How to Pump Gas in Style

I stopped at a gas station a few days ago that I've not been to before. What a surprise it was to catch the news, weather, and a brief bit on sports all while I was pumping gas. How cool is that? It made me not really mind that it was about 30 degrees outside, or that the pump was running slower than molasses. It was a cool thing to occupy the four minutes or so that it took to fill the tank, but thinking about it, is that really necessary? Do I need to fill every waking minute with news, weather, and sports? Hmmm...maybe I won't head back there anytime soon...I really do enjoy my free time...then again I'm an information junkie, but that's a discussion for another day.

Nasty Kitchen Chairs

We need new kitchen chairs - desperately. I'm not kidding - take a peek:

We've tried recovering them, and while that works for a bit, the kids are , well, kids, and the chairs will continue looking like they do. I'm hesitant to recover them again as they look kinda gross now, but I need to mention one other thing. The chairs are hard as rock uncomfortable. The cheapo bench (I should call it a good looking bench because it is) is even more comfortable than these chairs. You see, the last time we recovered them several years ago - before we had any kiddos actually - and we mad a mistake. We used MDF for the seats as one had a friends foot go through it right before we replaced it, and another was cracked and I'm certain that the next time I sat on it it surely would have broken. So, we grabbed a stronger board for the seat thinking not at all that a stronger board is a harder board, and a harder board would hurt your butt if you sat on it more than a few minutes. Now, we did use a cushion under than once beautiful fabric, but even a few inches of cushion won't combat MDF.

So, we're in the midst of the discussion about what to do. Seeing as how we're not big purchasers of furniture - we didn't actually purchase the beautiful table that these chairs sit at - and we don't really want to buy new chairs, we're torn. Do we spend a few bucks and take the time to recover them, this time replacing the MDF with something a big softer / more flexible? Or do we drop $100-$300 PER CHAIR for some nice looking teak chairs that compliment our table? Or do we just toss it all out and get a picnic table in the kitchen? (Oh, I need to delete that part as that's Tom's first choice and not really an option.) Yeah, nice new fabric and three kiddos? What the heck would do the trick here? Vinyl is a bit too sticky, and 70's for me. Any fabric runs the risk of being stained almost instantly upon deposit on one of our chairs. And those kids? They are just 7 , 5, and 5, so it's not really an option to wait until they are a bit older - you see them - they are gross! So, what to do, what to do? Maybe Tom's idea about the picnic table isn't such a bad one. No, I'll stick to my guns and we'll get something figured out here, but it's gotta be soon..

I have PINK Hair, it that so wrong?

Apparently not! And that's certainly a pleasant surprise. I thought for sure that I'd get some not so nice looks, but it just didn't happen. People impress me sometimes when I least expect it, and this is one of those times. My hubby wonders what took me so long, my kids request colors, and lots of people smile. I don't mean a few people, but LOTS and LOTS. It seems that when confronted with a regular looking woman with pink hair (read that as one that's not covered in tattoos or wearing all black or pierced everywhere), it makes you smile to think that she'd dye her hair pink. After you've taken that second look at her hair you just have to make eye contact, and then you run across my big grin. Occasionally people look away, but generally people smile back. Can't beat that with a stick.

But like I said, Tom wondered what took me so long. I've never dyed my hair before, and you see, I am a chicken. After talking to my stylist about it, I hunted up another expert trained in the field - my cousin who does this professionally. She's a few years younger and kinda laughed when I asked her about it, but she too said to go for it. So, off I went and bleached out my hair then dyed it pink. Now, I didn't do this myself - that's just crazy talk. But voila! Here I am with pink hair:


It's subtle - in case you were concerned I really didn't dye the whole thing pink and can cover most of it - here it's just peeking out but there's a bit more underneath if I'm feeling wild! And no weird looks from the pre-school moms, the PTA parents, or the teachers. The students in my scrapbooking class just chalk it up to the fact that I'm an artist, and the kiddos love it. I mean really, they dig it. When I pick the boys up from pre-school we all stand around visiting while the kids run outside one last time. Three or four little boys stood about 10 feet away from me kind of giggling and pointing. One boy smiled and said "It IS pink." Another smiled back at the first and after a quick glance said, "I think it looks pretty." And then they all ran off to bigger and better things. So I guess I have won over the four and five year old crowd. Now I'm old hat at school and the kids don't even give me a second glance. Too bad for the next pre-school mom that wants to get herself some attention I've blown it for you - and sorry about that. But you will get lots of smiles and grins from jsut about everyone else you run across.

You have GOT to be kidding

A lady and gentleman over in London are divorcing and fighting over divvying up the pot of money from their marriage - the HUGE pot of money - $1.6 billion. It's probably mostly his in the first place, but she's not happy with the $50 million that he was willing to cough up. He said that it was her fault the marriage dissolved because of her "unreasonable behavior." Are you kidding me? Someone is unhappy wiht $50 million? How much did she come into the marriage with, and why the heck is she entitled to that much? Then again, why doesn't he just give her some more to get rid of her? Maybe giving her $100 million, still a drop in the bucket (a mere 6.25% of the huge pot) will placate her and just have the whole thing go away. For god's sake - it was a4 year marriage and she didn't have a whole lot in the first place. Did I mention the gentleman was a Beatle? Some people just don't get it.

January 25th

So here's one video of our adventures on January 25th. It's all fun and games until someone hits themselves in the head with a hammer...



By the way, no one was harmed in the making of this video - well, maybe a few nails were bent, but no people were harmed.

How Cold Is It?

It's cold enough that the stuffed animals don gloves...

But not cold enough for the kiddos to wear gloves...or a hat...or even a coat...

Blogger is ticking me off here today (and the past few days as well). I have several posts in the queue waiting to be published and it either won't let me attach the image or it won't let me spell check and save. I have no idea if the word QUEUE is even spelled right???!!!! Dangit Blogger - I want to share my insights, as insane or lame as they might be, but you aren't being nice.

So, here's a post that isn't spell checked, has no picture, and sounds kinda whiney. Hoopfuly ereything is spulled wright so I don't lok likee a creazy purson, and thiers no pikture to boott.
Sorry - had to go there...

Stove Dreams

Should I be concerned

that I'm having dreams

of my stove on fire?

Yea! Lunch Bunch!

I am a SAHM to three wonderful little men. Understand that I think that beating on your brother, yelling, fighting (we call it wrestling here), leaving messes all over the house, and generally destroying things is wonderful. Doesn't sound so good when it is put like that, but they are boys and there are three of them, so I've learned to accept some of what being a boy is all about. I digress. I am a SAHM, which means that for the past seven years I have been home with one, two, or three kids at a time - all day, every day. The oldest is now in second grade, and the younger two started preschool this past fall, which gave me a whopping two hours for four days a week of "free time" (by the time I dropped them off and picked them up that's all that was left).

Today the little guys are starting "Lunch Bunch" once a week to get a feel for what it will be like when school starts in the fall. They are heading to Kindergarten then, and unlike lots of other moms out there, I can't wait. I love my children very deeply and couldn't imagine life without them, but the messes, the wrestling, the yelling, the whole boy thing in general would get to anyone after a while. So today is the first day of Lunch Bunch, where I will drop them off at 9am, and not pick them up until 2:30pm. That means that I will have a full 5 1/2 hours of time all for myself. So what am I going to do you ask? I could catch up on cleaning but that seems like a complete waste of my first huge chunk of free time in years. Besides, I can clean and do laundry while they are here - and sometimes they even offer to help. I could catch up on organizing my digital pictures, but that sounds so un-fun at the moment. I could call some friends and set up a lunch, but they all have kids at home and while it would probably be a fun and also a diversion, I want some kid-free time.

I think instead what I'll do is something that I've been waiting years to be able to do in the quiet of my own home - I think I'll nap. I can nap in the morning, or nap in the afternoon. I have options for the first time ever. I do nap some when the kids are home (the little two are almost five and the oldest is seven), but it's not a restful nap as I have to keep one ear up and running just in case. And getting back to the beginning, they are loud - very loud. They come by that honestly though - I'm loud too. So, just for today, please don't call me - I'll probably be sleeping.

Cross posted over at DC Metro Moms Blog - where parenting and politics make for an interesting mix.

Individually. Wrapped. Potatoes.

Yes, you read that correctly, and when I saw them today I could hardly believe my eyes. I pointed out the potatoes wrapped in clear plastic shrink wrap to my hubby, who simply shrugged his shoulders.

Why on earth does a vegetable that growns in the ground - the dirt even - need a plastic wrap? I even verified that they do grow in the ground - in case I've been misled my entire life. And yes, they are a popular food - "the potato is the second most consumed food in the United States. An average American eats 135 pounds of potatoes a year, which is equal to about a one potato per day average. " - National Potato Council's Website.

But still - shrink wrap? Come on. They are potatoes. Am I missing something here? These even come with an easy pull, zip off wrapper. Huh? What the heck is going on here?

The Super Bowl is BANNED at Churches.

You have got to be kidding me. Churches are not allowed to broadcast the Super Bowl? They are not allowed to broadcast the big game on their screens, so they are having to revert to hosting home parties instead. Now, I'm not religious, but this isn't a religious thing. No one should be denied the right to watch the big game with their friends - 5 of them or 300 of them. These churches aren't charging, just showing the game on their big screens. What genius decided that this was a good idea?

The NFL said, however, that the copyright law on its games is long-standing and the language read at the end of each game is well known: "This telecast is copyrighted by the NFL for the private use of our audience. Any other use of this telecast or any pictures, descriptions, or accounts of the game without the NFL's consent is prohibited."

The league bans public exhibitions of its games on TV sets or screens larger than 55 inches because smaller sets limit the audience size. The section of federal copyright law giving the NFL protection over the content of its programming exempts sports bars, NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said. -Washington Post 2/1/08

So it ISN'T just for churches. It is for anyone who has a TV over 55" and shares with their friends in a public place. Guess they shouldn't come to my house and watch the big game with me then. Hey NFL - if you are listening, I occassionally watch the games that you broadcast ON MY BIGGER THAN 55" TV. Go ahead - sue me for owning a TV larger than 55". If I have some friends over (as we did at our Super Bowl party a few years ago) does this count as a public exhibition? No, you say? Well, if I show it in the back yard will you come after me and my projector?

You NFL guys really need to rethink the whole "You can't watch TV with your church friends thing." Again, not religious here, but man, this is wrong. So a pastor or minister, rabbi or whomever wants to share the love with the football fans in their group and build some community in the process - they CAN'T without the threat of a lawsuit. So come on NFL, get your act together and change up the rules. If you are exempting sports bars, think about adding churches and backyard BBQ's, or changing up those antiquated size rules. Come on, I'm sure I'm not the only rabid football fan that has a big TV.

So yesterday I turned three.

I have a double ear infection. Yes, double - both ears. Somehow yesterday I turned back the clock and turned into a child with really small eustachian tubes. Well, that's not what the doctor said, but it certainly how I felt as I walked out of the office. I had written it off as feeling crummy, and then explained it away as being "Mom Sick." My head isn't going to explode, and I have no fever, so there was no reason to suspect anything like an ear infection. I was leaning towards strep or allergies. But who knew that it was something completely different, something that would take a mere 32 year off of my life?

After my class last Wednesday, which I coughed and hacked through (I'm teaching so it was me talking for 1.5 hours), I swore that I'd call the doctor in the morning. I did just that, and of course he was on vacation. Well, I figured that if I'd waited for three weeks I could wait until he got back, so I told them that I didn't need a referral, and that I'd see if it got better over the weekend. I went about my business and on Tuesday I woke up hacking and coughing, not having slept through the night for the umpteenth time because I was up coughing. So, I called my doctor and was referred to the physician who was taking patients while my doctor was on vacation. She was very nice and explained that yes indeed, it was a double ear infection. She also said that if I waited another day or two it would turn into a RAGING ear infection and that I would have that fever and pain. Good thing I went in.

At some point in the near past I had a cold, and allergy attack, or some weird throat infection. That was the cause of my ear infection. My double ear infection. Yeah, I'm three. I asked about the whole only little kids get ear infection thing, and the doctor told me that obviously that wasn't the case as I had two right here in my ears. So, I'm off to antibiotic and Advil land and heavy doses of cough suppressant (also had a lingering cough and some problems in my throat that were exacerbated by the whole ear thing) and am on the road to wellville. Hopefully.

So the next time I have pain in my ears, throat or have a lingering cough, I'm not explaining it away or making excuses, I'm heading right off to the doctor. Yeah, not likely...

The Dreaded Driver's License

No, my kid is only 7, but he asked that terrible question that you never want to hear out of the mouth of your kid:

"Mommy, how many video games do you have to win before they give you your driver's license?"

Huh? Not quite the question I was expecting, but it sure did crack me up. So here I was explaining to my SEVEN year old how to go about getting one's license. Yes, you need to be sixteen. Yes, some kids learn to drive in school and some learn in the parking lot of the local high school football stadium. No, you have to keep your grown up handy or you aren't allowed to practice driving. No, you don't get a car just because you have a license - you have to purchase the car. No, being a good driver on a video game doesn't make you a good driver in real life...sigh...if only...

I Finally Get It...

I never quite understood HOW parents could possibly over schedule their kids. I always though that they are the parents - they are in control and dictate their kids' schedule, right? WRONG. I finally get it. And we've finally run into it head on.

My oldest (Max) plays soccer. It's indoors right now, so it's just games on Saturdays. The little two take gymnastics once a week for an hour. So far so good - one hour a week for each kid. But a few days ago we went ice skating and Max asked for lessons (Ian and Sam weren't quite sure about the whole ice skating thing). O.K. We can do that in the summer when soccer is over. I asked and they do have lessons over the summer, so that's fine. Then we walked into the little boys' gymnastics and my world came crashing down. Max asked to have gymnastics along with his little brothers. You see, while I don't consider myself a sucker, that thought did run through my mind as I told him to ask at the desk if there were any openings. Max had gymnastics when he was younger and not only loved it, but it helped his coordination greatly. Besides, he's only got one other activity on his plate, right? (they were full for the next session, we were added to the wait list, and I'm sure this will come up again soon - very soon.)

No, this is two activities for each kiddo (but the gymnastics might not come up until the fall, so Max is really back down to one), which is still not a lot. But where does it stop? Oh wait - there's one more that I forgot. My oldest is also participating on an Odyssey of the Mind team, which meets once a week through March. They are preparing for a competition, so it might get a bit more complicated, but they are the younger set, so they have less prep than they will next year (if they decide to do this again). So, let's count again. Oldest has two, plus wants to add one, and little guys have one. Geez, the little guys are starting soccer soon, so they will have two also. Oh, and my oldest is taking another after school class stating soon, so that too will add to the mess.

So you see how easy it is to get sucked in to all of this? Here I was just minding my business, offering my kiddos some activities that I thought they'd enjoy, and suddenly we are teetering on that line of being over scheduled. How are you supposed to know how much is too much? And how do you choose between these great activities? I don't mind carting them around (but ask me again when the little two start kindergarten next year), but when do you call it quits on the registrations? I haven't figured that one out yet, but if I ever do I'll certainly let you know.

This whole mess is cross posted at DC Metro Moms.

"Mom Sick"

Yes, Mom Sick, not mommy IS sick. You already know, if you read my last post, that I've been coughing and hacking for a while now. There's a big difference between being sick and being mommy sick. For folks in the drive/walk/bike/Metro to work world, when you get sick you take time off from work to heal and recover. (You see where this is going don't you and it's just the very beginning.) Then, you go back to work a day or week later all well rested and ready to go. Or, you get to where you can barely function and creep/crawl back into work hoping that your co-workers don't scowl but knowing that you have too much to do to stay home any longer (yes, I've been there too.) Well, moms have the same problem occasionally (the sick part, not the crawling back into work because of the piles). You see, moms don't ever get a day off - we just don't have sick leave. Fortunately, we get Mom Sick as opposed to sick, most of the time we come down with ailments. There are, of course, different levels of Mom Sick:

Level 1: You drag around, still accomplishing most of what you need to get done, but take long breaks sitting on the chair/bench/couch/driver's seat. You still are able to drive. You get random looks of disgust when you cough/sputter/drag around, but also sympathetic looks. Your parenting shifts towards letting things slip, but you are still feeling O.K. enough not to let that happen. Very little extra cleaning involved.

Level 2: You are running about 50%, still able to drive, but drop the kids off instead of walking them in. You shy away from human contact as you might infect/repulse/completely offend others. The kids come and ask you (while you are sitting on the couch/bed) to open their juice/hand them some milk/make their PB & J, and you give them just one chance to get you into the kitchen and no more. That second trip could have bad consequences. Some minor clean up (towels, clothing, floors) might be necessary, but at this stage you can generally get to the bathroom in time. (Sorry - too descriptive but necessary.)

Level 3: You stay in bed and sleep all day, yelling at the kids occasionally when they get too loud/close to you, but try to avoid any and all contact with them or anyone else. They end up watching TV/playing video games all day and have to scrounge for food themselves, but you do none of this for yourself. There's no way that you can drive so if your significant other isn't around, the kiddos have a sick day too. Massive clean up is necessary, but since you are the cause and you can't seem to drag yourself out of bed, it waits until tomorrow.

"Mommy Sick" kicks in at Level 2 and continues up through Level 3. For most folks who work outside the home (and some who work at home with help) and have kiddos, they can take those lovely sick days. (I am well aware that not everyone can take/has sick days, so this covers them as well.) Mommies, however, don't get those days off any way you look at it. Fortunately, I am able to parent from my bed, the couch, the floor of the bathroom (Ugh, again, sorry!) or anywhere I find myself when sick. My kids are all old enough to feed themselves (mostly) and my loving hubby has always been around to at least drop kiddos off at school and pick them up and dash back to work. The few times that I've hit Level 3 he's done that part for me, and I've been able to parent/ sleep off the rest in the comfort of my own bed. Sad to say, but while moms don't GET the sick leave, we do what we need, and run with the whole Mom Sick part for days, weeks, or sometimes months. Fortunately when we had those precious little bundles of joy they made us all take a training course in how to be mommy sick, and told us that it's really O.K. if your kiddo eats chips for breakfast, watches five hours of TV, plays video games for six hours, eats who knows what for lunch, and does who knows what to their playroom. Yeah, right.

But the best part, no matter whether you get sick leave and take it, have to use your Mommy Sick leave, or whatever way you manage to handle your illness, your kiddos will be fine. One or two days off the kiddo track will not destroy their little brains. While we joke that their brains have leaked out of their heads, this rarely occurs. Many a kiddo has managed to survive a day with mommy or daddy laid out on the couch and lived to tell about it. So Mom Sick is more of a mindset and while seemingly a bummer for us mommies, is not so terrible for the kiddos.

Not really neglecting you...

Well, I am sort of. I guess not posting counts as neglect to some. I can blame the weather - it's really cold out - not Texas cold but Virginia cold. I've got this terrible cough that wakes me up in the middle of the night. The boys had a three day weekend and they kept me very busy. Tom's been working a lot the past few days getting ready for a big meeting tomorrow. Yeah, excuses, I know.

But really, I'm a bit over scheduled this particular week. I think if I wasn't feeling so crappy that I'd get more sleep and be able to balance more, but the blog happened to be the low man / woman / thing on the totem pole, so apologies. After Tom clears Tuesday night, and after I finish up two more projects for hire that I have to do, we're sitting on easy street. Actually, it will give me time to rest and recover my body. BUT WAIT! I have a class to teach on Wednesday night...so it's gonna start all over again...isn't it?

Slave Labor?

Nah, not with these giggles! Sam is the MASTER of clearing snow off the walk from the driveway to the front door. He did the whole thing with a huge smile on his face. Can't WAIT until they start wanting to mow the lawn, take out the trash, you get the drift...

Really, Mom

In the car today:

Sam: Mommy, who really brings us presents?
Mommy: Huh?


Sam: At Christmas, who brings us presents?
Mommy: Who do you think?


Sam: Santa?
Mommy: Yes.


Sam: But he's just the guy that dresses up in the suit.


Small pause in conversation as I gather my thoughts.


Sam (Pointing out the window): Hey - What's that?
Mommy: (Under her breath) Whew....

Happy Smurfday Smurfs!

Yes, you read that correctly. The Smurfs, much to my surprise (and yours I'm sure), are turning 50 this year. Yes, 50. They were created way back in 1958 in Belgium. I'm sure that the man who created them in the first place had no idea that they would be so huge (for such little critters). He died in the early 90's, so he surely had seen the huge success of the TV show here in the US. So, take a minute and rack your brain - who was your favorite Smurf?

It's Cookie Time!

Several days ago I read a message on our Mom's Club list serve that it was cookie time and one of their daughters was selling Girl Scout cookies and she'd love to fill my pantry with cookies. Then I got a message on our school's list serve that the school based troop was ready to take my cookie order. Then, a friend mentioned that her daughter was selling them and if I needed any she'd be glad to take my order. Do-si-dos, Thin Mints, and Tagalongs could be on my shelf in a matter of weeks if I placed an order now. Huh.

Whatever happened to girls knocking on your door with a wagon in tow and selling cookies that way? That's how I remembered doing it, and that's how we bought cookies when we lived in Texas. Seems that the DC area is more plugged in. But are we cutting the girls out of the equation here? Aren't they the ones that are supposed to sell those cookies? At least in the past few years (due to safety concerns I'm sure) local troops set up booths at Walmart, Walgreens, the grocery store, etc. Did those cookie booths disappear too?

O.K. Aside from that, should we really be eating these cookies? With names like All Abouts, Lemon Chalet Cremes, Trefoils, and Samoas, are these really good for us? Of course not. Not only are they not good for us, they are laced with something that makes them irresistible, and highly addictive. We have all, at one time or another fallen prey to the wily Girl Scout and purchased a box (or three) of our favorite. They must train all year long learning how best to get these cookies into our hands. Now the Girl Scouts have stepped up their game - not only are the cookies to die for, but they've roped their moms and dads into delivering these delectable treats. Man, oh, man. We are not going to win this one...and I'm popping a note off right now to my local troop to hunt up a few boxes ...for the kids. Yes, I said the kids.