Thursday, December 31, 2009

Teen Girl Hell

Yes, I am in teenage hell!!

Yesterday, in my attempt to be a good mom I let both of my daughters have a friend come over and spend the night.

What was I thinking?! In the words of my husband, "Whose bright idea was this again?"

First off, we know now the new house is not made for teenagers. Being built back in the 60's, it just does not have the sound proofing. I could hear every single giggle, whisper, every thing. They were downstairs in the lower level, and I could still hear them in our bedroom that is upstairs.

The loud mouth culprit? My oldest daughter, Kate. In her defense, she gets it from my side of the family. We could drown out NASCAR. We start out talking in a normal tone of voice and just gradually get louder and louder. Yeah, we're real fun at restuarants!

I don't know how many times I went downstairs and called out" Let's keep it down."

Midnight rolled around, 1AM, 2AM, finally 3AM, they were still up! And it seemed like they were purposely getting quiet and then just as soon as I was just about to fall asleep, the mute button would come off and I would hear the girl laughter. And of course, when they did that both of the dogs would start whining and pawing at the door to the lower level. (It's not a basement, so the best I know how to describe it is a lower level)

Just what in the sam hell could they still have to talk about at 3 o'clock in the freakin morning?!

Finally, it went quiet. SWEET BLISS!

I got about 5 hours of sleep. Mary, my youngest,her friend actually came upstairs and slept in Mary's bed. As she told me, she was tired at 1AM and went to bed. She was also up at 9.

I got up because I didn't want her all alone while everyone else slept. But I went down and woke up Mary. This is her friend that she invited over to spend the night. She decided to stay up till the crack of dawn. If I didn't get sleep, guess what chickie, you ain't goin to sleep either!

Oh and guess what is the cherry on top? The hot water heater is on the fritz! And I still have a house full of girls!
Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Knock Knock... It's 2010 Calling!

Can you believe that it will be 2010 in less than 2 days? It seems like it was just yesterday that we were all a panic about the year 2000 arriving.
Supposedly all the machines would come alive and try to kill us. Only Emilio Estevez could save us.
Oh wait... that's Maximum Overdrive. Not a bad movie and I totally had a crush on Emilio back in the day. Now.. not so much.
But anyways... It's hard to believe that 10 years has come and gone in the blink of an eye.

In the year 2000, I was only 24, married to my husband, Dennis, the geek. But back then he was my hottie in the Army. (he's still my hottie) We were stationed at Fort Sill, OK. We had only been married 2 years then.

Flash forward to now- we've been married almost 12 years, have our 2 girls, have moved more times than I can count. He's no longer in the Army, been out for almost 8 years now. Our girls have left the toddlers years behind and are entering those dreaded teen years which incidentally are just like the terrible twos. without the diapers and sippy cups.

We've survived almost getting divorced, moving, losing jobs, loved ones dying and loved ones being ticked off at us. We have a little more gray hairs and in my husband's case a little less hair.

We still have the love, the sense of humor, and even more wisdom. The wisdom that when the wolf is at the door, we can look at it and say, "we've seen bigger wolves than you."

In the end, it all comes down to what you learn from the decade you are leaving behind. And yes the old saying is true.... None of it will matter in 5 years. You'll look back at it and laugh.

I hope all of you have a very very Happy New Year. May the new decade be filled with lots of love, laughter and good health.
Monday, December 28, 2009

Shhhh.... It's Nap Time!

I swear now that my girls have become teens. (Well one is a teen now and the other is almost one) They take more naps than they did when they were little. Right now the oldest girly is asleep in the recliner. The youngest is stretched out on the couch with the Chi pup. Both sleeping.

YAY! I don't have to hear any arguing, griping or complaining! Maybe it was the hour they spent outside playing (trying to nail each other with snow!) outside. Or maybe its the teen syndrome. You know where they do nothing but sleep, eat and text. With a few grunts mixed in when you ask them any questions.

There is not much going in this house today. Still have lots of snow. Doing the usual laundry ( a never ending process.) I think little trolls dirty more clothes while I sleep.

I do have a little review to do. A few months back I got some cleaning supplies to test out. And needless to say I never got around to doing the review. Lots of things happened in between getting the product and reviewing them. (I'll blog about that later.)
Better late than never. So without further ado... here it is.

http://www.ecostore.co.nz/ contacted me months ago wondering if I would be interested in testing some of their products. And then write a review for them.
I love house cleaning products... cleaning itself I'm not a fan of.. But the products I love. go figure

A little background on the company from their website: They are a leading New Zealand retailer of household and personal care products. We promote safer healthier alternatives to conventional everyday products.

The nice lady that contacted me let me choose what I wanted to try. Full size bottles.
I picked the Ultra Concentrated Laundry Liquid and the Spray Cleaner.

First up the laundry liquid. They have since changed the bottle design it now looks more like a regular bottle of detergent.
It only takes a tablespoon or two. It soaps up rather well and has a very light smell. No floral or perfume smells either. It has a eucalyptus smell, not overpowering . I thought it cleaned just as good as the store bought variety.
It cost 8.95 for 500ml- that might seem a little pricey. But the bottle lasted me over a month. And I do alot of laundry.

Next up the Spray Cleaner.
It is another plant based cleaner. This one has a light citrus scent. Just like the detergent it is not overpowering either.
It costs 6.95 for a bottle with a trigger or 5.95 for just a refill.

I really liked the products and looking at the website they have lots of other home and health products for the eco minded person. So check them out and see what you think.




*I was given the 2 bottles of cleaner for free in exchange for my honest opinion. Just because I am sent a product to review does not mean it will receive a positive review.
Sunday, December 27, 2009

Book Review

I started reviewing books for Thomas Nelson. They send you a book for you to read and then post a review on your blog and public site.
My first book was: The Gospel According To Lost by Chris Seay.

It is a good little book. Nothing too deep or anything that would make you feel like you are reading a Sunday sermon. You just feel like you are sitting down with a good friend and talking about the TV series. Seay examines the characters and how they relate biblically. He goes through all the characters in one way or the other. Of course, Locke, Jack, Kate and Sawyer all have chapters dedicated to them.

Seay examines how all of these characters have done things that would make them unlovable. Ben Linus ranks right up there. But Seay shows us just how that doesn't matter to God, that he loves us anyway despite our flaws and the bad things we have done. Jack's need to control, John and his pain, Kate and the murder of her father and even Eko and his "Bible Stick" the book even tells you what all those verses are!

If you like Lost, this is a good little book for you. No need to worry about spoilers, because there are none in this book. Just a refresher course on the characters and how they relate to the Bible and God's love for us.

That's not snow, that's Satan's phlelgm!

I am officially sick of snow. I hate snow as it is, but getting this much just makes me physically ill. I have no clue how much we really got. I've heard anywhere from around 6 inches to just under 9. Either way, that's alot of snow!

All of my southern family and friends say how much they would love a white Christmas or to get alot of snow. Trust me on this one, you don't. You really don't. I haven't been out of the house since the day before Christmas Eve. And I'm slowly going insane. Just how did our prairie ancestors do it?

We missed going to the Geek's parents for the annual Christmas Eve family get together. There was just too much ice/snow mix on the ground by the time he finished work, and too many newscasters screaming " Stay home, stay off the roads!!!" and when they upgraded us to a Blizzard, (yes my southern self just went through a blizzard!) he was not going anywhere.

Thank goodness, the moment I heard there was going to be snow over 2 inches, I bought us a turkey and some goodies to make our own little Christmas Eve party. Turkey was good except it was bipolar. (nice and juicy on one side and dry on the other) Our stove really sucks, I think it came from the prairie days.

The Geek did make it out yesterday. He needed a haircut, we needed some more provisions and the roads were cleared a little. Enough for some of the crazy shoppers to get out and for him to hit up Wal-Mart and Great Clips. He asked if I wanted to come along, but noway was I getting out there. I am a chicken when it comes to ice and snow. Too afraid we'd be the ones on the news in the ditch with the news reporter saying how "this was the reason why people were asked to stay home"

He did pick up movies for us. Star Trek, Julie & Julia and The Ugly Truth. I'll have to come back later and give some reviews, 2 were good and 1 was kind of good.

We had a Christmas, even though it was a cold and snowy one.

And where did the title phrase come from? What I said to my oldest teen daughter. She asked if they could go out and play in the snow. To which I replied the above.

yeah... she said, with a curl of her lip, "Mom, that's not even funny."
Monday, December 14, 2009

And She Returns

And she's back...... Just in time for Christmas and the New Year.

I've been dealing with some really intense health issues. I quit smoking back in Feb. and have not had one since then..... but I guess that just wasn't good enough.

I went to the hospital a few weeks ago with chest pains and feeling short of breathe. After a chest X-ray and a CT scan, and a visit to a pulmonologist, I found out I have COPD and emphysema. I'm going through a lot of adjustment right now. Dealing with finding out about this condition, we moved to a house with fewer steps. Stairs had been a struggle for me lately. I would get half way up and feel like I was drowning. And just with anything health related, it is really scary.

Compound that with being very homesick. I've slowly been missing my Mississippi roots. I really thought I could just go for visits and be fine. But it's not fine. I miss seeing my family and I want to see my old friends and catch up. I miss warm winters (warmer that what we have here) and just all the familiarity of my surroundings. I really pray that either the company my husband works for decided to open an office in MS or he finds a job there. Wishful thinking on my part I know.

Just if you can please keep us in your prayers.
Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Does anyone know?

I was wondering if anyone had experience with a company called USANA? My brother heard about it from his pastor. It is a MLM company, but you don't have to sell anything to make money. You can sell their health and beauty products if you want.

From what my brother has explained, you get signed up below your sponser, then you sign up 2 people, or if you don't sign up any people, whoever your sponser signs up next would go under you.
You would pay out 120 a month, but collect a check each week. Starting at $40, then it doubles, and keeps doubling each week until you reach $1000. The 120 a month is for a small product purchase. The pastor, his wife and son have already signed up and have collected 2 checks each.

This is from what I have gathered from my brother. I did see people on ebay selling the products for a descent amount. So you wouldn't be stuck with a basement full of vitamins and shampoo.

Does anyone know about the company? There isn't much online about them other than their company website.
I don't think my brother's pastor, who is a close friend, would get us involved in some sort of pyramid scam. He heard about it from another pastor. And thinks it might be a good deal for people who need extra money each month.

So if you know anything, please let me know.
Friday, April 24, 2009

Spring is finally here!

Spring has finally arrived! The weather has been so nice the past couple of days. Bright sunshine, nice breeze. I've had all the windows open all week long ,airing out the house.

I'm still not smoking! I just recently went down to the 3rd stage in the patch too. It's still been tough. There are some times when I just really really want a cigarette. But I've resisted the urge to light up again. I am really hoping this time I will be able to quit for good.

Later, I'll do a freebie Friday. I've gotten lots of coupons for free dinners, appetizers, and BOGO stuff at stores.

Have a good weekend all!
Friday, April 17, 2009

Freebie Friday!

I love freebies or getting something for a MAJOR discount. I've always been amazed by the ladies that can go to the grocery store and spend $20 and come out with 2 carts full just by using coupons and discounts. I try and try to do this and always fail. I'm still trying though.

On one of our local news channels they have a reporter doing daily deals. See her blog here. http://dionsdailydeal.wordpress.com/

On tax day she was posting all the free food around town. So many bargains. and FREE food. I signed up for all of our favorite restaurants email lists and got these great bargains.

Houlihan's: http://www.houlihans.com/EmailClub.aspx- Sign up and get a free coupon for an appetizer and free entree on your birthday. I got a package in the mail from them with recipes for some of their dishes and a coupon for a BOGO entree. Their food is really good too. Love their Tuscan Summer Salad.

Mimi's Cafe: http://www.mimiscafe.com/- Sign up for their e-club and get a coupon for a free Breakfast entree.

Boston Market: I got a coupon for a BOGO crispy country chicken item.

Fazoli's :http://fazolis.com - Coupon for $2 off a $5 order.

Arby's : Free roasted chicken club sandwich with purchase of any soft drink and fries.

I emailed Chili's once about a great server we had and they sent me 2 $10 gift certificates for dinner.

Price Chopper has a kids club. Sign up your child and get coupons and your child gets entered into raffles to win things like a new bike and helmet.

Do you know of any other restaurants that offer coupons when you sign up on their email list? Or any other good freebie sites?

What grocery stores do you know that double or triple coupons? I know K-Mart is going to have a double coupon day soon. Plus sign up on their site and get 2 $5 coupons. Same with Sears. And both have layaway!

What bargain shopping tips do you have?





Tuesday, April 14, 2009

I quit..

I quit smoking one week ago. Me and my husband decided to do it together. I'm using the patch and he is doing the cold turkey way. So far, we haven't killed each other or the kids. So I'd say we're doing pretty good.

I got my test results back from the doctor. All my bloodwork came back good, except my Vitamin D levels. They were low. But I figure since we are just now coming out of winter, that should be normal. That still doesn't explain my headaches, my muscle aches and fatigue. I figure she'll tell me more when I go back next week. She does want me to take 1000mg of Vitamin D3 for a month. It's weird that my Vitamin D was low because I love milk and cheese, yogurt. Who knows?

We had an okay Easter. It was cold and rained all day. We went out to Dennis's parents house, like we do every year. Dennis was kind of getting ticked while we were out there. We live almost 2 hours away, when we come out there we want to visit, talk, find out how everyone's been doing. Instead, the tv is on and we just sit there watching tv. Or cooking dinner and cleaning up after that.
Like Dennis said, if I wanted to watch tv, I'd be at home.
Wednesday, April 8, 2009

Lost in the City & A Trip to the Doctor

I had my doctor's appointment this morning. No diagnosis yet. She wanted to wait for all my blood work to come back. She's testing my thyroid, my iron levels, my vitamin levels, and a bunch of other stuff. They drew 8 tubes of blood!! I hate HATE needles. I always sit in the chair looking like I'm about to pass out. The lady who did my blood work was good though. She kept talking to me about going to college. She is going back to become a RN. That made it go by quickly and kept my mind off it. I have to go back in 2 weeks and find out my results and have another visit.

I did meet a sweet little elderly lady. She was waiting for the lab as well and we both have a fear of needles. She told me how back during the War everyone was donating blood, so she went to do her patriotic duty and donate. She said she was fine until she looked around and saw everyone else getting blood drawn. "I went down like a rag doll" she said. She was a sweet little lady.

After my appointment it was lunch time. My husband was still at home waiting for me, so I decided to pick up some Taco Bell for us. They are doing a bunch of road construction around our neighborhood, so main routes to our house are closed off. I had to take a route that I had never taken before alone. I must have missed my exit because I wound up on the Kansas side of Kansas City. I turned around, stopped at a gas station and got directions.
I tried using my cell phone, but since I just use a pre-paid phone, it was empty of minutes. My youngest daughter had used all of my minutes the last time she went out with a friend. I refilled my phone, and started going the way the gas station man had told me.

He told me wrong!! I ended up back in Missouri but going South instead of North like I needed to. I had to turn around again. On Hwy 71S and Prospect!! If you live any where near Kansas City, you know Prospect. Heck just turn on the news and Prospect will be mentioned along with the latest murder, robbery, rape.... You get my drift.
I flipped around and headed back on 71N. This time I finally got in touch with my husband.

"Do you know why I am calling you?" He should know. I am always getting lost when I have to take the major interstates and highways. I am direction challenged.

"You're lost. Where are you?"

"All the way down by the 3 redlights on 71." I mumbled.

"How in the hell did you wind up down there?" He said in between laughing at me.

"Don't ask! I just had half my blood drained to feed the vampires under the doctor's office and I'm hungry!"

"Don't get bitchy or I'll hang up." He said back.

"Just guide me back home. I just want to get home." I was about to start crying I was so frustrated.

He stayed on the phone with me until I got our street's exit and then laughed at me when I came in the door.

He did give me a hug and a kiss for bringing him a chili cheese burrito though. I guess that makes up for getting lost on the Kansas side of Kansas City.
Monday, April 6, 2009

My kids are driving me to the brink

Isn't that the saying of all mothers? Their kids are driving them to the brink of insanity?! Mine have been especially annoying and just pushing the limits and my buttons lately.

I finally made a doctor's appointment. After my husband and brother both threatened to call for me. When your older brother threatens to drive up from Mississippi and hogtie you and force you to go, you kinda give in.
The problem is I don't feel like I need to go. I don't have a cough, the sniffles, or a fever. I just have been feeling like blah lately. My back and shoulders ache. I feel like I ran a marathon and got hit by a Mack truck while doing it. I ache all over, plus the migraine headaches I used to get only once in a while have been hitting me 3 to 4 times a week now. I sleep 8 hours a night but wake up feeling like I haven't slept a bit. I think my husband has been getting tired of hearing me say I'm exhausted at 6PM every night. Plus I feel like I am wound as tight as a rubber band.

This is why I don't want to go to the doctor. I feel like I will just be wasting their time. That I will be just complaining about things that don't make much sense. How can I be exhausted when I don't work outside the home, my kids are in school all day? I just don't want to be seen as one of those complainer patients. The ones who come in with this laundry list of aliments that don't make sense or the ones who just want that drug fix. That is just not me.

I have a hard time with doctors because of my genetic condition. NF type 1 (neurofibromatosis). It is a very hard condition to explain and very few doctors know anything about it. It affects the nervous system and causes nerve tissues to grow tumors on the skin. Most of the time I have to explain to the nurse or doctor what it is. Even I don't know that much about it.

I just hate feeling like crap all the time. It is so against my nature. So wish me good luck at the doctor and hopefully they will be able to tell me what in the heck is going on with me.
Friday, April 3, 2009

th' situashun is skeppical - redneck calls a psychic

I had to make a late night milk run last night. My kids have this habit of putting about a teaspoon of milk back in the fridge. I have no idea why they just don't finish it off. Their excuses run from saving it for me so I can have coffee in the morning i.e.so momma is not a rabid witch in the AM or they didn't know it was that low. Since my husband refuses to go out after he has taken his boots off, it was up to me to make that run to the QT.

It was then I caught the late show on the husband's favorite country station. Apparently they had a psychic on. Whodathunk it. A psychic on a redneck station. For some odd reason I have this fascination with psychics. No, I've never been to one. Something about that line in the Bible saying it is a no-no. I'd rather be safe than sorry. I even dated a guy who claimed to be a psychic. He really liked his patchouli oil. Funny, he never saw me dumping his tarot card reading butt.

But, I digress. They had the usual callers. Will this guy ever ask me out? Maybe and the caller needed to focus her energies on people who actually *shock* returned her love. Will I get a promotion at work? Outlook not good, try again later. I think she was making good use of her magic 8-Ball. Then came the country fried redneck caller.
He started out saying that he had been married to his wife for 4 years. They had been sweethearts for a long time. *so far so good* But wait for it, just wait....
She was pregnant. *Cue me saying, uh-oh-this call is about to go downhill* And he didn't think the baby was his.
You could hear a pin drop in the studio. The DJ began stuttering and it must have been contagious because so did the psychic.
She started off by saying that a baby was a wonderful gift and it would need love and support no matter what. Our redneck friend, contested, saying he loved his wife, even if she might have been a trifling hussy-(my words not his). Psychic countered by saying that he would need to love the baby because.....dum de dum dum- it was his baby.
Then our redneck said my title phrase-th' situashun is skeppical . Yes he said it like that. Psychic gave her last word and said it didn't matter if it was his or not. He needed to love the baby. The call was quickly disconnected after that. I think things were getting just a little too deep for the DJ and psychic to handle. Plus I think her 8 ball broke.

What is it about rednecks and psychics. It's like they can't help themselves. From Miss Cleo to Dion Warwick's Psychic Friends Network. Rednecks are calling to ask all sorts of questions. Eager to talk way past the first free 3 minutes. By the way, did you know Miss Cleo was not really Jamaican. She was born in California and she made a killing from everyone, and I'm sure a fair share of rednecks. Eager to find out who was their baby's daddy and would Elmer keep his job at the lumber mill.

Okay, I know I'm poking fun at rednecks. Don't take offense people. I'm a redneck. Born and raised in the deep dirty South, Mississippi. The state that holds the proud title of finishing dead last in any national stats. Besides being a redneck ain't that bad.
We always have ice cold sweet tea in the fridge, plenty of butterbeans, fresh tomatoes, and cornbread and Momma's cathead biscuits ready for company. Just make sure you wipe your feet before you come in off the porch.
Thursday, April 2, 2009

Movie Reviews

We watched a couple of movies this past weekend. The Boy In the Striped Pajamas and Miracle at Santa Anna.

I thought both were great films. The Boy In the Striped Pajamas was one Mary had been wanting to see. It is also based on a book by the same name. Two little boys become friends during WW2. One is a Jew living in a concentration camp and the other is the camp commander's son. It was a very touching and moving film. Make sure you have tissues ready though. Or if you are like me, a whole box of tissues.

Miracle at Santa Anna is another WW2 movie. More of an action/drama film. I'm not a real big action film fan, but historic action I can deal with. This is one is about the Buffalo Soldiers and a mysterious statue head, and these 4 soldiers journey. I'm not going to give away too much of the film because it would ruin it. But trust me, it was really good.

Is anybody else glad tomorrow is Friday. The weekend is almost here!
Wednesday, April 1, 2009

The 4 legged kids


This is Pretty Girl the cat and Oscar the dog. Oscar is a Pekingese and Chihuahua mix. He was the only boy and the only one who looked like a Chihuahua. Oscar is also a garbage disposal. He will eat anything that hits the floor. Pretty Girl was a stray. You might remember me blogging about it back in August. Her and Oscar are the same age. We usually find them like this. Cuddled up together, giving each other kisses. Everytime I see them like this, the song "Secret Lovers" starts playing in my mind.





This would be Gizmo. Gizmo is a Pembroke Welsh Corgi. And yes, he is always smiling like that. We got Gizmo about 4 years ago. He is a calm dog, except when company comes over and he turns into a nut. He runs, barks at you, brings you every toy he has. Once you toss his ball a couple of times, he calms down. He also likes to play with balloons. He likes to bounce them in the air.

Here is a little video that Mary, the youngest, took of Gizmo playing with the balloon. Please ignore my messy house. It was the Saturday that snowed and spit ice all day and I didn't feel like doing anything housework related.





Toddlers and Tiaras

Has anyone watched this show on TLC? It is about the pageant world for little girls and boys. I happened to catch a partial episode last night. There was nothing on after NCSI and the Mentalist, so I started channel surfing and saw this little gem.

First off, I don't have a problem with pageants per say, but this show was just creepy. Or maybe it was just this episode. There is just something not quite right about shoving a pair of fake teeth in a kids mouth so they have a perfect smile. Or spray tanning your five year old so she doesn't look pasty white for the swimsuit competition.

They had this one little girl. She was 10 years old and her mom and coach (yes, they have pageant coaches) put her in a white strapless dress and high heels. It looked like a wedding dress seriously. She had about 6 inches of make-up on and her hair was teased to the heavens. Then it got even creepier... her dad or was it her uncle.. It was some male figure in her life said this , "She just looks gorgeous up there. I know she looks way older than she should, but she looks gorgeous." Shiver.... She is 10! 10 years old and looked like she was 18!

I kept screaming at the TV "She's only 10! She's just a baby!" My dear husband looked up for just a moment from his laptop and swore there was no way she was only 10. Then he caught the interview with said child saying how pretty she felt with everyone looking at her and saw her age listed. He joined me in saying "She's only 10!"
The above little girl went on to win in every category and first place for her age group. Her exit interview she said, "I feel beautiful when I win first place." Sad, sad.

A mom of a little girl who lost said, "She's just going to have to try harder next time." Like this was a math test or a basketball game they lost.

It does make me sad to see girls place so much emphasis on their outside appearance. And we wonder why women and girls still struggle with body image.

Yes, I could save myself all sorts of angst if I would just stop watching shows like this, but there is just something about reality TV that sucks you in. You want to look away, flip the channel, but you can't. You remain glued to it. Appalled that there really are people like that.

In the end, one little girl had the best outlook and the most wisdom on it all. She said she wanted to win, but she wanted the others to win more. She didn't want anyone to feel bad about themselves.

That little girl made the entire episode for me.
Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Meet the tweens




Meet the 2 unofficial stars of this blog. Tween#1 and Tween#2.












Kate is showing off her tumbling skills. Kate is the oldest tween. Soon to be a full fledged teenager, a scary thought to dear old Dad. She can be found most times in her room, cell phone clutched in hand, fingers flying across the keyboard, with the phone glued to her ear. Kate is the drama queen. The "omg, I-am-going-to-die-if-" drama queen. She also is the keeper of goofy faces, all things girly, an overflowing closet and shoe rack.

Mary is the second in command tween. Mary is the little monkey. Most likely to be found stomping in mud holes. Or telling some boy who messed with her that she is going to stomp one in his. Mary is the anti-girly girl. Her domain consists of hanging in trees, taking apart things in her room, or telling on her sister. She is the great debater. Mary is the keeper of all things involving outer space, her dad's tools, and silly jokes.

Now you have met the two faceless kiddos who can destroy a clean house in 60 seconds flat. Who I probably blog about more than I should.
Stay tuned for tomorrow, you can meet the fur kids who inhabit the geek and belle home.
Sunday, March 29, 2009

The grounding never ends

The girls are gounded again. Their previous grounding had just ended today. The last grounding was for coming home at almost 9PM. They were supposed to be back at 6PM, when the street lights come on. They got to eat a cold dinner that night. Oldest had her cell phone taken away and no phone/tv privelages for the week for both.

But of course they just couldn't help themselves but get in trouble again today. This time Dad took over and the former Army came out in him. The raised voice, the glare, the finger wagging. He's not yelling he is just speaking in a tone of voice so that there is no misunderstanding. All that. This time they got grounded for taking both downstairs phones upstairs in their rooms and being in our room, letting the dogs in our room and the dogs pooped in our closet and the girls just tossed a bath towel over it.
They are grounded from the phones and tv again and have extra chores.

The future defense attorney in our youngest came out. She made the tragic error of trying to debate Dad. She shouldn't be grounded because she does alot of things around the house, she gets good grades, and for the most part does what she is told.
Truth be told, she does do alot around the house and does what she is told. Her grades are spectacular as well. And then she began laying out all of the things her sister didn't do.
That didn't go over well with Dad. Our rule in the house is that you don't debate Mom and Dad when you are in trouble and you don't ever throw your sister under the bus. She did both.

So now in addition to doing extra chores, they have to do these chores together and if they fight, the grounding just lasts longer.

The older my girls get, the more they seem to get in trouble. When they were little, it was things like: oldest eating spoonfulls of butter, coloring on each other, the walls, or the dog. One time oldest tried to feed the fish.... butter. (the fish survived). Or playing hair salon with real scissors and butter. (My kids had a fascination with butter when they were little)
Now that they are older, can talk, can read, and are almost as tall as me. They can mutter under the breathe (not a good thing since I am hard of hearing. All I hear is whisper..mutter..stupid..not fair) And being girls EVERY thing is a major crisis or drama.

As much as I love my girls growing up and getting older. I wish sometimes I could go back to the toddler stage. I would take coloring on the walls over a hormone filled soon be teenager. But then again reasoning with a toddler and a teenager are about the same thing. Both stomp their feet and screech "Its not fair!" And that's just me. (just kidding) All it took when they were toddlers was a 5 minute time out.
If only dealing with tweens and teens was as easy.
Thursday, March 26, 2009

Breaking Dawn-My thoughts

I started reading the Twilight series after seeing it mentioned on several gossip sites. I've always loved vampire and supernatural books and movies. My first Vampire book was The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith. Smith is an amazing writer of the supernatural and young adult romance. I thought it would be something fun for me to read over the summer.
I bought Twilight and read it in about 2-3 days. It was okay. Not the best vampire book I'd ever read, but good for just a fun read. It was kind of like reading fan fiction, but I thought this is the author's first time writing, it will get better. There are more books in the series, New Moon, Eclipse and then Breaking Dawn. All of the books are about the same way. Bella is clumsy, thinks she is just average, kind of a snot to her dad and others who aren't the Cullens. Edward is beautiful, god-like, beautiful, has liquid topaz eyes, stalkerish, beautiful. Did I mention Edward is beautiful. Yes, almost every other page is Bella saying how beautiful he is.

I had already read some spoilers about Breaking Dawn, but I wanted to read it for myself to see if what I had read was true. I kept thinking there was just no way the author did that. No way she would go there. I was SOOOOO wrong people.

This book is completely different than the other 3. It almost feels like someone else wrote it. Or that the author didn't know how to tie up the loose ends, read some fan fiction about the characters, took the most insane and impossible one, and went with it.

It starts off with Bella whining about a gift Edward gave her. Some car that isn't even available in the States yet. She didn't want it. She's getting married in a few days and whines about that. Except that after they get married, Edward has agreed to change her to a vampire. Alice of course is planning the wedding. Here is where I started to get just slightly annoyed. The author can go into great detail telling us how beautiful Edward is, and just how plain Bella is, but the wedding is barely described. A bare description of Bella's wedding dress, bare description of the decorations. Just nothing.
Then they go off on the honeymoon. To the Isle of Esme. An island Carlisle had bought Esme. Here is where Edward and Bella consummate their relationship. We basically get .... our eyes met, our lips touched, hands touched.... fade to black. Wake up the next morning to pillows ripped to shreds and headboards busted.

I actually really didn't have a problem with this. I respect that there wasn't some long drawn out sex scene in a young adult book. But then here comes the shocker.... Bella begins to feel tired all the time and then hungry all the time..... What could be wrong.......

Then she feels something move around... and calls it her little nudger.... (Facepalm....quickest way to kill a book, introduce a main character being pregnant) This is especially weird seeing how the author told us in several books that vampires can't reproduce. And don't tell me because Edward was a virgin, he still had some junk. Nope, not gonna happen.

So they run back to the Cullen compound and the baby is developing at a rapid rate. Here is where all the characters in this series become paper dolls.... Bella calls Rose to protect her, becomes BFF with her. She uses Rose because she knows how much Rose always wanted a baby. Alice just goes and sits on the stairs, Jasper is just there, Edward looks conflicted, Carlisle doesn't know what to do while Bella wastes away. Then enters Jacob and the wolf pack.
Jacob tells Carlisle that Bella needs blood because the baby is a vampire hybrid. So instead of just giving her an IV with blood, Bella drinks gallons of blood. Plus this baby breaks her ribs and spine with its kicks.
I'll fast forward to the birthing.....
Bella vomits a fountain of blood all over the place, and goes into labor. Carlisle is gone. So Edward delivers the baby. He bites through her uterus to get the baby out. This is all described in graphic detail. Oh and Bella becomes a vampire also. And she bypasses all the bloodlust/newborn stage everyone else experienced. Why? I guess she is super special!
Then the name the child Reneesme Carlie. Renee and Esme names and then Charlie and Carlisle names. (Facepalm again)
Want even more creepiness. Jacob our werewolf/shapeshifter imprints on the BABY!!! ON THE BABY!!!
Of course the Italy vampires find out and you think a huge battle is going to happen.. Alice and Jasper run off during this.
The Cullens call in all of these other vampires from all over the world to bear witness who this baby is. And of course the baby is super special. She wins everyone over and ages at a fast rate. Goes from being a newborn to like a 3 year old in a matter of weeks. She can read, talk, hunt, yadda yadda...And during this we get more of Bella admiring how beautiful she is and more fade to black sex between her and Edward. And Charlie visits and turns into an ostrich who doesn't care and buries his head in the sand.

The Italy vampires show up and Bella uses her super duper love shield power and the Italy Vampires tuck tail and run back to their tunnels.

It was the perfect Disney ending. Bella gets her husband, baby, little cottage in the woods, and Jacob stays in her life by imprinting on her baby. And Edward calls Jacob son.

It really was as bad as people told me. I really hoped that the author would show growth in Bella. That she would grow a backbone, not whine and be such a lil twit towards people. But nope, she remained a Mary Sue character, nobody had to sacrifice or give up something. Nobody important died. There was no conflict. Just cotton candy rainbow colored unicorn farts.

If you do have daughters loving this series, I would not let them read this final book. Tell them to write their own ending.
Thursday, March 19, 2009

It was peaceful....

That was until the girls came back from grandma's yesterday. The girls spent some time at grandma's this week. I actually got the house clean... downstairs at least. I even dusted!
There were no dirty dishes in the sink or a countertop crusted with whatever they cooked and didn't clean up. I didn't have to break up a fight over who borrowed whose shirt, hair band, or Ipod.
Peaceful and relaxing.
They came back home yesterday. Apparently they told grandma they were ready to come home. They dumped their bags full of dirty clothes and goodies from grandma and took off out the door to their friend's houses. This morning, get woken up by the phone rining at 830 in the freaking morning. The youngest tween's friend-who-is-a-boy was calling. He called 3 more times before 10. It's Spring Break.... no school.. which means we in the Geek and Belle house are sleeping in! All of us! Do not be calling unless someone has died! The morning just got better (NOT!) as I was now awake from the phone ringing over and over. One of the tweens had decided to have a midnight snack. Rice Krispies and sugar was scattered all over the counter, and two empty packages of oatmeal and more sugar. Where were the bowls? On the coffee table, with dried krispies and oatmeal in them. Their response when I asked why they didn't put them into the sink.....
Ooops.. I forgot!

I guess having a clean house is out of the question.... until they leave for college or I convince the husband to let me hire a maid.
Saturday, March 14, 2009

Blog Pretties

I got tired of looking at the blogger background and went in search of something to make my blog pretty. I see all of these other blogs with such awesome looking backgrounds and headers. And the green eyed monster comes out. I want a pretty blog too!
I found this background over on thecutestblogontheblock.com
They have some really cute FREE backgrounds and headers. So head over there if you want some pretties for your blog.

Hopefully tomorrow after church grandma will be coming to pick up the girls. She's been wanting to spend some time with them, but since we live over an hour away she doesn't get to that much. Then maybe me and the husband can finally use that $50 Red Lobster gift card and the movie gift card we got for Christmas. A night out without kids! What is that like again?
Friday, March 13, 2009

Late Night Blogging

Thank goodness it is now officially Spring Break!!! No school tomorrow. And none next week. The weather is supposed to warm up and be nice. Crosses fingers. Missouri weather is wicked about changing its mind.

Oldest Tween daughter's cell phone stopped working. We got her a nice AT&T GoPhone for Christmas. A Sony Ericsson W580i. This thing has a camera, MP3 player, a pedometer, the works. Sunday while out the in-laws, the screen froze up. She turned it off and charged, it started working for a while, then just turned off. We thought it just needed a good charge, no dice.
I did a tech chat last night with AT&T and it has to be replaced. Thank goodness it is still under warranty. She has a new phone, same model, same color, being shipped to her.
If you are thinking about getting your kid a cell phone, get a Go Phone. For $20 you can get unlimited texting for the month. I get oldest daughter a $30 card, 20 for the texting and 10 for emergency calls. She texts far more than she ever talks on it.

And I am almost done with all of my classes. I got back one more of my papers. This time with no revisions! YAY!

My poor husband came home sick from work. He thinks he has the crude that has been making its way around the office. I think he is just dead tired and going out after work with the guys for beer and pool did him in last night.

I hope everyone who is out for Spring Break has a very relaxing and restful break. I know I will and it will all end way to soon.
Wednesday, March 11, 2009

Sweeps out the dust bunnies!

Okay, okay. I know. I've been gone for a while. Well... a long while. But I swear I have a good excuse. A really good one.

I went back to school. Back to college to get my bachelors. I started back in November and I'm about to finish up my first 6-month term. Everything is done online. Aside from taking my objective exams. Those I have to find a testing center. I've been doing nothing but writing papers for each of my classes. And I swear I am about to pull my hair out on some of them.
See, you don't have a professor who grades them. You have some annoymous grader who does. It all goes through this system called Taskstream. It has your classes listed and the assignments for each one. You do the assignment and then submit it to the "Taskstream god" and hope they don't kick it back to you for revisions.
Yes, revisions. You don't get a letter grade, you get a grade out of 4 points. And you can't get a 2 on any section, otherwise the grader will tell you to revise that section.
I've had history papers kicked back because I didn't write enough about a certain political thinker, because my rough draft wasn't "perfect" enough, or because I didn't discuss revision strategies in enough detail.
You get the picture. It is frustrating to have it take a paper 5-7 days to be graded only to be handed back to be revised. Then it takes an additional 5-7 days to be graded again.

So it has been pretty stressfull around here. My poor husband has heard my gripe and complain about the grading process every time I get a paper kicked back. He just rolls his eyes and goes back to whatever he is doing.

Good news did come this year though. My husband got a promotion at work. He is now the manager of one of the teams at work. No pay raise though. Just more responsibilties and more headaches. The owner did tell him that once the economy gets better that he wants to open up some satellite offices down South and my husband will be the one to head up one. I guess the owner knows how much I miss living down South and my family. I do miss living back home. No more snow, warm weather practically year round, iced sweet tea, and college football. Plus my husband wouldn't have to drive 8 hours to go deer hunting with my brother and dad.


give a man hunting and he will agree to anything.