I don't proofread my posts before I publish them... cause I keep my thoughts au naturale.

Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Bizarre Mommy News

I found this on Foxnews.com today- interesting!

"Black and white twins Hayleigh and Lauren Durrant proudly hold their new sisters Leah and Miya — who incredibly are also twins with different colored skin.

Their mixed-race parents Dean Durrant and Alison Spooner repeated the miracle after a seven-year gap.

When the first set of twins arrived in 2001, the couple was astonished to see that Lauren took after her white mom, with blue eyes and red hair, while Hayleigh had black skin and hair like dad Dean.

Then this year Alison, 27, found she was expecting again — and lightning struck twice.

She had twin girls again. And little Miya was born with dark skin like her dad and Leah is white like former recruitment consultant Alison.

“The girls just love Miya and Leah to bits. We didn’t think it was even possible when we had Lauren and Hayleigh — and it didn’t cross our minds that it could happen again. But we are just delighted that it has,” Dean, 33, of Fleet, Hants, said."


To see a family photo or read more, go to:
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article2082429.ece

Superstitions (Happy Drunky Drunk Day!)


I got to thinking this morning whilst twittering about things that people are superstitious about.

For instance, I don't like odd numbers and tend to think only bad things will happen on odd numbered years. So, tomorrow being the first day of 2009 does not sound great to me.

I'm not necessarily a superstitious person- I've had more black cats than I can count! I've walked under ladders, rocked chairs when no one was in them. But, I like to make wishes at 1:11, 2:22, etc. And if I don't get it in before the minute changes, that's bad news bears! I don't like the color red, I bless the roadkill... I'm sure I could think of more.

Ringing in the new year brings up many thoughts for many people. It's a time for resolutions, new beginnings, new problems, new solutions. My resolution for this year is to be less judgmental. My hope for this year also is for L to be less stressful to me. He turns one on Jan. 2 and has been not even remotely as easy as his sister. He still has sleep issues, is still clingy and quite the whiner! I love him to pieces, but am hoping that being one will change some of his baby problems. I'm sure it's wishful thinking, but there's nothing wrong with wishing!

Well, Happy New Year to all my readers (the whole 5 people who may see this, lol) and maybe in 2009 I will pick up a third follower! *fingers crossed*

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

New Moon by Stephanie Meyer


I finished New Moon within 24 hours. It was a great sequel to Twilight! I was a little nervous at first that Edward was not going to be in the book as from near the beginning, it becomes about Bella's friendship with Jacob and that whole thing. Instead of waiting to find out, I "peaked" ahead... no spoilers, but let's just say I was relieved.

Anyway, this sequel focuses on the werewolves that are located around Forks. It is a good read and has all the emotion that we come to expect from this saga. I do love the stories, but have to say that I don't think Meyer is the greatest writer in history. Her writing is a little too clinical and not as flowy/showy as I'd like.

But, I will not fault her as these are excellent stories and I look forward to reading Eclipse.

I would also like to talk about the plans for the New Moon movie- I will do so in a future blog. And in terms of this whole Team Edward/Team Jacob thing, I don't get it. How could anyone be on Team Jacob? He's a nice guy and all, but Bella loves Edward, so Team Jacob should prepare themselves for a world of hurt! LOL.

I definitely recommend this book!

Sunday, December 28, 2008

On Vacation

140/365 - New MoonImage by lynnftw via Flickr
I haven't been able to post for a couple days and may not be able to post much between now and Friday. I am with my family in Florida- don't be jealous, other than the weather, I haven't seen too many perks!

Anyway, the internet situation here is dubious, so I may be off duty for a few days. As a note to myself and some insight for my readers, when I get back, I want to blog about my thoughts on New Moon- the sequel to Twilight- I read the book a couple weeks ago and want to share. Along those lines I'd like to talk about future hopes for the series both in the books and movies.

Also, I have two giveaways ending soon and hope to be able to continue doing more. I need to look into more ways to generate buzz as I continue my quest to try to entertain and give my thoughts on the world around me.

If anyone has anything they'd like me to discuss, pop me a thought- I'm all ears! (Or eyes as it is.)

Hope everyone is having pleasant times.

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Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Do Holidays ALWAYS Have to Have Drama?!

So get this latest update to throw a kink in our Christmas:

I found out today that my husband's family (mom, dad, sister, brother) are contagious. His sister and brother have been throwing up for the past two days. So, here I am on the verge of flying to Florida and all the holiday festivities are coming up starting tomorrow. Of course DH's family does not think that they should unattend the holiday gatherings, so I must make the choice to stay home with the kids so they don't get sick.

It will be interesting to experience Christmas with only MY family.

N's grandma told me that it's a holiday tradition for SOMEONE to be sick...

Oh, the Holidays!


Thanksgiving/Christmas/New Year's is my favorite time of year. I know, this is quite unoriginal of a revelation, but I can't lie and come up with a more clever time of year. This is not just a fat person thing to say, but one of my favorite things is the food- good and free! I'm all about tasty food that I didn't have to buy or cook. And there is always an array of choices, not just the boring ho hum turkey and taties. I also love the spirit of giving. I'm a bigger fan of giving than receiving and I love putting thought into gifts.

On that note, why I'm not a fan of receiving is because I hate feeling guilty and gifts always do that for me. If I don't like them, I feel mass amounts of guilt. And I hate showing fake joy at receiving a gift that I'm hoping came with the receipt. Likewise it makes me curious to know if the people I give gifts to feel the same. All right, now I just became a little bitter about the season, so I'll move on, lol.

The downfall of holidays is having to spend it with those relatives that you don't actually enjoy their company. Whether it be an overly critical blood relative or that in-law that punched me in the face once, it is difficult to spend time with "family" that you don't want to be around. And is my family the only one that isn't fake with each other? We all know where we stand with each other, but my in-laws all pretend to be lovey dovey, but tell me otherwise when their backs are turned. Which is better?

But, what always brings the smile back to my face is the excitement from my children. They love playing with cousins, opening presents and being the center of attention. It makes it hard to be miserable on holidays when you see how happy your children are and it brings you back to the time of your own youth, when the future seemed less grim and bleak and Santa was the coolest guy in the world!

Happy Holidays!

Monday, December 22, 2008

Thank you, Dollar Tree! (holiday savings tip!)

So I was headed to WalMart last night with two major goals: find some affordable stocking stuffers for my 3 year old. I figured this was a good year to start her getting a Christmas stocking, but did not know what WalMart would have by way of ss except for candy. My other goal was to find gifts for the 3 women that run the baby house at my kids' daycare. I had bought A's teacher something a few days ago and had completely forgot the 3 women that watch L. I didn't want to spend too much and having to buy for 3 people could have been pricey.

Thank goodness there is a new Dollar Tree that is on the same road as the Super WalMart. I saw it and decided to go in- jackpot! There were stocking stuffers galore! They had small, but fun toys, books, candy, lots of stuff! And I was able to spend $4 apiece on 4 items for each of the women in the baby house which put me at a total of $12 for them. I got each a mug with candy, scented lotion, bags and boxes of chocolate. I wanted to add something else, but the candles weren't scented and the snow globes looked too tacky. Hopefully they agree that it is the thought that counts.

And the best part is that I was able to buy everything with the money in my paypal account from one thing that I sold on ebay! SCORE!

Friday, December 19, 2008

I Miss V. Mars!


I've enjoyed many a tv show in my day, but none have saddened me with their cancellation as much as Veronica Mars. I was reminded of the show today when I was listening to a mixed CD I had made that had the theme song "We Used to Be Friends" by the Dandy Warhols.

Anyway, Veronica Mars was portrayed by Kristen Bell, a fine actress. The show was high quality and very stellar, but was on the CW and was one of those shows critics raved about, but didn't get high enough ratings. It's a cult classic.

If you have never seen it, I recommend renting the seasons (or buying them!) My husband and I loved it and were devastated when it was cancelled. They gave Kristen the narrator role in Gossip Girl as a consolation prize, and okay, so I love Gossip Girl too, but not nearly as much as I loved my V. Mars!

RIP to one of the best shows EVER!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Celebrity Mommy Gossip


From time to time I will give my thoughts on some celebrity gossip involving mommies.

Today I wanted to talk about Jodi Sweetin. You know, the chick from Full House and more recently she hosted Fuse's Pants Off/Dance Off.

She's in the gossip news because apparently her husband is saying she is a drunk and unfit mother. You may or may not know that she had previously had problems with alcoholism and some heavy drugs- I wanna say cocaine. I swear she wrote a book about it, but I don't know for sure. But, she got clean, married, and has an 8 month old baby. Well, she left her husband in November and they are now trying to fight for custody and of course the claws have come out. She is living with her parents and due to the accusations from her ex, the court is currently saying that she can only see her child with her parents there. Tragic!

My thoughts on this are that it reminds me of the Britney/K-Fed debacle. Why is it that no one is concerned about the child's welfare until there's a divorce? So up until the court appearance, the husband didn't intervene on his child's behalf? And I don't know for sure whether it is true or not, but unfortunate none-the-less. And the even sadder part is that were they not celebrities, this wouldn't make headlines. Kids are raised in this environment all over the country and no one steps in.

I will be interested to see what happens at the next hearing. Both parents were ordered to take drug tests. I would like to think that Jodi was able to stay clean for her child.

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Pet Peeve #2

Another one of my pet peeves is people who can't put their shopping carts in the corral.

I have never been employed as someone who has to get carts, but I am passionate about how much it annoys me when people leave their carts all over a parking lot. How rude, lazy and discourteous can you be?! I think that if someone has the energy to walk around WalMart, they can go 5 feet to put their cart away. And if it's raining or snowing, don't go to the store if you don't want to put your cart away when you get outside. Someone else has to get these carts and not all stores have employees that are paid just for this purpose.

Anyway, that's my rant about this. When I go to the store I always take a cart in from outside and try to look for one that is stray.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

Random Mommy Misc.


So L's ears seem to be getting better. The doctor said they were just red now, so unless he takes a turn for the worse, he doesn't have to go back. Unfortunately he's broken out in a head to toe rash which is apparently common in infants after having an infection or fever. But, the best part about him feeling better is that he is sleeping better! The past 3 nights he has slept 4-5 hours, woke up and I bring him to bed and he sleeps another few hours. It is awesome, but I think my body and brain are confused about what to do with all that sleep!

I don't know if L has been sick more than A ever was because of going to daycare twice a week and picking up all the germs. I hate that thought, but I need those two days to get school work done.

I am getting nervous and excited about our upcoming trip to Florida. I am excited because I'm sure the kids will have a blast, but nervous because I don't think L will be very cooperative on the plane ride and I don't look forward to the hostile looks from my fellow passengers. I am planning to take A to Sea World as that's my favorite park down there and I think she'll love it.

I hope everyone is having a stress-free holiday!

Don't forget to check out my giveaway posted below.

Sunday, December 14, 2008

Update

Sorry I was out of commission for a couple days. I like to try to post daily, but poor little L has been sick and we've had a rough/busy past couple days.

He has an ear infection in both ears, of course the antibiotic didn't work that we tried. He is particularly resistent to amoxicillin and several other antibiotics we've tried in the past. So, we went in Thursday, then back Saturday as he seemed to be getting worse. He had a constant fever, it got as high as 103.1. So, yesterday they gave him an antibiotic injection and last night his fever broke and he hasn't had a temp since. He slept way better (a whole 4 hour stretch at one point!) and now if he'd get over the clinging and crankiness, he'd seem back to normal. I go back tomorrow morning to see if the infection is clearing up.

I will try to post more later on other topics that I've had simmering in my brain.

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

The Almighty Dollar

I've spent many years trying not to be a slave to money. I feel that I am a very unmaterialistic person and pride myself in being thrifty and not overspending.

Right now being in school and only having one income makes money very tight and hard to come by. My New Year's Resolution last year was to not freak out so much about bills. I was letting it take over my life because I did not want to be late on a bill for fear of getting thrown into some debtor's prison in Uzbekastan. I've since learned to breathe first and pay bills second. Of course I don't shirk my duties, but if the gas bill is two days late, I don't go postal about it.

Unfortunately, I believe I'm cursed with Murphy's Law. Everything bad always seems to happen and when it comes to money, that's definitely true! It seems like just when we might be establishing a cushion, something breaks down, wears out or gives up. (Washing machines, water heaters, vehicles.) And now is no exception. Holidays are always stressful for most people and especially for financial reasons. My kids both have birthdays around Christmas, so that's 4 rounds of presents. Then, there's the gifts for everyone else, the traveling and so forth and so forth.

So of course it was no surprise to me that when my not old car would not start this morning that the problem would be I needed a new battery. Seventy bucks I could would much prefer to spend elsewhere!

But, no matter how down in the dumps I am about money, I know there's better times ahead once I graduate and get a job teaching. HARP refinance rates are low right now, maybe I can save money with a refinance.  And no matter how poor I may be at the time, I know there are people worse off than me, which is why I always donate whenever there's someone outside Hy-Vee or WalMart with a bucket/boot/jar. I also think it gives me good karma.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

School Days

Yesterday I was quite impressed with myself. I got a paper written for one of my classes while the kids were home! I started while they were napping and finished it while they played. Normally I only work on homework when they are not at home so I can concentrate better. But, since I'm sooooo close to being done, I am trying to fly through my classes.

I will be graduating from the University of Iowa in May with a Bachelor of Liberal Studies. It has been a long time coming. I started college in 2000, but took semesters off here and there to find my motivation. I have discovered that it you are not passionate about something, it is hard to force yourself to do it. I had originally planned to just get my bachelor so I could be a substitute teacher, but when my husband told me he didn't think I'd ever finish, that made me want to finish even more!

Now, however I have found more motivation. I had an epiphany, a revelation and have decided I want to teach at a community college. So, a couple months ago you would have found me saying, "yep, nine years it took me, but I'm done!" But now I've applied for my master's in English at Western Illinois University and am anxiously awaiting their decision. I'll keep you posted.

I guess this blog serves two purposes. First being to get the word out that I'm proud of ME, but also to point out that life needs motivation. Goals are hard to accomplish when you can't find the reason to do so.

Sunday, December 7, 2008

Birthday Shout Outs!

I meant to post this last night, but was TOO EXHAUSTED and forgot! For December 6th, I'd like to give a birthday shout out to my brother-in-law D who turned 23. I also need to wish happy birthday to our dog Lanie who turned 4. And for today, December 7th, it's a very exciting birthday as our daughter A turns the big 3!!

Happy Birthday to them!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

The Ups and Downs of Ebay

I love ebay! I love buying on ebay and I love selling on ebay. Note my previous post on thrift stores. I like being able to buy things that you can't get at WalMart and that everyone else doesn't have. Or, I will randomly think of something that I think would be neat to have and lo and behold!- it's on ebay. I don't buy as much as I sell, but I recently bought some Christmas outfits for my kids. WalMart's Christmas outfits are TOOOOOOOOOO MUCH! Not price, gawdiness! My daughter is not a real girly girl, but that's the only dresses they have. And I don't want to dress my son up like Santa or a tacky polyester doll. But, that's about all my choices at good ole WalMart. So, I went on ebay. I found a cute outfit for Thanksgiving that my daughter wore and also found her a cute dress to wear for Christmas. The dress was Buy It Now and shipping was priority. I paid within 5 minutes. The seller waited eleven days to ship the dress and never responded to my emails. When I opened a dispute her comment was "I don't control the Post Office." Well, I found that rude, but when I saw the shipping label was printed on Dec. 2, I knew she had waited the 11 days to ship. So, add that to the rudeness and unresponsiveness and I felt she deserved a negative.

The dress was at least cute, but appears to have a small stain that wasn't mentioned. I won an auction for 3 Christmas outfits for my son and they all ended up being too small, so I'm back to searching again.

I much prefer selling. It feels good to get rid of the junk and I use the extra money I make to buy the kids stuff. Selling does have many annoying side effects though because I get dead beat bidders a lot or people that like to wait a week to pay.

Awww, gotta love ebay!

Friday, December 5, 2008

Contagiousness

Today I was watching Oprah. No need to recap, but it was from last April and was a story about mistaken identity where there was a car wreck and one girl survived, but was mistaken for another girl that died. The one family spent five weeks in the hospital with this girl before they realized it wasn't their daughter. The other family had thought their daughter had died.

Anyway, it got me thinking about all the things that are oddly contagious. Of course I thought this story was sad, but it wasn't until someone started crying that I became a bumbling mess as well. Normally this only happens during Lifetime movies and Grey's Anatomy, but apparently that Oprah is a tearjerker as well!

So, crying can be contagious... what else is contagious that is bizarre? Yawning is a big enigma... we yawn because our heart is slowing down (usually from being tired) and our body needs that big breath. So, why do we yawn when we see someone else do it?

Laughter tends to be contagious... and then there's those infectious diseases, but that is not an anomoly.

Did I miss any?

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

Beware of Hoarders!

Hoarding: a supply or fund stored up and often hidden away.

Last night I spent three hours helping my friend clean her diabetic mother's house. We worked on the kitchen the entire time, filled 9 or so 55 gallon bags with trash and still have hours of work left to do- just in the kitchen! Now, I respect my friend and her mother, so won't get into to much detail, but I thought I'd cry if I found one more can of chicken brother or evaporated milk! People stock up on things, forgetting they already stocked up on them twenty times before.

My parents are the same way, but their problem is letting go. They will keep things for decades just because they can't bear to part with them. I haven't figured out if it is a money thing- like they feel that if they don't keep it that they wasted money or if they really do thing they need twenty of everything.

I was starting to become a packrat clutter bunny myself and have seen the error of my ways. I now make a weekly donation of items to the salvation army and spend hours selling things on ebay... yet my house is still cluttered. At least I'm trying! I refuse to become a hoarder! And according to a doctor on Oprah a few years back- if you haven't needed to get something out of a box for a year, you don't need it.

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Oooh, the technology!

Ever since deciding to do a blog, I have been jumping head first into all these websites that I had yet to experience. I joined twitter (www.twitter.com/hamsterkitten) and twitter moms- hamsterkitten again, joined blogs, looked at blogs, uploaded pictures and did more googling than normal. I'm exhausted, lol! And of course I have to do most of this during naptime or after the kids go to bed because L does not like me to be on the computer and A likes my company for some odd reason.

Anyway, I have had to get advice on how to do things along the way (thanks to those who helped) and now I just hope that people will start to mosey on by and see what kind of thoughts I am sharing with the world.

Oh, the internets, lol! (quoting good ol' G.W.)

Monday, December 1, 2008

Why I Love Thrift Stores


I think I could easily be a shopaholic. New things make me happy. I don't consider myself a materialistic person in the least, but I do like to get new things cheap. My town is small and our only major retailer is WalMart. I don't have a problem with WalMart, but when it comes to clothes, you don't want to wear what everyone else is.

We have a salvation army in our town and I like to go once a week. I browse, but mainly look through the kids clothes and toys because you will occasionally find something awesome! I also usually donate once a week when I go... yet my house is still cluttered! Today's great find was a corduroy Chrismas dress for A next year. It's a 5 and she wears a 3T/4T/4, so it will be perfect next year. Did I mention it was Ralph Lauren? It was a dollar- woot!

Ahhh, retail therapy.

Sunday, November 30, 2008

Pet Peeve Time

I don't know if this happens to anyone else, but tonight I experienced one of my biggest pet peeves:

Do you ever start talking to someone and realize that they are no longer paying attention to you? I'll be in the middle of telling a story and realize no one is listening. This happens to me more times than I care to admit. I don't know if I'm that long winded, my stories are boring or the people around me have ADD. But I will usually just quit talking and go on with my life and the person won't even notice I didn't finish what I was saying.

Does this happen to anyone else or am I that uninteresting?

Saturday, November 29, 2008

My Love/Hate Relationship with Stephen Colbert


When the Colbert Report first started airing on Comedy Central, I was an avid follower. It was witty, fun and cracked me up left and right. I developed a faux crush on this nerdy sexy man named Stephen Colbert.

Then I watched him on the White House Correspondence Dinner. And my opinion changed. It became apparent that left without his writers and small studio, he was not as clever and funny. The sparkle had left the man. So, I gave up on the Colbert Report.

I have gone back and forth watching the show and not watching because I realized that he is an actor and I can't fault him for being a good one. But sometimes the show just gets old and I need something fresh to move on to.

I saw a commercial for his best of DVD the other day and immediately reprogrammed the show into my DVR. I'm in love again...

Friday, November 28, 2008

The Battle of Slumberville: Me vs. L

I have two children: A is about to turn three and L is just shy of one. We were lucky enough that A slept through the night at six weeks old. Of course this meant that she slept in bed with us, had to hold our hand to fall asleep and wouldn't sleep by herself. Weaning her into a "big girl bed" was not too difficult, but she still expects you to hold her hand for awhile.

Well, so I thought all babies that I would have would sleep the same. Didn't happen that way! Here we are at almost a year and L won't sleep through the night. I would say seven days (seven glorious, wonderful, marvelous days) he slept for about eleven hours. Those mornings I'd wake up full of energy (I took up jogging) and ready to meet the world head on. Then came the sickness. During the time he was sick and for awhile after he'd wake up many times at night. It turned out that L was allergic to the milk based formula, but after two months of constant trips to the doctor and no answer I tried switching him to soy and voila!- sickness gone. I tried the Ferber method. That lead to him being able to fall asleep quickly on his own, but he still wouldn't sleep through the night. I tried the doctor's suggestion of letting him cry himself back to sleep. After two hours I gave up.

Fast forward to present time. My final solution was to bring L into bed with us. I am at the point where I will do anything that gets me more sleep. So, now instead of waking up four times at night, he wakes up once and I can get him to sleep later in the morning. I've realized that L is a very light, restless sleeper. The slightest noises wake him (he takes after me on that one) and he flops all over the place in his sleep (that he gets from his dad.)

I suppose until a better solution presents itself, it will be this way until he's old enough to comprehend a big boy bed. The title of that blog will be "Hallelujah 2011: A Good Night's Sleep."

Thursday, November 27, 2008

Thanksgiving 2008

I'm a blogger! Yes, I know, I'm a few years behind, but would it make you feel better to think I've been in a coma for a decade? Well, for rationale's sake, let's assume I'm a current trendster (I know about "Twilight").

And here's my plan with this blog. I plan to be all over the place. I'll discuss things about my life as a mom of two, wife to one and relative to many. Also, I'll share daily musings and even random googlings as I have learned many an important tidbit from google, wikipedia and imdb.

Hopefully this becomes a favorite to people out there, whether it is your laugh for the day, your brain wrinkle for the week or a lesson learned for life.

Anyway, here goes... please enjoy and bring on the feedback!