Dogs 10, Cats and Giant Worms, 0

We have all enjoyed reading your comments on the differences between having a cat and/or a dog. Looks like dogs rule! We pretty much decided to stick with a dog and even had one offered to us today. A woman hubby works with has an 8 month old black lab. But, I think it is too soon. I don't want another dog, I want MAYA!!!!!

The giant worm comment is because my five year old son suggested we get a giant worm. So far, the rest of us have not warmed up to the idea.

Tonight we did a little more school shopping or tried to, I should say. My daughter and I ar so much alike. We would prefer to go to the gift shops or the bookstores rather than buy clothing so that is what we did. We did find two shirts for her and I found a pair of jeans I am hoping and praying will fit even if I have to lay on the bed to zip them up!

Hubby and son picked out a lunch box. My five year old constantly amazes me. I asked him if he wanted to pick out a new backpack since he is now going to kindergarten and he said no, he would take the plain black one we have at home already(we used it as a diaper bag but it is a backpack and we rarely used it). Then, the lunch box he picked out is a plain blue one. I thought for sure he would pick one out which had some cartoon character on it. I am proud of him.(and the daughter too for not asking me to buy clothes at outrageous prices).

More later...

Who are you and what did you do with my husband?

We are all dealing with the loss of our dog and trying to figure out what to do next. Hubby said people at work who have gone through it all have done different things. Some waited before getting another dog, some got one right away and others tried to wait but ended up getting one sooner rather than later. I think this is the catergory we will fall into.

Last night while we went to a buffet place for dinner, I went to get my food first. When I sat down, hubby got up to get his and my daughter said, 'Mom, you are not going to believe this but dad is actually thinking of a cat!"(She has always wanted a cat and I said she can get one when she gets her own place).

'What? No way!!" (I still talk as though I am in highschool although I am 40)

"Yes, way!"

I decide to wait to talk to him when the daughter is not around but then hubby comes back and says, 'What do you think about a cat?"

I am speechless because this is the guy who said we are NEVER getting a cat (a bad childhood memory is the source of this statement).

I finally muster my thoughts and say that I have never met a cat I liked and he said the same thing but we admit we do not know much about them.

I still would rather get a dog because I like the fact they are always happy to see you and always available for a hug (not to mention getting rid of leftovers or food that falls on the floor). They are more work but worth it and the kind of pet we are looking for our family. (Getting a fish also came up but I don't hug fish and the five year old suggested 'a giant worm').

I hope my hubby comes back soon because I am afraid of what this guy will say next such as, "Let's go antique shopping or stop for a latte".

What is your comfort food?

Remember a few weeks ago I said we were trying to save money by eating at home? We did great the first week, ok the second week but then we all got sick and I especially, wanted 'comfort food'.

For me it is a cheeseburger(plain), fries and a choc. shake from McDonalds. It is the only thing that tastes good when I am sick.

I also like bologna sandwiches or grilled cheese sandwiches.

The thing I look forward to when I finally feel better is a big glass of milk. I can't drink it when I am sick but when I am better, it tastes so good, especially with brownies!

So, here is my question of the day....what is your comfort food?

Maya Update

For those of you following my post about our dog, Maya, we did have to put her down today. X-rays revealed tumors in her nose, throat and chest. We were glad we got to spend this last weekend with her knowing it could be her last. My daughter and I slept in the family room with her last night.

The kids are already asking for another dog. I do not know if I am ready but on the other hand it is hard to imagine our family without a dog.

Thanks to all for your thoughts and prayers. She was the dog I always wanted and she will be missed.

Are you a mom with a sore throat?

This was supposed to be a somewhat humorous post. I WAS going to talk about how a few days ago I let out a lound scream. No, I did not see a mouse or open my electrical bill or open the door to my daughter's room. The scream was because I, a mother, was at the end of my rope.

I had been doing well all summer. But the other day, hubby called on his way home from work as he always does (he is so good about that) and that is the precise time the kids want something, are asking me something or arguing in the same room as I am trying to talk on the phone.

I have a lot of pet peeves such as when people say 'ain't' or "I seen ya...". I also do not like to wait long in a check out line. I am in the store, ready to buy, but there are not enough people to check us out so I am wasting my time standing in line. Another one is rude salespeople or rude people at work. IF you do not like your job, find another job but do not take it out on us!

But, probably my biggest pet peeve is when people interrupt. Both my kids do this and after dealing with it all summer, I had had it. So, I hung up the phone and let out a 'ARRRRGHHHHHHH!". Both kids stopped and I quietly told them what I wanted to happen. I did not throw anything, stomp or yell or use profanity.

Now, I was going to end this post with a "If you have a sore throat, you are probably a mother waiting for school to start".

But, here it is two days later and guess what? I have laryngitis! Just from that one little outburst, I can no longer speak. The kids are happy because I can no longer talk but look extremely hilarious trying to do sign language to communicate. There is a lot of head nodding or shaking and pointing at things. Hubby is happy because when he calls he gets to do all the talking. The dog is happy because I do not tell her to go lie down or wait a sec until I can let her out.

So, everybody in my family is happy and that is what a good mother does. She gets laryngitis so her family is happy.

Maya,The Pooch

Maya, our 8-1/2 year old golden retriever, has been making strange noises the last week. At first we thought it could be allergies so we gave her Benadryl but it did not really seem to help. Finally, the whole family decided it was time to go to the vet. Since I went on a walk this morning I stayed home to shower while Pete and the kids took her in, Turns out there is a growth in the her throat and they want to do x-rays and a biopsy but did not have time today so we scheduled it for Monday. They say it could be cancerous, or something bacterial or fungal. We cannot treat it until we know what it is so now we sit and wait.

Things like this really put life into perspective. I was feeling a little low about when my son goes to school and since I do not drive, it will be difficult to help the family out as far as grocery shopping etc. Up until now, I have been focused on what I can do and I plan to clean the house from top to bottom. I expect this to take about two months(not kidding). Then, for a couple days the feeling hit me about what I cannot do and now this thing with our puppy has shown me what is important.

The other good thing is the dog is eating, drinking water and doing her usual check around the house to see if there is any food anyone dropped for her to eat so I consider all those things to be good signs.

I will let you know Monday what we find out.

And now it is time for...

And now it is time for another conversation I had with the five year old. I asked him what he wanted to be when he grows up. He said, " A babysitter."

Ok.....

Then he said when his sister (who is 11) grows up, she will be a baby.

Now I see where this is going...I think he is tired of having an older sister always bossing him around.

Today we tried to have a carnival. We set up both pools, had an obstacle course and I was going to make slushies, cotton candy and popcorn. Well, the ice machine did not work, there was no cotton candy and the kids wanted to come in after only a half hour of playing. It took more time to set up and take down than it did to play in it!

But that is ok, it is called life....when does school start??????

It's Official, I have Won Something

What a way to start out my week. I just found out that I am the official winner of the Liar's Contest over at Quilldancer's blog. My goodness, and here I am wearing a dress (t-shirt and leggings)off the rack to accept my award rather than the Donna Karan dress I would have worn had she offered it to me or even knew who I was.

Boy, I was not prepared to win at all so I have no acceptance speech prepared. Hold on while I get this piece if paper out of my sock...First amd foremost, it was an honor to be nominated. Quilldancer came over and asked me to be a part of her contest and since I had never been asked to join a group before of any kind, I was thrilled. To be asked ot join a Liar's group has always been my goal in life.

Thanks to all the the Liar's who wrote such wonderful lies. To all the people who voted, especially my in-laws who got into duels with other voters and have come dangerously close to losing their fingers because of the constant voting. Thanks to my agent if I had one and last, but not least, to Quilldancer for having the contest in the first place since it seems to be the only contest I am able to win.

Thank you all and I love you all ....the hook has come out to escort my hands off the keyboard and the music has started to play....thank you ....wait, I have more to sayyyyyy!!!

First Game in Lambeau Field

Tonight was the first time the whole family went to a Packer game...it was the five year old's first Packer game ever. Our seats were near the top in the end zone. The weather was perfect, a little windy but it died down after awhile. The boy did not sit still the entire time and I felt bad for the guys in front of us who had to deal with him bumping into them all night but they were good sports about it. At least we did not have any drunken, loud people swearing a lot which has happened the last few times. The best part was the Packers won and then when we got home we found out the Green Bay Blizzard (arena football) won their game so they will be going to the championship game in Puerto Rico. Why it's in Puerto Rico we do not know.

I do not know what other stadiums charge for parking, but in Green Bay people who have homes near Lambeau charge for people to park on their lawns. They start at $5 farthest away and the closest is $30. We paid ten and walked about two blocks which I thought was pretty good.

About the third quarter, the five year old said he would rather watch the game on tv (this is because I made him sit for a few minutes). At half time they had PeeWee football and the kids did very well and one kid did the Lambeau Leap (jumping into the stands) after he made a touchdown!

It was a good family night and now we are all very tired.

Nighty-night.....Zzzzzzzzzz

Happy Landings

After reading Dr. John's post when his family celebrated the bicentennial, it immediately brought me to what was going on in my family in 1976. The year is easy to remember because all of us ended up in the hospital at some point during the year. First my mother had gone in for exploratory surgery and it was the first time she was away from us. I was 10 and trying to make dinner for my father and brother and I burnt everything and they would not eat it.

Later, during the summer and because my father was a teacher at the college and had a couple weeks (months) off, we went on a vacation that was more than a few days. Normally, our family only went to visit relatives when we had time off, but this time it felt like a real vacation. It was still with relatives but the family rented a resort called 'Happy Landings"....what a hole in the wall place that was! It consisted of pink-faded, broken down wooden structures (supposed to be cabins) where none of the toilets worked and there were no doors, just curtains on the bedrooms where there were supposed to be doors. I distinctly remember the only light was a bulb hanging from a cord in the middle of the room.

But we all made light of it and the kids ran around and swam in the lake while the aunts and uncles drank and played cards. I sat on the dock wth my fishing pole and caught a bunch a fish while I watched all the other kids poles. The deal was if I caught any fish they would take them off the hook for me if I watched their poles while they ran around. I think I caught about 13 fish that day!

During this trip, I became seriously ill which was odd because I had just had my first physical (NEVER gonna forget that). They took me to a doctor who prescribed some medicine but I was not getting better. My family decided to cut the trip short and we headed home.

At some point during the week, I had to use the bathroom and was so weak, I could not pull up my jeans, they were too heavy. I had also coughed up some blood. I ended up in the hospital quarantined for a week before they figured out what was wrong with me. At first, they thought I had leukemia and did a bone marrow test. The hospital I was at was a teaching hospital so every nurse and doctor was there for the test while they stuck a needle in my hip. I did not make a noise and held on to the nurses hand because it did hurt. (Later, my mother told me she heard a girl screaming and she thought it was me, but it wasn't). The funny thing about this is they put a bandaid over the needle insert and it bled to a spot the size of a nickel. I was afraid to take the bandaid off because I thought the hole was that big! It finally came off in the shower and I cautiously looked at my hip and there was no mark at all....whew!)

Turns out I did not have leukemia but a rare form of anemia and the cure was taking steroids. I have fond memories of my dad coming to see me after visiting hours when he had been out of town to officiate a game and him watching the show 'Kojak' with me. (I always liked that show because Kojak sucked lollipops and he was bald like my father).

Two weeks after I got home from the hospital, my dad sliced his hand open and had to go to emergency for stitches.

I probably remember more about 1976 than any other year....when it rains, it pours.

Happy Landings!

Meet my ghost

For awhile now, I have suspected we have a ghost or ghosts in our house. Now when I was a kid, this would have freaked me out. As I have gotten older and met people who claim to have knowledge about ghosts or 'spirits' and watched shows or movies about them, I have decided if they do exist, maybe they just need a little help or are having fun but there is not much I can do about it.

When I go to bed everynight, there always seems to be some moments of very intense heat followed by icy cool air. I have not done any research to find out what this means, but a woman I worked with years ago always talked about how her husband's late wife was always showing up when she went to bed by making her side of the bed really cold. So, everytime I feel this heat/cold I think maybe there is someone there trying to get some sleep or something.( As far as I know, my husband does not have a late wife.) A few times I have said out loud, "It is ok to go but if you really want to stay, fine, just don't move things around because I do not see well and I could trip over something and hurt myself." So far, the ghost has been obliging to my request.

I have always kind of joked about this to myself thinking it was silly but then yesterday something unusual happened. The kids were outside and I was cleaning the house to get it ready for company. I was vacuuming the rugs in the hallway when I felt someone walking right behind me as if they came in from the garage. You know how can you feel the thumping from footsteps as a person walks and this was right behind me. Naturally I turned around to see what kid wanted something now for the umpteenth time but no one was there. I went outside to see if the kids were out there and they were out in the driveway. I came back in to see where the dog was and she was sleeping in the family room.

I go back to the vacuum cleaner and try to start it but it doesn't and I look and it has been unplugged! I guess I was disturbing whoever it was but I said, "Look, I have company coming and if you do not like it here, go someplace else!"

I got my vacuumming done and company came and everything was fine....for now. I better go apologize in the hallway....

Have a good one!

Stop Yelling at ME!

Ok, for those of you telling me I should go to the doctor I appreciate your concern and I gotta say, made me feel special. BUT, I woke up this morning and guess what? No tummy ache! I had a couple aches today but nothing like the past week. I think all that yelling from my blog friends scared it away so THANK YOU!

Now, I wanted to mention how much I love my mother-in-law. I say this because recently I had to call another woman who I happen to know has married kids and this woman must be a terror to have as a mother-in-law. I had called to ask a simple question and she nearly bit my head off. Suffice to say, I will not be calling her again unless there is an emergency. But I am not talking about her, I am talking about my mother-in-law who is never a problem, never makes me feel like a loser (except at canasta, she is very sneaky) never complains about how the house is or my cooking. If I could clone her and sell her as a mother-in-law I would make a lot of money but I think I would still keep her all to myself!

Have a good one!

I am glad I am not a doctor

When I was younger, in middle school, I thought I might want to be a doctor after watching a video on heart surgery. Then, I found out I am not good at science and later on realized I would have to touch people and I do not like touching people.

As a mother, I am not a good doctor either because I am not very sympathetic. If my kids are in pain or have an ache but they will not take medicine, I figure I cannot help them and so be it. My daughter does not like to take medicine but my son will so at least I can help him some of the time.

My husband I am not sympathetic towards either because he likes to try and change things around even if something is already working. For instance, he uses a c-pap machine at night. For the longest time he had trouble getting it to work, like months. Finally he got it to work but insteead of doing it that way the next night, he wanted to try it a different way, maybe it would be better. He has a tummy pill he is supposed to take every day but he only takes it if his tummy starts to hurt so it never heals all the way.

Now I have had stomach pains for the last week unlike any other pain I have ever had. It reminds me of when I had appendicitis but I had that removed and this pain comes and goes in waves with no other symptoms. I decide to look on line and for some reason looked up conjuntivitis but that is, of course, pink eye! What I was looking for was something called diverculosis(sp?) which has something to do with food getting stuck in the intestines but I do not think that is what it is either.

Then we were all sitting around eating lunch and I aid, "Well, I am going to try to ignore it and get on with my life." a typical reaction on my part. My husband says, "Noooooooo, you will go to the doctor".

Oh yeah, that is what you do when you do not get better.

Well, we had some sad news today. Pete and Bre went to church (I was home sick with Luke who was still asleep) and the sermon was about a boy Bre's age who passed away last week. We did not know anything about it and missed the funeral. He had a heart condition and apparently woke up and passed out. He was in Bre's First Communion class and was excited to take part in communion which he wanted as part of his funeral. His name was Luke and he like Star Wars.

After the service, Pete and Bre went groceries and they ran into the family that lost their son. So, they stopped and chatted a bit and Pete gave them our condolences. Breanna wrote a nice post on her blog which you can get to from my sidebar. They were really the only family we have gotten to know since we joined this church and now we missed his funeral.

Trip to the Dentist

Today the princess and I went to the dentist for a cleaning (no cavities!) while the king and the prince went to a store. I was not looking forward to this dentist visit because I year ago when I went, the lady cleaning my teeth was so stressed out about her daughter's wedding, it felt like she was really taking it out on my teeth. She had to keep using the suction hose because of my gums bleeding so much and when she flossed, youch! It took forever because she kept talking about what she had to do to get ready because it was going to be in her backyard and so on. So, I did not go back for a year.

When I made the appointment I requested another hygientist but since my daughter was having her teeth cleaned at the same time the receptionist told me she would get the hygientist I was trying to avoid. So, not wanting my daughter to suffer at the hands of a mad woman I decided to try her again.

She did better this time. Now her daughter and son-in-law are living with her and her husband and the son-in-law made "some bad choices" (in prison for a few months for drunk driving, doesn't want a be a dad to his four month old baby but is a 'good kid who came from a dysfunctional family'. ) More than I needed to know.

Turns out my daughter usually has my hygientist when she goes with her dad to have her teeth cleaned and she likes her!

Then we took the prince for his immunizations shots. He had to have three! He cried for a bit and was a little sore later on and took a nap on my lap for awhile so that part was nice.

Have a good weekend!

Air Force One

Today the president arrived at the airport about a mile from our house. The kids and I were watching a show where there were dune buggies on the beach and I said I would like to go to the beach and ride a dune buggy. My five year old said, 'Hey , we could ask the president if we can borrow his plane to go to the beach!"

Yeah, sure honey. It is a good idea but not today.

It was kind of weird watching all the major news channels and seeing out little city on international tv.

Tonight we are going to meet some family from out of town to watch the Packers practice. (Believe it or not, that is the thing to do here).

Have a good one!

History Lesson

Hubby and I have been watching 'The Revolution' every Sunday night on the history channel. We are constantly amazed that we won and still are not sure. So many battles were lost. Last Sunday we thought we were going to finally get to see a good one where we win a major battle, and we do.

After the British commander Cornwallis chases us all over the South, he runs out of supplies and ends up in Yorktown, on the coast. Washington, who is in New York and has not won a battle in THREE YEARS, gets word that the French navy (the French do not care about us but they despise the British) is coming up from the carribean and will come at Cornwallis from the sea and Washington starts his march to Yorktown on land. On his way, he stops at home to see Martha and his son, Jack. jack has begged his father to allow him to come on several missions and sensing that this will be a major victory, Washington allows his son to accompany him.

So, Cornwallis surrenders after a lot of fighting and not got getting reinforcement and Washington wins a major battle. But, his son caught an illnes in camp and ends up dying and is the last casualty of the battle.

Can you believe that!!????? George and Martha had already lost their daughter years earlier and Jack was their only other child.

Life is not fair to anyone.

Family Update: Last night I went to dinner with a friend (we are allowed to eat out if called by a friend) so I jumped at the chance. While I was gone, the hubby and kids set up the N scale train and village (given to us by their grandparents in their effort to clean house) on the table hubby built last week. I designed a layout and that is the one they used. When I got home, the kids were so excited and I had to rush downstairs to see it. My daughter ran the train and my son showed me where the space shuttle was ready for launch (his addition to the layout). They decided to name the village Liberty Falls since many of the buildings had that name on them.

So far we have saved at least $96 by eating at home and this money goes into the vacation fund canister. Not bad since we started Aug. 1.

Have a good one.

Monday, Monday, Monday

I cannot believe the weekend is over and it is already Monday. First I have to say how awful I feel for my sister-in-law, Pennie. This gitl has one of the toughest jobs I can think of in dealing with foster kids, their parents and foster parents. I just cannot imagine having to deal with kids who are struggling when their parents are not responsible people.

Last year she hurt her foot and was hobbling around for a long time and now she had surgery to clear up a carpal tunnel hand and it backfired so she cannot use her hand at all. Now she is trying to sell her house and the real estate lady told her to do some things even though she knows Pennie only has one arm/hand to use. WHAT????? I really wonder if the real estate lady is just saying things so if the house does not sell that she can say, "Well, you did not take my suggestions so it did not sell.' BALONEY! The house is in better shape than when she bought it and it looks a lot nicer, too! I think the real estate lady is trying to cover her behind. So, Pennie tried to repaint a room and fell and hurt her arm again! I know Pennie is not blogging lately so I do not know if sending her comments would help but if you could all say a little prayer it would help. (If you want to get to ger blog, go to Betty's blog and click on Pennie's link).

Well, our vacation fund went up a dollar because Breanna lost a tooth and she put the dollar the tooth fairy left in the canister. I thought that was nice of her to do that for the family.

Yesterday we went to my mother's for brunch because my aunt, uncle and two cousins were in town from the west side of the state. They are the type to sit around the table, drink coffee and crack jokes all day while mom cooks. I think mom enjoyed having her family and hearing laughter in her house again.

This morning I had a college student stop in and try to sell us educational books and cds for the kids for $420. She said she needed a yes or no answer today and I was not going to spend that kind of money without checking with hubby so I said no. I liked the set but we tend to buy these things and not use them very often so I passed. Besides, anyone who needs an answer today is too pushy!

My son is taking a bath with a squirt gun so I better go check and make sure he has not soaked the floor. Have a good one!

Eating at home

Man, this eating at home all the time in an effort to save money for a vacation by not eating out really STINKS! (Ok, how do you really feel about it, Lori?)

I am preparing food all day long and with the kids being home during the summer it is really keeping me on my toes not to mention away from my diet plan). I also am running the dishwasher daily (yes, I am lucky to have one so I do not have to do them by hand) not to mention we have run out of paper plates. (I am a huge fan of paper plates).

Let's not forget that I have been home this entire time....unable to get in the car and take the kids somewhere.

Alright, I am done complaining. Yesterday, I broke down and had HOH stop on his way home from his parents to pick up some fast food which I was really craving. He got it for me and the five year old but I made sloppy joes for him and my daughter. So, that is ten dollars that will not go into the vacation fund. (But it is ten dollars that will go in because HOH and daughter did not get fast food)_

Speaking of the vacation fund, I found my change jar (see photo) which I spent an hour decorating with the words 'Vacaton Fund' on it two years ago has a grand total of $18. 23! It would have been $18.33 but my son wanted ten pennies to play with so I let him have those. It had more but whenever someone needed change, this was the first place we went...but NO MORE! I still need to add this past weeks savings to this total. I hope to have a icon with our vacation totals on it soon.

Next I sat down and started working on how much it will cost and what we want to do....blah, blah, blah. I am going to compare, flying, taking the car, and the Amtrak. We could save a lot by driving but HOH does not see that as a vacation.

Now I will end with a comment by my son, the prince. Since Hubby and daughter(the king and the princess) were gone all day to the fortress, I was entertaining the prince all day...it was fun but by eight p.m. I was tired. So, after he did a dance and song for me he asked, "Mom, what part did you like the best?" I said, "Ohhhh, mom's tired.' and he said, "There is no part called 'mom's tired' !!!!

Well, there should be...

Awwwwwwww,,,,

I was going to post about a negative phone call I had yesterday (this is why I do not call people) but then something wonderful happened last night.

We were watching a rerun of the Miss America pageant. I did not know it was a rerun until the evening gown competition when I recognized two of the dresses. (Hey don't get on my case, it was for 2006 but I think it originally aired in Feb. The bio about one contestent who has a pet pig should have been my first clue but I thought it must me a popular pet these days).

Anyway, my daughter and I made our predicitons on who we would pick for the top ten. Pretty sad to say, none of the three I picked made it to the top ten! Pretty sad since it was a rerun.

My five year old son walks in and sees Miss Oklahoma and says, "Ooooooo, I LIKE Miss Oklahoma!" I say I like her dress and he says, "I like her hair!" (Boys always like long hair, a proven fact for centuries).

Later, as we were sitting there, my son said, "Mom, you should go there, you would win!" Awwwwwwwwww...By the way, Miss Oklahoma won!

And all is right with the world.

Finish It Week

This is the week I plan to finish a bunch of projects I have started around the house. I already finished cleaning out the fridge, currently I am working on finishing the laundry room after which I will put police tape across the door and not allow anyone in until school starts! I also plan to finish painting the front door which needs one more coat. I also have to go through my closet and my son's closet for clothes to donate and call for the Salvation Army to pick up a couch. Also need to make hair appointments...

This month we as a famiy have decided to try to eat at home the entire month!!! We spend so much on eating out mostly because since I do not drive, we wait until hubby gets home and then we all go out and run errands and usually end up eating someplace. But not this month! So, one night my daughter wrote out a menu for the entire month and now all we have to do is the shopping. Hubby plans to bring his own lunch as well and the money he saves will go towards a new computer. I hope the money we save from dinner will go toward a vacation. . I realize our grocery bill will go up, but the eating out bill should be gone this month so we will see how much we save. I also called hubby's aunt for a recipe he likes which I can make a lot of at one time and freeze.

I know this is not all that interesting but I wanted to post something!