Wednesday Hodgepogde

 

Joyce at From This Side of the Pond has started this new hop.  It's sort of random, and looks like a lot of fun.  And since my brain is still not really caught up from the time change this works.

1. Do you think you're more like your mom or your dad?  I look like my dad, and try not to act too much like my mom.  I don't really know my dad--he died when I was three months old.  But looking at pictures of him, I definitely look like him.  My personality is not really much like my mom's but we do have some similar interests.

2. Do you like roller coasters?  As long at they strap me in well, I love them.  If it's just a bar across my lap--not so much.

3. How did you name your blog and do you now wish you'd thought about it maybe another five minutes before you hit publish? Would you change your blog title if it were not a huge pain in the derriere? (French makes everything sound a little nicer doesn't it?)  I named my blog because I live with all guys. I was originally thinking I'd use something like swimming in a sea of testosterone, but that one was taken and so I came up with The Testosterone Three and me.  It works well for my life and nope, wouldn't change it at all.

4. What is the best wedding gift you received? Not married? Didn't get any gifts? Then what is the best wedding gift you've given?  Most of the wedding gifts have moved on by now--but we still use the serving trays and toaster.  We really didn't get much that was exciting.  I can tell you the worst wedding gift we got.  It was extremely large margarita glasses, and wine glasses.  The margarita glasses were huge. See:

 

The wine glasses are about ten inches high and green too.  They are gaudy and would hold a bottle of wine easy.  Not really our style.  We gave the margarita glasses away long ago, but the wine things are still in the cupboard.  Not sure why.

5. What is the one bill you most hate to pay?  The water bill.  It's so necessary and so overpriced. 

6. Is the glass half full or half empty?  Depends on the day.  Sometimes it's half full, but that can change.  Some days are just half empty.  What's nice is the Nick and I rarely have days that coincide, if I'm half empty, he's half full and vise versa. Works out quite nicely.

7. What is your favorite word? Okay okay. Calm down. How about one of your favorite words?  My favorite word?  It would have to be anything Bruiser says--Boot, two, mom!, daddy, any thing that he says that we can understand.

8. Now, this is where you insert one random thought of your own...maybe something that struck you as funny, something that recently had you scratching your head in confusion, something that annoyed you a teensy bit, something on your to do list, something you are looking forward to, whatever. As long as it is in keeping with the friendly tone we've all come to know and love on Wednesdays then we're good. Don't make me get out my wooden spoon. I think I'll have to go with something I'm thankful for.  I'm thankful for my husband.  He is supportive, encouraging, loving and the best guy hands down.  And he's all mine.  I'm a lucky girl.  Love you honey!

Now go link up with Joyce and toss up your own hodgepodge.

Random Tuesday

 
Time to throw out those random thoughts and let you make what you will of them.

• Saturday evening we were watching TV and Nick and Turbo were  arguing discussing something and the discussion devolved to yes/no.  Turbo all of a sudden started saying ossoput, ossoput and Nick and I looked at each other and were like--What the ...?  Turbo stumbled over the word and kept saying ossoput.  Then I finally got what he was trying to say--opposite.  He meant that what Nick was saying--no--should be yes--opposite.  The kid could not get the right combination of syllables out.  I laughed for a good five minutes.  He is still having trouble with opposite (the word, not the meaning).
• I went for a blood draw this morning.  Time for the annual check up.  I'm having some moles removed on Thursday.  Not the most fun, but they get in the way.
• Turbo is going to New York for Thanksgiving.  He leaves on the 20th.  He's excited, but I think he's not really sure what it all entails.  The largest city he's been too was Tampa and we spent most of that trip on the beach in Clearwater.  New York is a whole different thing.  He'll have a blast, but I'm sure there will be a bit of missing mom and dad.  This will be the longest he's been away from us.  He's going with the grandparents and staying with his uncle, but still.  He'll be back on the 30th.
• And the weather goes all to pot on us.
• Bruiser keeps trying to talk to us.  He is getting more out, intelligibly.  But now he thinks two means more.  Kind of funny to hear twoooo when he wants more candy, another Scooby doo show, more snacks, etc.
• The time change has kicked our butts.  I really wish they would just leave the time alone.
• And we have snow.  3-5 inches expected today.  I think I'm ready.  It's wet and slippery out now.  Accidents are waiting to happen later.  Never fails when you mix college kids who have never seen snow and cars.  Let the slip-sliding begin.

And now go see Keely, ya scurvy lot.  She's got Zombie poetry and pirates.  You can't go wrong with that. 

Monday Minute and Meet Me on Monday

Time for the Monday Minute with Cristy.

(1) What's for dinner tonight?  I'm not sure.  We have lots of left overs, so something with leftovers.

(2) Have you ever been stung by a bee or a wasp?  Yeah, on my foot.  One got in the car and landed on my foot and stung me.  Another time I was walking through the Zoo and had one hit my wrist and sting me.

(3) What time do you go to sleep every evening?  I try to go around 10:00pm.

(4) What's your favorite ice cream flavor?  It's a toss up.  It kind of depends on my mood.  I like butter pecan but I also like rocky road.  And this time of year, peppermint is really good too.

(5) If you could have one power, what would it be?  I think I'd have to go with magic--like what Harry Potter has, cause there is so much you can do with it.  

And I'm doubling up and doing Meet me on Monday with Java at Never Growing Old.
So with this one the aim is to get to know our fellow bloggers better.  And here goes:
1.  What is your favorite kind of pie?  I love blueberry pie.  I don't get it very often but I do love it.
2.  Have you ever ran out of gas in the car you were driving?  Only once when I was driving.  It was when I was in college.  The fuel injector went out in my car and I was trying to limp it into town and ran out of gas about 5 miles out side of a blink you miss it town here in Wyoming.  The snow plow driver stopped for me and gave me a ride into the little town and two girls who were headed the same way I was gave me a ride back to my car.
3.  How many languages do you speak?  One well--English. I have a smattering of Spanish and a bit of German but I can't really say I speak them.
4.  Do you take daily vitamins?  No.  I'm awful at remembering them.  I try really hard with the kids but I can't remember to take them.
5.  What is your worst eating habit? I snack on salty foods.  They're not good for me but I love to nibble--especially sunflower seeds.  My kidneys don't like the salt.  Makes them make stones--ouch!

Spin Cycle--Trick or Treat?!

So Jen's assignment this week is to show the trick or treating fun.  I'll show the duck:

And the Viking a.k.a. Hiccup:

AND then I'll show Mom, a.k.a. Viking wench:

No shots of Dad, Viking but he looked great.
And then the few(OK very few) pictures of the trick or treating madness.  I got single duty at the downtown trick or treat because Nick had to make a hole in the wall of the basement to vent the dryer outside.  So I didn't get lots of pictures because I was trying to navigate the stroller and try not to lose Turbo (almost failed, we did get separate for a short time and it was enough to nail Turbo to my side for the rest of the morning).  Here are those pictures:

Here we have a tired, sticky duck.

Turbo, fishing for toys in the carnival like ares that was set up in a sort of park downtown.

Success, more candy to add to the haul.

Now if I can get Turbo's camera uploaded there will be pictures of Turbo trick or treating.  If not, well, rest assured that he got way too much candy and turned in half of it for a video game.  Good times were had by all.  Although next year I think we get to take Bruiser out for the trick or treat portion of the program.
No go on Turbo's camera--it needs a CD and the netbook won't talk to those.  I'll keep trying.
Now go see Jen at Sprite's Keeper for more trick or treating fun.

I did It!

I made it one whole year with this whole blogging thing.  My first post ever is here.
It's been a wonderful adventure.  I've met so great people.  From my first commenter--Jen from Sprite's Keeper--to the 114 followers I have now, I had so much fun this last year.
I've won prizes, gotten to rant a bit, and opened my self up.  It's been good for me.
I'm pretty shy in real life and have a hard time making friends.  And in my town, keeping friends is even more difficult--cause they change out every 4-5 years(college town).   I'm looking forward to the next year and seeing where this adventure takes me.  It's been great so far.

So thanks for all the support, therapy and good times.  The smiles from the comments make the whole day better.

Pour Your Heart Out

 
I'm going to serve up a bit more mom guilt this week.
This time it has to do with my second child.  Bruiser is a wonderful kid.  But I always feel just a bit guilty because he gets so many hand-me-downs. Clothes, toys and on occasion attention.
I don't want him to feel short changed but we have to be economical and the clothes and toys Turbo played with are still good and Bruiser doesn't really know the difference--yet.  As for attention, well, he's getting good at demanding his share.
But every now and then I feel guilty because I remember Turbo wearing or playing with something and think that Bruiser will never have/do new stuff--Turbo will have done it all first.
I'm not really sure how to deal with this--I was older and all I had was a younger brother.  Hand-me-downs don't work the same with brothers and sisters.
Of course, Bruiser is very much his own kid.  He is pushy and demanding and he will not let us forget he is himself.  I still don't know what to get him for Christmas.  Other than a stuffed Scooby Doo.   The kid loves him some Scooby Doo.  But when Turbo was that age, we got him Thomas stuff--and all that stuff is sitting in the attic waiting for him to get old enough to play with it.  And so far he has not shown any interest in Thomas, trains, or anything like that.  So what do you do to keep things fresh for the second time around kid?  This has me a bit baffled.
My other problem is that I keep trying to compare the boys--Turbo did this, and look now Bruiser is doing this. Bruiser is doing that and Turbo did that.  I find myself looking for differences between the boys, just to, I don't know--prove they are different?  I know they are different but when Bruiser does something I don't remember Turbo doing it always sort of surprises me.  And then I feel a bit guilty for feeling surprised.
So, I deal daily with mom guilt--don't we all?I just do my best with what I'm given and hope my boys turn out all right.  What else can you do?

Go see Shell at Things I Can't Say for more Pour Your Heart Out posts.

Random Tuesday Thoughts

Time for Random Tuesday Thoughts.  So here we go--Random:

• We survived Halloween.  Turbo made out like a bandit and then traded what he couldn't eat for a Scooby Doo video game.  He has spacers and sticky foods don't do well with them.  He is thrilled with his game and had a great time taking candy from strangers Sunday night.
• We had our usual dozen or so beggars at our door and Bruiser helped to give out candy--next year he is going to have to be in on the getting part--'cause there is candy, man!  He kind of got the hint. 
• Turbo got a good grade from the dentist-so score one for Turbo.
• I cannot find comfortable socks.  They just get too tight around my ankles, or they get so loose they are not comfortable.  Socks suck.
• Soap makes me itch--on my legs where I use it to shave my legs.   Avon was making a bar soap that I could use, but they stopped.  Now I have to find one that works and doesn't take a great amount of effort to get my hands on.  No easy task here in the back of beyond.  Any suggestions would be appreciated. 
•  I am surprisingly close to my blogoversary, uh blogaversary, umm, OK it's been almost a year I have been sharing my little crazy corner of the world with the rest of you.  Thursday will be the day actually. 
• And the crazy weather ups and downs have started here, which means that migraine season has started for me.  Yes, dramatic drops in barometric pressure cause migraine for me--some fun.  Hormones play a part too--didn't you just want to know that?  Anyway this is the time of year when I watch the weather and hope that I don't get a head exploding migraine.  I've had one so far this fall.  At least mine are survivable with Aleve.

Well that about covers my random for this week.  Go see Keely--she's baaack!

Monday Minute--A Bit Late

Time again for the Monday Minute with Christy.  I'm a bit late but here goes:

1.  What did you dress up as your first Halloween?  The first Halloween I remember dressing up I was maybe eight, and I think I dressed as a clown. 
2. What has been your favorite Halloween costume of all time?  My favorite costume of all time?  Hmm, I don't really have a favorite of my own, but I loved dressing Turbo as Shaggy when he was four.  He had his stuffed Scooby and looked really cute.
3. Do you believe in ghosts?  I believe that there is something but I have yet to see definitive proof.
4. What's your favorite holiday of the year?  I have to admit, I love New Year's Eve.  It is the holiday the is just our family--Nick, me, Turbo and Bruiser.  We eat seafood all day and just hang out.  I love the time we spend together on that day.
5. What's your favorite fall dessert?  I like pumpkin pie.  It is just a great fall food.  I also like a pumpkin spice bread that I found.  It's pretty good too.

Spin Cycle--Halloween Hits.

Halloween has had many incarnations at our house.  In college, Nick and I dressed up a couple of times to go to work at the cafeteria.  I dressed in overalls, had braids and painted freckles on my face for the country bumpkin look.

We didn't do much for Halloween for several years after college--except carve pumpkins and hand out candy.  One year I had a friend who invited me to an 80's theme party for Halloween.  Don't I just look too 80's?  For sure!

  Then Nick went back to school and the Geology club had Halloween parties.  What would we dress up as last minute?  The dogs of course!  I went as our brown dog--complete with pony tail 'ears' and the collar taken from the dog's neck.  Nick went as our black and white dog complete with black sock ears attached to his hat and the dog's collar--worked for us.  Sorry, no pics from that party.
Then we had Turbo, and trick or treating became necessary--but thankfully we didn't really have to dress up too.

Turbo in the Pumpkin--He is not impressed

Turbo as a five month old clown--he did better with this than the pumpkin.

Until Turbo went to kindergarten and got invited to a birthday/Halloween party where the parents are welcome to dress up too.  Now we have get to come up with costumes.

Five year old Turbo as vampire (Daddy as bum).

Last year we went as the huntsman for Nick and a medieval lady for me.  And again no pics of us but I think I can find some of Turbo.  Turbo was a skeleton.  Bruiser was a baby--terribly creative but hey he was crawling and not about to wear an actual costume.

Six year old Turbo--Skeleton

Why, yes we did make both of our babies stand in the pumpkin for Halloween, why do you ask?

This year I'm going as a sort of fortune teller/gypsy and Nick is sticking to his huntsman outfit.  Turbo will be a viking--a la Hiccup from How to Train Your Dragon--but he has lamented his haircut since he has very short hair now.  Bruiser will be a duck--cause that's what I have that fits him.

Here, ducky ducky...

Ahhh--the viking is coming!

 Happy Halloween everyone!



Now go see Jen at Sprite's Keeper for more Halloween Spins!

Writer's workshop

The Prompts:
1.) A book (or tv show … or something) that you watched/loved as a kid, that you see through entirely different eyes as an adult/mom.
2.) If you could witness (or take part in) any event in history, what would it be? Why?
3.) What made them so interesting? Remember a unique classmate from your past. Write about him/her.
4.) Show us something you’ve created for Halloween, anything qualifies…costumes, recipes, crafts, party invites, treats, decorations etc..
5.) “Keep your face to the sunshine and you can not see the shadow” – Helen Keller
In what ways are you able to stay positive about something that sometimes brings you down?

I'm going to go with prompt #1.
I loved watching Scooby Doo after school when I was growing up.  It was on right when I got home and in those days of third grade we didn't get homework.  We got to watch about an hour of TV then dinner and maybe an hour after dinner then bed.  Scooby was a half hour and it was fun to watch.

When Turbo was about 18 months I began letting him watch Scooby Doo.  Therefore I got to watch Scooby Doo.  I began noticing things about the original show.  Just little things that as a kid I never saw. 

• The plots lines in the early shows are very thin.  These kids find 'clues' in the most ridiculous places. 
• The animation is bad-sometimes the colors are wrong and the months don't match the words. 
• I always thought it was cool that they went all these neat places, but hey these kids are supposed to be like 15 and 16--don't their parents worry about them?
• And I totally would not want these kids to come around here--weird things have this way of happening where ever they go.
• And really how many people really try to scare people away with ghosts and monsters?

I still enjoy the shows but with a different outlook than I had as a kid. 
The newer shows they have made--What's new Scooby Doo?--have some very tongue in cheek moments that most kids would not understand but if you watched the older shows you would totally get--Fred and his plans and traps, Velma as a nerd, the way they split up,  Shaggy and Scooby eating totally awful food combinations, etc.  I really get a kick out of those shows.

Go see Mama Kat for more Writer's Workshop posts.