On her blog.

Rory is very vocal when he does not like what is on TV. He thinks he should be able to watch all the TVs simultaneously. This of course includes youtube on the computer. This morning I was checking out Shelly's Blog about famous homeschoolers.
Rory heard the music and came to see what I was up to. HE was not interested so informed me i needed to "change channel". I had to explain to him it was not my TV and Shelly liked this Channel. HE does not approve of your taste in programs Shelly. I'm sorry. I enjoyed it though!

The word verification thingy that you have to do when you leave a comment on some one's blog is really getting on my nerves. I feel like I need to be a linguist some times just to figure out what the heck those letters are supposed to be. Is that a U or V? An S or an 8? Some of the fonts it is impossible to tell.

I have to go now. Rory needs me to "change a channel baby". Yes my child calls me baby. Sometimes he even calls me Honey Mama.

Fail

When I need a laugh I sometimes visit FailBlog.Org. Mostly it is misspelled ads, billboards, etc and other accidents caught on film. Like this one.

You know someone got fired for that! The boss man does not approve of dropping the bombs. This next one is actually about a mile from my house. You can see it from I-64 on you way into town from St.Louis. I was very surprised to see it on the Internet. I am not sure why that is since I have commented several times how obviously wrong this sign placement is. I knew I was not the only one to notice it.



BEWARE- Some pictures found at FailBlog.Org are NSFW or children to view.

Taking a sick day.

Went and had the kiddos pictures done yesterday at Sweet Pea Photography. It went well and I am pleased with what I have seen so far. I can only imagine how great they are going to look when they are done.

Oddly enough I have been feeling ick for the last day and a half. I took yesterday off and probably will take the majority of today. Since I am my own boss I can do that :0)
I hope it passes soon. I have a lot of junk piling up that needs to be taken care of. Dishes and laundry do not do themselves. When I do take time off from being Mom is just creates more work for me later. I need to hire an assistant. Maybe once I take a nap with the kiddos this afternoon I will wake up feeling human again.

Not my best blog topic. Sorry about that. Suppose I could talk about last night's debate. Never mind.

Pearly Whites

Ink from a cheap pen will take longer to wear off your hand than the pricier ink pens. I know this because I wrote "soothie teether" on the back of my hand Sunday afternoon and here it is Tuesday, I can still see a rough outline. This is after three showers and at least 50 hand washes. Next time I will just use a magic eraser instead of soap and water. In case your wondering what made me write the little message on my hand, it was frustration. Lorelei is a chewer. Rory was not. Never took a teething ring, chewed on those plastic keys every kid has, or the countless teething items I purchased sure he would need them. He did chew on things he was not supposed to, so I guess I can't say he was not a chewer. He was more like a puppy.

Do you see the same resemblance I do?

He chewed on his clothes, remote controls, his parents, killed my Aunt Trish's cell phone. Once we even found that he had rolled from his activity mat to the coffee table so he could chew on the leg. Why he chewed on all these things is beyond me since the kid never produced a tooth until he was eleven months old. Here he is with J and his own personal remote we gave him out of self defense. I just wanted to make it clear that J is the one in the picture above so no one thinks I let my legs get that hairy. The man does have some nice stems though!

Lorelei has been trying to chew on her pacifiers but they are kind of awkward for her little hands. The makers of soothie paci's in all their genius created a teething paci for soothie addicts like mine. I bought her one on Saturday and lost it in less than 24 hours. It was in the early AM so I cannot be sure where it even went. I think a certain big brother or pug may have helped me loose it. The not on my hand was to remind me to add it to my shopping list because it WILL be replaced! The short time Lorelei had it she was in love. It fit so well in her hands. She could maneuver it. It was great. Then it was gone. Of course you know as soon as i buy the new one I will find the old one. Rory or Inigo will bring it to me. J will find it under his night stand. That is just how my universe works.

Air Show 2008

We stayed at the show for about 2 1/2 hours. Rory saw the planes and gasped. He morphed into a History Channel host and proceeded to tell us about every object with wings. He loved the prop jobs like the one in the picture above. The jets were very loud and did not get an enthusiastic reception from him. About the third pass the first jet made Rory sat under my lawn chair and cried. J had to come peel him out. He warmed up to the air monsters after a bit.

Getting a better few of the jet car. It beat the plane in a race.

Lorelei did not care about any of it. She did not get scared by all the noise. She tried to go to sleep once. We were very proud of our little trooper.

Rory shows Daddy the plane.

Daddy shows Rory the plane.

J helped out his co-workers for a bit on Sunday at their booth. He makes great lemonade! Rory had to be glued to his father as usual.

"hiding" from the jets. He held onto J for dear life. Even after he got more comfortable with them he had to have daddy hold him and cover his ears.

We found Elvis! He has been on the Air Show circuit all this time. I never knew how short he was.

This is an Osprey. It was one of the planes in Transformers, one of J and Rory's favorite movies. What makes it so cool is that is can take off in vertically or horizontally.

A navy jet for my Mom, Aunt B, and Aunt Trish

A still jet. Rory prefers then this way.

"A plane chopper daddy!"

A good hat is hard to find

Last night the family took a trip to Walmart to pick up some items we missed during the bi weekly mad dash grocery shopping adventure. J wanted to buy a hat for the air show. It must be part of the dress code since J is not a hat guy. He is also not a sports or beer guy making hats he will wear hard to find. We had Guinness, corona, St. Louis rams, St. Louis Cardinals, and Illinois State to choose from. Oh yes, a several styles of "The Dark Night" hat. It was a good movie but not so much a good hat. After much digging we finally found a Ford hat. J was raised by a ford technician (see: Mechanic. Apparently they do not like that word.) making it the perfect choice for head wear.

J just left leaving behind a devastated little boy. Daddy is the the be all and end all of Rory's universe. I am just a minor star. That is okay though. I like that they have such a closely bonded relationship. If Lorelei's current behavior is a future indicator she is going to be a mommy's girl. J says we each ought to have at least on shadow. She lights up when he comes home from work. No way is she not going to his little princess. She gives him this coy little grin and he cannot help but laugh. Isn't that how it should be?

High flying fun

As a parent your job is never done. In most cases Mom's are the ones who end up with the domestic fun. Wash the laundry, fold/ hang it up, prepare and cook dinner, do the dishes, clean the house (that one is a monster), insert random chore here. I am not saying Dad's do not do their share. In my house J is in charge of mowing the lawn, fixing what breaks, carpet shampoos when needed, and several other "man" chores as I call them. The debate over who works harder, the stay at home mom or the career mom is a touchy subject that I am not touching with a ten foot pole. I can only talk about my experiences since it is all I know.

I am a SAHM so I feel like a work 24/365. 366 on leap year! I look forward to weekends as a time when J will be with me all day to run interference with my wild little monkeys. Any extra project I might have are almost always done on the weekends. I do not have the time to sort out clothes for good will, or reorganize the closet during a normal day. I liken my weekdays to being in the center of a tornado. The chaos whirls around me and i can usually stay in safe zone and go with the twists and turns. One small step in the wrong direction and I will get swept up into the madness. J is my tow cable attached to a pole cemented 200 feet into the ground. He keeps me grounded.

This weekend I will be pulling overtime. J has to work for the booster club at the air show on base Saturday. On Sunday we are going to take Rory to see the planes. J and Rory will run around looking and pointing while Lorelei and I read a book in the shade. No side project are gonna get finished this weekend. Oh well. How often do you get a chance to go to the air show? Maybe once a year if you have a good base nearby. Rory loves any type of transportation so he is going to flip. That is going to be one exhausted child by the time we get home. Don't go thinking that means he will sleep in on Monday morning. Oh no, not my son. He only needs nanosecond of shut eye to function properly.

Friends

I was looking through some pictures online yesterday and ran across some of my friends. I must have found at least fifty I would love to share but decided to narrow it down to the top six pictures. They may not be the funniest but something about them captured a piece of how wonderful I think my friends are. I wish I could introduce you to all the great women I am so lucky to call friend. I hope they ALL know how much they mean to me.




This is Mac. An amazing photographer, she is a fellow military wife and also happens to be a neighbor. We met through Myspace. I was looking at her pictures and saw one she had taken of her house. I thought, "Hey that is right around the block from me!" the rest is history.
In this picture she is painting her brother's toe nails while is sleeping. You got to watch out with her. She is mischievous.

You can read her blog at sweet pea photography.

Meet Shelly. They do not come much sweeter. We met through a spouses group on the air force base. One of the things that impresses me about Shelly is her faith in God. Not to mention her patience. She home school two children with a toddler on the side!

This pic is from their annual family trip to Disney World. Shelly loves everyone for who they are. not how they look. You can tell that since she is smooching a pirate skeleton! What really cracks me up is that off to the side her hubby was giving her the oddest look.

Shelly's blog is here


This is Kat's baby boy. Another Disney trip. He has been getting kisses from several Disney Princess'. See all the red lip prints on his face?

Kat is a former military wife who has since moved back home. She was a very laid back soul. A girl after my own heart. I miss her but we still keep in touch as best we can with five kids between us!




Here is Cloey. Doesn't she look happy to be on a long car trip in the backseat with a 1 year old?

She belongs to Taylor. Guess what? Taylor is a military wife too! Are you beginning to see a trend here?

Taylor is one of those people that I can really relax with. Even if I do not see her for months I feel like we fall right back into step the next time we meet. Taylor is very easy to talk to and open about yourself. The government ought to hire her as a spy!
C.L. and her husband. She is such a goof. The ceiling is mirrored to lets take a picture!

C.L. has this awesome ability to charm everyone around her. You meet her once and you want to know her for a lifetime. One of the most genuine people I have ever meet. The only thing bigger than her smile is her heart!

C.L. is moving home in two weeks when her hubby retires from the USAF. I am going to ball like a baby! I will miss this girl for the rest of my life.


Last but certainly not least is little M.K., Sassy's daughter.
I love her in this picture, We call her the cutie with the booty. She is so tiny but has the roundest little bottom.

Sassy is my best friend, my confidant, my sister of the heart. I will never have enough wonderful things to say about my best gal. Heck I convinced the rest of my family to move to IL so I would never have to move away from her! Now that is dedication to a friend.

What can a guinea pig do?

I learned a very interesting piece of information on Noggin today. Wonder Pets was on and they were looking for the wheels to the fly boat. Ming Ming, the duck with the speech impediment, could get the one on the bookcase because she can fly very well. Tuck , who moves faster than any turtle I have ever seen, went after the wheel in the fish tank because he can swim very well. What did that leave the guinea pig Linny? Well she (yes it is a she. I know, I thought it was a he for the longest time.) noticed that the last of the lost wheels was in the water activity table. I was thinking, "I know they are not going to say swim. They already had Tuck do that one." So what can guinea pigs do very well? Row a canoe. I did not know that. I wonder how that skill became necessary to their evolution. They are native to Peru I believe (thx Samantha!). Do they canoe much in Peru?

I also am very confused by the highlighter caps as exhaust pipes on the fly boat. A Frisbee, marble, kinex set, highlighter caps, and napkin come together to give these little guys the ability to move across the globe faster than Santa Clause all in the name of helping others. Cartoons blow my mind

Breezy

The weather is so nice I almost want to venture outside. *shudder* I loathe the sun because it makes me hot so I am happy we are changing seasons I know I need to move to Alaska with Palin. I think I would love the lengthy period of time when the sun doesn't come up but hate it when it was the other way around. I appreciate the sun but I just saw it as a heat lamp from all the years in TX. We are slowly building a better relationship together. Speaking of the sun and the things it is capable of, you can grow pugs in a pot! I found Inigo sitting in this flower pot. Once upon a time it had a cucumber plant in it. Alas it died. Inigo says it makes a nice seat. We have three tomato plants and one herb pot outside as well. I guess I should say two tomato plants. Inigo uprooted one and played with it to death. I wonder if that is what happened to the cucumbers?

Save the slugs?

I think I may be the only woman I know that has a vendetta against spiders but will rescue a slug. When I was in elementary school I watched a friend's mom pour salt on some slugs. I was scarred for life. I was such an animal lover and bleeding heart that I was horrified at how those poor little slugs must have "suffered". Of course I then went off and happily ate my cheeseburger oblivious to the fact that Bessie the cow did not offer herself up willingly. If only PETA had caught me then I would be a vegan today.
We have some tomato plants on the back deck that have attracted the slimy set and both J and I have gone out of our way not to hurt the little critters. I say little but these guy must be body builders. They are quite fat, happy little buggers. I figure once winter hits the Midwest they are toast so I let them go. Not like there will be anything for them to eat on the deck any longer. I feed Linus and Inigo back there so that I do not have to try and jump over the ensuing madness of the feeding frenzy. Apparently slugs are okay with dog food. I guess when you are made up of snot you cannot afford to be picky.
If you ever watched Futurama you will appreciate the cartoon below of the brain slugs. That is Fry with his little brain slug that subsequently died of starvation.

Crazy pets

When we first bought our pug Inigo I wondered who he would bond with the deepest. He certainly is an equal opportunity lover. If you have hands and a lap you have his undivided attention. If you will play with him, he is putty in your hands. He and J play tug of war and chase which is wonderful to watch since J was unsure of him for the longest time. J never really had a puppy before so he was not used to all that "fun" adventures that come with it. Chewing, housebreaking, crate training.

Inigo is a quick learner but like the vet told me, pugs are all energy and no common sense. So he knows what is right and wrong but it is hard to slow down to process the information. Inigo and Rory play hard. Inigo is a little too much firecracker for all his playmates. We stop long before he does. Last night J had Clio, Eris, and Pickles in the recliner with him. Cats flock to the man. It is why I call him the cat whisperer. He asked them why one of them could not come lay in my lap. I chuckled and called pickles over to me but before she could get from one recliner to the next (which are side by side, not exactly a long walk) Inigo came shooting out of the separate living room and jumped in my lap. He took up as much room a he could all the while staring at Pickles. I think I have been claimed.

Speaking of claiming Clio has done the same with Lorelei. She takes naps with her. She is not very close to her but close enough to see her and stop any other animals from coming near. She used to do the same thing with Rory until he learned to walk. Now she just tries to stay higher up then him or close to the adults. Clio loved to snuggle with my belly during both pregnancies. The kids would kick her, she would scowl and go back to sleep. My pets have crazy character. Clio is the nicest when it comes to kids. She never bites or scratches even to get away. She just looks for the nearest adult. Smart girl. She was a Mother herself three times and a surrogate for another litter twice. Eris is her latest adoption. She is the Angelina Jolie of cats. Poor thing doesn't get a Brad though. She is fixed now so I don't think she cares.

Remember when

Googled September 11th images and this is the first one that came up. I was asleep when it happened. J called me from work to tell me about it. We were still in the dating phase then. With our nation in crisis I still had to get up and drive an hour to college to take my English test. My professor had a nephew in NYC so she let us go as soon as we finished our test. Every channel, every radio station was covering the damage. It was and still is very surreal to me. My generation can ask our parents were they were when Kennedy was assassinated. My children will ask me where I was when the twin towers fell.

Vote!

As you can probably tell my the campaign sticker to the right I support McCain/Palin for president. If you disagree with me I am happy just to know you have an opinion about such an important matter. Democracy is all about people with different views picking the candidate of their choosing. If you want to debate a little I am happy to do that, but only if it can stay friendly. I love to share my thoughts on God and country but I am not looking for a fight.

Obama is a very nice man, there is no disputing that. I do not think he is ready to be President. I do not agree with his views. It is as simple as that. Voting should always be so simple.

To find out more about McCain and his policies visit his website http://www.johnmccain.com/
or click on my link Why John McCain to the right of this page under the campaign sticker.

I encourage you to read more about Obama as well so that you can make an informed decision on election.

...as we forgive those that trespass against us.

This past week has been a trying one for me and my family. Outside factors caused a lot of strain and dishonest people really showed us that some people really are just vindictive and out to hurt others. I know that I am confusing you but the events themselves are not what is important. We all know that there is evil in the world. Terrorists, murders, sex offenders, the list goes on and on. The atrocities committed by some are well documented on the news all day. But what about the smaller things? It still hurts when someone spins lies about another. The damage that words can do is astonishing to me. A few sentences strung together and someone else's world can come crashing down.

I am reminded of high school girls. I saw so much pain and drama go on between one group of girls or another to put me off the idea of even white lies. Is it human nature to hurt others? My religion teaches me that sin is our nature. In my mind I always saw that sin as hurting myself by creating distance from God through my actions. It is humbling to think of how many I hurt in the process. I wonder if the cause of this weeks drama even cares how much and how many people he hurt with his callous behavior.

Then I would have a heart attack and die.

A friend sent this to me. She knows I loathe spiders. She said it reminded her of me.

What to do if a Goliath tarantula lands on you.

I tell you what I would do. I would pee all over myself while dancing around spastically in a circle screaming "Get it off!"

Rain, rain , go away

Rory hates rain. It is his father's fault. He took him through a car wash and we watched as he melted into a trembling puddle in his car seat. Every time it rains we get hysterical boy. This makes for a rather sleepless night. Toss in a five month old and you can forget it. I am ready for nap time. It is still raining though so nap time may just be last nights episode on repeat. Even better it is supposed to rain until Saturday. Yay Gustave! I think I might cry...

J sleeps through everything. He said he is a little groggy this morning and cannot figure out why. Hmmm, I wonder...Tonight I am going to beat him with my pillow if I am up till all hours. It won't hurt him and besides he won't remember.

Help the furry

When it comes to animals I am a push over. Give me a good sob story about how fido was treated cruelly and I will bend over backwards to help. This could be why I have had over 22 pets (not all were dogs or cats) in my life time. That is almost one pet per year! Some grew old and died, some found other homes, and some are still around. Only two had the bad luck to meet unfortunate ends.
Of our current brood all five cats are rescues.

Miss Kitty was to be put down by an owner that no longer wanted her. He was a lawyer. Figures.

Clio is a second generation rescue. She was not the actual rescue, her father was. Evil children were shooting a BB gun at him when we cam upon them. They deserved a sound trouncing but instead we shamed them into the ground.

Eris was living under some train tracks and being bullied by a very large tom cat. She was so nervous that we had to leave a trail of food into our apartment and shut the door behind her quickly.

Pickles was tossed from home to home as owners decided she was not wanted for one reason or another. We decided to be her last stop.


Squeaky is Mom's cat but J and I are the ones who brought him to her attention. He is a very sickly baby and needs lots of Vet TLC. He has outlived the predictions of every vet he has ever seen.

About 2 weeks ago we took in a black lab mix to re-home. He was given away by family 1 for being too big. Family 2 beat him and on two of those occasions in the front yard with witnesses. The cops took him away and were headed for the local shelter when we intercepted him. He was too traumatized to do well in a shelter. I am glad to say he has been doing fantastic and is going to a wonderful new home today!