The Tooth Fairy was Generous

Tater lost his front two bottom teeth. I noticed Friday at dinner that here was an empty spot in his mouth. We think he swallowed the tooth. That boy needs to chew his food better. The other was on Saturday while eating a snack. He just pulled it out.

Here are a couple of pictures from Friday:



Here's a cuter picture:



Now here is the second tooth pictures... notice he is holding it in his hand!



And here is a picture from today:



My little boy is growing up. Getting adult teeth, 1st grade, 4 feet tall... man oh man... what happened to my little Michelin man? Oh, that's right... he is Money man now. He got $1 for the first tooth and for some reason the tooth fairy visited him TWICE last night and he got $2. $3 for just two teeth. Geeze.

A new Record - and Not a Good One

Seems I have finally broken a record I worked hard not to beat. I am over 160 pounds now. I have no excuse. I was stressed, when stressed I pick sweets to eat and not good food. I know better. I have never found a quick weight loss program that works for me but I did see it work for a guy at work. Eating right, and exercise always takes the weight off. Usually I count calories as well. Lately, I have thrown it all out of the window. No longer. I need to get back on track. Vitamins, exercise, and good food. It won't be easy... but I'm going to give it a shot. I am not as brave as T1G and will not be showing my weight on the blog. Though I have heard over and over that is a good way to force yourself to focus and take it off. Not going to do it. Will let you know if I ever get below 150... but don't look for it anytime soon.

Five Questions

Mom Grind asked five questions of her readers. I thought they were pretty funny... I am answering them here for my sons to get a laugh out of it in the future...

1. Toothpaste - do you squeeze the tube from the bottom or from the top? bottom

2. Morning person or a night owl? Morning person - though the boys are making it a little rough.. 6am ok, 5:20am... not so ok.

3. Sweet tooth or not really? Sweet tooth. Chocolate and sugar mixed... yep... sweet!

4. Can you carry a tune? No. My mom, sisters, children... have asked me not to sing.

5. Do you have a favorite color? If you do, is it REALLY your favorite color or did you feel compelled to choose one because people ask this question so frequently? My favorite color changes with my mood.

Ok, go ahead, give it a try. Answer the questions. ;-)

Cool Gadgets for your blog

I was over checking out Raspberry Road Design and saw a cool translator gadget on her website. It is now on my website.

I also so the writeup for a spider gadget. I realized if I added that to my website, I would probably lose a couple of people from visiting ... that I would like to continue to visit. Maybe for Halloween?

Check out Googles Gadget site. I thought the translator worked fairly well. Have not tried out any of the others. I might have to go to a three column website so I can put cool gadgets on the right side and leave all my other stuff on the left side. What do you think?

A Particular Memory of Europe with Hubby

While we were not married at the time... my soon to be hubby came to visit me in Europe in the winter. We had a blast. Here is a picture of one of the castles we went to see... Nope, didn't write it on the back and I don't remember the name of it... anyone out there recognize it? I believe we were in Salzburg at the time, but not positive.



And while running around the city, a bus stopped and let a bunch of people off to do the tourist kind of thing... Hubby could not resist getting his picture by the bus:



I wonder how long before the kids get the humor of that picture?

And I had no idea that the gargoyles on some churches were actually rain spouts. Very cool:



As you can see, we had a fun time running around. I was there six months, my hubby joined me a couple of times. I'll have to see if I can find more pictures with info on them to put out here.

Memories of Moving

Nope, I'm not moving anytime soon. But I can guarantee that if I move again, I will pay for someone to move me. Whether it is moving pods or a moving company. I refuse to do what I have done in the past. I have used family and friends to move me. After about 3 of those kinds of moves, I have lost more stuff than I thought possible. It is NOT their fault, but my own. You would have thought after the first time, I would have caught on... nope. And I am an organized person. I label stuff... but when you have people who are moving you that are limited in time or are not the same kind of organizer you are... things disappear. I wouldn't be surprised if one year, all the stuff shows back up... maybe from the 10th dimension.

What about you? Have you moved lately? Would you use a mover or family and friends? Any funny stories? I always offered food and drink (usually pizza and beer) when someone helped to move me... what about you?

Remember When I Was In Europe?

No? Well that would be because it was many many years ago. I wrote a lot of emails to family and friends about my trip. I had even printed a bunch out... but they have gotten lost in all the moves I have made. I wish Bou or my mom still had them!

It was fun and exciting getting ready for the trip. How much money do I bring? How many suit cases? What about travel insurance? (Luckily my company and the health insurance I had covered all I needed... but I didn't know until I did some research). Where is my apartment? What will I get to go see? Is it true that the stores aren't open on Sundays?

Fantastic experience that I will never forget. But how to write about it for my kids? That is the question. The bike rides when it finished snowing. The castles where they had fingers in jars out for display. The beauty of the churches on the inside and out. The foods, the people. Hmmm... Where to start? Look for a story or two about my life in Europe to be showing up soon. I'm just trying to figure out which ones!

When Did Birthday Parties Get So Carried Away?

This last weekend, there were two birthday parties to attend. 11am to 1pm and 1pm to 3pm. The first was a wizard party. Hosted by a company called Oogles and Googles. Tater and Tot were both invited to this one. Here is a few pictures I took with my phone camera...



And Tater:



Now the next one was at a private house. This was a classmate in Tater's class. This is just one of the activities they had in their backyard:



Wow. For a child who turned 6 years old just before school started and is now in the first grade. Tater asked if we could do that at his next party. The answer was absolutely NO. Don't get me wrong, this was a great party for kids. And if you have the money for it, go for it. Wow. The parents were extremely nice and fun to be around. It took me a while to find them, as there were a ton of people at the party. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to be invited to another one with Tot in tow. He would have loved it as well.

After attending those parties, I remembered how excited I was that we got to go to a gym for Tater's party. No clean up, kids entertained, tired out, and good company in the parents. It was a little more than if I held it at home, but not that much more. Worth it for me not to have all the prep work and cleanup after wards. My party was nothing like those... And I really enjoyed both of them... I just wonder how I got so lucky???? And when did the kids parties get this carried away? Or is it just me?

More Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

This news just in:

Wal-Mart stores across Alabama sold out of ammunition yesterday afternoon. A reliable source reports that purchasers confirmed that while Russia may have invaded Georgia , they sure as hell ain't doin' it to Alabama .

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

Note: I found it funny that I knew was going to post this today and found a serious question about aging HERE. Hope this helps everyone enjoy aging another day.

THE OLDER CROWD

A distraught senior citizen phoned her doctor's office.

"Is it true," she wanted to know, "that the medication you prescribed has to be taken for the rest of my life?" "Yes, I'm afraid so," the doctor told her. There was a moment of silence before the senior lady replied, "I 'm wondering, then, just how serious is my condition because this prescription is marked
'NO REFILLS'."

*********************************************
An older gentleman was on the operating table awaiting surgery and he insisted that his son, a renowned surgeon, perform the operation. As he was about to get the anesthesia, he asked to speak to his son.

"Yes, Dad, what is it? "

"Don't be nervous, son; do your best and just remember, if it doesn't go well, if something happens to me, your mother is going to come and live with you and your wife...."
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Aging:

Eventually you will reach a point when you stop lying about your age and start bragging about it.
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The older we get, the fewer things seem worth waiting in line for.

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Some people try to turn back their odometers. Not me! I want people to know "why" I look this way. I've traveled a long way and some of the roads weren't paved.

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When you are dissatisfied and would like to go back to youth, think of Algebra.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You know you are getting old when everything either dries up or leaks.

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One of the many things no one tells you about aging is that it is such a nice change from being young.

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Ah, being young is beautiful, but being old is comfortable.

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First you forget names, then you forget faces.
Then you forget to pull up your zipper.
It's worse when you forget to pull it down... :-(
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Long ago when men cursed and beat the ground with sticks, it was called witchcraft...
Today, it's called golf!

**********************************************************************************************
Two old guys are pushing their carts around Wal-Mart when they collide. The first old guy says to the second guy, "Sorry about that. I'm looking for my wife, and I guess I wasn't paying attention to where I was going." The second old guy says, "That's OK, it's a coincidence. I'm looking for my wife, too. I can't find her and I'm getting a little desperate." The first old guy says, "Well, maybe I can help you find her. What does she look like?" The second old guy says, "Well, she is 27 yrs old, tall, with red hair, blue eyes, long legs, and is wearing short shorts. What does your wife look like?" To which the first old guy says, "Doesn't matter, --- let's look for yours."

The Airport Stop...

Finally got the boys to stop moving long enough to take a picture of them with Mamaw. Not the best since it was taken with my cell phone... but enough to make me smile!



I'll certainly miss her and can't wait until we go to see her over the holidays.

Mamaw Heads Home Today

Lots of stuff to post about not enough time. Mamaw and I discussed starting a petition. You'll see more on that in a couple of days. Spent most of the day talking, most of the evening annoying my husband at scrabble... Mamaw is an excellent scrabble player. She can see more words in those tiles than anyone else. Very awesome time. Busy with her today until flight time... later!

Finally, the First Day of School Pictures

Yipee, I finally got a few minutes to get the pictures together. Here is Tater showing off his backpack (which Bou was kind enough to pass on to my boys):



Waiting for the bus:



The bus is finally here:



There goes my first grader:



While I don't have pictures of Tot getting out of the car or waiting to go to school. I did get a first day picture of him in his pre-Kindergarten class.

Instead of a daily prompt...

I have been watching Tink, my sister, write using a daily prompt from her digital scrapbooking group. I kept thinking it was a cool idea. She is putting down stuff about her and her life for future reference to her children. Since I actually save my blog to CD every couple of months, so that my kids can have it when they get older... I have wanted to start doing more of the same. But I just couldn't get into the prompts. They are interesting and would force me to answer questions but I just didn't do it.

Then I found out about PayU2Blog.com from a couple of bloggers. I decided to give it a shot and I love it. It is an odd twist... I may not necessarily buy from any of the links I put into my posts, but it forces me to think about something to write to fit the need of the paid post. Hence, in the future I will be posting more stories. You'll still get pictures and opinions and a few other odds and ends as usual. Just an extra post or two. In twenty years, when my kids actually load up my old posts and look at them, those links will probably be gone. The stories will still be there and hopefully, they will enjoy them. Oh... I hope you enjoy them now!

Genes that seem to have missed me

I look at my kids and wonder which of my genes they have inherited. Or possibly the ones from my parents or my in-laws. Will they get diabetes? Will they go from being blond headed to brown headed? And if they get my mother's clear face, I'll be annoyed. While I was never a child that needed acne treatments, I did get acne growing up. My mom did NOT. It is years away before we see the results of the gene pool for this one... but it comes to mind. Is it just genes? Or is it diet? Or both? Mamaw was never one to eat many sweets growing up. I don't remember much junk food around our house when I was a teenager. Not that I was forbidden to have it, it just wasn't in the house. I ate well, drank water, and still had acne. While I think it would be wonderful if they don't have acne, I will still be annoyed that it skipped a generation. What about you? Any gene pool activity in your household that makes you wonder when it will appear and in which generation?

Out of it...

here is some humor to keep you smiling until I get back up again... suppose to be done with surgery around 9am. Hubby has my cell phone... which means you won't reach me until he gets home with it!


http://www.funnieststuff.net/viewmovie.php?id=902

It's Only an Infection - Phew

Just a quick update. After the biopsy, the results came back that the large mass of redness, hotness and irritation is only an infection. Phew. Makes me feel much better. Now if that sucker would just go away!

For those who are wondering... I did a post HERE. Be careful if you don't like gross pictures.

Thank you everyone for your well wishes. It has been a long haul the last couple of weeks and it is not over yet. I have surgery tomorrow for... urinary incontinence. Add a prayer that all goes well and that I no longer have to wear adult diapers. This is ridiculous that I get my kids out of diapers and end up wearing them myself! Then again, it was caused by them mostly! ;-)

Upcoming more stories and pictures from the first week of school... probably next week. A little busy right now.

How Small Can You Get It?

I have decided that I am getting really really old. I remember when you thought that having 128K of memory was magnificent. You were on top of the world at how fast things ran for you. Now you can get flash memory in an itsy bitsy stick that contains 4Gig of memory. 4 Gigabytes. One Gigabyte is approximately 1000 Megabytes or 1,000,000 Kilobytes. 7800 times more memory in that little stick than what you find in the computers I used when I first got started. Scary thought huh? Wonder what my boys will think about this when they get older. They already think I'm older than dirt and lived with the dinosaurs.

What Boys Do in South Florida

I was thinking about this the other day. I am not big into spending money for summer camps. I used our money for karate and swimming. I did break down and spend it on a fishing camp. Yet... I hear a lot of the kids talk about golfing. It is a big deal down here. Bou had her kids taking Golf Camp. Still, I have been hesitant about it all... particularly since my boys play the Wii golf to see how far they can hit it. This included putting. Then all of the sudden, at the end of the summer... they got serious and actually tried to make it in the hole. Wow. Not sure why it wasn't funny to just wack it hard anymore.

Ok, cool. Pop plays golf two or three times a week. If I could get my kids into golfing, then they could go up to visit the in-laws and go golfing. Suddenly I had a huge STOP come to mind. Golf means buying golf bags, golf shoes, golf clubs, and ... you get the point. I think I will wait until they are older to see if they have an interest in golf. No Tiger Woods in this household. They can wait until they are older to see which sport they like, if any. We already own baseball bats, balls, cleats (which they have outgrown), gloves.. and they sit there. On the shelf. Nope, no more money going out of here anytime soon.

More Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

Another oldie in a little bit of a different format:

How to Call The Police When You're Old and Don't Move Fast

George Phillips of Meridian, Mississippi was going up to bed when his wife told him that he'd left the light on in the garden shed, which she could see from the bedroom window.

George opened the back door to go turn off the light but saw that there were people in the shed stealing things.

He phoned the police, who asked 'Is someone in your house?' and he said 'no'. Then they said that all patrols were busy, and that he should simply lock his door and an officer would be along when available.

George said, 'Okay,' hung up, counted to 30, and phoned the police again.

'Hello, I just called you a few seconds ago because there were people stealing things from my shed. Well, you don't have to worry about them now because I've just shot them.' Then he hung up! .

Within five minutes three police cars, an Armed Response Unit, and an ambulance showed up at the Phillips' residence and caught the burglars red-handed.

One of the Policemen said to George: 'I thought you said that you'd shot them!'

George said, 'I thought you said there was nobody available!'

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

What Love means to a 4-8 year old. .


'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore.
So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.'

Rebecca- age 8
----
'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different. You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.'

Billy - age 4
----
'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'

Karl - age 5
----
'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.'

Chrissy - age 6
----
'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.'

Terri - age 4
----
'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.'

Danny - age 7
----
'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more.
My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss'

Emily - age 8
----
'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.'

Bobby - age 7 (Wow!)
----
'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,'

Nikka - age 6
----
'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.'

Noelle - age 7
----
'Love is like a little old woman and a little old man who are still friends even after they know each other so well.'

Tommy - age 6
-----
'During my piano recital, I was on a stage and I was scared. I looked at all the people watching me and saw my daddy waving and smiling.

He was the only one doing that. I wasn't scared anymore.'

Cindy - age 8
----
'My mommy loves me more than anybody. You don't see anyone else kissing me to sleep at night.'

Clare - age 6
----
'Love is when Mommy gives Daddy the best piece of chicken.'

Elaine-age 5
----
'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy smelly and sweaty and still says he is handsomer than Robert Redford.'

Chris - age 7
----
'Love is when your puppy licks your face even after you left him alone all day.'

Mary Ann - age 4
----
'I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'

Lauren - age 4
----
'When you love somebody, your eyelashes go up and down and little stars come out of you.' (what an image)

Karen - age 7
----
'Love is when Mommy sees Daddy on the toilet and she doesn't think it's gross.'

Mark - age 6
----
'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.'

Jessica - age 8
----
And the final one:

The winner was a four-year-old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,

'Nothing, I just helped him cry'

Amazing How Unfocused I Can Get

Seems that this morning had me very up and down. I called the doctor to see if they were open. Yep, but they weren't sure if they would get my results. An hour later, they call and say they have the results, can I come in earlier? Yep. That is wonderful. Some time later, they call to say they have lost their 'facilities'. huh? No running water. It has been rescheduled til tomorrow.

I'm starting to be really annoyed with Tropical Storm Fay.

Happy Birthday Tink

Gotta let you know that Tink is another year older. Please go over to her BLOG and wish her a happy birthday. She and Pan are off to Sin City. Or is there another name for Las Vegas? Doesn't matter. They'll be drinking Romulan beer and chasing after other Star Trek items. Can't wait to see what or who they encounter.

Yep, sis... you'll always be older than I am. ;-)

Something Different for a Vacation

I am always on the lookout for different places to go on vacation. Even for a weekend. While we don't live near Missouri, Branson was brought to my attention. It actually has different types of vacation packages... particularly for couples. The one for a family of four was decent. It was 3 nights, 4 days and tickets to attractions in the area. Better than what I could get here for Wally World in Orlando.

A couple of items caught my attention for the attractions that sounded fun and different for us... the Branson Scenic Railroad, Caves and Caverns, and the World's Largest Antique Toy Museum. While there are caverns in Florida, I have never had a chance to go to them. And we have AmTrac. Ugh. I think it would be cool to go on a scenic railroad ride. They also have listed different shows available and shopping. Not big into those, but you can go see them and let me know about it.

With the rivers and lakes around the place, and the fact that Tater now knows how to fish... that might be a blast as well. Sigh. One day. I'll keep my eyes open and put stuff on my blog, so that in the future... I can search back and say... oh yaa... let's try that place.

Which Olympic Sport are You?

h/t CalTechGirl

You Are Fencing

You're competitive but not brutally so. You compete to make yourself better. You find having an opponent to be challenging and rewarding. You are fierce when you're in a competition, but you don't wish your rivals any real harm.

What Olympic Sport Are You?

This Is Really Gross

My life is always entertaining. Never a dull moment in this household. I have some pictures below the fold. Gross pictures of my wound. Go ahead and take a look if you have a strong stomach. Then tell me which part of the body you think that could possibly be. Go ahead, look. I'm waiting. Tick Tick Tick tick... ok, I'm bored. The answer is... my right breast! The first picture is from Saturday morning... I iced it like the doctor said on Friday and all was well. Then I lived my life with 2 kids and what you see in picture two is what it looks like on Sunday morning. Notice the butterfly band-aids. I was told they would come off in the shower. They haven't come off. I'm NOT peeling them off. Nope.

So why do I have this wound in my breast? Because I had a biopsy. Sigh. I have had an infection going on 5 weeks now. I ended up going to a specialist. He agreed it was not inflammation breast cancer. Yaa... the first doctor freaked me out saying that is what she thought it was. Ok, all mammograms and ultrasounds said it was not cancer. But it wouldn't go away. It got better... but it wouldn't go away. Sigh. Finally he said on Friday that I needed a biopsy. Which happen to hurt me. Most people only find the numbing part painful. Not me. It took 3 numbing shots and I still felt that sucker. Probably because he was sucking out infected breast pieces and not a solid mass. I don't know. Though my sister, ddpups, had a great idea. I should ask for a reduction next time. GRIN.

So let's review the last couple of weeks for my kids... that way when they are attending therapy for an inconsistent mom... they'll have the facts straight...

Mom has breast infection and finds out it is not cancer. Then Happy dog is taken in and finds out he does have cancer. Mom sent to specialist because antibiotics doesn't seem to be working. Happy dies. Back in March, Mom made an appointment to get the second half of her implant done on Monday, Aug 11. Now her mouth hurts. Friday, Aug 15th, the specialist decides it is better to just make sure and does a biopsy. Oh... I forgot... I'm having urinary incontinence injection surgery on Friday, Aug 22nd. This doctor puts you under so you don't move while she is doing the injections. Smart doctor. Poor planning on my part. Then again all of this is getting out of the way now.

And the other item happening this week is that I find the results out on Tuesday late afternoon.

Here are the pictures:

Prayer / Good Thoughts / and the like Request

Very seldom do I ask for this but this long time reader of mine needs some support. In July, she lost her husband and just today she lost her cat. That is so much for a person to deal with in a short period of time. Please go over and leave a comment. Even if it is just one word - hugs. Or more if you are up to it. It is amazing how something so simple as the fact that others care help out. I know. From my dad to Happy dog... all of it gave me a comfort. Please take just a few minutes of your time. Thank you.

Thinking about my children

Lately there has been discussion in my house as to who's belly you came out of... Tot wants to tell everyone he came out of Mamaw's belly. I keep telling him NO WAY. I worked too hard to have the bugger and he came out of my belly.

In fact, it reminded me of trying to get pregnant with Tater. I had to go to a fertilization specialist. Like the majority of people I had problems with my hormones... progesterone included. In fact, lots of things happened. I had pills, shots, was probed, poked and so much more. I was lucky. Only one lose within the first ten months, and at the end of the tenth month I was pregnant with Tater.

We just had the yearly check up yesterday and I look at my two boys... Tater is 48 inches tall. He is in the 90th percentile for weight and height for his age of 6 years old... and he JUST turned six. Tot is 75th percentile for weight and 50th percentile for height. Yet the nurse and doctor said he was not fat, that he was solid. I can't believe all I went through with my boys and how lucky I am.

Then again, if you talked to Mamaw right now... she would say that my house is insane and that I am not a consistent parent... which is part of the reason why my house is insane. ;-) Too much has gone on the last 3 weeks. Including a lack of sleep. It is getting better. She is cleaning bathrooms, doing laundry and making my life Soooo much easier. I just wish she could stay longer. Ahhh... I'll take advantage of her while she is here. Hmmm... which means I need to get off my rear-end and find more stuff she can do for me!!! Later!

Mamaw Arrived Safely

My mom is here... today is insane... I think there is a 30 minute period of time where nothing is planned (open houses, doctor appointments and the like). Later!

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

The Importance of Walking

Walking can add minutes to your life. This enables you at 85 years old to spend an additional seven months in a nursing home at $7000 per month.

My grandpa started walking five miles a day when he was 60. Now he's 97 years old and we don't know where he is.

I like long walks, especially when they are taken by people who annoy me.

The only reason I would take up walking is so that I could hear heavy breathing again.

I have to walk early in the morning, before my brain figures out what I'm doing.

I joined a health club last year, spent about 400 bucks. Haven't lost a pound...apparently you have to go there.

Every time I hear the dirty word 'exercise', I wash my mouth out with chocolate.

I do have flabby thighs, but fortunately my stomach covers them.

The advantage of exercising every day is so when you die, they'll say,'Well, she looks good doesn't she.'

If you are going to try cross-country skiing, start with a small country.

I got a lot of exercise the last few years, just getting over the hill.

We all get heavier as we get older, because there's a lot more information in our heads.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

Children and Death

It is interesting to see how the boys take the death of Happy differently. Just tonight Tot asked once again, "Where is Happy?". Again, I told him he was in Heaven with Papa and probably coming by to sleep in his room with him again. Happy loved sleeping in Tot's room. Then again, Tot was alot like Papa. Always sneaking treats to Happy.

Friday we had to have Happy 'put down'. The boys actually came in after he was dead and petted him one last time. Tater had tears in his eyes. Tot was confused. As we made the trip home, there was a discussion on getting another pet. Tot started with "Can we have a fish?". Yes, but not right now. Then it was "Can we have a hamster?". Again, not right now. "We can't have a cat, can we?" Nope, mom is allergic to cats. Tater was in on this conversation as well. It was difficult and understandable all at the same time. Tot was drawing pictures of Happy dog on his doodle pad as we talked. He kept holding them up for me to see between all the questions.

I actually handled that part well. It wasn't until we were home and Tater was changing underwear (happens everytime a male in this house poops)... he called me back to the bathroom.

Tater: Mom, since the dog doctor buried Happy, can we go back up in a couple of days and leave flowers on his grave?
Mom: **blink, deep breath** Remember we talked about planting a tree for Happy? How about we put the flowers under the tree for him instead of making that drive up north?
Tater: Can we get rock and pound his name into some cement?
Mom: ** deep breath ** Yep, we can work something out to get him a marker as well. It will all take time.

Well, since then it has rained all weekend... I had to have some teeth work done and we are getting ready for school. I'm hoping I can work something out this week but it will probably be this weekend. Wish me luck.

Did I mention my birthday present?

My hubby must love me... he got me THIS PRINTER... I love it for all the right reasons... including the fact that it is wireless!!! Yepeee I don't have to buy a print server now. Life is good.

Now if I can just teach mamaw how to scan using it... I'll have a ton of work done in no time. ;-)

Trying again to Earn a Little Money

Ok, I'm at it again. I have agreed to give PayU2Blog a try as well as I am still on the list for ReviewMe. Occasionally you will find a post or two that doesn't necessarily fit into my 'norm' of posting. That's ok. Take a look. If you don't like it, please let me know. No one complained before. I just wasn't sure if it was the right thing for me. But right now... I need a little something to distract me as well as bring in a little extra spending money. Everyone I talked to about it said it is easy and it sounded like I might actually enjoy it. I'll let you know as well. Not sure exactly when I will start getting assignments. We'll see as it happens. More later...

My Swimmer

Here is a post mainly in pictures. Tater is learning the Freestyle, Breast stroke, Back stroke and Butterfly. Pretty cool. Enjoy:

Happy is in Heaven

The cancer had spread to his spinal cord. He was shutting down slowly but surely and the pain killers were not working that well last night. It was time. I will not be posting or commenting or returning emails for a couple of days.

Bugs, Bugs and more Bugs

Seems I live in a city were there are no bug busts. Sigh. I think it would be awesome... on the other hand, you can go see THIS POST at Practigal and see some pretty cool pictures.

Bankcard PIN Theft by Cellphone????

Saw this and thought it would be smart to confirm stuff before sending it via text... I put the stuff in bold...

Cell phone contacts, I never thought of this...

This lady changed her habit of how she lists her names on her mobile phone after her handbag was stolen. Her handbag, which contained her cell phone, credit = card, wallet... etc... was stolen. 20 minutes later when she called her "hubby", from a pay phone telling him what had happened, hubby says 'I received your text asking about our Pin number and I replied a little while ago.'

When they rushed down to the bank, the bank staff told them all the money was already withdrawn. The thief had actually used the stolen cell phone to text 'hubby' in the contact list and got hold of the pin number. Within 20 minutes he had withdrawn all the money from their bank account.

Moral of the lesson: Do not disclose the relationship between you and the people in your contact list. Avoid using names like Home, Honey, Hubby, Sweetheart, Dad, Mom, etc.... And very importantly, when sensitive info is being asked through texts, CONFIRM by calling back.

Also, when you're being text by friends or family to meet them somewhere, be sure to call back to confirm that the message came from them. If you don't reach them, be very careful about going places to meet 'family and friends' who text you.

I checked this out on Snopes. It is 'undetermined'. Still makes sense to verify stuff coming from a text message.

Lifting Weights - who needs them?

Poor Happy dog is having problems with his back legs. We took him to the vet yesterday afternoon but we still don't have a good answer. The problem being that Hubby and I have to lift/drag him outside or inside. He can't walk or drag himself while on painkillers. Yaa... it was a long afternoon and even a longer evening. I think I fell asleep around 4am. Tot got up at 6am. Hence, not much on the blog until now. More later... we have dental appointments, and other stuff to get done...

More Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

I love the kid stories I get via email... here are a couple I had not heard before... hope they make you smile as much as some of them made me laugh!

Kid stories are always the best.....

While I sat in the reception area of my doctor's office, a woman rolled an elderly man in a wheelchair into the room. As she went to the receptionist's desk, the man sat there, alone and silent. Just as I was thinking I should make small talk with him, a little boy slipped off his mother's lap and walked over to the wheelchair. Placing his hand on the man's, he said, 'I know how you feel. My mom makes me ride in the stroller too.'.
________________________________

As I was nursing my baby, my cousin's six-year-old daughter, Krissy, came into the room. Never having seen anyone breast feed before, she was intrigued and full of all kinds of questions about what I was doing. After mulling over my answers, she remarked, 'My mom has some of those, but I don't think she knows how to use them.'
________________________________
Out bicycling one day with my eight-year-old granddaughter, Carolyn, I got a little wistful. 'In ten years,' I said, 'you'll want to be with your friends and you won't go walking, biking, and swimming with me like you do now.' Carolyn shrugged. 'In ten years you'll be too old to do all those things anyway.'
________________________________

Working as a pediatric nurse, I had the difficult assignment of giving
immunization shots to children. One day I entered the examining room to g ive
four-year-old Lizzie her needle. 'No, no, no!' she screamed. 'Lizzie,' scolded
her mother, 'that's not polite behavior.' With that, the girl yelled even
louder, 'No, thank you! No, thank you!
________________________________

My sister had been ill, so I called to see how she was doing. My ten-year-old niece answered the phone 'Hello,' she whispered. 'Hi, honey. How's your mother?' I asked. 'She's sleeping,' she answered, again in a whisper. 'Did she go to the doctor?' I asked. 'Yes. She got some medicine,' my niece said softly. 'Well, don't wake her up. Just tell her I called. What are you doing, by the way?' Again in a so ft whisper, she answered, 'Practicing my trumpet.'

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On a brutally humid day, I walked past a miniature golf course and saw a dad following three small children from hole to hole. 'Who's winning?' I shouted. 'I am,' said one kid. 'Me,' said another. 'No, me,' yelled the third. Sweat dripping down his face, the dad gasped, 'Their mother is.'
-----------------------------------

On the way back from a Cub Scout meeting, my grandson asked my son the question. 'Dad, I know that babies come from mommies' tummies, but how do they get there in the first place?' he asked innocently. After my son hemmed and hawed awhile, my grandson finally spoke up in disgust. 'You don't have to make something up, Dad. It's OK if you don't know the answer.'
________________________________

Even though the toddler was having a furious tantrum, his mom was unfazed. 'You may as well give up on the crying,' I heard her say as she led him to the store exit. 'You're stuck with me for 18 years.'
________________________________

Like all growing boys, my teenage grandson, Jermon, was constantly hungry. I went to my refrigerator to find something he might like to eat. After poking around a bit and moving the milk and juice cartons, I spotted a bowl of leftover chili. 'Hey, Jermon,' I called out excitedly. He came running into the kitchen. 'Look! I found some chili.' Struggling to be polite, he said, 'If you're that surprised, I'm not really sure I want it.'
________________________________

My last name is a mouthful, so when my three-year-old niece learned to spell it, I was thrilled, until my cousin burst my bubble. 'You can spell Sczygelski any way you like,' he pointed out. 'Who's going to know if it's wrong?'
________________________________

For the first time, my four-year-old daughter Kelsey was coming to my office to have me, a dental hygienist, clean her teeth. She was accompanied by her grand-mother. When they came in, I greeted them warmly, seated Kelsey and, as usual, put on my gloves, goggles and mask. About ten minutes into the procedure, she got scared and cried, 'I want my mommy!' I quickly pulled off my mask and said, 'I am your mommy.' Without hesitating, my daughter yelled back, 'Then I want my granny!'

Humor for Dreaded Wednesday

One day, long, long ago.......

there lived a woman who did not whine, nag or bitch.

But this was a long time ago.......

and it was just that one day.

The End

What those little medicine drinking caps are good for...

I figured it out. Finally... they are great for putting in the flowers Tot picks and gives to me!



I love it when he picks flowers and brings them to me. Now I can keep them for a day or two longer. Enjoy!

VW turns a year older

UPDATE: Totally forgot Pamibe turns older than dirt than me today... wish her a happy birthday if you haven't already!

Wow. Another year gone. Last year I did THIS POST with just a poem and a couple of links. The year before that I did THIS POST where some bloggers gave me 'gifts' and I linked to them. Yet, I loved this one the best... I did THIS POST back in 2005 and put out pictures of when I was a little girl...

How can I top that any of those? I can't! I can't link to everyone I read because it would take me all night. I have no more pictures to post... well maybe a few, but I'm too lazy. I could do a post of what happened this last year... uhhh... but I would just be repeating what I said in the posts I have written. So, I'll answer some questions that might interest my kids when they get older (stolen from meme's here and there):

1. What was your favorite time growing up?
Answer: I'm not grown up yet! I loved my childhood... my teenage years... my adult years. I love learning and growing... well... the growing fatter is not the best, but I am growing in other ways as well. It amazes me how my love grows for my family every day.

2. Which birthday do you remember the best?
Answer: There are a couple of them. The one in my teen years when Mamaw tied a ribbon around the cake to keep it from falling apart after she iced it. The other was when I turned 42. A friend surprised me with a cake that said on it "42, the answer to the universe". She said the cake decorator at the grocery store gave her the strangest look when she requested that be put on the cake!

Overall, I am a very lucky and blessed individual. I have a wonderful husband, two very good kids, my sisters and mom, and friends. They look after me, listen to me, laugh with me and cry with me. Luckily the crying doesn't happen very often. And the kids keep me laughing. I wonder some days what made me smile before children. Just last night I had to keep from laughing out loud at Tot. He and I were talking before he was going to sleep and I was nebulizing him. Suddenly, he got this very serious look on his face and the conversation went something like this:

Tot: Mom, look at my pe-nis.
Mom: Yes, now put it back in your underwear.
Tot: Mommmmm.... it's hard! ** said with very serious and upset voice **
Mom: Yes, and it has been in the past and it will go back to being soft again.
Tot: Mom... I'm worried.
Mom: Why?
Tot: What if it explodes?
Mom: ** tears coming out of eyes while trying not to laugh out loud ** It hasn't exploded so far, and I don't think it will happen. You will be ok. ** can't look at Tot for fear of him seeing my smile **
Tot: Are you sure?
Mom: Yes, you will be fine.
Tot: Ok, maybe when I'm older... **worried voice again**
Mom: Then we will deal with it when you are older. **man oh man, I wanted to laugh**

Now, how can you not enjoy life when you have two kids to keep you hopping (sometimes mad, sometimes crazy, but usually smiling). Yep, my kind of insanity. I hope another year is just as fun... though I could do without the bodily changes... I already had kidney stones, bifocals and other items to make me feel o.l.d... but then someone sent me this and I didn't feel quite so old anymore. I got a 23... how about you?


How Old is Your Brain?

This is interesting !!! See if your brain is as old as your body ~ or ~ (perish the thought) ~ OLDER !! Procedure of Flash Fabrica Game:
1. Touch 'start'
2. Wait for 3, 2, 1.
3. Memorize the number's position on the screen, then click the circle from the smallest number to the biggest number. (it will give you a 0 on the screen when you get them all correct).
4. At the end of game, computer will tell you how old your brain.

Good luck !!

Don't forget to let me know your brain's age. :-)
http://flashfabrica.com/f_learning/brain/brain.html

Monkeys, Sleep and Stomachs

Nothing like lack of sleep to make you come up with odd titles... But while Tater was sleeping the other day, Tot and I painted monkeys. Here is Tot with his:



Love his shiny hair in the picture. Looks almost like gold strands. How I ended up with such good looking little men is amazing to me. And I love Tot's idea of what the monkey should look like... multicolored.

Between Happydog waking up at night, Tater having a stomach bug, and Tot actually having a real nightmare... this has been one sleepless week. We went to a friend's pool yesterday for an hour and then Tot and I went to Karate... and the normal routine continues even when Mom has zero energy... Ugh.