WBW - Somebody cue the stripper music

For this week's WBW, TKW wants us to show some skin. Only one picture came to mind when I saw the theme.

My dad was a wedding photographer for many years, so naturally he did some photos at our wedding. This was one of his standard ones, where the groom pretends to take off the bride's dress with a lecherous look on his face. I think Hubby managed a slightly embarrassed lecherous look, but then, so would you if your father-in-law were standing there watching. And wow, look at the red mark on my shoulder blade and arm! I had forgotten how much that dress cut into me. Oh, and that face I'm making? I'm supposed to be winking.

So, did you play?

Here we go again

I had the three older boys all ready to go to co-op this morning. I sent the four year old to wake up the two year old. He opened the door, yelled, "Ew! Yuck!" and ran away. I knew then what was coming. The toddler now has the stomach thing. It was everywhere. So, I quickly called to let them know I wouldn't be at co-op, and then started cleaning.

The four year old started crying when he heard we weren't going, so I tried to explain that I didn't want to take his brother when it was likely he'd throw up some more, probably more than once, and I might have to clean it up. But then my seven year old had to present me with different scenarios.

"What if he threw up on the way to the building, in the parking lot? What if he threw up in the car? What if his teacher didn't tell you he threw up?"

"It doesn't matter, because we're not going, but obviously I'd rather he didn't throw up anywhere."

Luckily, Hubby was willing to come take the boys to co-op and pick them up at noon, so they weren't disappointed. Now if only I could find someone else to clean up after the toddler.

And how was your weekend?

I now officially feel better. I spent all day Saturday in bed, and all day Sunday cleaning the basement. I was actually amazed at how clean it was compared to what it's been in the past. I had planned to scrub the floor on Thursday night, but instead I was in bed trying not to throw up. So they did a really good job of keeping the house relatively clean. I have to give Hubby props here, because I know how hard it is to get the boys to keep things neat.

The boys were so sweet. On Friday, they made me lunch: tuna with mayo, mustard, relish, croutons made from toast, carrots, two kinds of salad dressing, and frozen strawberries. The oldest did a really good job of keeping the younger ones from climbing all over me, too. Not an easy task.

And finally, we got about four inches of new snow! It's so pretty and white outside. I love it. I feel happy and rested. It's going to be a good week.

I've been sick

In case you were wondering where I was yesterday, and I'd like to think somebody was, Thursday night I was stuck by a nasty bug which landed me in bed all day Friday and most of today. I had severe nausea (though no vomiting, thankfully), a fever, chills and body aches. It was great fun.

But I am feeling much better tonight, and will resume my regularly scheduled blogging on Monday.

Recipe for disaster

Monday night I went to a Taste of Home cooking school. I went to one two years ago and really enjoyed it, except for the fact that I had a two month old baby with me. Have you ever tried to carry two grocery bags, half a dozen carnations, a diaper bag, a baby carrier/carseat, and a box with a ceramic pie plate in it, three blocks to where you parked? Somehow I made it home with all of that intact. But I was looking forward to this year, when I could watch the show and not have to breastfeed in the middle of it.

Now, my seven year old enjoys cooking. He's been known to watch cooking shows on television and get upset when I changed the channel. So I decided to invite him along, even though they told me over the phone that he would be $10, same as me. Naturally, the lady at the door took one look at his cute little face and didn't charge me for him. So we went and explored the vendors before the show started, taking advantage of all the freebies (food samples, bottled water, and one place gave him a couple of toy trucks and a balloon). Then it was time for the show.

Even though he has watched cooking shows before, he has never sat and watched a two and a half hour cooking show. He was fascinated at first ("What is she doing with that egg?" "Separating it." "Why?"). As the demonstration went on, I tried to find interesting things to point out, but he became much more interested in the theatre-type seats, which he could sit on the edge of and then flop down loudly and much to the annoyance of at least one other attendee (that would be me). At intermission, we went and got him some more free potato chips. We stayed until the very end of the show (10 p.m.!) only because he was sure we would win a door prize. We didn't. I told him he could have the ceramic pie plate I won two years ago.

Hopefully I haven't completely killed his interest in cooking by taking him to this thing. He says he enjoyed it. I still harbor my fantasy of a child who will cook dinner for me a few years from now.

What??

What does my scanner want from me? Blood?

I have been trying to participate in WBW for an hour now. An hour. And my brand new HP Photosmart 3200 all-in-one printer/scanner/copier won't scan. And do you know why? Guess. You'll never guess.

It says there's a paper jam.

I can truly say I did not see that one coming. How can there be a paper jam when I'm trying to scan? I did not tell it to scan and print. I told it to scan. But, no, it says there's a paper jam.

So I checked the printer. No jam. I even printed something just to make sure. I came back to the computer. It still won't scan. Same reason.

So I updated my software. I got all of HPs little widgets and patches and installed them and restarted my computer twice. It gives me the same error. So I officially give up. There will be no WBW from me this week.

Why does technology hate me?

Snow pics

Here are some more pictures of the boys sledding. We had co-op this morning and I am wiped out.

I won't win any mothering awards

Here's my oldest son sledding:


I'm sorry, it was funny!

Late on a Friday

I know it's Friday. But it's almost 3:30 and this is the first time I've sat down at the computer today. So no SPF for me today. My SIL was here helping me with the kids while Hubby was out of town. I always greatly appreciate that. And yes, she was able to fix the sweater!

The boys just came in from playing in the snow. Actually, playing ON the snow would be a more accurate description. There is a thick layer of ice almost everywhere, so thick I don't fall through it. It's perfect for sledding. I sent the two year old down the hill and he loved it. I even tried it a few times. My oldest couldn't get enough, eventually coming in only because he was so cold. And the best thing about it being ice and not snow is that everybody came inside completely dry.

So, have a great weekend everybody. I'm going to get some cleaning done and work on my novel a while.

A sweet day

Since it was Valentine's Day yesterday, the boys and I decided to learn about chocolate. We went to a website that shows how chocolate is made and explored that, and then we made some chocolates of our own. The only mold I had was little alligators, which don't really go with Valentine's, but whatever. I had some extra chocolate, so I made little bars in an ice cube tray.

Oh, typical. I had a picture of them to post, but Blogger won't let me. Maybe I'll come back later. :(

UPDATE: Okay, I got it to work!

Tagged by Cheeky

The lovely Cheeky has tagged me!

First the rules:

The game: Each player of this game starts off with ten weird things or habits or little known facts about themselves. People who get tagged must write in a blog of their own ten weird things or habits or little known facts as well as state this rule clearly. At the end you must choose six people to be tagged and list their names. No tag backs!

I think I've done something similar before, but here goes!

1. I can say the alphabet backwards in less than six seconds.
2. I can sing the alphabet backwards.
3. I stopped listening to the radio in 1985, so I really don't know many popular songs from the last 22 years.
4. I'm a bit of a "star collector;" I own autographs from lots of different people, including all of Rockapella and two of the Monkees.
5. I love acting, but I never got chosen for any school plays.
6. I once rode twelve hours (with Hubby) to go to a Rockapella concert, attended both performances that Sunday afternoon and evening, then rode twelve hours home and went straight to work.
7. I've never been west of the Rockies.
8. I wrote, self-published, and sold 100 copies of a Star Trek/Battlestar Galactica crossover novel when I was 16.
9. I have been online for about 20 years, in one way or another.
10. I once wrote parody lyrics to "Like a Virgin" and called it "Like a Surgeon." A few months later, Weird Al came out with his "Like a Surgeon" and the lyrics were almost identical. Scary.

So. who to tag? I'll tag the first six people on my blogroll. Go!

Messies Anonymous

When I was younger, I was very organized. I kept my room neat and clean, I alphabetized all my books and tapes (this was before CDs, people), and I knew where all my stuff was.

All of this was before children.

Now, it doesn't matter how much time I spend cleaning, they will mess it up. A few months ago, I had all but given up, tired of cleaning the same floor six times in a day (and oh, how I wish I were exaggerating). Toys could be found on every flat surface of the house, cleaning was done in a haphazard fashion, and I grew more and more discouraged. The house grew less and less clean.

Then I met The Organizer Lady. Hubby found a book in the church library called The Messies Manual. And in it, Sandra Felton lays out her plan to go from disaster area to comfortably clean. Now, I won't say I follow her plan 100%, because she recommends some sort of flip chart with 3x5 cards to keep track of things that need to be done. I just programmed it into my PDA. And I don't have the problem of disorganization. I have always kept all my papers filed and separated and I can find virtually any piece of paper, given the right search parameters. But as far as keeping the house clean, she has wonderful ideas and give her the lions share of the credit.

So now, while my house is still "in transition" between messy and clean, I am so much happier with how everything looks. As long as I stick to the schedule, things stay pretty clean. And of course, getting the boys to do their chores helps too. I'm now reading her book "Organizing Your Home and Family, which is great, too.

If you are cleaning challenged like I am, perhaps it's time to join Messies Anonymous. There's a lot of info on the website, and there are Yahoo groups as well for daily encouragement. I could actually have people over for coffee now.

Snow day!

Today we are finally getting the snow for which I have been waiting all winter! We've had little flurries here and there, and even as much as half an inch total, but now we're getting a full-fledged winter storm!

I don't know why I love snow so much. Maybe it's the way it makes everything white and pretty. The world looks new and clean and fresh. Maybe it's the anticipation of taking the boys outside, packing down the snow on the hill, and sledding. Or trying out those second-hand skis we picked up. Maybe it's memories of when I was little and the snow drifts were taller than I was, and my dad thought it was funny to throw the cat into them (and it was). Maybe it's the silence, that all that water can fall from the sky and not make a sound.

Our homeschool co-op is canceled today because local schools are closed. And it's just as well because my oldest has been sick and I wasn't going to go. So now the kids won't miss anything. I'll have to check our policy - I think we have one snow day, so we extend the semester one week. Anyway, it's a good day to teach the boys about snow and seasons and things like that. And if it's deep enough, we can even make snow cream! Yummy!

Two years!

Yesterday marked two years since I started this little blog o' mine. It's gone through a lot of changes as I learned HTML and switched templates. I like this one, though. I think I'll stick with it a while. I've added things to my sidebar, and taken other things away. I've written about sad things and happy things and totally silly things. I've written 645 posts.

But more than that, I have "met" some wonderful people. There's an amazing community in blogging that non-bloggers don't see or understand. I love that. Some of my favorite bloggers and commenters have quit and I still miss them. But I truly appreciate all of you who come by here every day to see what I'm up to, even though you don't always comment (hint hint). Seeing the numbers go up in my little comments spaces makes my day.

So what do you get on the second blogiversary?

SPF - Something red

Kristine's assignment this week is to photograph something red. Okay, let's see what I find around the house.

This is a sweater my SIL knitted for my two year old. She does beautiful work, huh? Unfortunately, he must have caught his sleeve on something, so it started to unravel. C, if you're reading this, bring your needles next time you come!

And what is this oddly-familiar-looking red yarn the cat's attacking? When I tried to put the sweater back where I had it, this is what happened! Um, C, you might want to bring extra yarn, too.

So, did you play?

The most important words

My toddler has now learned the important words there are for him to survive in this house with three big brothers.

Yesterday, I asked who had done something-or-other. The older three boys all chimed in with, "Not me!" And then I heard the toddler's sweet little voice.

"Not me!"

This kid's no dummy!

A good dentist is harder to be found than silver, yea, than much silver filling

I just got back from the dentist. I'm not someone who is afraid of the dentist or anything like that. But I have learned that there are good ones, and there are not-so-good ones. We just switched from one dentist we were less than happy with, to one who had been recommended by someone Hubby works with. I had been happy with him up until my last appointment.

See, we were sitting around eating dinner one night and I bit down on something and a horrible stabbing pain shot through my mouth. So I told the dentist a week or so later during my normal checkup. He did an x-ray, said he didn't see anything, and that was it. Today, they had a new dentist in the office, a younger guy who we found out was from New York City. I tell him the problem, which has still been bothering me, and instantly he says, "Sounds like a fracture."

So now I need to go back for a filling. Which I would have been more than happy to do six months ago if only the dentist would have actually looked at my teeth! It seems fractures don't show up in x-rays. This new dentist figured out what it was by listening to what I said. What a concept!

Taking the "co" out of co-op

Today is the first Tuesday of ten Tuesdays of homeschool co-op. I am on the committee, so I have to be there early. Yippee. I don't do early. So I am sitting here guzzling my coffee, waiting for the caffeine to kick in so I can at least look awake as I sit and watch other people teach. Nobody signed up for my class. Not even one. So I will be assisting with Karate and with Beginning Recorder.

I also realized at ten last night that I was supposed to bring cookies. I have no cookies. And I certainly don't have the energy to bake any. In fact, I haven't even been to the store for a week and a half, except a run to WalMart when we were at my grandmother's house Saturday, but I certainly wasn't thinking about co-op then. I wonder how mad they'll be that I show up with no cookies.

Oh, well, off to wake the boys and get this fun-fest started!

Hurt

My college roommate and I were very close. I kind of thought of her as the sister I never had. We lived together all four years, we toured England together, and she was the maid of honor in my wedding. We kept in touch for quite a while after that, but she was always busy with school, first an MA, then a PhD, and I was busy, first with work, then with kids. Eventually, I didn't hear from her anymore and I lost track of her.

So I open up my college alumnae magazine on Friday and what do I see? Not only has she gotten married, she had a baby last May! And maybe I shouldn't, but I feel hurt. I mean, she was my maid of honor, and I don't even rate an invitation to her wedding? And even if they eloped, I'm sure they sent out baby announcements. But I never got one. I know we've moved a lot, but I also know that I've put my email address in the alumnae magazine on more than one occasion. Not to mention the college maintains a website with all the alumnae's current addresses in it. She could have found me.

You know, I sent her announcements for every one of my kids.

I don't know if I should just continue the way I have, or if I should email her. Or maybe I should go to our 15 year reunion in June and see if she's there. She lives right in the same town, so she probably will be. I don't know. What would you do?

SPF - Buttons

Kristine's assignment this week was buttons. Any kind of buttons.
See? He's got buttons on his coat.

And before you ask, yes, I drew this. I used charcoal. Yes, I did it freehand, using a picture on a McDonald's Arch Card as reference. No, it's not perfect, but I could spend way too much time trying to make it perfect, so I already sprayed it with sealant and called it done. It probably took about two hours, but I'm not entirely sure because I didn't do it all at once; I did it in the moments of time between when I would call one of the boys to come into the schoolroom (I homeschool for those who don't know) and when they actually came. I did this to demonstrate to them that they do not, in fact, come right away when I call them. I think I made my point.

So, did you play?

Attention AI rejects!

You know all those annoying people who insist they can sing during the AI auditions? The ones who say, "You'll hear from me again!" and tell the judges they don't know what they're talking about? I think I found them a job.

My youngest has the Vtech Learn and Discover Driver toy, a little steering wheel with different buttons and lights. He just loves to play with it. It's kind of loud and annoying, but that's not the worst part. It has songs. And those songs are sung, um, badly. They are off-key, they don't stay with the beat, and they are just overall hard to listen to.

So perhaps all the rejects should line up for auditions outside Vtech's headquarters instead. Apparently their judges aren't nearly as tough.