Hey honey ...

NOTE from Lab Kat: Posting this for Army of Mom, as she is now on vacation in Minnesota with her family. She has left some posts for each day.


I find this a little amusing. What man do you know actually reads those tips on how to make their wives happy? Me either.

But, if you do, there are some pretty on-target ones in there.

Minnesota, here we come

NOTE from Lab Kat: Posting this for Army of Mom, as she is now on her way to Minnesota. She has left some posts for each day and I'll try to refrain from messing the place up too bad.


We left town today and before we know it, we'll be back home and back to the boring day in and day out. *sigh*

But, Little Bit and the kids are excited about the trip.


Hot Rod wrote this on his window a few months ago with those uber cool markers that can wipe off windows:

Damn Yankees

My dear husband warned me last night to take my Dr Pepper with me on our trip as not everyone carries Dr Pepper the farther north we get.

*shaking my head*

How can you people NOT drink Dr Pepper? It is the nectar of heaven.

Peter Gammons

Say some prayers for Peter Gammons, he had an aneurysm. Hopefully he will recover. I'll miss him on ESPN if he doesn't.

I'm a redneck, you're shocked, huh?

You Are 40% Redneck

The wheels still turning, but the hamster's dead.You're just fakin' bein' a redneck.

How Redneck Are You?

And, yes, for the record, I've been on a date to the monster truck thingee and the tractor pulls. The tractor pulls are great fun.

Hat Tip to Gadfly who thinks he is only 10 percent redneck.

Minnesota hottie

We leave tonight for our Minnesota road trip and we plan to hit one Twins game, maybe two. So, in honor of the Twins, my hottie this week is Joe Mauer.

Baseball players have always been my love. I like sliding pants, what can I say?

Go vote for him as an All Star. Balloting closes Friday.

I like catchers, too.

Road trip

We leave in the morning. On the Road with Children. 15 hours, at least. One way.

Mad, you say? Why yes, I quite think I am.

A friend sent me the article below as a friendly set of tips. I think it just involves drugging myself and letting my husband deal with them while I sleep in the passenger seat.


Unless we enjoy the benefit of living in a walking city or have access to quality mass transit, most of us spend a great deal of time in our cars - commuting, running errands, and transporting our children. A chauffer may be on the wish list of many busy parents. With all the supplies we carry in the car, the snacks we munch, and the quick changes from school clothes to soccer cleats, our cars have become our home away from home.

So what about summer vacations on the road? Can traveling in our car for hundreds of miles with our children really be a vacation? Sure, if we're up for adventure. There are plenty of family destinations in every community, whether for a day trip, a week vacation, or even a cross-country adventure.

How do we fend off boredom, restlessness, and car sickness on the road?

Here are a few tips to make the ride a little smoother. So pack up the car and buckle your seat belts. Even car travel can be great family fun.

Consider Travel Time Vacation Time
In our everyday life, most of us usually feel the need to rush, to be somewhere at a certain time and to go as far as possible without stopping. When traveling with children on vacation, consider time in the car as part of the family vacation, not just the means to get to your destination. The vacation starts when the car pulls out of the driveway. Slow down, relax, and make plenty of stops along the way.

Expect Mishap
Traveling with children pretty much guarantees that someone will spill something, not make it to the bathroom in time, or get sick in the backseat. Since it's likely to happen, the best thing we can do is be prepared. If the thought of spills in your car is too much to handle, make the "no food or drink" rule clear from the beginning of the ride, and be sure to make frequent stops. If you want to cruise and munch, give your children cups with lids or sports bottles and place a drink holder at every seat.

Expect Misbehavior and Bickering
Somehow we hope that family vacations will magically transform our family unit into some sort of Brady Bunch family. Shouldn't our children behave better because we are spending time and money? Unfortunately, it just doesn't happen that way. Children are more likely to act out when they are tired, off routines and schedule, restless, and away from home - all of which happens when they are on vacation. And we are more apt to lose our patience spending constant uninterrupted time with our children. With realistic expectations though, most families quickly fall into comfortable vacation mentality, and the fun we have makes up for the occasional bickering.

Treasure the Simple Moments Together
In our busy task-oriented lives, it's not often we get to spend quality family time. Appreciate the unscheduled roadside stops you make to check out tacky souvenirs. Enjoy conversations with your children. Sing together and make up games and quizzes in the car. Savor the dripping ice cream cones that you eat before lunch because it's vacation and the mess is nothing a box of wipes and an extra shirt can't fix.

---
And, if all else fails, drink heavily after the kids finally pass out.

Done and doner

Oh thank Sweet Jesus.

I finished the GINORMOUS project that involved writing a book that most people would rather pull out their eyeballs and use for fishing bait rather than read this thing.

But, hey, a gal has got to get paid and I'm not picky about what I'm paid to write.

*sigh*

So, now I get to pack and clean and clean and pack for our trip tomorrow. And, my dearly beloved husband, has generously agreed to gouge out his eyes, er, read and edit said 23 pages o' shit. Ok, really now, it is good shit. For the subject matter, it is about as interesting as I can get. Only so many ways you can say teamwork, cooperation and collaboration. Yes, it was one of THOSE projects where we use the world "challenges" or "obstacles" instead of saying problems. Problems just has such a negative connotation to it and we can't be negative.

Just send me my paycheck and I"ll be happy.

*doing the happy dance that it is done and I'll be yelling at children in the car by this time tomorrow*

I see you have six fingers on your left hand

Allo. My name is Army of Mom.
You're editing my copy, prepare to die.


They say the pen is mightier than the sword. I must be deadly.

Kiss off

Probably one of THE greatest songs EVER:

Kiss Off by the Violent Femmes

I need someone a person to talk to
Someone whod care to love
Could it be you could it be you
Situation gets rough then I start to panic
Its not enough its just a habit
Hey kid your sick well darling this is it
You can all just kiss off into the air
Behind my back I can see them stare
Theyll hurt me bad but I wont mind
Theyll hurt me bad they do it all the time
Yeah yeah they do it all the time
I hope you know this will go down
On your permanent record
Oh yeah well dont get so distressed
Did I happen to mention that Im impressed
I take one one one cause you left me and
Two two two for my family and
3 3 3 for my heartache and
4 4 4 for my headaches and
5 5 5 for my lonely and
6 6 6 for my sorrow and
7 7 for no tomorrow and
8 8 I forget what 8 was for and
9 9 9 for a lost God and
10 10 10 10 for everything
Everything everything everything

Smorgasbord

I love it when someone else has similar taste in attractive men. Minuse a few of the guys she picked, I would agree that these men would do just fine in my harem.

There are some kick-ass gals in there, too, for AoD's harem.

Profession options

One of the things I ponder on a relatively regular basis is what profession my non-motivated, dyslexic and artistic son can do when he grows up.

Tattoo artist. Its an honest living. I was thinking that or welder or something. He could sculpt. I had an ex-boyfriend who sculpted stuff with his blow torch. It was pretty cool. But, I digress.

Not that I'm fixated on potential ways my son can live on his own, without his mom's financial support, when he is an adult. Isn't that far in the future. He'll be 12 in September. Lord help me.

Shoe polish

I bought a bottle of shoe polish for my daughter's shoes (she has to get dressed up for a wedding on our vacation and her shoes are scuffed). The shoe polich reminded me of high school.

One time, I wrote "For Sale $250" on the back of a friend's car. A few hours after I did that, I got a call from a lady claiming I was selling a car and that she wanted to buy it and when could she get it, etc. I had no idea what that was all about.

Until the next day. The guy whose car it was told me he was chased down in a car by a rather rotund gal who wanted to buy it. He gave her my number and told her that his sister was selling the car.

Touche.

Another time, I was heading straight to youth group after volleyball practice when I walked outside and saw "Honk if you're horny" written in shoe polish on the back window of my car. I was mortified and had to drive straight to Winn Dixie for paper towels and windex.

Photographic dictionary

If there was a dictionary that didn't use definitions, but instead used images, this would be the definition of white trash as well as tacky.

Headless chicken

That is pretty much what I look like these days. I've been running around like a chicken with my head cut off trying to make sure I have all the things we need for our trip all while trying to make sure all my work is done.

It is crazy, to say the least.

Throw in that we have a surprise for Army of Dad tonight. I can't say what it is in case he reads the blog, but suffice it to say that I won't be home to work or pack or whatever.

So, lack of blogging can be attributed to that. LabKat, who has been neglecting her blog because of a new job, said she'd post some things I have set aside and possibly guest blog. So, beware. ;)


A few random thoughts:

Why is it that The Cure has such great upbeat and dancy tunes but with the saddest lyrics?

Did Corey Hart really wear his sunglasses at night?

Who is Al Green that Adam Ant mentions in Goody Two-Shoes?

I have Pippin and Merry on my LOTR-a-day calendar. Purring.

I love Phil Collins and Genesis. That had to be one of the weirdest rock bands of my youth. An old middle-aged guy with a great voice and sound.

I'm sad that I won't be SPFing this week.

And, lastly, I had the best frozen coffee drinkg at Hasting's the other day - a cocamochanut. Ohmigosh. probably 4,000 calories, but it was heaven in a plastic cup with a straw.

Where's my sword?

Remember me talking about wanting to commit harey carey? (no, not the Hey Steve way).

Well, where is a sword when one needs it?

Now, my honey is watching Modern Marvels' history of concrete. Swear to God.

Free at last

All day I looked forward to taking the kiddos to my folks' house, so I could have some peace and quiet.

So, you know what I did when I dropped them off? Yep, you guessed it. I cried.

Why is it that they get on my nerves so bad that I think about committing harey-carey (Hey Steve!, wait, wrong Harry), but as soon as I drop them off, I miss them so much my heart breaks?

AoD and I are going to eat at Twin Peaks (his new favorite restaurant, I wonder why?) and then we'll come back and watch The 4400 before heading out to the $1 show to see The Benchwarmers.

I figure we deserve some "us" time before the road trip with the kids. Plus, my mom is helping me out by watching the kids while I have some business meetings tomorrow. She volunteered, which I don't undrstand after having my hellion nephews for two weeks.

Where the beautiful people reside

Writing about commercial real estate, I've done lots of stories in the past six months on luxury condos and how they are the trendy places to live these days.

Saw a story about the latest opening of one in Dallas at the W Dallas Victory Hotel and Residences. Apparently, there are plans for other luxury condos, too, across the country at hot destinations:

"New York-based W Hotels Worldwide, a luxury hotel brand and manager of the W Dallas, is planning other W Residences in the South Beach area of Miami Beach; Hollywood, Calif.; Las Vegas; Fort Lauderdale, Fla.; Hoboken, N.J.; Scottsdale, Ariz. and Phoenix."

Hoboken? Really? Is that a hot spot and I missed it? I know Scottsdale and Phoenix are fast becoming THE place to live, but Hoboken? It just doesn't sound like Miami Beach or Fort Lauderdale to me.

My kind of hunger strike

Apparently Saddam Hussein's hunger strike lasted about as long as my Special K challenge.

A case for sterilization

There are some women, whom if we knew ahead of time, we could simply sterilize before they ever got knocked up. That would prevent a lot of poor children from suffering.

Andrea Yates and her retrial is a prime example.

This gal is another one. She stole her babyf rom the hospital. She doesn't have custody and the baby was there to get an operation. If the baby doesn't get medical attention, he could die. Lovely mother. She sneaked him out in a bag. That is great.

Apparently, she didn't agree with medical professionals that her baby needed dialysis, so the state removed the child for medical attention. You know, I'm all for second opinions and alternative therapies, but at some point, you have to put the welfare of your child to the forefront. I have done things to my children that I wish I didn't have to, but I know it is for their best.

It just breaks my heart. I hope she takes her son to the hospital before he dies. All her good intentions won't bring her son back.

Was it good for you?

I called a friend of mine the other day out of the blue on her cell phone. I know it shocked the shit out of her because we wound up talking about her kid's BMs or lack of doing them in something other than a diaper, even though he is uber-intelligent. I offered my masterful mothering advice since I'm the old hat mom of three. *stop laughing*

Anyway. Part of the conversation went like this:

AoM: So, you have seven furniture stores now? You didn't tell me.
Friend of AOM (now known as FOA): Yeah, how'd you know?
AoM: I googled you.
FOA: You googled me?
AoM: Yeah, it was good. Did you enjoy it?
FOA: *giggling* What came up when you googled me?
AoM: Ask your old man. He can watch next time I google you. You know how men are about two women.
FOA: The guys I work with think I'm bad. I need to take you to the store. *giggling*

Anyway. I called to bum a place to stay on our way home from Minnesota in a couple of weeks. I figure it will save us $100 or so AND I get the added benefit of seeing my buddy. We were two of the Three Amigos from junior high. We were cheerleaders together. Go team! She and I used to do Duran Duran dances - the Reflex being our favorite - as well as Thriller and other assorted Michael Jackson moves. But, nothing compares to "Flock of Seagulls! Get Down!"

Five more things

Looks like I sufficiently guilted ArmyWifeToddlerMom into inviting me to meme about Five Things In My Vehicle.

Thankfully, I cleaned the Trash Can on Wheels out yesterday, so there are no more Chick-Fil-A cups or Happy Meal boxes in there.

Picking just five things is hard for me. I live out of my minivan. Here are five:

1. a new 2006 Road Atlas (we are leaving on a road trip on Wednesday)

2. a bucket of toys for those times when distraction is needed

3. about a dozen DVDs ranging from the Veggie Tales Lord of the Beans to Madagascar

4. towels for unexpected spills

5. assorted useful things like a small tool kit, first aid kit, an air pump that operates in the ciggie lighter and a giant umbrella

Anyone else want to play this game? If so, do it and let me know in the comments.

Circle me, Bert

I love the greatness that is Bert Blyleven. I got his autograph, in person, when he was a pitching coach for the California Angels and was visiting the AA team in Midland. Gees, that was forever ago.

Now, he is a broadcaster with the Twins organization and infamous for circling fans on the telestrator with the Circle Me, Bert signs. I'm going to make one to take with us to our Twins game on July 1 versus the Milwaukee Brewers.

An example of Circle Me, Bert:


Here is what our view should be from the seats:

I guess we'll need the binoculars. But, that's ok. We got a deal for our seats with pizza and soda for the kiddos. Should be fun. We're excited. Only five days till we leave.

Cavity factor high

Many thanks to Uzz for the adorable pictures of my beautiful daughter.


Those curls are hard to tame and she hates having her hair brushed. She looks adorable with a bow pulling the hair out of her eyes, but she tends to yank them out. So sometimes, I don't bother. She still looks cute.

This picture at its full size is so incredible. Her brown eyes are so pretty and you can see Uzz's reflection in her eyes. Gorgeous girl.

Totally random SPF

Staying true to her blog name, Kristine at Random and Odd gave us a truly random Stuff Portrait Friday.

SPF assignment:
1. Your Drinking Glasses.
2. Your Address book/Stationary (remember that stuff we used BEFORE email?)
3. SOMETHING NEW

Ok, here we go. I have matching glasses and some nice "glass" glasses. I tend to drink out of the tumblers we get at the Rangers games or the BBQ joint. None of my Mavs cups were clean when I shot this.

There is the giant tankard from the Movie Tavern on the bottom shelf, too.

Ok, and my stationary and address books.

The standard address book was AoD's when we met. It has his family contacts in it. The Baylor one is mine from college. Almost every page has been whited out and re-done as people have moved over the years. Then, my Rolodex has both business and personal contacts in it. I use it more than the address book. And, my Harry Potter stationary. I actually wrote a letter on this the other day. That is where the missing Gryffindor sticker went.

And, lastly, something new.

These are our new Independence Day t-shirts for this year. I have a suitcase in the floor and have been stashing stuff in it to pack up for the kids. I got these Wednesday night. Aren't they cute? Target for the kids and Old Navy for me.

Did you play?

The latest email scam

It appears that El Capitan is going to be rich with money from a Rev. Father.

Me, I'm not going to be rich, but this guy is simply asking for money instead of promising me weath for helping him out. It is from a final national diplomat of business administration. How is THAT for legitimate?

Good day sir/madam/ceo...
Compliments of the season,
Permit me to introduce myself, I am Chime Shedrack Chibueze, a Final National Diplomat (ND) of Business Adminstration(BAM), Faculty Of Management Sciences,Institution of Management and Technology,(IMT)
Enugu, Nigeria. I am born in a family of eight and i lost my mother some years ago. The massive retrenchment of nigeria rail way co_operation affected my father who is 63 years old known as Mr Chime Sunny shedrack. Ever since this event took place, i have been living on begging to make sure that i see my self through with my accademic possure.
I am writting to you because i am in trouble and i need some money to pay my final ND school fees and as well work on my final ND project work. No matter the little amount you can afford, please do it for no amount is small, no matter how small it may look like, i will appreciate it
May God bless you.
Thanks,
Sincerely,
Chime Shedrack C.
PLEASE DONT LET ME DROP OUT
This is not scam letter ! !, help.... i will also send my school ID card

*please note my dripping sarcasm on the legit party since I believe a college professor and diplomat (whether writing in a second language or not, could capitalize and spell correctly, overall).

Happy 49th Anniversary

Today, my parents will celebrate *ok, that may be a strong word* Today, my parents will mark their 49th wedding anniversary. 49 years. That is a long time to fight with the same person. But, they've stuck it out this long. I hope to have a giant party for them next year.


They've got six grandkids to show for all those years.
Happy Anniversary folks! I love you guys.

Whatever happened ...

to Pearl Jam.

I heard them on the radio last night and just wondered.

Ahhhhh

A cool, comfortable house again. Only $233 for labor and a new compressor (or something like that).

One of those days

It will be one today.

The central AC unit has been acting weird off and on for a few days. Last night, it pretty much started dying. We're hoping it is something simple, but fear the worse.

Honey woke up late this morning and had an accident on the way to work.

The day has got to get better.

USA Soccer Hunks

It is fun to watch World Cup and see all the handsome men. This week, I'm focusing on USA's Brian McBride of the Columbus Crew (which we saw beat FC Dallas, minus McBride). There are some other soccer hotties on the team, too.

He's very expressionate.

And muscular.

He looks hot, if a little gay here. What is up with those pants?

I think I've seen these pants before.

Testing

You know, there are times when I hate using a blog server to host my site. I may have to become less of a technology novice and do this on my own.

Sucks to be us

*sigh*

Did you hear it? There it is again. Hmm.

Ah, I know what it is: it is the giant choking sound coming out of the AAC. Oh, yeah, and I hear Dwyane Wade throwing an elbow into Dirk Nowitzki and the ref blowing a whistle, because we know Wade doesn't move unless he's fouled. *rolling my eyes*

I'm so disappointed.

Interleague play

Many thanks to Chad for bequeathing me with some Rangers-Padres tickets for Wednesday night. I had to weather the Dallas traffic to get the tix, but I think it will be worth it. I have never seen the Padres play.

We attended school together from second grade through high school graduation. We danced on prom night and worked together at the local movie theater. I'd say there is a wee bit of history there.

We're stoked about the game. $1 hot dog night, too.

versus


UPDATE: Well, apparently our AC is in dire need of some assistance. For the second night in a row, it made a weird noise and wouldn't get cool for several hours. After sitting in a house that was 88 degrees tonight, we decided that we need to call an AC guy to come out and look at it. So, with that in mind, we couldn't spend the money on a sitter and parking and gas, etc. even with free tickets. Just doesnt' seem frugal. So, I'm going to try and give the tickets away today at preschool or when I'm doing interviews at the airport, etc. so they dont' go to waste. Chad went to a lot of trouble to get them to us and I want to make sure someone uses them.

I'm getting giddy tonight

I just started laughing and couldn't stop over this. I found a new blog to frequent.

*laughing uncontrollably*

Gwar. *hee hee*

Queer Eye for the Samurai. *rolling*

Lopping off his head. *irritating my video game playing husband with my incessant laughter*

Go *chuckle* see *giggle* for *snorting* yourself.

Brokeback Pitch

Hat tip to Mo K for this instigation of girlish giggles tonight with World Cup follies: Brokeback Pitch.

For my non-soccer afficianados, a pitch is the field on which they play.

Now, go forth and laugh hysterically.

Five things

ArmyWife ToddlerMom wanted to know what five things a real writer carries in her purse, but alas, she didn't ask me. In my true in-your-face style, I'll answer anyway.

1. Monster bottle of Naproxen (generic Alleve).

2. Monster bottle of Immodium AD (enough said).

3. About a half-dozen pens.

4. Notepad.

5. Overstuffed wallet with miscellaneous receipts, etc.

There is a lot more, but these are five of the things this writer carries in her purse all the time. Throw in a few tissues, lollipops, assorted toys and crayons and you pretty much have the contents.

Filed under WTF

Now, I'm not one to criticize a person's choices - ok, yes I am - but why would anyone who just gave birth via a c-section and has a 16-month-old and a 4-year-old be talking about adopting another child?

Really? It must be the bitchen post-partum painkillers kicking in. Do you really see Brad Pitt helping out with childrearing? I guess Angelina Jolie has a fierce maternal urge which I admire, but I just wonder how much of the raising of these children is being done by her or being done by nannies.

Somehow, I sense lots of therapy and drug abuse as the years go by. I hope I'm wrong, but I have my doubts. And, are we taking bets on how long Brad and Angelina last? My bet: three years. I know, I know, I'm generous.

Vroom vroom

I'm a Ford Mustang!

You're an American classic -- fast, strong, and bold. You're not snobby or pretentious, but you have what it takes to give anyone a run for their money.

Take the Which Sports Car Are You Quiz.

Photo galleries

For your viewing pleasure, we have Kasey Kahne pics at Michigan and World Cup the soccer girlfriends and wives. If you go down to the bottom of the photo galleries, there are other galleries to check out, too. My husband's favorite, World Cup Babes.

The perfect shot

I do hereby solemnly swear that I will refrain from trying to get the perfect photograph and not cross safety borders on mountains and such.

I do have a tendency to get in the way or out of the way, as the case may be, to get better photos. But, this is a sad way to die - in front of your hubby and kids on vacation. Oops. I wonder if they'll bury her with her camera? I know I like to take pictures, but that is sad.

Another win for Kasey

Kasey wins in Michigan.

Let's go Mavs

Ok, the boy took a nap this afternoon, so he is ready to be good luck charm to the Mavs tonight. Both nights I let him stay up, they won. Both times I made him go to bed, they lost.

Let's go Dirk and the boys. Suspended player or not. We need this win and the momentum.

Happy Birthday Granny

Today is the 80th birthday of my eldest son's grandmother. She is one of the dearest and strongest women you'd ever want to meet.

She has endured much including the loss of her husband about 38 years ago, her favorite daughter and a granddaughter. She has lived through adversity of being the single mom of four children ranging from 2 up to teenagers and she did it with spirit and love.

I admire her more than she will ever know. My son is blessed to have her in his life.

Girl crush

We all have them, just most women won't admit it.

I love Keira Knightley. I've been watching Pride and Prejudice almost non-stop since I bought it last week. I love that movie. Plus, it is one of the few flicks that I can leave on with the children here and not worry about them seeing something inappropriate or scary.

Checking her out on IMDB and she was in Star Wars. She was Queen Amidala's decoy in Episode 1. I loved her cheesey role in King Arthur and I'm going to have to rent Bend it Like Beckham this week. I'm looking forward to Pirates of the Carribean this summer, too.

Happy Father's Day

I'm blessed to have a wonderful dad and a wonderful husband. Happy Father's Day to each of them and all you other dads out there.

He coaches the kids' sports teams.

He even tolerates them climbing on him at sporting events.

And, most of all, he loves those kids and spends time with them.

My dad is a pretty good old guy, too, when he isn't tormenting the children. I definitely got my sadistic traits from him.

I love the men in my life. Happy Father's Day!

Here kitty, kitty, kitty

My mom and dad got two kittens for barn cats and the poor little kitties got more than they bargained for with four little kids all wanting to love them.

He got a boy and a girl from the same litter. They're Tiger and Jerry. I'm not sure which this was. I didn't check. ;)

The kittens accepted the affection patiently.

Hot Rod told me later that he wsa doing his Puss in Boots imitation in this picture. After an initial scratch from the kitty, he recovered nicely and was able to hold the kitty. He just didn't know how to properly hold a cat and kept dumping the cat on its head. I'd scratch him, too, if I were the kitten.

Don't let the sweet face fool you. This is the devil incarnate. Honestly, I think the boy has some issues. So, it really isn't fair for me to say that. But, he was mean to Pickle while they stayed at my mom's together. I think he deserves the emotionally disturbed label more than my kid, although my mom said he just needs a few swats on the butt to set him straight. She might be right about that. My brother and his other two boys arrive on Father's Day to stay with my folks for the rest of the week.

Bathing beauties

Friday brought an end to a chaotic week and some fun in the pool. My dad along with my three kids and my nephew had some fun in the very mild weathered day. We had a pretty good breeze and a high of only 88. That was nice.

Little Bit got a new swimsuit from my neighbor in some handmedowns. It has these little floatation devices incorporated into the suit. So, she was much more buoyant and enjoyed herself a lot more in the pool.

She had a good time with her Papa.

Superman is the only strong swimmer of the kids, so he was helping out the other guys. It makes me a little nervous to have this many kids in the pool and so few strong swimmers. But, we managed to do ok keeping an eye on them.

A butterfly landed on Pickle. He thought that was cool. He went with his dad to Waco this weekend to see his granny for her 80th birthday. I'm taking the little kids to a friends of the library booksale and then to have lunch with dad. He's reffing soccer games in McKinney today.

Look who's in the poorhouse

It appears even fleeting fame can't help D-list celebrities avoid the pitfalls us every day folks have with paying the mortgage and other bills.

Good old Screech from Saved by the Bell has been foreclosed on. Yes, I know that's not good English, bite me.

Seems Dustin Diamond is selling shirts in hopes of raising the money to keep his house. Too amusing not to mention. Not that he's losing his house, but check out his website. He is a stand-up comedian now and his site is pretty amusing.

Its a cat eat cat world out there

Hat tip to LabKat's JS for the heads up on this little tasty morsel. The Meow Mix House reality show starts tonight in Animal Planet. Viewers can vote which kitty goes and which stays.

Grrr

I really don't like people very much. I say that but we coach multiple children's teams, I volunteer doing stuff, etc. etc. But, it is just certain ways people behave, I guess, that makes me angry.

I'm mad at my former sister-in-law for dumping her troubled kid on my mother for a full week without even asking her. Then, telling her that the other two siblings will be staying in addition to brat child for the following week. She didn't care that my mom had a stroke last year and I don't let my mom stay with the kids for more than a day or two at the max. It just wears her out.

Then, I work with two editors for an online real estate website. I write stories three times a week on breaking real estate news (I know, it sounds funny to me, too, that anything realty wise can be breaking news). Well, I didn't see any reason to announce to every editor I work for that I was afraid I had breast cancer. I wouldn't tell it so widely if I didn't feel so anonymous on the blog. But, I digress. I told the editor I was working with earlier in the week to switch my days so I wouldn't neglect the stories while I was stressed at at the doctor's office so much. He was great. Working with another editor today and I know she didn't know, but she sends me this really pissy email about how the competition scooped them on two big Dallas stories the past two days and asking me how we can make sure this doesn't happen again. I wanted to explain to her that I would have a discussion with my boob to not develop severe pain and have symptoms that mimic tumors on a mammogram. I'll make sure that doesn't happen again because God Forbid another website scoop us when I'm afraid my health is in jeopary. Grr. I replied to her with a very apologetic email explaining that I was out of sorts this week and why and that I had it cleared with her colleague. Pphhthphpphtttttt! No, I left off the last part.

About 10 years ago, my brother had a car accident that left him permamently disfigured and almost killed him. At the time, he was throwing papers to make some extra money. Oddly enough in the melee of making sure the hellions were cared for and the family was all there, etc. we forgot to call the newspaper and tell them about the accident. My brother had given all his customers his phone number, so they could reach him about their paper if they needed. One lady called and left the meanest message on the answering machine about how she had missed her paper for three days and went on and on in a hateful manner. I was checking their messages to make sure any family or friends hadn't called to find out the hospital or his progress and I got the message. I was glad it was me and not his wife who got it. I called the lady back and told her what happened and said I'd bring her the papers since they were so important to her. She humbly apologized and said not to worry about it. I told her to call the paper and ask for a credit.

I try to always step back and wonder what someone's circumstances are before I just jump to conclusions. I don't always succeed, but I remember that story and try to ask people if everything is ok before I rip them a new one. Just to make sure.

SPF:The Puzzle People

This week, the SPF is sort of hard. She based it on some people she met and her upcoming wedding. So, let's see what we can do.

SPF assignment
:
1. Your Puzzle
2. Your Best (Your best what? YOU DECIDE!!)
3. Something “Old” (the weeks following will have a part of the wedding theme; something old, something new, something borrowed, something blue)

My puzzle is easy.

This sweet boy is one of my greatest challenges in life. He has a birth defect, dyslexia, speech problems and is considered emotionally disturbed. I don't see all that when I look at him. So, when there is a problem, it perplexes me how something so wonderful, so beautiful and so sweet can struggle so much. Simultaneously my heart breaks for him and he wears me out.

My best. This one was harder.

I know lots of people will say their children are their best and I agree with that. But, my best, as pictured here is the bargain deals I got on their Halloween costumes. I got the M&M for 50 cents, the NIP Minnie Mouse for $1.50 and the Star Trek for $4.50. Gotta love the thrift stores in town. You couldn't get one of those costumes for anywhere close to that price.

Another best, my best picture of the evening Thursday. I love that natural smile.


Something old. I started to put up a picture of my mom, but that would be wrong. ;)

Double duty. The wicker shelf is one that was old when I was a kid. These horseshoes I picked up at an antique store for good luck.

Did you play? Go see what everyone did at Random and Odd.

Just like Felix the Cat

You'll laugh so hard, your sides will ache.

I almost wet my pants reading this.

Why?

I have noticed something as the summer gets hotter and more people are wearing sandals and flip-flops.

Men have no grasp how flip-flops are supposed to fit. Everywhere I go, men have on slaps that are at least two sizes too big. What the hell?

Here is an example.

Can you smell that?

The conspiracy.

I smell it and it stinks.

I think that the Mavs are tanking these games so the series will have to finish in Dallas, so more money can be made.

I love Mark Cuban, I love American Airlines Center, I love my Metroplex and the Mavs. But, I sincerely think it is a concerted effort to throw this game.

I hope I'm wrong and they come back, but I don't feel good about it.

ADDED NOTE: Ok, Hot Rod gets to stay up for the remainder of the series. I didn't let him stay up for the past two games and they lost.

Boys will be boys

My nephew is staying with my mom and dad this week and we finally had some time to make it to Fort Worth to meet up with them for something to do.

Of course, in typical fashion, the boys like the Risk exhibit.

Pickle went to stay all night with my folks and his cousin. The kiddo was getting bored at his grandparents. So, we figure a playmate will help.