Target and Other Thoughts

Yikes-I know...no posts since before Thanksgiving! Believe me, it's not because there is nothing going on here. In fact, it's because there is too much! lol!

So I received this Target add in my email. It features gifts for men, women and children.

Gifts for Women: A Gilligan & O'Malley Robe for $14.99; and a Turtleneck Sweater for $24.99.

Gifts for Men: A $179.99 Camcorder and Leather Jackets ranging from $99.99 to $109.99.

Gifts for Kids. Because they've been EXTRA GOOD this year. One of these is the Exercauser Triple Fun Activity Center for $119.99


Now...these are my thoughts on the matter:


How come the gifts that are featured on this Target add for women are a $15 robe and a $25 dollar sweater, and the featured gifts for men are a $180 camcorder and a $100+ leather jacket???

Hmmm...ever think I'd like a bigger lens for my Nikon (although I know they don't have those at Target), or a new and bigger TV that shows all of the colors equally and not just focus on red??? How about that Zune? I want one of those, too! And while you're at it, add that camcorder to my list, too. That Kodak 12 mp camera for $250 would be really cool if it really worked, but, I am having serious reservations at the ability of it actually being a 12mp camera-Point and Shoot, no less.

Seriously-men take one look at that add and go, "Hey! There's a Target 2 miles from here and I'm in and out and done for fifteen bucks. And look how happy she will be in that big bulky robe! Woot!"** Shit. Might at well throw in some pots and pans or a vacuum or crock pot or something. And the baby gift is some big noisy thing that would drive any adult over the edge! Then they wonder why their wives are mad at them all the time.

I think my favorite part of the add is this quote: "Gifts for kids. Because they've been extra-good this year." I think Santa has turned a blind eye to this house. You know they (the kids themselves) know they are in trouble when, while standing in line to see Santa last Sunday and they are hearing all the things about how Santa watches you all year and knows if you've been bad or good, and Claire leans over and you can hear the desperate whispering in your ear, "Ummm, Can Santa read your mind, too?" (Just might be time to bring this one in for confession! I think it would be very beneficial to her soul to let her skip a few grades!)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

In other news, because I ALWAYS love to learn new words and their definitions-seriously. I love dictionaries!

**The word "Woot" has just been chosen by Meriam-Webster as the new "Word of the Year" for 2007! I just learned that this morning, and I'm already using it in a sentence. To be totally honest to the point that some people may think I'm a freak, the word "woot" has been in the pop-culture for years now, and I'm not so sure that it's timeworthy of 2007. Maybe something more like 2001. Personally, I think a more appropriate word would have been something like 'selflessness' or 'charity' or 'coexist', even 'sympathetic'...something to remind people that it's not ALL ABOUT THEM. Like it or not, we live with millions of other people, and the things I am trying to accomplish are as important to me as they things others are trying to accomplish. Take "Little Driving Man Talking on Cell Phone" this morning...just because you are dressed more nicely (and talking on your cell phone) than the woman wearing pajama pants and a t-shirt who had just dropped of one of her children and her child's friend at school, does not make you more important than she or anyone else at the intersection where you blew through the STOP sign, and would have caused an accident if the other driver hadn't been paying as much attention. Get a sense of equality, will you?

Not to even mention doing good things for others, no matter how small. *Totally not to brag on myself here, but...* I was in line to check out at Target last week, with a basketfull of who knows what. I just know it was A LOT! A man walked up behind me with a package of diapers and a couple of other baby type things. I knew it was going to take me a long time to check out, and he could be in and out in about 2 minutes so, I told him to go ahead and get in front of me and check out first. He looked incredulous and asked if I was sure. I said of course...I'm gonna be here a while, you go ahead. He was very grateful and said thank-you several times, THEN he told me that his wife had just had a baby and they were on their way home from the hospital and had to stop for a couple of things...he ran in to get them while his wife and the baby waited in the car. The moral of this story is: do something nice for someone at least once a day, because sometimes you get incredible stories like this one! So totally worth the extra few seconds of waiting! And just from my own personal experience, I know how extremely grateful any woman trying to get in a doorway with a stroller will be if you will hold the door open for her!

My mom always told me to live by The Golden Rule: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I still try to live every day like that (sometimes I lose my temper, yes; I won't say I'm perfect!). But, living that way makes life that much easier for everyone, and sweeter, too. And it will all come back around to you!

Lucy, Claire, etc...

Lucy is still my favorite dog...


And the cutest one, too! Plus, I just cannot get over how friendly and loving she is, to everyone, including the cats. Lilly and Molly think she is great, even if Frida is still a little weirded out, and Annie is just plain not having anything to do with the whole thing! lol! Lilly and Molly also like the kennel, and are either inside it or on top of it all the time. I just wish I could get a picture of all 3 of them-Lucy, Lilly and Molly, all there at the same time. Here's one of just Lucy and Lilly:


And I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week already! Tomorrow is the last day of school. Tomorrow is also the day for Kindergarten's program...some kind of Pow-wow. At least I don't have to go for lunch and eat the cafeteria turkey dinner! That's one thing to be thankful for!

Among other conversations I've had with the kids, there was one in which Claire was talking about wanting to go visit my Aunt Carol and Uncle Rusty. They have a big pond that my Uncle keeps stocked with fish, so the little ones can always catch something, and Claire wants to go fishing...

Claire: If I catch a fish...(she pauses, because something else has caught her attention)

Me: I'm not gonna clean it!

Claire: NO! We're not going to eat it or anything. I'm just gonna get one of Uncle Rusty's boards, because I know he has some around there somewhere, and I'm gonna nail the fish on the board and hang it on the wall!

Ummmm...anybody out there have some air-freshener they need to get rid of??? lol!

Conversations with Claire

*Just a quickie-because I keep forgetting!*

So...mom was here last weekend and we were working in the yard, planting some flowers. Mom had been using the hoe to 'chop up' the dirt, for lack of a better term because a farmer I am not!

When mom was done, she laid the hoe down in the grass, and eventually Claire came along and picked it up and said:

"Aw! You're a dirty ol' hoe, but I love ya anyway!"

I about busted a gut trying to keep it in...and I do know she meant "hoe" and not "ho", but it comes out sounding the same! And I am still laughing about it!

Because 2 Adults, 3 Kids and 4 Cats weren't enough...

We got a dog!

And I wonder why I never have time to sit down. Well, now I have to sit down a lot though...to cuddle with Lucy and all. Dogs like to cuddle a lot more than cats! Oh! And they like to be dressed up and wear clothes, too. Really. Just ask them. And they also love to have 13 year old girls paint their claws with bright red nail polish! rofl!

Don't ask me how this happened, because I really don't know. I never wanted a dog, and neither did Steven. We have been telling the kids "no" for years now. Then all of a sudden, I just had to have one! The only requirement was that it had to be female and small. So, I started "The Search". And there are so many cute ones out there! But, we finally found just the right dog for us, at the Animal Shelter in San Marcos. Lucy was one of 15-yes, that's right, 15!-Chihuahuas that had been abandoned in the Wal-Mart parking lot there. Fifteen Chihuahuas of all ages. Personally, I think someone decided to get a couple of dogs and breed them and make lots of easy money, then finally realized it wasn't as easy as they thought it would be, and just left them all there in the parking lot one night. Luckily they were rescued before any harm came their way. We went and visited with them and realized that Lucy was definitely meant for us! She is about 3 years old and has had more than one litter of puppies. She is so calm and quiet; she never ever bothers the cats; she RARELY barks (we've only heard her bark about 5 times in the 2 weeks we have had her)and when she does bark it's just for show-you know, that 'Chihuahua Attitude', she is so easy-going and never runs off...just an all-around great little dog! You know, I do believe that people, animals, things, etc...come into your life for a reason and right when you need them. I think Gayla sent Lucy to me. I lost Gayla forever and Claire to Kindergarten right around the same time, and suddenly found myself alone, with no one to talk to or interact with except the Scotch Tape I did have a long conversation with one day, and Gayla decided I needed a dog! lol! And although I still instinctively pick up the phone to call Gayla, I do think Lucy helps...and I can take her places with me, carrying her in her little baby carrier with her cute little clothes and blankets...although her little ears turn red when she starts getting hot in there, just like Ethan's and Steven's! lol! And when we are home, she is either right at my feet (I've actually accidently stepped on her a couple of times) or sitting on my lap the whole time. Definitely my dog.

*Really-I'm not insane. I don't think.*

So anyway, here are a few-okay, a lot-of pictures. And no, I didn't deliberately keep Ethan out of the pictures, it's just that by the time we got home with her after she had been spayed it was around 8:00 (because we had to stop at Target for cute stuff), about an hour and a half after his bedtime and he got out of the car and went straight to bed and we never heard another peep! lol!








She's a Daddy's Girl!



This is Lucy's kennel with the banner I made...it has her name on it, although you can barely see it. Molly the Cat also enjoys the kennel! She likes to get in it when Lucy is out. It's so funny the way she sits in there, though: absolutely straight up and looking around at everything like she may be interested in buying. It's hilarious!




There are no pictures of Annie or Lilly anywhere near the dog...in fact, we very rarely see Annie anymore at all! But Molly is just so curious about the whole thing! This first night, since Lucy was moving around too much for Molly to get a really good look at her, Molly just waited until Lucy was good and asleep, and then did a thorough checking out! lol!



Frida is just keeping her distance! However, she is coming around a lot more these days.


By the end of the day, she was one worn out puppy!



Of course, there has been so much going on around here I could never tell you everything, but, this is the biggest news by far. Well, that AND I got my hair cut! Maybe with all of the kids in school, I'll have time to do that on a more routine basis! Oh, I can give you a head's up on 'Future News'...my parents will be here tomorrow for the weekend or a month (however long I can talk them into) and Steven and I got tickets for the Spurs game Friday night!!! I haven't been excited about going anywhere in a LONG TIME, but I am sooooooo excited about this! I love our Spurs!

Oh, and of course, I Love Lucy! ha!

Just a quick update...

First of all, thanks for the well-wishes! The kids are doing better...Ethan is still on the mend, not 100%, but I am seeing progress. I'm still going downhill..."Walking Pneumonia"...what is that??? To me, you either have pneumonia, or you don't; not a whole lot of grey area, but, I guess that just means that you have pneumonia, but the doctor doesn't want to give you a hospital vacation. lol!

In other news, Steven and I had our 15th Wedding Anniversary yesterday! We got married on the 10th day of the 10th month at 10:00 am. Sounded like good and lucky to me, and it seems to have worked so far. We didn't do much because I haven't been feeling well, but, he did take the day off and we went to P.F. Chang's for lunch. Mmmm...I love that place! Before we went, we were thinking how nice it would be to eat like adults, without kids...but the whole time we were there, we were checking the time hoping we wouldn't be late picking them up from school! LOL! And OF COURSE a date for us wouldn't be a date without a stop at a bookstore, so we stopped off at Barnes & Noble on the way home. I picked up a Jane Austen novel, "Persuasion", and a book of Kate Chopin's work that includes her novel "The Awakening" along with some of her other short fiction work. I got home and immediately started in on the Kate Chopin book and had a hard time putting it down! After that HUGE lunch I was sure I would fall asleep, yet I was still going strong and blowing goodnight kisses to the kids from my chaise while reading. lol!

Steven didn't get any books but...he did look at a lot of books with pictures! Ha-haaa! Old joke of ours...he doesn't read anything that doesn't have pictures in it.

We also got an old Five for Fighting CD-America Town.


I don't know why it took me so long to get this one. It was made in 2000, and it is wonderful...I love every song! I think I tend to just get lost in whatever I'm listening to at the time, and in 2000 it was probably MatchboxTwenty, so this one slipped right by. If you like bands like Train, Matchbox Twenty, Sister Hazel, Maroon 5, that type of stuff, I think you would like this and I would recommend it...if there is actually someone out there even farther behind in musicland than I am!

And now I have 2 more hours before I have to pick up the monkeys, so maybe I'll have time to work in a nap...or some 'Law & Order'.

What do you do...

*If you aren't a mom and/or you get grossed out very easily, don't read. Because Ethan's lungs are gross.

...when your doctor insists that whatever you have is viral and you don't need antibiotics, but you are still running a fever after 3 weeks? And so is your son? Who is also coughing up mucus out of his lungs??? I did make another appointment with the pediatrician for him though...called yesterday morning but they didn't seem concerned in the least, so his appointment isn't until 4:30 this afternoon. My doctor said not to come back unless my fever gets above 101. So I'm living my life on the couch, dying, just wishing I could cough out some of the crap in my lungs, until my head can't take it anymore and I have to take Advil, because I want to let the fever "do it's job"...and this will go on for days until I finally break down, because it's only running in that 100 degree range. And apparently, 100 degrees isn't enough to kill whatever MegaGerm we have.

Really, I don't like going to the doctor because I don't want them to think I'm a whiner, but really...I need some advice here.

***UPDATE: Ethan's Rx...pneumonia. Ay yi yi!

"They say she used to be nice."

I've gotten a couple of super funny jokes in my email recently, and this is another one I've got to share! And maybe it's a 'cheater post' but, it makes it much easier to get something posted, so I don't have to think while I have The Plague. (And why am I the only one in my family who hasn't gotten rid of it yet?) Which leads to another question about moms...why can't we EVER call in sick???

This is also my message to the men of the world: Say NO to drugs and YES to chores! Because it's true...Mothers don't do spare time.

Why God Made Moms

Answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions:

Why did God make Mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the scotch tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.

How did God make Mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring.
3. God made my Mom just the same like he made me. He just used bigger parts.

What ingredients are Mothers made of ?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice
in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.

Why did God give you your Mother & not some other Mom?
1. We're related.
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's moms like me.

What kind of little girl was your Mom?
1. My Mom has always been my Mom and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.

What did Mom need to know about Dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?


Why did your Mom marry your Dad?
1. My Dad makes the best spaghetti in the world. And my Mom eats a lot.
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My Grandma says that Mom didn't have her thinking cap on.

Who's the boss at your house?
1. Mom doesn't want to be boss, but she has to because Dad's such a goof ball.
2. Mom. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mom is, but only because she has a lot more to do than Dad.

What's the difference between Moms & Dads?
1 . Moms work at work and work at home & Dads just go to work at work.
2. Moms know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but Moms have all the real power, cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's house.
4. Moms have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.

What does your Mom do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.

What would it take to make your Mom perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.

If you could change one thing about your Mom, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mom smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.

Why did the chicken cross the road?

My Aunt Carol sent me this joke, and it is the funniest joke ever...especially if you read it with that person's voice in your head!

Why did the chicken cross the road?

Why did the chicken cross the road?

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize
that he must first deal with the problem on 'THIS' side of the road
before it goes after the problem on the 'OTHER SIDE' of the road. What we need to
do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his
'CURRENT' problems before adding 'NEW' problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is
why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken
earn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm
going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the
road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road.
We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not. The
chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground here.

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the
satellite image of the chicken crossing the road...

ANDERSON COOPER - CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but
we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the
road.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now
against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the
chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

NANCY GRACE: That chicken crossed the road because he's GUILTY! You can
see it in his eyes and the way he walks.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was
going. I had a standing order at the Farmer's Market to sell my eggs
when the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any
insider information.

DR SEUSS: Did the chicken cross the road? Did he cross it with a toad?
Yes, the chicken crossed the road, but why it crossed I've not been
told.

ERNEST HEMINGWAY: To die in the rain. Alone.

JERRY FALWELL: Because the chicken was gay! Can't you people see the
plain truth?' That's why they call it the 'other side.' Yes, my friends,
that chicken is gay. And if you eat that chicken, you will become gay too. I
say we boycott all chickens until we sort out this abomination that the
liberal media white washes with seemingly harmless phrases like 'the
other side. That chicken should not be crossing the road. It's as
plain and as simple as that.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road.
Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be
listening to the chicken tell, for the f irst time, the heart warming
story of how it experienced a serious case of molting, and went on to
accomplish its life long dream of crossing the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads
together, in peace.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

BILL GATES: I have just released eChicken2007, which will not only
cross roads, but will lay eggs, file your important documents, and balance
your check book. Internet Explorer is a integral part of eChicken. This new
platform is much more stable and will never cra...#@&&^( C .. ...
reboot.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road
move beneath the chicken?

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with THAT chicken. What is your
definition of chicken?

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black chickens.

AL GORE: I invented the chicken!

COLONEL SANDERS : Did I miss one?

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

Conversations with Claire

*Overheard between Claire and Daddy/Steven:

Claire: I know what the difference is between boys and girls.

Steven: What's that?

Claire: Well, guys only know about cooking and a little bit of cleaning.
Girls know about make-up and fashion. So, that's why they have
to have different bathrooms!

Steven: You're exactly right, Claire.


ROFL!!! You can guess who does the cooking around this house!

On another note: the two little children who I thought just had colds on Monday
ended up with a sick Mommy on Tuesday, and we've all been sick the rest of the week. I actually was/am sick enough that I went out and FINALLY got myself a doctor, since I haven't had one in the more than 2 years that we've been here. Apparently, we have a 'plague like virus' that won't go away...my words, not the doctor's. It is a virus, though, but I can't imagine that the plague felt any worse than this. I tried to send Ethan back to school on Wednesday because I truly thought he was doing better, but the nurse called and sent him back home because he had started running a fever again. They are doing good now, though. I thought I was doing better, but I was wrong. I thought my worse day was last Wednesday, when I had completely lost my voice. It came back...sorta...even though my mom said she didn't recognize my voice on the phone yesterday. Today, I somehow slipped into a virtual coma and slept until 5:00 PM!!! Totally and completely slept through and lost an entire day! Oh, and when I woke up, my voice was gone again. Ethan told me if I didn't drink so many Dr Pepper's I wouldn't be sick. Who does he think he is??? I called him a "blasphemous traitor" and told him that if there was any more talk like that, I'd have to kick him to the curb. He laughed and laughed, then suddenly got this serious look on his face, looked sideways at me and said, "Really?" LOL! When I said no and started laughing, he started laughing again, and told me to drink some orange juice. lol! Balancing right on that edge!

Now I've been up for 4 1/2 hours, and I think it's time for me to go to bed again. Sleep tight, everyone!

I've finally realized...

"Crazy" is my new normal. I always think it's crazy here and think to myself, "As soon as 'this thing' is over, things will quiet down." But as soon as 'that thing' is through, a new thing comes along. Today it came along in the form of 2 sick little ones: Ethan and Claire. Claire has come down with a bad cold/sinus infection or something; but Ethan is "sick" mostly because Claire is. He has had some problems with allergies, I think, recently though, so I have them both going to the doctor this morning. He can go back to school tomorrow, but I know I will keep Claire home at least another day...which will be kind of nice really. I miss the Old Days already!

Oh, and about the nun picture in my previous post...earlier this year I posted about Allison asking me if I had ever pretended to be a nun when I was a kid. Steven, my mom and I all about popped a gut over that one! rofl!!! My mom just happened to come across a picture of two nuns in the newspaper shortly after that, and took one of the nuns out and put me in! I still laugh every time I look at it, and I keep it on my desk. If you want to read the original post, here it is...http://lorilaurielauri.blogspot.com/2007/04/conversations-with-allison.html

Time to go get ready for the doctor...she might appreciate a shower.

I'm still here...

Having to take a little unexpected break from the computer as things are just too busy! They should settle down next week so, I'll be back!

Planning is in progress...

For a Fairy Party for Claire's birthday. Just realized she is having one of those the day before yesterday. I have all these ideas in my head, so I hope I have time to get them actually made! Does anybody know where I can find some little plastic fairy figurines? You know...like little Army men?

I've gotten some wooden dowels with stars on the end, some spray paints and all different kinds of ribbons to make wands with. There will only be a few...ok, 6, girls here, and I'm planning on making them very simple white cotton gowns with a fairy or two embroidered on the front (and I'm wondering if I should have some ribbons draping down the back) and hopefully Party City will have some rhinestone crowns, because Target sure doesn't! I still can't believe that. But, I did find some very cute little diaries in the dollar section at Target last night, and those will go in their goodie bags.

She really wants a sleepover, but, I also know that kids that age rarely make it through the night at someone else's house, so, rather than making a bunch of phone calls at 2:00 in the morning, we are just having the party until 10:00 at night, then they can all go home then. Allison and one of her friends will be doing the girls' make-up and nails, and I need to figure out some kind of movie for them. I was thinking Tinkerbell, but, then I remembered it isn't "Tinkerbell", it's "Peter Pan"! lol! But, maybe I can find something that is fairy related. AND, since I already have GOBS of beads and all of that stuff, we are also going to make bracelets. I just want to see if I can find a little fairy charm.

I think fairies need cupcakes, but Claire really thinks she needs just one big cake, lol! So, we found one of those, and I'll have to make some pink punch or lemonade or something...preferably with bubbles.

And moving on...I was a bad mommy the other day. Now I'm a bad daughter. My mom's birthday was yesterday, and I forgot to call! But I think I would have remembered if I could have stayed awake past quarter to five! Happy Belated Birthday, Mom! I have your present, and I'm trying to make the kids finish the one they started for Dad...then I can pack them up and mail them together. Maybe even by Columbus Day!

Conversations with Claire

With bonus: "Bad, bad, Mommy!"


It only took 2 days this year to get a call from the school. But it was because of me. I had fallen asleep on the couch after lunch...and about 20 minutes after I was supposed to pick Ethan and Claire up, the school called-of course they wanted me to come get them. lol!

Anyway, I get there and Mr. O had been talking with the kids, and Claire noticed he had this empty iced tea jug thing on his desk and was asking him about it. He told them he had (drunk? drank? dranken? drank up the whole thing? INSERT PROPER WORD/S HERE) the whole thing today.

Claire: That's an awful lot of tea! It's gonna make you have to go to the potty, so don't hold it too long or you'll get a bladder infection!

He was laughing so hard when he told me this...wouldn't you love to be a fly on the wall in the Principal's office???

I'm too old for kids!

Well, sadly, since Dean didn't come anywhere near Houston, Dave decided he wanted his kids back, since he finished everything up in Chicago early. So the boys left today. I am wiped out, and my back hurts and the Aleve isn't doing anything to help it! lol! Now, if I can just make it through the weekend, school starts on Monday and I can be home all alone for the first time in over 13 years and enjoy the peace and quiet! : )

Guess what we are doing tonight? We are going to meet Claire's Kindergarten teacher! I don't think there ever was a kid more excited about starting school. This is her teacher's first year teaching...good thing she has Claire to break her in right! lol!

Tomorrow evening we get to meet Ethan's teacher. Found out she just completed her Master's in Education. Good thing too, because she's gonna need it!

As for Allison, her biggest problem right now is finding a cool tote bag. Apparently it's not cool if your mom makes it for you. But it is cool to go to Old Navy and get one just like everyone else's. She is the 'Anti-Me'. lol!

Really cool!

First of all, thanks for the birthday wishes! It was very nice...definitely much better than I had thought it was going to be.

And now, Gayla's sons and a nephew are here with us! Gayla's husband is in Chicago on business and wanted to get the kids out of Houston because of Dean...just in case. His nephew, Mike, has been staying with them since Gayla died to be there during the day and while Dave was gone. So, now they are all up in SA with us, and we've been making plans for the week...it's working out great for us because I don't think Dean's coming to Texas at all and we will have great weather. So, see yall soon!

Only 5, 4, 3, 2...

ONE more shopping day, everyone! While you are out running errands today, don't forget..."Tomorrow is Lauri's birthday!" LOL!


Oh, but Julie Panova, honey, mommie-in-law dearest: I got your little momento in the mail yesterday, and you have really outdone yourself, you c#nt!

To everyone else...please, please, PLEASE pardon my french! I have never said that word in my life, but it just so fits here.

He is soooooooooo lucky!

Last night I thought it would be a good idea to drink a glass of wine with my egg salad sandwich. I don't normally drink wine with egg salad, or even with dinner...I only drink it rarely, and usually that's because I'm at my mom's house and they are having a glass because she made spaghetti for dinner.

I only ended up having 1/2 a glass.

But I'm such a freakin' lightweight that 1/2 a glass was enough to do me in!

Apparently I passed out on my chase somewhere around 3-4pm...right after my sandwich and wine...and didn't wake up until 9:45! Yikes. By then, the kids were in bed and I could hear Steven downstairs putting dishes in the dishwasher. I needed a snack so I tried calling him, because I had been in the same position for those 6-7 hours and could not move at all. I remember calling to him, but he couldn't hear me, and I didn't want to yell too loudly and wake up the little angels. So I thought if I yelled out something funny, that THAT would get his attention...

ME: "Help! I'm your baby mama!"

*That is when I realized I was drunk.

**No response from Steven.**

ME: "HELP! I'm your THREE TIME baby mama!"

He finally came upstairs and (later said) he found me lying there with my arm up in the air like I was waiting for the teacher or someone to call on me. We then decided I needed the Baskin Robbins Chocolate Peanut Butter Ice Cream that was in the freezer.

Right choice? You decide.

The next thing I remember is that I was in my bed, no longer on my chaise lounge, and I was in the early stages of vomiting. Like, it had made it to my mouth. I immediately sat up trying to stop it, and noticed that if I did end up barfing, it would be all over Steven's neck and face. Somehow or other, I was actually able to choke it back down and it stopped. Then I sat up for the rest of the night.

And THAT, my friends, is how much I love my husband!

My New Philosophy on Life

"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways - Chardonnay in one hand - chocolate in the other - body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming: "Woo Hoo, what a ride!"

A good one, no?

Onto other things:
1) It quit raining and damn it got hot!

2) My children are THE MOST expensive children ever made! And I'm not talking about things like having to have "The" designer clothes, or "Those" shoes. Y'all know me; I don't go for that. I'm talking about just basic living and keeping them alive and healthy expenses. That must have come from Steven's side of the family, because I didn't have these problems.

3) If Claire asks me one more time, "How many days until school starts?", I'm going to scream.

4) Oh, who am I kidding...I'm gonna scream anyway. I am one slammed door away from the psycho ward!

5) Tonight we get to meet McGruff the Crime Dog, and all the kids are gonna be finger printed. Like we'd have to worry. A kidnapper would have them for all of 45 minutes, be driven out of his mind and have his wallet emptied because
something would happen, and drop them off right at our doorstop ASAP! lol!

6) Really, they are not that bad. And one at a time, they are my dream child and I'm living my dream life. But, having all 3 at home and together all the time? Not so much.

7) Oh! Steven has an ulcerated uvula. Does that top a sinus infection?

8) OK-seriously-it's not that bad. And I'm laughing as I type this, so I hope you take it in the way it was intended!

9) Time for me to take a shower. I don't want to smell worse than McGruff the Crime Dog!

When-Your-SpaceBar-Doesn't-Work...

You-just-surf-around-and-make-stuff-like-this:

Ummm...HELLO?!? People who work at TNT!

The people who watch TNT during the day are probably people like me: Moms who are home with or without their kids, love 'Law & Order', and absolutely, positively cannot stand Soap Operas! So WHY ON EARTH are you suddenly programming freaking GOLF TOURNAMENTS during our Prime Time hours???

We can't stand Golf Tournaments, either! Besides, there is the Golf Channel just for that specific reason! To show golf. All the time. Twenty-four seven. All golf, all the time. Not to mention ESPN and ESPN 2. Plus Channel 26 (on my TV) that, I have no idea what it is, but it always has sports on. Mostly basketball, but, seeing as how the San Antonio Spurs have just recently reclaimed their title of World Champions of Basketball and are entitled to a little time off, probably wouldn't mind sitting down and watching a golf tournament themselves. So use Channel 26 even! Use all 4, PLUS interrupt the SOAP OPERAS for Christsakes! They provide nothing valuable to the community at all. At least we can learn some scientific stuff with 'Law & Order'.

Or...at the very least...couldn't you please, PLEASE wait until 'Charmed' is scheduled? Then interrupt all you want, by all means!

Please, please TNT...I beg of you down on my knees...bring back my 'Law & Order'. Otherwise I'm just forced into doing things like laundry and cleaning bathrooms and mopping the kitchen...and I've really had enough of that.

It's quiet again!

Aaaaaahhh! The girls are having their turn with Nana and Pop, so it's just me and Ethan here during the day. Life is so quiet with less than 3 children!

I'm going to spend this time trying to catch up on all the little projects I have going...a purse for a swap, curtains and things for my new studio, some little embroidery things for the laundry room.

Yes, I am going to decorate the laundry room! That poor room always gets neglected so I'm going to spruce it up a bit to be like the rest of the house. Steven painted it my yellow color (Sherwin-Wiliams Buttery) and added a big, tall cabinet. And, just because we don't have enough other things we need to spend money on, the old washer and dryer were dying a slow, painful death; so we put them out of their misery and got new ones. So now I'm doing a series of little vintagey looking embroidery patterns...the ones with little kitties, ducks and even elephants doing chores, specifically laundry. I also need to make curtains for the laundry room. I have the fabric-a laundry related pattern-but that's gonna take some thought...meaning math...with all the measurements and a thing to put the rod through and all that. So of course, I've been procrastinating. However I didn't waste any time in taking down the old curtains and using them in a crazy quilting project! lol! They were just the PERFECT colors!

Speaking of crazy quilting...it's something I've been wanting to really learn how...

*BREAKING NEWS***THIS JUST IN*
A few minutes ago I sent Steven an email about what I wanted for my birthday. It is something I found that is in the 'calamitykim' shop at Etsy. I think he found it, because I just got the little thing that pops up to let you know you have a new email, and it's to Steven's account and it's titled "Receipt for your payment for item # blahblahblahlongstringofnumbers". hee-hee!

*Back to our regularly scheduled programming...
Speaking of crazy quilting...it's something I've been wanting to really learn how to do for a long time, and I took a class on Saturday about it, with the GREATEST SEWING TEACHER EVER! I've taken lots of quilting and sewing classes so I know. This woman was great! Her name is Bobbie, and I took the class at Quilter's Point. The class was full of a great group of women, which is normal, but usually the teacher has no sense of humor what-so-ever. But Bobbie is a HOOT! A few of the ladies were super funny...LEAH..."hold me closer Tony Danza"...and I was cracking up all day long-which is something I really needed! I'm still laughing right now. And Bobbie was wonderful, and patient and kind! By the end of the class everyone was at a different stage, and she didn't even care. She just went around the room checking on everyone individually and helping with whatever they needed at the time. It was just great all the way around.

When the class was over I went out to sign up for another class she is doing, but she said she didn't want me to "waste my money on that class and not get anything out of it" because she said I already knew everything. She has another one though, in a couple of weeks that I asked about, and she said that one would be good for me because I would learn some new things. So, I'm going to take that one.

So this should have you all up to date with what's going on around here. Ethan and I are just gonna chill out this week, and he is going to let me work on things, right??? Maybe I can bribe him with the 'Harry Potter' movie....

Conversations with Claire

*I'm in the kitchen emptying the dishwasher and Claire is in there talking to me, doing the 'potty dance'.

Me: Claire, do you need to go to the bathroom?

Claire: No, I just have a gas bubble, and I'm trying to pop it.

Getting through...

...but it's hard without Gayla. Gayla would call me at least once a day, sometimes more. And now, every time my phone rings something happens in my brain that makes me think she's "come back", and I get all excited thinking it's her, "Finally!", then realize it isn't....

Today I was in my favorite art store, Stamp Antonio...carrying my purse and so many other things someone finally just felt sorry for me and brought me a carrying basket so that was completely overflowing. Then I hear my phone ringing/singing, "We represent the Lollypop Guild, the Lollypop Guild, the Lollypop Guild...", instinctively thinking it's Gayla and thinking, "It's about time!", dropped everything on the floor because I was so excited, and it was Allison. Not that I don't want to hear from Allison or anything...but, it hit me really hard today. Steven, Ethan and Claire were next door to where I was waiting for a pizza and when I got over there Steven asked if I had heard from Allison, who went to see the new Harry Potter movie with a friend. I told him yes, but I thought it was Gayla, then start crying....

Of course, I've thought about changing my ring tone, but: 1) That was the ringtone she knew, and she won't know the new one; and 2) 'The Lollypop Guild' is just too perfect for us! lol! If you ever wonder what Ethan looks like, he's the red-headed boy who isn't too keen on singing "We represent the Lollypop Guild..." with the other boys. Even the attitude!

I do ok most of the time, but anytime my cell phone rings the tears start to flow. She even changed her cell phone service from Sprint to Verizon, for ME! Her whole family-mom, sisters, everybody-had Sprint. When we moved to San Antonio, she changed to Verizon so we could talk as much as we wanted. Friends like that don't come around very often.

Anyway...not much else going on. We did get a new washer and dryer, though. So I guess things can get pretty exciting around here every once in a while. OH! And my 'new' office is just about done. Walls are painted, shelves are done...I just need to get everything organized and put away. Mom recovered the seat of my chair and I need to finish painting it. (It's primer gray right now. Just gotta spray paint it white.) I also need to spray paint a little bar stool thing white, and I'm making a padded cushion for that. I'm also working on a curtain to cover up the very bottom shelf of the bookshelf that houses one of only two electrical outlets in here, so it'a a jumble of a mess and needs to be covered up.


Oh, how could I forget about this? Talk about some excitement...this is a picture of one of our neighbors having their hot tub/jacuzzi installed. By crane. Over their house. I hope you can make it out-I was taking pictures out of my bedroom window on a very gray, drizzly day.

My best friend in the world just died.

Very suddenly and unexpectedly. And calling her just a "best friend" doesn't seem right...she was more than that. It's not fair that we weren't sisters. Because if you say something about your "sister", people get it. (Plus, most sisters probably don't love and care about each other as we do.) If it's just your "friend", it's not that big of a deal. But she was a big deal. And I don't know what I'm going to do without her for the rest of my life. We figured we'd be old and senile, sharing a room in the nursing home and beating each other with our canes! And if we weren't senile and still remembered we were friends, we'd just hit the other old people with our canes! lol!

She didn't just leave me...she also left a husband and two sons. One starting high school next year, and one in middle school. I really don't know how they are going to do without her!

My eyes hurt so much I don't think I can make any more tears. I miss you Gayla, and I'm not accepting this and I want you back.

Vacation?

Steven took off Wednesday, Thursday and Friday this week, to stay home and take care of some things around the house that have been needing to be taken care of. Including, but certainly not limited to: 1)Finish painting the cabinets and shelves in my studio; 2)Painting the laundry room and; 3)Painting the stairway and the rest of the upstairs, minus the kids' rooms. That means he has 5 days to do these few things...FIVE days...FIVE whole days! I was going to be able to finish up a couple of purses that I owe people; work on the Doll Quilt for the swap; and work on things in general that need to be done, like PUTTING ALL OF MY FABRIC AWAY IN MY STUDIO AND GET IT OUT OF THE HALLWAY, along with the sewing machine, soldering iron (!yea! So I can actually use it without worrying about burning the house down!)-basically, getting all of my stuff organized, plus working on some other little artsy/crafty things.

Today is Saturday. Day FOUR. Ninety-six point seven percent of our time has been spent dealing with the kids who are fighting over things like who gets to vacuum what, who gets to wipe the baseboards along the stairway to remove all the dust so the tape will stick for when we paint, and who gets to sweep under the kitchen table. Of course there are other things we have to do with them, like, keep them from killing each other. Sometimes I'd like to just say, "Have at it! Survival of the fittest!" But, I think CPS and the police would become involved. But I know you are reading this thinking, "Her kids are fighting over who gets to sweep and wipe the baseboards and she's complaining???" My kids will fight over ANYTHING. Particularly anything that involves taking something away from the other.

Claire absolutely loves to clean things with wipes...anything, anytime, if she can just use a wipe. She must get high off the smell or something. Wipes clean up baseboard dust really well, so, when I said, "Hey Claire! Go get a wipe and wipe the baseboards up the stairway for me.", that pretty much ensured a fight between Claire and Ethan, because he only wants to take things away from his sisters. If I had said, "Hey Ethan! Go get a wipe....", it would have been a whole different scene. The crying, the whining, the falling down because his legs just cannot hold him up one second longer, the "you make me do eeevvvvvvvvvvvverythiiiiiiiiiiinnng!"...in short...The Death Scene. But, by my asking Claire to do it first, there is fight that results in needing 2 adults, 1 psychiatric professional, usually some kind of First Aid-maybe even stitches, and lots and lots of meds to resolve. So, there goes 96.7% of our time.

We do need to eat occasionally, so there goes another percent. I've only had one shower in the last 4 days, so I'm not using up a lot of time on that. But, Steven and I do have to clean up after ourselves, and what we can't get the children to do...I'd say, what, 2%? Sounds good. And saving the best for last...sleeping! What's left, about 1.3%? Yep, that sounds about right.

So, how much has actually been accomplished these last 4 days? Well, the laundry room got painted. And Steven is painting the shelves in my studio as I type. I have yet to complete a project. A small portion of the baseboards got dusted and taped off...a very small portion. Not a drop of paint has hit those walls yet, though.

Silly me! And I thought Steven and I would be able to actually sit down at night and watch a few of 'The Soprano's' DVDs that I got him for Father's Day!

Thinking about things...

I've been sewing a lot over the last few days...that kind of mindless, straight line sewing that gets you to thinking about things. Lots of deep life questioning things. Things like: why am I am who I am; how did I get to be this way; why do I have certain children; what do I want to do from here on out and be known for when I'm 55 years old-because I am 40 and REALLY close to 41...which really translates into "What do I want to do with my life?". And then of course, the truly thought provoking question...why am I not a 'Commercial Lady' like I wanted to be when I was a kid?

And that may sound like a really funny question, and taken at face value it is. So I've been thinking about what being a 'commercial lady' really meant to me. I've decided that what being a Commercial Lady really meant to me was that I would get to stand or sit there and talk...a lot...about anything. What I liked, what I didn't like, or whatever someone else needed me to talk about, but couldn't bring themselves to do it. Of course, I would have been more of a 'Solo Infomercial Lady'. So obviously the perfect job for me!!! I never did believe that test I took in high school that said I should be a Mechanic! (An if you're wondering yes, that is absolutely true and yes, I can hear you laughing all the way over here!) But, I think I finally got to the root of that this week...sometimes it takes a 40 year old woman to get into a 6 year old's head.

When I was old enough to realize that "Commercial Lady" wasn't something you went to college and got a degree in, I moved on to becoming a teacher. Which, if you think about it, has a lot of the same things going for it that Commercial Lady does...you get to stand up in front of a classroom spouting views and ideas and theories and opinions. However, I realized within the first semester or two of college that my type of teaching wasn't going to work in Public Schools, and it was quite possible that Security Guards would be throwing me off school property within hours of the first day for many violations!

1) I have never had a problem giving my opinion. Never. Not in any situation, public or private. I respect the opinions of others (as long as they have actually gone through a reasonable thought process and some research to get there). Their opinion does not have to be my opinion...different opinions are what makes the world go round. (I absolutely must say here, though, that some opinions are just downright stupid and ignorant!) Anyway-back to the point of me giving my opinions...if I was a teacher and a student asked me what I thought about something, I would tell them what I thought and believed. And most likely, that is not what the Public School System is going to want me to do.

2) I don't know why I said, "it was quite possible that Security Guards would be throwing me off school property within hours of the first day for many violations!"
Because the one above is really the only one I can think of. Let's just say I am more suited to teaching at the University level, and since I had better, more fun things to do than sitting around studying for a PhD, that is out of the question.

I have spent a lot of time acting on behalf of abused women and children and trying to educate the public about domestic violence. Even made it on the news in Houston for spouting through a microphone in front of City Hall. But I am wanting to do more. I want to help educate the world about things like Bipolar Disorder especially in children; what REAL ADHD is; Depression-that sometimes you just can't pull yourself up by the bootstraps, buck up and get happy; Schizophrenia-which is not Multiple Personalities!; Learning Disorders like Dyslexia and/or the fact that not all children progress and learn to read at the same exact time at the exact time the teacher tells them too! BRAINS ARE DIFFERENT! And that doesn't mean "wrong" or "bad". My two oldest children had difficulty learning to read...Allison didn't really learn to read until 3rd grade but, when it did click, she took off! Ethan is still struggling very hard and just may be Dyslexic. And Claire-who will be entering Kindergarten in two months-still shows no signs of wanting to learn her ABCs. If you ask her how to spell her name, she can tell you and she can write it out, but, if you ask her to write a 'C', she doesn't know how. If you hold up any other letter in the alphabet and ask her what it is, she has no clue. And just exactly like the other two, the harder you push to try and sneak in some learning, the more they turn off and the faster they walk away. But you know what...Ethan is a Straight A student. Allison would be if she weren't quite so social, if you know what I mean. lol! She has been before, and will be again, but, sometimes she just socializes a lot instead of doing homework. "Normal" kids develop at different rates, and it's all good as long as they are steadily developing on their scale.

Autism-that's another one that hits close to home, and people really need to learn more about that! You can check this link to the National Autism Association, also. You might wanna check out Pete, who has A Perfectly Cromulent Blog. I use him. You know...to keep up with House Bills and all that. The whole Government, making laws and stuff, adding important issues, such as Health Insurance and Early Intervention for Austim onto other bills that have nothing to do with that...this one may be tacked on to something about how to dispose of grass clippings for all I know...ANYWAY, it's all very confusing, but, I can just go to Pete and find out what's going on with what I'm interested in. Thanks, Pete!

Health Insurance-Especially for Kids! What the fuck is wrong with our Country? A Country who will let a family lose everything they have, even their HOME, even the WHEELCHAIR that their daughter desperately needs (Yep! Someone actually walked into their door and made them GIVE BACK their little girl's wheelchair!), because the medical bills have gotten so high that they cannot afford to pay the leftover 20% of the bill that their insurance didn't cover! Try wrapping your brain around that one! What if this was your child? Would that have happened if that was the daughter of the wheelchair company's owner?

Have you ever really looked around and realized how our world treats women and children? I know we live in a male dominated, Patriarchial Society and all, and sometimes I think we, in the US, have things bad and not fair. Then I start looking around and the women in the Middle East and the baby girls in China. And then I cry. A baby girl will get me every time!

I've tried to make a change...in my Social Work/Life Before Kids, and I've even worked a little on Ted Poe's campaign for Representative of the area I lived in. He's a great man...check him out. Because of my son's Special Needs, I have fought long and hard, AND WON, to get him what he needs at school...IEPs, ARDs, Wright's Law, a great resource for Special Education Law & Advocacym etc...a lot of research, learning and commitment. And I'm willing to (and have) help anyone else get what their child needs also. Right now I'm making a bunch of little security blanket type things for some of the orphans in China. Cindy at Skip to my Lou posted about her neice, who is working with a group called Hope's Heart . They are going to China soon to volunteer and bring over some things for the babies. I know that this is a very teeny, tiny contribution but, I'm hoping it will help a few children have something to hold that is their's and belongs only to them. I've also donated many other things I have made to several other charities to be auctioned off to help raise a little drop in the bucket. OH! And PFLAG...something else I've always wanted to do something for but don't know where to start-other than to stand up on roof or walk around downtown with a bullhorn shouting, "What difference does it make who you love?" I have marched in a Gay Right's Parade, though.

But where do I start? What problem to I fight to solve? Do I do a little bit for everything, or put all my eggs in one basket? All I know is, I need to get back to doing something. I know I don't get a whole lot of traffic here, but, if any of you have a link to a group you want to help with or a cause to fight for, let me know and I'll add it into this post. And even if you don't have a group or cause you want to help with, I hope I've made you think a little. I'm not even trying to actually sway or change opinions here, but if I did make you think, you made my day!

Of course, I can't let this blog publish until I say a little something about OUR SPURS! We said, "GO!" and you "WENT!" and I am very proud to have such a wonderful, polite, well-mannered group of people represent our city! To all the Mom's who raised their boys to be these men, to all of their teachers in school along the way, to all of the Spurs Administration, to Pop...thank you all for raising and helping and teaching and coaching them all to be who they are today. A team I am proud of and a team who emulate the the social graces I want my children to learn. I couldn't be happier! Congratulations on #4!

Why am I so naive year after year after year...

Not even year after year...also holiday after holiday, event after event, day after day...I always think "THIS TIME it's gonna be better!"

I have a plan for the summer for the kids this year-basically homeschool, but fun. With LOTS of arts and crafts! For example, this week was 'Fish Week'. We learn some cool things about fish, and make a lot of things with fish on them. I found tons of fish and ocean related foam thingys at Michael's, so we were going to make "aquariums", those foam can holders/koozies covered with fish; I got some solid color beach towels that we are going to applique with fish, clam shells, dolphins, seaweed, mermaids, etc..., and also got some of those bucket hats to decorate as well-either appliqued or embroidered or both. OH! I also got flip-flops that the kids decorated, and they came out so cute! And yes, you know I got those for me, too! lol!

Sounds fun, no?

But of course, there was an incident. Tuesday morning Ethan "hi-yahed!" a perfect front kick squarely into Claire's chest. She seemed perfectly fine-breathing great, no hurt ribs or anything like that, but, all I could think of was "What if?" "What if he had broken a rib and it had puntured her heart or lung?" "What if the pressure of the kick had ruptured her aorta, like what happened to Princess Diana, and she bled to death?" (Or, maybe, just a tiny little vein???)

OK-so maybe I was a little dramatic that day.

But, I'm not a mom who takes her kid into the doctor for every little thing. I take them for their well-check visits every year, and other than that, they have to pretty much be running a fever of 105 for 24 hours OR they need stitches. The Pediatrician pretty much knows that, if I'M calling, it's probably warranted.

So I called. I don't even know the number for the pediatrician. I had to call Steven to get it. Chalk another one up for Mom of the Year.

They put me straight through to the nurse, who asked me a bunch of questions then said they wouldn't be able to work Claire in until 4:30 and she didn't want me to wait that long so, emergency room it was.

Of course Claire is fine, and apparently it's gonna take a lot more than a 126 lb. brother perfectly planting a kick in her chest to bring her down, but, it really did scare me! I know the difference between real remorse and fake remorse, and Ethan really and truly is the most sensitive, sympathetic and empathetic person I have ever known, BUT...does he have NO FRONT TEMPORAL LOBE AT ALL??? Short of shooting him with a dart that could take down an elephant, what is it going to take to get him to control his impulses? And this kind of super, really serious stuff only happens with Claire.

We did get an emergency appointment with my Favorite Psychologist Ever yesterday, and, he is going to start seeing Ethan and Claire together; which I think is a GREAT idea!

So...homeschool fun with arts and crafts mixed with Psychotherapy for the summer! Who could choose Disneyland over that?

And we are a little behind on the fish stuff, but, the flip-flops did turn out great, so I'll definitely take a picture of those! I think the towels will be cute, too. I was also making quite a bit of progress on a special "fish" game that is a surprise for the kids, but it has stalled. I think I can pick up on it this evening maybe. But, I'm telling you it's gonna be so freakin' cute, you will have to come back for pictures!

Sheesh! I never have time to blog anymore...

But, today is the last day of school. So things should slow down now, right??? lol! I'll be back!

Yeah, I know...it's been a while...

It's May. I hate May. Well, not really but, it is THE busiest month ever. Even worse than December. OK, well, maybe they are equal. From Cinco de Mayo all the way to the last day of school it doesn't stop with the school events. Then weird things keep happening on top of that...like yesterday. The gas that heats the water in the water heater decided to turn off. Why? No one knows. We had gas to the fireplace and to the heater-like we really need to use those in TX in May, but just not the water heater. Makes for a very cold shower. Called the gas company and the guy was here within, NO LIE, 30 minutes! San Antonio is the best city ever! In Houston, that would have taken 3 days.

So, he came out and checked everything and it was all good; he got the pilot light back on. He has no idea what made it go out though. I swear to you I'm haunted. Not in a bad way, but spirits follow me. This stuff just doesn't happen to other people. It's always something.

Anyway...back to May and all it's busy-ness. Before next Friday I have to make cupcakes for Ethan's class party, make a baby quilt for his teacher who is having a baby this summer, finish a bracelet I started for her, and maybe throw in a few other things for the baby. Oh, and I'm going to do the cupcakes with her face on them like I did the ones for Cinco de Mayo-I REALLY should have taken a picture of those! They were so cute! AND-finish up some belated Mother's Day things for my mom that we have been working on so we can bring them to her next weekend. Plus send out 2...wait, I think it might be 3...swap things-one has to go out tomorrow so I'd better get to painting. AND, Gayla has requested another baby blanket for her neice, Milo, (lol!) and I found the cutest material and it's going to be adorable, but, I gotta make it first.

And I'm determined to finally meet up with my friend, Deb the Debutant! Click on her link over on the right sidebar and check out her blog. She has to be the strongest woman I know. While you're at it, check out her and her daughter Zoe's fund raising efforts for the Leukemia-Lymphoma Society-TEAM ZOE! Zoe, who is in First Grade, is so organized, she has even appointed her best friend as Vice-President of Make-Up! roflmao! Priorities! You gotta look good when you are fundraising! Allison, Ethan and Claire have decided they are going to donate $1.00 a week from their allowances until they each raise $10.00. Claire has a special 'Fundraising Bag' she is keeping her money in, and has combed the whole house and gathered up all the loose change she can find and already has $2.47! And sure, I'd love to kick in some cash, but, I'm trying to figure out a way to make and sell something that would *hopefully* make more money than I could ordinarily give. I was practicing last night with some red jewelry. Bracelets would be easy. Earrings, too. I did make a pendant with a couple of small silver beads and one bigger red one in the middle, but, I need some bigger red beads I think. If I ever do actually wear a necklace, it's always something small, but lots of people like really big pendants, so I think I'll look around for something a little bigger. If Steven can finish up my office so I can actually use it for it's intended purpose, I could make some really cool soldered necklaces/pendants/charms, and I would really like to do that because I could personalize it with some kind of Team Zoe theme or a Deb theme, since we are actually raising the money for her. Feel free to kick in ideas if y'all have any!

Hmmm...anything else??? Nah, I think just school stuff, and obviously I'll HAVE TO go shopping for bigger red beads! lol! Oh, and I think Claire and I had a little virus or something going on last week that we probably picked up off a shopping cart somewhere along the way, but, it's all good now. Except that since I hadn't eaten anything except a few crackers-not even a whole roll-since last Thursday, I started actually starving to death yesterday...I think I'll have to go get a big hamburger and onion rings at Bigz today. *wink, wink* And as I type, Claire is swarming around me like a vulture wanting doughnuts from Krispy Kreme. She's feeling better, also!

The Spurs are still going strong! GO SPURS GO!

GO SPURS GO!

Why don't they ever sign me up for napkins or paper plates?

Cinco de Mayo is coming up, so Allison's Spanish Class is having a party. Well, not just her Spanish Class, but ALL 6 Spanish Classes. The teacher's have gotten smart, and decided to bribe the students with the deal of replacing their lowest quiz grade with a 100 if they bring something for the party. Allison signs me right up...for cupcakes. She wanted to sign me up for cookies, but, that was already taken, so 3,074 cupcakes it is! *So I exaggerate a little.*

"But what about the napkins, paper plates, cups...why don't you ever sign me up for that really easy stuff?", I ask her.

"Oh, I don't know. I didn't think about that."

Tonight's Agenda: 3,074 Cinco de Mayo themed cupcakes!

Rough Day/Dear Dr. Dilley

I was told I am a bad mother by Allison's asthma specialist. He says I care more about Ethan and his needs than I do about Allison's. How does he know this? He knows because, when I took her to see him the other day because she was SICK, her lung function was down to only 54%...lower than it was the first time we saw him for a well-visit and she was healthy. Well, excuse me but, um...DUUUUUUUUHHH!!! SHE WAS SICK!

Dear Mr. Asthma Doctor:

When asthmatics get sick...catch a cold in Allison's case...their lung function goes down. And guess what? Their mother's really don't have much control of the germs, bacteria and viruses floating around in the air, especially out in public!

Sincerely,
Lauri Smith-a mother who loves boys more than girls

Anyway...this all goes back to a letter we got on Friday, from Ratner, Dilley & Associates, LLP, stating:

"Please be advised that we will no longer be able to treat your child as a patient. All scheduled appointments have been canceled."

This came out of the blue Friday afternoon, so of course there was no one we could talk to until today. Finally, after several calls, Dr. Dilley finally called me back and asked what I needed, like he didn't know. I asked why they were dropping Allison as a patient, and that was the reason. Because I obviously was not following his directions for her meds and her lung function was too low, and that I care more about my "special needs son" than I do her.

Well, dammit! I made her cut her smoking back to only one pack a day! She still needs to use her inhaler, too? Geesh! And because dust in the house has a bad affect on her lungs, I make sure she dusts everything at least every other day. I thought I was doing good!

Dear Mr. Asthma Doctor:

Even when asthma patients are taking their maintainence meds, they can still get sick, and need a little extra medical intervention; which I was doing on the day you decided I was an unfit parent and could no longer treat my daughter.

Very Sincerely,
Lauri Smith-a mother who has done more than her fair share of Asthma, ADD, ADHD, Bipolar, Dyslexia and Schizophrenia research.

Dr. Dilley...you do not have a "God Complex". You have something much, much worse. After speaking with you on the phone this afternoon, I have realized that you truly believe you are so much better than everyone else. That you know all. That you know all about me, my family and our life situation after only 2 fifteen minute visits in your office, and that you are able to make judgements about what kind of mother I am. God does not even judge like this...and that is what makes you so much worse. The thing is, I thought you were a good doctor-I respected and trusted you and thought you were good at what you do. However, you have shown your true colors and I no longer have any respect, much less trust, for you as a doctor or a man; and you can't get any lower than that.

Very Truly Sincerely,
Lauri Smith-a mother who loves and guards her children more fiercly than you could ever imagine.

munkeepod Blog

Let's hear it for my friend, Gayla! She actually got the blog part of my munkeepod website going! I do have a post over there, so, those brave souls who are willing to be my guinea pigs...would y'all mind checking it out and make sure you can find it and leave comments and all that stuff? It doesn't seem as easy as Blogger and I hope I can figure it all out.

Anyway, you can try this link... http://blog.munkeepod.com/Or, if that doesn't work, go to www.munkeepod.com then at the top of the page, click on "munkeepod blog". I would really appreciate it! And if there are any problems, let me know...you can leave comments here or on ArtSmith. Thanks!

How did this happen?

I've been made a "Featured Artist" on the ZNE website! Is someone out there still playing April Fool's jokes??? Because seriously...how did I get in with this great group of artists? All the ones I stalk and worship? Go check this out!

http://www.znespirit.com/

All I keep thinking is, in the words of 'Frank Barrone', Raymond's dad on "Everybody Loves Raymond"...Holy crap!
Thank you, Chel!!!

In family news: I am now the 'Mother of a Teenager'! Isn't that a whole new stage of life? Somehow or other, last week zipped by in a flash! Then, over the weekend, I was only home long enough to sleep. And now Allison is sick and we have an appointment with the asthma specialist tomorrow. Poor thing-I feel so bad when she is like this, because there is just nothing I can do! Hopefully, the doctor can help tomorrow.

Conversations with Allison???

OK-I really thought the girl was smarter than this...or at least knew me better. And Mom, don't hit your head on the desk while you are laughing so hard you fall out of the chair!

Blah, blah, blah...Claire and I are talking about things she plays now, and things I used to play/pretend when I was little...and mind you-there was NO RELIGIOUS talk at all!

Allison: Mom, didn't you ever pretend like you were a nun?


BWAAAHAAHAAHAAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Steven falls down to the to the ground in the parking lot at Michael's, where is where we were. He almost didn't recover.

Don't get me wrong...I was a very good kid, and truly hope that my kids turn out just like me. I never drank, smoke, used drugs, or anything like that. But...I did question things, had my own opinions and had no problem voicing them at any given moment, which I think scared my mom because most of them were not hers. I want to clarify here that she DID NOT have bad opinions, they were just different; and, to her, you didn't question authority. But, when authority is an idiot, I can't stay quiet. We are the CLASSIC Nature vs. Nurture Study Family! Definitely coming out on the side of nature, no matter how hard my mom and dad tried to make us nurture! lol! And some of my strongest, most passionate beliefs go completely against the Catholic Church, in which we were raised, AND which I still consider myself to be.

But, if I were ever to walk into a nunnery and announce that I was going to become a nun, they would all faint dead away, losing all of their faith wondering why Jesus had challenged them with THIS burden, because they would know that God gave them WAY MORE than they could handle...because I would NEVER give up my rights to be Pro-Choice; I will ALWAYS believe a gay or lesbian or homosexual (whatever you want to call it-but it better be in a good way) marriage is just as good and valid as my marriage is to Steven; I would NEVER be subservient to ANY man, Priest, God or Husband-not to mention then population of men in general-most of which have IQ's lower than mine, and I'm not even going to go into morals. Most of all, I could never walk around with my head bowed to anyone or any thing. I am Lauri Smith...a decendant of Fred Jack Smith. We have egos that can't even be measured they are so high off the charts...ok, so maybe the nurture part did have some affect! My Aunt Carol and my Mom will second and third me on this!

Ummm...what was the whole point of this post anyway? Oh yeah...me being a nun. HA! Still can't get over that...I will laugh about that one as long as I live! EVERYONE knows I was going to be a "Commercial Lady"!

Conversations with Claire

Claire got a haircut yesterday...along with Allison, Ethan and Steven (read: everyone but ME, AGAIN!)...and it's one of those cute, stacked little bobs.

Her hair is short enough that her neck needs to be shaved a little bit. She's had it done before and it's never bothered her.

So, the stylist is shaving the back of her neck, and Claire says: "I'm not feeling very comfortable with this."

And, when I'm typing this out it doesn't seem so funny. But when you're there and this little girl who isn't even in Kindergarten yet pops something like that out at the exact right time, because if this girl has nothing else, she has timing, it's freakin' hilarious!

You Can Learn a Lot from Blogs

Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize
they were the big things.

-- Robert Brault

I found this quote today on Stargazer and I immediately knew it was one of those that I need to remember. I tell myself, basically, the same thing every single day, but, having it all put together like that just made it all so nice and neat.

The thing is, I actually start out enjoying the 'little things', but, between one or the other of the kids that little thing usually quickly deteriorates into one of the 'fight things'. And by the time we've actually gotten to that part, I've worked so, so hard to keep it from going there that it just becomes one of 'those things' you want to forget. About once or twice a year (and I am not exaggerating) we will have one of those nirvana moments...we are all together, everyone is in a good mood, there isn't any fighting and we're all having a good time...and that is when I want to just stop time for a little bit and let that mood linger because, really, that is all I've ever wanted. And I'm so afraid that the girls are going to grow up and hate Ethan, or that Ethan is going to grow up and hate everyone. And maybe if I can get the kids to enjoy the little things that are going on when Claire suddenly states, out of nowhere, "Purple is my favorite color.", and Ethan comes back, with smoke and fire coming out of his ears, nose and mouth, "NO IT ISN'T! YOU'RE FAVORITE COLOR IS ORANGE!!!", that it does not matter one bit who's favorite color is
what, or whether the sky is blue or light blue, they will finally learn that those little things are a lot more fun than the fighting.

Just wanted to brag on Ethan a little bit...

FIRST...he loves to draw and paint, and he is pretty good at it, too! And anytime he earns reward time at school and is given the choice to have free time on the computer, do something else, or draw, he always chooses drawing. Anyway, one of the pictures he drew and painted was one of the ones chosen to represent his school at the district level, and that show is tonight! We are always telling him what talent he has, but it's nice to have it come from an impartial 3rd party...especially his school!

SECOND...since his visit to the neurologist and a little 'uppage' on the dose of one of his meds, he has been having some much better days at school, and home! Things certainly are not 100%, but it's nice that I'm not so worried about what he is going to do today to get himself sent to alternative school!

***And now back to irregularly scheduled crazy life!***

Now I know why!

Now I know why everything gets lost/I can never find what I'm looking for/everything is always messed up, no matter how much I clean!

ROBERT GOULET LIVES HERE!

*I know Gayla and Lori believe me now!*

Bluebonnet

Bluebonnet
Originally uploaded by artsmith_satx.

Nikon is hard to work with...much harder than Kodak. At least when it comes to cropping and resizing pictures. After working on this for a couple of hours, this is the ONE picture that we were able to crop and resize. But, I have no idea what size it is.

Anyway...I took this along I-10 on the way home to San Antonio from Houston on Sunday. Looks like a great year for Bluebonnets!

If the word "vagina" is offensive to you, quit reading now!

*Other less PC words are used to describe the word "VAGINA", also. I'm not trying to be sarcastic or nasty...I'm just trying to make a point. If you don't like those types of words, don't read any farther.*

Thanks to fellow blogger, You da mom!, I was pointed in the direction of THIS article.

Three high school students were suspended from school for saying the word "vagina" during a reading from the excerpt from "The Vagina Monologues", by Eve Ensler! WTF!?! Why would you allow the reading if you are not allowed to say the words from the reading?!? This has got to be the most ridiculous form of banning I have ever heard of!

Yes, I have read the whole article, and yes, even the part where the girls agreed not to say the most hideous of words-VAGINA. But, come on, really...who trusts teenage girls? I was one...and believe me, if given the directive to say or not to say VAGINA, I would have said it. Ask anyone. Even my mom would have to admit to that one, as much as she would like not to! It's the exact reasoning that sent me flying to the bookstore, the library and friends' houses for books on the banned books list. Of course, I was and am a big reader, so if somebody made a big enough deal out of a book, I had to read it just so I would know what they were talking about. I know mom found more than one of those in my room, too.

Anyway, back to trusting teen-age girls and VAGINAS. If you do not want a particular word said at any event or reading, do not allow even the book to be in the reading, much less a direct quote with that exact word in it! The school administrators here are clearly the idiots. Any teenager, not just girls, will defy authority just about whenever possible.

The word VAGINA is one of the technically correct words to use when describing the female genital area. It is the word they use in Health class to describe that particular part of the body when the annual sex education lesson plan comes around. Certainly the teachers don't tell their students that giving birth includes phrases like, "baby grows in utereus", and "cervical dilation", and "the baby exits the body through the twat".

A VAGINA is a part of each one of those girls anatomy's, as it is every other woman's in the world. How is it supposed to make them feel when told that they are not allowed to name parts of their anatomy's, and that those words are bad? This truly upsets me, because I thought those days were long gone. Is it better, in fact, to call a VAGINA a pussy? Twat? Cunt? Does that make anyone feel better? Does that help their self-esteem? I know from firsthand experience that self-esteem building is just about the number one thing schools are focusing on these days, aside from academics, and I don't think using alternate words for VAGINA, like pussy, twat and cunt, or leaving out the word entirely, really fit that bill, and in fact, harkens back to the days when racial slurs were the norm, and when any race, other than the caucasian race, was inferior, less intelligent and frankly, not quite human...just a property that the white man controlled for his own needs.

Do we really want to go back to that?

It's Spring Break here...

...so of course, after a couple of weeks of gorgeous, Spring weather, it started raining promptly on Sunday afternoon. I've never had a Spring Break without rain, so really, I wouldn't know what to do if it were nice, anyway!

Thank goodness Mom was here Wednesday through Sunday, and she planned ahead with some art projects for the kids, and of course I always have popsicle sticks and tape handy. Plus, there is always the vacuumimg and dusting they can do...hey, Allison's the one with the asthma problems, so I think it's only fair that she is responsible for keeping the breathing air clean, right??? ;) Anyway...it'll be our turn to go visit mom in a few days...probably right after the rain clears our area and follows it down to ours! ha!

In other news...NOT happy with the Baby Nikon right now. Finally got the software loaded onto the computer, uploaded all 297 pictures. All is going well. Then it asks me if I want to go ahead and delete the pictures from my camera...wow! This is full service! Kodak didn't do that. So yeah, what the hell, let's do it. So now all pictures are deleted from the camera-full fresh memory is ready to go! And I'm groovin' along, adding tags and comments to some of the pictures when, BAM!!! Up pops this window saying something like, 'Oopsy! We've encountered a problem and have to shut down now and you and your pictures are fucked.' ALL, and I do mean EVERY SINGLE ONE of my pictures are GONE! Most of the pictures I was just playing anyway, but, there were a few really neat ones of the kids in action, some for the 'Flickr-Club-SA.com', and a whole entire 'Starbucks Series' that was really good!

I sat in Starbucks one day for an hour or so and took a bunch of pictures of Claire in stripey tights (!) and the atmosphere and the things people bring into Starbucks...like luggage...real, live, in use, sets of luggage. Why? We aren't in an airport-or even close to one. I don't think there is a luggage store around there, like they just bought some luggage and were stopping in Starbucks on their way out. Plus, had tags and stuff on them and they were definitely used. Couldn't they have just left them in the trunk of their car? Are they full of diamonds? Hundreds of thousands of dollars? The coolest shoes ever??? If so, why not leave one person in the car with the shoes, and let the other one run in and get their drinks?

People ask me why I love Starbucks so much, and this is why...Sociology, with a little Psychology thrown in. The sociology part is the best, though. You get every type of person in there, and they all seem to feel comfortable going there. Students in there studying with their books and laptops; some scary looking people; your average Betty Homemaker; new moms with tiny babies who have to get out of the house before they kill themselves; the very 'Social Elite' (or they think) who, frankly, I'm surprised are able to lower themselves to the Starbucks general public; business men and women running in and out; and...at least in my particular Starbucks...the VERY arrogant doctor who I like to play games with and try to beat him there by 11:45 and take the chair, "HIS CHAIR", where he sits for an hour to an our and a half every single day. He HAS TO be a surgeon...the only people with that much arrogancy and egos that big are surgeons, pilots, and the strain of Smith's I come from...and Aunt Carol-don't fall off your chair laughing at this! rofl!!! (Because it is absolutely true, y'all!) Anyway...the doctor. I LOVE to beat him in the chair race!!! I actually don't even like that chair because my back is against the door, but, when I win I have full view of all of his glares and utter distaste and disgust for me, for having the nerve to throw off his whole entire day, because his little was disrupted by having to sit in another spot. If he is there first, I really don't mind, because I get to sit by the windows and observe the wonderful little things life is made of, like this...the man who comes and gets a drink for himself and a cup of whipped cream for his two dogs to share.