I got a million of 'em...

Excuses for not posting, that is. I'm going to spare you all my whining and send you over here and here for some fun stuff.

Someday I'll get back in the groove...

Happy birthday to the Head Coach of the Home Team

Happy birthday, Pete! I promise for this one day to let you call all the plays, as long as you don't change the line-up.

XOXO

BOOM! It finally happened...

Alex finally fell out of his crib while trying to get out of it last night. One day after turning two-and-a-half. This is significant because I told Pete six months ago we would move Alex out of the crib when he was two-and-a-half.

Lord help me I'm not ready to honor that commitment.

Alex doesn't know anything about sleeping in an unrestricted space. He still snuggles his large-for-his-age frame up against one end of the crib like a little bear cub. He goes to sleep by himself in there. He loves his music box and (until last night) has never tried to escape. He willingly lays down and even says "night-night" when he's particularly sleepy.

But now all that's going to be turned upside down. He won't know the first thing about staying in a bed that isn't surrounded by, um, bars. He'll jump out repeatedly, probably try to go downstairs, and then I won't know where to draw the line between STAY IN BED and "awww, come in here with mommy..."

I just can't wait...

Helps to have a blog for reasons like this...

...because I get to vent without making a fool of myself in public. I know, it's only the whole Internet.

Saturday night Pete and I went to see the movie Vantage Point (PG-13). The basic story is the President goes to Italy to speak publicly about a new effort to fight terrorism. In front of thousands of onlookers, the President is assassinated. The story then unravels by viewing the events as seen by several different people there: tourists, Secret Service, the President himself, and the bad guys.

The movie wasn't extremely graphic, but there were a lot of people getting shot and of course the President's chest jerking when he was shot, etc. And the bad guys shot a hostage point blank. But the good news is they were brought to justic in the end. With some more shooting.

What had my blood boiling by the end of the movie is that there was a child in the movie theater. Maybe five years old. Old enough to sit there quietly the whole time, but for one time when...get this...he had a question about the movie.

I was horrified when I heard his tiny voice. I nudged Pete and he just shook his head. I know, not much I can do without making a scene. I just wanted to ask that parent why he NEEDED to see a movie like that so badly that he didn't care about what his child saw. Isn't it hard enough to keep little kids from viewing violence on TV without PAYING for them to see it?

Lucky for the parent, I took the easy way out and chose to whine about it to Pete and post here instead of saying anything to him. Not that it would have done much good. Probably would have just confused the little boy, plus, the parent isn't going to change based on the rant of some stranger.

But I'm curious, would any of you said anything? Why or why not?

I'd post today, but there are eggs to hunt

It's a busy time here so you may not see me for a couple of days:

Yesterday it was 77 degrees; today it will be warmer. Being outside with the boys is vastly funner than being indoors typing drivel.

Today is Alex's Easter egg hunt at MDO. He will have a homemade (not by me!) Easter basket made from an orange juice carton. Or so I hear. I'm a little eager to see how Minute Maid will turn into an adorable vessel for gathering anything... Anyway, I'm helping hide eggs for the chillins' this morning.

Oh, and I lived through strep throat. Mmmmm....Omnicef!

If I had money to burn...

The price for this beauty? $49.95 of course (desperate model not included). I'd almost pay it just to see Pete put it on one time. Hmmm, his birthday is right around the corner.


It's called a Head Spa. I didn't read enough of the description to see what it does. For that price it should also teach you a foreign language while you sleep. Since you wouldn't want to be wearing this thing during the day. When people might see you.

I tried, grandparents

Last night I told Mickey:

"When one of the Grandma's asks you something, say yes ma'am or no ma'am. If Grandpa asks you something, say yes sir or no sir."

His response:

"Is that Spanish?"

Diet Coke + Strep Throat = Satisfaction

Having strep throat can really test one's allegience to foods and drinks. Or I should say, it'll help you identify your pain threshold. Because we all need to know that. So here are a few do's and don'ts I've learned since I made an A on my strep test:

Coffee? No way. Kills the throat.

Chips? Save 'em. Sorta feels like swallowing gravel.

Cereal? Same as chips but with phlegm-producing milk. Not good.

Diet Coke? Feels like cold shards of glass. But here's where I did not realize just how high on my List of Needs DC ranks. I am willing to endure the pain in order to drink it! At first I thought a sip at a time would do, but it is not enough. I have to guzzle this stuff to be satisfied! So for the last three days, I have had to take a deep breath, clench my fists, and suck down the glass shards. I feel like I'm gearing up to break six boards with my bare hands.

So worth it.

Apparently I didn't take my own advice...

We have a flu epidemic in my lovely city. If they made Ziploc bags big enough I'd just use those in place of carseats to tote my boys around (although the Big Bags might work!). They wash their hands every time they walk in the door and before they eat and we're using gallons of "hand-itizer."

But I guess I haven't taken my own precautions because I got diagnosed with strep throat today. Yikes.

The nurse asked me if I needed a note to take to my job so I would be excused and I can't believe I didn't take her up on that. Can you imagine the look on Pete's face if I handed in a doctor's note and said I was taking the next three days off?

Then she tells me to stay away from my children. Yep, she said that.

But she gave me pain meds so I forgave her.

What I learned this week (or what I should have already known)

1. It's not fun when your child is stomach sick. It's even less fun when he treats you to three surprise episodes over four days. At least with Mickey it's six hours of hell and then it's over...

2. I care about people who are sick in the hospital even when they are a friend of a friend. I think because I care about my friend being distraught over it. (That is poorly worded but you get the picture.)

3. I really, really, really appreciate and love my husband. I think he schedules four-day business trips to remind me.

4. It irks me when people say you can't trust the weather forecast. If you think about it, they're right most of the time. But lordy! When they're wrong, like they were this week saying we'd be getting snow, people grind them into little shreds. Like they could have done a better job...

5. I'm reading the Harry Potter books at a slower pace than my 9-year-old nephew. That sorta gives me a headache.

Got carded!

Ya'll have to check out VistaPrint. Per Shannon at Rocks in My Dryer I visited there and saw the word FREE, which of course equals CLICK HERE. Usually I'm skeptical but this time it was the real deal.


Bottomline? I got 250 of these business cards for $5.45 (shipping charge). They are cute but they do not have my kids' names on them so they aren't nauseating.

The reason I need them (besides that they were only $5.45) is that every now and then I exchange contact information with a parent or a teacher and end up writing it on a brown paper towel with a crayon. These will be much more professional. 'Cause moms are pros, right?

And just think of all those fishbowl drawings I can enter!

And did I mention they were $5.45?!

15 things I should have said

I saw this on someone's blog (can't remember whose) and traced it back to Nancy. I haven't read her blog but for this post, but I think it's so cool so I'm lifting the idea and sending her some link love.

The premise is to list 15 things you wish you'd have said in some situation. Either last week, last year, ten years ago or more. I do this a lot in my head: ten minutes after a situation is dead and buried I think of the perfect thing I should have said which would reveal the sharp-witted and intelligent person I really am, instead of a bumbling fool.

So here goes...15 things I should have said:

1. Yeah, that's right. I'm breaking up with you now. Not in three years. Now. And take your girlfriends with you.

2. When I start getting paid for overtime, I'll work it.

3. Thank you for telling me I'm pretty.

4. Yes, you can sleep with me since Daddy's traveling.

5. You really have clothes that are more flattering than that.

6. Stop. Sending. Junk. Email. Please.

7. Your teasing hurts my feelings. And shut up.

8. Wait, I think you gave me too much change.

9. No, I can't help you with that right now.

10. Can you help me though?

12. Bless me Father for I have sinned.

13. Thank you for accepting me no matter what I do.

14. Please accept me, no matter what I do.

15. Blog, schmog.