Maria's Space: March 2006

Wednesday, March 22, 2006

Sayonara Chicken Little

Finally, America got it right!
Kevin Covais is finally out! Thank you America, I couldn't possibly listen to him sing again.
I guess all the little girls had to go to sleep early last night. I wasn't shocked to see who was in the bottom 3. It was Lisa, Bucky and Kevin. I was a bit nervous thinking that Kevin would be staying but so thankful when Ryan said Kevin had the least amount of votes. I actually clapped trying not to wake my daughter who was sleeping on the couch.

Kevin, I am sure you are a sweet kid but someone had to go and I am glad it was you babe!

Monday, March 20, 2006

We are Paci Free - Yippy

March 3rd we took away my son's beloved pacifier (we also took away his sisters - not that she loved hers). Up until four months ago he only took it when going to sleep. We started using it more as a way to reward him for using his words. When he asked for it by name it was hard not to say "yes." The paci sat on the counter for three days, when he asked for it we would tell him it was on the counter. He would put it in his mouth, I would say "Yucky" and he would put it back down. Two days later I took the pacifier off the counter. We went through some really hard, crazy, times. Jesse would cry for his "paci" all the time. I wasn't sure how long it would take but knew it would be tough. I am proud to say that it has been 4 days since he has asked for it! I vowed that he would not turn 3 with a pacifier. We are 2 months away from his birthday and we are done!
(Last picture of Jesse with "paci")























Saturday I heard him say the word "paci." My heart clenched, my stomach turned and I looked to see what he was up to. He had found an old hospital "paci" in his sister's basket of baby toys. He was trying to put it into her mouth. She crawled away and he came to me. Holding it up in his little hand he said, "paci" I said, "yes, you are right that is a paci. Yuck! Throw it away. Kaka!" He said, "kaka" and ran to throw it into the garbage.

Ahhh..angels sing and I beam.



















Next step, potty training...



Friday, March 17, 2006

Got Milk???

Today while waiting on line at Starbucks my baby boy (well he turns three May 11th) asked for "milk." Not only did he say "milk" but he said, "I want milk!" I know, I know what you are thinking. Big friggin whoop. I am sure the people waiting on line thought I was a freak when I said, "You asked for milk? You said milk! Good boy Handsome. Good boy!" All the praise was accompanied by tons of hugs and kisses which probably made me even more of a freak.

Handsome has been in Speech therapy for the past 5 1/2 months. I didn't really think his speech was such a big deal. Yes he said "ama" instead of Mommy for a while (I miss this one). Milk was "ilk" and lately "oak" but every kid has some things that are pronounced incorrectly. Hell, I know quite a few adults including myself who make the occasional blunder. I think Handsome's speech is getting better everyday. In fact I didn't think he needed the damn therapy in the first place. Anywho, I digress. Basically this rant was to just say...

I adore you baby boy. You are the smartest, cutest, funniest, most kissable, and talented almost three year old I know. You are my heart on legs and I love you. You make me proud every single day and out of all the almost three year olds in the world how did I get so lucky to have you? Love, Mommy



AND YES, THAT IS MY FRIGGIN CHRISTMAS TREE!

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

Dead Idol Walking - 1st Live Elimination for the Final 12


So tonight was the 1/2 hour elimination show. Thank God! 1/2 hour is really all I can spend on Idol after last night's 2 hour show.

The bottom three were actually a shock to me. I did expect Melissa McGhee to be there but I didn't expect Ace or Lisa to stand with her. WTF...why is Kevin still surviving?

Out of the 3 I was not surprised when Melissa was told that she had the least amount of votes. My hubby is boycotting the show after this.

Farewell Melissa my hubby will miss your boobs "she's got nice boobs eh?" Man, how I hate that sentence. I would prefer he leave off the "eh" part because that makes it more of a question instead of a statement. Is he looking for me to agree or disagree? Does he want to debate it?
Not sure but it is so annoying to me.

American Idol - The Top 12 LIVE

Last night's American Idol was 2 hours. I am not sure how to justify or reconcile that in my life but I did manage to watch about 85% of it. I know I will never get those hours back and I am now thinking of all the things I could accomplish in 2 hours but whatever.

The gang sang Stevie Wonder songs last night...to me...big whoopdee friggin do! I know

ACE - So the show started with Ace singing "Do I Do." I thought this was a great song for him. He sounded great. I of course didn't allow myself to look for fear of being swayed by his adorable face.

  • Randy - "Thought it was just alright"
  • Paula - "Thought he entertained everyone"
  • Simon - "Thought it was wasn't great. It was a bit manic"
KELLI - sang Blame it on the Sun. Umm let's talk about the grown up Kelli; skin tight dress, F me pumps and hair so overstyled it looked like a friggin wig. I bet you there is someone, somewhere talking about how she looked beautiful but I thought it was dated. Oh yeah, singing contest. It was just "aight" for me. She sounded really shaky but that could have been because of the F me pumps.
  • Randy - "Non eventful. Almost like it didn't really happen"
  • Paula - "You were too safe. You look gorgeous"
  • Simon - "Everything went wrong. You put America to sleep"
ELLIOTT - sang Knocks me off my Feet. This is totally Elliott's genre. He looked confident and comfortable. To me he was just ok. He also sounded a bit shaky into the song but ended well. Maybe the band is still working out the kinks. Not sure why everyone so far has just sounded ok and not great. I didn't love the Miami Vice look then and I don't love it know.
  • Randy - "Good. Flavor Vibe"
  • Paula - She didn't say really anything about his performance. She spoke mostly about his meeting with Stevie.
  • Simon - "Wasn't incredible. It was good"
MANDISA - I am not sure what was going on with Ryan and the whole shoe thing. He took off Mandisa's shoes when she mentioned that her "dogs were barking." Umm...maybe Ryan is a lot kinkier than any of us can imagine. The dirty dog!

Oh...back to Mandisa, girlfriend can SING! She sang "Don't you worry bout a Thing." Mandisa is a good singer. I love watching her and think she will have a career even without Idol.
  • Randy - "Not as great as last week but the best so far"
  • Paula - "You can sing anything"
  • Simon - "Now we have a competition"
BUCKY never heard superstition. Crazy! Sup with the hair dude? I know that stylists have taken over but he needs to speak up and tell them he doesn't want to look like a "Breck" girl. My sister called me when he started singing to tell me that she wants that cut and color when she starts work (she's been raising kids for 7 years and is about to re-enter the workforce). I thought Bucky did really well considering his genre and never having heard the song before.
  • Randy - "Enjoyed it"
  • Paula - "Enjoyed it. Really good Bucky"
  • Simon - "One of your best so far"
MELISSA sang but I missed it. Not sure of the song or what the judges thought. I like her so I am hoping she did well. My son was begging me to lay down with him. He took my pen out of my hand and in a tired, itty bitty voice said, "bed." Now who could turn that offer down?
LISA sang "Signed, Sealed, Delivered I'm yours. She did great of course. She is comfortable and confident when she performs.
  • Randy - "Got bored but like the way she ended"
  • Paula - "Thought she did great"
  • Simon - "Told her she has the "It" factor"
KEVIN sang Part-Time Lover. Oh God help me! I don't get the hype. No! No! No! Is he kidding with the weird dancing and full face makeup? I thought Kevin was a bit cocky and didn't like his tone with Simon. I am not sure if he realizes that the sex symbol thing is serious. I have to know if anyone really thinks this kid is "hot" as some of the crowds signs have said.
  • Randy - "It's so funny"
  • Paula - "You have your own style"
  • Simon - "Appealing" (Thank God for Simon)
KATHERINE of course looked adorable and sang great as usual. My husband drooled over her cleavage and interestingly enough we agreed on her dress (we both hated the bottom). I thought she did great but thought that her performance seemed a bit dated.
  • Randy - "Back tonight - that was hot!"
  • Paula - "Something about your voice pierces through the heart"
  • Simon - "You're good!"
TAYLOR sang Living for the City. He was totally awesome. I would buy anything Taylor put out. I love his sound and his performance. He is very entertaining. Go Taylor! There is nothing else to say here. Taylor is Hella Hot!!
  • Randy - "Hot performance. You were fearless"
  • Paula - (she was gushing) "Fun, so much passion"
  • Simon - "You are like every dad that has ever gotten drunk at a wedding. The only difference is you can sing"
PARIS sang All I Do. She did a good job and I loved her look. Her Oprah hair looked adorable. She can sing but I find her annoying.
  • Randy - "Unbelievable. Hot! Oh my God effortless"
  • Paula - blah blah blah...she never says anything worth quoting.
  • Simon - "You are like so confident. Very good!"
CHRIS sang Higher Ground. Yeah baby! Love the running on stage with the mic stand. This guys manscape is so manicured. He must spend a hell of a lot of time looking in a mirror. He is so groomed that it is almost creepy. I loved his performance. I think Chris can pretty much sing anything. He is very original.
  • Randy - "You make it your own. Worked it out"
  • Paula - "I never worry. Fantastic"
  • Simon - "Thank God for Chris. The only real world performance. I can imagine you having a hit with that. Best tonight by a mile"
If I were voting; and I don't. I would have a tough time. I thought Taylor and Chris were awesome. Not sure who I liked better. They both rock!

Thursday, March 09, 2006

American Idol - Live Elimination 3

By the end of tonight's show we will know who "Our" Top 12 are. According to Ryan, 46 Million votes were cast.

Bo Bice came on and sang "The Real Thing." My hubby says this is why he didn't see many albums. But I like the song. I think he is awesome and my hair should look so good!

The first row of girls..Lisa, Melissa, Ayla are told they are safe. Kinnik is told she has the lowest number of votes. No surprise there.

The guys are brought out..Kevin, Gedeon, Bucky and Elliott are told they are safe. Will is told that he has the lowest number of votes.

Returning from commercial the ladies are again in the spot light.

Paris is told that she does not have the lowest number of votes which makes her "our" first Top 12.

Katherine, Kelli, Mandisa, Lisa are all Top 12.
Which leaves Ayla and Melissa. Randy says that Ayla will be staying and I tend to agree only because of Simon's comment from Tuesday.

We are told that Ayla is leaving and I am truly shocked. Ayla cries and Melissa makes her way to the Top 12 seats. I truly feel bad for Ayla who is not used to failing at anything. She sings but you can tell that she is sad and hurt. I hate that they are made to sing again.

Back to the guys; Taylor, Ace, Chris, Kevin (What is wrong with America?), and Elliott are safe.
This leaves Gedeon and Bucky. Simon when asked says that America sent Bucky home. He is wrong and Gedeon after his "pray for me speech" sings.

The Top 12 take the stage. Everyone is hugging, dancing, shaking hands, etc.
I look forward to next week...and so it begins.......

Wednesday, March 08, 2006

American Idol - Boy's Night

Tonight the guys sang and I have to say there were some stink bombs..

Gedeon sang "When a man loves a women" This dude annoys me! He has a good voice as long as he isn't talking. It was just ok.
Randy - "Alright. Nice way to start the show. Old soul."
Paula - "You are a unique sort (whatever that means). You know exactly what to do"
Simon - "You are a bit odd. It was a bit cabaret. Over the top. You are growing on me."

Chris sang Broken by Seether. I love this song and I love Chris's voice. He did a great job as usual but I thought he over sang at times. Still love him though!
Randy- "You ready! Rock on"
Paula- "You will be out there. I can already hear you on the radio."
Simon- "Wasn't so impressed. You have a long way to go. It was a bit indulgent. Boring."

Kevin sang Starry, Starry Night. Yuck! Lisp boy can sing but he isn't great nor is he ready for this competition. He isn't good enough to stand next to the other guys but thank God he is there because that means someone else won't have to go home. He was in the bottom 3 last time and really needed to blow people away. I think he failed to do that. Bye Kevin.
Randy- "I like you. You can sing"
Paula- "Ballads are your ticket"
Simon- "You will get the granny vote. It was juvenile"

Bucky sang some country song. I have no idea never heard it before. I really wish that Idol would post the song on the screen when the contestant is singing. I know this sounds stupid but his stance annoys me. I know the wide, open leg spread is done by so many singers but is it really necessary? He did ok. I didn't love it but I think he has done well in the past.
Randy-"Great song fcor you. "Bucky country"
Paula-"Raw. Unpretentious. Untapped talent"
Simon- "Ok. Adequate. Not good enough"

Will sang James Taylor's "How sweet it is." Who doesn't love some James Taylor once in a while? I thought Will did ok. It's weird; whenever he sings I am proud; almost like I gave birth to him. He is a cutie. He did ok. Not great.
Randy- "Not good for me. Bad kareoke"
Paula- "Best job. Raised your game"
Simon-"Falls under average category. Nothing great!"

Taylor sang Michael McDonald's "Taking it to the street" I thought he did an awesome job as usual. He actually sounded like Michael to me. Taylor doesn't need this contest but I am so glad he is in it. I thoroughly enjoy watching and listening to him. He is a true entertainer. I makes me smile just watching him.
Randy-"Good song choice"
Paula- "Favorite performance. Stepped it up. Blown away"
Simon-"You could single handedly kill the video industry. That was a radio performance. Best performance so far. You stood out."

Elliott sang "Heaven" by Bryan Adams. Elliott, Elliott, Elliott. Babe, this is for the top 12! Did you forget. I really expected a hell of a lot from Elliott and I think he did not deliver.
Randy-"Hot. I look forward to hearing you every week"
Paula- "phenomenal"
Simon-"That was a cop-out. There was a disconnect between you and the song. Not your best"

Ace sang Michael Jackson's "Butterflies" I have never heard this song in my life. Ace is hot! Love the beanie but if I look away from the TV I was not impressed with the vocals. I am not big on the falsetto thing. I thought it was boy band material (Justin Timberlake called and he wants his balls back).
Randy - "Hot"
Paula - (She is going to slide right off her chair one night- she looks at him like he is a piece of meat. It's actually disturbing) "Incredible"
Simon - "You made it work"

My bottom two for the night will be Will and Lisp Boy

American Idol - Girl Night



This week we are naming the top 12 contestants of American Idol.









Paris started by singing Conga by Gloria Estefan. Love this song! But I felt that there was no energy. Not a memorable performance. She changed it up a bit which was cool but vocally it wasn't there for me.

Randy – It wasn’t his favorite but she did her thing and can sing anything
Paula – Prefers her singing up-tempo and was surprised by her choice. She mentioned what a difficult song this is to sing. I will never understand what the hell that means. She says it all the time! Does Paula ever really say anything?
Simon- Said she was enthusiastic and vocally it was ok.

Lisa sang Where I stand. She did ok. She can sing but I thought it wasn’t great. She has done better. I was bored. I expected to be blown away but she fell short.

Randy- The song choice was too old for her.
Paula-Thought she should sing something that the audience could relate to.
Simon-“You can sing and you are super talented.

Melissa sang What about love by Heart. I knew she would do a great job. I love her voice and thought she did an amazing job. I am not sure what Simon heard but I thought she did great!

Randy-“Good song for you. Perfect. You sound like Ann and Nancy”. Now that is a compliment!
Paula-“You are a powerhouse”
Simon-Thought that she shouted it and just booked her plane ticket home.

Kinnik sang "If I ain't got you". Utterly terrible I thought she brutalized the song. There were pitch problems all over the place.

Randy-Started amazing but got sharp. Didn’t nail it.
Paula-Look amazing. Off pitch.
Simon-Agreed with Randy that she started out great. “You messed it up. Appalling! You just booked your plane ticket home.”

Katherine, so my girl Katherine “McFever” sang "Think" by Aretha. This girl can sing!
She is so damn cute. I thought she took a risk and did a great job. I love her voice!

Randy-“Hot one tonight”
Paula-“You had fun. Excellent job”
Simon-“You took a risk but you pulled it off.”

Ayla sang "Unwritten". I thought she did a good job but expect better from her. Not sure what she was wearing. A diaper perhaps! This chick is so tall.

Ryan looked like a 5 year old next to her. IRandy-No wow factor but it was alright.
Paula-“Good job”
Simon-“Pretty good.” Loves her film clips and thought she should show more of that side of her. Thought it was good not fantastic.

Mandisa can sing! She sang Chaka Kahn’s Every Women! If I had not heard it I could still tell that she would do a great job with this song. This was a great song choice for Mandisa. I love her voice and her fashion sense.

Randy-“Yo! Props. That was the best vocal this season. Ridiculous!!’ Which he said like 3 more times even after he was done talking and it was Paula’s turn.
Paula-Was standing for the first time tonight. “You sang your butt off.”
Simon-“The rest of the girls are going to hate you tonight. you made everyone before you seem ordinary. You are in a different league.”

Kelli sang I’m the only one by Melissa Etheridge. No! No! No! It sounded like she was yelling. If you are going to sing Melissa you need to have some balls. Melissa sings with such emotion that you can SEE the song. Her voice has depth and she is singing from her soul. Kelli on the other hand is singing words! There was nothing there! Note: If you are going to attempt to sing Melissa, you have to friggin bring it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would like to hear Melissa McGhee sing this song. Her voice is more suited for the song. This was like Pinocchio trying to sing Master of Puppets! It doesn’t work!!! (Ha!! Yeah…I just noticed what I wrote. Damn I am good for anyone who gets it).

Randy-“Great song choice”
Paula-“Guys are in love with you”
Simon-You are like a naughty little minx. I like you better than the last American Idol.”

Saturday, March 04, 2006

I'm Sorry


Yesterday I had put just a touch of diluted hot sauce on my son's pacifier to make it a little less appealing. It worked and he didn't want it even though it was at the ready. He would occasionally pick it up and try it but then say "cocky" and put it down. So as it got closer to bed time he was entering 5-6 hours of withdrawal and nothing was easy for him. While in the midst of a minor tantrum he knocked my cup of water out of my hand. I had been trying to give it to him because he had just put his pacifier in his mouth and figured he might have needed a little water. As the cup went flying and the sip of water that had been left in it hit the carpet my son for the first time ever said, "I'm sorry!"

Sitting here typing and remembering I actually think it was "sorry" but it was so sweet, so clear, and more importantly so unsolicited that it made me tear up. Such a good boy! Mommy loves you Baby boy.

Thursday, March 02, 2006

American Idol - Live Elimination Round 2


American Idol music cues. We are told that 4 people will be voted off. I think it will be Sway, David, Brenna and Kinnik. Ryan informs us that there were 48 million votes. I need to buy stock in the phone company!

We are made to suffer through a Brady Bunch Variety Hour rendition of "Love the one you're with."

Carrie Underwood comes back to sing "Jesus take the wheel." The hair is overdone and the dress is too fartsy but she is a good singer and I do love the song which was #1 on the country charts for like 6 weeks.

Ryan tells the top row; Lisa, Ayla, Katherine and Mandisa they are safe. Moving to the bottom row he tells Kinnik and Brenna they are in the bottom three. Kelly and Paris are told they are safe which leaves my girl Melissa and Heather. Oh God, please let it be Heather! It is.

Brenna, Kinnik and Heather are standing center stage and Brenna is informed that she had the lowest number of votes. Gasp! I'm shocked! Not!

Brenna performances and reinforces the fact that America made the right choice. Insert me sticking my fingers down my throat.

We return from commercial break with Kinnik and Heather standing with Ryan waiting to hear who will be leaving. It is Heather. I am actually shocked because I was sure it would be Kinnik.

Heather and her (I love it!) Lady Godiva hair sing "Hero" and we go to break.

Time for the guys; Bucky, Ace, and Elliott are safe. Sway who was sitting with them is told that he is in the bottom 3. Taylor and Chris are safe (No shit) which leaves Kevin and Will. I form pray hand and chat, "please let it me Kevin, please let it be Kevin." I told you I was a geek! Yippy it is! The audience gives a collective gasp. Please people! What is the Kevin thing? I don't understand it. Even Jennifer Love Hewitt was on Ellen today praising him and how she wishes he was her little brother. PLEASE!!

David has the lowest number of votes and my husband says "I don't want to hear him sing again." You have to feel like the biggest tool when you are singing the song that got you voted off. The girls swarm the stage followed by the guys. Chicks are teary, everyone is hugging.

Back from break and Sway and Kevin are standing. Simon, when asked by Ryan who will be leaving says it will be Sway. Sway is told that he is leaving. I really don't have to watch anymore but I do. Sway sings, everyone comes to the stage, hugging, winking, credits.

Time to change a diaper and put the child to bed.

Goodnight and good luck.

Wednesday, March 01, 2006

American Idol - The Top 10 Guys

“Wooooo” my man Taylor Hicks started it off with the Commodores “Easy.” I love Lionel Richie. There is nothing this guy can’t sing. His sound is so soothing to me. He did a great job! I can’t wait to see what kind of career he has. Taylor will do great even without idol. While the judges talked about song choice and Randy mentioned pitch problems (I didn’t hear any), I though it was a great song choice. This dude is original!!!

Elliott Yamin sang a Stevie Wonder song. I don’t know the name but do know the song. I liked his rendition and think Elliott has a really good voice. His voice is pleasant but I prefer not to look at him. Randy gave him props. Paula talked about it being a hard song but that he did great. Simon told him that it was a good performance and that he can see that his confidence is up. He also mentioned that he cannot win the competition with a song like that.

Little cutie Ace Young sang “If I am not made for you” by Daniel Bettingfield. I love this song. The words are so pretty and Ace baby you can sing to me anytime. Oh sorry, I digress…Ace did a good job but I agree with Simon, I thought he struggled a lil bit but who cares!

Gideon McKinney I don’t know the friggin song, sorry! I know it was by Sam Cooke but that is it. I was busy typing about Ace’s performance. I think Gideon did a good job. I wasn’t watching but I was listening and I felt like I was listening to a professional singer. He was impeccable! The judges all liked his performance.

Kevin “Mr. Lisp” Covais sang Marvin Gaye’s “Heard it through the Grapevine.” Yikes! What can I say, a skinny, little white boy singing Marvin Gaye. He basically sounded well, like a skinny, little white boy singing Marvin Gaye. I am not sure what’s up with the judges minus Simon. I was so glad that he finally spoke up after Paula and Randy talking about how great Kevin was, or infectious, or funny. Simon said started with, “this is la la land before telling Kevin that although he likes him, the song wasn’t that great.

Sway sang “Overjoyed” by Steve Wonder. He started out weak and it got a tiny bit better at the chorus but I was bored. The judges agreed!

Will Makar will did “Lady” by Kenny Rogers. He sounded great to me. His voice was strong and sweet at the same time. I thought the song was perfect for him and if he was my son (scary to think I am old enough to be his Mommy). I didn’t agree with the judges. I thought Will did an awesome job.

Bucky Cumington sang Garth Brooks “The Thunder Rolls.” I hate Garth but I love this song! I know, I know…how could I hate Garth. I can’t explain it. It is his big head or something.

David Radford sang some old song…I can’t remember I was busy looking for the original Thunder Rolls for my husband to hear. He was ok. My husband hates this sound and keeps saying, “this guy has to go.”

Chris Daughtry sang Hemmorage by Fuel. I f’in love Fuel. I would have liked for him to do Shimmer but Hemmorage is great too. This guy can do no wrong. I would like to just shout out songs for Chris to sing.

Staind – It’s been awhile or really any Staind song.
Creed – My Own Prison
Nickelback – You Remind Me
Incubus – Drive
Foo Fighters – There goes my Hero

The judges of course loved him! He is friggin good what’s not to love!

If I was voting tonight it would have to be for Chris followed by Taylor and Bucky.