I believe choirs are singing...

Hop on over to 918moms.com for an update about Alex's bathroom issues. And knock some wood on your way over...

Things I realized I don't understand

Tomorrow we'll be out of school again for the ice storm (which was really ice, then a lot of sleet, then a nice layer of snow). The main roads in our city are clear, but the neighborhoods are still snow-packed so the clumsy school buses can't maneuver them. The boys' school, however, isn't really a school. It's a church with a Mother's Day Out program. Which brings me to my first wrinkled brow of the week:

Why should schools (or daycare providers or Mother's Day Out facilities) who don't operate bus routes close when the main roads are cuh-leeer?!

(Now here's where this post goes awry...prepare yourself.)

Why is this...thing...considered ham?


Why did everyone in my family eat it except for me?


Why do I bother to put clothes on my boys when we stay home?



Actually, there's nothing in this pic I don't understand...

Works for Me: put Post-It's in their place

This Works for Me Wednesday tip may seem trivial, but it has saved me some frustration and time.

To keep from fumbling through your junk or desk drawer for a pad of Post-It's, just remove the backing of the pad and stick the pad to the inside of the drawer. They're always within easy reach, and you don't have to waste time slogging through this:

(No comments about why I need three rolls of two-sided tape.)

For more great tips, visit Shannon at Works for Me Wednesday.

Pitter patter of little sleet

The freezing rain and ice from yesterday is now covered with a thick layer of sleet, and more sleet is rapping against my bedroom window as I write this. I'm hoping it'll keep coming so the boys will have a skating rink in the front yard like we did a couple of years ago. Pete loaded up Mickey in a plastic swimming pool and launched him across the yard like a hockey puck. Good times...

The good news is that our city is pretty much in the clear as far as power outages. I heard something about 100 households being without power and I'm rather surprised we're not one of them, given the mass of wires and crooked poles that still remain in our backyard from last year. I suppose there's a method to that madness.

Now on to Pajama Day at our house!

Ice: the silent killer

Sorry for that title; couldn't resist. I've been home most of the day and I couldn't see a drop of anything falling for hours, and yet the very fine mist was forming ice on the ground, trees...and on power lines. No where near a power outage yet but I got my "D" batteries last night just in case.

They have already canceled school for tomorrow; the boys will be disappointed for sure since it was supposed to be Pajama Day. Why in the heck couldn't this happen on Purple Day?! I believe I will tell them we'll have Pajama Day here at home. Maybe I'll even have craft time and story time, too. And nap time if I'm lucky.

Don't call me boring, folks

When it's midnight on Saturday and you have the computer to yourself, what better way to be entertained than to compare weather forecasts of the three TV stations in town.

Just so you don't have to bother yourself by visiting them all, I'll give it to you in a nutshell.

I C E (and freezing rain)

Now, how likely it is to happen is what the meteorologists (or lowly "forecasters" if you don't have the degree) disagree on:

TV station 1: 20, 80, 80
TV station 2: 90, 90, 60
TV station 3: 50, 70, 70

Translation: The above numbers are the percentages for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of next week, respectively.

Further translation: No one knows what's going to happy on Monday. School is cancelled on Tuesday. Start making a grocery list to replace refrigerator items on Wednesday.

Wow...sometimes my raucous Saturday nights surprise even me.

The art of potty training. Or not.

I posted today at 918moms.com about Alex's progress with potty training. Come on over...who wouldn't want to read all those details!

Wordless Wednesday: Cousins

Brooklyn

Takin' a breather here in Brooklyn at my niece's apartment...a roomy affair of about 1000 square feet. Roomy until you consider she has three roommates. Nonetheless, it's cozy and has sofas so Brit is my favorite niece right now.

What we're really doing is watching the movie Chicago, after having seen the real thing on Broadway last night. The real Broadway. Not like the one street you probably have in your hometown, unless that hometown happens to be in New York City.

I promise to write more details when I get home and get caught up on hugs and kisses from my three boys. Until then, suffice it to say I'm having an incredible time with two sisters and two nieces...and ten million or so New Yorkers.

Dork in New York

Last night as I was packing for NYC, I told Pete I might need to go buy a new SD card to hold more pics on my camera. It was late and I didn't want to go out just for that since it was so friggin' cold outside.

So the thought occurred to me to call my niece to ask her if there's someplace I can buy one when I get there.

In New York City.

Then I remembered they might have stores in the biggest city in the nation.

WW: when dad takes him for a haircut

You may remember I had quite a lot of angst about cutting Alex's hair, but I knew it needed a trim.

Apparently Pete and I have different ideas about what that means.

Before:



After:



It's growing on me. Slowly.

Thu-thu-thirrtttyyy-th-th-three

My teeth are already chattering. Next week I'm going to visit my niece who lives in New York City. The HIGH temp during the entire visit is 33. And that doesn't happen until the afternoon of the day we leave. Can you think of a more ideal time to vacation northward among skyscrapers than January?

In spite of that dismal forecast, I can't wait to get there! My sweet husband arranged the whole trip as a Christmas gift. I'm sure he thought it was slightly extravagant money-wise, but little does he know the bigger sacrifice is him going solo with the boys for three nights and four days. I don't think NYC has a souvenir in the whole city to match that effort...

I hope I'll be able to blog the experience while I'm there and maybe even post some pics. If I can move my frozen fingers.

10 things you shouldn't say to an OU Sooner fan today

It's a dismal day for the Home Team. Or shall I say, one very passionate Oklahoma Sooners fan who lives with us. And the sun is not out today either...Pete might say out of respect.

Anyway, in case you live or work with an OU fan, you might want to avoid a few statements like those below. At least until the sting wears off. Like next year or so. Or never.

1. (actually overheard as we watched the game with friends last night) "Now you know what it's like to be an OSU fan."

2. "So how many bowl games does that make that Coach Stoops has lost?"

3. "Maybe you can find another team to root for."

4. "Don't worry, they'll get 'em next year."

5. "Well, you think Texas should have been in the BCS Championship after all?"

6. "They may have lost but at least they got a free trip to the beach."

7. (After predicting the score would be 34-24 with OU winning) "Hey! I got Florida's score right!"

8. "Aren't you glad you didn't have any bets on that game..."

9. "Maybe next year they'll be a little more careful about who they choose as the Heisman Trophy winner."

...and finally, please don't say...

10. "...they're still the Big 12 champions and nothing can change that."

Feel free to add to the list in the comments...

Brace yourself before reading an ingredient statement

Ya'll, this is scary. The donuts that were bought (by another member of this household thankyouverymuch) the other day have three grams of sugar LESS than the high-fiber, low-fat oatmeal bars I've been eating in my quest to not each so much junk.

And on those so-called healthy bars, the second item in the ingredient statement is high-fructose corn syrup.

And high-fructose corn syrup made the list of Dr. Oz's five food ingredients to avoid. Nice.

I guess they have to get flavor from something with all that fiber and no fat in it.

And not to ruin anyone's lunch, but if you want to continue enjoying hot dogs, cut the nutrition label off the package and throw it away. Or you could accidentally see that 110 of the 130 calories in each dog is fat. And that the ingredient statement begins with "...mechanically separated..."

I suppose it's all about moderation. But truly, I'm finding that the bigger the claim on the package, the more you need to turn it over and read the true story in the ingredient statement.

(And maybe you can have donuts guilt-free!)

It's January, time to think about summer

Ahhh, I believe I'll read this post a few hundred times this month...

The rambling post

Yee-haw, everybody! It's 2009...how many of you have committed to a New Year's resolution? How many have thought about it? How many have thought about not thinking about it?

That last one would be me.

Why would I want to let a resolution get in the way of what I want to do? See, if I say "this is my resolution," then I will fail with more certainty than the OSU Cowboys needing another Kleenex.

But if I just look at it as: the holidays are over, now I can concentrate on all those things I want to do and now I have time to do them since the rest of winter is so boring.

There, that oughta do it.

Or, I can just keep on keepin' on. After all, life in 2008 was actually kinda good for the Home Team. I'm still chasing those fitness goals, however, and that will probably never change. Maybe I'll meet them, maybe not (in that case I'll just change them!).

Right now, I'm just happy we're getting ready to resume our usual schedules with school and what-not.

At least until mid-January when I get to go HERE to visit my niece!

See, told ya this post was a rambler...