Bacon and Felines

For anyone who follows my Twitter or Facebook updates, you are well aware of my recent obsession with bacon. If you didn't, well, um, now you know! So, about a year ago I realized I actually LIKE bacon! Before I really couldn't stand it. Often it is limp and chewy or over cooked and crunchy. I discovered baking the bacon (400 degrees, 9-10 minutes) and the joy that is crisp bacon. Neither limp nor crunchy. Also, I love the crispy, fatty bacon. Do not judge.

The bacon is perfectly paired with a lovely almond latte. Something I can make for myself at home with my handy "Barista" machine I got while still working at Starbucks. (sorry for the bad pic) I have been getting into the groove of using my machine more lately but only for myself. Because, to be honest, making more than one hot latte is kind of a pain in the butt!


Also, remember that mouse update I gave a few weeks ago? Uh, yeah......


Hopefully we got THAT problem taken care of! This is Jones. She came to us a few weeks ago. My Uncle Steve was running on the dirt roads by my grandma's house and passed a shoe box with her inside. Now I know I have mentioned we live in the boon-docks (about 5 minutes from Gram's house) and I should be used to animal dumping. But I never am. She was so tiny, maybe 4 weeks old, dehydrated and famished. So after some discussion with Dustin (including pleading, begging and bargaining) I got a kitten.

She is pretty amazing. She only had a few small accidents within the first week but now is fully litter box trained. The first night she was here, she began forging relationships with each of us, including Jesse and Brea. And, undoubtedly, I am "Mommy". She tests my limits, respects my authority most and comes to me when she needs a good cuddle or nap. Also, I am the main feeder/waterer/litter scooper. So, you know, I do all the mommy things.

However, 9:30 at night seems to be her bewitching hour and man-oh-man is that cat CRAZY. Biting, clawing, racing around, growling and generally being wild. Dustin thinks it is great fun, when we aren't watching a movie!

And to answer to unspoken question: Her name is Jones because we have an Alien theme. Ripley is our dog (the heroine of the movie) and Jones is her cat. Ripley and Jones are the only ones that survive at the end of the movie. For those who think I am crazy to name my female cat something sort of masculine, take heart. We normally call her Jonesie.

Wook at da Widdle Bay-beeeeeeeee!

This is a lame-o post but I could not help myself!!! Please just enjoy:


I see you, holding up your finger to see how small it really is. Don't worry, we all did that!

Good News!

Aside from the fact that today is a Saturday, I don't have ANY PLANS WHATSOEVER and Dustin can't mow the lawn because the lawn mower is out of comission for the time, today is a good day because we don't have a mouse in this house anymore! w00t!

We tried traps in the laundry room (the entry point) but, infuriatingly, I think the little bugger found shelter in the house and stopped using his old haunt. I did a daily clean up of poos found and discovered that with predictable rodent regularity he hit up the base of the trashcan. So we set a trap there and had wild success!

Okay, maybe not wild because that would entail a whole mouse family, found in one trap, each holding a fifty dollar bill in his dead little jaw. So we had good success.

I really hate the mouse in the house conundrum. You don't know what is safe and you feel like everything is dirty. When I discovered that two nights in a row it came by my side of the bed, I felt betrayed by the safety of my bedroom.

And then there is the guilt with setting the trap. You hope there is no suffering but feel that some justice is necessary. Plus, what if one explodes? I mean I know that is something right out of an Urban Legend but what if??

We are taking measures to keep this from happening again but (in my opinion) the best measure would be a good cat. Won't you join me in convincing Dustin of the same? Please?

The right tools

Perhaps this would have been a better approach when returning to my blog? Regardless, good fun had by all! An Ad Lib style lazy blog post generator!

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Holy Blog Of Doom, Batman! I just had a cup of tea and realised I have not updated this since they invented sliced bread... You would not believe the fairy dust I have to clean up. Stupid Global Warming!

I am lost in a sea of pseudo-olde-english while setting fire to people wearing Crocs, being distracted by the shiny, just generally being Snow White to anyone unfortunate to cross my path, my day seems to be a litany of stuff and giggles from the second I am woken by murderous Teletubbies to reef break. I am avoiding recapture. life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're going to get.

I swear on the bones of my ancestors I will make more of an effort to blog more often until the nice men in the white coats come back. Well, I'll try. This is for my ever faithful, devoted public..

3 Months of Guilt

I haven't posted in almost 3 months. That is a lot of needless guilt! The worst is that I THINK in blog posts! "OMG!! This would be so funny as a post! I could start out with the IV story and lead into the soup! HAHAHAHAHA!"

And then I don't do a single thing.

This is sort of an apology but mostly me just coming back. Proving to myself that I am not lazy.

So, right now there is a mouse in my house. See, the kids went off to Texas for two glorious weeks, visiting Dustin's parents. Then we traveled to Austin, Friday, to get them and visit some friends.

I should say, that in the two week time frame the house was not disrupted in any way. Meaning, I was gone a lot and when we were home we were in the main living area or our bedroom. We were never in the spare room, front bathroom or kids' bedroom.

After being gone almost 48 hours, I was using my bathroom when I discovered a trail of mouse droppings. I think God has a sense of humor when it comes to rodents. I mean, they leave a poo every six inches and a pile whenever they eat. You ALWAYS know where they have been, when they were particularly interested in something and when they were running scared (poos are further apart).

I am a notorious rodent lover but I have to tell you, that when I woke this morning with poos next to my bed I was sincerely unhappy. Deeply and profoundly unhappy. And the traps set in the laundry room had not been successful. So tonight? More traps. IN MY BEDROOM. I will not allow this rodent to mock me as I sleep!

Perhaps I will have happy news of death and dismemberment tomorrow! One can only hope...

Save Mar

Well, I have a little Do Goodery for anyone who is interested! Dustin works with a guy named Mar. He is from the Philippians, went to school here in Arkansas and worked in New York (I am told) before returning to AR and joining the RockFish team. But now, America is not going to renew his work visa! This makes us all sad and we want to help!
You can:
1) Electronically sign a petition. http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/SaveMar/

2) Write to your senators/representatives requesting they hand over the goods! ....I mean visa.

3) SHARE!! With everyone you know. Even the grouchy ones! Because a grouchy voice is still a voice!

I will keep you all posted!

Edit:
Mar's website is up and running. He has a video and I am proud to say, most of the footage is at MY house! That is right, that gorgeous scenery is mine!

A story of blog-love

Something I have figured out is that as a blogger, I follow other's blogs. Often for inspiration but always because I am interested in the subject. Cupcakes Take the Cake is one of those blogs that I watch for both inspiration and because it is so, way cool. Cupcakes made in every shape, style and flavor AND they have addresses to the best bakeries in America. I am planning a trip to NYC based off of a blog about tiny cupcakes. For realz.

Recently, Stacie (one of the ladies that does the cupcake leg work) did a sliced strawberry throw down. She was looking to see what preserves sliced strawberries best. However, she was frustrated because she couldn't find a product called Fruit Fresh to really round out her throw down.

And this is where I come in. See, here in Walmart-ville, Walmarts maybe create Fruit Fresh as a by-product to stealing our souls. Or they just carry it. Whatever. My great-grandma used it for as long as I can remember and it just seemed like a staple thing fruit lovers had access to. I thought it was a crime that Stacie couldn't find this helpful fruit sprinkle and so I sent an email and an offer. And she accepted my offer and now SHE HAS FRUIT FRESH! Yay!

Perhaps I am more excited because I had the opportunity to reach out and touch someone I have always respected from afar. And I hope to not make her regret giving me her email. But I can't make any promises. I might have a crush.

Going Upper (middle) Class

We recently did the whole birthday hoopla. And with that, Dustin's parents came to visit. And with them came a boat.

This isn't one of those fancy-pants boats that you show off to your friends while your butler brings you another martini. No, this is one of those boats that you get because you love water and can't afford one. And your in-laws really don't want it hanging around, anyway.

It is actually in good condition. The most work will be clean up. A thick layer of Texas dirt covers everything. But it runs and they gave us paraphernalia like skis and a tube. So, COOL!

It should be noted that, if I were okay with it, Dustin might sleep on the boat. He loves it so much. The weather has done very little more than rain in the last few days and he is just terribly distraught about the lack of TLC the boat has received.

And then I come along and say things like, "Oooooh, we are going to need to get some cup holders." And I see him die a little.

Probably shouldn't mention how I feel about getting a first aid kit, huh?

The Throes of Death...by Embarrassment

I live in an area with a LOT of old people. And I love old people. Though not so much driving behind them because I am usually late. But today, they killed me.

My in-laws were here for the weekend and we had a really good time but I am pooped! They left this morning, I made pancakes and decreed it Pajama Day. So now, about 4 in the afternoon, an elderly couple comes to my door (up a 1/3 mile long driveway) to tell me the buzzards are eating the cow food in the field (that is not mine) in front of my house. I am in pajamas and they do not seem to approve. Also, my dog managed to chew up something white into teeny, tiny pieces all over my grass. The woman looked at me, looked at all the pieces and literally SHOOK HER HEAD. "Women these days" you could hear her thinking.

Yes, I have been shamed into dressing. And also getting off the computer. But not before sharing. Because that is how I roll.

Ripley's Find

This is my dog Ripley.

I haven't told you much about her because that is life. But she is an entertaining mutt and we plan to keep her around for the long haul.

Ripley has this lovely (read: life threatening) habit of bringing things up on our front deck. Small children have been know to comment on the condition of our deck ("Messy!"). She clutters it with sticks, rocks and most importantly odd/gross items. It is these in the last category that I will exploit. With regularity, is the hope.

This week, we found something unidentifiable. At first I thought it was going to be part of an animal (say a grottee chewed up ear) but upon investigation, I discovered that it is probably a piece of plastic something-or-rather from a recent burn Dustin did. Regardless, it looks questionable.

Be grateful it isn't the rotted armadillo foot. That thing was straight from a horror movie!

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

I have experienced a first today. The Sheriff came to my house. And he didn't do a cavity search!

But really! The sheriff came up my (1/3 mile long) driveway to ask if we have seen anything in the past few days. Our neighbor was robbed sometime in the past 36 hours (they were out of town) and the Sheriff was looking for clues. He even wrote down my name, number and address! Though, really, he was AT MY HOUSE. Couldn't he just have looked on my mailbox??

I digress.

What I really want to say is: WOO-HOO! WE ARE GETTING DEADBOLTS, BABY!!

I called Dustin to convey the info from the sheriff and check if he saw anything. Which he has not. But he decided once and for all that we need better "safety" in our house. Right now, you could get in with an old gift card and 2 hands. For realz.

Also, to add to the Reasons To Freak Out When It Gets Dark: Last night we were watching a movie in our bedroom, it was late (11 pm) and I was ready for bed but needed to bring the dog in. When I say ready for bed, I mean wearing very little clothing. Like 1 article. My right foot gets very cold. Don't judge. ANYWAY, when I stepped into the living room, the front door was STANDING OPEN. The dog was there kind of like, "It wasn't me!" Thankfully no one answered to my calls of, "Is anyone here?" Because then we would have had a real life horror film on our hands. And last night I just didn't have it in me to run through the fields being chased by a psycho redneck.

So today, my friends, I will be the owner of a SAFE house. One with bolts on the doors keeping the crazies out (or in, depending on your perspective). One where I can wear that one article of clothing confident my neighbors will see because I forgot to close the curtains and not because they broke in! A home where, if I get locked out wearing just a towel, I will actually have to call the police instead of use up-up-down-down-left-right-left-right-b-a-start.

I am so excited, I may even post PICTURES!!

Another One about Cleaning

One might think that I was obsessed with cleaning these days. And one would be right in that assumption! With the spring weather FINALLY showing up, I have been chomping at the bit to declutter (which is one of my shticks, so that you know). Saturday, I spent most of the afternoon hauling stuff out of cupboards, closets and bookshelves. There really isn't that much "stuff" but there was enough. I tossed the garbage and am donating the rest to Helping Hands.

I wish I had taken pictures. There was quite a bit of trash (mostly boxes) and clothes (mostly kids). Dustin and I are to the point that we really only want enough. Not a lot of extra. In clothing, for example, we would like 8 days worth of clothing and a few special pieces. I do double duty with a lot of my shirts by adding a fitted long sleeve shirt under my regular shirts, when it gets cold. Yeah, I sometimes look like a college student but honestly, that is who I am. Not a college student but not the traditional "Mom Type". I feel young and it shows (or at least that is what I tell myself).

So, after an afternoon of work, the bathroom cabinets (3 of them), the kitchen cabinets and the bookcases look wonderful. Also the master closet. And the playroom. And the kid's closet. And the spare room closet. SEE!! I told you this was an obsession!

But I do love me a good declutter session. We do it semi-annually, not like planned, but like, "Hey, there is crap in here and I don't like it!" And then we declutter. I use the Flylady wisdom of "Do I love it? Do I need it?" And I actually use another, "Does it bring me guilt?" If something brings me guilt or makes me feel bad, why would I keep that around? Everything from clothes, books, unfinished projects and business paraphernalia. Most of them are gifts, things I have out of obligation (another form a guilt, fyi) and stuff I just stopped liking.

I encourage every person I come in contact with (if the subject arises) to declutter. I love knowing there is nothing waiting for me. Nothing ready to "rat" me out as not being as clean or happy as I seem to be. In my quest to enjoy my life fully (see my tag line) I have found that all parts of your life need to be considered. Sure, you need to enjoy time with the kids, find joy in keeping a clean house and make happy yet healthy meals for the fam. But I don't think you are going to be as successful with these things if you don't take care of the things that secretly eat away at your confidence.

Once upon a time, I had a very difficult time cleaning my home and finding joy in being the "homemaker" my family needed. But I also had boxes and BOXES of stuff in my home. For years we moved around with all this crap and it just ate away at me. I never felt like I could catch up, that no matter how hard I worked, there was always something else for me to do. So if I wanted to do anything for me, I felt guilty, believing I didn't deserve the time because there was SO much still undone.

Sure, I am still working on that joy in cleaning and the happy/healthy meals but I also take guilt free time for me and it shows. My family gets the quality attention they deserve and I rarely feel like I am drowning in a sea of guilt and obligation. And if it gets to that point, we do something about it STAT!

Guilt is a soul eater. It is a weed in the garden of your life. Pull it out and burn it - or just do like I do and donate it to a good cause!

The Perfect Way to Clean

Right now, there is a lot of people trying to find a good, cheap, natural way to clean. And using your kids is a great idea! I mean, why else would you have kids and raise them to be productive? Child Labor Law, schmild-schmabor-schaws.

Really, I am all for the kids helping out around the house but if you are anything like me, you are such a control freak that the thought of your kids cleaning a toilet keeps you awake at night! Instead, I do the heavy work and let them do simpler things. Jesse can fold his own laundry, take his dishes to the sink and keep the bathroom sink clean. Brea, though much younger, does not lack in desire. Therefore she gets to feed the dog and helps me by putting away/retrieving simple items. Both children pick up their toys and clothes.

I am the first born and Dustin has an older brother but is very much an only. I am used to doing it my way and he is used to having it his way. However, both of us were required to help the family with cleaning. He cleaned significantly less than I did but his mom did a great job of making sure he knew how to wash dishes, laundry and toilets*. Both of us had jobs as cleaning people during highschool. You cannot FATHOM how happy his knowledge makes me!

I was not only the oldest (by 9 years) but I was also the only girl, homeschooled (we all were) and my mom had a part time job. This all added up to lots of cleaning and babysitting for me. I completely understand why it was helpful. With two small boys, homeschooling, a part time job, oh and they did Amway, there was little time for my mom to keep up with some home basics. And I was around ALL THE TIME. And I was really good at it. They would come home and say, "Wow, Jami! The floor looks great!" Then I would explain to them how I was looking at it and realized it could use some detail scrubbing....on my hands and knees.

I am a perfectionist. And to be honest it is very difficult to care for your home if you expect it to be perfect! Flylady calls us SHEs (Side-tracked Home Executives) and perfectionism is our handicap. If I can't mop the floor perfectly, I won't do it until I can. Which might be next week. Or month. Whatever. Regardless, perfectionism doesn't make the perfect house maker, unless she is willing to sacrifice everything for it. Which I am not. So I had 2 choices: 1) Do it perfect every once in a while and not be happy with the state of my home or 2) Do it routinely but not perfectly and be happy with my home.

I choose happiness. I always will.

This is a work in progress. I am not perfect but I love the concepts that Flylady and her crew set out. My family doesn't need an immaculate home. They need a comfortable home, where they can live and find rest. So, with that in mind, my house needs to be a place of peace for it's inhabitants and those that visit. Do you want to pay me the ultimate compliment? Tell me you love coming to my house because it is so relaxing/restful/peaceful/etc.

I see that Jesse has the perfectionism trait (as well as my temper, we are working on both) so I am teaching my kids when to give your all and when to do what you need so that there is enough left to give your all somewhere else. Like in curing cancer. Or playtime. It seems to be working because I find Jesse and Brea are really good at doing what I ask, in a timely manner, so that they can move on to the fun part of life. And when I tell them how thankful I am for their help, how much they have contributed to the family and how valuable they are, they beam and are willing to help in the future.

It might also help that I threaten to make them sleep outside.


*For the record, though he knows how to clean toilets, it is the one thing he refuses to do. But he cleans dishes, deals with the trash, changes poopy diapers, helps make dinner AND clean up after it. Plus he thinks mowing the lawn is FUN. Totally worth the trade off.

The one about zombies

Friends, I want to apologize for a blatant disregard to my eating journal. I have been sick with bronchitis the past few weeks and to be honest, I stopped caring about what I eat. I also stopped being able to taste anything but that is beside the point.

I didn't want to make a big deal out of being sick because I knew I would get better and the weather would get warmer and I would forget all about the wretched winter months. And yet, after 2 weeks of being restful and taking care of myself, I was not better. So I hauled my sick butt to the doctor and got a prescription (levaquin), which I took with dinner.

Now the fun part of the story.

I have fairly vivid dreams but I don't get confused or anxious about them, I just think about how much money I would make in the horror film industry and go back to sleep. Also, I have a thing about zombies. I hate them! They are the most frightening unreal monster you can throw at me. So last night after sleeping for about 1.5 hours, I woke up terrified. I was panting, heart racing and looking around for the thing that was going to get me. I paused for a moment wondering what on earth my problem was and then, Crazy Jami took over. "The zombies!!", she said. "They were coming after you and your family! You lost the kids DURING A ZOMBIE ATTACK!!" At this point I am completely freaked out. I (quietly) scrambled out of bed to check on the kids (both had normal breathing and temperatures. Not zombies) and as I returned to bed I had the worst foreboding experience ever. I was certain zombies were crossing the cow pasture, in front of my house, to come and eat us. And then I thought, "Oh my gosh! If the zombies are here, in no-where Arkansas, THEY ARE EVERYWHERE!! I should just get the gun!!"

Thankfully, somewhere in chains I imagine, Common Sense Jami was screaming, "HEY STUPID!! ZOMBIES AREN'T REAL!! The drugs are probably affecting you!" I listened a little, until I realized my husband could be turning into a zombie that very second and he would eat me! And the kids! So I stared at him and then I touched him. The weather is getting warmer here and apparently he had too many blankets, so he was sweating a little. But all I thought was, "Oh my gosh! He is TRANSFORMING INTO A ZOMBIE!!" Then he woke up and told me he was hot, threw off some blankets and slept on.

Grateful that none of my family were zombies I fell into an uneasy sleep, only to wake up with my hands and feet burning up. I flung off blankets and spent the rest of the night trying to not freak out about the zombie invasion, get cool and actually sleep.

When I woke this morning, my wrist hurt (no idea why) and I felt like a million zombies river danced on my head. Then I checked the prescription and found this: "may also cause increased intracranial pressure and central nervous system stimulation which may lead to tremors, restlessness, anxiety, lightheadedness, confusion, hallucinations, paranoia, depression, nightmares, insomnia, and, rarely, suicidal thoughts or acts. These reactions may occur following the first dose." Also, "......pain, swelling, or inflammation of a tendon, or weakness or inability to use one of their joints.."

So I called my doctor and got a new prescription. I did happen to mention this was all about the zombies.

The pursuit of...

I think that everyone, their dog and their grandma's dog has seen this video.

The thing is that this guy is SO right! When we lost power recently, we were out of our house for 7 days. Thankfully we were able to stay at my parent's house and be safe. We were reminded of how very spoiled we are and it was a little embarrassing! We couldn't stay in the house because it was cold! And there was no running water! And what would we do all day? And what would we eat? And we would have to keep the fire going all night! whah!

I love the opportunities we have in this part of history. I love computers, the internet, gaming, cars and my Wii. I really don't want to take them for granted but I really, REALLY don't want my kids to be those "noncontributing zeros" of the world. Who think they deserve something because it exists.

My goal is to remember where we came from and why right here, right now is so special - then pass it on.

One size fits all

One year ago I was very sick and lost a ridiculous amount of weight, making me look like the undead. I lost so much muscle that I couldn't go grocery shopping and I began to change Brea's diapers on the floor so that I wouldn't have to lift her to the changing table. As time went on, I gained some weight and muscle mass but not in the way I would have liked. So, in November I began to go to an Ashtanga Yoga class at the gym. This class has changed everything about my body and I LOVE it! But (you saw this coming) I am building muscle and keeping the fat.

No, I am not saying I am fat. I am saying that I don't fit into my jeans right now and it really sucks. I don't have money to get a new wardrobe while my body gains muscle and starts to reduce the fat. So I have been thinking I will help it along. In a healthy way.

I am taking a good hard look at what I eat and what I feed the fam. Ironically I am the fruit/veggie Nazi. I refuse to serve a meal without either present but that doesn't mean that I eat enough of them. I don't practice what I preach. Some would call this hypocritical and I am inclined to agree.

We don't eat out more than the average American but more than I would like. Mostly we like to meet Dustin in town for lunch because, if I had my way, I would get him home all day. Therefore, if we are in the vicinity of his workplace and it is time for lunch, why not? We do try to choose healthier options for all of us but every now and again all I want is fried fattiness, topped with fat sauce and a side of fat fries. By every now and again, I mean about once a week. I also suffer from dehydration in the winter with the symptoms ranging from swollen legs to kidney stones. With all of this in mind, salt and fat is not the best thing for me to be consuming with such regularity.

The tried and true, scientific things that work and are good for you include: eating whole foods, eating multiple small meals and tracking food intake. Also exercising, which I am doing but could be a little more regular about. I have signed up for FitDay, a free online food and exercise tracker.

My goal is to remain within my budget and be common sense about this health thing. And of course, fit into my jeans again. That would be super!

Interested in peeking? Go for it!

Addicted to Elimination

My daughter, Brea, is going to be 3 in April. That is very close, you know. She and I do a "Mommy and Me" gymnastics class once a week, however, when she turns 3 she will be able to move up to the Big Girl Class. Where they begin to learn actual gymnastics stuff! The only clincher is that the kids have to be potty trained to attend. Huh. That is a problem since she refuses to do the potty thing. We have tried bribing (with money, candy, toys), we have tried practicing and we have tried letting her do it in her time (which was looking like 15 years old).

So we decided to try the "One Day Potty Training" technique. I hyped it up as the ALL DAY POTTY PARTY!!!! w00t!! We did decide to give her a full weekend of family attention, in the hope that she would get 'er done. We had some party paraphernalia (including bazooka things, special cups and a medal for her). Every time she successfully used the potty she got a sticker on the chart (special stickers for poop because it is, you know, special) and we all blew our bazooka things. When she got ten stickers (total, not in one day) she earned a toy (read: educational game) I bought for the very purpose of "Potty Encouragement".

It really did take the whole family, since she is a little attention whore (she gets that from her mommy) and a few accidents to prove that we knew what we were talking about. But really? She is golden! We have just celebrated 2 weeks diaper free and we love it!

The other day she was sitting on the pot and she looked up at me all happy, full of little person life and proclaimed, "Pooping is fun!"

These are the milestones of motherhood.

My hero

For Christmas my in-laws gave us a Wii and the Fit. Also for Christmas, my parents gave us Guitar Hero World Tour, with 2 guitars. Their family (which still houses all four of my siblings, ages 7-20) received GHWT with all the bits. You know, microphone, drums and both guitars. Needless to say, it was one of the most fun Christmas days ever!

My son, 7 years old, was unsure about the whole thing. He is so self conscious about everything that it has taken Dustin and I YEARS to get him to stop racing from the room, in tears, from embarrassment. So, getting him to participate in the GH festivities was a time consuming process. He started with the drums. Then tried a guitar. But really, he was so frustrated at his inabilities that he refused to play more, until he could practice at home. So, in desperation, I tried the last bit. The microphone. But he was hesitant, so I said I would sing with him. The boys (because, in my family there are a lot of them) chose Linkin Park's song, What I've Done.

A side note: You know how I said I was nerdy? Well, my whole family is, meaning husband, son and daughter. We love movies and specifically superhero, fantasy, sci-fi, action. So this song? Yeah, it is THE closing song for Transformers (which if you have not seen, you should do so before you do anything else, ever). My whole family loves Transformers. But my son LOVES Transformers.

So the music comes on, and he goes all, "Hey, I know this song....." As the lyrics come across the screen, I begin to sing into the microphone he is holding. He starts to warm up to it. Reads the words (OMG!! He is reading the words without trouble!!!!) and then, suddenly, with the crescendo of the chorus, goes all rock star on me! He is totally belting out the words, head banging and adding dance moves during the guitar solo, hogging the mic! RAD!

My grandma, who was watching the whole thing called me over to tell me how proud of him she was. That she knows he is unsure of himself but that she is so happy we work hard to pull him out of his shell.

And wouldn't you know it? He kept on trying other instruments for the rest of the evening.

Oh yeah.....

My son got the hankering, after breakfast this morning, to draw a picture.

See it says Nice But (because he is 7 and doesn't know it has two t's yet). This is his title. How classy!

What is that? Why yes, in fact those ARE hairs!

This is a very proud day for me.

Like being vaccinated but BETTER

Ring Around the Rosy
as sung by Brea (AKA Girl)

Ring around the Rosy
a poppet dull da dosey
Run around in a circle
Everyone falls down!

They are onto me

My children know me all too well. Today my daughter clomped over to me, wearing an "evening" gown and clear, plastic dress up heels. She laid her head on my lap and begged for lunch. Poor starving girl! Of course I will feed you, child who ate less than 3 hours ago!

The following is what occurred:

Me (internal dialogue): Lunch, okay, to the fridge for the cheese..and...oh, hey! My white board is empty. Isn't there something that belongs on there? Sure, yeah, gallon sized baggies. Oh, and I forgot to write down the dinner plans for each day this week. I can just do that now! I love the way this pen writes. Don't I have a bunch of other colors, somewhere? Okay, so quiche for Thursday, but oh, no wait, we changed our plans, so we will have to change it out with Friday and then, oh shoot, what are we doing for the weekend? Oh right we have that party, so we will all be doing THAT........

Girl: "Mom? Moooooom?? MOM!!! No! I. WANT. LUNCH."

Two years old and this girl already knows her mom is easily lost.