Why is it that the older and 'wiser' (wink wink) you get, the more you realize that everything is so messed up & it's all in some crappy state of chaos?
When you're 'young', people have it together. Professionals are truly professionals. Then...
BAM
WTF?
What am I referring to? Well, just about anything. Let's take a look:
1. Toy manufacturing & the lead paint issue out of China.
This really shouldn't have been an issue. But millions of children were needlessly put in harms way by playing with a tainted toy. We can track, to the exact farm & cow, tainted hamburger, but we couldn't have manufacturing tests in place on toys? Really?
2. Bernie Madoff & his financial scheme
Didn't you hear your mother say 'If you hear something that is too good to be true, it usually IS?' And these people didn't have a clue? Here's my guess - they've lived their lives finding bazillions of loopholes in the U.S. tax code, so this really wasn't a surprising enterprise after all. Well, can't say I feel too sorry for them anyway.
3. Recycling programs
Oh they're everywhere now - but have you read the 'fine print' on yours lately? WHY IS IT that certain recycling programs only take the 1s and 2s in the cool little arrow-triangle dealey? If it has an arrow-triangle dealey with a number, it is recyclable. So take it, and here's a novel concept... RECYCLE the darned thing. It is too much to ask to do a little coordination with those who DO take 3s, 4s, 5s and more to handle what you are either too lazy or inefficient to do yourselves? I guess so. But this would require going against your company 'policy', a few extra phone calls, going out of your way, and doing the right thing. GASP! Oh the horror!
4. Organizational skills - in almost any profession... take your pick.
My example will be of a bank. I know that you know that I hate banks. But we're at it again. Here's a month extension to handle paperwork. OK. 3 weeks later, new bill, no new paperwork completed, and oh, here's a few more questions we need answered by 'corporate' to process your application. Oh, but what about this bill? I don't know. Blame 'corporate' all you want - it spells crappy service and even crappier business practices. And people wonder why banks needed a bailout? How would households do if they functioned the way banks do? Actually - only bankers wonder this. Us 'regular' Janes and Joes already know the reasons why. But there they go - still acting stupidly because 'Hey - they'll bail us out again.' Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Not again. (But then again, I didn't want them bailed out this time... and I have proof!)
5. Medicine #1
Western medicine is truly miraculous in many ways. I've used it my whole life. But still I wonder where I'd be if I'd been a bit holistic in approach. But let's look at the way the system is set up. Treatment based on reimbursement per procedure. Even though X, Y & Z aren't the best for you, you need to do those first before the sure-fire way to treat this, M, is tried. Oh, and X, Y & Z are each done by different doctors so all your prep tests need to be re-done EACH time you switch Docs because we don't want to be sued. AHHHHHHH. OK, this one has too many issues in it to be just 1, but it is. Deal with it.
6. Medicine #2
Children's cold medicine. Oh, we sold this for years, but in 2009 it was deemed to not be effective on children under 2 without a Dr. consent. But we will still sell this now, but with new warnings on it. REALLY? As IF it won't be used on children under 2 anyway. Jeez.
7. Medicine #3
Back & neck injuries. Presently these are treated with muscle relaxers fit for a horse. And people wonder why addiction to pain meds is on the rise? Holy hannah. And when push comes to shove, will the muscle relaxers treat the problem? No. They cover it up. I am relieved to see health insurance covering chiropractor fees better now, but there's a long way to go there. And you want to dicuss over medicating? I am allergic to ibuprofen. When I had K3, they gave me percocet. My, that was nice. BUT, they were going to have me take 2 pills for a dose. Didn't even ask my reaction to pain meds. Let's just say Benadryl knocks me on my a$. I refused to take the 2 because I KNOW this. These poor nurses thought I was the crazy one. Think again ladies. 1 pill was MORE than enough to put the pain at bay. Really and truly. I shiver to think what I would have been like on 2 of those things - a puddle of goo not even able to hold my new baby. But I was the crazy one. Yeah.... right.
8. Building stadiums for professional teams
I've lived in MN for 99.9% of my life. The dome was finished in the 1980s. When entering for the 1st time, and being completely overwhelmed, I remember asking if the roof could be pulled back. No. No? No. Well why not? That's silly - baseball & football should be outside WHEN it's nice out. But no. A kid got this. Here we are - just finishing building a new Twins stadium - all outdoors. Won't that be nice in April when its still snowing. And if we'd be so lucky to hit the World Series again, it'd be snowing then too. But according to all the hype I've heard "Baseball belongs outside". Yeah, we shall see buddy. So why wasn't there a retractable roof on this one? Did we NOT learn our lesson from the dome? Evidently not. Let me say again - KIDS see this. WHY can't adults? My true point is funding these stadiums - sorry for the tangent. In the NFL, the League pays the owner(s) of the teams $$ from the television contracts. That huge amount of cashola COMPLETELY funds the salaries for the entire team. ALL OF IT. So here's the question of the day - WHY should we, the ordinary Joe & Jane Taxpayer, pay for a stadium for an NFL team? Do taxpayers build office buildings for Target Corp., 3M, or any other MN based business? No. If so, can I have my business apply for this program? How can I do that? How silly is this?
9. Tax incentives for companies who send jobs overseas
I really want to know the name of the dumb-a$$ who 1st thought this up. #2 I want to meet him because I think he could sell ice to an Eskimo - and that's talent. #3, then I'd like to kick his/her rear for completely being an idiot for selling out American jobs for tax breaks. Now - let's get this sucker repealed - and then reversed completely. All those tax 'benefits' claimed need to get paid in full plus interest - retroactively of course. THAT can help pay for the stimulus package.
Don't stop me now... I think I may be on a roll! :-)
After reading just 9 items, and I didn't even hit on a smidgen of the industries out there - that's some pretty STUPID stuff we've got going on. And really, the only things I can link it to are: #1 - CYA (Cover Your A$$ - I need my job so I'll do all I can to keep it as well as make more work for myself even though it is really not needed). and #2 - Greed. Down & dirty. How sad is this? What a waste. This is severe waste when added all together. And it's completely through every section of our society. Another 'kicker' is that even when your job is to streamline and to help - it's not taken well. There's kicking & screaming the entire way. That's the CYA. Even if without taking the help, you'd be shortly extinct anyway. Damned if you do, damned if you don't. Risk a little people. Change a little people. It's not that scary - truly it's not. Try it. You may like it - GASP - and then what?
So get off your rear today and get rid of the stupid waste around you. It can be as simple as de-cluttering your 'to do' pile (of which I am notorious for). It could be as large as streamlining community projects between organizations seeking to accomplish the same thing.
We gotta start somewhere, and I guess the best place to start - is with me.
Monday, November 23, 2009
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Airline Pilots did WHAT?
Hasn't this just been an interesting week for Northwest Airlines. A flight that overshot the Minneapolis airport by 150 miles and over an hour of no communication with the pilots. Huh. http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/10/27/airliner.fly.by/index.html 2 fighter jets were prepped ready to go get this flight. They were fueled & sitting on the tarmac for the 'go' signal. First thoughts were that the pilots had fallen asleep. There's a comforting thought. Actually, any excuse the 2 pilots would give in this scenario are just plain freaky. Yesterday the result was that they were using laptop computers, against policy, and lost track of time. These guys, today, lost their licenses.
You know - in the world that is post-9/11, my thought is: why weren't those fighter jets released after 15 minutes of zero communication? Think about it - if another plane is, heaven-forbid, taken by terrorists - wouldn't you want those fighters on your side within minutes & not over an hour later when some unthinkable thing could have happened? Granted, they still may not be able to do a darn thing about it - but STILL.
So let's say they would have released the fighters & this still was the scenario - the pilots were on their laptops. I think the U.S. government could & should then charge the airline for the time & supplies spent for the mission. The airline can then bill the pilots - sounds good to me. A government money-maker based on the idiot civilian pilots that are out there.
You know, I do understand that people are people & that we all make mistakes. And these 2 guys had clean flight records with a combined 30,000 hours of flight time in. But you know what? In their job, it's completely inexcusable. There ARE jobs like that, and they had one of those.
You know - in the world that is post-9/11, my thought is: why weren't those fighter jets released after 15 minutes of zero communication? Think about it - if another plane is, heaven-forbid, taken by terrorists - wouldn't you want those fighters on your side within minutes & not over an hour later when some unthinkable thing could have happened? Granted, they still may not be able to do a darn thing about it - but STILL.
So let's say they would have released the fighters & this still was the scenario - the pilots were on their laptops. I think the U.S. government could & should then charge the airline for the time & supplies spent for the mission. The airline can then bill the pilots - sounds good to me. A government money-maker based on the idiot civilian pilots that are out there.
You know, I do understand that people are people & that we all make mistakes. And these 2 guys had clean flight records with a combined 30,000 hours of flight time in. But you know what? In their job, it's completely inexcusable. There ARE jobs like that, and they had one of those.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Politics - my FAVORITE!
There were so many political items this summer that I completely missed out on blogging about them - aka spewing my thoughts to the internet as if anyone really cares what I think about stuff anyway. But I love to do it - so here I go again. Get ready for the cheers, jeers, rants and raves. Buckle up baby!
#1 best thing to happen this summer (and perhaps this entire DECADE) was (drum roll please)... the resignation of Sarah Palin. (Insert the Hallelujah Chorus here.) I was to the point whenever she'd be on television I'd just turn the channel. Wouldn't even listen to the story. Never read an article online about what she was spewing about that second. It's literally like whenever she opens her mouth, puke just falls out everywhere and the Charlie Brown 'wa wa wa wa' stuff starts. Terrible thing she is subjecting us innocent Americans to, isn't it? We were at the cabin when the story broke - and I almost missed it because I was reaching for the remote to turn the channel. I guess that time it was most excellent that I was stopped - good thing I was cooking in the kitchen and had further to go to reach the remote I guess! The sad part is, Ms. Palin just won't GO AWAY. Seriously, so make millions speaking to those who are as closed-minded as you are, and leave the rest of us alone. One excellent item to stem from her action is her complete inability to run for President in the near future. To do so she would have to complete 1 term of an elected something, and I think Alaska is tired of her crap and won't go down her road again after she bailed on them the 1st time. So YEA for the rest of the country. She won't get a shot at messing the other 49 states up. WAHOO!
Moving on - Senator Ted Kennedy died. I never really cared for Teddy when he was alive. Sure he was seen as 'the' Daddy of all things liberal. But this is the sad part. The public never really knew all the great stuff he did until after the guy died. How sad is that? Republicans & Democrats extolled his career in their highest regard. But publicly when he was living - they shredded him constantly. Part of the Kennedy 'curse'? Probably. My line this summer was that I had to give GW Bush 1 complement on his Presidency. And that was that he passed prescription drug coverage. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start. Well you know what? Come to find out - it was Teddy's bill. So now I still can't find anything to complement Bush on! And you all know that that actually makes me really really really happy, because giving that guy a complement was extremely difficult. It was like when you puke a little of something up in your mouth and swollow it back down again. Eeewwwwww - I know. But THAT was what it was like. And I did it more than once too with several witnesses! SOOOOO nobody can say that I don't at least try to get along with Republicans. Because I swollowed my puke more than once to try it just this summer! lol Teddy - rest in peace.
The topic of the summer was health care and the HR 3200 bill that Obama is promoting. There isn't 1 person you talk with that doesn't think our system needs changing. Everyone agrees on that point. But I think that is where the agreement ends - oh yes - it of course needs to be cheaper. Frustration set in when the emails started flowing about what was in the bill. False emails. One, in specific, included a link to the bill online. So I went there one day. The pdf file was 1,018 pages. At least it is double spaced. So I read 20 pages (before my 'natives' got restless). In those 20 pages alone I was able to negate 1/2 the email statements. I never did go back and read the rest. I probably should to be a fully in formed citizen and critic. However what is so frustrating is the time people take to make stuff up to stuff the internet with incorrect information. It inflames people for the wrong reasons. Then to talk about 'death panels' on top of it all? Right. People get mad when access to care is restricted or denied. But you know what??? It ALREADY IS. By your insurance company. I am not saying a government run system should exist. Usually government messes stuff up pretty badly. But would you rather have an insurance company restricting or denying coverage of a procedure or an elected official that can get booted out for their actions? Let's face it - a 99 year old person should not be receiving a quadruple by-pass. Not a popular thing to say - and if it were my parent on the table, it'd be the absolute last thing I'd want to hear. But is that a realistic procedure to be performing? No. It's not. Is it ethical? No. It's not. In my lovely state of MN, and this is not even under 3200, the Department of Health has decided to change how people can use and acquire long term health care services (nursing home/assisted living). But only if you are on Medicare. If you are, and the DOH doesn't believe you should be in one of these facilities, they will be asking you to leave and move - and they won't pay your bill. This is even if a Dr. doesn't agree with them. Even if the family doesn't agree with them. Even if the elderly person doesn't agree with them. And if you move back in within 6 months, the building who admits this person will be punished financially for taking them back. Now when have you ever seen people in nursing homes and assisted living facilities that shouldn't be there? People aren't exactly lining up, bombarding these places. Generally they are the last places people want to go. What could possibly save money in this scenario? If you know, please enlighten me. This is happening. It was passed this summer as a cost saving measure within the MN State budget. Now I know this isn't directly related to 3200, but you want to discuss limitation of services? We're there. And it's being done based on being POOR of all things. It violates civil rights completely. And you know what will happen when the DOH makes these actions? Elderly will end up in the hospital more, more ER visits and more homes burning. Is that cost saving? Nope. It's spending a whole bunch more. THAT is what happens when elderly do not receive the services needed. It's been proven. We know this. But we're willingly going down this road in the name of balancing the state budget. It's sick. I'll probably add to my FBI file for this one - be on some euthanasia listing too. That is completely NOT my point. There are some very taboo things to discuss regarding health care - like giving a 99 year old person a quadruple by-pass. But they DO need to be discussed. And until we discuss the hard stuff, true and complete reform won't happen and costs will still be high.
More on health care? Yes. The GOP has blasted 3200 from every angle they possibly can. And most of it is P&M-ing all the way. In this regard, I really do wish our system was a bit more like the Brits. Why doesn't the GOP put a bill on the table? They want reform as well, on their terms. Well, put in writing what you would agree to. Get an opposing bill on the table. One that is a bit more 'middle of the road' that Dems could agree to. That sucker passes - and you know what? You've just re-invigorated your party that seemed to be dead a few months ago. You've done what the party in the complete majority has failed to do & pledged to do. Pass reform. They could claim it. But they won't. They won't put a bill on the table - they'll P&M about 3200 and campaign that 'see, the dems can't get anything done when they're in the majority, so we deserve your vote.' routine. It's sick and sad. People want something done. And it doesn't happen just so these bozos can be re-elected. I am so proud.
More? Yes. Tort reform. It's required - and that's not a very Dem thing to say. But come on. When Docs pay over six figures a year just for mal-practice insurance something needs to change. And some ob-gyns pay upwards of $200k annually. Think of the insurance dollars saved - and therefore the less you'd need to pay Docs - where could that money be doing? Think of those possibilities. Wow. Completely mind-blowing.
More? No. I'm on to South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and his mistress escapades in Argentina. I must say, I was so glad his wife Jenny refused to stand at his side. This was huge. Never in American history has a politician's wife NOT stood at the guy's side whilst publicly proclaiming his adulterous actions. GO JENNY. No woman should ever be asked to do that. Ever. And Mark needs to resign and pack up and move to Argentina & take his 'family values' with him (More than likely the dude campaigned on it - idiot.) Bon voyage!
#1 best thing to happen this summer (and perhaps this entire DECADE) was (drum roll please)... the resignation of Sarah Palin. (Insert the Hallelujah Chorus here.) I was to the point whenever she'd be on television I'd just turn the channel. Wouldn't even listen to the story. Never read an article online about what she was spewing about that second. It's literally like whenever she opens her mouth, puke just falls out everywhere and the Charlie Brown 'wa wa wa wa' stuff starts. Terrible thing she is subjecting us innocent Americans to, isn't it? We were at the cabin when the story broke - and I almost missed it because I was reaching for the remote to turn the channel. I guess that time it was most excellent that I was stopped - good thing I was cooking in the kitchen and had further to go to reach the remote I guess! The sad part is, Ms. Palin just won't GO AWAY. Seriously, so make millions speaking to those who are as closed-minded as you are, and leave the rest of us alone. One excellent item to stem from her action is her complete inability to run for President in the near future. To do so she would have to complete 1 term of an elected something, and I think Alaska is tired of her crap and won't go down her road again after she bailed on them the 1st time. So YEA for the rest of the country. She won't get a shot at messing the other 49 states up. WAHOO!
Moving on - Senator Ted Kennedy died. I never really cared for Teddy when he was alive. Sure he was seen as 'the' Daddy of all things liberal. But this is the sad part. The public never really knew all the great stuff he did until after the guy died. How sad is that? Republicans & Democrats extolled his career in their highest regard. But publicly when he was living - they shredded him constantly. Part of the Kennedy 'curse'? Probably. My line this summer was that I had to give GW Bush 1 complement on his Presidency. And that was that he passed prescription drug coverage. It wasn't perfect, but it was a start. Well you know what? Come to find out - it was Teddy's bill. So now I still can't find anything to complement Bush on! And you all know that that actually makes me really really really happy, because giving that guy a complement was extremely difficult. It was like when you puke a little of something up in your mouth and swollow it back down again. Eeewwwwww - I know. But THAT was what it was like. And I did it more than once too with several witnesses! SOOOOO nobody can say that I don't at least try to get along with Republicans. Because I swollowed my puke more than once to try it just this summer! lol Teddy - rest in peace.
The topic of the summer was health care and the HR 3200 bill that Obama is promoting. There isn't 1 person you talk with that doesn't think our system needs changing. Everyone agrees on that point. But I think that is where the agreement ends - oh yes - it of course needs to be cheaper. Frustration set in when the emails started flowing about what was in the bill. False emails. One, in specific, included a link to the bill online. So I went there one day. The pdf file was 1,018 pages. At least it is double spaced. So I read 20 pages (before my 'natives' got restless). In those 20 pages alone I was able to negate 1/2 the email statements. I never did go back and read the rest. I probably should to be a fully in formed citizen and critic. However what is so frustrating is the time people take to make stuff up to stuff the internet with incorrect information. It inflames people for the wrong reasons. Then to talk about 'death panels' on top of it all? Right. People get mad when access to care is restricted or denied. But you know what??? It ALREADY IS. By your insurance company. I am not saying a government run system should exist. Usually government messes stuff up pretty badly. But would you rather have an insurance company restricting or denying coverage of a procedure or an elected official that can get booted out for their actions? Let's face it - a 99 year old person should not be receiving a quadruple by-pass. Not a popular thing to say - and if it were my parent on the table, it'd be the absolute last thing I'd want to hear. But is that a realistic procedure to be performing? No. It's not. Is it ethical? No. It's not. In my lovely state of MN, and this is not even under 3200, the Department of Health has decided to change how people can use and acquire long term health care services (nursing home/assisted living). But only if you are on Medicare. If you are, and the DOH doesn't believe you should be in one of these facilities, they will be asking you to leave and move - and they won't pay your bill. This is even if a Dr. doesn't agree with them. Even if the family doesn't agree with them. Even if the elderly person doesn't agree with them. And if you move back in within 6 months, the building who admits this person will be punished financially for taking them back. Now when have you ever seen people in nursing homes and assisted living facilities that shouldn't be there? People aren't exactly lining up, bombarding these places. Generally they are the last places people want to go. What could possibly save money in this scenario? If you know, please enlighten me. This is happening. It was passed this summer as a cost saving measure within the MN State budget. Now I know this isn't directly related to 3200, but you want to discuss limitation of services? We're there. And it's being done based on being POOR of all things. It violates civil rights completely. And you know what will happen when the DOH makes these actions? Elderly will end up in the hospital more, more ER visits and more homes burning. Is that cost saving? Nope. It's spending a whole bunch more. THAT is what happens when elderly do not receive the services needed. It's been proven. We know this. But we're willingly going down this road in the name of balancing the state budget. It's sick. I'll probably add to my FBI file for this one - be on some euthanasia listing too. That is completely NOT my point. There are some very taboo things to discuss regarding health care - like giving a 99 year old person a quadruple by-pass. But they DO need to be discussed. And until we discuss the hard stuff, true and complete reform won't happen and costs will still be high.
More on health care? Yes. The GOP has blasted 3200 from every angle they possibly can. And most of it is P&M-ing all the way. In this regard, I really do wish our system was a bit more like the Brits. Why doesn't the GOP put a bill on the table? They want reform as well, on their terms. Well, put in writing what you would agree to. Get an opposing bill on the table. One that is a bit more 'middle of the road' that Dems could agree to. That sucker passes - and you know what? You've just re-invigorated your party that seemed to be dead a few months ago. You've done what the party in the complete majority has failed to do & pledged to do. Pass reform. They could claim it. But they won't. They won't put a bill on the table - they'll P&M about 3200 and campaign that 'see, the dems can't get anything done when they're in the majority, so we deserve your vote.' routine. It's sick and sad. People want something done. And it doesn't happen just so these bozos can be re-elected. I am so proud.
More? Yes. Tort reform. It's required - and that's not a very Dem thing to say. But come on. When Docs pay over six figures a year just for mal-practice insurance something needs to change. And some ob-gyns pay upwards of $200k annually. Think of the insurance dollars saved - and therefore the less you'd need to pay Docs - where could that money be doing? Think of those possibilities. Wow. Completely mind-blowing.
More? No. I'm on to South Carolina Governor Mark Sanford and his mistress escapades in Argentina. I must say, I was so glad his wife Jenny refused to stand at his side. This was huge. Never in American history has a politician's wife NOT stood at the guy's side whilst publicly proclaiming his adulterous actions. GO JENNY. No woman should ever be asked to do that. Ever. And Mark needs to resign and pack up and move to Argentina & take his 'family values' with him (More than likely the dude campaigned on it - idiot.) Bon voyage!
Friday, August 28, 2009
Summer laziness??? I think not.
I've been MIA from blogging for about 3 months. Wow - how time flies! This summer wasn't even really SUMMER until week 2 of August... how sad it that? But the calendar keeps flippin' by none-the-less.
June - to the cabin once, parks, swimming in our small pool. K3 had 'issues' walking in grass barefoot. She really doesn't like to keep her shoes ON - that's #1. But #2, she'd then run around on her tippy toes. Great for the calf muscles! But she got over that before the month ended - it was cute. Took an overnight trip down to see my Grandma. She is 88 and still on the farm. She's got a rockin' garden in some old feed bunks. She couldn't plant anything else in there if she tried! It's wonderful - keeps her busy and more healthy. My oldest nephew graduated from highschool so his par-tay was in June. Amazing.
July - Parents' dog went to puppy heaven. Kids loved that pooch, so that was hard to explain. We went to the cabin twice. Had to bring long pants & footie PJs both times. The rule of thumb is that by July 4th, the top 3 feet of water is rather nice. But stick your toe deeper and it's a tad chilly. This year - this was definitely not the case. K1's tube blew out into the bay so I hopped in to swim after it. For the $2 it cost - I probably should have let it go! By the time I hopped in - the wind really kicked up and took it for a ride. I did get my exercise in that day - but the water was certainly not nice the top 3 feet. It MAYBE was good for 18 inches. At least my kids now know that Mommy can indeed swim! July was swimming lessons for all 3 kids. Those 2 weeks were crazy at our house since none of them were at the same time. Make supper, 1 lesson, home for early supper, back for 2 lessons back to back, home, shower & bed. K1 will need to re-do level 3 (very common) - but she improved sooooooo much that it was amazing! K2 had a great time as well and we even got him off the diving board this year. Next year he can start level 1 officially. K3 didn't do so hot at first. These were her first ones and since H did these with Ks 1 & 2, I got the lucky job this time. But we got her going and she does much better in the lake now too.
August - K2 is now 5 & will start preschool this year. School shopping done. K1 got the teacher she wanted so all's well in her world. K3 is talking up a storm - must've got that from her older sister because she certainly didn't get it from me! HA! Nephew headed off to college for football camp - ahhhhhh the dorm, opps, residence hall, days. So much FUN! Parents picked up a new puppy - Jett. He visited on K2's birthday - but I made it VERY clear that he was NOT a present. Maddie is enough - she would she have been pissed or what!!!
In the midst of all that was work. I've picked up more hours and am supposed to be putting in 2 days a week. Some weeks I make it - others I don't. One day I was very fortunate - sat in the lawn chair w/a laptop while the kids were in the pool. Can it get any better than that? Well, guess I could have had some fruity drink with an umbrella! I've worked while driving up to the cabin as well. With a 4 hour drive one way, a lot can get done. And with H egging me on "work a few hours up and back and that pays for our gas!" He's right - and I'm only sitting on my rear anyway!
Funny stories? K1 has a new chore list she created that inclues 'londry' - by the time the load was through it all & put away it'd cost me $12. The best bargain ever is 'eMty' the dishwasher for $0.25. THAT one I'll do! She'll be a shrewd business woman one day. She has informed me on a few occasions that she's going to work in a pet store. On a few other occasions, she has told me she's going to be President. That's quite a stretch!
K2 drove the cabbed loader tractor - and his life will never be the same. The earth, wind & stars are no longer enough if driving a tractor isn't an option. He drove around the corner by me, found it necessary to honk at me & then moved the loader up & down. According to him, his life is complete!
K3 is increasingly finding interest in going #1 and #2 on the toilet when it suits her. YEA! I've not pushed her, so we'll see if maybe this fall? But then again, we've still got the pacifiers to deal with and you shouldn't do more than 1 thing at a time.
Heading to the State Fair (can't eat anything that isn't on a stick baby!!) & to the cabin again soon. Thus officially signaling the end of the summer that just began. WAH.
Boogie's world is still a turnin' - just seems to be going much faster & with that cintrifugal force thing - I may be flingin' off!
June - to the cabin once, parks, swimming in our small pool. K3 had 'issues' walking in grass barefoot. She really doesn't like to keep her shoes ON - that's #1. But #2, she'd then run around on her tippy toes. Great for the calf muscles! But she got over that before the month ended - it was cute. Took an overnight trip down to see my Grandma. She is 88 and still on the farm. She's got a rockin' garden in some old feed bunks. She couldn't plant anything else in there if she tried! It's wonderful - keeps her busy and more healthy. My oldest nephew graduated from highschool so his par-tay was in June. Amazing.
July - Parents' dog went to puppy heaven. Kids loved that pooch, so that was hard to explain. We went to the cabin twice. Had to bring long pants & footie PJs both times. The rule of thumb is that by July 4th, the top 3 feet of water is rather nice. But stick your toe deeper and it's a tad chilly. This year - this was definitely not the case. K1's tube blew out into the bay so I hopped in to swim after it. For the $2 it cost - I probably should have let it go! By the time I hopped in - the wind really kicked up and took it for a ride. I did get my exercise in that day - but the water was certainly not nice the top 3 feet. It MAYBE was good for 18 inches. At least my kids now know that Mommy can indeed swim! July was swimming lessons for all 3 kids. Those 2 weeks were crazy at our house since none of them were at the same time. Make supper, 1 lesson, home for early supper, back for 2 lessons back to back, home, shower & bed. K1 will need to re-do level 3 (very common) - but she improved sooooooo much that it was amazing! K2 had a great time as well and we even got him off the diving board this year. Next year he can start level 1 officially. K3 didn't do so hot at first. These were her first ones and since H did these with Ks 1 & 2, I got the lucky job this time. But we got her going and she does much better in the lake now too.
August - K2 is now 5 & will start preschool this year. School shopping done. K1 got the teacher she wanted so all's well in her world. K3 is talking up a storm - must've got that from her older sister because she certainly didn't get it from me! HA! Nephew headed off to college for football camp - ahhhhhh the dorm, opps, residence hall, days. So much FUN! Parents picked up a new puppy - Jett. He visited on K2's birthday - but I made it VERY clear that he was NOT a present. Maddie is enough - she would she have been pissed or what!!!
In the midst of all that was work. I've picked up more hours and am supposed to be putting in 2 days a week. Some weeks I make it - others I don't. One day I was very fortunate - sat in the lawn chair w/a laptop while the kids were in the pool. Can it get any better than that? Well, guess I could have had some fruity drink with an umbrella! I've worked while driving up to the cabin as well. With a 4 hour drive one way, a lot can get done. And with H egging me on "work a few hours up and back and that pays for our gas!" He's right - and I'm only sitting on my rear anyway!
Funny stories? K1 has a new chore list she created that inclues 'londry' - by the time the load was through it all & put away it'd cost me $12. The best bargain ever is 'eMty' the dishwasher for $0.25. THAT one I'll do! She'll be a shrewd business woman one day. She has informed me on a few occasions that she's going to work in a pet store. On a few other occasions, she has told me she's going to be President. That's quite a stretch!
K2 drove the cabbed loader tractor - and his life will never be the same. The earth, wind & stars are no longer enough if driving a tractor isn't an option. He drove around the corner by me, found it necessary to honk at me & then moved the loader up & down. According to him, his life is complete!
K3 is increasingly finding interest in going #1 and #2 on the toilet when it suits her. YEA! I've not pushed her, so we'll see if maybe this fall? But then again, we've still got the pacifiers to deal with and you shouldn't do more than 1 thing at a time.
Heading to the State Fair (can't eat anything that isn't on a stick baby!!) & to the cabin again soon. Thus officially signaling the end of the summer that just began. WAH.
Boogie's world is still a turnin' - just seems to be going much faster & with that cintrifugal force thing - I may be flingin' off!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
What Kyle will wanna know when he grows up
Ode to little 18 mo. old Kyle...
You are so young that you did not 'really' know your Grandpa - or perhaps the better thought is that you won't remember him when you're older. You know his smile & his hugs. That's the best part. When you're older, you'll see pictures. You'll hear stories. So I thought I'd write down a few things for you to add to the collection. You see, me & your Mom grew up together - we were sisters in every sense ~ except the 'real' sense of the word. Your Grandpa, was my "Dad #2".
Your Grandpa was a quirky ordinary 'joe' kind of guy. He could talk your ear off when it suited him. He knew lots of little things about lots of stuff. He was a quantity man. He knew everyone in the neighborhood. From the second they moved in. Know why? Because he walked his dog... a LOT. Even when it was butt cold out. Whenever something was going on - he knew about it. The cops would call HIM to see if HE saw something suspicious in the area. That's a great neighbor to have... but not if you wanna throw a house party. We never tried that - your Grandpa would have busted us after the 2nd car arrived. AND he had direct instructions from my parents to call the cops ASAP. AND I knew my parents wouldn't have bailed me out of jail until I had sat there for at least 24 hours. Not a way to have fun - so we skipped that part. Now I'm gonna get your Mom in trouble if I continue on that line... so I'd best quit that!
Anyway - back to your Grandpa. When he was outside; he had a cup of coffee in 1 hand, a cigarette in the other & a dog running around somewhere. If he wasn't outside, he was either: working, sleeping or eating. He liked to watch storms. I recall standing outside with him & your Mom watching tornadoes that were barely a mile away. That area was affectionately called 'tornado alley', and I wouldn't recommend that behavior to anyone.
He enjoyed scaring kids on Halloween. Haunting scary music played from inside the garage - on a cassette tape of all things (google it when you're older to see what that is). A mock-graveyard was in the front yard - with a few 'dummies' in the lawn chairs next to it. And I do recall a ghost or 2 hanging from a near-by tree.
What do I remember as the silliest? Well, ordering from a McDonald's drive-thru. Strange, I know - but true none-the-less. He'd ask 'what do you want?' Then proceed to order 1/2 the store for 4 people in the car. I never knew why he'd ask what I wanted in the first place because your Mom and I always ended up with laps full of food & not enough hands (or mouths or stomachs for that matter!) The 1st time this happened I laughed and said 'I can't eat all this!' The response 'Sure you can.' Did we ever finish it all? Nope. Was it fun? Yes. Was it FUNNY? YES!! What kid doesn't wanna be buried in McDonald's french fries???
So remember Kyle, when pictures come out - ask about the stories behind them too. They're fun. They're the best.
In the last weeks, it was you who brought joy to your Grandpa. He talked about you. He asked about you. He loved you. That you can take to the bank.
You are so young that you did not 'really' know your Grandpa - or perhaps the better thought is that you won't remember him when you're older. You know his smile & his hugs. That's the best part. When you're older, you'll see pictures. You'll hear stories. So I thought I'd write down a few things for you to add to the collection. You see, me & your Mom grew up together - we were sisters in every sense ~ except the 'real' sense of the word. Your Grandpa, was my "Dad #2".
Your Grandpa was a quirky ordinary 'joe' kind of guy. He could talk your ear off when it suited him. He knew lots of little things about lots of stuff. He was a quantity man. He knew everyone in the neighborhood. From the second they moved in. Know why? Because he walked his dog... a LOT. Even when it was butt cold out. Whenever something was going on - he knew about it. The cops would call HIM to see if HE saw something suspicious in the area. That's a great neighbor to have... but not if you wanna throw a house party. We never tried that - your Grandpa would have busted us after the 2nd car arrived. AND he had direct instructions from my parents to call the cops ASAP. AND I knew my parents wouldn't have bailed me out of jail until I had sat there for at least 24 hours. Not a way to have fun - so we skipped that part. Now I'm gonna get your Mom in trouble if I continue on that line... so I'd best quit that!
Anyway - back to your Grandpa. When he was outside; he had a cup of coffee in 1 hand, a cigarette in the other & a dog running around somewhere. If he wasn't outside, he was either: working, sleeping or eating. He liked to watch storms. I recall standing outside with him & your Mom watching tornadoes that were barely a mile away. That area was affectionately called 'tornado alley', and I wouldn't recommend that behavior to anyone.
He enjoyed scaring kids on Halloween. Haunting scary music played from inside the garage - on a cassette tape of all things (google it when you're older to see what that is). A mock-graveyard was in the front yard - with a few 'dummies' in the lawn chairs next to it. And I do recall a ghost or 2 hanging from a near-by tree.
What do I remember as the silliest? Well, ordering from a McDonald's drive-thru. Strange, I know - but true none-the-less. He'd ask 'what do you want?' Then proceed to order 1/2 the store for 4 people in the car. I never knew why he'd ask what I wanted in the first place because your Mom and I always ended up with laps full of food & not enough hands (or mouths or stomachs for that matter!) The 1st time this happened I laughed and said 'I can't eat all this!' The response 'Sure you can.' Did we ever finish it all? Nope. Was it fun? Yes. Was it FUNNY? YES!! What kid doesn't wanna be buried in McDonald's french fries???
So remember Kyle, when pictures come out - ask about the stories behind them too. They're fun. They're the best.
In the last weeks, it was you who brought joy to your Grandpa. He talked about you. He asked about you. He loved you. That you can take to the bank.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
State Budgets
Last count I've heard is that about 2/3rds of the states in the U.S. have budget deficits. It's not tough to figure out why: unemployment up = less revenue coming in the door. I, by no means, have the solution to these huge problems. However I do have a bit of insight. I believe there to be 2 areas that need to be investigated in regards to state spending. #1 - who receives unemployment. Laid off? Fine. Job eliminated? Fine. Fired? Nope. I think this is simple enough. The reason this comes to mind is interesting. Someone I know well had to fire someone who falsified documents IN FRONT OF a State official. This person was fired. This person now receives unemployment. This is completely and utterly ludicrous, absurd, ridiculous, disgraceful, obscene & offensive - and I cannot think of more adjectives to describe this at this time. If I could, I would definitely include them as well!
#2 - health plans for state/city workers. Pardon me - but who out there in the 'real world' has no co-pay on their health insurance? The state could save a TON of money by making their plans 'average' along with the rest of the working world. I am not saying cut the insurance to pieces, but come ON. Co-pays have been in the traditional realm for YEARS - in fact - for AT LEAST over a decade. WIth the number of employees - just think of the premiums the State could save. In just MN. Now multiply that by 50 and think of what the country could be saving. Wowzers.
In my last post - I ripped on the RNC and Rep office holders in general & specific power players. Including my Governor. He is at the top of my s*it list at the present time. He's not alone - all MN state reps and Senators are with him. My 'beef'? The handling, or not handling of the budget. Mr. Pawlenty has held a long stance of not increasing taxes. I get it. It's well known. But to take the stance 'Do it my way, or I'll do it for you'? I think that is beyond what we are prepared for and should EVER accept. The budget passed included raising taxes. And was passed at the 11th hour, so no hope of over-riding a veto. Now Mr. Pawlenty will be balancing the budget his way. Cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut - but no cuts to K-12 education because that is bad PR. So Yes, I am mad. I am mad at the House & Senate for trying to call Pawlenty's bluff. HELLO? Pass it in time to override his veto you idiots! (But make sure you've got the votes to begin with you morons.) I am mad. I am mad at Mr. Pawlenty for taking the 'my way or the highway' approach. This is the behavior of a dictator. NOT a democratically elected Governor. Talk about taking a lesson from George W. And no, that is not taking it too far. Really - are you comfortable having your Governor wielding that kind of power? I'm not. And I don't care what party s/he is a part of. If that is the way its gonna work - then why have a House and Senate to begin with? And that brings me to saving money #3.
#3 - Only have 1 body to the state legislature. (No House & Senate - just 1.) NE does it. Works great & saves a ton of money. Go check it out. It's do-able & plausible. Times that by 49 and think of what the country can save. Let's go!
You know - I think government in general would highly benefit from having average 'joes' looking at their budgets and hacking away at them. Once you get seated & engrained into the bureaucracy, it's tough to see what is 'normal' and what should be done. Perhaps this is an option... brings to mind the 1993 movie "Dave" with Kevin Kline impersonates the President. He has his accountant friend (Charles Grodin) go through the budget to see if $ for shelters can be 'found' so they won't have to close.
So there's my rantings for the day. We'll see if I can't find something 'nice' to write about next time!
#2 - health plans for state/city workers. Pardon me - but who out there in the 'real world' has no co-pay on their health insurance? The state could save a TON of money by making their plans 'average' along with the rest of the working world. I am not saying cut the insurance to pieces, but come ON. Co-pays have been in the traditional realm for YEARS - in fact - for AT LEAST over a decade. WIth the number of employees - just think of the premiums the State could save. In just MN. Now multiply that by 50 and think of what the country could be saving. Wowzers.
In my last post - I ripped on the RNC and Rep office holders in general & specific power players. Including my Governor. He is at the top of my s*it list at the present time. He's not alone - all MN state reps and Senators are with him. My 'beef'? The handling, or not handling of the budget. Mr. Pawlenty has held a long stance of not increasing taxes. I get it. It's well known. But to take the stance 'Do it my way, or I'll do it for you'? I think that is beyond what we are prepared for and should EVER accept. The budget passed included raising taxes. And was passed at the 11th hour, so no hope of over-riding a veto. Now Mr. Pawlenty will be balancing the budget his way. Cut cut cut cut cut cut cut cut - but no cuts to K-12 education because that is bad PR. So Yes, I am mad. I am mad at the House & Senate for trying to call Pawlenty's bluff. HELLO? Pass it in time to override his veto you idiots! (But make sure you've got the votes to begin with you morons.) I am mad. I am mad at Mr. Pawlenty for taking the 'my way or the highway' approach. This is the behavior of a dictator. NOT a democratically elected Governor. Talk about taking a lesson from George W. And no, that is not taking it too far. Really - are you comfortable having your Governor wielding that kind of power? I'm not. And I don't care what party s/he is a part of. If that is the way its gonna work - then why have a House and Senate to begin with? And that brings me to saving money #3.
#3 - Only have 1 body to the state legislature. (No House & Senate - just 1.) NE does it. Works great & saves a ton of money. Go check it out. It's do-able & plausible. Times that by 49 and think of what the country can save. Let's go!
You know - I think government in general would highly benefit from having average 'joes' looking at their budgets and hacking away at them. Once you get seated & engrained into the bureaucracy, it's tough to see what is 'normal' and what should be done. Perhaps this is an option... brings to mind the 1993 movie "Dave" with Kevin Kline impersonates the President. He has his accountant friend (Charles Grodin) go through the budget to see if $ for shelters can be 'found' so they won't have to close.
So there's my rantings for the day. We'll see if I can't find something 'nice' to write about next time!
Monday, May 11, 2009
The Republican Party
Welcome back? Well, I really haven't been gone, gone. Just not blogging. I 'discovered' Facebook - and am now a Mafia Wars addict. Wanna be in my Mafia? There's a time-sucker for you. But great fun none-the-less!
So my topic today: the Republican party. OK, from previous posts, you know I'm a rather hard-core Dem. And although I do not really agree with the 2 party system. It's what we've got. So I work with it. Frankly, when looking at France and Italy with multiple-party governments, I'm thankful. And considering the differences in their parties - the Dems & Reps are virtually the same. No joke. They laugh at our '2' party system. Because in their world, its only 1 party. Can you imagine the in-fighting then? But it certainly makes you stop and think a bit in the reality of the U.S., doesn't it?
My REAL issue is watching the decline and destruction of the Republican party. So it started a few years ago under the Bush regime. We can all agree to that. Little by little substance has been flitting away. When you hear pundits declare the Reps need saving - they are entirely correct. But the strange thing is that they seem to need saving from themselves. So you've got Gingrich, McCain & Cheney (& always Rush) all on the Sunday morning talk-show circuit you know the shit has hit the proverbial fan. And you know what? They didn't do the party any good by it. They're still bickering amoungst themselves today. I think one of the most respected Reps today is Colin Powell. Heck, if he ran as a Rep for President, even I would be hard-pressed not to cast my vote for the man. So what does Cheney do? Shred the man on national TV. Yep - that's great P.R. for the party man. Cheney should be kicked out of the party for being a key member involved in the party's demise. He shouldn't be allowed to publicly speak for them any longer. He helped wreck it. He's not the face to help fix it.
Let's go back 10 years. Gingrich drove me absolutely batty. But you know what? His rhetoric has mellowed and has become more... dare I call it....reasonable... in the last few years. Wow. A shock to my system. But you know what? The Reps need an infusion of young blood to keep the party vibrant. This will not come from a bunch of old, gray-haired, white men. It won't. Guaranteed. They're 'SSDD' (Same Shit Different Day).
What to do? Well, my absolute fav Ms. Palin, has certainly tried to keep her star in the limelight. And you know what? She's out there so much it makes me want to vomit. But that's no shocker to you. Do I think she's the one to 'save' the party? Nope. It's going to take someone a lot less polarizing. She's got the youth, spunk, and frankly the right x & y chromosomes. But to say there's a 'real' America and purposely try to split people over such mundane things? No. She's got a lot of prep work to do before she'll be the right one for this job. And for some reason, I don't think she'd listen to someone telling her to: quit the folksy hockey lipstick pitbull talk and have something intelligent flow from her red lips for a change.
So Bobby Jindal? You know - he's got the Michelle Bachman syndrome. He really shouldn't speak publicly...yet.
Tim Pawlenty? Yep. I can see him easily stepping onto the national stage. He knows his stuff. He shuts up when he should. Would he be successful at saving the party? I really don't know. But I do think he has a shot. Besides, then I wouldn't have to deal with him as my Governor anymore! Frankly I think he's done an OK job to date. But I don't agree with his cutting of spending regarding health & human services. I think how a society treats the less fortunate and those less able (elderly, mentally handicapped, disabled) is the true testiment of its character. To keep cutting programs putting these people at risk, in my opinion, is disgraceful. That's my 'beef' - and the reason I wouldn't want Mr. Pawlenty trekking around the national arena. He's already negatively effected 1 state in this manner, we do not need him kicking the other 49 down too.
So there you go - the Reps have a loooooong way to go. And you know - as long as they stay unorganized and bickering amoungst themselves - the Dems have another shot at 2012 too. It's all good! So keep it up Cheney, Rush, Gingrich & McCain.... oh, and I forgot Mr. Steele. He's a good one to keep talking for this point! Oh, and thanks from all the Dems you'll help in the 2010 election cycle too.
So my topic today: the Republican party. OK, from previous posts, you know I'm a rather hard-core Dem. And although I do not really agree with the 2 party system. It's what we've got. So I work with it. Frankly, when looking at France and Italy with multiple-party governments, I'm thankful. And considering the differences in their parties - the Dems & Reps are virtually the same. No joke. They laugh at our '2' party system. Because in their world, its only 1 party. Can you imagine the in-fighting then? But it certainly makes you stop and think a bit in the reality of the U.S., doesn't it?
My REAL issue is watching the decline and destruction of the Republican party. So it started a few years ago under the Bush regime. We can all agree to that. Little by little substance has been flitting away. When you hear pundits declare the Reps need saving - they are entirely correct. But the strange thing is that they seem to need saving from themselves. So you've got Gingrich, McCain & Cheney (& always Rush) all on the Sunday morning talk-show circuit you know the shit has hit the proverbial fan. And you know what? They didn't do the party any good by it. They're still bickering amoungst themselves today. I think one of the most respected Reps today is Colin Powell. Heck, if he ran as a Rep for President, even I would be hard-pressed not to cast my vote for the man. So what does Cheney do? Shred the man on national TV. Yep - that's great P.R. for the party man. Cheney should be kicked out of the party for being a key member involved in the party's demise. He shouldn't be allowed to publicly speak for them any longer. He helped wreck it. He's not the face to help fix it.
Let's go back 10 years. Gingrich drove me absolutely batty. But you know what? His rhetoric has mellowed and has become more... dare I call it....reasonable... in the last few years. Wow. A shock to my system. But you know what? The Reps need an infusion of young blood to keep the party vibrant. This will not come from a bunch of old, gray-haired, white men. It won't. Guaranteed. They're 'SSDD' (Same Shit Different Day).
What to do? Well, my absolute fav Ms. Palin, has certainly tried to keep her star in the limelight. And you know what? She's out there so much it makes me want to vomit. But that's no shocker to you. Do I think she's the one to 'save' the party? Nope. It's going to take someone a lot less polarizing. She's got the youth, spunk, and frankly the right x & y chromosomes. But to say there's a 'real' America and purposely try to split people over such mundane things? No. She's got a lot of prep work to do before she'll be the right one for this job. And for some reason, I don't think she'd listen to someone telling her to: quit the folksy hockey lipstick pitbull talk and have something intelligent flow from her red lips for a change.
So Bobby Jindal? You know - he's got the Michelle Bachman syndrome. He really shouldn't speak publicly...yet.
Tim Pawlenty? Yep. I can see him easily stepping onto the national stage. He knows his stuff. He shuts up when he should. Would he be successful at saving the party? I really don't know. But I do think he has a shot. Besides, then I wouldn't have to deal with him as my Governor anymore! Frankly I think he's done an OK job to date. But I don't agree with his cutting of spending regarding health & human services. I think how a society treats the less fortunate and those less able (elderly, mentally handicapped, disabled) is the true testiment of its character. To keep cutting programs putting these people at risk, in my opinion, is disgraceful. That's my 'beef' - and the reason I wouldn't want Mr. Pawlenty trekking around the national arena. He's already negatively effected 1 state in this manner, we do not need him kicking the other 49 down too.
So there you go - the Reps have a loooooong way to go. And you know - as long as they stay unorganized and bickering amoungst themselves - the Dems have another shot at 2012 too. It's all good! So keep it up Cheney, Rush, Gingrich & McCain.... oh, and I forgot Mr. Steele. He's a good one to keep talking for this point! Oh, and thanks from all the Dems you'll help in the 2010 election cycle too.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Why don't 'they' tell you....
I have most recently realized that so many things 'they' tell you either are a complete lie - or something is conveniently omitted. Why is this? Really, it would make things a lot easier if we all knew the real deal from the git go.
Let's start with childhood. The 'fair' thing. Nothing is 'fair'. To help my kids through this, I tell them 'Life isn't fair.' when they say 'That's not fair!'. Maybe they'll get that before their 18 & then into adulthood. I hope so anyway.
Zits. Remember all the people telling you that when you are older, you don't get them anymore? WHY lie like that? They're part of life. They suck. Get on with it - but don't tell adolescent kids they'll go away when they don't.
Childbirth. "The pain just disappears as soon as they put your baby in your arms - I don't remember it." LIE. LIE, LIE, LIE, LIE, LIE, LIE, LIE. Come on people. I've had 2 with drugs and 1 without. You don't forget 1 little second of the pain involved. And that, my friends, is the truth. And no, the pain does NOT 'disappear'. You're in pain for a while after the fact also. Oh, and that part 'they' don't tell you either. The more children you have, the WORSE the after-pains are. I think those were almost worse than labor. But nobody talks about THAT in all your childbirth books or classes.
Car sales people. They make a living trying to screw people, and you're supposed to enjoy it ... AND tell your friends too! Sluts.
If a kid gets in trouble, more often than not, it is for retaliation due to the 1st offender. The retaliator usually gets caught - don't cave in. So hit first. Yep - that's the lesson nobody tells you - and that I won't be teaching my kids either. Except the part about not retaliating... unless you're POSITIVE you won't get caught. Who wants bullies for kids?
There are more... I just can't think of them now. I'll have to post on this one again - and hey - add your own!
Let's start with childhood. The 'fair' thing. Nothing is 'fair'. To help my kids through this, I tell them 'Life isn't fair.' when they say 'That's not fair!'. Maybe they'll get that before their 18 & then into adulthood. I hope so anyway.
Zits. Remember all the people telling you that when you are older, you don't get them anymore? WHY lie like that? They're part of life. They suck. Get on with it - but don't tell adolescent kids they'll go away when they don't.
Childbirth. "The pain just disappears as soon as they put your baby in your arms - I don't remember it." LIE. LIE, LIE, LIE, LIE, LIE, LIE, LIE. Come on people. I've had 2 with drugs and 1 without. You don't forget 1 little second of the pain involved. And that, my friends, is the truth. And no, the pain does NOT 'disappear'. You're in pain for a while after the fact also. Oh, and that part 'they' don't tell you either. The more children you have, the WORSE the after-pains are. I think those were almost worse than labor. But nobody talks about THAT in all your childbirth books or classes.
Car sales people. They make a living trying to screw people, and you're supposed to enjoy it ... AND tell your friends too! Sluts.
If a kid gets in trouble, more often than not, it is for retaliation due to the 1st offender. The retaliator usually gets caught - don't cave in. So hit first. Yep - that's the lesson nobody tells you - and that I won't be teaching my kids either. Except the part about not retaliating... unless you're POSITIVE you won't get caught. Who wants bullies for kids?
There are more... I just can't think of them now. I'll have to post on this one again - and hey - add your own!
Friday, February 13, 2009
Life-Suckers
What is my deal?
Increasingly I am finding that I really may not 'work well with others.' Doesn't that just take ya back to Elementary school? I believe my problem is working on too many committees where people don't DO anything. They're on a committee just to be on one, in name only. And they complain...a lot. I think that may be their entire reason for sitting on a committee - to b*t*h. Know anyone like this? I call them "Life-Suckers". They show up and SSSHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPP - suck the life right outtta ya.
Truly my issue is probably sitting on committees for too long - back to back terms. I have a year left on the one that is my present life-sucker issue - and I am not sure I can make it. If I do make it - it'll be with A TON of self-conversing prior to and post meetings. Is this why I got involved? Nope. Do I like it anymore? Heck no. If I pull out now will I be OK with that? No. And that's MY issue. I committed to 3 years. I said I would. Now I need to do it. Will I go insane? Probably. You will have to help H out when that happens. Notice I said when and not if. Will I P&M the whole year? Probably. And most specifically after each meeting.
So all of you out there on committees - for any reason what-so-ever. Evaluate what the heck you're doing there. If you aren't doing anything, then: step aside, get off the committee & let others get the work done without your b*t*hing.
Whew. I feel better. Think I can say this to my committee?
Nope.
But I'd REALLY REALLY REALLY like to.
Increasingly I am finding that I really may not 'work well with others.' Doesn't that just take ya back to Elementary school? I believe my problem is working on too many committees where people don't DO anything. They're on a committee just to be on one, in name only. And they complain...a lot. I think that may be their entire reason for sitting on a committee - to b*t*h. Know anyone like this? I call them "Life-Suckers". They show up and SSSHHHHHHHOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPPPPPP - suck the life right outtta ya.
Truly my issue is probably sitting on committees for too long - back to back terms. I have a year left on the one that is my present life-sucker issue - and I am not sure I can make it. If I do make it - it'll be with A TON of self-conversing prior to and post meetings. Is this why I got involved? Nope. Do I like it anymore? Heck no. If I pull out now will I be OK with that? No. And that's MY issue. I committed to 3 years. I said I would. Now I need to do it. Will I go insane? Probably. You will have to help H out when that happens. Notice I said when and not if. Will I P&M the whole year? Probably. And most specifically after each meeting.
So all of you out there on committees - for any reason what-so-ever. Evaluate what the heck you're doing there. If you aren't doing anything, then: step aside, get off the committee & let others get the work done without your b*t*hing.
Whew. I feel better. Think I can say this to my committee?
Nope.
But I'd REALLY REALLY REALLY like to.
Saturday, February 7, 2009
Bocko Mama
Our President's name is "Backo Mama".
It's true!
K3 said so. And really, how do you argue with a kid during their terrible 2s? You don't. Not really - you persuade them to change their mind. Basic bribery works well. And that is the generally accepted rule of thumb. One thing that works in your favor? Small children do not have a very long attention span and can very easily get into something else with just a mention of 1 word. The trouble? When the attention span lengthens and they don't forget what they really wanted to begin with. Then what? Tantrum time. Good times...good times.
I just finished previewing 'Camp Rock' for K1. Do I or don't I let her watch it is the question. We have issues here regarding the fact that kids grow up too fast and culture doesn't help. But I am torn - the message is good "Be yourself, don't lie & be proud of who you are." Basic stuff. Good stuff that never goes out of style. But does a 1st grader need to see a few scenes of scantily clad 'high-schoolers' shaking their booties in a questionable manner? This is a much different question of 'would she like the movie.' The latter answer is YES. Therefore, I am still deciding.
Renovations stink
There is a reason why we build from scratch. We are putting laminate flooring over our kitchen & dining room vinyl floor. Stuff like this always takes much longer than you think it will or should. H was busy all day working on this. Our china hutch & dining room table & chairs are in the living room. There is hardly any room to walk. Our kitchen stove is sitting in the foyer. I am thinking it looks nice there. Perhaps it'll stay there. I have also forgotten how icky it is to hear pounding of a hammer or the saws screeching all the time. And we weren't even home most the day to listen to the majority of it. I suppose time does heal all wounds! Needless to say, I will be glad when the entire process is done & all furniture is back in its original locale.
Ks and I went to the community center (CC) bright and early this morning to give H some much needed 'empty house' time for the flooring project. CCs are so great. You go in, you let the kids run & scream their heads off for 2 hours, have lunch & their fav 4-star fast food empire, and they crash - BOOM - hard. Then it's peace & quiet all the way home.... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Lovely. Good times.... REALLY good times!
Today, though - I was brave (or stupid, I'm not sure which yet). I took them piano shopping. This was probably not the smartest decision I've made. But it was sure fun! I am certain the store was praising & thanking God when we left. So I think we can also classify it as a 'mission trip'. We were connecting people with their Lord - what's not missionary about that?? Doing God's work can be fun too! On to the pianos - I'd most certainly LOVE a baby grand. They are so beautiful. And hey - we do have the room for one. So that excuse doesn't apply. However, we all know this won't be happening at this juncture. It would probably only happen if we won the lotto. And the odds of that completely suck. So l am shopping realisticly. I did find one within a price range even H can agree upon. But it'll wait another month. Now to shop for people who give lessons...
It's true!
K3 said so. And really, how do you argue with a kid during their terrible 2s? You don't. Not really - you persuade them to change their mind. Basic bribery works well. And that is the generally accepted rule of thumb. One thing that works in your favor? Small children do not have a very long attention span and can very easily get into something else with just a mention of 1 word. The trouble? When the attention span lengthens and they don't forget what they really wanted to begin with. Then what? Tantrum time. Good times...good times.
I just finished previewing 'Camp Rock' for K1. Do I or don't I let her watch it is the question. We have issues here regarding the fact that kids grow up too fast and culture doesn't help. But I am torn - the message is good "Be yourself, don't lie & be proud of who you are." Basic stuff. Good stuff that never goes out of style. But does a 1st grader need to see a few scenes of scantily clad 'high-schoolers' shaking their booties in a questionable manner? This is a much different question of 'would she like the movie.' The latter answer is YES. Therefore, I am still deciding.
Renovations stink
There is a reason why we build from scratch. We are putting laminate flooring over our kitchen & dining room vinyl floor. Stuff like this always takes much longer than you think it will or should. H was busy all day working on this. Our china hutch & dining room table & chairs are in the living room. There is hardly any room to walk. Our kitchen stove is sitting in the foyer. I am thinking it looks nice there. Perhaps it'll stay there. I have also forgotten how icky it is to hear pounding of a hammer or the saws screeching all the time. And we weren't even home most the day to listen to the majority of it. I suppose time does heal all wounds! Needless to say, I will be glad when the entire process is done & all furniture is back in its original locale.
Ks and I went to the community center (CC) bright and early this morning to give H some much needed 'empty house' time for the flooring project. CCs are so great. You go in, you let the kids run & scream their heads off for 2 hours, have lunch & their fav 4-star fast food empire, and they crash - BOOM - hard. Then it's peace & quiet all the way home.... ahhhhhhhhhhhhhh. Lovely. Good times.... REALLY good times!
Today, though - I was brave (or stupid, I'm not sure which yet). I took them piano shopping. This was probably not the smartest decision I've made. But it was sure fun! I am certain the store was praising & thanking God when we left. So I think we can also classify it as a 'mission trip'. We were connecting people with their Lord - what's not missionary about that?? Doing God's work can be fun too! On to the pianos - I'd most certainly LOVE a baby grand. They are so beautiful. And hey - we do have the room for one. So that excuse doesn't apply. However, we all know this won't be happening at this juncture. It would probably only happen if we won the lotto. And the odds of that completely suck. So l am shopping realisticly. I did find one within a price range even H can agree upon. But it'll wait another month. Now to shop for people who give lessons...
Sunday, February 1, 2009
Something a mother should never hear from her children...
"Whew.... Mommy, I'm hot in the sack."
This is a direct quote from my son, K2. He was hopping around in the 'gunnysack' king size jersey pillowcases from my previous post - and this came out of his mouth. I laughed so hard, it of course became a game & then it was said many times. Something a mother should never hear from her child, but it was still funny & therefore must be shared.
It's been a crazy week. Not a typical 'at-home-Mom' week. I only had 1.5 'normal' days. And if I wouldn't have said 'no', it would have only been 'normal' for a 1/2 day. I am so glad I said no. I need to remember that feeling. Why is it that women have a difficult time of saying no when asked to do something? Probably a whole lot of psychological babble can account for this phenomena, and I am not certain I care to evaluate myself to that degree in a public arena! Feel free to email me your comments & we'll see what we can come up with. However, I do believe one portion can be related to flattery - I think women underestimate their full capabilities and when someone believes they can move a part of the world - well then its 'bring it on! Let's try that one!' But that's as far as I'll go here.
So I wasn't 'just a Mom' last week. I have to say, parts of that were completely great. Other parts were interesting - like just how much I missed my Ks. I don't recall this happening when I was a 'working Mom'. Is it because I know them better now? Is it because I value the time more? Is it because I am getting old and senile? Is it because I was PMSing & emotional? Is it because I'm finally ready to take the ride to the loony bin? I don't know - you take your pick. I just found it interesting.
This week isn't about to get a whole lot better - but at least I'll be home more. Just working from home, which is a great gig if you can get it. Now we'll just have to see exactly how much trouble K3 will get into when I'm engaged in work. She's a climber. She moves chairs and stools around to get to stuff she wants (the treat cupboard, the pantry, the pen holder, chapstick, lotion, soap, anything in the kitchen sink, digging into K1's room, jumping on K2s bed & the list goes on). She loves the phone and wants to carry it everywhere. She's trouble. So we'll see what I actually can get accomplished. I fear the answer will be -
nothing
This is a direct quote from my son, K2. He was hopping around in the 'gunnysack' king size jersey pillowcases from my previous post - and this came out of his mouth. I laughed so hard, it of course became a game & then it was said many times. Something a mother should never hear from her child, but it was still funny & therefore must be shared.
It's been a crazy week. Not a typical 'at-home-Mom' week. I only had 1.5 'normal' days. And if I wouldn't have said 'no', it would have only been 'normal' for a 1/2 day. I am so glad I said no. I need to remember that feeling. Why is it that women have a difficult time of saying no when asked to do something? Probably a whole lot of psychological babble can account for this phenomena, and I am not certain I care to evaluate myself to that degree in a public arena! Feel free to email me your comments & we'll see what we can come up with. However, I do believe one portion can be related to flattery - I think women underestimate their full capabilities and when someone believes they can move a part of the world - well then its 'bring it on! Let's try that one!' But that's as far as I'll go here.
So I wasn't 'just a Mom' last week. I have to say, parts of that were completely great. Other parts were interesting - like just how much I missed my Ks. I don't recall this happening when I was a 'working Mom'. Is it because I know them better now? Is it because I value the time more? Is it because I am getting old and senile? Is it because I was PMSing & emotional? Is it because I'm finally ready to take the ride to the loony bin? I don't know - you take your pick. I just found it interesting.
This week isn't about to get a whole lot better - but at least I'll be home more. Just working from home, which is a great gig if you can get it. Now we'll just have to see exactly how much trouble K3 will get into when I'm engaged in work. She's a climber. She moves chairs and stools around to get to stuff she wants (the treat cupboard, the pantry, the pen holder, chapstick, lotion, soap, anything in the kitchen sink, digging into K1's room, jumping on K2s bed & the list goes on). She loves the phone and wants to carry it everywhere. She's trouble. So we'll see what I actually can get accomplished. I fear the answer will be -
nothing
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Why is it
that when a woman shops and finds a good deal, it almost feels like you've won the freakin' lottery? I don't know why this is, but I most certainly know it is true. We picked up a king size bed (ALLELUIA) in December. This has been coming down the pike a looooooong time. So I bought 2 sets of new sheets last fall - prior to even shopping for the new matress. Those 2 sets were great deals. 1 was a jersey knit set for $12. Yes, you read that right. I was over the moon at finding a king size set of sheets for $12! The other set was 450 thread count damask for $35. Again, a great deal (both were found the same day in the same store.) Finding 1 of those deals is enough to make my entire week and I had found them on the same day! It was cool. Then we got the bed. And the jersey knit ones didn't go over so well with H. So now I think they'll become fort-making ingredients - & the pillow cases used for gunnysack jumping around the house.
So we were still short a set of sheets. Last Sunday night I was researching sheet prices online, again, refreshing my memory. Reading product reviews is always interesting. The one that I really liked the best was for "wrinkle free sheets". REALLY? People honestly believe there is such a thing? Do they actually LAY on their sheets? All I know is that once you sleep on them they look a wrinkled up anyway, so what is the point of that? And don't you cover them up with a blanket & comforter/quilt anyway? You don't even SEE them. This 1 lady was upset she had to go IRON her sheets. Now anyone who knows me knows that an iron has only resided in my home for less than a year and it was only used 1 time since (for a craft project). It is stored on the highest shelf in my house and I can't see it on a daily basis. I am in complete denial that it is really even here. So ironing a shirt is completely out of the question... let alone SHEETS. Why someone would do this is really and truly beyond me. They obviously have WAY too much time on their hands. If you know someone who does, in fact, do this - please tell me what the 'big idea' is. And if YOU do this? You must gimmie a call because you need some talking to!!!
Anyway, back to my online search for sheets. I was hunting for high thread count. OK, got what a 'deal' would be - done. Went shopping Monday and the deal of the week appeared for me again...at the same store the others were. I love that store and I've loved that store for over 30 years. Granted these babies were on clearance, but holy moly. I got... get this... I got 1,000 thread count sheets (yes, 1,000) for $49. $49!!! You know I still can't believe it. And they're light blue. For $49 they could have been some god-awful color and I probably STILL would have bought the darn things. But light blue is easily handled here. And H. His 1st comment was, God love him, 'But will they match?' Hehehehe. As he frequently likes to point out to me, you are sleeping & its dark in the bedroom - WHO CARES. A set of sheets that we've used for the past 11.5 years never matched for Pete's sake. It's still cute.
So my deal of the week is still great. I will probably love this deal for a loooooong time. I'll be telling my grandkids about this deal.
So we were still short a set of sheets. Last Sunday night I was researching sheet prices online, again, refreshing my memory. Reading product reviews is always interesting. The one that I really liked the best was for "wrinkle free sheets". REALLY? People honestly believe there is such a thing? Do they actually LAY on their sheets? All I know is that once you sleep on them they look a wrinkled up anyway, so what is the point of that? And don't you cover them up with a blanket & comforter/quilt anyway? You don't even SEE them. This 1 lady was upset she had to go IRON her sheets. Now anyone who knows me knows that an iron has only resided in my home for less than a year and it was only used 1 time since (for a craft project). It is stored on the highest shelf in my house and I can't see it on a daily basis. I am in complete denial that it is really even here. So ironing a shirt is completely out of the question... let alone SHEETS. Why someone would do this is really and truly beyond me. They obviously have WAY too much time on their hands. If you know someone who does, in fact, do this - please tell me what the 'big idea' is. And if YOU do this? You must gimmie a call because you need some talking to!!!
Anyway, back to my online search for sheets. I was hunting for high thread count. OK, got what a 'deal' would be - done. Went shopping Monday and the deal of the week appeared for me again...at the same store the others were. I love that store and I've loved that store for over 30 years. Granted these babies were on clearance, but holy moly. I got... get this... I got 1,000 thread count sheets (yes, 1,000) for $49. $49!!! You know I still can't believe it. And they're light blue. For $49 they could have been some god-awful color and I probably STILL would have bought the darn things. But light blue is easily handled here. And H. His 1st comment was, God love him, 'But will they match?' Hehehehe. As he frequently likes to point out to me, you are sleeping & its dark in the bedroom - WHO CARES. A set of sheets that we've used for the past 11.5 years never matched for Pete's sake. It's still cute.
So my deal of the week is still great. I will probably love this deal for a loooooong time. I'll be telling my grandkids about this deal.
Friday, January 16, 2009
A new way to keep your youth...?
Vanity. It is an interesting concept. Americans are facinated in trying to look 25 when they're 75. Look at Hollywood: Cher, Dolly Parton, Joan Rivers, Joan Collins...OK most of these are examples of cases going bad. But you catch my drift.
So here I am in my mid-30s. Yeah, I've got some gray hair. Pregnancy does that to you. It sucks all your vitamins and minerals from your body & puts them to your baby. So all your lovely, natural hair color vitamins leave & gray hair sets in. This, I am surprisingly OK with. Like the 'war wounds' of stretch marks. Gray hair is my battle scar. I made the decision a few years ago to 'go with the flow' on the gray hair thing. Au natural. Let it be. Perhaps I am OK with this because my hair is lighter and the gray isn't noticeable unless you know its there. Oh, and in the summer when my hair is naturally sun-streaked, you can't see it at all. But I do kinda have the Jay Leno thing going on - a patch at my cowlick on my forehead. So now you know exactly where to look when I see you again! Or maybe the reason is that I wouldn't get my roots done when I should - and gray roots sticking out is ickyer than just having the gray hair to begin with. I dunno. But I'm sticking to my 1st story...I like it better...and I can!
So here I am on Wednesday, getting a retainer. For my teeth. I never had braces or retainers growing up. Nope, lucky me & I had great teeth until 2 years ago. I did not know that your teeth kept moving around as you age. For me, they kept squishing together, so my bottom teeth started getting crooked as they had no other spaces to take up. Some people spend thousands of dollars to have straight teeth. Neither I, nor my parents had to go down that road. And I certainly didn't want to go down that road in my 40s. So here I am in retainer-ville. I shook my head in disbelief all the way to the dentist office on Wednesday. I even expressed my dismay in the office. The response was 'Hey - it could be a new way of looking and feeling younger.' Well this really isn't 'me'. (As evidenced by the gray hair thing above.) To me, 'feeling young' is a mental state - I reach this several times daily acting silly with my kids. I certainly don't need a retainer to feel young. And really, the retainer doesn't make me feel young at all. If anything, it makes me feel OLD. But for those of you out there who need a kick - it may work for you! If you try it, you'll have to let me know if it 'worked' for ya.
So here I am in my mid-30s. Yeah, I've got some gray hair. Pregnancy does that to you. It sucks all your vitamins and minerals from your body & puts them to your baby. So all your lovely, natural hair color vitamins leave & gray hair sets in. This, I am surprisingly OK with. Like the 'war wounds' of stretch marks. Gray hair is my battle scar. I made the decision a few years ago to 'go with the flow' on the gray hair thing. Au natural. Let it be. Perhaps I am OK with this because my hair is lighter and the gray isn't noticeable unless you know its there. Oh, and in the summer when my hair is naturally sun-streaked, you can't see it at all. But I do kinda have the Jay Leno thing going on - a patch at my cowlick on my forehead. So now you know exactly where to look when I see you again! Or maybe the reason is that I wouldn't get my roots done when I should - and gray roots sticking out is ickyer than just having the gray hair to begin with. I dunno. But I'm sticking to my 1st story...I like it better...and I can!
So here I am on Wednesday, getting a retainer. For my teeth. I never had braces or retainers growing up. Nope, lucky me & I had great teeth until 2 years ago. I did not know that your teeth kept moving around as you age. For me, they kept squishing together, so my bottom teeth started getting crooked as they had no other spaces to take up. Some people spend thousands of dollars to have straight teeth. Neither I, nor my parents had to go down that road. And I certainly didn't want to go down that road in my 40s. So here I am in retainer-ville. I shook my head in disbelief all the way to the dentist office on Wednesday. I even expressed my dismay in the office. The response was 'Hey - it could be a new way of looking and feeling younger.' Well this really isn't 'me'. (As evidenced by the gray hair thing above.) To me, 'feeling young' is a mental state - I reach this several times daily acting silly with my kids. I certainly don't need a retainer to feel young. And really, the retainer doesn't make me feel young at all. If anything, it makes me feel OLD. But for those of you out there who need a kick - it may work for you! If you try it, you'll have to let me know if it 'worked' for ya.
Monday, January 12, 2009
Puke, boogers & infections
Ahhhhh the joys of parenthood. You aren't a parent unless you've had ALL your child's bodily fluids & solids placed upon your body in some way, shape or form. And the great part is telling the stories about it. Really, that is the only great part. But depending on the scenario, they can be funny too.
K2 excavated a booger this evening. He proudly showed it to me on his index finger. Nice job bud! OK, it's almost PJ time, your woobie is dirty, put it on there while we finish this scene in the movie & we'll get a clean one in 2 minutes when jammies go on. OK in theory, right? Next - remember the old 'Here's the church, here's the steeple, open the doors & see all the people' game? Next time I look down at K2, who is sitting on my lap on the floor, he's got the steeple all set up.
"Hey Mom, did you know that when you get the steeple up, a booger can hold the top together?"
"What? Show me what you've got there."
Index fingers slowly part & the booger is indeed there - & it held the steeple up.
Nice.
And funny.
Puke. K1 started in on Saturday evening. We thought she was done because we had nothing on Sunday...until 4. Gotta stay home from school Monday with that one. But at least it all made it into the infamous 'bucket' this go-round. YEA!
Prior to the puke-fest, K1 was playing with those plastic dress up shoes. We've had them for years without incident. Until now. I have no idea how long she was wearing them. But on her left big toe a blister formed & popped. Sunday night we had red streaking up her foot - infection. So off to the Dr. this morning. I had a quite brilliant idea - since we'd yet to have any 'real' food down. I thought she could get her 1st dose of antibiotics as an injection at the Dr. office. I even prepped the kid. Of course, what child wants a shot. So then I told her:
"You wanna keep your toe or do you want it cut off?"
"Well YEA I want my toe!"
"It's your toe, or a shot. Your choice." Because that IS the bottom line here.
"Well I guess a shot isn't so bad."
Ya think????
Well, this isn't how it works. Nope. No go. We would have to go in daily for injections. Not going to happen. We were able to wait until this evening after getting real food to stay down to take her antibiotics - and all stayed down... so far. I'll keep you posted there because I know that you really wanna hear more puke stories. Color & consistency can be discussed by email or phone - your choice. hehehe.
I must say, K1 did a most excellent job at the Dr. office. Her poor toe looked rather bad and she put up with poking, prodding, squeezing (all to get 4 cultures), and didn't say or do anything to the Dr. And yes, I did say 4, FOUR cultures. OK, I realize you wanna avoid false-positives, but 4???? And people wonder why health care costs are so high. Jeez.
So all this health stuff was on top of a little renovation weekend here. H texturized the stairwell to the basement, primed & painted it. I painted a few walls in our TV room in the basement as well. Now our basement STINKS. The stairwell stinks bad enough that we haven't been down there much to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Note to self, only do this stuff when windows can be opened and we can ventilate without letting in below zero air. So the stairwell does need another coat of paint. I say, wait until the deep freeze is done. We'll see. The good part is, well I guess it could be part of the problem too, we have in-floor heat so that the stink doesn't get really circulated through the house. Live & learn.
K2 excavated a booger this evening. He proudly showed it to me on his index finger. Nice job bud! OK, it's almost PJ time, your woobie is dirty, put it on there while we finish this scene in the movie & we'll get a clean one in 2 minutes when jammies go on. OK in theory, right? Next - remember the old 'Here's the church, here's the steeple, open the doors & see all the people' game? Next time I look down at K2, who is sitting on my lap on the floor, he's got the steeple all set up.
"Hey Mom, did you know that when you get the steeple up, a booger can hold the top together?"
"What? Show me what you've got there."
Index fingers slowly part & the booger is indeed there - & it held the steeple up.
Nice.
And funny.
Puke. K1 started in on Saturday evening. We thought she was done because we had nothing on Sunday...until 4. Gotta stay home from school Monday with that one. But at least it all made it into the infamous 'bucket' this go-round. YEA!
Prior to the puke-fest, K1 was playing with those plastic dress up shoes. We've had them for years without incident. Until now. I have no idea how long she was wearing them. But on her left big toe a blister formed & popped. Sunday night we had red streaking up her foot - infection. So off to the Dr. this morning. I had a quite brilliant idea - since we'd yet to have any 'real' food down. I thought she could get her 1st dose of antibiotics as an injection at the Dr. office. I even prepped the kid. Of course, what child wants a shot. So then I told her:
"You wanna keep your toe or do you want it cut off?"
"Well YEA I want my toe!"
"It's your toe, or a shot. Your choice." Because that IS the bottom line here.
"Well I guess a shot isn't so bad."
Ya think????
Well, this isn't how it works. Nope. No go. We would have to go in daily for injections. Not going to happen. We were able to wait until this evening after getting real food to stay down to take her antibiotics - and all stayed down... so far. I'll keep you posted there because I know that you really wanna hear more puke stories. Color & consistency can be discussed by email or phone - your choice. hehehe.
I must say, K1 did a most excellent job at the Dr. office. Her poor toe looked rather bad and she put up with poking, prodding, squeezing (all to get 4 cultures), and didn't say or do anything to the Dr. And yes, I did say 4, FOUR cultures. OK, I realize you wanna avoid false-positives, but 4???? And people wonder why health care costs are so high. Jeez.
So all this health stuff was on top of a little renovation weekend here. H texturized the stairwell to the basement, primed & painted it. I painted a few walls in our TV room in the basement as well. Now our basement STINKS. The stairwell stinks bad enough that we haven't been down there much to enjoy the fruits of our labor. Note to self, only do this stuff when windows can be opened and we can ventilate without letting in below zero air. So the stairwell does need another coat of paint. I say, wait until the deep freeze is done. We'll see. The good part is, well I guess it could be part of the problem too, we have in-floor heat so that the stink doesn't get really circulated through the house. Live & learn.
Friday, January 9, 2009
Kids are the darndest things
So the saying goes 'Kids say the darndest things.' Yeah, they also DO the darndest things. So I just say 'Kids ARE the darndest things.' I don't mean 'things' as being derogatory here - but saying 'Kids are the darndest people' just looses something... a je ne sais cois.
So K3 has been trudging into those terrible 2s I mentioned last week. Frankly if she's not in trouble, walking towards trouble or thinking about trouble, there's something wrong about the situation.
Tuesday K1 gets home from school - Ks 2 & 3 were playing upstairs nicely and I was finishing something up on the main floor before heading up. K1 went up ASAP to join in the fun (whatever the game fully was - I have no idea! I am not certain they knew. But they were having a great time without killing each other - life was GOOD...REAL good...for about 10 minutes.) All 3 were hiding at times. K3 has become a VERY good hider. So I never knew where all 3 were at the same time - and that's OK with me. They'd pop up & run again playing whatever 'game' it was. But a while later I realized I hadn't seen K3 in awhile - and by this time we had all been on the main floor. So I tell Ks 1 & 2 to look for K3. Nope - not on the main floor. I had K1 check the basement because I wasn't sure if the door had been shut. Nope, not down there either. So as I have Ks 1 & 2 re-check the main floor. I start to go upstairs, listening for anything as I go. I hear nothing. I just hit the top step, and I hear the water start to run in our bathtub. So I walk in there, and K3 is standing in our tub, fully dressed, playing with the water coming out of the faucet. "K3, what are you doing??" Her response:
"Water, water"
"Yeah, honey, I know. Let's get you outta there."
Socks off - they were drenched. Pants off - the bottoms were drenched. So l'il miss 1/2 streaker ran for a bit. I still have no idea where she was prior to the tub. And we'll never know, either!! If I HAD to guess, I'd say she was either hiding in our closet in the shirts - or hiding in her own closet. Those are the present faves anyway.
Now for today's drama. I was putting makeup on in our bathroom & K3 was playing in our shower having her diaper time prior to getting dressed (that's another topic). This is a very typical occurrence. It is rather cool that you can go into a little cubby place and close a curtain and nobody can see you but you can still see stuff and hear stuff too - don't ya know? Anyway, I hadn't seen her go get the step stool from the other bathroom upstairs and put it in there until it was too late. I had just turned to check on her when she had reached up and turned the faucet on in the shower.
Oh. My. Gosh!
I don't think that she thought:
that water would come out WAY up THERE, or
that the water would go on her HEAD to boot, or
that the water would be that friggin' COLD!
We had shock and awe in its truest form. The look on that poor girl's face was truly priceless and the tears were hugeungous. (Yeah it IS a word! HA! Well spell checker didn't catch it anyway... hehehe)
So the issue of the week happens to be water: l'eau, agua, wasser, acqua, woda, apa, voda, vepo. (Say that 3 times with a beat & it could be a song!) OK, I can handle the water part. We'll just have to see what it turns into next week. I can't wait!
So K3 has been trudging into those terrible 2s I mentioned last week. Frankly if she's not in trouble, walking towards trouble or thinking about trouble, there's something wrong about the situation.
Tuesday K1 gets home from school - Ks 2 & 3 were playing upstairs nicely and I was finishing something up on the main floor before heading up. K1 went up ASAP to join in the fun (whatever the game fully was - I have no idea! I am not certain they knew. But they were having a great time without killing each other - life was GOOD...REAL good...for about 10 minutes.) All 3 were hiding at times. K3 has become a VERY good hider. So I never knew where all 3 were at the same time - and that's OK with me. They'd pop up & run again playing whatever 'game' it was. But a while later I realized I hadn't seen K3 in awhile - and by this time we had all been on the main floor. So I tell Ks 1 & 2 to look for K3. Nope - not on the main floor. I had K1 check the basement because I wasn't sure if the door had been shut. Nope, not down there either. So as I have Ks 1 & 2 re-check the main floor. I start to go upstairs, listening for anything as I go. I hear nothing. I just hit the top step, and I hear the water start to run in our bathtub. So I walk in there, and K3 is standing in our tub, fully dressed, playing with the water coming out of the faucet. "K3, what are you doing??" Her response:
"Water, water"
"Yeah, honey, I know. Let's get you outta there."
Socks off - they were drenched. Pants off - the bottoms were drenched. So l'il miss 1/2 streaker ran for a bit. I still have no idea where she was prior to the tub. And we'll never know, either!! If I HAD to guess, I'd say she was either hiding in our closet in the shirts - or hiding in her own closet. Those are the present faves anyway.
Now for today's drama. I was putting makeup on in our bathroom & K3 was playing in our shower having her diaper time prior to getting dressed (that's another topic). This is a very typical occurrence. It is rather cool that you can go into a little cubby place and close a curtain and nobody can see you but you can still see stuff and hear stuff too - don't ya know? Anyway, I hadn't seen her go get the step stool from the other bathroom upstairs and put it in there until it was too late. I had just turned to check on her when she had reached up and turned the faucet on in the shower.
Oh. My. Gosh!
I don't think that she thought:
that water would come out WAY up THERE, or
that the water would go on her HEAD to boot, or
that the water would be that friggin' COLD!
We had shock and awe in its truest form. The look on that poor girl's face was truly priceless and the tears were hugeungous. (Yeah it IS a word! HA! Well spell checker didn't catch it anyway... hehehe)
So the issue of the week happens to be water: l'eau, agua, wasser, acqua, woda, apa, voda, vepo. (Say that 3 times with a beat & it could be a song!) OK, I can handle the water part. We'll just have to see what it turns into next week. I can't wait!
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Banks
There are a few business that really 'tweak my hide'. Car dealers. Their job is to screw you & you are to enjoy it & then brag about it to your friends and family so they can go to the same dealer and get screwed too. There are others - I'm certain I'll eventually discuss them all, but today the victim is: BANKS.
Yes, banks.
When you make an error on any account at a bank, you are immediately charged fees of any and every sort & interest on top of it all. However, when a bank makes an error on your accounts, nothing. You MAY get a 'Sorry' - but only if you're lucky. And that would be the best-case scenario. Why can't we charge fees back to the banks for their errors? If they were charged for errors, I'd bet their errors would decrease and WE would be much happier people.
Let's look at a few scenarios that have happened to us. We are currently in house #3. 3rd mortgage through the same bank. I won't name names, but if you call or email me I will tell you who it is. The bank is a well-known national bank that doesn't happen to be in financial distress at the moment - as far as the public is aware of anyway. OK, so back to the mortgages. Each and every one of these mortgages, once taxes were added in (all were new buildings, so 1st year taxes were only on the lot), were done WRONG. All were short. So it's the "Oops" letter - 'your mortgage is going up $XXX/mo. until the difference is made up.' Then after the difference was made up another letter arrives "Oops - we over charged you." Seriously. What is this crap? ALL 3 HOUSES. And isn't it sad that we will now expect this behavior from our bank in the future and actually PLAN for it? How crazy is this?
So let's look at another bank issue. Refinancing. We had a responsible 5 year arm that expired last year and with rates that are currently very low, we are looking at refinancing. If you are 1 of those people who really need to refinance, you can do this without closing costs, but your interest rate will be higher to compensate. Now, exactly, how does this really help those people who need to refinance? We'll give them a break here, but screw them there. Nice. I am not opposed to banks making money - but let's be responsible here. You actually WANT people to make their payments, so you better not be hitting them up too hard Mr. Bank-man.
Here's another thing. And this is a HUGE issue for me because I think it is a huge scam-ola. When you refinance a home - should you really need to re-do a title search? It's been done the last time when you bought the darn house. If something would have come up, you would have known about it since you've been living in the home for 'x' number of YEARS. Come on people, gimmie a break. And those are not the only 'fees' and 'services' tacked onto the end. They're all similar to the title search and all redundant crapola that adds up to anywhere from $500-$1,000. Well in this house, and in most houses in America today, that isn't small potatoes.
Bank people take note - if you are refinancing a home for people who make their payments on time and aren't late - you really should re-asses all the paperwork crapola 'required' for the refinance gig. There should be something for responsible behavior for heaven's sake. Oh, that's right. We're getting a better rate.
Sheesh, poor trees.
Yes, banks.
When you make an error on any account at a bank, you are immediately charged fees of any and every sort & interest on top of it all. However, when a bank makes an error on your accounts, nothing. You MAY get a 'Sorry' - but only if you're lucky. And that would be the best-case scenario. Why can't we charge fees back to the banks for their errors? If they were charged for errors, I'd bet their errors would decrease and WE would be much happier people.
Let's look at a few scenarios that have happened to us. We are currently in house #3. 3rd mortgage through the same bank. I won't name names, but if you call or email me I will tell you who it is. The bank is a well-known national bank that doesn't happen to be in financial distress at the moment - as far as the public is aware of anyway. OK, so back to the mortgages. Each and every one of these mortgages, once taxes were added in (all were new buildings, so 1st year taxes were only on the lot), were done WRONG. All were short. So it's the "Oops" letter - 'your mortgage is going up $XXX/mo. until the difference is made up.' Then after the difference was made up another letter arrives "Oops - we over charged you." Seriously. What is this crap? ALL 3 HOUSES. And isn't it sad that we will now expect this behavior from our bank in the future and actually PLAN for it? How crazy is this?
So let's look at another bank issue. Refinancing. We had a responsible 5 year arm that expired last year and with rates that are currently very low, we are looking at refinancing. If you are 1 of those people who really need to refinance, you can do this without closing costs, but your interest rate will be higher to compensate. Now, exactly, how does this really help those people who need to refinance? We'll give them a break here, but screw them there. Nice. I am not opposed to banks making money - but let's be responsible here. You actually WANT people to make their payments, so you better not be hitting them up too hard Mr. Bank-man.
Here's another thing. And this is a HUGE issue for me because I think it is a huge scam-ola. When you refinance a home - should you really need to re-do a title search? It's been done the last time when you bought the darn house. If something would have come up, you would have known about it since you've been living in the home for 'x' number of YEARS. Come on people, gimmie a break. And those are not the only 'fees' and 'services' tacked onto the end. They're all similar to the title search and all redundant crapola that adds up to anywhere from $500-$1,000. Well in this house, and in most houses in America today, that isn't small potatoes.
Bank people take note - if you are refinancing a home for people who make their payments on time and aren't late - you really should re-asses all the paperwork crapola 'required' for the refinance gig. There should be something for responsible behavior for heaven's sake. Oh, that's right. We're getting a better rate.
Sheesh, poor trees.
Sunday, January 4, 2009
We made it
Through what? "Winter break", of course.
Tomorrow K1 goes back to school, and I must say, the last 2 weeks have been great. Which was definitely unexpected. Day 3 didn't start out so well. Day 3 you say? Yes, Day 3. I put an ad hoc system into place that worked magnificently. And only had to use it on Day 3. 3 warnings and you're in your room by yourself until supper. She was at 2 warnings at 8:30am and stayed that way the rest of the day. Of course the warnings could have been taken away with excellent behavior. We had good behavior though and for that I won't argue.
The rest of the 1st week, behavior was rather well controlled by the threat of waiting longer to open gifts, or taking gifts away. It's hard, and it isn't like we would have really followed through with it (which just means it was a very bad threat to make as a parent.) But it worked. Probably only works on young kids. So we'll just have to keep that one in mind unless we really are ready to follow through on that one.
So what worked on week 2? Well, we weren't around for a few days - got about 15" of snow visiting in-laws and decided the icy roads weren't worth it w/3 small kids to get home so H could get to work. H did get to work the next day. But the Ks and I just ended up playing. Its so great watching little kids play in the snow. K2 was up to his theighs. Of course he couldn't use the tracks he already had made. He always had to make new ones. Boy did he sleep good that night!
So now its only January and the mere thought of taking down Christmas decorations makes me sad. I've got about 2 weeks here. Drives me nuts that people don't leave their stuff up longer. Technically it is the Christmas season NOW. Not in November. Drive around now and it takes a bit before you see a tree lit up. Ours is lit from the time its dark out until I go to bed. From the Friday after Thanksgiving, until I absolutely HAVE to take it down. I hate taking them down. The house looks naked. Even if I leave snowman decor up for another month. It helps, but there isn't a twinkling tree in the corner. If I had clear lights on my tree, I'd consider making it a Valentine tree and redecorate the darn thing. Huh. Maybe next year! I could have the kids start making decorations this year. This could be fun. Then we could make it an St. Patrick's Day tree - not a drop of Irish blood in this house. But as they say, on St. Pats day, EVERYONE is Irish! Cheers! Then it could be an Easter Tree. But after that, I'm afraid it'd have to come down. Darn it all anyway. But you know, I think that'd be enough to get me through my 'funk' and into spring past the cabin fever that inhabits this part of the country. This needs more thought. We'll see what else I can come up with.
Tomorrow K1 goes back to school, and I must say, the last 2 weeks have been great. Which was definitely unexpected. Day 3 didn't start out so well. Day 3 you say? Yes, Day 3. I put an ad hoc system into place that worked magnificently. And only had to use it on Day 3. 3 warnings and you're in your room by yourself until supper. She was at 2 warnings at 8:30am and stayed that way the rest of the day. Of course the warnings could have been taken away with excellent behavior. We had good behavior though and for that I won't argue.
The rest of the 1st week, behavior was rather well controlled by the threat of waiting longer to open gifts, or taking gifts away. It's hard, and it isn't like we would have really followed through with it (which just means it was a very bad threat to make as a parent.) But it worked. Probably only works on young kids. So we'll just have to keep that one in mind unless we really are ready to follow through on that one.
So what worked on week 2? Well, we weren't around for a few days - got about 15" of snow visiting in-laws and decided the icy roads weren't worth it w/3 small kids to get home so H could get to work. H did get to work the next day. But the Ks and I just ended up playing. Its so great watching little kids play in the snow. K2 was up to his theighs. Of course he couldn't use the tracks he already had made. He always had to make new ones. Boy did he sleep good that night!
So now its only January and the mere thought of taking down Christmas decorations makes me sad. I've got about 2 weeks here. Drives me nuts that people don't leave their stuff up longer. Technically it is the Christmas season NOW. Not in November. Drive around now and it takes a bit before you see a tree lit up. Ours is lit from the time its dark out until I go to bed. From the Friday after Thanksgiving, until I absolutely HAVE to take it down. I hate taking them down. The house looks naked. Even if I leave snowman decor up for another month. It helps, but there isn't a twinkling tree in the corner. If I had clear lights on my tree, I'd consider making it a Valentine tree and redecorate the darn thing. Huh. Maybe next year! I could have the kids start making decorations this year. This could be fun. Then we could make it an St. Patrick's Day tree - not a drop of Irish blood in this house. But as they say, on St. Pats day, EVERYONE is Irish! Cheers! Then it could be an Easter Tree. But after that, I'm afraid it'd have to come down. Darn it all anyway. But you know, I think that'd be enough to get me through my 'funk' and into spring past the cabin fever that inhabits this part of the country. This needs more thought. We'll see what else I can come up with.
Thursday, January 1, 2009
It's heeeerrrreeee....
I am referring to the terrible twos. K3 has officially entered the realm of trouble maker. Yea. I'm soooooo excited.
First the good part. She's too young to lie. I hear her into something she isn't supposed to be into:
"Where are you?"
"What."
"Are you being naughty?"
"Yep."
"Come here."
"OK."
Pretty simple, really. For now anyway. Then there's the other scenario that happens a few times daily.
"Are your pants stinky?"
"Yep."
"OK, let's go change your diaper."
"Nope. RUN!!"
And it's off the the races for a few minutes. At least she's straight forward about it - like I said, she can't lie....yet. I don't recall when the older siblings 'teach' that one. It'll be here all too soon, I am certain of that.
Now the bad part.
We'll be there, in trouble-maker mode, for a good 18 to 24 mos. Yeah, 'they' don't tell you that part when you 'sign up' for parenthood. Terrible twos isn't 12 mos. long. It starts early and ends late. And why don't 'they' tell you this? It isn't like we wouldn't sign up anyway. But lets just be a bit more honest about it, shall we?
It stinks.
It's funny. I'll be needing to beef up my stoic face because I just burst out into laughter all too easily when I'm not supposed to. For me, truly, it's best if I just turn around and hide my face. I'd best get ready.
And the good part for you? You'll be hearing all about it right here. So fasten your seat belts - 2009 should be a good ride!
First the good part. She's too young to lie. I hear her into something she isn't supposed to be into:
"Where are you?"
"What."
"Are you being naughty?"
"Yep."
"Come here."
"OK."
Pretty simple, really. For now anyway. Then there's the other scenario that happens a few times daily.
"Are your pants stinky?"
"Yep."
"OK, let's go change your diaper."
"Nope. RUN!!"
And it's off the the races for a few minutes. At least she's straight forward about it - like I said, she can't lie....yet. I don't recall when the older siblings 'teach' that one. It'll be here all too soon, I am certain of that.
Now the bad part.
We'll be there, in trouble-maker mode, for a good 18 to 24 mos. Yeah, 'they' don't tell you that part when you 'sign up' for parenthood. Terrible twos isn't 12 mos. long. It starts early and ends late. And why don't 'they' tell you this? It isn't like we wouldn't sign up anyway. But lets just be a bit more honest about it, shall we?
It stinks.
It's funny. I'll be needing to beef up my stoic face because I just burst out into laughter all too easily when I'm not supposed to. For me, truly, it's best if I just turn around and hide my face. I'd best get ready.
And the good part for you? You'll be hearing all about it right here. So fasten your seat belts - 2009 should be a good ride!
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