Category Archives: Life in general

Wednesday Randoms

Posted on October 10, 2012 | 5 comments

For two weeks in a row you get some Wednesday randoms… lucky you!

Liam is reading up a storm which makes me so very proud (in 4th grade I filled a small handful of large index cards with the titles of books I read – our teacher tracked them for RIF – Reading Is Fun(damental) – I was a bit of a book nerd, still am). He’s also started the Magic Treehouse Series and I’m excited to read those with him. I wish he loved math as much as he loves reading (and also making things out of Legos).
Speaking of Legos, I made an alligator out of Legos yesterday which impressed the pants off of Liam – he kept saying, I really like that alligator you made, mom, you did a great job! Liam’s love language seems to be words of affirmation.
My hair is officially LONG, but I still want to grow it out a few more inches before lopping it off for Locks of Love – sorry, Simon, you’ll just have to wait about 6 more months (my husband is one of the few who prefers shorter hair)
I know I just posted a search term thing last week, but the following just came through and cracked me up: “how to care for a duckling” you are barking up the wrong tree with this blog, sorry.
The Civil Wars Radio station on Pandora is the awesome. Listen to it. You will be happy.
I believe that desserts should be all-in, if you are going to indulge, then make it worth it. To wit, I made the following: put a layer of ice cream sandwiches in a cake pan, top with half of a large container of cool whip, pour jar of caramel over top and chopped up oreos (I used a row of Double Stuf); add another layer of ice cream sandwiches, cool whip, swirl butterscotch on top and sprinkle (liberally) with chopped PB cups. Freeze and serve. It was well-received.
We went out with part of our small group on Sunday night and I ordered two meatless things at a restaurant where I normally get a Cuban and I think that my friend, Stef, was almost disgusted with me. I said, “You feel like you don’t even know me right now.” It was good – meatless “meatloaf” was the entree with mashed potatoes that had a delicious smokey flavor. SO good. But I promise to order the Cuban next time – with sweet potato fries.
I believe that if you almost run into someone with your car, you should at least wave and mouth sorry to the person you’ve almost injured. You should not continue driving, staring straight forward and pretending like an accident did not almost occur. If you do that to me, I will want to then hit your car with my car – I won’t actually do that, but I will want to.
I get worked up over people who use double spaces after periods (not necessary unless you are using a typewriter), serial commas (they are evil) and random capitalization (all caps for emphasis is okay, capitalizing words that don’t need it just because well, not okay). I am a word nerd (while I’m laying all my nerdiness out there, I’m also a pop culture nerd but not quite a music nerd – more like a music admirer). Thank you for still loving me.
Jack has been waking up in the night for the last two nights saying he can’t sleep – last night he also mentioned his ear hurting but this morning it miraculously doesn’t hurt. Hmmm… I think it’s a growth spurt, which would also explain his crazy behavior of late… he’s been in and out of timeout more times than I care to recount, picking on Liam and instigating a six-year-old’s indignant wrath and also coloring all over every surface in our kitchen while I was going to the bathroom yesterday (seriously, I should be allowed to use the bathroom without a fear of what he will get into). And then last night, he woke up 8 times before midnight and each time needed to cuddle on the couch and snooze until suddenly he’d awake and want to go BACK. TO. BED. But he did do this:

So all is forgiven because these cuddles I get like NEVER, ironic considering our sitter last night said that Jack is always the cuddly one. Um, what?

5 Comments

Posted in Life in general, Parenting, Random

I am the proud owner of a traction machine. I am old. I’m old because my nearly 60-year-old business partner also owns a traction machine. I am not nearly 60 (in the same way Liam is not nearly 7, even though that’s what he tells people; no sir, you are 6 + 2 months, or 6 and 1/6th if you must). Any who… I went to PT today and came home with my very own traction machine, my kids are going to get quite the kick out of watching me use it. [Side note (again): The first time I used this machine I was out in the middle of the PT office, laying flat out on a table, traction machine encasing my head with a nice strap across my forehead – it’s pretty sexy is what I’m saying – and this older woman was interested in checking it out and so she comes over and stands over me to investigate, not bothering to talk to me, and instead asks the PT if it’s okay to check it out. Thankfully, Liz is awesome and said, “You might want to ask her, not me.” Which was moot since she was already standing over me and what was I going to say, “Don’t look at me!”?] I rather love the traction machine, I had realized that my neck was so screwed up (though headaches and an inability to sleep on my back with out soreness and pain for two years might have given it away) but now that it is getting better, it’s amazing to notice the difference. It’s also nice being two inches taller again. Lesson learned: Don’t be me. If you get headaches from doing something you used to be able to do, you don’t have to accept it, you can take care of it.

1. What album/cd/download are you embarrassed to admit you have?
If I was truly embarrassed I don’t think I would admit it. I’m slightly chagrined to tell you I have Justin Beiber’s latest, but I enjoy it. Everyone has some questionable, out-of-character music they like. I also have enjoyed the Dixie Chicks, Eminem and Kid Rock.

2. What’s the one thing your spouse does better than you?
Remembers things… if he says he’s going to do something 99% of the time he remembers to do it. My intentions don’t always match my results – I intend to remember I said I would do something and do it but I’m more like 60% for remembering to do it. [He does lots of other things better than me: falls asleep at the drop of a hat, cleans the minivan, does the dishes, mows the lawn and trims the edges, cleans before company comes over.]

3. When do you start buying Halloween Candy?
I’d say at the start of October but not with the intention to stockpile it for Halloween or to hand it out. We’ve had a tradition since having kids of spending Halloween with some of our besties and their kids at their house. We eat dinner and the guys take the kids trick or treating while the moms stay at home and hand out candy. Perfect. When we did stay at home we didn’t get too many kids at our house, we are on a stretch of road that doesn’t lead to many more houses so we often get skipped. The first year I lived there, a middle schooler rand the bell and she wasn’t even dressed up (though she was with friends who were) and she was smoking and I was so sad (and annoyed) to see that – ten years later it has stuck with me.

4. Family closets – Yay or nay?
Does this mean sharing all closets? Or like a hall closet with everyone’s stuff in it? I think it would be a pain to have all the boys stuff upstairs in our closet. But I do have a hall closet with all our jackets in it and that is handy. We still have all Jack’s clothes in the dresser in his old room (our now guest room), if the boys shared a dresser I’d imagine they’d try wearing each others’ clothes pretty often – they aren’t attention-to-detail types and Liam will just put on Jack’s pajamas if they mistakenly end up in his drawer, even though their being inches to short everywhere should give it away.

5. Which home/cleaning chore do you hate the most? Why?
Mopping the floor, it just seems like a pain to get everything set up and within minutes of being done someone always gets it dirty. My favorite thing is cleaning the fridge with stainless steel cleaner – it’s so pretty afterwards.

Linking up with Mama M for Five Question Friday.

1 Comment

Posted in Five Question Friday, Life in general

More search terms to laugh at

Posted on October 4, 2012 | 2 comments

How about a little laughter at other peoples’ expense? (Previous posts of this variety: August 2011, November 2011, March 2012, May 2012 and July 2012).

yarn lanterns | this search term is actually in the top ten so far this year which baffles me and also makes me think I should give the following warning: yarn lanterns are perhaps fire hazards, please do not burn your house down by putting a candle in something made of yarn.
baby rooms for guys | everyone knows that a baby’s room is decorated purely for the pleasure of its mother (as is our right), I’m still hoping this person is allowing some influence from the father and is not with someone who wants a baby room for themselves, like some sad fetish fantasy. Men can sometimes act like babies, but if your man wants to be a baby, turn and RUN! [And if you like that, please don’t read my blog.]
top ten things people use everyday | did this person want a list so they could make sure they were using the right things or just like everyone else? It’s not too hard to imagine what those things might be: toilet, sink, bed, couch, car, brush, toothbrush, shower, coffee (duh) and credit card.
music to make me happy | I hope this person found what they were looking for but that would only work if they like the same kind of music as me… not if they were into say, country or heavy metal or latin fusion.
kid boy pee | I just like this funny chain of words, simple and succinct, no extra words to muddy the search engine waters
pictures of ingrown finger nail | gross
mens gymnast with porn mustache | this just made me laugh out loud because I saw him on tv, too, this person and I would be friends
what is liam’s favorite song and why | what is liam’s favorite song is in my top ten search terms but this one adds the little “and why” and it made me smile… again, what Liam are you wondering this about? Why does his opinion matter so much to you?
“second toe” “freakish” AND “toes are” “longer than” | two separate searches related to toes with random quote marks… people, I have strangely long toes, deal with it.
does anyone else think chris martin of coldplay voice sucks? | nope, just you
what’s bradley cooper’s favorite animal | a panda bear? a humpback whale? a Macaroni penguin? Really, I have no idea but I do think it’s cute that someone wants to know this. Maybe it’s for a report they are writing for school on their favorite actor or maybe it was a search executed by a journalist looking for some personal tidbit of information to add to a story… thinking, what would make Bradley Cooper even more adorable? Oh, I know, maybe he loves Persian kittens.
dunkin donuts floor plan | what do you need to know this for? The only thing you need to know about Dunkin Donuts is that they have a counter, behind which are donuts and you can buy them to stuff in your mouth hole and make your stomach happy.
crocs in public | I’ve done it, I just don’t care what you think about it. People go to the grocery store in the pajamas, my wearing plastic shoes is nothing.
what were your awkward years | If you must know, 5th grade through freshman year of high school (ish). Some could argue that the awkward years are still in full effect, but that someone can just shut up.
smelling surgery mask | I honestly can’t think of any reason for this search term as it is and that is all.

Wednesday Randoms

Posted on October 3, 2012 | 5 comments

I mistakenly typed “ransoms” instead of “randoms” for the title of this post, it made me laugh. I’d like to imagine I’m holding things hostage – like all the Legos I find strewn through our house, or a last can of Diet Coke in the house.
Liam randomly said on our way to small group on Sunday, “I think instead of a spanking, you should give me a hard wedgie instead.” I don’t think anyone could blame me for laughing out loud at that one.
October is the month of Sandy’s due date – I cannot wait to meet that baby girl! (It should be noted it may not be the month of Sandy’s actual delivery – and for noting that, Sandy may kill me the next time she sees me and I would be deserving)
Liam has often fixated on doing one thing over and over again (you know, until the next thing comes along and to the point of annoying his dear mother). The current “annoying” habit of choice is snapping his fingers; he’ll be putting toys away or playing with a friend and stop mid-whatever to snap his fingers over and over again. I’m sure it’s some type of coping mechanism but I can’t help but tell him to stop it.
Jack has fully mastered the art of telling me he loves me just as I’m about to be fed up with his bad behavior.
He’s also mastered the art of wrapping every adult he meets around his little finger. Help me.
Fall television is making me happy. So nice to have a stocked DVR for my viewing pleasure.
Triple Chip Blondies are delicious – I have to mention these again – but trust that if you have invited me somewhere or I am bringing you food – I will be making these. Also trust that you may not want to think about the quantities of butter and brown sugar in them.
My husband very kindly folded all our laundry this week, this makes him a better person than me.
I’m praising my husband on my blog, therefore I am also pretty awesome. I mean, right?
The boys were upstairs watching TV over the weekend when Liam came down to tell us Jack had gotten into some lotion (it’s never good when the six-year-old notices something is amiss despite the TV being on). While pretending to be a “minja” (a.k.a., ninja), he had managed to fling the contents of a bottle of sleep aromatherapy lotion all around our bedroom – hitting the dresser, the bed, the ceiling, the nightstand light, inside of one of my shoes, a pair of pants sitting on the laundry basket across the room and a pile of books. It could have been worse, it could have been chocolate or the stuffing of our couch. It’s all a matter of perspective – it’s sad when splattered handfuls of lotion doesn’t even rank.
Monday night I got to go to my first [non-family] concert of the year with my friend, Sarah. Ingrid Michaelson was phenomenal (and hilarious – she performed a spoof of Lady Gaga’s bad romance with lyrics about a goat, trust me, too funny)! I love the Calvin FAC and I love live music and I really love a night spent with a wonderful friend!
Ingrid (I can call her that because we’re totally friends now – yup) had an opening act that I also loved: Sugar and the Hi Lows. Check them out if you want some mellow, catchy music… rest assured I’ll be featuring them soon on Music Monday.
Remember when I said that the school year wouldn’t be so different from our normal summer routine because I still work and the kids were used to daycare? Or maybe I just thought it. Either way, I was wrong, wrong, wrong. School, even with one kid, is very different and very time-consuming and very much screwing up my schedule and making me feel overwhelmed with busy-ness. That is all. And also, I should never have thought that.
I cannot say enough how much I enjoy our small group at church. Get theeself a small group – it might end up being one of the best things you’ve ever done.
We had curriculum night at school last week and Liam’s teacher amazes me with her positive, energetic attitude – if I were a first grader I would adore her (as an adult, I like her just fine). She and her hubby were high school sweethearts which is the cutest – I believe that awesome people marry (and stay with) their high school sweethearts, it’s not for everyone. I myself had a series of high school ~~obsessions~~ crushes, I am not that kind of awesome.
Liam (and by extension, Jack, see above lotion incident) is OB-sessed with ninjas. He had to depict a story problem for homework, he drew ninjas; at PT on Monday morning he was telling the therapist about his favorite Lego Ninjagos; he drew a picture for his cousin Mitch, it was of a ninja and when he made a coaster/tile for me at daycare, he painted a ninja on it.
Jack seems to know when I am just full of it or not taking him seriously. Sunday morning I was trying to get him to leave the nursery and he was insistent that he had more pictures to collect that he had colored, although there was only one on the counter with his name on it. When we finally discovered a stack of about ten more on a shelf, he looked at me crossly and huffed, “You say me there was no more… but there were!” Like, I have got your number, woman and I will have none of it. Trouble.

5 Comments

Posted in Life in general, Parenting, Random

Not fair

Posted on October 2, 2012 | 4 comments

My kids say that all the time… “It’s not fair!” And often I respond with, “Well, life isn’t fair.” I’m sympathetic like that. But it’s not untrue… life isn’t fair. We are not promised fair. We don’t get everything we want (or even half of what we want) and I truly believe it’s important that my kids don’t grow up thinking that they do deserve or get it all, that they are entitled. Not to crush their little spirits, but to teach them that in reality, you have to work for things, you have to put in the effort and earn some things and despite everything you do, that thing you want, it still might not end up being yours. Even in disappointment, they are still loved and while not always fair, life is still good.

Along the way, along the journey of life, you often gain other things you were never expecting – things you never even dreamed of wanting. You have some options with that, you can be happy with what you have – accepting the gifts of the unexpected and being grateful for all you do have or have earned OR you can be bitter and feel like you are lacking and always striving for more. Only one of those ways will ever lead you to contentment. Only one of those ways will ever help you grow and become a better person. And only one of those ways will show you what it means to be truly thankful and feel totally blessed; and it’s not the way that’s always leaving you wanting more.

I started this post by drafting a list of things in my life that aren’t fair and was going to comment on how I could see those things from a different perspective but instead it’s turned into something more (this has happened before). Sometimes I want to have a grown-up “that’s not fair” tantrum but in the midst of that moment (or week or month), I need to remind myself that despite how I feel, God is in control of all of the things. He’s got the tiny details and the mega-big picture all under control. I may want to do missions work but can’t because our life can’t/won’t/doesn’t accommodate that but that doesn’t mean God won’t use me some other way because a mission field doesn’t have to be halfway around the world. I may wish Jack didn’t have to deal with other kids looking at him differently because of his little hand but God has given us such a gift of insight into what it means to be different in big and small ways and He has given Jack a personality that will not be held back or deterred by what others think. And I may be sad about friends who are moving away but I’ve been given the gift of that friendship and my life will be forever changed by the footprints on my heart and by the way God puts people in our lives just when we need them, in the perfect capacity that we need them (plus distance doesn’t remove a friendship, it simply changes the geography).

Bigger things will come, people will get sick, tragedy may/will strike and all the little things might gang up on us and make us want to hide our heads and shout out “IT’S NOT FAIR!” But I pray we might hear God’s voice say, “You’re right, it’s not fair, but that is life and let me show you what I would like to teach you about that. Here’s my plan for you…” Because while we aren’t promised fair, we are promised that we are loved and that God has a plan.