Five Question Friday

I saw this on a couple of other blogs and thought it looked interesting.  I'm gonna give it a whirl.

Rules for Five Question Friday: Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then c'mon back to link up! If it floats your boat, you can even grab the blog hop code! I would love it if you'd link back to me, Mama M., but that's not a requirement! ;)

If you don't have a blog, but want to play along...feel free to answer the questions in the comments of my blog, or any blog along the way! And remember, the linky is always open til Sunday night...so any of you who are late to the game, can still play along! (Aren't I thoughtful?!!)

Questions for Friday, May 28th: (Special thanks to Lorilynne, Erin, Sandy, Kyrsten, and Renee for their question suggestions! If YOU wanna be linked in a future 5QF, c'mon over here, to my community and offer up your best question suggestions!)


1. Is there something you've always wanted to try but just can't muster up the courage to actually do yet?
    White water river rafting.  I've rock climbed, ridden roller coasters, snorkeled and I have no interest in jumping out of a perfectly good airplane.  I would also like the scuba dive but I live very far from any tropical ocean so I limited there.  Swimming pools are no fun to scuba in.

2. If you had $100 handed to you in cash without your significant other knowing about it, what would you spend it on?
    I really want Alten Brown's new cook book The Early Years.  After that I think I may get a game or two for the Wii.
3. What was your favorite piece of playground equipment as a child?
    I liked the twisty slides.  I also enjoyed the playground equipment that looked like a fort.  Had hours of fun playing there.  Oh and we had these tire swing things that would spin individually and go around in a group--you could get seriously sick o them from too much spinning and swinging--perfect for kids.

4. Do you prefer a sweet or hearty breakfast?
    I like a hearty breakfast if I don't have to cook it.  Otherwise I like to bake quick breads, coffeecake, muffins, scones, things like that.  Mostly though, Nick does the big breakfast on the weekends. 

5. Are you a Neat Freak or a Messy Bessy?
    I fall somewhere in the middle.  My house is clean but cluttered, you know people live there.
Now go answer the questions yourself and link with Mama M at My Little Life.

Spinning Up Prom

Jen has asked us to dredge up those memories and pictures of prom.  I did a post similar to this back in March, so I think I will just rework it a bit and post again.  Here goes:

So, prom.



Well first, my home town is small. Like really small. Like there were only 300 people in our whole high school small. Because of this, we had junior/senior prom, not just senior prom.

And second, I was not very popular in high school. I was the nerdy bookworm and most definitely on the outside looking in most of the time. Therefore, the guys were not lined up to ask me to prom my junior year. I ended up asking a friend to go with me. He was a guy but he was shorter than me and most definitely a friend, nothing romantic at all. His sister (also in our class, not twins, don’t ask, it’s a small town) was going with her then boyfriend.

The guys got together and decided that instead of taking us out they would cook at her boyfriend’s house. We had steak and it was nice but nothing like going out for a fancy dinner. Granted, the options were limited in our town and it being prom everywhere was packed. But still, isn’t going out to dinner part of the prom package?

Anywho, we made it to the high school and had prom in the auditorium, nicely decorated but the Junior class(that year my class). The theme was a day at the beach.  Good choice, since we were a good 1000 miles from any beach.  After the grand processional introducing each couple, we found a table and settled in for the evening. There was a DJ and rocking eighties/early nineties music (the year was 1990). Danced a couple of dances and that was it.

We went to the after prom party—theme: Casino Night at the senior citizens center—I know, I know small town, remember—and had a good time fake gambling. Then at about 5:30am we went to the truck stop for breakfast (the only place that served breakfast in town other than Hardees). Then they took me home and I slept the rest of the morning away. Not exactly the prom of my dreams but at least I can say I went.

 You really want to see pictures?  OK here you go:

Here I am in all my 1990's glory.  Big bangs and all.  Rocking the fingerless gloves and everything.

And here is a close up of the dress.  Yes I still have it-shut up-My mom never threw anything out.

So that was my one and only Prom experience.  I did not go my senior year.  I don't think I missed much. The guys were not exactly lining up then either.  Prom might have been better in a larger town or with a boyfriend.  I did get one good chuckle out of the not going senior year--it snowed six inches that night.  I still think watching all the girls trying to navigate in heels in the snow would have been interesting.

Pour Your Heart Out--Turbo

I'm joining Shell at Things I Can't Say for her Pour You Heart out Wednesday.

Today, I'm going to talk about Turbo.  Seven years ago yesterday, Nick and I got to meet Turbo for the first time.  He came early--two weeks early--so I wasn't quite ready to meet him and Nick was really unprepared for his arrival.  Turbo's due date was June 8.  It was Memorial Day weekend and my doctor was going out of town.  The last thing he said to me before I left the office that Thursday was, "Don't have the baby this weekend, I'm going on vacation."  Way to curse me, doc.

Early Sunday morning, I realized my water had broken and we needed to go to the hospital and by 1:30 Turbo was here.  He was such a little guy--not too little, 7lbs. 9ozs. and 19 and half inches long.  He was perfect. 

And so two novice parents were set loose with a baby and somehow--by trail and error and a few miss steps we have made it the last seven years.  Turbo is a bundle of energy.  A goofy, fidgety, all knees and elbows kid.  He enjoys legos (and can finally put the kits together himself--mostly), Scooby Doo, Bakugon, Transformers, and being outside.  He loves to play in the water, can swing by himself and we hope will learn to ride his bike this summer. 

He can be bossy, but gets along with other kids pretty well.  He still loves his blanket--we did not know we were raising a Linus.  He doesn't drag it every where but still needs a blanky fix every now and then.  He smells the blanket (it is a down throw blanket so it's poofy--or it was once upon a time, it's lost a lot of feathers what with washing and using it like he does).  When he is upset you will see him snuggled under the blanket with a corner held up to his nose, with his hands cupped there to hold it up.   It's his own self soother--he's done it since he was about 15 months.  What ever works.

Turbo is a daydreamer in school.  He has the hardest time staying on task.  We are still trying to get him to realize--work first then play.  He getting it slowly--playing is way more fun.

I really can't express the feeling this wonderful, goofy kid makes me feel.  Surprise, irritation, pleasure, exasperation, pride, annoyance, appreciation, anger, happiness and always always soul deep love.  He's the one who made me a mom and the one who will always be first.  Oh, my baby is growing up so fast--he's not a baby any more.  But no matter what he'll always be my kid.

He gets to break the waters for his brother and look out for him as they are growing up.  It is fun to watch them play together--now that Bruiser is getting bigger, they can rough house(within reason) and play more.  Although we are already getting--"Bruiser!  Get out of my room!" on a regular basis.  Oh the things I remember saying to my little brother growing up , sounds odd hearing the same things coming out of Turbo's mouth.

Happy Seventh Birthday Turbo!  You are the greatest kid going!  I my own unbiased opinion!

Random Tuesday Thoughs--Birthdays and Such.

Well let's just jump right into the random for this week.  Turbo turns seven today.  Seven.  How exactly did that happen?  It can't be seven years since we became first time parents.  Let me check...Holy cow, is has been seven years!  Hooray for us--the kid is still alive. 

He's so grown up now.

We had his party this past weekend.  Eight seven year olds for two hours in our house.  We survived without major problems and we didn't even drink heavily.  The Scooby party was a success.  Tonight we are having the fam over to celebrate his actual birthday.  It'll be fun.  Treats to school this afternoon.  It's all good.

In other news, we had snow yesterday. Actually we had all the seasons yesterday.  Sunshine in the morning--almost 50 degrees outside.  By lunch the clouds had moved in and it was starting to sprinkle.  Thunder and hail were next and then the hail got a bit harder and smaller, then it was full on snowing.  We got like half an inch of snow.  Today it's sunny again.  OK, so--weather by Sybil anyone?

Have I ever mentioned how much I like cartoons?  Mostly Bugs Bunny and Scooby Doo.  I'm so happy I have boys and they give me an excuse to watch Scooby Doo cartoons without looking weird.  I like the classic cartoons but the new Scooby Doo--What's New, Scooby Doo?--are great.  We have all of them on DVD.  Bruiser is almost old enough to enjoy them.  Turbo still watches them.  I will admit that Scooby is great for banishing scary dreams.

Once again, the laundry is done (except for the towels). 

We got HD TV and a DVR this weekend.  We cut back our satellite package, but we are getting the Wii from Nick folks--they are giving it to Turbo for his birthday--so we will probably end up with Netflicks and be able to watch Hulu via the Wii.  Giving up the extra channels was mostly worth it.  I'll watch more DVDs now since sometimes there is truly nothing worth watching on--especially during the day.  Looking forward to the Netflicks thing. 

Well that's enough random for this week.  Go see Keely for more.  Random is good for you.

Monday Minute--The Snort Edition

Time for Ian's Monday Minute.  Here Goes:
1 - Do you *snort*?  nope, snicker, giggle and gaff, but no snorting.


2 - Our friend, has a nickname and it's Daffy. What's your nickname? Nick calls me Boober, and I've been called Vanders but I really don't have a set nickname.  My real name is odd enough.
 
3 - Do you know sign language?  Well, I know the universal sign for go take a flying leap--and I know some of the alphabet and I love you, but not much else.


4 - What's a sample convo from your hood?  Nick and I have abbreviated convos--we know what we mean but have to sensor around the kids, so anyone else listening would be lost in a matter of seconds as to what we were talking about.

5 - Do you sleep with electronic devices - i.e. laptop, Blackberry, iPhone, etc?  I like to have the TV on when I go to sleep--the sleep function is wonderful.

Go see Ian at The Daily Dose of Reality for more Monday Minute link ups.

You like Me-You really like me!

Mama Fargo and Purplume have both bestowed awards on me.  Three of them.  Wow, it's nice to be appreciated.  And without further ado here is award number one:

I got this one from Mama Fargo.  I think he's aweful cute, don't you?

He comes with some rules so here goes--Answer these questions:

1. Why do you blog?  I blog for the friendship and the ability to rant without offending the guilty party--family usually.

2. What was your favorite age to be and why?  I loved being 25.  I was newly married and things were going pretty good in the rest of my life.

3. What's your favorite sport to play?  I'm not much for sports.  I'm awefully uncoordinated--I tend to get out of the way of the balls instead of catching them or hitting them.  Makes me last to be pick even today.  Although I don't do too bad at horseshoes (after I've had a drink or two).

4. What's your favorite sport to watch, and who's your favorite team?  I like to watch the olympics and soem college football.  I also watch the Superbowl every year.

5. If you could pick your perfect career (and money doesn't matter / the kids are out of the house) what would it be?  Pretty much what I'm doing now--using my degree (Geology) and doing work that is not too complicated.  Also work that it is not necessary for me to be at for things to function--if I need a sick day I'll take one.  Oh and I want vacation too.

6. Do you ever feel guilty for blogging?  Only when Bruiser comes up and I'm in the middle of something like a comment and it's hard to put things down for him immediately.

7. What is your favorite holiday?  I like lots of holidays.  We always have fun on all of them.  The best would have to be Thanksgiving--you get to eat lots with out the pressure of gifts.

8. What's your favorite kind of music?  I like country, eighties stuff, rock, really just about anything but rap and gangsta.

9. Do you consider yourself a good driver or bad driver?  Mostly a good driver (Nick would argue with me--he's a horrible side seat driver.

10. What's the farthest away place you have visited?  When I was 13 months old my mom took me to England.  The farthest place I can remember going is to the Bahamas on our honeymoon.

Now to send this on to some of my commenters:

Jenn at Oscarelli,

Kingsmom 

Shortmama

Myya

Others are listed below.

I got this one from Purplume:

this one comes with rules too:

• 
  
  Thank the person who gave you the award
• 
  
  Tell seven things about yourself
• 
  
  pass the award on to 15 other bloggers who you have recently discovered and who you think are fantastic!(in no particular order)
• 
  
  let them know you have awarded them the prize.

So thanks you so much Purplume for both of these wonderful awards.  They will look so nice on my sidebar!

Now seven things about me:

1. 
   
   Skin So Soft from Avon works as a fabulous mosquito repellent for me.
2. 
   
   If a book is good I can read it over and over again.  I have some books I have read probably hundreds of times.  Same goes for movies. 
3. 
   
   Nick and I have a goal--we want to visit every national park west of the Mississippi before we die.  We have made it to 11 so far.  Hopefully we can knock off a couple more this summer.
4. 
   
   I love having my boys, but now I'm stuck with all the toys that my mom saved for me from when I was a little girl.  Not sure what I will do with them.
5. 
   
   I have a weird ability to remember numbers--especially phone numbers. 
6. 
   
   I'm not one for Network TV.  I prefer the History Channel, Discovery and things like that.
7. 
   
   I can do two things at the same time.  I like to hav ethe TV on and be reading a book or playing my Nintendo DS.  I will be following both things and know generally whats going on on both.  It drives Nick nuts.

This one also came from Purplum.

and on with the rules:

• 
  
  Post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award and his or her blog link.
• 
  
  Pass the award to other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.
• 
  
  Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

Now I just have to decide who to send these on to.  Finding 15 is going to be tough.

1. 
   
   SLMPeterson-- Stacy is an old friend found again.  Check her out, she has some great food stuff.
2. 
   
   See Foxes?--A wonderful and quirky blog.
3. 
   
   Surrounded By Boys--Another mom who knows what it is like to live with a bunch of guys.
4. 
   
   The Fourth Frog
5. 
   
   Varunner at Two Bears Farm
6. 
   
   The View from the Shoe
7. 
   
   Raising Normal Kids
8. 
   
   Bano Bits
9. 
   
   For What It's Worth--Or Not
10. 
    
    One Got Past the Goalie
11. 
    
    Life in a Small Town
12. 
    
    Life With Tim and Noah
13. 
    
    Life Without Pink
14. 
    
    Mommywood
15. 
    
    It Must Be a Full Moon

There 15 blogs that I'm fairly new too(not all of them though).  Go check them out and enjoy them!

Spin Cycle--Stressed Out!

Stress is the topic this week.  Stress, how well I know it. stress from jobs, family, friends, school, health, and life in general.  The level changes but some stress is always there.  It affects me in many ways.  When it is deadline stress--like for a test--I have trouble sleeping the night before.  When it is one going like say family dynamics(my mother) or coworker stress, my stomach ties up in knots and things don't run smoothly.  I have learned to deal with the ongoing stress about money--is there enough, did all the bills get paid--which is pretty constant.  I'm not sure what I'd do without stress--probably be healthier and calmer.

I have had a variety of ways to let off stress.  When I worked at a  grocery store deli counter (ages ago) I would often come home from work and be annoyed at the stupid people who would demand meat after we had just finished cleaning for the night or those who insisted on fresher meat or cheese or wanted sample of everything then would buy next to nothing.  Computer games were just getting popular and we had gotten Doom.  I took to playing about 20-30 minutes of it when I came home and after blowing several monsters to bits I felt much better.  This still works but getting the time--not so much.
Growing up I dealt with stress by reading a good book.  This still works but I need the time and motivation to read.  It's hard to get into a book when you are interrupted constantly by small boys (and a big one too).  Books still serve as an escape from everyday life for me but I don't get to read as often as I'd like.  I have found that blogging can reduce stress for me too--I can rant about my mom, hubby(not to often necessary), kids, life in general and I feel better after getting it out of my system, rather than letting it cook and stew inside.
And for the best family stress reliever there is the road trip.  We love to get in the car or truck and head for the hills.  Just seeing the city limit sign go by relaxes both Nick and I.  We enjoy camping--especially with the pop-up camper we have.  We would like to get a newer one(ours is only five years younger than I am) but it works for us for now.  Camping is the best because there is no schedule to keep and the mountains are only 30 minutes away.  Wyoming is full of beautiful places to see and visit and the Black Hills are only about 5 hours away too.  This year we plan on getting out often to enjoy the great outdoors.  I know I'll be less stressed after the first trip and by the end of the summer I'll feel great(even if my birthday does sneak up then again).

Now go see Jen at Sprite's Keeper and find out other ways to deal with stress--I promise it won't stress you out.

Thank You Very Much

It's free therapy day!  Yep, it's Thursday.  So thank those people who irked you this past week and get it off your chest.  Then go link with Kmama at The Daily Dribbles and check out everyone else's peeves.



To Nick--I realize you couldn't sleep this morning  but I was totally not ready to get up at 6:05am.  Thank you very much for getting me up along with you.  Maybe tomorrow we can sleep a bit longer?   Please?

To the officials that decided to make every road around the university campus in our town 20 mph.  Thank you very much for deciding to make all of them 20mph.  Now I am in danger of speeding because I can't remember to slow down cause I'm so not used to the new limits.  I guess the city has to make money some how.

To the girl who "Parked at the curb" in front of our house.You know when you park you need to be closer to the curb.  Five feet from it does not count.  Too bad about the ticket, but it wasn't me who ratted you out.  I'm not happy about where I had to park because you can't park.  So thank you very much for your wonderful parking job.

A genuine Thank you very much to Stacy over at SLMPeterson for doing the leg work for some low sodium ideas.  Got see what she has up.  We can all do with less sodium in our diets.

What I Meant to Say--Turbo Time

Wednesday means What I Meant To Say time.  Go link up with Chief and let everyone know what you really meant to say.




To Turbo:  What I said:  Not now Honey, I'm busy with Bruiser.  Give me a minute and we can talk about those paper airplanes you made today.

What I should have said:  Those airplanes are great!  You made them all by yourself?  That's super.  They fly too?  Wow!  You are getting better at making paper airplanes.  Thank you for thinking of all of us.

What I thought when I found the plane on my nightstand last night:  This was a creative solution. You are showing signs of growing up and I love you so much.  Next time I hope I can give you more direct attention, but this was a super way to get the planes to both your dad and I.


PS:  Chief is raffling off WIMTS--It's for a good cause--Monkey--and while I know I don't have the will to run it I'm sure that there is someone out there who can.  Go sign up if you want a shot at this fab Meme.

PSS:  Over at SLMPeterson there's more on the low salt stuff--Beans and spicing--Oh yum!

Random Tuesday Thoughs

Random Tuesday Thoughts with The UnMom, it's a Tuesday tradition.  Maybe, I know I like it.  Anyrandom, if you have some random you need to get rid of just write it up and go link up.



OK, so we might be tempting fate but we planted the veggie gardens this weekend.  Now the temps just need to stay above freezing (warmer would be much appreciated).  We are waiting for the annuals.  I'm not that confident in the weather, I'm just sure it's gonna snow on us again.  Next month is better--usually.

Bruiser is definitely living up to his name.  On Saturday evening he tripped and hit his face on the toy piano he has in the living room.  Result--shiner under his left eye to go with the cut above his right eye.  The kid is looking rough. 

Nick read a book this weekend.  Now this might not sound very momentous but the last book he read for fun was when he was 19.  He got through a James Rollins book in about two and a half days--a major record for him, and he enjoyed it.  I'm tickled, I've wanted him to read forever but it was never his thing, but with the boot he's stuck in, he's not got anything else to do.  He's sick of TV and we don't have a Tivo or DVR yet.  I think A DVR might be in order for his birthday, we will see.  but he picked up a book and got caught in the story and really burned through it.  Awesome!

Turbo continues to have issues with paying attention to his teacher satisfaction.  I think there is some summeritis and teacher tired going on.  We have had troubles all year with Turbo and his teacher.  I don't think they meshed well.  All we have to do is get him through the next two and a half weeks.  On a brighter note, Turbo turns seven next week--on Tuesday.  We are having his party on Saturday.  Wish us luck.  Scooby will be throwing the party.  I can only hope it goes well.

Over at SLMPeterson there is a great article about low salt eating.  I have had to cut down my salt intake due to the kidney stone trouble I have had.  Stacy was good enough to do some research and put together some interesting stuff on lowering the salt you eat.  Go check it out.

Now go see Keely--and see the other randomness this week.

Monday Minute--Monkey Minute--Pools and Peeves and Success, Oh My!

It's the Monday Minute Monkey Minute for this week.

Answer the five quetsions and link up.  Also show your support for Monkey.




And here are the questions:

Have you ever peed in the shower/bath/pool?  Not the pool, maybe the shower and if I did in the bath I was too little to remember.

What is your biggest pet peeve?  Slow drivers--the ones who drive slower becaues that is "safer".  Going 15-20 miles an hour every whrer whne the speed limit is 30-40 does not make you safer--it makes you a hazard.

What's the story behind your blog title?  I live with three guys--well one guy and two boys.  The dog is even male.  I live in the testosterone sea and that title was already taken so I came up with The Testosterone Three and Me.

What is your definition of success?  To be happy with what I have.  To be good at what I do.  To raise decent men that don't become lazy bums.

If you were famous, what would you want to be famous for?  I don't have the ambition to write the great american novel but if I did I'd want to be famous for it so I'd know people read and enjoyed it.

All About ME Mondays

MommyBrain has asked for our numbers this week.

This week use NUMBERS to tell us about yourself ...

That's right, break it down to the number of ...

places you've lived--As a child-4 states, 7 houses
places you've lived--As an adult--1 state, 4 apartments and 1 house.

1-siblings you have

5-televisions in your house

4-cars you've owned

children / pets under your care-2 children, 1 dog, 2 cats and 8 fish

21-states visited
3-countries  visited
21-pairs of shoes in your closet
5-Pairs of shoes out of the closet
2-shampoo bottles in your shower
165-blog posts you've written
15-email messages in your inbox
41-friends on Facebook
13-favorite number
16-Meals cooked during the week
6000-average number of steps taken daily
3-number of books you're reading
22-Day of birth
657-times I say settle down to Turbo in an average day
7954-number of times I tell my family I love them in a week

What are your numbers?

Spin Cycle--Cutting costs

http://www.thegrocerygame.com/Let's economize this week for the Spin Cycle!  Check out Sprite's Keeper for more ways to save.


Our best place to economize is the grocery store.  We have three choices in our town--Safeway(The expensive option), Walmart(the cheap option, but not great quality) and Albertson's (the affordable, quality option).  Guess where we go.

About three years ago we decided that we needed to get a handle on what we were spending at the store.  I did most of the grocery shopping, but with only the needed items on the list, I added what sounded good while I was at the store, which led to lots of unneeded extras and more money spent on food than was necessary.  We started to look for coupons and watch the adds and see what we could do to cut back on expenses. 

The coupon thing does not work well for us--I'm horrible at remembering to use them and often the coupons we get are for things we wouldn't use anyway.  I know getting coupons is easier now that there are downloadable coupons but I still don't tend to remember to use them when we are checking out unless they are the ones that are in the ads. 

I have found that by watching the ads and shopping the store brands we can keep the grocery bill to around $50-$60 a week.  We don't have to by meat or frozen veggies at the store--we get them from a club thing--so that saves us and Nick hunts and we eat the game he kills.  I grew up on it and I like eating it so that also helps too.  I tried the Grocery Game web site (I'm not recommending or anything, this did not work for us and it costs but it does work for lots for people) and it helped but I found that by watching the ads I can save us money and we can stock up on the things we use most often like canned beans, canned tomatoes, and soups and things like that.  Lots of products go an sale about every three months and if you stock up when they are on sale you can have them on hand until the next time they go on sale.  Like I said, the savings add up after a while.  It also helps the pocketbook that we like the Albertson's brand on beans and tomatoes and pasta and things like that.

I have learned to take a detailed list with me to Walmart and Kmart(our discount options in town).  If I don't I forget what I need and end up with lots of impulse buys.  I have self limited my trips to these stores to two or three time a month.  I simply can't got in these store without buying something so I just don't go in unless I have a list and needed items.

Which leads me to the most important thing I take with me to the store.  The all important list.  The list starts as a pad of paper with a magnet that is stuck to the refrigerator in our kitchen.  I can add things we run out of and then before we go to the store we look over the ads and look for the things that are on good discounts and also for the things we need for the following week to cook the rather tentative meals we plan.

And lastly shop with purpose, don't wander aimlessly.  I find more stuff we "need" if I just wander the store but have no real purpose when I am in Walmart or the grocery store.  If I go in looking for the things on the list I do better than if I go into the store and just sort of roam the aisles.

So that is how we grocery shop and it has been saving us money.  Oh, one last thing--we shop together. We do much better if we are both there to watch what the other puts in the cart.  I am less tempted by the sale stuff that sounds good and Nick buys the things we need, not just some of the stuff--"But honey I only spent $30 at the store!"  And only came home with a quarter of the things we needed.  Yeah that saves money all right.

TYVM--Turbo Edition

 It's Free Therapy Day!! That's right, it's Thursday, which means it's the Thank You Very Much day. The way it works is that you take out all your frustrations on people/things that peeved you off during the week and thank them in a very sarcastic way, for being who or what they are/doing what they did. I know everyone can use some free therapy, so type up what you've got this weeka dn hit the lovely button below and link up with Kmama at The Daily Dribbles.


To Turbo:  Thank you very much for not behaving and paying attention at school yesterday.  This required you come home after school rather than spend time with your grandma.  Mommy missed out on napping and you got in trouble for messing around at school rather than working.  Shape up kid--get the work done then play, got it?

To Bad things come in Threes:  Thank you very much for visiting us, you can go now, we have hit our three--Turbo's teeth, Bruiser's head and Nick's ankle.  We are done--got pester someone else for a while.

To last Friday:  Thank you very much for being an all round shittay day.  I won't go into details but let's hope this Friuday is better--it can't be much worse.

Pour Your Heart Out--The Hubby Edition

My husband is a wonderful guy.  He is mostly thoughtful and considerate, he will clean and do dishes and cook, he puts the toilet seat down and does the yard work, and he treats me really good.  He is a fabulous daddy to both our boys.

He is also a runner, skier, bicyclist, hiker--in short he likes to be active.  However, when ever he gets on a roll something happens to derail him.  When Turbo was one, Nick looked in the mirror and decided taht the desk job he had was doing his waistline no favors.  So he bought running shoes and started running in the mornings.

 He did good until winter hit with snow and ice--not so easy to run in.  He became a spring, summer and fall runner until two years ago when he dumped himself out of a canoe and sprianed his left ankle badly--it put him out of commission fort he rest of the summer.  Last year he was getting up to around four miles every other day and a heel spur and the resulting plantar fascitis on the right side stopped him cold.  He cross country skied this winter because it did not bother his heels as much and was doing well with it and he was looking forward to running when the weather improved.

Two weeks ago--or there about--he was getting out of the car and had sudden pain in his right ankle.  After that he had recurring swelling and odd pain with certian movements.  I finally told him he needed to get it checked--it wasn't sprianed because he hadn't done anything to it.  So yesterday he went to the doctor and was sent for Xrays.  Thai morning he got the results--he has an evulsion fracture.  He wins the prize of a boot for six weeks.  Poor guy--all he wants to do is get in shape and every time he trys he gets hurt.  At least this time he can point to it and say there is something definable wrong.

And at least it will get better.  He has been asking if he could just shoot it so he would know why it hurts.  Funny how we spend so much time hoping things will get better on their own.  It's hard to admit we need help with things.  I know I am guilty of letting things slide in hope they will magically get better by themselves.  Just goes to show that is not always the case.

Go join Shell for more Pour your heart out posts.

Random Tuesday and some post-its.

So it's Tuesday again, it always comes right after Monday--funny how that happens.  Since it's Tuesday, you know it's time to clean out the random thoughts rattling around and put them out for everyone to see.  Grab to purple button and link up with Keely at the UnMom.

So, did you know that they glue kids back together in the ER now.  Bruiser crashed on Friday and after three hours in the ER, Xrays, and lots of time trying to amuse a fifteen month old they had us clean out the cut and then they glued Bruiser back together.  The new heath care--serve yourself sort of.  It was less traumatic for Bruiser for us to clean the cut but it was still odd that they had us clean it out.  Anycuts, Bruiser aka Crash is doing fine.  I'm sure he will be seeing the ER again, they kid has no fear and likes to climb on things.

I hate to comment on the weather but I think the seasons are really messed up.  We have snow here again.  Yes I said snow.  We could end up with as much as thirteen inches inches before it's all done this storm.  What gives?  Spring so says the calendar, but winter so says the window.  I'm about ready to give up on the whole spring thing.  My tulips will never get to bloom at this rate.  My lonely daffodil is going to give up and croak soon.  Come on summer--you have to be better than spring has been.

Man am I tired.  I hate it when I sleep at night and wake up in the morning as tired as when I went to sleep.  Makes sleeping seem like a pointless endeavor.  Bruiser being up with the sun doesn't help either.

I'm hoping to get some herbs planted for my kitchen window sill.  I want basil, spearmint, thyme and maybe oregano.  The basil grew well the last time I had window sill herbs and I really want the mint to grow--it goes great in couscous and in mojitos. 

And now for Post-it Note Tuesday with SupahMommy.

Mother's Day recap

My mother's day was great.  For a change we had good weather--it was in the sixties and sunny most of the day.  I got to sleep in, and when I did get up there was a card waiting for me with a hint as to where I could find my gift.  It took me a  bit but I eventually found the beautiful necklace that Turbo picked out for me.  I got something that says mom on it and I love it.
Turbo also grew some marigolds at school and had them in a cute little pot.  Now I just have to keep them alive so I can plant them outside when I warms up some more here.  He also made me a card and a silhouette, which are both wonderful.
Later in the morning, we all got together and went to the walk path and went for a nice stroll to enjoy the great weather.  When we were done we got milkshakes and headed home.  I got to do a bit of garden work and then we got the leg of lamb on the rotisserie and I got a  nap. 
Around 4:30, the grandparents came over and we had a wonderful drawn out dinner and celebrated Nana's birthday too.  I got a surprise call from my brother, wishing me a happy Mother's Day and I got out of most of the dish duty (Nick and Turbo did the plates and silverware).  All in all, the day was a fabulous day.  Now I have to figure out how to make Father's Day good for Nick--the complication is that his birthday is the next day.  Gonna have to think about this one a bit.
And Bruiser is doing fine now, he has a lovely bruise on his forehead and the bandage from where the ER people glued him back together.  Let's hope he waits a while before he crashes that bad again.

And lastly a shot of the reasons why I get to have a Mother's Day at all:

Bruiser breaks a Family Record

It happened in a blink.  One minute I'm making myself lunch and the next I'm holding a screaming, bleeding little boy.  Bruiser was running into the living room and tripping over his own feet and crashed into a table corner.  He put a lovely dent in the right center of his forehead.
Off we went to the ER after a frantic call to Nick to come home and help.  Xrays and glue later, Bruiser has a set of steri strips on his forehead and I'm much more relieved. 
What a great way to spend a Friday afternoon.  And what a wonderful way to set off the guilt in the mommy part of me.  I know I couldn't have prevented it from happening (unless I wrapped the kid in bubble wrap--and don't think I haven't considered it).  But you feel so guilty when they get hurt.  He's so little.  Turbo got his first ER visit at almost three.  Bruiser did at 15 months.  Go Bruiser!

Spin Cycle--Mother's Day

Jen at Sprite's Keeper has of course assigned Mother's Day as the topic of the Spin Cycle this week.  My thoughts sort of rambled on this one so bear with me.

Mother's day has evolved over time for me.  When I was little Mother's Day was about a card and spending time with my mom.  When I was away from home I prided myself on finding the perfect card to send my mom so she would know I was thinking about her.  Now I try to have something for her--a card and a small present (I mean the woman was pregnant in Florida in August with me, some thanks are in order).  Not that she needs anything but I want to show her that I appreciate all that she does for me (even if she drives me crazy sometimes).  I am also the one to remember to get a card for Nick's mom and make him think about what to get her.  Since Nick's mom's birthday is the 11 of May it often coincides with Mother's Day and we get to double up on the celebrations.

Now that I am a mom the day means so much more.  My first official Mother's Day was 2004.  Turbo was almost a year old and so cute.  I got a card and time to sleep while Nick took kid duty.  This year I am hoping for either a shirt that says Mom on it or the Alten Brown cook book The Early Years.  I would be happy with either.  I hope I get something, not to sound greedy or anything, but I want something.  I mean I try to remember to get Nick things for Father's Day (even though his birthday falls around then so he gets to double up too.) 

Mother's Day at the Testosterone House is a day when I get to revel in the fact that I am mom. This one I will be able to sleep in some(hey 8:00am is sleeping in for me), have breakfast made for me (Nick usually takes care of breakfast on the weekends--I don't do eggs and bacon and stuff), and then make dinner for the grandmothers and have everyone over here for fun and dinner. This year dinner will be leg of lamb done on the rotisserie, salad from my mom, cobbler from my mom and bread and potatoes from Nick's folks. We decided that parceling out the meal makes things easier on everyone.


I'm making a small stab at something like a poem--don't laugh, I'm not real good at this stuff.
M--Making good people out of these little kids
0--offering myself to them
T--teaching them how to grow
H--helping them with their Boo-boos
E--each one needing me
R--relief when I hear that they are good when I'm not there.

Being mom means so much--time of intense joy, fear, relief, guilt, dread, happiness, and sometimes disgust(even though I hate to say it--poop and puke are disgusting).  Mom gets to deal with it all--really who in their right mind would voluntarily sign up for this job--24/7 no vacations, no time off, no poor pay and little recognition.  We need and deserve a day for us.  After all, no one else would voluntarily take this on--especially knowing the cons.  However the pros are hard to define--the first smile, the first Mama word, tiny hugs, I wuv yous, and all the other little things that moms get daily that in some ways make up for the cons.

Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms out there.  Enjoy the day to the fullest.  I know I will.

Dear Someone

Shortmama has her dear someone linky up.  Write those letters up and go link.

Dear Teeth,
Give us a break already.  First Papa, then Turbo, and now my mom.  Come on, we brush you and use you every day, you'd think that would be enough attention, but no, you want to see the dentist too.  I'm really hoping that you get over yourselves soon.

Not interested in hearing about the teeth.


Dear Bruiser,
This early rising thing has got to stop.  6:30 in the morning you need to be sleeping so mom can get that all important shower.  And Daddy needs his early morning beauty sleep or he is a bear to deal with.  So let's sleep in a bit more and not do the crying thing at 6:15 in the morning, hmmm-K?

Fastest showerer in the west (Mommy).

Dear Kitchen floor,

I hate you.  No matter what I do to you, you never come clean.  Just wanted to let you know your days are numbered (It's a big number, but a number none the less).  I can't wait to get a new floor to cover you up.

The endless scrubber.

Dear Mom Nature,
As one mother to another, I know we have our bad days.  I know.  But let's try to cheer up.  Thank you for the lovely snow this morning--it's bringing some much needed water, but could you maybe think about some warmer weather, you'd never know the calendar says May from looking out the window.  Happy Mother's Day and all.
The snowy one.

P.S.  The snow is more appreciated than the 50 mile an hour wind you sent us.  Thanks for that.

What I Meant to Say

It's that time again--so say what you meant to say and link up with Chief.

What I said:  About Turbo's teeth:  Well three teeth is good , too bad we have to go back two more times.
What I meant to say:  Holy cow--three teeth is something at least but could you have gotten more done on this trip?  50 miles is a long way to go and this stuff is tough on Turbo.

What I said:  Good job Turbo.  You were a champ at the dentist yesterday.  I'm sorry you have to go back.
What I meant to say:  Good job Turbo.  You were a champ at the dentist yesterday.  I'm sorry you have to go back.

What I said:  Hey Hon, Remember Mother's day is this Sunday.  I would like a little something to mark the day.
What I meant to say:  You better do something.  I had two kids so there better be some sort of acknowledgement this weekend, Bucko.  And no, you can't palm this off on the kids as they are too little still to do it on their own.  Just sayin'.

RTT: The Dentist Edition

Random Tuesday thoughts are brought to you by Keely at The UnMom.  Click on the purple button and go share your random thoughts.

OK, so this morning we sent Turbo with his grandparents to see the dentist.  He will come home four teeth lighter, and with spacers.  I think it will be safe to call him chipmunk cheeks.  Poor kid, I hope he will come through it without to much trauma.  Snuggling on the couch will be in order this afternoon.

Bruiser goes to the doctor this afternoon for his fifteen month check up.  Fifteen months--how did that happen?  He can't be fifteen months.  Where does the time go?  He is walking with a swagger, loves balls, and will follow simple directions.  He also is getting another tooth.  The top left canine.  Awesome.  He talks--sort of.  He says hi, up, yes, yeah, stinky, kitty, ex(for his brother), and knows exactly where the snacks are kept.  He has also discovered the joy of sleeping most of the night.  He is still nursing since he does not like whole milk, but will eat anything as long as he thinks we are eating it.  He is usually so happy.

And in other news, my mom is also getting a trip to the dentist.  She has an abscessed tooth and a cracked root.  We are financing a new summer home for the dentist, all by ourselves.  Great times around our place, I tell ya, great times.

Me--I'm still resisting the trip to get mine cleaned--I hate the grating and scraping on my teeth.  I build up lots of tartar and the time in the chair is just torture. 

And enough about teeth.  And I'm not talking about the psycho weather either, not until she takes her medication.  Mother's Day is this weekend and I'm hoping for something good.  I did win the solid shampoo giveaway that Kingsmom over at Servant to a King had.  Yea me!  I'm looking forward to trying the Lush shampoo she's sending me.  I've heard good things about it.

OK, so enough about me and the tooth troubles.  Go see Keely for other random.  You know you want to.

Monday Minute

It's time for Monday Minute with Ian at The Daily Dose of Reality.

His questions this Monday are:

1. How much would you have to be paid to eat a human cadaver's finger? Well it would depend on the amount of money--$10,000,000.00 would be a good starting point, and how old the corpse was.  Fresh and with some sauce---Oh who am I kidding, I couldn't do it for any amount of money, I think.  The money would have to be obscene, and as long as I could throw up after, maybe.
2. Describe the worst physical fight you've ever been in. This would have to be with my brother--we had some knock down drag out fights as kids, the last one when I was about 12, he was 5 or 6.  After that I got to old to fight and would just ignore him or yell at him--more effective as he quickly got heavier than me.
3. Name one song that if you never heard it ever again, you'd be thrilled.   Jimmy Wayne, Do You Believe Me Now?  Such a whiny song about a guy who lost a girl and sees her with someone else that he thought wanted her when they were going out.  This song just bugs me.
4. Describe the "drunkest" situation you've ever been.  Well, in college there were several drunk nights--what can I say, this college town knows how to party.  One night that stands out is the graduation night that my husband was out of town and I was out with a good friend.  We drank like fools that night.  Danced and got serenaded by the band and drank some more.  We got back to my house and we both passed out there.  the next morning was ugly--hangovers from mixing alcohol are never fun, but at least I didn't through up.  It didn't take me long to learn I had a six drink minimum before I got to ride the porcelain bus.  This is the best I can do--My memory seems to have a few holes in it about the drunkest I've ever been, blame it on the booze.
5. What's your biggest regret?  My biggest regret--that I let an old friend drift away.  I make friends so infrequently that I really need to savor the ones I have.  I let life and things get in the way and she and I grew apart.  There was a kind of nasty series of emails that ended things and I really regret some things I said.  Hindsight really is twenty/twenty. 

So go answer these questions for yourself and link up with Ian, it's fun.