Life In Bullet Points

• My Husband is on my last nerve
• My 3 year daughter worked in a preschool workbook today for 3 hours. Happy Days!
• I bought groceries this week with change. Outta change, anyone have any I can have?
• My new "Jehovah Witness" friends probably think I am crazy. They have been coming here since August. Last time they came it was too cold for me to keep the door open so I invited them inside. They read passages and I question the hell out of them. They came yesterday but I was watching General Hospital. When my husband told me I had company, I ran to the door telling them "I'm watching "General Hospital, it's sweeps week, can you come back? I'm serious. I know it's crazy but I really want to get back to it." They thanked me for being honest and left telling me they would be back next week. I felt like a heel but honestly...I'm not a Jehovah Witness and GH was on.
• I am done with winter and need some outdoor time.
• Tax time is fast approaching and we owe tons of cash. Stress has taken over my otherwise calm self.
• My son's preschool testing came back outstanding! I am so proud.
• My daughter told my husband today, "Daddy, I see me in your eyes." She literally meant she could see her reflection but it just sounded so sweet, it made me tear.
• Would love to get a job that allowed me to work from home so that I could contribute to our streeeetttched bank account.
• My father mentioned some crap about visiting but I know it is a crock so I am trying not to get excited about.
• Dying to visit my grandparents. I think my grandfather is coming home this week and would love to see him.
• Watched Making over America with Trinny and Susannah on TLC. Wish I could walk around with a British accent telling people how they should look, dress and act. They are too cool and their personalities make it possible for them to say anything. Ever watch them? They feel everyone up as they discuss bras and clothing.
  

Saturday 9: Going to Pot

1. When was the last time you smoked pot? I have never in my life smoked pot. It was never something I was interested in and stayed away from people who did it.

2. What do you think is your biggest weakness? My kids...all they have to do is say, "I'm sorry or smile, hug me, or say I love you mom" and I am a putty in their hands.

3. What is your biggest fear? Dying and leaving my kids early.

4. Is there a particular goal that you’d like accomplish this year? I would like to have a running paid ad on my blog.

5. What do you miss most from your youth? I miss just chilling and feeling no guilt about it.

6. What is your best physical feature? My eyes.

7. Are you very confident? I used to be but have to remind myself that I am worthy.

8. Tell us about the last time you were drunk. I have only been drunk 2 times in my life. The last time was over 6 years ago. My husband and I were hanging with our couple friends at their house. I am not much of a drinker but that night I was drinking some pretty good martini's. We ended up spending the night because, well...we were feeling no pain. We found out we were expecting our son not too long after that night. So it was worth it.

9. Have you ever cheated on a lover? I cheated on a boyfriend with my friend Teach who is now my husband. It was just meant to be.
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1. What is more important to you: your relationship with yourself or your relationship with those who are close to you? I have started the whole you come into this world alone, you go out alone mentality that comes with getting older. After making everyone else a priority, friends, family, bosses, etc...I have decided they can all kiss my ass.

2. Which of the above do you tend to have the least problem cultivating? Since I am not working, the whole boss part is shockingly easy.

3. Something goes wrong in your life. Of the people you are most likely to turn to, are they the same gender as you or the opposite? They are absolutely the same gender. Girl friends rock and have some pretty amazing ones.

4. Something goes wrong in a close friend’s life and you’re the person that friend chooses to call first. Is that person likely to be the same gender as you or the opposite? Yes! When I was younger my answer would have been different.

6. What single trait listed in the response to question #5 would your closest friend most agree with? You tend to have many friends from many walks of life. Anyone you meet is could become a friend. In fact, you are especially interested in people who are a little different than you. Seeing life from another perspective is something you cherish.

Friday Memes

1. I'd really like to take a bubble bath right now.

2. Fuck is the word you'd most often hear me say if I stubbed my toe.

3. Possession is Mine, mine all mine!

4. Who doesn't love Captain Jack Sparrow.

5. Marshmallows and fire go together like gelatin and heat?


6. I can go on and on.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to chilling with my man, tomorrow my plans include doing something with the kids, and Sunday, I want to sleep past 7:00 a.m.

In American football, a fumble occurs when the player carrying the ball drops it, often resulting in a great advantage for the other team. What have you recently fumbled in your own life? Ahhh...the old fumble question. No actually I never heard it put quite this way but I fumble all the time. Especially when I deal with my son or my husband. With my son I get into verbal disputes with him all the time. Instead of just cutting the argument short and following through with discipline I debate him.

In American football, you have thrown an interception when someone from the other team catches the ball you meant for your teammate. Who’s often an interceptor of something you intend for someone else? These days my kids are the interceptor. My husband and I have always spoken to each other through others. Instead of confronting each other with things like, "who left these dishes in the sink?" We ask someone else. First it was our pets and now it is our kids.

One of the severest penalties in American football is for unsportsmanlike conduct, when a player doesn’t play according to the spirit of fair play. In what situations are you most likely to be a perpetrator of unsportsmanlike conduct? It takes a lot to get me ruffled, however that being said...my husband probably causes my attitude like no one else. Instead of telling him something that bothers me such as coffee stains on the counter after I have already cleaned it or a dish in the sink or food in the drain after I scrubbed it makes me crazy. Do I tell him? No, I slam doors and throw silverware in the drawer.

In American football, the concept of running low-risk plays that consistently gain a few yards at a time is called “moving the chains,” while the concept of going after huge gains with higher-risk plays is called the “vertical game.” In your personal life, are you more of a moving-the-chains player or a vertical-game player? I am totally a moving the chains kinda girl. I don't believe in creating unnecessary waves and will take a back seat to whatever is going on unless it comes to my kids.

Sometimes in American football, the quarterback will, at the last moment, change his or her mind about the intended play, either to prevent what is likely to be a failure or to take advantage of a vulnerability in the other team. The method used in this play-change is often “calling an audible.” In what way have you recently called an audible in your life? Oh I call "audible" every single day. As I said, I don't make waves. I feel out the situation before approaching and usually just take a back seat to my husbands mood of the day.

Thursday Thunks - Meme

1. Have you ever felt alone, but yet there are people around you? I spent many years feeling very alone then I had kids and long to feel that again for about 5 minutes every other hour.

2. Do you have any video game consoles? Which ones? Yes. We have Xbox and Wii. Do I ever get to play them? How nice of you to ask. What do you think?

3. Do you freak out at food warnings/outbreaks, such as the recent peanut butter salmonella scare? Nope! I just stay away from whatever they are talking about like the plague. Freak out nope not me.

4. What color/pattern is your beds' comforter/bedspread? If you could call this thing a bedspread, it is blue and white striped with a solid blue side.

5. How many windows do you have in your house? We live in a small home with 17 windows. Why did they put so many windows?

6. Name six things that are in your bathroom. Why? You need to go? A toilet, tub, sink, potty, toilet paper, towels.

7. How big is your garage? Should it be bigger? It isn't a actually a garage as much as a mess of stuff that need to be hauled away. You couldn't fit a bike in there if you wanted to.

8. Got your taxes done yet? Not yet. I owe, I owe so hold off to the end don't you know.

9. Think of a mental disorder..... why did you think of that particular one? Motherhood. Oh that's not an actual disorder? Bi-polar. I thought of it because too many people say they have it.

Post 960 Brings You Wordless Wednesday

Yeah, I know it is supposed to be wordless. Sue Me!

I can't believe I have 960 posts on Blogger. I had left Blogger for a while to use Wordpress and now wonder what number I would be at if I had stayed with my tried and true.

ABC Wednesday - B for Ballerina and Beer (but not together)

B = Ballerina
Here is my daughter as she begged me to take pictures of her as she danced
around her room.

B = Beer
Nature's refrigerator

The Simple Women's Daybook

For Today...January 26, 2009

Outside my window...Cold, dark and lonely.

I am thinking... That I need to start a fire soon.

From the learning rooms... My Daughter has fallen in love with tracing her name, letters, and numbers.

I am thankful for...My friends who keep my tied to the outside world when I am knee deep in mothering.

From the kitchen... Made a chicken soup today and it is to die for.

I am wearing... Comfy grey running pants and a grey t-shirt.

I am reading... Breaking Dawn (very slowly), and I hate your guts by Jim Norton

I am hoping... To get these kids in bed soon so I can relax.

I am creating... A lapbook for my kids for Groundhog day.

I am hearing... My daughter listening to Dora and my son playing in his room.

Around the house... Cleaned the family room and exercised on the tread mill today.

One of my favorite things... Haagen Daza low fat frozen yogurt coffee

A few plans for the rest of the week... Get the mortgage escrow shortage paid on time, and exercise at least 4 more days this week.

Here is a picture thought of sharing with you...

My Little Man in his Doba. I am always so proud of him when he is in class. He tries hard to pay attention even with all the hoopla going on around him. He has learned so much since starting. It is amazing to hear him answer vocabulary questions and count in Korean. I love you baby boy.

Sunday Stealing: The Sassy Meme

1. If you could say anything you wanted to say to George Bush, what would you say? You came into a f'd up position and you did the best you could. Good job buddy!

2. If you had to be the mother of Britney Spears or Lindsay Lohan, who would you choose and why? I would want to mother both so I could take them by the hair and slam their stupid heads together.

3. You get to be Queen for a day. The kids are all taken care of, and you can spend as much money as you want. What do you do all day? Thanks for saying the kids are taken care of because it made it much easier to dream.

I head to a spa for a massage, then order Starbucks room service while calling all my girlfriends to tell them a limo is coming to pick them up. When they arrive, I give them each a hand full of money as I take mine to Barnes and Nobles where I buy out the store for the day, so I can leisure stroll through the aisles and check out as many books as I can. Then I purchase the books I want and head back to my hotel room where all my friends are supposed to met me. We order room service from the best restaurant in town then I send them on their way because my husband is expected and we are going to use the room for the remainder of the night.

4. Is there a song that brings tears to your eyes every time you hear it? If so, which one? There are so many, Red Shoes (the Christmas song) and Butterfly Kisses. Let them be Little does it too as does He Gets That From Me and In My Daughter's Eye. And Lonestar's I'm Already There. Notice that they all have to do with children?

5. A fairy taps you on the shoulder and tells you that you can either have a perfect face or a perfect body for the rest of your life. Which do you choose? Well, you know, since I already have both, could the fairy just give me some money? Bwaaahhh...no seriously folks, since I have been feeling back, neck and knee pain for as long as I can remember...a perfect body sounds good.

6. If you could live any place in the world and money was no object, where would you live and why? I would live where I am but in a better house with a better car.

7. What is your biggest regret in life? I don't believe in having regrets.

8. If you could go back and visit one person in your life who is now dead, and ask one question, what would that question be and why would you ask it? I would ask my mother if she is proud of who I am. I was 12 when she passed and it would be nice to talk to her as an adult.

9. If you had the choice to age forward (like we are now) or aging backwards (think Benjamin Buttons) which would you choose and why? If we aged backwards that would mean that well after we have learned all we can in life we can't talk about it because well, duh, babies don't talk. So aging forward would be good. However, it would be nice to age pause. Just pause myself at age 33-35 and stay there.

10. What will the epitaph on your headstone say? She was a good mother.

Saturday 9

1. Which meal is the one you cook best? I think it is my meatballs and pasta but everyone else says ziti and sausage and peppers. I make a mean chicken soup too.

2. Tell us what you would never eat. I would never eat snails. Unless they were the last thing on 

3. Is your hometown famous for anything or anybody? I hear that Babe Ruth once had a home here but I don't know how true that is.

4. Can you play a musical instrument? The skin flute...bwaaahhhh no...I just had to. Umm...I used to play the trumpet, the bass and the clarinet but I couldn't pick up any of them right now.

5. Tell us about your second ever lover. My second lover was a guy name Richie. What can I say about him other than I am thankful I never married him. There wasn't much going on down there and he wasn't the cleanest guy. He was sweet and he loved me but as far as sex...I give him a 2. He gets an extra point for being able to perform at all or it would have been a 1.

6. What is your favorite restaurant? I don't have one but I do love a Japanese place in NJ that my boss Deana took me to a few times.

7. If it were your call, how often would you make love? At least once a day.

8. What famous person would you like to have dinner with? Anyone who would be footing the bill.

9. Tell us about your job. It has the shittiest hours, the pay sucks, there is no vacation or breaks, no medical insurance or severance pay, the inmates are sometimes off the wall, the warden can be a real big pain in the ass but I love them all and would die for them.

Contemporary Portraits - #3 - Pasta Puss

Thank God It's a Friday Meme Day

1. Oh, I am so Tired.

2. Life's throws you changes, big and little.

3. During the week, I follow my kid's schedules. On the weekend I prefer none.

4. I can take a bath and go to bed; are you kidding me???

5. Right now I'd like to be in a warm bath with a book.=

6. My Sirius MP3 Player is my favorite gadget.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to sitting on the couch and watching Ghost Whisper tomorrow my plans include Absolutely nothing and Sunday, I want to Sleep past 6:30a.m.

Friday 5 for January 23: Net Habits

1. What types of blogs do you usually read? I read mom blogs, game blogs, entertainment blogs. Actually there is nothing off limit.

2. What kinds of products do you usually buy when you shop online? Books, music, toys, clothes, electronics.

3. What kinds of online videos do you usually spend time watching? I watch the occasional show that I have missed.

4. Besides Friday 5, what weekly memes do you particularly enjoy? Too many. Saturday Photo Hunters, Monochrome Monday, Ruby Tuesday, oh, you may as well just check my side bar, that would be easier.

5. Where do you like to go for streaming online music? Sirius.

Food 4 Thought Friday ~ This week's questions

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Breakfast How would you describe your life right now...Stagnant and boring. I am currently asking "what's this life?" I know this means it's time to make a change. Now for the direction.

Lunch If you were a crayon, what color would you be? Right now, I want to be Fuchsia. Time to stand out. Dinner What is the strangest food you ever ate? What do you consider strange? Midnight Snack Have you ever seen a Broadway musical? If so, which ones? If have seen Les Miz, 3 times and I think everything else was off Broadway. Recipe for the Week (instead of your recipe for life, what is it just for this week?) Find your reason and work towards it.

ABC Wednesday - Round 4 - "A"

This week we are beginning round 4 of ABC Wednesday. Since we are starting with "A" again I decided to use a photo I took this month of my baby girl "Goddess."

A is for Artist

Simple Women's Daybook - #2

For Today... January 19, 2009

Outside my window...It is a little cloudy but the sun visits every so often. The snow is still semi fluffy and we are supposed to get more this week.

I am thinking... I missed one day of General Hospital and I am so lost.

I am thankful for... The fact that my husband is here working, my daughter is watching a movie and my son is playing a game. Everyone is doing their own thing but we are all together.

From the kitchen... Today, brunch was a Weight Watchers English muffin with cream cheese and the other half had peanut butter. Easy enough.

I am wearing... Pants, t-shirt and zip up hoodie.

I am reading... Breaking Dawn and Edward Norton's newest book I Hate Your Guts


I am hoping... for a nice, sunny day tomorrow. I want to take some local photos around town while the kids are both in school.

I am creating... Memories that will last a life time with my daughter which is why this is taking me so long to fill out. When she comes in, I stop typing to talk to her, answer her questions and hug and kiss her.

I am hearing... General Hospital in the room I am in, Super Mario in the living room and my daughter jumping in her room.

Around the house... Things are oddly quiet and relaxed.

One of my favorite things... is when there is left over coffee from the morning that I can heat up in the afternoon.

A few plans for the rest of the week... Drop some stuff off at the animal shelter, bring bags down to the bins, drop books at the library, donate some stuff to the school and get in touch with my sister some how.

Here is a picture I would love to share with you...

This is my kids 2 years ago. I adore it because of so many obvious reasons....
His hands around her head, his smile, her hand on his face, so cute.

The Weekend of Injuries

Thank God, everyone is ok! This weekend was just one injury after the other.

It started with Goddess on Saturday. My dining room table is up against my dining room window, it would be flush with the wall but the floorboard radiator stops that. There is just enough room for my pixie baby to get there. She stands on the radiator when I am on the computer and watches me. I tell her to get down and eventually take her arm and remove her. This time as she got back there I gave her the warning which included "if you don't get out of there you are going to fall and end up with teeth like Mommy" (I lost my two front teeth to an injury in school when I was about 9).

30 seconds later as I was about to tell "I said get down" she slipped. There is no where to go in that tiny area except down and down she went. The thing is, there is a table right below her chin (it's the tiniest area. She had the wall behind her and the table in front). Her chin hit the table and she was screaming. I used my super human mommy strength, you know the one, and moved the table with one hand so that I could reach in and get her out.

As I was picking her up, she was screaming and the blood was just beginning to pool in her mouth and spill over her lip. Still not knowing what I was dealing with I headed to the bathroom, grabbing the dentists magnet off the refrigerator and the cordless on the way. She was screaming and hurt. I could tell! The blood was all over both of us but there was so much you couldn't see what was injured. Was it her tongue, gum, teeth, what? As I put her on the sink counter and put the towel to her mouth to catch the blood, she got an "I'm sorry out." My poor injured baby was sorry that she hadn't listened.

I told her it was ok and that I knew she was. As I went to my room to call the dentist she softly cried on my shoulder. I got the answering machine and left a message. I still wasn't sure if it was her teeth but obviously since my own accident teeth are a concern.

An hour later as the blood was slowing and I could look in there I saw that the blood was coming from behind her two front, bottom teeth. It took her two hours to calm down and this morning she asked why I yelled at her yesterday. I told her I wasn't yelling, I was concerned. Mostly, I just kept saying, "oh honey, oh honey."

All is well now. It hurts her to use the teeth to eat and I will get her to the dentist this week to make sure they didn't get pushed into her gums and that all is well.

Now for the second injury. I took the kids out to butt sled down the rock behind my house so I could get some pictures and they could get some exercise.

We had been out for about 2 hours. I was freezing and had just given the kids the 5 minute warning. "We're going inside in 5!" I got the usual "no" from Handsome. Whatever, I was cold and we were going in. In hindsight I wish I had given the warning 10 minutes prior because we would have been inside already.

My son is a daredevil when he is going down that hill. It scares the crap out of me. He half runs and until he falls, taking the rest of the hill however he lands; sometimes on his knees, something rolling, sometimes on his belly or sideways. This time he must have ended up backward and he crashed into a tree next to the hill. I hate this tree and told my dad that I was going to put bubble wrap around it when the kids go down the hill. It is right there and they have to TRY to avoid it. I was looking down but heard the sound as his back smacked full force into the tree. He screamed "ow" and my stomach sank. He doesn't normally complain about pain or make a big deal out of something so to see him saying "ow" and rolling around on the ground made me very nervous.

I said, "Are you ok? Come here." Mostly I wanted to see him stand. He started coming at me crying, saying, "stupid mommy, if you do that again, you are going to get a strike." Yes, lovely talk I know but this told me that everything was ok and I would talk about his words with him later. We headed inside and he refused to tell his dad what happened.

He took a warm shower and said he felt much better afterwards.

Tonight while we were sitting on the couch watching America's Funniest Videos, the kids were having chips and pretzels, I noticed my son's face change. He was scared, he pointed to his throat and then to the inside of his mouth. He was nervous and as I walked over he started crying, I knew that meant he had gotten whatever was in his throat out or it went down.

We walked to get water and he tried to cough, I put out my hand and he tried to cough into it just around the time his father came down the hall to make sure he was ok. He stopped crying and started telling his father, "no Dad. I don't need your help. Stay away. No!" We tried to tell him we were helping but he just insulted us again with words.

As I went to sit on the couch he said, "no mom, I need you."

The choking thing really scared him. Hopefully tomorrow is a much better day.

For more on our talking back situation, go here.

Sunday Stealing: The Cannon Fodder Meme

1. Is there someone you'd like to be kissing right now? Yeah my husband but he has a bug up his arse.

2. When you're being extremely quiet, what does it mean? That I have nothing to say, duh!

3. What are you listening to right now?
HBO Special Event
WE ARE ONE: THE OBAMA INAUGURAL CELEBRATION

4. Are you a big fan of thunderstorms? I used to love them. Now that I have children and worry about them, I don't love them as much. We have had a tree fall in three of the four directions of our home (never hitting just clearing), I am waiting for the one to crash through the center. I have had one also come through my windshield while driving home from work (I was pregnant with my son), I wasn't hurt other than some little cuts from the glass but all of these trees make me nervous whenever there is any kind of storm.

5. Do you believe in perfect? Oh heck no.

6. Are you a jealous person? I can be but not rage crazy jealous chick. Just a teeny bit.

7. What was the first thing you thought this morning? Damn, it's time to get up already?

8. What do you think about when you are falling asleep? I am so tired but why is it so hard to fall asleep?

9. Are you satisfied with what you have in life? Yes!

10. Do people ever think that you're either older or younger than you actually are? Yes. I hear that I am younger all the time but I think I am just short so people see that as younger.

11. Do you think men truly understand women? Not even close!

12. How about women understanding men? We understand them, we just think they are ridiculous.

13. Did anybody ever call you handsome or beautiful? I've hear this a time or two, *insert me cracking my knuckles*

14. What is one fact about the last person that called you? She is my son's Godmother and I love her.

15. Other than your current one, what’s the longest relationship you have had? That would be with Manny or was it Mike. I don't really know one of them was 3 years.

Saturday 9: The First Apartment

1. Where had you moved from? I moved from my grandma's house to my cousin's but I don't consider that the first apartment since it was a room in their home and I was a glorified babysitter. Myfirs apartment was moving from my cousin's to a two room apartment below another cousin's house. My cousin Carl was a little whacked. Too much drug use, too much alcohol, too many crazy friends I had no bathroom, I could use the outhouse by the pool or head up to his apartment to use his bathroom. It wasn't great but it was mine.

2. Describe your first apartment. There was two rooms. One was a kitchen and the other was a living room, bedroom. It was quite large room and the closet was a walk-in with 4 separate sections. I only used 2 because they were each the size of a regulation bathroom. There was a lot of hand-me-down furniture. It wasn't beautiful (I was young, in college and worked at Kmart with no family giving me money). Thankfully, I lived there rent free.

3. How old were you when you had your apartment? 17

4. Did you have roommates? If yes, tell us more. Nope just me and my hamsters.

5. What was your place of employment then? I worked at Kmart. I got the job because my boyfriend's mom was the human resource manager. She gave me the job but we couldn't work in the same Kmart.

6. How were you finances at the time? They sucked. As I said, I worked at Kmart and no one was helping.

7. Tell us about a lover who spent a night there. I was dating a guy named Frank. He was my first serious boyfriend. We were so young.

8. Tell us about a band you listen to then. (You can cheat. Look it up.) I listened to Bruce Springsteen and Motley Crue.

9. How long did you live there and why did you move from there? I lived there for a little less than a year. I moved out because my cousin and his friends made me nervous.

1. What commonly-used word in speech annoys you the most? When did you hear it last used? Yous. I absolutely cringe when I hear this. My husband was probably the last person to use it.

2. Which commonly-used word annoys you the most when you hear it mispronounced? What’s the most common mispronunciation you hear for this word? Oh I don't know...but I hate when people call me Marie. My name is Maria but I am only called that about 60% of the time. For some reason 3 syllables is just too difficult for some.

3. Which word(s) do you wish people would use more often? Please. I say it too much but not enough people say it at all.

5. Which internet expression or abbreviation do you use most often? OMG!

6. Which internet expression or abbreviation would you most like to see disappear forever? ROTFL. Is there really a need for this?

The Problem With Todays "SMART" toys

I am sitting here blogging and checking out some online friends when I hear my daughter shouting, "one! one!" or "circle, circle, I said circle."

Finally zoning in on her voice I realize that she is shouting at a Blue's Clues toy. It is asking questions and she is supposed to press the appropriate answer. Unfortunately, since she has become accustom to toys that answer back, her Mikayla doll, Baby Alive, and Barney she thinks everything must answer.

So I finally start telling her "press the button" and she does.

I have to chuckle as she continues to answer it as she presses the appropriate buttons.



What are my grandkids toys going to be like? I bet the damn toy will just read their mind.

Food 4 Thought Friday

Press the burger to go to the home of Food 4 Thought.

Food 4 Thought Friday ~ This week's questions

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Breakfast

Are you a morning or night person? I am a morning person. Even on 5 broken hours of sleep or less for the last 6 years I can still say in am more chipper in the morning. This is not to say I become bitchy in the evening but I don't want to be bothered with anything at the end of the night. I think I become bitchy-er in the mid-day right before I get a second wind.

Lunch
What do you do when you are feeling lonely? I phone a friend. To be perfectly honest..I haven't felt lonely since my daughter turned 2. There is no time for loneliness however, I am quite familiar with the feeling. Before kids I had it all the time!

Dinner
What made you smile today? My daughter telling me that I am her best friend and she wants to be me when she gets "bigger" makes me smile everytime.


Midnight Snack
What did you do today that made you feel guilty? Blogged! However, it isn't really guilt
( I don't believe in living with guilt)I feel, it is more about the fact I am not doing something I should be. Cleaning, washing, fixing, or some other ungodly domestic chore. Don't get me wrong, my house is far from dirty, I don't let things build up before cleaning it. But seriously, there is always something to do.

Recipe for the Week (instead of your recipe for life, what is it just for this week?) Open your mind, feel free, don't let things weigh on your mind that you have no control over, open doors that were shut and sweep out the dust. Move forward and never look back.

Friday Fill Ins

1. Enough with the talking back!
See my talking back post here.

2. Discipline causes me to be conflicted.

3. I've been craving something salty.

4. My children makes me laugh.

5. I wish I could go to a spa next week.

6. My mother has been on my mind lately.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to watching Wanted, tomorrow my plans include cleaning, and Sunday, I want to blog!

Friday 5

So with the weather being cold and windy, Friday5 is asking about wind.

1. Among your friends, who could be blown over by a strong wind? Ummm...I don't know...Susan.

2. What’s something in your house you occasionally wind? My many snow globe music bottoms. My daughter loves listening to them.

3. Is there some significant gossip you’ve recently gotten wind of? Yes...OMG...what kids will do on a school bus these days disturbs me.

4. Where is the windiest place you’ve ever been? Jersey City by the waterfront. Brrrrr...hold on to lamp posts as you walk.

5. What do you do, on a typical day, to unwind? I blog!

Maria's Space
Chotskies
Memories Through Photography

I also play Webkinz and read.

Contemporary Portrait - #2

My baby girl loves posing. She stages all her own shots. Not bad for a 3 year old with a mama who loves to take pictures.

Family Foto Fun Friday - Snow

Winter 2009 is shaping up to be a cold, blustery, snowy, icy, year and my kids couldn't be happier. They don't have sleds but they do just find going down the hill on their butts. We talked about getting them sleds this year but honestly, why? They would probably kill themselves coming down the hill on a sled. I think this way they have a little more control.

Handsome has been going up the hill alone since the end of last winter. It took me 2 years to let him go alone. My daughter, Goddess was allowed up there this year which is simply crazy to me. She is so much smaller than my son was when we used to walk him up there, now she is going alone. When she asked this year I told her maybe next year but my husband trumped my year wait and she was told she could go up. Watching her climb the hill and go down the ice rock makes my heart sink each time but would I have thought she was ever really ready? The answer is, probably not! I still cringe when my 5.5 year old, who is the size of a 7 year old goes up. I am happy they are having fun and hopefully these are the things they will remember when they are angry teens who hate us.

Camera Critters - Snowy Squirrel

I know it's terrible and I am going to burn for this but I have taken to feeding the squirrels and birds from my sliders. I always feed them but usually I throw the food quite far from my deck. Now, I do it so I can take pictures of the animals through my sliders. I justify it by calling the kids over whenever an animal comes to the window. It's not for me, it's for them. Yeah right. I am selfish and since getting my new camera, I really want to play.

This squirrel was digging under the snow to get some crackers I had put out the day before. The nighttime snow fall had covered all the food. I watched it burrowed under the snow to find food and and on the fourth time up, he/she looked right at me.

The snow on its little face is too cute and I love how his expression seems as if I caught him doing something he shouldn't be. His little hands/paws are so sweet too.

I couldn't choose which to post. The bottom one was my original thought but his face when I zoom is so cute. You decide.

Color Me Stupid

This is totally outside my box of comfort. I will try to add more videos along the way and hopefully I can be a little less shy about it. My husband would think I was a total dweb if he caught me doing this. I made this video in my bathroom with the door closed and I was totally whispering. This is me at 5:30 p.m. after too many hours awake and way to tired to care about smeared eyeliner. Attractive huh? Yeah well that is life and this is me. Ta!

Miracles Do Happen

If you live in or near New York, the news of the US Airways Airbus A320 bound for Charlotte, N.C crashing into the Hudson, is all you have been hearing about for the past 5 hours.

Watching General Hospital today ABC News broke in with news that a plane crashed into the Hudson. I grabbed the phone to call someone, anyone. I didn't want to watch the news alone and in my circle of friends, I wasn't the only one.

I called my girlfriend Sheress to tell her to turn on the news because a plane crashed into the Hudson. She turned it on and together we waited for information. While on the phone my girlfriend C called and my sister right after. None of us had any friends or family traveling but the fact that a plane, a commuter, US Airways phone crashed into the Hudson right after take-off is frightening.

After going through 9-11, watching news about a plane going down in New York is terrifying. Hearing that it was a bunch of geese doesnt' make it easier to swallow. The scary fact is this had all the makings of a catastrophic disaster. 150+ people on board, bridges, buildings, homes, tunnels, the Intrepid, a ferry full of people, I shudder to think of all the possibilities.

The flight crew especially Captain Chesley B. "Scully" Sullenberger was amazing. The first responders awesome. Before a news copter could even get to the scene, ferries were arriving to pull survivors from the plane. The frightening visions of people standing on the wing of the plane in the ice cold Hudson River will sit with me forever.

I am happy to report that everyone made it off the plane.

The moral of the story is Miracles Do Happen and the next plane ride I take (if ever) I hope Captain Scully is flying it.

Don't You Hate???? I feel like Bitching!

• Don't you hate it when two of your favorite shows are on at the same time?
• Don't you hate when someone who never wants to do something suddenly decides it is time to move their ass and now you are just supposed to jump on their train?
• Don't you hate when you are moving with a purpose and your train gets derailed at least 25 times a day because the kids need, want, require handling?
• Don't you hate whinning?
• Don't you hate planes that fly over your ass at night and sound as if they are going to come through your roof?
• Don't you hate how damn cold it is?
• Don't you hate the price of food these days?
• Don't you hate when you are trying to get into a website with your password and after 3 attempts it closes you out and you have to call the company to have them reset it for you?
• Don't you hate talking to those computerized operators for 15 minutes, inputting all kinds of information and then finally getting an operator and having to give them the information you just spent 15 minutes inputting?

Backtalk is Just Annoying Talk

Lately Handsome has started talking back with more detail. He has been talking back since the Summer. Now, there is a little more to it.

No matter what you say to him he reiterates it back to you.

Me - "Stop jumping on the bed"
Handsome, before - "No, you stop jumping on the bed"
Handsome, now - "You stop jumping. If you don't stop it, I am going to give you a strike and if you don't stop it."

Me - "Don't hit your sister, it's not nice."
Handsome, before - "No you stop hitting her."
Handsome, now - If you don't stop hitting her you are going to get a strike and I will give you time out. Stop it and zip it."

Ok, I don't need an expert to tell me that he is repeating everything I have said in the past when he talked back. What I do need is for him to stop it.

Preschoolers
Common back talk: "No!" and "Why?" (Goddess is totally doing this now.)

How to respond: Model good behavior. Try saying, "Wouldn't it be nice if we didn't have to do things we don't like to do?" Don't yell back and don't be sarcastic. Your response is going to determine what happens next. Parents will never be able to control their children. The only person you can control is yourself. When you model control, you teach kids how to control themselves.

Handsome is obviously past this because well he is not a preschooler. However he doesn't fall into what Family Education says about school age children which is:
School-Age Children
Common back talk: "You don't understand!" and "It's not fair!"
How to respond: Kids this age care more about what their peers think than what you think. They'll try to dangle bait to get you going. Don't bite! You'll lose: School-age kids always need to have the last word. Instead, let the child own the problem and empathize with him. Try saying, "You don't think I know what's going on with you right now and that's frustrating, but you're being disrespectful. Please go to your room until you've calmed down and can talk rationally with me."
Handsome is a totally different child. He falls in between somewhere. 

The Meme With No Name - Stolen from Mimi

The Meme With No Name

When was the last time you splurged on a gift for yourself? I bought myself Lost Season 1. I don't know if that would be actually considered a splurge but when you don't have medical insurance for your children it might be splurging.

Have you ever bought yourself a gift for Christmas, Valentines Day, a birthday or any other occasion and then wrapped it up and pretended it was from someone else? My son's first Christmas I purchased 2 gifts that were from him to my husband and myself. I acted surprised and my husband that I was crazy. Whatever, If I started worrying about the fact that he thinks I'm crazy...well, you get the picture. What? This is wrong?!


Have you ever sent yourself flowers, chocolates or anything else to your place of employment so it seemed as if someone else were sending you a gift? No, I would never, do this. Why? Spend money just to make myself look good to people I don't care about? Oh hell, no!

How often do you text message? I don't do much texting. If I do it is because there are some people, we won't mention any names, who are more responsive if they don't actually have to pick up the phone. I average about 3 a month.


Is there someone you'd like to fix things with? No, there is no one that I need to fix things with. I tend not to leave things unfixed for long. Ask some of my friends. I talk and muscle my way in so you don't have time to walk away.

Are there any previous relationships you wish could have lasted longer?
No, they all lasted the right amount of time and some were actually waaaaayyyy to long.

When do you blow out the candles? *sob* I don't ever have candles on my cake. No one cares enough to put them. No, this is a lie and just in case she ever reads this, my girl crush Clarissa put them on my cake last year when she took me out to Outback. I blew them out after they sang Happy Birthday.


Do you give out second chances too easily? Yes, but I hope they give me second chances when/if the time comes.

What's the next big life decision you will have to make?
Hopefully there won't be one until I have to decide whether or not to put my children in public of private high school.


If you could cuddle with anyone right now, who would you pick, and why?
I would cuddle with my husband yeah that's it. Oh who am I kidding, I would cuddle with Josh Holloway man...that cat is hot!

Who is proba​bly talki​ng a load of crap about​ you right​ now?
Whomever, I could care less. Probably no one though. Damn I really would like someone to talk a lot of crap about me just once. What do I have to do to make that happen?


Who was the last person to REALLY piss you off?
I don't get really pissed off to be honest. I do get a bit agitated but I can let things go. It is a tie between my sister-in-law and the operators at Sirius during the holidays.

Would​ you ever want to be a super​model​?​ Cheese! What? It pays well doesn't it?

Your motiv​ation​ for tomor​row?​ The Sun, I want to wake up in the morning and great the day with a smile.

Do you know what you will wear tomor​row?​ Yup, clothes.

What is the last thing you put your lips against? I was going to say coffee cup but Mimi wrote that so I will say, my finger as I told my son to shhhhhh while I wrote up this damn meme.

Have you ever gone two or more days witho​ut chang​ing your under​wear?
With a wrinkled nose I say, why? Why would someone do this? No! But, if I did, I wouldn't admit it. Would you?

Have you ever accid​ental​ly eaten​ an insec​t?​
I don't like to believe I've eaten any and I'd like to keep it that way.

What seria​l kille​r do you find most distu​rbing​? They all suck. Dodd makes me sick because he preyed on children but I think someone who kills for the act of killing is an animal.
​

Are you ever purpo​sely irrit​ating​? Yes! Sure.

What was the last thing you used your debit card for? Groceries

Are you cheat​ing on your significant other right now?
In my head Josh Holloway and I are lying on the beach doing anything more than my PG blog will allow me to write about.


Are you contemplating cheating on your significant other right now?

No, because I am too annoyed to think of sex. Damn husband annoying me about changing things in the family room. He thinks that when he gets a bug up his arse we should all move mountains to make what he wants, happen.

When was the last time you sat down and watched kiddie cartoons? This morning while the kids were eating breakfast. We watched Blue's Clues.

Do you sleep​ with one leg out from under​ the cover​s?​ No, my legs need to be under the covers or the thing under the bed will get my feet.


Do you have any text messa​ges that you would be embarrassed to let your mom read? Nope! She would have found them all funny.

How old do you think​ you will be when you final​ly have kids/your next kid? We are done! I'm 42.


Have you ever thoug​ht about​ conve​rting​ to a new religion? No.

Do you know anyone with the same first name as you?
None. And how many people do know with the last name Pencil Skirt?

When was the last time you went to church? A few months ago.

What song plays on your Myspace profile page? I really don't go to MySpace much. The song gets changed periodically but I have no idea which is playing now.

Do you know anyon​e that smoke​s pot? Unfortunately, I do know someone who does. I never have so I don't quite understand it.

What were you doing the last time you were in the bathroom?
Wiping my son's ass.Why, need yours wiped?

Have you ever had a Razr as a phone​? No and I doubt there is one in my near future.


Which energy drink is better; Amp or Rocks​tar?​ Heard to say since I never tried Amp.

Would​ you rathe​r eat a Milkyway or eat a Twix?​ I prefer neither but if you twist my arms I would have to go with a Twix.

Do you like that new shoe smell​?​ I never noticed that shoes have a new smell. I am a little worried about the people who say their shoes no longer smell new. What do they smell like?

Do you like the taste​ of licorice? Not really. But I like the texture and the bite and pull.

Would​ you ever walk aroun​d with a free hugs sign like the dude on

youtu​be? I love hugs and would totally walk around with this sign.

Did you ever flip out on a teach​er and walk out of a class​? I never flipped out, I flipped off a teacher and walked out of a class.
​
Do you/​did you ever have dream​s of being​ a rocks​tar?​ I totally wanted to be a singer. I used to practice singing into my brush to my Jimmy & Kristy McNichol album.

If veget​arian​s think​ its wrong​ to eat livin​g thing​s,​ why do they eat plant​s?​ I think they mean they don't eat things with eyes and and a brain. Shhhhhhssshhh.

Could it be Dyspraxia???

Dyspraxia is what I am currently looking into in regards to Handsome.

The symptoms in pre-school children - 3 to 5 year olds

Children with dyspraxia may demonstrate some of these types of behaviour:Dyspraxia entails the partial loss of the ability to coordinate and perform certain purposeful
movements and gestures in the absence of motor or sensory impairments.

Developmental dyspraxia (referred to as developmental coordination disorder (DCD) in the US) is a life-long condition that is more common in males than in females, and has been believed to affect 8% to 10% of all children (Dyspraxia Trust, 1991). Ripley, Daines, and Barrett state that 'Developmental dyspraxia is difficulty getting our bodies to do what we want when we want them to do it', and that this difficulty can be considered significant when it interferes with the normal range of activities expected for a child of their age. Madeline Portwood makes the distinction that dyspraxia is not due to a general medical condition, but that it may be due to immature neuron development. The word "dyspraxia" comes from the Greek words "dys" meaning bad and "praxis", meaning action or deed.

Dyspraxia is described as having two main elements:

Ideational dyspraxia - Difficulty with planning a sequence of coordinated movements.

Ideo-Motor dyspraxia - Difficulty with executing a plan, even though it is known.

Assessment and diagnosis

Assessments for dyspraxia typically require a developmental history, detailing ages at which
significant developmental milestones, such as crawling and walking, occurred. Motor skills screening includes activities designed to indicate dyspraxia, including balancing, physical sequencing, touch sensitivity, and variations on walking activities.

A baseline motor assessment establishes the starting point for developmental intervention
programs. Comparing children to normal rates of development may help to establish areas of
significant difficulty.

However, research in the BJSE has shown that knowledge is severely limited in many who should be trained to recognise and respond to various difficulties, including Developmental Coordination Disorder, Dyslexia and DAMP. The earlier that difficulties are noted and timely assessments occur, the quicker intervention can begin. A teacher or GP could miss a diagnosis if they are only applying a cursory knowledge.

Developmental profiles

Various areas of development can be affected by developmental dyspraxia and many or all can
persist into adulthood. Often various coping strategies are developed, and these can be enhanced through physiotherapy.

Speech and language

Developmental verbal dyspraxia is a type of ideational dyspraxia, causing linguistic or phonological impairment. This is the favoured term in the UK; however it is also sometimes referred to as articulatory dyspraxia and in the USA the usual term is apraxia of speech [2]. Key problems include:

* Difficulties controlling the speech organs.
* Difficulties making speech sounds
* Difficulty sequencing sounds
o Within a word
o Forming words into sentences
* Difficulty controlling breathing and phonation.
* Slow language development.
* Difficulty with feeding.

Fine motor control

Difficulties with fine motor co-ordination lead to problems with handwriting, which may be due to either ideational or ideo-motor difficulties. Problems associated with this area may include:

* Learning basic movement patterns.
* Developing a desired writing speed.
* The acquisition of graphemes – e.g. the letters of the Latin alphabet, as well as numbers.
* Establishing the correct pencil grip
* Hand aching while writing

Whole body movement, coordination, and body image

Issues with gross motor coordination mean that major developmental targets including walking,
running, climbing and jumping are affected. One area of difficulty involves associative movement, where a passive part of the body moves or twitches in response to a movement in an active part. For example, the support arm and hand twitching as the dominant arm and hand move, or hands turning inwards or outwards to correspond with movements of the feet. Problems associated with this area may include:

* Poor timing
* Poor balance (sometimes even falling over in mid-step) Tripping over one's own feet is also not uncommon.
* Difficulty combining movements into a controlled sequence.
* Difficulty remembering the next movement in a sequence.
* Problems with spatial awareness, or proprioception
* Some people with dyspraxia have trouble picking up and holding onto simple objects [3] due to poor muscle tone.
* This disorder can cause an individual to be clumsy to the point of knocking things over and
bumping into people accidentally.
* Some Dyspraxics have difficulty in determining left from right.
* Cross-laterality, ambidexterity, and a shift in the preferred hand are also common in people with dyspraxia.
* Dyspraxics may also have trouble determining the distance between them and other objects.

General difficulties

Dyspraxic people may have Sensory Integration Dysfunction, a condition that creates abnormal
oversensitivity or undersensitivity to physical stimuli, such as touch, light, and sound [citation
needed]. This may manifest itself as an inability to tolerate certain textures such as sandpaper or certain fabrics, or even being touched by another individual (in the case of touch oversensitivity) or may require the consistent use of sunglasses outdoors since sunlight may be intense enough to cause discomfort to a dyspraxic (in the case of light oversensitivity). An aversion to loud music and naturally loud environments (such as clubs and bars) is typical behavior of a dyspraxic individual who suffers from auditory oversensitivity, while only being comfortable in unusually warm or cold environments is typical of a dyspraxic with temperature oversensitivity.

Conversing with the TV, Works!

On Friday night my husband, the Teach took my daughter to our room to talk to our TV. Why? Well you can read about it here. She has been telling us that our TV is the reason she ends up in our bed at night.

So on Friday he took her to our room and asked that the TV not call her anymore. She was hesitant but when I was putting her to bed she said, "I'll see you when I wake up." Ok! I wasn't sure what that means because well its "like" obvious duh. How can you see me when you are sleeping right?

Anyway, I had no expectations going into the night. When I walked into the living room after doing prayers with her, I told my husband, "we'll see her in two hours".

I went to bed about 5 hours after putting her down and have to admit, I was shocked. She was still sleeping. She woke up in the morning came to our room and said to my sleeping face, "Mommy, it is morning. I slept in my bed and it is time to wake up." I told her I was very proud of her without opening my eyes. My husband rolled over and he also told her how proud he was. We cuddled and eventually got up.

We made a big deal of it all morning and at 9:30 we gave her two choices of gifts to choose from at Mommy & Daddy's store. One was a Blue's Clue's stuffed animal and the other was a Barbie movie. She choose the movie and then said she would take Blue to her room. We told her that she would be able to "shop" for Blue if she slept in her bed again. She said, "Ok"

We watched the movie together which was really cute. If you ever want a cute girl movie, check out the Barbie cartoons. They are so well made.

Last night she didn't stay in her bed but she fell asleep earlier than usual and wasn't feeling well. When I asked her this morning why she came into my bed, instead of saying her usual "I don't know why the TV keeps doing that" she said, I'll try again tonight!

Love it! I have high hopes for tonight. I will ask Teach to take her to the TV for another conversation again and we will show her Blue's Clues for incentive. Cross your fingers.

Saturday 9: The Phone is For You

1. Your phone rings. Who is the most likely caller? Sheress or Dad

2. How long to you chat on the phone each day? I average an hour

3. Who do you speak to the most? My kids, so much so that my voice hurts at the end of the day.

4. Do you often not answer if a certain person comes up on your caller id? Only if it is a number I don't recognize and only if I'm busy. I would rather handle the call and get it over with.

5. Do you phone friends at work? Currently most of my friends are stay at home moms but do call my husband 1 time a day. I never know if he is at work and if he is I tell him we can talk him later

6. Do you make personal calls at work? When I was working? Hell yes but very limited, there was very little time for personal calls at my last office job.

7. Who do you always say “I love you” at the end of the call? My husband, my Daddy, my sister.

8. Do you use a landline or cell more often? Landline or cordless in my case.

9. Who in the blogosphere that you haven’t chatted with but would like to? Holli

Sunday Stealing: The Hardest Meme Ever

I have become a professional memer. Is that even a word?

1. What is the bravest thing that you feel you've ever done physically? Having a baby. It takes guts to loan your guts to someone you don't even know. Have all your organs moved aside to fit this person, get bigger to accommodate them and in my case have your body cut open to let them out.

2. What is the bravest thing that you feel you've ever done emotionally? I think having a conversation with my father 10+ years ago where I told him how lucky he is that I still speak to him.

3. What one talent do you wish you had that you don't? I wish I could play an instrument like the guitar or the piano.

4. If you had that talent what would you be doing with it? I would sing songs to my kids.

5. We all have our reasons for blogging but what would be your ultimate goal for your blog or as a blogger? I would love to have my blog made into a book so that my children would have it forever. The blog is basically a legacy for them.

6. What advice would you give a new blogger? Blog for yourself. Don't worry about what people comment. There are so many. I love


8. You can trade lives with any one person for a month. Who would it be and why? I want to be me. That's it. Ok, wait..I take that back...want to be Yessica, Josh Holloway's wife for a month but only if I can bring my kids and my husband or put them on pause for a month. I could never be away from my family.

9. There's a fire and your family is safe but you have the chance to save any one item from your house. What would it be and why? My laptop! I can't be without my pictures!

10. You have the chance to go back in time and warn yourself before making a bad choice. What choice would it be and what would you tell yourself? I don't have regrets. But there are a few guys from my past I wish I had stayed away from.