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

Friday, January 30, 2009

Is the Art of Conversation Dead?


When I was in high school, I was not a "partier," but would not be averse to going to parties because I loved rooms full of people. I'm quite the opposite now! My idea of a good time would be a quaint gathering of a few people just mingling or playing games. I love conversation!

But am I one of a rare breed of conversationalists? We've gone from actually calling someone to texting them (which I, too, am guilty of.) I had one friend who said she preferred texting so she didn't get stuck on the phone. On the other hand I had a friend who didn't answer texts because "if you were a good friend you'd want to talk." Look at twitter. I'm a big fan of twitter, but you are restricted to X amount of characters in your posts- hard to carry on a conversation. But, on the other hand with that, would you have conversations with these people in real life? Perhaps, perhaps not.

And then there's the times when I TRY to have conversations with people. It's like beating a dead horse. Sometimes I feel like I should take a vow of silence because either I am that uninteresting that no one cares what I have to say or fewer people these days are actually into intelligent conversation. Has television fried are brain in that we can't respond, only listen and not intently?

I would like to bring back the conversation. Put down the remote, give your text fingers a break and call someone! Invite them for coffee, have a chat over a game of Monopoly or speak your woes to a psychiatrist- hey, it's a thought. Let's revive this past time- perhaps we'll drudge up some brainwaves that had been growing cobwebs since our school days.

Thursday, January 29, 2009

My Thoughts On: The Economy

I know that it is taboo to talk religion and politics, but I've been talking about the economy a lot lately because everyday there seems to be more and more bad news.

Obama is an historic president already because he is the first black president in our country's history. I think that if he can manage to fix our economy, he may become as symbolic as Abraham Lincoln because fixing the economy is going to take some MAJOR action and seems like a very daunting task!

I have no solutions. I mean, think about it... the cost of everything has skyrocketed. Therefore businesses are paying more for supplies, but also paying more for wages/benefits as the costs go up. Their profit is quickly dwindling and their only choice is to close down, outsource or lay people off. My husband is a current example of this. He worked for an electrical supply company. They've been in business for 65 years and had never laid anyone off- until now... he was one of the people laid off. There are 3 companies like this in our town and one of the other ones just closed.

There are a couple ways that I think the government COULD save money, but don't know how much it would save. Such as, letting people sign up for email instead of postal mail on some notification letters. And I'm all for Medicaid as children deserve good health care, but did you know that medicaid in some states WILL NOT allow generic prescriptions?! WHAT?! They will pay $120 for the name brand when the pharmacy has a $4 generic. I don't understand this. Think of the money that could be saved if medicaid allowed generics.

Anyway, I pray that for the 4.8 million jobless Americans that some good news happens soon. America is supposed to be the place where other countries look to for an example. Right now we have our head bowed and our tail tucked between our legs. Hopefully Obama can slap a saddle on this puppy and ride it into success!

Monday, January 26, 2009

Monday Mommy Trivia!!

You know the rules- use your email address that you want your winning sent to. Get the answer right and win $5 through paypal!

Good luck!

In honor of the fact I'm reading Eclipse, the third installment in the Twilight saga by Stephanie Meyer, your trivia today is:

What is Edward's "mother's" name in the book? And what is the actress' name that plays her in the movie Twilight? And finally, what tv series did said actress have a recurring role in not too long ago that ended with her going crazy and thinking she was prego when she wasn't? (It's one of my faves!)

Sunday, January 25, 2009

Celebrity Mommy News!!




Guess who is pregnant with twins!

Molly Ringwald! If you don't know who this 40 year old actress is, you must be either very young, very old or very Amish, lol. She is the lovely redhead who became famous with her huge 80s hits like Sixteen Candles and Pretty in Pink. She is now one of the stars of ABC Family's "The Secret Life of the American Teenager." Her husband Panio Gianopoulos is 33 (you go, Girl!) and they have a five year old daughter named Mathilda. Reportedly the twins are a boy and a girl and Molly is due in August.

If you don't watch The Secret Life, you are missing out! This is one of my must DVR shows and airs on Monday nights (thankfully at other times other than its first airing at 7pm central as I'm already recording Gossip Girl and House at that time.) The shows centers around the Juergens family (Molly plays mom Anne). There are two daughters, Ashley (13) and Amy (15). Mom and dad are going through a separation/divorce and Amy is pregnant. There is a huge cast and other storylines about many of the other kids at Amy's high school and their families.

According to what I've read, Molly's pregnancy WILL be written into the show (not sure how they'd hide her TWIN bump!) That will be very interesting as it will make life even more hectic for the Juergens family having a grandchild growing up with a new sibling! (I know someone like that in my town, lol.) Anyway, I'm also anxious to find out how it will change the divorce dynamic. Is it Mr. Juergen's baby or Anne's one night hook-up? Juicy!

Anyway, congrats to Molly and a bummer for my husband who finds her very attractive as this puts her even more off the market!

Friday, January 23, 2009

Ear Wax & Dandruff


Sounds gross, right?

How can a cute little girl be filled with yucky stuff, lol? I was going to blog the other day about the dandruff thing, but after today thought I'd share the ear wax story too.

My 3 year old, A has super dry skin. The poor kid has had it since pretty much birth and I lotion her up constantly and also have prescription strength cream for the worst spots. Anyway, I noticed right before Christmas that she was getting quite a bit of dandruff and with the static going nuts and making her hair poof out, the dandruff seemed prominent. I also didn't know what lice looked like, so I was a little freaked that it was lice, but it wasn't. So, I googled the heck outta dandruff and children and found that several places recommended shampoo with tea tree oil. It is also supposed to be good for warding off lice, which would be an added bonus since she goes to daycare. Anyway, I bought Jason Scalp Normalizing shampoo with tea tree oil from WalMart and it is working! Her hair looks shinier AND has less dandruff- I'm sold. And it was very inexpensive as well.

Onto the ear wax. (Is it one word or two?) You're probably thinking my kid is some kind of stinky mutant right now, but I swear she's a doll, lol! So I took her to the doctor today to check her ears because she's been hard of hearing for a couple weeks, ran a temp and said her ear hurt. Well, I use Debrox and peroxide/water combo and try to clean her ears every couple weeks, but they were jam packed! The nurse spent OVER AN HOUR cleaning out one ear and still didn't get it all. In the meantime, A was crying and in pain and it broke my heart! She was prescribed drops that are antibiotics and should help loosen up the wax that is left. The ped. said that there is nothing you can do to get her to produce less wax and said there's nothing I can do differently to clean them out either, so I pity my poor wax packed daughter.

Well, now that I've grossed you out and embarrassed my daughter's future self, I'll end this. I am hoping that it sheds some light to parents that may have similar issues.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

The End of an Era


Well, folks, Tuesday was the first day of my last semester of college! (God willing.) I graduated from high school in 2000, graduated from community college with an associate's degree in 2002 and then slower than a turtle stuck in molasses, I tiptoed my way through different graduation plans, schools and thoughts of quitting until I'm at where I am today- a man with a plan...except woman. There are so many great things about graduating, but one of the best ones is that I can show people I did it. I know there are several people who don't think that I would, which is sad, but now I can get a t-shirt printed up with my degree on it (from the University of Iowa) and say, "LOOKIE LOOKIE!"

My plan next fall is to work on my master's, which people are even MORE in doubt of, but I'm gonna show them yet again. But this is something I'm passionate about and now that whole undergraduate thing is outta the way. I'd love to get my PhD, too, but that would be quite a ways off as I'd have to work and go to school for that. I've got three very important reasons for wanting that, but I can't share them aloud.

Anyway, other than sharing my excitement with this being my last semester, I wanted to remind people to never give up on their goals. And also that revenge is a dish best served cold... woot, woot!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Awesome Day Alert!!

Here is why today is so awesome (so far!):

I have been dying to get a recliner because we have a sectional in the living room and I don't wanna get into how it is formed, but there's only one recliner with arms on it. My husband and I fight over it and he claims that I picked a spot and that wasn't it. It's the most comfy spot when I'm sitting with the kids or trying to relax. So, I've been dying to get one and we had some extra money today, so I thought I'd look at this shoe store in our town that is also kinda a thrift store with used furniture that is in good shape. Anyway, I went upstairs and was in heaven! They had so many retro furniture items that I would have LOVED to have, but alas don't have the room, which got me excited thinking about when we move, etc. Anyway, they had a rocker recliner just like what I wanted and it was CHEAP! It was in good shape and I love it! Then, we looked around and they had a sweet arse bookshelf as well that would be perfect to keep L from pulling all the DVDs off the current shelf. The bottom had a little cabinet with doors. It was only $14.99! So, super stoked about my finds there, then off to WalMart we went.

We only needed a few things, but I always look at the book aisle with my fingers crossed that they will have Eclipse, but they never do. TODAY THEY DID!!! I'm so excited to read it and I know they have Breaking Dawn waiting for when I'm done with Eclipse. So, that's what I'm gonna do Friday- read all day. As for today, I'm gonna do some school work and relax in MY RECLINER!!

Plus, they had a Wonder Pets DVD in the $5 rack and A loves getting new furniture as well, so I can't wait to pick the kids up and see their reactions.

GREAT DAY!! I am a little sleepy though... but GREAT DAY!!!! *giddy*

Monday, January 19, 2009

Monday Mommy Trivia!!!


Is it Monday AGAIN?!

Okay, here's the rules again: you must use the address you want your $5 sent to through paypal. Otherwise, rules are simple. Answer the question correctly, win 5 bucks through paypal. Woot, here you go:

As you may or may not know, I raise pekingese- great dogs! For today's mommy trivia, it requires some research on my peke website and google.

First part: name my two potential "mommys."
Second part: Name my retired "mommy" and what is her daughter's name (the one that is part of our family)?
Third part: How long of a gestation period do dogs have?

The first two parts can be found on my website. The third part may be there, but would probably be easier to find using google.

Good luck!

Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day!


On Martin Luther King, Jr. Day let me be the first person to NOT form a correlation between this day and the Barack Obama inauguration.

Instead, I'd like to focus on dreams. Everyone has them. Hopes, aspirations, ambitions, they are all dreams. Throughout the years, my dreams have changed, as they tend to do. At different times, I wanted to be different things, live different places, etc. My husband aspired to be a professional wrestler, graduate from high school, move to Florida and train. My after HS plans were to go to college, graduate in four years and become a teacher. Well, we had one of those ridiculous high school romances where you feel like you have to cram every second of life with each other into the day and gave up on our dreams to be together. Looking back on it now, we realize how dumb we were and how we should have pursued our dreams and if we ended up together afterwards, then we'd be in the same place, but with our dreams fulfilled.

Well, since those dreams didn't happen, I have a new dream. I want to graduate with a Master's degree in English, get hired at a community college in a different town sort of nearby and buy a decent house- no, not a ridiculously fancy house with a mortgage we can't afford- a decent house. I'm not picky! My dream house would have a finished basement and at least 3 bedrooms/2 bathrooms. I like to set my dreams at a realistic mode. My husband's current dream? He wants to be covered in tattoos. We have decided to be supportive of each other's dreams. We also have dreams of being terrific parents whose children feel a close bond to us throughout their lives. We want them to succeed, but be happy and feel like they can talk to us about anything.

And in that respect, we hope to instill in our children the knowledge that they can dream big and should always try to achieve their dreams. We want them to do what they are passionate about and to have goals. If need be, we will tell them about how our dreams have changed and why and that romances can wait, but life can't.

Anyway, one this significant day in history, I want everyone to remember the dreams they've had and hopefully think of ways they can attain them.



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Sunday, January 18, 2009

The Satisfaction of a Door Knob

It always feels good to accomplish something that you thought might have been out of your reach... or just to accomplish something.

Recently our door knob broke. The latch thingy wouldn't move when you turned the knob. So, there were a couple days where I had to crawl through the window and use a knife to open the door. I suggested to Nick that we call my dad and see if he'd put a new one in for us as he is into construction stuff. Nick scoffed at the idea and said that he would do it. Well, I love do it yourself projects, so went to WalMart and picked out an antique brass door knob. I chose one made by Brinks as they were a brand I had heard of.

While the kids were napping yesterday, Nick and I set about the task of replacing the door knob. We only messed up once, corrected our mistake and voila! A new door knob that works! We were so proud of ourselves. As corny as it may sound, I just wanted to sit and admire that knob. It was a great sense of accomplishment to me that we completed a project that I had wanted to have someone else do. And not having to crawl through the window is awesome!

I think I upped the value of our house AT LEAST $5,000. Thank you, door knob!

Saturday, January 17, 2009

A Totally Tubular Experience


I wanted to share with everyone the experience of my son getting tubes, since I know that many parents go through the same thing and wonder what goes on.

A little background: L has had 3 or 4 ear infections in his one year of life, which alerts the pediatrician that he could need tubes. Also, he is very resistant to most antibiotics and he has been on several in his bouts with the infections, from amoxicillin to omnicef, to a dicontinued medication, to an antibiotic injection in the leg. I did not want to submit my poor little guy to any kind of surgery, but after being directed to an ear, nose and throat doctor. He recommended the tubes and said that it would help prevent future ear infections, make them easier to treat and that chronic ear infections/excess fluid in the ear can lead to hearing loss. So, Nick and I decided it was best.

The actual procedure is called Myringotomy with Tube Placement. Myringo= tympanic membrane: -tomy= a cutting operation. "This procedure involves making a small hole in the eardrum to remove fluid. A small tube is then inserted in the hole to maintain ventilation. This procedure is often required in childhood due to an immaturity of the eustachian tube that connects the ear to the back of the nose." (From the info the doctor's office gave me.) Also, interesting is that it says that exposure to colds, viruses and secondhand smoke contribute to ear infections. Also, a child that lies on their back while drinking a bottle is at an increase risk. Did not know, they didn't apply to L, but interesting none the less.

So, Thursday I woke up at 5 am in order to be to the hospital (next town over as our town is not know for its great doctors) by 6:30. We were shown to the surgicenter and put in a cubicle type deal with a curtain. I changed L into a hospital shirt and pants and left his diaper and socks on. Oh, that day it was -15 when I woke up. The nurses checked his vitals, the anesthesiologist came and spoke to me about his part and then the doctor came to speak with me and brought a stuffed animal for L. We waited our turn and they took L from me to the procedure room. Parents are not allowed in, you must wait until they bring them back. He was given gas to knock him out and the procedure itself lasts about 5 minutes. When they brought him back to me, he was quite fussy. Usually they keep them longer, but told me he came out of it quicker than normal and was fighting them, so they thought it best to bring him back. He quickly chugged two sippy cups of juice and after 20 minutes fell asleep on me. We left the hospital around 9am.

Upon arriving home, he was grouchy for a couple hours- they said he would be because his ears would pop and adjust for a bit. Then he took a looooooooong nap and after waking up, was back to him old self and has been since! It was not scary and he did very well!

I went by myself, but was fortunate the child after him was a family that I knew and we chit chatted to pass time.

Well, hope this helps anyone who was curious about tubes and if you have any questions, ask away! Oh, and the following day, I got a call from the doctor's office, the surgicenter AND the anesthesiologist all asking me how he was doing and if I had any questions- very nice!

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Bizarre Mommy News: Divorce Craziness!

I think this qualifies because the couple has kids, but I first heard this story on Sirius Hits 1 and googled it for more info. The following is from Huffington Post:

"GARDEN CITY, N.Y. — A Long Island surgeon embroiled in a nearly four-year divorce proceeding wants his estranged wife to return the kidney he donated to her, although he says he'll settle for $1.5 million in compensation.

Dr. Richard Batista, a surgeon at Nassau University Medical Center, told reporters at his lawyer's Long Island office Wednesday that he decided to go public with his demand for kidney compensation because he has grown frustrated with the negotiations with his estranged wife.

He claimed he has been prevented from seeing their children, ages, 8, 11 and 14, for months at a time.

"This is my last resort; I did not want to do this publicly," Batista said.

He said he gave his kidney to Dawnell Batista, now 44, in June 2001. She filed for divorce in July 2005, although he claims she began having an extramarital affair 18 months to two years after receiving the kidney transplant, his attorney, Dominick Barbara said.

Douglas Rothkopf, the attorney representing Dawnell Batista, did not return telephone calls seeking comment.

Matrimonial attorneys were quick to shoot down any possibility Batista would succeed.

"I've been in this business over 40 years and I've never heard of that," said Seymour J. Reisman, a Long Island divorce lawyer. "It's not marital property, not a marital asset you can put a price tag on."

Manhattan attorney Susan Moss said, "The good doctor is out of luck and out a kidney. This is similar to cases where a husband wants to be repaid for the cost of breast implants and the such. Our judges are not willing to value such assets, so to speak."

Batista, 49, said he has no regrets about donating the kidney, only about the failed marriage. The couple was married in 1990 and lived in a million-dollar home in Massapequa. They met while he was working at a hospital and she was training to be a nurse.

He still recalls the day after the surgery took place.

"There is no greater feeling on this planet. As God is my witness, I felt as if I could put my arm around Jesus Christ. It was an unbelievable; I was walking on a cloud. To this day I would still do it again."

Wednesday, January 14, 2009


Twitter Moms: The Influential Moms Network

Have You Heard of Qlubb?


If you haven't heard of Qlubb, I recommend directing your browser to their site lickety split! The address is www.qlubb.com.

Qlubb is a new group/social networking sites that allows people to establish individual and group profiles. "Qlubb is a free, easy-to-use online group site. With online rsvp, sign-up sheets, custom URL, file/photo sharing, auto reminders and much more, Qlubb is the easiest way to organize and manage your group's events, activities and members. It's perfect for school classrooms, scout troops, sports teams, book clubs, hobbyists, religious groups, families, etc!"

I checked it out myself and created a profile (hamsterkitten, of course). I don't really belong do any established groups, so I signed up as being in the family group. I can get the rest of my family to join and we can share photos, plan get togethers, post birthdays, etc. It sounds pretty neat!

If I belonged to a book club for example, we could post meeting times for our group, pictures/synopsis of the books we are reading and the group members. Think facebook with a purpose. I see this thing taking off, so I suggest you become one of the first so that when someone tells YOU about it, you can be cocky and give them that look like, "tell me something I didn't know about 5 years ago!"

www.qlubb.com

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

And the name is...

For all of you waiting on the edge of your seat for the name that Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner have named their new baby girl...

Seraphina Rose Elizabeth Affleck!

She joins sister Violet. Now these are names that don't make me feel sorry for the kids! *coughfifitrixibellecough*

Husband Blunder of the Day


So get this thing my husband did today that left me scratching my head:

It has been under 10 degrees all day today- very cold! The kids were napping and I decided to run a few errands. We currently live in an old farmhouse that is very drafty and we keep the thermostat at 72 when it is this cold so our poor little kiddos don't freeze their tootsies off.

Anyway, I get home and realize it is super cold in the house. I put socks on the kids and pity their hands being chilly. I notice my husband sitting in the recliner with the heated blanket on and the space heater sitting next to him and don't really think too much of it... until about 10 minutes later when I just can't get over how cold it is and check the thermostat- it says 76!

To my husband I say, "you turned the heat up to 76?!" I am a little freaked out because this must mean our heater is broken. And then he reminds me, "I have the space heater on." And then I get it. The recliner is right in front of the thermostat. When you turn the space heater on, it tricks the thermostat into thinking it is warmer than it is... thus the heat won't kick on. I had forgotten. So, I think that this will trigger hubby to turn the space heater off... after staring at him for 3 minutes, he acts clueless and I point out how we are all freezing. He reluctantly turns the space heater off and in about 5 minutes the heat kicks on... no more frosty noses.

So, him being warm and toasty was more important than the rest of his family freezing? Interesting...

Monday, January 12, 2009

Monday Mommy Trivia!!!

Today's trivia is a fill in the blanks. You must correctly fill in the blanks and in the right order to win $5 through paypal. Remember, you will only be paid through paypal, so please enter using your paypal email address.

Fill in the blanks:

_______ is the real life actress/mother of Gwyneth Paltrow. In the movie __________ she played the mother of actress Teri Polo. Her grandchildren from Gwyneth and her hubby Chris Martin (of the band _________) are a girl named ________ (first name) and a boy named ________ (first name).

Okay, have fun and good luck! And kudos to you if you knew the answers without looking them up. I knew all but the last one.

We have a winner! Congrats, Suzi!!

Bizarre Mommy News: Couple Denied Adoption Due to Weight


From FoxNews:

"A married couple has spoken of its shock after being turned down to adopt on the grounds that one of them is too fat.

Damien and Charlotte Hall approached Leeds City Council in West Yorkshire, England, about adoption after discovering that they were unable to have children of their own.

They were told that Hall’s size, at 6-foot-1, 343 pounds, made him morbidly obese, with a body mass index (BMI) of more than 42.

In a letter, the council told the couple his BMI must be below 40 before the couple could be considered as potential parents because of a risk he could become ill or even die.

“I am writing to confirm that we are unable to progress an application from you at this time. This is due to the concerns that the medical advisers have expressed regarding Mr. Hall’s weight,” the council wrote.

The couple, who have been married for 11 years, said they felt the ruling was harsh.

“The bottom line is I’m too fat. I just feel as though we were only judged on my weight and not all the other good things about us," said Hall, 37, who works in a call center.

“We don’t drink or smoke and we could give a child a happy and safe home.”

BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat and health risks. If your BMI is between 18.5 and 24.9, you're considered in a healthy weight range for your height. If your BMI is between 25 and 29.9, you're considered overweight. And, if the figure is 30 or greater, you're considered obese, according to the Mayo Clinic."


I know my opinion is not always the most popular, but I think that when there are kids out there in orphanages, denying people adoption for these kind of reasons is ridiculous! And don't get me started on denying adoption due to race or homosexuality. Ask the children whether they'd rather be stuck in an orphanage or having a loving home with a gay couple. RIDICULOUS! Sure, this man's weight might slow him down, but that doesn't mean he's going to die tomorrow or that he will love the child any less. Bogus.

Friday, January 9, 2009

When it rains, it pours!





I hate to be a Debbie Downer, so hopefully after this post I'll have some more fun filled or positive ones. Actually, I did get a bit of good news- I was accepted into grad school at the only university I applied to. That was good as it was my only feasible option.

Anyway, onto downer personal items. So, as you saw from my post on Pekin, it looks like we probably won't be getting anything from insurance on our truck. So, a lesson in life learned. When someone flies through an intersection and totals your vehicle, don't be nice and feel sorry for said person because it was icy as my husband did. Put blame where it was due.

So yesterday was my son's one year check up. My 3 year old has been sick for over a week and started running a temp, so I took her in as well. My son had a small cold, but seemed to be getting over it. Well, he turned out to have an ear infection... again... so we were referred to an ear, nose and throat doctor who determined my son should have tubes put in. This will be done next Thursday. And what was wrong with my daughter? Pneumonia. My poor kid! And of course instead of feeling sorry for the also sick mother for having two sick children, "people" choose to be judgmental and lay all the blame at my feet for exposing them to the outdoors or saying perhaps my house is too cold... cause God forbid it was one of the many viruses going about or traveling on an airplane, etc.

I am desperate for some good news! Being on a tight budget, having to buy a new vehicle so my husband has transportation to work, buying medicine left and right, doctors appointments, gas to transport to said doctors and the stress of all these things along with the fact I've been sick for several days is leaving me in woe.

Luckily I'm a glass half full kinda gal and know there is sunshine in the horizon or I'd need some mass quanitites of Prozac to get over this present hurdle.

Thanks for listening to my rant! I promise happier posts soon!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Monday Mommy Trivia Winner!

Well, only one person took advantage of our first Monday Mommy Trivia, but her persistence paid off. She won 5 bucks through paypal!

The question was:

How much did my son weigh at birth?

The correct answer was: 10 lbs. Yep, he was a big boy!

Congrats to MJ and check back next Monday for another question.

Bad People Alert: Pekin Auto Insurance

So, the end of 2008 was not a good time for the cars in our household. I was rear ended by a driver a couple months back. It was the first accident I'd been in since becoming an adult and I was at a loss for what to do. The other driver had full coverage with State Farm and they could not have been better! They were courteous, prompt and took care of business ASAP. My car was fixed by the mechanic of my choice and everything was covered.

Unfortunately my husband hasn't been so lucky. On Christmas Eve morning he was on his way to work, stopped at a stop sign and was on his way through when another driver slid through the stop sign and struck my husband's truck, totalling both vehicles. Now, when it is icy here, I stop about a mile before the stop sign because if you drive in Iowa, you know the roads get icy.

Anyway, our truck was towed to a lot and has sat there since while we wait on Pekin (the other's guy's insurance) to twiddle their thumbs and do the right thing. So far they are trying to say their driver wasn't responsible because he did not receive a citation. They don't call promptly and we have to keep calling them. We are praying that they take responsibility, but in the meantime our truck is charged $15/day storage at the tow place.

Pekin's claims rep (a Mr. Rex Cherrington) is rude, unfriendly, and unprofessional. Thankfully I believe in karma, but if you have Pekin Auto Insurance, you should know the people that are representing you. Bad news.

Celebrity Mommy News!


*Ben Affleck and Jennifer Garner welcomed a baby girl Tuesday! No name given yet, but the couple has a first child named Violet. Hopefully they will stick with normal names and not a bizarre name as seems to be the norm with celebrities lately. Ben + Jen have remained pretty low-key lately, which is great for them!

*Rebecca Romijn and Jerry O'Connell welcomed twin girls Dec. 28! This is the first children for the couple who go together after Romijn's split from actor John Stamos. The names are Dolly Rebecca Rose and Charlie Tamara Tulip. Somewhat normal, but also a little strange. I've never heard the name Tulip on a person before.

*And in celeb mommy gossip: Kelly Rutherford from Gossip Girl has reportedly split from her millionaire husband. Rutherford, who is 3 months pregnant, was said to have filed divorce papers on Dec. 30 citing "irreconcilable differences." The couple also has a two year old son. It's unfortunate because they seemed like two sweet people and her being pregnant is not a great time for a split!

Good luck to all the celebrity mommies!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Being Sick is the Pits


I avoided the dreaded stomach flu that inflicted my in-laws and hit my husband on Christmas Eve. I sanitized my hands and the kids' hands like crazy because I refused to be sick for our trip to Florida.

While there, A developed a nasty cough and runny nose, which she passed onto L. Well, between those two being sick and being in a plane with germs galore, I was struck two days ago with a horrible cold! I can't decide if it's just a cold or the flu too. Why didn't I marry a doctor?

If you have not had the misfortune of taking care of two kids while being on death's doorstep, count yourself lucky. All I want to do is curl in a ball in my bed and sleep until I'm better. I'm halfway through the gallon of orange juice that I bought yesterday and my nose is raw from blowing it. I feel like my head is going to explode and it even hurts my face when I blink.

Unfortunately, curling up in a ball is not possible. With Nick at work and no one available otherwise, it is up to me to bear through it. Sure, L's diaper may get a bit saggy before I change it and sure I may not be loads of fun, but I must soldier on. Thankfully Nick will be home in an hour and tomorrow the kids have daycare again, so perhaps the worst of it was today *fingers crossed*. I have so many things I want to get done, but no energy to do them.

I did however manage to make the meatloaf dinner today that I've been promising the hubby for a week. (And yes, I made sure to sanitize my hands often.)

Hopefully I'll be back to my old self soon... my nose can't take many more wipings.

Monday, January 5, 2009

Monday Mommy Trivia!!!

Starting today, I will have a Monday Mommy Trivia. I will ask one question each Monday that pertains to things mommy related, be they personal, celebrity, cultural, etc. The rules are simple. The first person to get the right answer wins $5. You must have a paypal account to enter as I will send the $5 to the winner's paypal account using the email address you provide.

That's it! Good luck!

Today's question is:

How much did my son weigh at birth?

Sunday, January 4, 2009

I am sooooo thankful for...

... the fact that the only sport my husband watches is WWE wrestling. I can not stand watching sports on tv 24/7. I don't think I could be married to someone that does either. I understand having teams you support and what not, but to let the outcome of a game ruin your day or affect your mood just seems so incomprehensible to me.

N watches WWE and TNA wrestling, but since we have DVR, I don't have to watch any of it with him. I don't subject him to my shows and he doesn't subject me to his, but we have shows that we enjoy watching together (such as Rock of Love, lol.)

Spending the holidays with family that watches football game after football game whether they care about the team or not, just confirms that I am thankful for my husband not being one of THOSE guys who is a sports fanatic!

Saturday, January 3, 2009

Come Hither, Tyson Ritter!

Of all the things I enjoy in life, one of my favorites is music. Music can set your mood, can make you feel good, it brings some extra flavor to life. I get most of my music intake from Sirius Hits 1 and VH1 Top 20 Countdown. I like a lot of new music, but I'm not opposed to the oldies and goodies. For instance, I like anything from Guns N Roses (old), Mamas and the Papas, Hinder, Foo Fighters, Nirvana, and so on and so on.

My current favorite dreamy frontmen are Tyson Ritter (from All American Rejects) and Josh Todd (Buckcherry). I love that Tyson seems to have a sense of humor- as noticed in the new video for "Gives You Hell" which is also quite the kitchy song. And I love that Josh Todd has a bad boy side, but also seems sweet and sensitive. Who to pick, who to pick? Both are tall and lean with tattoos... I just don't think I can decide. You check out the pics and let me know what you think! Ritter is on the bottom and Todd is on the top.




So, I just wanted to point out how much I love music and how I think that everyone should be inspired by the phenomenon that is great music and how it makes you feel. And I just can't get over how dreamy these two guys are, so I had to share that too. They aren't dreamy in the Edward from Twilight sort of way, but still dreamy nonetheless!

Friday, January 2, 2009

Happy Birthday, L!



Today is my little L's first birthday! Where has the time gone... actually, that's not true because it feels like it has been more than a year, but it is amazing that he is one already. Low key celebration tonight as we are all exhausted.

We arrived back in our hometown around 2pm today from our trip to Florida. The kids have fallen asleep off an on all day (L was awesome on the plane!) and I haven't felt this tired in a loooong time.

Tomorrow is my day to sleep in, so I plan to be up and at 'em and back to normal soon.

Potty Training Tip

I promised a fellow twitterer a potty training tip that worked for A, so here goes:

A was completely potty trained by 2 yrs 3 mos and here is what I found to be the trick. Kids of course love praise and stickers work, candy, etc., but one day my husband and I were visiting his grandmother and A became obsessed with going potty because there is a singing fish in the bathroom. (Bad Mouth Billy Bass if you will.) Anyway, she wanted to go in and "push the button on the fish." It became a game for her, but we would only let her push the button if she actually went potty. This worked so well that we borrowed the fish and hung it in our bathroom at home.

Pretty soon she was asking to go potty multiple times during the day because she loved pushing the button on that fish. Eventually it became second nature to realize she needed to go potty and voila!

I'm not saying you have to run out and buy this fish (although I'm sure you can find one on ebay). Perhaps some other musical toy or something new that would get them excited to go potty would do the trick. Just be sure not to let them play it unless they actually go potty or you'll have them making 50 unnecessary trips to the toilet.

Good luck!

Thursday, January 1, 2009

Bizarre Mommy News: Woman Gives Birth Over the Atlantic

BOSTON — There were 124 passengers on Northwest Airlines Flight 59 when it left the Netherlands. There were 125 when it landed in Boston.

A woman went into labor and gave birth to an apparently healthy baby girl over the Atlantic Ocean during the eight-hour flight Wednesday from Amsterdam, said Phil Orlandella, a spokesman for Logan International Airport.

The plane landed without incident in Boston about 10:30 a.m., and the mother and baby were immediately taken to Massachusetts General Hospital, Orlandella said.

"It was wonderful," Dr. Paresh Thakker, a family physician from Methuen, Mass., who assisted with the mid-air delivery, told reporters at the airport. "Happy New Year for everybody in the family."

Orlandella said for customs' purposes, the baby was considered a Canadian citizen because she was born in Canada's airspace. He could not confirm media reports that the mother was a Ugandan national.

"The spirit of America is alive and everybody was there to help," said Dr. Natarajan Raman, an oncologist from Minneapolis who also helped deliver the baby, told reporters at the airport.

"It is always a joy to see a newborn baby and I was glad I was able to help," said Raman. "At the end of it, (the mother) thanked me. She seemed a little exhausted."

For more info, go to: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,474849,00.html

The Wonderful World of the Wide Wide Web

Isn't technology amazing? If you think back to all of the things that you now think you couldn't live without- cell phones, computers, internet, dvr, satellite and then wonder how the settlers did it, I'm sure you would cringe at the thought. I have been alive pre-internet, but just can't imagine what life would be like without it. I've done several semesters of college on the internet, blogged, ebayed, facebooked, socialized, made purchases... all things I couldn't have done before those crazy people (NOT Al Gore) created the information super highway.

I love meeting new people. I love getting new followers on my blog and on twitter. It makes me feel good to know that people care about what I have to say- something that is few and far between in real life.

Thankfully I don't have to worry about getting sucked into a life based solely on the computer, though. As aforementioned, I love meeting new people and hearing their thoughts and having pleasant conversation, but it's like having two sets of friends- and these are ones that go away when I shut my computer down at night, lol. No 3am wake up calls because their husband is out cheating on them!

Anywho, just wanted to share this random thought that I had. You can now go back to playing solitaire.

Caylee Anthony Investigation


I'm sure most of you have heard the story about Caylee Anthony.

She was a 3 year old (would have been 3 in August) girl whose mother reported her missing after a month. Recently her remains were found less than a mile from the home where she had lived with her mother and grandparents.

As a mom of a 3 year old girl, I find this case especially sad. I'm sure everyone has theories on what happened, but my theory is that the mother wanted to go out clubbing and the grandparents said they wouldn't watch Caylee because they didn't want their daughter going out. So, she told the grandparents she was going somewhere else and spending the night with Caylee there and instead chloroformed her and stuffed her in the trunk, where Caylee died from either poisoning or the struggle to get out, etc.

What still confuses me, though, is why the grandparents would wait a month to alert authorities that her granddaughter was missing. They all lived in the same home, and wouldn't they want to know what happened to her? It seems especially fishy in that regard. I wonder if Casey (the daughter) told her mother originally what happened or if she lied and kept dragging her mother through a web of lies.

No matter what happened, it is appalling that a beautiful little girl would have to die because her mother didn't love her enough to keep her alive. It is unfortunate that there are so many people out there who are desperate to have kids, yet you have deadbeat parents who will risk their children's health to go out.