1/15/09

6, 6, 6, 6

I stole this from Christy over at Heavy on the Caffeine. It's a picture meme. Go to your picture file, pick the 6th folder, then the 6th picture. Post that picture and blog about it.


This picture of Z and Hunter was taken in July, 06 - about 2 and a half years ago. If you look closely you can see that Z is missing a number of teeth. He had just graduated kindergarten and man, oh man, he was a handful. But he was NOTHING compared to Hunter.

That dog was (and still is) a bastard. We loved (and still love) him but MAN, OH MAN, that dog was the worst behaved dog EVER. He loved the kids, they were his "pack". He loved any and all food (except dog treats and his own food). He loved to run (especially away) - there was a time Kirby chased him up the road (Kirby was in his truck) and Hunter OUTRAN him!! He loved to chew anything and everything but mostly the kids toys or shoes. And now he loves Nicki, Rich and Xander who adopted him when we moved and Hunter was not allowed to accompany us.

I can't believe how young Z looks in this picture. He is so tiny and clean and sweet and innocent...yeah, not so much anymore.

And from the pictures I have seen recently, Hunter looks tiny too...not so much anymore!

So I am going to tag Nicki because she hasn't posted since before THANKSGIVING!!

1/13/09

The words...oh the words!

As I was sitting on the toilet yesterday (and on the phone with Nicki - sorry, Nicki) A came into the bathroom:

A: "what's a predicament, Mommy"

Me: "well, it's a sticky situation"

A: "ewwwww, a STICKY situation"

Me: "well, no, not STICKY really"

A: "oh, it's just an expression"

Me: "Yup, just an expression"

Where does my child come up with this stuff? Of course, I can deal with "predicament" and "expression", whereas the OTHER words he has used in the past...eh, not so much.

On another note, Z is working on his Pinewood Derby car. Any suggestions? We tried baking it tonight. I guess it is suppose to dry out all the water from inside the wood, making the car weigh less so when you add the weight to the back (because it should weigh 5oz in the end) it will go faster...didn't work for us. The car didn't lose a single pound (or ounce, as the case may be).
Although, the house smelled like really nice, warm pine for a good couple hours.

And on a completely different note (VERY WAY DIFFERENT) my "blogga from anotha' motha'" over on the west coast is having a contest. I warn you - THIS IS NOT FOR THE PRUDE AT HEART OR ANY OF MY SIBLINGS. If you can't deal with anything that has anything to do with anything referring to your nether regions DO NOT CLICK THE LINK!! If you are one of my siblings (or Nana Sue who recently started her own blog) DO NOT CLICK THE LINK! I SWEAR, it could burn your corneas!!

Otherwise, go check her out here!

1/12/09

2008 - What a Year

I have been meaning to post this for a while, but life got in the way.

2008 was a really hard year for us but we made it through.

Even though it was tough, there are many things to be grateful for:
  • I read 47 books:
Dream When You're Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg
The Devil Came on Horseback: Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur by Brian Steidle and Gretchen Wallace Steidle
Begonia for Miss Applebaum by Paul Zindel
Life Estates by Shelby Hearon
Baby Proof by Emily Giffin
Something Blue by Emily Giffin
Night by Elie Wiesel
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
Back When We Were Grownups by Anne Tyler
Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer
Eclipse by Stephenie Meyer
New Moon by Stephenie Meyer
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Rules by Cynthia Lord
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
Just Do It: How One Couple Turned Off the TV and Turned On Their Sex Lives for 101 Days (No Excuses) by Douglas Brown
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace...One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer
Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robison
The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux
In Her Shoes by Jennifer Weiner
Bastard out of Carolina by Dorothy Allison
Daniel Isn't Talking by Marti Leimbach
Icy Sparks by Gwyn Hyman Rubio
Sellevision by Augusten Burroughs
Promise Not To Tell by Jennifer McMahon
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Neffenegger
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Sam's Letters to Jennifer by James Patterson
PS, I Love You by Cecelia Ahern
Running with Scissors: A Memoir by Augusten Burroughs
H by Elizabeth Shepard
The Wedding by Nicholas Sparks
The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta
Love In Another Town by Barbara Taylor Bradford
A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
I refuse to release the name of this book publicly...it really was that bad!
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
Plum Wine by Angela Davis-Gardner
Good Grief by Lolly Winston


There were many good and a few not so good. Some of my favorites from this year include The Twilight Series (of course), The Kite Runner, A Thousand Splendid Suns, Three Cups of Tea, The Devil Came on Horseback and Daniel Isn't Talking. You can click on any of the titles above and see their descriptions at Amazon.com.


  • We had no major medical emergencies (aside from A's seizure in February that required a trip to the ER).
  • I am not pregnant and was not pregnant through the entire year of 2008!
  • My father's wife Sue (Nana Sue) overcame breast cancer.
  • I hiked with an amazing team to raise money for breast cancer research and awareness. Our team was able to raise nearly $700.
  • I became part of an amazing group of women who started Embracing Autism. We hosted our first annual autism awareness day.
  • I am going to become an aunt (again) to a beautiful baby girl.
  • Alex and Andrea got married with her father present at the ceremony (we are looking forward to another ceremony in June that we will be able to be present at).
  • Z turned 8 and entered the 3rd grade - this will be his last year at the "little" elementary school.
  • A turned 6 and is enjoying his second year in kindergarten.
  • Kirby and I went through a separation, and while that wasn't fun, we were able to realize how much we love each other, our boys and commit to working on our relationship again.
  • I was able to spend a few nights with some great friends that I don't get to see too often.
  • I was able to take a role in the primary race for president. And I am now able to say that I shook hands with the PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES and that I am a small part of the reason he was elected!
  • The boys were able to meet their niece and both she and Allyson continue to do well.
  • We had some wonderful family time fishing, hiking, playing, etc.
  • We had a great trip to The Franklin Park Zoo.
  • The NHPTV Auction had another great year and I had a great time volunteering.
  • We got to spend some wonderful times with James and Nicole and their family.
  • Nicole gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, Jennie right before Thanksgiving.
  • We spent a day in Boston exploring.
  • We went to a Fisher Cats game with the family.
  • Z became a Cub Scout.
  • My business made it through another year - even though the economy really stank up the place!

I know there are a million more things...check out my Thursday's Thankful Thirteen postings from the past year. We have so much to be thankful for.

I am not big on resolutions. I find that they are a great way for me to fail, so I tend not to make them.

There are, however, a few things I would like to accomplish this year:

I hope you all had a wonderful 2008 and that you are able to have an even better 2009!

1/9/09

GREAT NEWS!

The CPSC released a clarification today on the new lead regulations to take effect 2/10/09.

According to the CSPC, "The new law requires that domestic manufacturers and importers certify that children’s products made after February 10 meet all the new safety standards and the lead ban. Sellers of used children’s products, such as thrift stores and consignment stores, are not required to certify that those products meet the new lead limits, phthalates standard or new toy standards."

For more information: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml09/09086.html

This is AWESOME news! I am so thankful!

1/8/09

Letter to the Thieving Whore

Dear Tooth Fairy,

I want to thank you kindly for the past few nights of little to no sleep. I am sure that in Fairy Land you are ensured a minimum of 8 hours sleep after flying all night...but lately, I am lucky if a get an hour or two of uninterrupted sleep at night.

It all started a few weeks ago when we noticed A had his very first loose tooth. It was exciting and he was so proud.

The tooth still hadn't come out this past Monday but it was incredibly wiggly. So wiggly, in fact, I was scared he might swallow it in his sleep. We tried to help him get it before he went to bed to no avail.

Then, in true A fashion, I got woken up at 3:15am. He told me he had to go pee. I walked him downstairs and the second we got into the bathroom he SCREAMED "IT CAME OUT" and he handed me his tooth.

Of course we were excited. He even got to wake Daddy up and tell him all about it. We decided that we would wait until the next night to put it under his pillow...and two hours later A was still talking about it. TWO HOURS LATER I was still NOT SLEEPING!

Last night I worked and Dad, of course, forgot to put the tooth under the pillow. Never fear, however, A was sure to remind me all about it at midnight. So under the pillow it went, at midnight...

Somewhere between then and 5:30am you must have made an appearance. I know this because that is the point in time was when A woke, checked under his pillow and proceeded to cry for the next two hours because you "STOLE" his tooth. I mean REALLY cry. HUGE tears. He was SO sad.

Of course, I realize that you left a beautiful note (that only slightly resembled my handwriting)and a $5 in its place. I know all the things he can do with $5 and I am sure he is very grateful for that...but Christ almighty, could you have left the freaking tooth?!

Seriously, lady, do you understand what it is like to go night after night after night with only an hour or two of uninterrupted sleep? Do you know what it is like to walk around all day in a haze because you haven't slept properly in weeks? No, I am sure you don't because you don't have kids. Every morning after flying around stealing children's teeth from under their pillows you lie your ass down on a puffy white cloud and you fall asleep. No one there to wake you up, no kids screaming your name or claiming to have to pee.

So, Fairy Girl, next time you decide you are going to make an appearance in my home you have to options:

1) Bring a sleeping potion from the evil step mother and pass it along to me so I can be sure to get a full night's sleep. Or,
2) LEAVE THE FREAKING TOOTH UNDER THE FREAKING PILLOW!

If this means he doesn't get the money, I am sure he will understand. In all honesty, he doesn't give two craps about the money, he wants the nasty, old tooth. And, really, does it make all that much difference to you anyway? I mean, you have been collecting teeth for years...does my ONE child with his crazy tooth obsession (and amazing ability to function with little to no sleep) really make a difference?

I thank you for your time,

Bitch Mom from Hell

P.S. Could you clue me in as to how inflation effected your payout? I got a lousy quarter for my teeth - these kids are getting $5 for the first and, at least, $1 for each tooth thereafter? And if I pull my teeth out and leave them under my pillow, how much do you think you could get me?

Please be sure to check out the blog all about the new lead regulations the will lead to the closing of hundreds of thousands of thrift stores and consignment stores while also making it illegal for you or I to resell our children's used clothing and toys HERE.