Dancing recap

Fake Quote of the Day:

"It's amazing what a little makeup can do." -T.F. Bakker

I'm not sure what happened to Priscilla Presley's face, but she looked better last night. So much better, in fact, that I was able to watch her dancing instead of gawking at her mouth. BTW, Hubby found an article talking about how PP was tricked by some phony doctor and had poor quality silicone injected into her face. So I actually feel a little sorry for her. Anyway, her tango last night was amazing.

The Gute was also quite impressive compared to his past two performances. I'm not sure it will be enough to keep him around, but he was good. Not so for poor Marissa, who seems to get worse each week. I love her energy and spirit, but she needs to step up her game if she wants to stay in this.

Kristi Yamaguchi remains my favorite. She has that gold medal winner attitude, you know? It's like the first time I saw Apolo Anton Ohno and and I said, "He's going to win this." It wouldn't surprise me at all to see Kristi win the whole thing. It could finally be a woman's turn again!

Some movies I've seen recently

Fake Quote of the Day:

"I know a good movie when I see it." - E. Wood

I've watched a few movies recently that I thought were worthy of comment. We have the Encore set of movie channels that comes with our digital package, so we have the opportunity to catch lots of "new" movies about two years after they hit the theater.

We watched Invincible a couple of weeks ago. I highly recommend this movie. Not only is it a true story, it's told with lots of heart and is well-acted. And for me to say that I liked a football movie, you know it has to be good. It's also the first football movie I've seen that makes playing football look like a tough job, which I liked.

The other night we saw The Night Listener. Awful. Just awful. The audience is deliberately misled in the beginning, and it just gets worse from there. Don't even watch this if you're a Robin Williams fan.

Then there's The Guardian. Now, this could have been a good movie. But it had some major problems. First of all, there's no clear beginning. And then there's no clear ending. And then there's all the stuff in between. I had the privilege of studying screenwriting with a bona fide professional and I can tell you she would rip this script apart. But the story itself is enjoyable and life-affirming and worth watching. So this one gets a mixed review. Watch it if you're an Ashton Kutcher fan.

Fight Club. Now this is one screwed up movie. If you can stand the blood and violence, it's worth watching. Though I have to admit Hubby and I figured out the secret very shortly into the film and weren't surprised at all when it was "revealed." Still, it was interesting.

My favorite recent film was The Prestige. We figured out the big secret only a few moments before it was revealed. Hubby loved it because Nicola Tesla was in it, among other reasons. I just thought it was brilliant. Watch it, then watch it again. Because you'll want to.

What movies have you enjoyed recently?

The next hurricane should be named after my son

Fake Quote of the Day:

"I've seen less destruction from a tornado." -H. Hunt

When we visited the science museum in Tampa, they had a whole section about disasters: hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, floods. I'm thinking of suggesting another topic for that section of the museum: toddlers.

Here is a sample of what my three-year-old can do with five minutes of free time:First, he pumped half a bottle of lotion into the bathroom sink.Next, he found an unopened pack of diapers and spread them around the floor.
Then, he got some safety scissors and scrap paper and did his impression of a shredder.And finally he went into the schoolroom and threw all the books off the low shelves and dumped stuffed animals on the floor.

Do you think we could apply for disaster relief?

Still feeling bad

Fake Quote of the Day:

"Never underestimate the power of one little germ." -H. Hughes

The last few weeks have been really... not fun. Between my migraines, killer sinus headaches, vomiting, fever and now head cold, I'm worn out. I'm tired of feeling bad.

The boys have been sick since last week, too. My oldest is still running a fever, so I'm going to give the doctor a call today, much as I hate doing that. Let's take a group of five people who have been fighting off every illness under the sun for the last week, and go to a doctor's office where everything they haven't caught yet is waiting to attack them. Great idea.

Hubby and my eight-year-old are the only ones who haven't gotten it yet, and Hubby's voice was sounding awfully scratchy yesterday.

Next winter, here's my plan: we will not leave the house. There are places that deliver food and other essentials. We will barricade the doors and windows against intrusion. Any arriving packages will be thoroughly disinfected before being touched. Sometime next spring, like all the other hibernating creatures, we will emerge from our cave.

Just to give you an idea of how bad my oldest son feels, he got a new Bionicle set on Sunday and didn't put it together until last night. Now that's bad.

The return of Dancing

Fake Quote of the Day:

"This isn't reality; this is fantasy!" -S. Guttenberg

When yet another of the children has succumbed to the nasty stomach thing of the weekend, is it any wonder I like to escape to an alternate reality? The alternate reality of reality t.v., that is. Dancing With the Stars is back and it's looking like an exciting season!

So far, the women have the men beat. This might finally be the year for a woman to win again! I knew when I saw Kristi Yamaguchi's name on the list of stars that it would be a good season. She is really amazing - I could definitely see her taking the trophy.

I want to like Priscilla Presley, I really do. But I can't stop looking at her hideously over-Botoxed mouth.

Marlee Matlin is amazing. Simply amazing. Her dancing is easily on par with all the other good dancers, and they all have the advantage of being able to hear the music. You go, Marlee!

The only two men who have a shot are the football player (sorry, my brain automatically blocks all football players' names from sticking) and Mario. Both of them are shockingly good, though not as good as the other Mario (Lopez).

Last night, the first half of the show, the judges were ridiculously hard on people. I especially felt sorry for Steve "Dancing-is-the-key-to-world-peace" Guttenberg, who wasn't nearly as awful as they seemed to think. Monica Seles, on the other hand, is more awful than they give her credit for. You know those dance routines where one partner pretends to be a mannequin while the other one moves and poses her? It's a lot like watching one of those.

Then, the second half. I said to hubby that they must have a bottle hidden under the judges' table or something, because their moods definitely improved. The stars seemed to be taking last week's comments into account and improving their dancing, and the judges love that.

Overall, I think Monica has to go. With the men, it's a toss-up. Could be Penn, could be Adam Carolla, could be Mr. Enthusiastic Guttenberg.

How was your Easter weekend?

Fake Quote of the Day:

"Sure, Happy Easter - that's because you don't have to work!" - P. Cottontail

How was your Easter? Aside from the vomiting, fever, and taking care of others with vomiting and fever, mine was wonderful. It figures half of us would be sick. You know, I can't even remember the last time we made it to church on Easter. Every year it seems like somebody is too sick to go.

We did get out the eggs yesterday and dye them. I think out of 32 there are probably 24 left that didn't get cracked. At least the boys like hard-boiled eggs.

Anyway, I'm going to skip my workout this morning - my stomach is still not feeling 100%. Hopefully by the end of the day I'll feel normal again. Whatever that means.

If this robot wants to take over the world, at least it'll be a clean world

Today's Fake Quote:

"I could have told you to get a robot." -R. Jetson

As I sit here typing this, the bane of my existence my basement floor is being cleaned. My wonderful, handsome, intelligent, hard-working husband got me a little something:This is a Scooba, from iRobot. While I relax, blog, and drink my coffee, Scooba is downstairs vacuuming, scrubbing, and drying my floor. I used it yesterday on the bathroom floors and the upstairs kitchen and it did a fine job. Now it's tackling the filth of my basement floor.

It automatically goes around the furniture and any other obstacles. I did have a slight problem when it got to the cabinets - the baseboard is off temporarily and it kept getting stuck. I blocked that off and now it's happily buzzing around down there.

Ah, life is good. Now if I could just get a robot that would pick up toys, we'd be set.

Pet tips - from me to you

Quote of the Day:

"This is more fun than giving medicine to a cat!" - Me

Saturday morning I noticed something odd about our cat, Smokey. Odd may not be the right word. Gross or disgusting perhaps might better describe it. He had yellowish pus oozing down the side of his little cat face. Quite a lovely sight, let me tell you. Naturally, our vet is closed on the weekends, so we had to wait until Monday morning to call.

The vet kept him overnight, cleaned out his wound, and returned him to us along with a bottle of antibiotics. For anyone who has never given medicine to a cat, you don’t know what you’re missing.

It starts with the towel. This is a trick we learned from some random cat book, a trick that served us well when Smokey was attacked as a kitten by some unknown nasty assailant and left severely wounded. He had to be given medicine something like twenty-seven times a day, and on top of that he needed drops for ear mites. The towel kept all of us from needing antibiotics to treat all of the cat bites and scratches we certainly would have otherwise received.

What you do is, you wrap all but the cat’s head in a towel, then force his mouth open and medicate him. First, of course, you have to find him. Because I guarantee you, when the cat sees you coming with a towel, he will disappear, and quickly. Last night, for example, he hid in my closet, where it is nigh on impossible to see him, let alone get him out.

Once you’ve caught the cat, one person must hold him while the other wraps the towel tightly around the body and all four legs. The cat’s head sticks out, but you have to be quick. If the person administering the medicine is not fast enough on the draw, the cat will disappear inside the towel like a turtle, except he’ll come out the other end of the towel and make a break for it.

If you’re fast enough, grab the cat’s jaw and gently pry his needle-like teeth apart with your bare fingers. Slide the dropper into one side of his mouth and release the medicine. Usually about half of it will make it into the cat, the other half will decorate his fur with a nice pink stain. I don’t worry about that – I figure if he licks it off, as cats are wont to do, he’ll get the full dose.

Then release the cat and stand back. Depending on the cat, you might be on the receiving end of a playful swipe of the claws as a little “thank you” for helping to keep him healthy. He loves you, really he does.

And you only have to repeat this process twice a day for ten days! Nine days left to go…

Gotta run (read to the end)

I went to the doctor yesterday. I haven't had a physical in a while, not since I lost all this weight. The doc was quite impressed. In fact, he asked if I'd used any pills or supplements to lose that much. No, I replied, it was just changing what I eat and how much of it I eat. And exercise, but that came pretty much after all the weight was gone.

Anyway, he gave me a new scrip for migraines, so hopefully I can knock them out before they start. And now I have a nose spray to clear up my sinuses, so that should help the chronic sinus headaches I've been having lately.

I need to get some blood drawn sometime to check my cholesterol levels, etc.

Ugh - the five year old just walked by with poop in his pants. This is going to be a fun day, isn't it?

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Today's Fake Quote:

"Actually, my favorite color is blue." - St. Patrick

Enjoy this very Veggie explanation of St. Patty's Day!

Normal

Fake Quote of the Day:

"I think that's perfectly normal." -A. Yankovic

Hubby and I had a nice dinner out last night. You would think it would feel weird to sit down and have a meal without children complaining, yelling, singing, and all the other things my kids do at dinner. But it didn't. It felt... normal. And sometimes a mom needs to feel a little normality.

A friend and I were talking the other day about how we feel "normal" again now that we've lost our baby weight. And it's really true - I feel like me again. Only with four kids. I like to think that people see me walking through the store with the boys and think, "No way are all those kids hers! She's too young and thin!" Yes, maybe I'm delusional, but whatever gets you through the day, right?

We'll be heading home tonight, but for now I think I'm going to go do something really... normal.

Alone at last

Today's Fake Quote:

"Sometimes it's nice to get away for a little while." -R. Crusoe

Today this blog is coming to you from King of Prussia, PA. Hubby had a business trip, and he asked his mom and sister if they would stay with the kids so I could come along! Woo hoo!

He had to take the car, so I'm just chilling at the hotel. They have a nice hot breakfast here, and after I go check out the exercise room, I'm going to spend the afternoon working on my novels - lots of revision to be done. I need to find a different place to sit, though - this desk is at chest level, which is not really optimal.

We'll head home tomorrow night, but for now I'm just enjoying the silence.

Top 12 - Week one

Today I'm feeling... about the same. I have a dentist appt this afternoon - maybe I'll ask him to novocaine my whole head. My migraine cleared up enough for me to enjoy AI last night, though. Well, most of it. Some of it was just not enjoyable.

What a shock, too! My favorites totally bombed (honestly, David H. - way overdone, and David A - if you're going to sing something, learn the words, dude!), but David Cook once again blew me away. I just wish SO hard that he would do something with his hair!! The girls were unimpressive except for Brooke, who comes across really honest and believable to me. I agree with Simon about her. And hey, consistency is one of the keys to winning this thing.

But my favorite of the night, and the biggest surprise to me for being my favorite, was Chikezie. His biggest problem right now is that he's not consistent. But if he keeps doing what he did last night, he's going to go far.

In negatives, let's see - Syesha didn't do anything impressive. Ramiele was bo-ring. So was Michael. I mean come on people - you're singing Beatles songs! Some of the best songs ever written! At least try to pick interesting ones! And the country thing Kristy did was totally over the top. Cute, but not good.

My pick for who's going home tonight - Ramiele. Could also be Kristy or Syesha. It won't be a guy.

Ugh

Fake Quote of the Day:

"I hate Tuesdays almost as much as Mondays." - Garfield

Last Tuesday, the eleven-year-old had a fever and we couldn't go to co-op. This week, he's been throwing up since yesterday. So here we sit again. The eight and five year olds are going to be disappointed not to go again, but what can I do?

It's probably just as well I'm staying home - I don't feel all that great myself. I had a killer sinus headache all day Sunday through yesterday, and last night it mutated into a migraine. I woke up at 5:30 this morning and couldn't get back to sleep. I'm fighting the nausea now, but whether it's what my son has, or whether it's from the migraine I can't tell.

So, how's your Tuesday?

And maybe a combination lock

Fake Quote of the Day:

"I don't know what you're complaining about; the house looks clean to me." - S. Wonder

I just deleted a very depressed-sounding post about how dirty my house is. You've all heard it before. Cleaning up after four boys is just not in the realm of the possible. Not unless they aren't here.

So Hubby and I are escaping. We are finishing the floor in our new master suite and soon we will be able to move over there, lock the doors, and leave the rest of the house to the children. They will not be allowed to set foot in my bedroom, and they will only be allowed into the suite to use the laundry machines.

Sounds like paradise. I love my kids, but I really need a sanctuary.

PPL - Spring limerick!

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We're going back to the trusty limerick this month. For some reason, limericks are not easy for me. But since I must prove my poetic genius by using any or all of the following words: green, irish, leprechaun, shamrock, Easter, Spring, kite, windy. --- Here we go!

Irish leprechauns all dressed in green,
Four-leafed shamrocks that good luck mean,
Easter Day at first light,
Windy days with a kite,
All are signs of each Spring that I've seen!

A leprechaun wanted to go
To town for the big Easter show
He let out a big cheer,
"Spring is finally here!"
Then he tripped and fell face down in snow.

900!

Fake Quote of the Day:

"Nine hundred isn't so much." -C. Ripken

That's right, this is my 900th post. Don't worry, I'm not going to list 900 things about myself. I never even did 100 things about myself. I figure if anyone's that interested in me, they can go back to day one and start reading. Eventually, they will cull at least 100 interesting facts about me from my archives.

So, who watched the boys last night? Why do they call them boys? Is it in deference to those under 18, or is it because they call the female group girls? Anyway... I still have my two favorites, both named David - Hernandez and Archuleta. But a surprise contender has emerged - the other David, David Cook! He did a version of Lionel Richie's "Hello" that was absolutely amazing. David A. and David H., on the other hand, weren't as good. So I cast my vote for David C. this week. I'll be shocked if all three David's don't enter the Top 12.

As for the other guys, I'm betting it will be Luke's turn to go home, but I'm not sure who the other will be. Jason Castro was awesome, so it better not be him. It might be Chikezie (Oh, please let it be Chikezie). I doubt it will be Danny or Michael. Hmm, I'm forgetting one. Maybe he'll go home, since I can't even remember who he is!

And did you watch "New Amsterdam"?? Wow. More on that later.

Good morning!

Tomorrow marks my 900th post! I just passed my 3rd blogiversary, as well, so that's roughly 300 posts per year. Not bad, for rambling aimlessly about nothing. Then again, look how long Seinfeld was on.

I should be at co-op right now, but my oldest son is running a temperature, so we're staying home today. Yesterday I couldn't talk for most of the afternoon. Imagine trying to control four boys with no voice. It doesn't work really well. At least I got some rest.

The weather turned warm yesterday. I hope it goes back to cold and stays there a while before spring. Winter is entirely too short here. But it's better than in Louisiana, where we had about two weeks of winter and a little ice could shut down the whole city. There are some things I miss about Shreveport, but that's not one of them. Now, the food... oh, the food! How I'd love to go eat at some of those restaurants again. Hubby and I have talked about taking an eating tour of the south sometime, just going from restaurant to restaurant and taking in the local delicacies. Mmm!

Okay, was this post rambling enough for you? I'm going to go relax before the boys wake up.

Is divorce ever right?

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This month's topic for Marriage Monday: Is divorce ever right? This is a tough topic for me because I don't want to come off sounding judgmental. I am not, nor will I ever be, divorced, and that's a decision I made before I chose a husband. It's not a choice that was ever on the table, and we both agreed on that before we got married. So for me personally, divorce is never right.

But what about for other people? Well, Jesus states pretty clearly that if you are divorced and then remarried, you commit adultery. Pretty harsh, but there you have it. Now obviously, I don't advocate anyone staying married in an abusive situation. But whether they should get remarried, well, I would encourage them to search the scriptures and seek counseling before choosing to do that. Likewise, if you were divorced and remarried before becoming a Christian, you should seek counseling - I honestly don't have answers for that situation.

Remember, if you are a Christian, your marriage is to be a model of Christ's love for the church. He will never come to us and tell us things just aren't working out and He'd like to separate for a while. No matter how many times we sin, He will always take us back. He will never stop loving us. And I think that's an example we can all stand to emulate in our marriages.

How to spend your extra day this year

Today's Fake Quote:

"There's no such thing as watching too much television." -J.Jet

Have you all seen this? NBC is showing episodes of vintage shows on their website. Just click on that link, then select the show you want to watch. They have The A-Team, Battlestar Galactica, Buck Rogers, and more - all for free! New episodes every Wednesday, too!

Oh, and ABC has episodes of My So-Called Life, another show I used to love that got canceled too soon.

Just a little something to tide me over while we're waiting for new episodes of current shows!

Sisterhood of the Traveling Teeth

Today's Fake Quote:

"Sometimes even teeth need a change of scenery." - P. Farb

I went to the dentist yesterday to get my permanent crown for the lovely root canal I had two weeks ago. When he went to put the new crown in, it fit perfectly. There was just one little problem: my tooth had moved.

Yes, apparently the neighborhood wasn't to my tooth's liking and it had to scoot away from its neighbor by a few millimeters. It moved just far enough that there would have been an annoying, food-catching gap in between the two. So my crown goes back to the lab to have material added to front of it so it can cozy up with the neighbor again.

I asked if this is common and the dentist told me about 3 in 100 people have this happen. I guess I just have restless teeth. Now what happens if it gets that yen to wander again before the new crown comes in? I don't know. I guess I'll have to take away its passport.

Fun with welding

Today's Fake Quote:

"A joke should always be in good taste." - C. Rock

Last night, Hubby was laying in bed reading something on his computer. I looked over his shoulder and saw the words "butt weld." Now, I spent the entire last semester of his college career helping him study. I know what a butt weld is. But for some reason it struck me funny.

"Butt weld?" I said. "That sounds painful." He ignored me. "And how do you go to the bathroom?" More blatant ignoring. I glanced at the screen again.

"Large and varied application? I guess it depends on the person," I snickered. He groaned. I rolled over to go to sleep. But I couldn't resist one last comment.

"Hey, do butt welds ever crack?"

That's my Secret

Today's Fake Quote:

"What's that awful smell?" - P. LePew

Days like this annoy me - when it should be snowing, but it's raining instead. And it's always like six inches of rain, which would be like six feet of snow, which would be fun! But no, we get rain. Anyway...

I bought some deodorant the other day and left it sitting on the table. The three-year-old wanted me to open it. I told him no, it was for me, to keep me from stinking (what? that's what it's for!). So he said, "I stink, too!" Hehe. Can't argue there!

The testosterone has kicked in

Fake Quote of the Day:

"Everybody's got to grow up sometime." - P. Pan

We were in Home Depot the other day picking up a couple of things. My eight-year-old was with me, and kept asking if we could go to the tool department. This was unusual. Usually, he would be asking when we were leaving. So I gave him a questioning look. And he grinned up at me with those adorable brown eyes and said, "I don't know why, but for some reason I've really started to like Home Depot."

"It's because you're male," I said with a sigh. And so it begins.

Snow day!

Today's Fake Quote:

"I don't know why, but I've always liked cold weather." - F.T. Snowman

We had more snow here last night, but not much. Most of the storm went north of us. I'm a little disappointed. The boys love going out and playing in the snow - they even tried sledding on Wednesday. And I love watching them enjoy it.

It's not quite the same euphoria I used to feel as a child, but I still get that little thrill when I look outside in the morning and the ground is totally white. Kind of silly, really. It's not as if I'm getting a day off. The boys don't get a "snow day" because of it. And not only do I enjoy seeing snow, but I actually get a little annoyed when I see the radar images of huge snow storms that just glide to the north of us, like we have some sort of invisible shield around our county. And totally annoyed when I hear people complaining about it. It's snow, people! Be happy!

I found this poem the other day in a book of poetry for children and, while not the best poetryi n the world, I thought it just perfectly describes how I feel about snow:

Snow, Today and Me
by Linda Flashinski

Today, on this day
of the very first snow,
I walk and I walk,
with nowhere to go.
I'm so full inside
of the crispness of air,
of the snow on my lashes
and white everywhere.

Maybe when I am grown
this won't seem so new,
this firstness of white,
this winter-white stew.
Maybe then I won't feel
like I'm bursting inside
with this wintery fullness
I'm sure I can't hide.
Maybe then I'll just grumble
about the snow and the cold.
Maybe that's how I'll know
that I've finally grown old.

That one's for you, Dad. ;)

What is a conservative?

Today's Fake Quote:

"It's time for a change." - Every presidential candidate, ever.

No I'm not going to write about the girls on AI last night, because frankly, there were no surprises and no one jumped out at me as being fabulous. Sorry, girls. There's always next week, except for two of you.

No, today I am going to share something I read yesterday. I have never seen my political ideology explained so clearly and eloquently before, and no matter your affiliation, you should read this excellent column.

My favorite part? I was going to quote it, but then as I looked back over it, I realized I have a lot of favorite parts. Just go read it!

AI Season 7 begins!

Today's Fake Quote:

"I could've beaten those guys." - W. Hung

I have to say, for all the talk about this being the best season of American Idol ever, I didn't come away horribly impressed with all the guys. A couple of them were downright horrible. But I did, for the first time ever, pick up the phone and vote during the first round. Who inspired me to do it? David Archuleta. This 17-year-old kid not only has an amazing voice, but he's fun to watch. And he's got this whole cute Freddie Prinze Jr. lookalike thing going on, too. He's going to go far in this, if not all the way.

I also dropped a dime for Michael Johns, who has been the most consistent from day one. Setting aside the cute Aussie accent, he's got a great singing voice and stage presence to spare. He's definitely on his way to stardom.

Also impressive was Jason Castro, the dude with the dreadlocks. But did you notice under all that hair, he looks like John Travolta? And sounds like him too, which is not entirely a bad thing. He did a wonderful version of "Daydream" which Simon dubbed second best performance of the night, after David A. Nice.

My other favorite is David Hernandez, who is also remarkably consistent. He's fun to watch and I have no doubt he'll make it to the top 12.

Yep, it's going to be a fun season. I'm looking forward to seeing what the girls have to offer, since I only remember about 4 of them from the auditions.

Free lunch and free time

Today's Fake Quote:

"There's no such thing as a free lunch - unless, of course, you get lunch for free." - Y. Berra

We had co-op this morning, and for parents' meeting every week someone brings in snacks. Well, today, someone brought a whole tray of gourmet wrap sandwiches! I probably don't need to tell you that I quickly scrapped my lunch plans and pigged out. Yummy! They were from a local restaurant and coffee shop, so I might have to visit there sometime soon.

Co-op days are always good for catching up; they did "school" at co-op, so we don't do any at home. I could catch up with my DVD recorder. I record stuff constantly, but finding the time to cut out the commercials and put the stuff on DVDs isn't always so easy to come by. Right now I have a bunch of movies for the kids, a whole slew of movies I recorded for myself, and a bunch of tv episodes I wanted to keep. The hard drive holds about 80 hours of stuff, and I've only got 10 hours free, so that tells you how badly I need to get it cleaned up!

On the other hand, I have some library books I'd like to read. I just discovered Nora Roberts and can't put her book down. She lives near here, too, so I might have to go stalk her meet her. I just finished a John Grisham yesterday. Love him.

And then there's the house. It could use a little floor scrubbing and de-cluttering.

I think what I really need is a whole week of co-ops. Then I could really make some headway around here.

The reign of terror continues

"The only thing harder to deal with than little boys is little girls." - Miss Hannigan

My youngest son has become quite the little dictator. Last night in the car he ordered everyone to be quiet so he could hear the song playing on the CD. His voice became increasingly louder until I feared we'd have to replace the windshield, which would certainly shatter at his next ear-piercing shriek. Fortunately, life is not like a cartoon. I stuck my fingers in my ears and we continued home.

But he has developed the strange notion that he controls everything in the house. I know this is normal in a three-year-old. To a certain extent. But when he goes about demanding things and screeching when he doesn't get them, that's not right. He has zero tolerance for anything that doesn't instantly go his way, and no clear understanding of the phrase "in a minute" (as in "I'll get you a drink in a minute, when I get off the toilet."). He insists that all of his food be served cold and his drinks be served warm, and woe to me if I happen to serve him a cold fish stick on a day when he's decided that actually, warm might be nice. But not too warm, as I found out yesterday, or he will scream in "pain" every time he picks up a fish stick.

His latest thing is telling anyone who is saying something he doesn't want to hear at the moment, "Don't talk to me, I have a headache." Gee, I wonder where he picked up this phrase?

To quote a famous quoter...

"There's nothing you can't accomplish when you put your... what is that thing called? That thing in my head? Um, that's hot." - P. Hilton

When I was in high school, my best friend and I were really into this fantasy series called the Myth books. The author, Robert Asprin, would start every chapter with a relevant quote by a famous person. The twist was they weren't actual quotes: he made them up. As the books got farther and farther between, he claimed the reason was because he couldn't think of quotes for all the chapters.

Michele and I thought that was a lame excuse. So we started writing our own fake quotes. And because I happened to be in an independent study and had to sign my supervising teacher's chalkboard every morning, we thought it would be more fun to write our fake quotes on his board. It turns out he and his class had fun discussing them every morning, too. And we proved that if you just put your mind to it, it's not that hard to make up funny and/or ironic things for real and fictional characters to say.

But of course he was older than we were, and maybe not as flexible of mind. So I'm going to challenge myself again. I'm going to see if I can think of a relevant fake quote for my posts. And certainly, if you the reader think of any, add them to the comments! It's fun!

English sonnet

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This month's poetic form is one of my favorites, the English sonnet. Robin's assignment is to write about love, for Valentine's Day. But it's love with a twist - we're supposed to write about something we love, not someone. So here we go!

You had me from the moment we first met
Such mystery from tragedy begun!
You've never failed to tantalize me yet,
And out of all you are my favorite one.

In fourteen lines I never could explain
The things you do that keep me coming back.
The humor, twists and turns, the joy and pain
Are elements you're never found to lack.

The mysteries you weave are never through,
For just when one is solved a new one starts.
Each week we wait to learn just one thing new
That will make sense of all your many parts.

Oh how I love to watch LOST on tv!
Watch it tonight - you'll come back and thank me!

LOST quiz

This is probably who I would have picked.

Which Lost Character Are You?

Created by BuddyTV

I'll be back later with some poetry for PPL!

No pain... yet

Just got home from my two-hour root canal. I am SO much more impressed with this dentist than the last one. I didn't feel a thing past the initial injections. Of course, the whole left side of my head was pretty much numb, so that helped. I have a temp crown and a prescription for Vicodin so I should be good to go until the permanent one goes in two weeks from Wednesday.

Not at all happy

Not only is that back tooth broken and needs a root canal, the dentist showed me three or four other teeth that are cracked (they had this cool camera that took pictures of my teeth and then showed them to me on a computer screen. Kind of gross, actually. No one should look at their teeth that closely). Not only that, but I have at least two fillings that need to be replaced. Which only proves we had a lousy dentist and were right to switch to this new one.

So Monday morning I go for the root canal, and we'll see from there. Oh, and did I mention that all of this is coming out of our pocket? By the time my dental work, Hubby's work and the kids' work gets done, we will have spent almost three times what we spent on our Disney trip. And that's before I take the older two boys for the consult with the orthodontist.

My mom told me once that her father had all his teeth pulled and got false teeth. At the time, I thought that was a little strange. Now, I kind of get it.

Anything but that

I have a dentist appointment today. It's the first one I've had since I had my crown put in last year. I never used to be afraid of the dentist, but I've been having the same type of pain in a different tooth, and I'm terrified of another root canal. Specifically, I'm scared of the complications. That was the worst pain I have ever had in my entire life. And the really annoying part was that I didn't do anything wrong. I didn't neglect my teeth, or skip checkups or anything. I just had a cracked filling. And that's what this other tooth feels like.

If it is a cracked filling, and they do discover that the nerve is exposed like last time, I think I'd rather they just pull it. Either that, or give me a prescription for pain meds up front. I will not go through another weekend of agony.

Pirates Who Don't Do Anything

The boys and I have been laughing over this video for a few days now.

Marriage Monday

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Top Ten Tips for a Great Valentine's Celebration is this month's Marriage Monday topic (yes, I know it's Tuesday). Now, I have to be honest - Hubby and I don't really "celebrate" Valentine's Day. We might go out to dinner a few days before or a few days after, but fighting the crowds just because it's February 14 seems silly to both of us. This year, we went out on January 14, because a new Olive Garden was opening nearby. But herein lies my tip for all married couples: every day is an opportunity for Valentine's Day. It means so much more to get flowers or even a phone call on a random day than it does on a day everyone's supposed to do that stuff.

So, here are my tips for having a great Valentine's Day, any day of the year!

1. Cook something special. Maybe it's his favorite dish, maybe it's a recipe for something you both enjoyed at a restaurant, or maybe it's burgers on the grill. Whatever turns you on, have it ready for him when he gets home. If you can send the kids to a friend's house that night, so much the better!
2. Rent a favorite movie. If he's into romantic comedies, great, but try to find something you know he loves. Dim the lights, pop some popcorn, and snuggle up for a flick!
3. Make dessert. Maybe you do this all the time, but I don't. It's usually a special occasion if I bake a cake or make some other sort of confection. Pick his favorite. Share a plate and feed each other!
4. Start things up. You do know that physical intimacy doesn't always have to be his idea, right? Good. Speaking of which...
   
5. Clean sheets. Always a good idea.
6. Light some candles. Even if you're just eating meatloaf, candlelight is so much more romantic!
7. Join him in the shower. So much the better if he doesn't know you're planning it!
8. Look pretty for him. Even when you don't feel like it, just putting on a little lipstick will help you look fresh. Try not to meet him at the door wearing sweats.
9. Leave him notes. On the mirror, in his briefcase, in his lunch.
   
10. And last but certainly not least, Pray together. There is something wonderfully uniting about hearing your spouse thank God for you.
    

Joining the Polar Bear Club

Hubby told me this morning that he ran out of hot water. This is definitely unusual, and we had noticed problems with the water heater recently. But I certainly didn't expect there would be NO hot water when I went to shower!

I did my workout as usual this morning, an hour of dancing and sweating with my girl Edyta. Then I turned on the shower and got ready to get in. I felt the water. Still cold. It often takes a moment to heat up, so I waited. Nothing. I turned on the sink, trying to get the hot water upstairs faster. Still nothing. Eventually the sink water got... slightly warm. So I'm standing there, sweaty and generally stinky, and I've got no hot water. What to do?

Right. I jumped into the cold water. I did NOT wash my hair. I was not anxious to look like one of the dead extras from Titanic with ice in my hair. I quickly soaped down and rinsed, then hopped out. I'm fully dressed now, but still shivering a little. I'm sensing a trip to Lowe's or Home Depot in our future. And now for some HOT coffee!

Shop 'til you drop... the weight!

This week's shopping list is up! And remember, you can always go back to one of the other shopping lists, because I've listed all the recipes they cover at the bottoms of them.

LOST premiere!

I can't help it, I have to talk about it. I thought the season premiere last night was fantastic! Of course, in typical LOST fashion, they raised more new questions than they answered old ones, but that's why we love it, right?

First of all, the Oceanic Six? So, only six of the survivors make it off the island? Wow, that's sad. Okay, we know Jack and Kate, and now we know Hurley, so who are the other three? At first I thought Claire, but just because she gets in a helicopter doesn't mean she makes it back. And would she count as one person, or would they count her and Aaron as two? We know Sun wants desperately to get off the island, but does that mean Jin gets off, too? And would the six include Others like Juliet, because they weren't on the plane, so would they be referred to as part of a group from the plane? Probably not.

OR... what if "Oceanic Six" refers to the only six people, out of all the survivors, to sue the airline? What if it's just a red herring to keep us guessing? Either way, I think there are actually way more than six people who leave the island. But we know that something goes terribly wrong, something Jack and Hurley are afraid to talk about. And it has to do with John Locke, who may or may not be insane.

Now, about that guy that visits Hurley in the mental hospital: is he Dharma? What information is he trying to get out of Hurley? It seems like, whoever he is, he's just as anxious as Jack to keep Hurley quiet - offering to take him to a "private" facility to get him away from other people. And speaking of Hurley, how did that other guy out on the lawn see Charlie? Weird.

Sawyer's probably going to die. Why else would they have him say he's surviving? And as long as I'm on that subject, doesn't Locke remember that they just had to go over the "security" fence around the barracks? Not very secure, especially when the freighter people have helicopters.

I'm excited to see what else this season reveals, despite the fact that I know I'm going to be screaming "NO!" at the end of it like I am every year. Those writers sure know how to torture us.