.K. So my mom made the boys some terrifically cute tie dyed onesies when all three were little. They also got some darling animal print ones from her, as well as a cute stash from Gerber. But these take the cake. You have to admit - kids or not kids, these things are ADORABLE. They not only have cow print, but also Camo prints and Fruits and Veggie Bibs! Here are the pics, but if you have any kids or know of any kids, go check this site out. I can't WAIT until someone has a baby that I can get these for!!!! Hmmm...do you think my 4 year old could squeeze into that cute cow print onesie? Nah....then again...

Happy St. Patty's Day? HUH?

So St. Patrick's Day came and went and I didn't even notice. I am so falling down on my job as far as exposing these three little critters to all the coolness that are the holidays that I was exposed to when I was a kid.

So, in honor of St. Patrick's Day, this post is green. Yeah, that's it for this year - take it or leave it...two days late and all. I do have a "Welcome" sign hanging on the front door that is all shamrocks, and my signature on my e-mail was a St. Patrick's Day so I guess I didn't completely blow it. And Max did make a Shamrock hat at school that he wore home on Friday. But, no green cookies, no green clothes and no pinching (not a bad thing to leave out, but still.).

So, watch out next holiday, whatever you are! I think that Easter is up next, so I'm all OVER that one!

I'm going to leave you with a few Shamrock pictures...yes, they really all are "shamrocks..."

Goodbye Callie

I had to put my cat down today. Callie has been with me longer than Tom or the boys. He's survived all kinds of weird health stuff, moved from Florida to Texas to Virginia, escaped and was found, and made a few friends along the way. Those friends are missing him terribly and having a hard time with his exit. Max was asking all kinds of questions about what happened to Callie (he was napping when I took Callie to the vet - I didn't expect not to bring him home). I was trying to be truthful, but explain delicately without leading him to believe that I killed his cat, how uncomfortable Callie was and how much better off he is now. I told him that we'd make a Callie scrapbook tomorrow and he could include anything that he and his brothers wanted. They are all kind of sad, as we all are, but Callie was 13 years old and he lived a long happy life.

The past few days Callie was having some difficulty, and stopped eating over the past .two days. Because he was diabetic (this is the cat that got out the week that we moved and went missing for five days) and I had a bad feeling, I took him to the Cat ER this afternoon. They told me that his insides were filled with infected fluid (sorry to be gross here). There was a lot they could do, but none of it would make him more comfortable, and none of it had a positive outcome. So, I had to make the tough decision to put him down. While my heart is broken, I know that he has been very uncomfortable the past few days and this certainly would help him out. Also, we really have considered the past few weeks "Bonus Weeks" as we didn't think that we'd actually find him after he escaped when we moved - cats aren't often found when they wander off - especially inside cats who have no idea where they live, or are diabetic and are without their insulin. So, we were glad to have these past two months with him, and certainly the past 13 years.

Callie - we'll miss you...

They call them cartveyors

Walmart has them, so does Bed Bath and Beyond, IKEA, and many many places over in Europe. We ran across our very first cart escalator at Target in Springfield, Virginia. After determining that it was functioning, briefly deciding that it might be faster to use than the elevator, and grossly underestimating the "cool" factor, I decided to toss my cart on there and see where it went. The boys weer just about beside themselves after that. The cart full of stuff rode it's own little escalator down from the second to t e first floor of a Target attached to the Springfield Mall. There are signs posted warning you not to send your kiddos in the cart, or to hang stuff over the edge, but otherwise the cart really can be loaded down with stuff. The cart went slightly slower than us, so we made it down first to retrieve the cart before it was ejected and ran over some poor soul (not very likely, but an interesting thought). Then, the boys immediately wanted to go back upstairs, and down, and back up - you get the drift. They also came home and told Max and Daddy all about it, and of course we had to take them too. Now the cart escalator is the big draw when I need to drag the boys to Target. The conversation goes something like this:

"Come on guys, time to go to Target."
"NOIDON'TWANNAGOTOTARGET!"
"But we're going to the Target with the cool cart escalator."
Silence.
Pitter patter of little feet.
"Hurry up MOMMY! Let's go!"

So, the cart escalator not only move my good from floor to floor (and allows stores like T and W to move into locations otherwise space prohibited) but it also moves my children. Can't beat that...

Visual DNA

Do check this out - it's kinda fun...

Here's mine:

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

And here's Tom's:

Read my VisualDNA™ Get your own VisualDNA™

Sage Advice

And this is why they tell you not to walk around while brushing your teeth...geez...



Woman's brush with death

Wed Mar 14, 8:56 AM ET

A Hong Kong woman somehow swallowed her toothbrush but still managed to dial 999 and call for an ambulance, a newspaper reported on Wednesday.

The 42-year-old woman's brush with disaster happened on Tuesday morning when she slipped, jamming the offending 15-cm implement down her throat, the South China Morning Post said.

The woman was still able to call 999 without choking and request an ambulance, the paper reported.

"Paramedics obtained another 15cm-long toothbrush at her home, which she said was similar to the one she swallowed, and took it with them to the hospital," the newspaper said.

The instrument was eventually extracted with endoscopic surgery.

"The woman is now recovering and her condition is listed as stable," a hospital spokeswoman was quoted as saying.

Date Night Returns!

So Tom and I are date night shy. We've had a run of a few date nights that went well, but had something terrible happen during them. So, we avoid the whole date night get the babysitter enjoy the evening out type thing. To tell you how bad it's been, we've been on only three (babysitter involved) date nights SINCE WE MOVED TO TEXAS IN 1997, and only a few other nights our of the house without the kids. Well, unless I hear otherwise in the next few days from any of you guys, we've broken the "curse." And certainly, if you are in our "sphere of influence" as one close friend put it, you are now safe.

We've snuck out a few times when one of our folks was in town, but we even did that with a bit of trepidation. We never knew who or what was next to fall victim to our "Date Night Curse." But, like I said, it's broken now, so we are all about he dates (yeah, and our babysitter is going to be out of commission for a few weeks as she's getting her tonsils out - NOT OUR FAULT - PRE-EXISTING CONDITION).

So this past Saturday we went to see Reno 911: Miami. If you haven't seen the TV show, it is HILARIOUS. Now, it is a bit raunchy and has some perverse humor at times, but we've seen tons of episodes and every one is funnier than the next. I'm going to try and get the trailer posted here, so don't let your kids look over your shoulder when it plays They have everyone covered up and I don't think there are any terribly bad words, but still...it's Reno 911.



So, if you are looking for a really funny movie to see, certainly check this one out. It's not going to win any awards, but it is really, really entertaining. Not sure what's on tap for our next date night, but our sitter already has us on a rotation with a few other families, something that will force us to continue doing the whole date night thing, which we really do enjoy. Hanging out with Tom is always fun, and I can't wait to see more movies, eat at more good restaurants, etc.

Don't honk at me....

So I spent the day being honked at today. Not sure why - there wasn't anything hanging out of my car, the kids were all strapped in, I hadn't run over anything (or anyone) and wasn't dragging anything behind me. So I have no idea why folks felt inclined to honk at me today. The first time it was because I waited for a break in traffic before I pulled out onto a very busy road. The second time it was because the light turned green and I didn't move fast enough for the car behind me (I was third or fourth in line so I really couldn't go when it turned green without hitting the car in front of me.). I can't remember what the third or fourth time was, but the fifth time was another sitting at a red light and the old guy behind me decided that it was time to go. he crept up on me and honked twice. Funny thing was - the light was RED. I guess I could have gone, but again, not really interested in being t-boned for no reason. So, I guess today was Local Folks Honk at Suzie Day - and five different people responded. Sad thing was, I only went out twice and was driving for a total of about thirty minutes. So, all these obliging folks found me on the road in that short amount of time. Guess I need one of these...bet nobody would honk at me in this:
Think it will work? ...sigh....

Got Me a Mammogram!

Well, that certainly wasn't as terrible as some make it out to be. I had a rough start, but it had nothing to do with the scan itself and everything to do with the fact that I was basically walking in off the street attempting to get a mammogram and *gasp* pay for it on the spot. I've already gone round with my doc and the insurance company, and they just won't cover it. I'm too young, too healthy, and they really don't care if I have a baseline done before. So, I knew going in that I was going to have to pay for it. I also knew that I had an appointment at 7:30 this morning. Remember that we changed the time in the middle of the night last this past weekend? Well, apparently I didn't change all the clocks in the house, including my alarm clock. When Max's alarm went off at what I thought was 6am, I barked at him to get back in bed and he looked at me a bit bewildered. After about three minutes and a quick run downstairs to the kitchen clocks, which I knew we had set, I ran back upstairs and got everyone up and got dressed and ran out the door. I made the appointment on time but I failed to grab the packet of info from my plastic surgeon that had the orders for the mammogram. apparently the other problem when walking in off the street offering to pay for a mammogram is that you really can't just walk in off the street - a doctor has to send you there. After some going around about what actually constitutes "doctor's orders," and after To faxed me the page that had the word MAMMOGRAM and the doctor's signature on the same page, I was in. I really, really wanted to join the mammogram club, and this morning I finally did.

Like I said, it wasn't that bad. The biggest problem for me is that my back muscle - the ones that hold you up - are both pulled and hurt (slept too long on Sunday AM). So when she had me perform weird yoga poses and hold still for the 15-20 seconds that was required, I was a hurtin' dog. But, the scan itself and he compression wasn't bad at all. Hopefully it all looked good and we're set for the surgery. (The tech let me peek because I was curious, and it looked really cool but just like every other mammogram that I've ever seen - boob shaped and covered with veiny things!)

Tomorrow I'm off to my doctor to get all the blood work done. Then I really will be good to go. April 12 here I come!

Allowance

So it begins in our house. We implemented a Chore Chart today and started down the path to an allowance for the boys. max gets the money part, and Ian and Sam understand the whole do chores and get stars, but not the part about the money (yet).

Here's how it all came down. We were sitting at the table and Max was talking about cleaning and chores and I told him that we could start a chore chart. He got all excited and started spitting out chores (silly little man - he'll regret that when he's 12). So, we wrote down some reasonable chores that they could help with and that they would be responsible for on a regular basis. Some of the stuff they do already, but we thought we'd toss a few bones in so they didn't feel so overwhelmed. Already they are responsible for picking up their toys before bed each night, brushing their teeth everyday, and helping out when we ask. But, Max was running with stuff like trash, laundry, sock patrol, etc., so we ran with it!

The deal is that if they complete all of their chores for the week they get $1 . We will get them some sort of piggy back or something that they can put their money into. most likely will be mason jars, but here's why. We told them that some of the money goes to savings, some to charity, and the rest they can spend or save for something bigger. Since it's only $1, it might take them two weeks, but they will be able to buy a new Hot Wheels or something. it will teach them the basics of working and saving and as they get a bit older, the whole thing about money. So each week we'll give them the coins and they can split up their $1 into the different banks.

The weird part here is that we expect them to do these chores anyway, and so far they haven't objected. They have responded positively in the past to charts - all three really dug the potty chart and getting stars when they went in the potty - so I guess we have a good shot here. Honestly I wouldn't mind a little assistance with some of this stuff. The chores that we have on their charts will vary weekly, and like I said, we threw in getting dressed and brushing their teeth, which they do already. Max also ran with the idea of helping out with bigger chores, so we'll do that on a weekly basis. He and his brothers will help with cleaning bathrooms, doing the laundry, and vacuuming the one carpeted room as we see fit on the weekends. The rest of the chores are wiping off the kitchen table and Swiffering the floor, picking up socks and clothes that were left around the house and also putting away the day's laundry, and putting away the DVD's and games that were pulled out, plus emptying the little trash cans around the house. All these things, if done daily, take less than 5 minutes. Then they still clean their toys up each night, and then do their bedtime routine (teeth brushing, hassling their Dad, listening to stories after they finish hassling their Dad, etc.

I'm very excited about the prospect of them helping out, but also of the little guys earning money that they can spend as they like. I'll keep you posted on how it goes and whether they get the whole earning money thing!

Little Things

Ever have one of those days where you just want to bum around the house and do basically nothing? Well, I've had three of those days now. Part of the problem is that I really need to get to the gym - I'm out of steam after last weekend's trip to Savannah and need a good work out. But the little boys are sick and I can't go to the gym with sick kiddos. It's also been quite cold ad snowing the past few days, so no bike riding (which around here would be a great workout), or any other type of outdoor activity. So, I'm dragging around now.

I did say that the boys' being sick is only part of the reason that I haven't hit the gym in the past few days. The other part is that I majorly busted it on the stairs - came down on my be-hind instead of on my feet. I have this big ass bruise on my butt to prove it. Today my ankle no longer hurts (it did hurt enough that I thought there might be a chipped bone, but it is also just bruised), but my back is bothering me a bit. I landed right on the edge of the stair right on my patootie, so the muscle there is very unhappy and is probably pulling on my back muscles and pissing them off. So, gotta take it easy for a day or two more. But, I'll hit the gym this weekend regardless - need that boost!

I'm off to get a mammogram on Monday. Tom was asking exactly how it worked and since I'm not sure we'll be looking it up tonight. Hopefully it won't be too painful. There's nothing wrong, and yes, I'm only 34, but the surgeon wants the baseline done before surgery so that the doctors have stuff to compare it to after the surgery and when I'm the appropriate age for getting one of these. I'm excited about seeing it though - anytime I can get a glimpse into how I work and how I'm put together, I really dig that. So, Monday a mammogram it is.

Tomorrow night we get to have dinner with Dr. Dean Auntie Ray. Yes, she's got lots of titles but she's still Auntie Ray to us. She's in town for a meeting so we're grabbing her and running off to dinner. It will be nice to see her again. Hopefully Sam will feel better and will be up far a little dinner get together. Otherwise we'll have to revisit the whole dinner thing and drag her over here.

Well, those are all the little thing for now. Maybe tomorrow will be a more active day for me. Not sure how many more of these dragging around the house days I can handle...I might just drive myself nuts!

Bunch of Sickies...

Well, we have some sickies this week. Ian's been dragging but has just had a cough until today. Now he's got a fever as well and is more interested in sleeping than anything else. Then, this afternoon Sam started dragging and now has a fever. Fortunately the meds worked for both of them. Hopefully no one else will get it, but I'm not holding my breath. I really needed to go exercise and it isn't happening with two sick little men. Oh well.

I got to see Anna yesterday. I haven't seen her since I was pregnant with Max - so it was 6.5 years ago. She was in DC for a swing dance convention with her Mom, so we took them to dinner. It was great seeing her and I'm glad she got to meet the boys before they headed off to college. Hopefully it won't be six more years before we see each other again!

IT SNOWED AGAIN TODAY! I really think that we moved to just the right place here. It snows, but not too much, and it's great the rest of the year too. I saw pictures from around the country where they have lots of snow and I'm so glad that we don't get that much snow. It basically snowed all day, but we probably only have a few inches. As long as it doesn't ice over tomorrow we're good to go. This weekend it should get back up to the 50's, which is the average for this time of year.

Speaking of time, it's already time to flip the clocks forward one hour. The feds moved up the big clock switch to this weekend (and moved the Fall Back part until a week or so after Halloween). Hopefully we'll recover quickly from losing the hour - I value my sleep...

Speaking of which, I'm outta here for now. I hope that you are enjoying your weather as much as I'm enjoying mine! As Max asked when he got in the car at the bus stop "Are you really excited Mom?" Yes, Max, I am.

Whoops! Missed a week!

Man, time is flying here. I missed a whole week of posting. For part of the week I was out of town, but still, that's no excuse for the first part of the week. So, here's what I did this past week:

Hmmm...my calendar died yesterday at some point, so I can't exactly say what I did this past week. OH - went to MOMS Night Out at this cool new little coffee and dessert place. Not as cool as Saradora's in Round Rock, but neat.

At some point I met with a plastic surgeon about a breast reduction and tummy tuck, and WE DECIDED TO GO AHEAD AND GET IT DONE! YEA!!! I am so excited about this - no more backache or headaches from these guys. While they are friendly and have been with me for all of these years, they too need to be retired. I figure that a 40FF is plenty to go around, but around someone else, not me. The tummy tuck is the result of carrying twins and wanting once again to be able to wear clothes that fit me properly, not hang on me like I'm a grunge lady. we scheduled it for April 12, and I'm so ready to get this done, even though it means a long recovery. I've heard that it will be SOOOOO worth it.

Well, lets see. This past weekend I headed off to Savannah, GA for the first annual IRW Convention. It was called BKNC for short, so I'll call it that here. The best part (aside from the relaxing time, hanging out with new friends that I've only "met" online, and getting lots of cool scrapping stuff and business ideas, was that I WON AN AWARD! I am the 2006 Star Leader! Out of all the instructors in the company I AM THE STAR LEADER! Yea!!! I am so NOT a toot my own horn person, but this one was completely unexpected and I am so very proud, so I'll do it just this once.

We were at the awards banquet and they had given away the Inspiration Award for 2006, which we all submitted names for and the Instructor of the Year Award, which went to one of the Founders Key's who has grown her business 325% in the past year (GO CINDY!), and then they started talking about this leadership award. Beth (who manages the instructors) was talking about this person who is always there to lend a hand, who isn't the most vocal person of the bunch, who has been building her team, etc. I was grabbing my camera after getting a quick sip of beer - I had been taking pics of all the folks going up on stage with my AWESOME zoom lens I got for Xmas - and Beth continued on. In the midst of building her team she was moving half way across the country, and after seeing her here we knew that this was the right person for this award. I was getting all excited for this person - you just had to after all the nice things they were saying about her, but I had no idea who it was. Then Beth said something like" And after having a really rough year" and I realized that she was talking about me. I had a really rough year. I got a big grin on my face and then she said Suzie Phipps, come on up here. I was a big grinny gus for the next few minutes. Couldn't believe it - after all this time of sneaking around and just doing what I normally do behind the scenes - building my team, customer base, , and supporting other instructors as they need, I was busted! But, I am so very proud. I got this great looking trophy thing and this cool apron with my name and 2006 Star Leader on it. Guess the cat's out of the closet now. Can't sneak around so much any more...

Funny thing though - it wasn't over. Beth asked if I wanted to say anything, and I said "I have no idea what to say, I'm actually speechless." She said, that's O.K. stay up here for a minute - we're going to introduce you as the first of the 2007 Founder's Keys!!!! That's a team of 10 or so ladies that they take and bring out to Arizona in June for leadership training. These ladies go back and train others, help other instructors, and learn and then share how to build their own businesses. WILD! I am so freaking excited!!!! So, enough horn tooting for now. As I told Ray earlier tonight, I'm going to crawl back into my hole now and hide again!

That's pretty much what I did this past week. I have a new (computer based) calendar, our chest freezer still isn't fixed, and I think that Terminix hates me. But, more on all this tomorrow. Have a nice evening - signing off from my hidey hole! ;)