Working out the weirdness!

Mike and I were pathetic this late afternoon/early evening. It's been years and years and years since this has happened. Surprisingly, Mike was much more freaked out about Danny driving all of our children around than I was - no small feat. When they all arrived home intact and starving, Mike and I took a moment to meet in the kitchen. I'm thinking after all of these years we might finally have a "date" night. All the kids will be gone on Thursdays and we can go eat good food. We can stay home and eat good food. Hell, we can sit in the front yard and eat Cheetoh's. This is a milestone people. A weird milestone, but dammit we own it. Aside from napping and "napping-wink-wink" what would you all do with three hours of totally kid free time?

SOAP!

I have some soap. Not a lot. Remember, I am no longer a store. I think what I'll do is offer a soap package once every 4-6 weeks. You can buy it or not, but it's not negotiable. I wish I could be more flexible, but that is what killed me when I had a "real" website. Once I get a little more organized, I'll try to offer pre-buys and if you want x amount of a certain soap, you can buy that. For now, you are stuck with my limited capabilities.

Before we start, I must be clear that the soaps I'm offering are made with lard. I know there are readers who are not fans of lard. When I was a real business, I did not use lard. For those of you who are curious, lard is from pigs. It also makes fabulous, long-lasting soap. Really long lasting. Ethic issues aside, here we go.

I have 5 sets of four soaps up: 1 each of - Apple Jack and Peel, Clean Cotton, Bay Rum and Frosted Snow Drop. All very mellow and my family of men seems to like all of the scents equally. You can get all four soaps for $25, shipping included. Paypal is my favorite way to go (amy@thefoilhat.com) but, if you prefer check or m/o just email me (all4mine@bellsouth.net) and I will work with you.

I'll put a new set of soaps up mid-February. Most likely it'll be an eclectic group of soaps - think floral, herbal and funky.

It IS the Super Bowl . . .

Forgive me, I have to indulge my Steeler frenzy! A friend of mine put this on Facebook and I couldn't resist sharing it. Look how young all the musicians are! And, by all means, sing along with the lyrics.

New levels of weird

My new life in the Twilight Zone is getting weirder and weirder. And I'm confused. Danny just left the house with ALL of my other children in the car. They're going to tae kwon do. Mike called to say he's on his way home. What the hell is up with the universe? I'm still not used to Mike being home every evening - much less him coming home early and having no kids in the house and did I mention Danny is in charge of the lives of my other kids?

I think I'll make soap. Who wants soap?

TV Much?

With the new shows (24, Fringe, Lost, American Idol) I'm finding myself watching WAY more tv than I usually do. And, as I'm watching, I'm wondering ... are people REALLY this paranoid about their toilets, toilet paper and all other things toilet related? Really? Are you? I'm all for a clean bathroom and I'm a big fan of toilet paper, too. But, I do not need bear cartoons about toilet paper and constant reminders of cleaning my toilets. After about 1/2 hour, it starts getting kind of gross.
Heck, I'm watching 24 - the man does not EVER even use a bathroom. Talk about misplaced commercials! Anyway, I'm just curious if it's just me or if the rest of you feel "bum"barded by bathroom commercials.

Hon, do you mind running to the library?

Ummm ... if the "hon" you're talking about is the teenaged boy who got his driver's license yesterday afternoon, the answer will most definitely be, "Sure thing!" Yes, Danny is an official driver. Organ donor. (Talk about discussions to have with your kids BEFORE you're standing there getting a driver's license. I thought Danny understood the organ donor thing, but then he asked me (in front of God and everyone) "They wait until I"m dead, right?") Registered voter (go figure this for me? He won't be 18 until 2011 but he'll be getting a voter's card in the mail in the next 1-2 weeks!).

We went yesterday for Dan's appointment. As we were walking in, Dan looked at me and said, "Where's my birth certificate and social security card?" Ummm they were home safe and sound. Dan, "I need them!" Me, "Well, it works better if you mention this kind of stuff. I can't read your mind." I checked the clock and knew I had enough time to get home and back while Dan stood in the appointment line. And I did. Yay me.

We made it through the appointment line and met with a seriously bitchy young woman - beautiful, but bitchy (and I think I'd be bitchy if my job was to work in a windowless place where the bottom half of the walls were painted death-flesh peach and the top half of the walls were painted nasty-grandma-teeth cream). I had 8 years of car registration receipts, but not the 2009 receipt. Of course. I explained that I had the new sticker on the plates and I couldn't get those without paying the registration. She gave me a glazed look and said "Ma'am, you have to have the registration receipt in the car."

It's the DMV - they wear you down and suck the very life out of you. l was not about to argue, she might be a bitch, but she didn't make the rules. I asked when we could get a new appointment and if she could do that or did we have to go stand in line. She glared at me and asked from my driver's license. She took my license and went into the recesses of the building. I was sure I was being issued a ticket. Poor Danny looked like he was going to cry. I know he thinks I do this stuff on purpose.

The girl came back. She grabbed my arm and leaned over the counter and said "I looked you up online. I'm not allowed to do that. You're ok. Just don't tell anyone." Scooby Doo Hunhhhh? Bitchy girl does a REALLY nice thing for us. Within minutes, a road-test person calls Danny and he's off. I waited a good 40 seconds and went out to the front of the building to watch my baby drive off with the driver guy! I'm such a goober. I was all weepy and ferklepmt as he backed out of our parking space. Wasn't it about two days ago I was bribing Danny to stay in the wagon (while I grocery shopped) with animal crackers? The guy that gave Danny his test walked back in and told me "You've got a fine driver and a fine son." Wahhhh!!! And, now, Danny has a license.

We had a wait a bit to get the actual license (and I snuck over to bitchy-girl's line to thank her again while we waited). Dan and I were cracking up about the registration thing and he was accusing me of yet AGAIN sabotagging his efforts to get a license (check the archives). We reached Big Ol' Blue, the suburban and here is what we found! See the picture above.

Thank God Danny has a huge sense of humor. Look at that tire!!! The two of us were just a heap of screaming laughing when we saw it. Has a kid ever had a mom thwart him on every single obstacle to getting his license like Dan? There is an auto supply place right next to the DMV. I walked over there to pick up a can of FIX A FLAT. By the time I'd returned, Danny had the car jacked up and was changing the tire. :::sniff::: He's not my baby any more.

Tim was home with a fever and puking his guts out - and Andy and Ian would not be in the same room with him (yes, we are a loving family), so Danny drove me home and I went back to taking Tim's temperature, my laundry and finishing Andy's school day and I *gasp* sent Dan on his first official errands. He returned the FIX A FLAT and then headed to the grocery store for Ginger Ale, Saltines and some Gator Ade. And he came home, NOT dead and with change. While it feels right that he's driving, I have to say this is the strangest feeling I've had as a mom to date. WEIRD. WEIRD. WEIRD.

Today, Dan went to the library - alone - in my car. Wah. The rest of us are just sitting in the house waiting to figure out if Tim is contagious. Tim NEVER gets sick, so I'm pretty sure the week is not going to end well.

Twilight Zone

You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Twilight Zone! Anyone remember this? That's where I am - not sure if I'll be back.

Danny takes his driver's test tomorrow. Andy turned 9 without growing horns. Ian and Tim took a bike ride to the DMV yesterday to pick up their driver's manuals so that they can get their driving learner's permits.

Me? I think it's only a matter of time until I pop out in some rip in time, wearing a girdle and a great dress and hitching a ride in a fun old car "on the road to nowhere." Once there, I'll be sure to invest in IBM and panty hose. I'll send post cards.

Birthdays

Andy opted to go to Monkey Joe's for his birthday. He brought with him three great friends. They climbed and played and invented intricate games of intrigue before they discovered the "machines that take tokens." Muhahahaha. Once they saw those machines, the castles of bouncy heaven were lost - they wanted to win Sweet Tarts and Mini Tootsie Rolls. I gave each boy five tokens. They netted something like 8 Sweet Tarts between themselves. I even suggested to them that we could stop at the Dollar Store next to the place we were in and buy a 10# bag of Sweet Tarts and Mini Tootsie Rolls - guess those just don't taste the same. They all glared at me like I had five heads.

Never mind we had a build-your-own-sundae utopia back at the house. They all chose to stare at the machines for another 30 minutes before we could drag them out. Note to parents of these children - do NOT send them to Vegas. It will be bad.

We did make it back to the house and all was right with the universe. They made sundaes and spent the next two hours running that sugar out of their systems.

And, so, I finished up my last 9 yr-old birthday party. Wah! I consoled myself by watching bad late late night tv and eating a lot of chocolate. Mike was thinking, but was smart enough to keep his mouth shut, this morning that maybe I need to find some new coping strategies. I dunno, chocolate has gotten me this far, I can't just abandon it now.

Ree Sypes

Does anyone else think "ree-sype" when they see the word recipe? I do.

This recipe is for Claire. If your family is ok with fish, this is a great recipe that stretches your seafood-dollars a bit. I made this with 2# of tilapia and got two full dinners for 7 people out of it (Ian doesn't eat fish, but Tim and Andy each had a friend over one night and we fed a neighbor another night). The first night we had the fish cakes, cheesy/garlic grits, and spinach salad. The second night, we had sesame noodles, fish cakes (chopped up), and caesar salad.

Fish Cakes with Coleslaw an Horseradish-Dill Sauce (yes, there has to be a more appetizing name for these things) FROM BON APPETIT, January 2009: (I almost quadrupled this recipe - what you're reading would be great for a family of four)

2 large lemons
1/2 c. mayo
1/2 c. chopped green onions, divided
2 T sweet pickle relish
2 T prepared horseradish
3 T chopped fresh dill (divided)
4 slices white sandwich bread, torn into pieces (I cheated and used store-bought bread-crumbs)
8 oz mahi-mahi, cut into 8 strips (I used tilapia - I think any firm white fish would work fine)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 8 oz bag coleslaw mix
2 T olive oil

Grate enough lemon peel to measure 2 1/2 tsp. Halve lemons; squeeze enough juice to measure 1/4 c. Mix peel, 2 T juice, mayo, 1/4 c. green onion relish, horseradish and 2 T dill in bowl. Set sauce aside.

Grind bread to fine crumbs in processor. Place 1 c. bread crumbs in medium bowl. Place remaining bread crumbs in 13x9 inch baking dish. Use on/off turns, very coarsely chop fish in processor (do not form paste). Add fish to bread crumbs in bowl; gently mix in egg, 1 T sauce and 1/4 green onion. Shape fish mixture into four 3 1/2" round cakes; thickly coat with bread crumbs in baking dish.

Toss coleslaw mix, 3 T sauce, 2 T lemon juice, and 1 T dill in bowl. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add fish cakes; saute until cooked through, about 2 minutes per side. Serve fish cakes with slaw and sauce.

Off track . . .

Here in Orlando, 40 degrees is considered cold. The past few nights, it's been in the 20's. This pretty much shuts down Florida - we don't have the clothing, the insulation, the blankets, or even the food to sustain us. It's just cold and horrible and we're all going to die. I know you northern folks reading this are rolling your eyes and mocking us. Go ahead. We're still freezing.

Two nights ago, I was wrapped up in my spastic knitting efforts. When I finally looked up and looked at the clock, it was 2:45. I put my sad efforts at a wash cloth down and headed to the kitchen to put away the dinner dishes and start the dishwasher. As soon as I picked up the lid to the crock pot (and realized it was not completely dried) the lights went out. Totally out. I was surrounded by broken glass and in complete darkness. I was telling Scout to stay out of the kitchen.

I waited a bit for the lights to come back on - they usually do in a few minutes. No such luck. Finally, after about 30 minutes, I turned on all the burners of the gas stove for light and tried to clean up the mess. You might be surprised to learn that gas stove burners do not give off much light. I did my best. Yet, every time I took a step (I was barefoot) I managed to step on a new piece of glass.

Around 4 am, I noticed that the temperature in the house had dropped about 15 degrees. After I was done putting the band aids on my feet, I added blankets to the kids. I went back to the kitchen and found MORE glass and started working on that.

Before I knew it, it was 5 am and Mike was standing there staring at me in the dark saying "What the hell . . .?" We chatted, he tucked me in, he went to work and I started to go to sleep. Sure enough, once I finally fell asleep - the power kicked on - the tv, all the lights - gah!

OK - not that exciting, but it's the truth.

Danny finally made his appointment for his driver's license test - Monday at 1:20. I'm confident that he's a good driver, but I cannot wrap my brain around just giving him keys and letting him go - across the street, to the local grocery, anywhere. Ian and Tim are both eligible for their permits, but neither seems to be in a rush for it. And they are my favorites right now.

How does this all tie in together, you ask? I'm a total spaz at 43, I was a total spaz at 18. What is going to happen? I'm freaking out (quietly) about Danny having a license.

Send valium. (And, yes, didn't I pick a great time to consider quitting smoking?) Send a steam roller.

Socks, Flowers, Yarn

That about sums it up, folks. Today, if I had had enough yarn and flowers to stuff the older boys heads full I would have been most happy. Don't get me wrong, I like my teenagers ... but when they're obnoxious and stoopid, they really truly are obnoxious and stoopid. Andy, though he's reached the advanced age of nine, remains my current favorite child. He's funny. He thinks I'm funny. He cooked us hotdogs on his Gary Coleman grill for lunch. Any questions?

Socks, well. . . I don't even know what to say. Everyone has their daily chores and among those chores are sweeping the floor. As you can see, we now have a sock under the desk and one on top of the coffee table. @@ I'm not even sure they're a pair. And, now that I've started this, I cannot let it go and just pick up the damn socks. Consider yourself updated.



Flowers! Mike brought me flowers for Andy's birthday. Isn't that sweet and weird? He's never done that for any of the other kids' birthdays, but I"m going with it. Initially, I put the flowers in one of my jars. Andy reminded me about "Bing's cool Christmas present" - doh! slap myself on the head. I got a Wonder Vase from my mom for Christmas. I've been dying to use it. Today we did - how cool is that? You can shape it any way you like and then it goes back to flat when you're done and you can reshape it next time you have flowers.

sYarn ... I have some now. I don't want to mislead anyone ... I haven't completely quit smoking yet. I'm a baby - quitting scares me (go figure - lung cancer, heart disease, check, quitting smoking - oooooo scary!) I'm sure those of you who have never smoked are thinking "I'm reading a loon's blog". I'm thinking 2/15 as my official quit date. I need to work through the details of knitting and feel comfortable with them if I'm going to use this as my crutch. But ... in that department ... I'm making progress ... lookee what I made tonight, sans nicotine or chopping off anyone's head! And, I guess, in my best interest, it's too freaking cold to go out and smoke tonight anyway. Baby steps being made, bear with me.

Sock Update . . .

There are at least 900 Bizillion political blogs you can read if that's what you're looking for. Here, it's all about the socks. Well, the socks and Andy's birthday.

Here is the updated sock picture. As you can see there was a lot of movement but no one thought to move the socks. :::sigh::: So, that's Day Two.

Andy's 9th birthday was today. I made a crock pot fudge cake. I have to say I was skeptical when I first made this cake, but if you like Molten Lava Cakes at restaurants, you'll love this cake. Just be sure to have caramel sauce and ice cream when it's all done. It's not a pretty cake, but good, really good. Good things are often ugly. In fact, the truth is often ugly. I'm naming it Truth Cake. (The truth is in your thighs!!!)

I have a 6-8 qt. crock pot, so I double this recipe for the six of us. If you double it, you need about 5 hours on high for it to cook to the proper gooeiness. And, while delicious by itself, it's so so so much better with a wee bit of vanilla ice cream and a serious squirt of carmel (or hot fudge) sauce.

HOT FUDGE CAKE (from the Fix It and Forget It Cookbook):

1 c. packed brown sugar
1 c. flour
3 T. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. milk
2 T. melted butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
3/4 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 3/4 c. boiling water
ice cream
caramel sauce

1. Mix together 1 c. brown sugar, flour, 3 T cocoa, baking powder and salt.
2. Stir in milk, butter and vanilla. Spread over the bottom of slow cooker.
3. Mix together 3/4 c. brown sugar and 1/4 c. cocoa. Sprinkle over misture in slow cooker.
4. Pour in boiling water. DO NOT STIR - really, don't, you'll want to, but don't.
5. Cover and cook on HIGH 2-3 hours, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
6. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream (and sauces).
7. Thank me later.

NINE!!!!!!!

My baby is NINE! How did this happen? Andy is nine today. While he was my most difficult baby during his first 18 months or so, he's the absolute JOY of my life. From a mean, grumpy baby, sprang a smart, funny, really nice kid. After having the first three kids so close together, Mike and I have enjoyed getting to know Andy on his own terms, all by himself. I just can't believe it's been nine years already. He's my baby, though, even if his feet are bigger than mine.

Happy Birthday, Andy.

Festivities? Tonight - family gifts, chocolate lava cake with caramel and ice cream; Thursday - another celebration with my dad (his b-day is the 22nd + Mrs. Duck) which will involve pizza and more cake - Saturday - some kind of celebration and maybe some cupcakes!

Not much in the interesting department

I've figured out knitting rows (thanks to a lovely pair of hands on YouTube) and I'm working on knitting from there. Why knitting you ask? Well, to be completely honest, I want to quit smoking (yes, ***gasp***). The only thing that has worked in the past is being pregnant. I've since learned that this is not a practical way to stop. Yep, doh! But, there it is. I'm tired of it. I'm tired of sneaking around and I keep thinking I might as well be what people think I am instead of just pretending. I've tried to quit many, many, many times. I'm thinking knitting - which I'm finding kind of time-warping and involving both hands - might be the answer. So, you, my loyal blog readers will just have to live through my chronicles of knitting and cleaning and other strange compulsive behavior as it comes up. I haven't totally quit yet - but it's close. Be nice.

In the meantime, I've organized the house, cleaned the house and tried to streamline things. But, I live with other people. Five other people. Five other people who all share socks. These socks have been under my desk for the past four days. When I ask the boys to clean up their stuff, they do. They clean up every single thing but this particular pair of socks. I'm using this picture to document how long it might take to clean up the socks (the socks that belong to no one). Sure, it would be easy for me to scoop them up on my daily laundry runs throughout the house, but this is different. This is becoming an issue.

Today, January 20, is day one of the Sock Chronicles!

WooHoo Steelers!

I like football, in moderation and only when my teams are playing. So, mostly I like Gator football and Steeler football. And, the Steelers were awesome tonight. I'm old, I grew up in the 70's when the Steelers dominated professional football. I love seeing them do so well again! (Though, I really hope that poor guy from the Ravens is OK - that was a mean hit for both players.) Mike, in honor of the game, made a "snack" dinner. We had grilled pizzas, jalapeno quesadillo's, two kinds of wings and some kind of funky dip on grilled French bread. What did I contribute to this feast? Nothing. I showed up and stuffed myself with the rest of the family. I DID do the dishes during the half-time show, if that's any sort of saving grace. The SuperBowl should be fun this year!

Last night, Mike and I "went out" at 10:30! We just upped and abandoned our children. Honestly, it's impossible to have a private conversation here any more. I miss when they were all little and in bed and asleep by 8 PM. But it was kind of fun to just leave. We took Mike's truck - it has heated seats - crazy in Florida, but it was actually COLD last night and the seats were more than superfluous! Most of our time out was spent in the heated seats, just talking. We did head into our local "dive" and listen to the band and people watch too. Poor Mike, he's just not a night person. He was so tired today. But, we were both glad to get a chance to talk through things without four people interrupting - one.at.a.time. I know this is exciting stuff. Try to keep your heads.

Saturday, I picked up some Dave Ramsey books and a book on knitting with a Christmas gift card. I'd love to hear your Dave Ramsey stories and/or how the heck you get beyond "casting" when knitting.

I'm still debating whether school will be in session tomorrow or not. I'm thinking "school lite" is the way we'll go. I really need to plan our homeschool year a little better so that the days we're taking off coincide with the days the kids' friends are running loose. Math, Latin, Science and some writing should cover us tomorrow. Right? Though, I feel like I"m dooming the kids to fail if I skip something on my previously planned schedule. Cross your fingers. At the very least, if Danny tanks on the SAT in March, we have something on which to blame it.

Way to scare the kids!

Today is the first day I have felt totally human in a long time. The kids are used to me being tied to the couch. I think today kind of shocked them back to the real world.
Dan: "Quick, Mom is working at full-speed again, help me stash this laundry." Ian: "No can do, I'm trying to erase all traces of flash paper and magical mess from the walls.
Tim: "I told you guys this would happen. She always comes back - meaner and cleaner than the last time. Give me the laundry and I have the secret super-great bathroom cleaner inside my pillow case. One of you go squirt that around the bathroom."
Andy: "I'll go read Harry Potter to mom. You know how she loves my accents and spontaneous gestures. That should give you all a good fifteen minutes."
Mom: "I didn't hear a thing. I didn't hear a thing. I didn't hear a thing."

Andy and I finished up his school early. He was pretty excited. Danny's friend-that-is-a-girl came over today and Andy had promised to make her lunch on his "Gary Coleman" grill. This girl has known Andy nearly his entire life and she still thinks he's cute. I love how nice she is to him and how enthusiastic she was about her hamburger this afternoon. Dan needs to watch his back - Andy had plates set with toasted buns, chips and a wild assortment of condiments. All Danny did was take a shower.

I made chicken noodle soup (Dan unleashed the whole chicken from its plastic bag to the pot for me - while I was out of the room - you know, poultry issues), bread AND brownies for dinner tonight. Go ahead, flip me a fish. I guess I could have made my own egg noodles, but I chose not to go that route. It was a pretty good meal - the bread was really good (that might have been the pound of butter I put on my slices, but ...).

Andy and I went and picked up the first three fish for his new ten-gallon fish tank. I love the guy at the local aquarium store - he's so patient and tolerant of stupid people. I'll show you pictures when we add the neon fish on Monday or Tuesday. This has been such a fun project to work on with Andy over the past few weeks. We've learned so much. Andy's goal is to make a success of the fresh water tank and start a monster salt water tank. I'm just going day-to-day.

Danny's friend-that-is-a-girl gave me a quick lesson on knitting/crocheting with some round thingie. I managed to make Andy a pretty cool hat without crying. It was fun and kind of addicting. I"m starting to see where all the knitting moms and knitting blogs come from. It's only a matter of time until I'm knitting car cozies. You know me and moderation and all of that . . .

Tim and Ian both got haircuts tonight. They both look about five years older, but very handsome. They both refused getting their pictures taken, of course. I'll stalk them over the weekend and see if I can't show you.

Finally, the picture of my new table/desk. Ahhh I love it. There's nothing on the surface but the speakers (hidden behind the monitor), a lamp, a bowl of paperclips, thumbtacks and binder clips and a tiny pencil sharpener. Mike has the hardware to put the keyboard and mouse below the surface at a user-friendly height this weekend. Oh yea, and my mousepad with Chloe from 24 is glaring at me. It's really clutter-free and fits into the room so much better than the stupid desk we used to have. The question is, can we stay organized and clutter free?

Pictures

These should have been on last night's post, but, oh well. Here they are for anyone interested. Thanks so much for the ideas for Andy's b-day party. He's an odd bird. He has considered his options but wanted to "sleep on it." What kind of 8-almost-9-year-old has to sleep on something? He's so not my child. I'll keep you posted.

Here is the white-washed coffee table - I liked the coffee table fine before, but it just didn't fit into the room AT ALL. This makes me much less twitchy and those who live here agree, non-twitchy mom is a good thing.

And here is a shot of my new boxes. I love these dumb old painted cardboard boxes. I use up the myriad of paint samples I always have and the boxes themselves cost less than $1 each. I can do what I like and change them when the mood suits me. Plus, they're really great for keeping stuff close at hand AND organized.

I thought I had a shot of the new computer desk/table, but the batteries died. ALL of the batteries. I sometimes wonder if the fact I cannot wear a watch without it dying in 10 minutes also sucks the life out of batteries (and perchance light bulbs?). Anyway, I'll try again tomorrow.

Could we get more boring?

Well, maybe if we were dead. See how bored I am, I have added a picture of me to the blog. At least one of us has been sick over the past two weeks. Danny is the latest to fall. Of course, Dan has plans and is pretending he's NOT sick. Oh yea. That's working out. Sure, I can ignore the glassy eyes and the constant sleep thing. Just like his dad, I'm fine. No problem. Zzzzzzzz... Boys/Men are bizarre creatures. At least here they are bizarre.

When I have a huge headache I take something. When Mike or one of the boys has a headached, they suffer for three hours and then ask me if they should take something. Doh! I'm not a huge fan of over-medicating, but basic steps seem to me to be, you know, basic. By 15 you know how much your head hurts and you can take mom's advice or even read the freaking label. But to just lay there like a lump?????? Is this a guy thing?

While Dan is suffering, I've been feeling better. I finally gave our coffee and end table a white wash that makes them fit in with the rest of the room. I've scrubbed the house from top to bottom. AND, Mike, my hero, found a great table to replace the stupid computer desk I've been using. The house feels right and light and I'm happy.

I painted some extra banker's boxes to contain what was in the computer dssk. Here are some pictures. I think they're kind of fun and they fit on the shelves where we have the TV.

Finally, NINTH BIRTHDAY! Andy turns 9 next week. The party is going to be small. He's not too interested in the trampoline place. We're looking at putt-putt golfing, and, ummmm . . . what else? I don't mind doing something here at home, but I cannot figure out a fun thing to do. That's what sucks about having three older brothers. I want him to have something all his own, but ...

Best ideas will get soap. HELP!

I thought I felt better . . .

I guess I was wrong. I felt human Friday night, even kicked my family's butt in a Scrabble game. And then I crashed. Hard. I slept all day and all night Saturday. I was up for a bit on Sunday morning, took a long, hard nap Sunday afternoon and finally felt semi-human. And really hungry. My lovely neighbor sent a giant bowl of potato soup over when I was "dozing" Saturday night. Ahhhh, what a great way to wake up Sunday morning. I showered and ate and ate and ate and then watched the first part of the 24 premiere. Jack's back!

This morning I was up fairly early and feeling human. By the time we'd finished up Andy's "official school" I was in dire need of a nap. I'm thinking the older you get the harder this kind of stupid stuff hits you. Andy and Ian have bounced back into the real world with no problem. I feel fine, but I'm sooooo tired. It's an old thing, I'm sure of it.

Lucky for me, though, I got sick during "Armageddon Week" on one of the history channels. When I am sick, I usually sleep on the couch. I can toss and turn and change blankets and what not without making poor Mike insane. I usually keep the tv on a boring show, the low volume noise generally puts me right to sleep. But, damn! Armageddon Week! 12/21/2012 - who knew? I sure didn't, but I do now. If my tv has been telling me the truth (and, it's a tv, it can't lie) it's all going to end on that day.

The problem is, no one will tell us HOW it's going to end? Should we just give up? Should we be planting gardens and propagating plants that grow in the dark? Should we duct tape ourselves into our houses and hope the germs don't get us? It's a mess! I had all sorts of grand plans when I had a fever. Now, I'm thinking we'll just stick to our foil hats and live our lives.

Pass the tissues . . .

Sorry to abandon you all again . . . allergies have been horrible and Ian and I both came down with sinus infections. There is nothing worse than feeling like the lady in the picture looks. So, instead of blogging, I've been mostly asleep for three days. Because I have lots and lots of time to spend snoring on the couch, you know? The upside, without me around to whine and "supervise," Mike managed to get the dryer and dishwasher running again. Who knew? I've been the curse all along.

In between my 6-7 hour naps, the older boys managed to keep the house running and keep Andy up to speed with his school work. I think. Latin sounded a lot funnier than it does when I teach Andy, but I'm in no position to judge. I'm sure it will all come back to haunt me next week. The older boys kept me hydrated and got their own work done as well. They're good kids when it's really necessary.

Yesterday, in a fit of hot-shower-induced-delusion, I decided to go grocery shopping after dropping the boys at tae kwon do. Danny drove to tae kwon do, while I napped. It seemed like a good idea and we were all getting sick of being hungry. About half-way through the store, it was all I could do to keep from sitting down underneath my cart and crying myself to sleep. I was wheezing and coughing and it all just seemed too hard. It was really pathetic. I finished shopping, sort of, for some reason I came home with almost no meat, but seven boxes of frosted poptarts and a lot of soup.

Ian, who I left on the couch napping, was feeling pretty good when I got home. He led me to the couch where I promptly passed out. Ian put all the groceries away and went back to napping on the love seat. Mike picked the other kids up after tae kwon do and they went to a Gator party.

Mike, Dan, Tim and Andy came home at half-time, fed and loud. Ian and I watched the second half of the Gator/Sooner game in a haze while the rest of them yelled and shouted. Go Gators! We celebrated the Gators' greatness with PopTarts all around. (There's plenty of leftovers if you're interested)


Today, I feel human. Of course, I have only been awake for about three hours, but that's my record for the week. Ian seems to be about two days behind me so he's still warming the couch. I'm sure the PopTart soup I'm making for dinner will speed up the healing process for him! Strawberry Minestrone. Mmmmmm...

It's Officially January . . .

Every year since we've been married, January has been an expensive month. I thought we were sneaking by it this year ... foolish mortal. The dryer is running as noisily as ever, but now there is no heat. Mike, who has no appliance repair skills, is determined to start with this appliance. The dishwasher runs, but it spews nasty stuff all over the already dirty dishes. I'm just doing the dishes in the sink. Mike has this next on his list. The lawnmower, which the kids rely on for their "neighborhood income" is dead. This is third on Mike's repair list.

I should be clear here, I'm not mocking my husband, I just have less belief in his ability to repair things he knows very little about than he does. I love him and I will sit here and watch him and cross my fingers that whatever website he's using is steering him in the right direction.

At the same time, I'm cringing at the thought of having another repairman ask me, "Who was messing with this?" I could suck it up and say it was me, but they'd out me on the first question about what I'd done. They usually catch on when I say things like "I moved that thingie over there." Most repair guys don't care when I shout, "Yeah, but he can debone a chicken faster than you can fix that thingie."

Everyone, this means you, please go bury something, anything, in your back yard that my dryer can be fixed quickly. The pollen is the worst here it's been in years. If I have to hang out clothes to dry, I might as well hang Ian from a tree. No pressure.

Give me Three!

I did not know it when I was living it, but three-years-old is the best it gets. They are portable and easily impressed. If you're consistent and willing to give up most of your life, they come out on the four-year-old side as human beings. And then they become teenagers. . . (muhahahaha)

Teenagers, not so much. They're big and not terribly portable. Additionally, they speak and don't shut up. Ever. Did I mention they're stoopid? In this instance no one was hurt. But, sheesh ... (and, NO!, no one is contemplating moving out, just the best picture I could find.)

Trying day here. Nothing scary or unusual, but this teen stuff is all new and weird. WHY did the authors (who made me insane and who made me doubt my every move) of What to Expect the First Year not continue with the series? I want clear instructions on what to expect the 15/16/17/18/19 Years. NOW!

Library Thing

OK - I've been reading blogs and everyone is listing what they've read over the year. One, I commend them on keeping track. I'm bad about this. Two, everyone thank Deana for helping me find Library Thing. How cool is this? Here is a partial list of what I read last year ... nothing too edifying, but nothing too terrible (minus Twilight which was FUN) either. I'd like to share a mosaic of the covers, but I'm not figuring it out quickly. Look for it tomorrow. In the meantime, everyone get started on your 2009 reading lists!

File under: Weird, but true.

Yesterday evening, I headed outside for a visit with the neighbors while the little kids burned off the last of the day's energy. I love having neighbors who read a lot. We can talk books, trade books and talk some more about books. Our backgrounds are all different and we're all quite different, but we come together over books and we each bring a different perspective. It's fun.

Last night was relatively warm (I wore a sweatshirt, but also was barefoot) and kind of buggy. Normally, bugs leave me alone. I'm lucky that way. Last night, however, we were all swatting no see 'ums like crazy. Andy commented on the mosquitoes, but they generally stay away from me. (I did spray Andy with bug spray, though)

Well, as we were talking, a bug, a good-sized bug, flew right into my mouth and landed on the back of my throat. Gah! It was the most horrible feeling in the world. I started to half-cough/half-sneeze trying to get the bug to go one way or another. My neighbor was hysterical - it must have been funny to watch. She suggested I take a sip of my drink, but I knew it would come right out of my nose and, well, no thanks. After about 10 minutes, the bug was gone and all seemed well.

This morning I woke up with the strangest feeling in my throat it was itchy AND sore. It's been driving me crazy all day. I think I got a mosquito bite in my throat last night! How totally gross is that? Well, let me tell you, it's pretty damn gross.

That's it. Just thought I'd share. If you're going to be outside in warm weather talking and laughing, consider a mosquito hat. Don't say you haven't been warned.

Idiots need not apply . . .

A few months ago I joined Facebook. You know, because everyone else joined. When I signed up, I really didn't get it. I'm starting to get it - slow learning curve and all. And, I'm starting to get it enough that I noticed that many of the ads were targeted specifically to my age and family status. Many, but not all. I seemed to have an unusually large number of ads for lesbian sites. Which would be fine, if I was a lesbian. Even if I was a lesbian, I would have found some of the ads on the creepy side. But, I could not figure it out.

Finally, I did what any sane person would have done weeks ago. I asked someone who has a clue what they're doing. She checked my Facebook profile and lo and behold, it announced to the world that I was looking to meet men and women. Well, I like men and women, but not the way the site meant it. I've since fixed my profile and I'm happy with my nice new bland ads geared to nerdy, old people who are not seeking to spice up their sex lives. Whew.

Why, you ask, do I feel the need to blog about this? Something tells me I'm not alone. Consider this my public service for the weekend.

Welcome to Japan!!!!

WOW! Sabrina is my hero! I met her through my blog and selling soap and we hit it off. You should read her blog - adorable kids, interesting life and she's funny too. She told me she was sending 'something' a couple of weeks ago. Ummm ... she sent an entire island from Japan. We have spent all day going through the goodies she sent. Here's a bad picture of what we haven't eaten yet.

The box had all kinds of crazy Japanese candy and snacks. There are some kites we're going to test if the wind ever comes back. A couple of cool Christmas ornaments - a santa carved out of a nut and paper crane. A good luck scroll, dedicated to students and night owls - how perfect is that? And a beautiful calligraphy set - the boys are dying to try it out. I'm making them wait until we have a nice slow afternoon. A good luck New Year's wreath - hanging on my new calendar and so much more.

I think that is my favorite thing about blogging - the chance to get to know other people even though we might never actually meet. That and repeatedly learning how generous and fun people can be. Sabrina certainly made our whole weekend with her package. Have any of you other bloggers had fun experiences like this? If not, we should set up a blog swap!

Time for a round of PMS House

It's been awhile ... but here we are back at PMS House basking in the glow of mom's love and encouragement. The bunk beds started off the day. Now, I'm sitting not 10 feet away from the man I love willing myself NOT to bash him over the head with a cinder block for breathing too loudly while he enjoys his football game. Seriously, every time he exhales it sounds as though he's trying to dislodge some large foreign object from his head. I seem to be the only person that notices this. Someone, anyone, tell me that I'm not alone in this insanity? (If I am alone, can someone come take any cinder blocks within my reach out of my reach?)

Just when I think it's all good . . .

This morning Danny left very early (his friend-that-is-a-girl's mom picked him up after her night shift at the hospital and took him home with her to hang out with her daughter) this morning. I waved at him, half-asleep. Mike grunted at him. Mike got up around 7:30 to go to the Y (because he's the anti-me) and checked in on the kids (cause that's what we do). To his horror, the top bunk of Danny and Andy's bed was half crashed. Andy was, in Mike's estimation, either soundly sleeping or dead. He slept through the whole crash and was fine. Mike went on to the Y. I woke up around nine to find the same scene of horror. Andy sat up to let me know he was fine. Tim and Ian thought it was funny. Mike came home and joined in the hilarity.

Honestly folks, I'm living in a fraternity house (minus the guy in the fraternity with the big bank account that always fixes everything). Mike spet the day repairing the bed, but I'm sorry, I just can't put Andy in the bottom bunk again. Of course Mike thinks I'm being a loon. But, I'm not. Don't you guys get awful images in your head that you replay late at night? I sure do and this is a brand new one. I really do enjoy sleeping - I'm not willing to give it up.

For the weekend, Ian and Danny are camping so we don't have to decide anything right now. Gah. I hate stuff like this.

Packing up Christmas

Ugh ... I was moving Christmas dishes to the deep dark place and bringing out our regular dishes when my favorite little neighbor girl arrived. She asked what I was doing. I told her I was taking down the Christmas decorations. She's a thoughtful little girl, she said "Hmmm" and took a walk around my house. When she'd finished she asked me "Why did you put so much stuff up?" Why indeed! LOL

My Mary Tyler Moore angst was all for naught. If you count kids we ended up with about 50 or so people here. It ended up being a really fun night. Lots of good food, drinks and fireworks. It was a great, fun night. Everyone cleared out around 2 am.

We ended up hosting three teenage boys for the night. Fine. I kept hoping they'd go to bed as I was cleaning the kitchen. No such luck. Once the kitchen was clean, I brought out a stack of blankets and pillows and told the boys to "Shhhhh" and I went to bed. Sorry, six teenage boys, even trying to be quiet, cannot be quiet. I finally fell asleep around 5 am. I don't know what happened to them. Mike was up fairly early and I think he handled it. I didn't actually ask - I'm just guessing since we're three very tall, hungry people short today. Let me know if your teen son is misisng - he's probably under my couch or something.