Frankly Scarlett...

It's Sunday.

Not that that means anything in particular, but I did get to sleep in.
I mean really sleep in. Until nearly 10am.

Not something I ever get to do and for which I am glad.

By the time I got up, showered and dressed, it seemed half the day was gone.

I am most productive in the morning hours when I am fresh from a hot shower with joints loosened and mind whirring.

Today I feel like I need to go back to bed. No energy, joints still stiff and my brain in such a fog I can't remember who won the hockey game last night...
Finland or Slovakia?

And, I woke up today itching all over.

I think I must be allergic to extra sleep.
Or the new shampoo I bought to keep my red hair from fading too fast...

Figures.

Guess I'll go back to bed and pretend this day is over.
Well, until it's time to go to work tonight, that is...

Maybe tomorrow will be better... or not... either way ...

Tomorrow is Another Day!

Where Have All the ... Good Ones? Gone

Does the Honey Nut Cheerios Bee have a name?

Where did Tony the Tiger get his name? And where did he go?
I haven't seen any "They're GRRRRREAT!" commercials in a while.

Then there's the Cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs guy,er, bird.
A bird wearing striped pajamas? Or is he a Jail Bird and those are his prison clothes?

Fruity Pebbles I get. Fred Flinstone is there with Barney because they work in a rock quarry and Fred named his kid Pebbles. Okay, fair enough, Barney did name his kid Bam-Bam. They're both idiots. But I get the connection to the cereal.

I guess the problem is that these characters are no longer common figures in Pop Culture ( I just love using that term, it makes me sound like I might be smart!).
Like Scooby-Doo and Josie and the Pussycats and Land of the Lost (the real one not the awful movie version) and just about every other Saturday Morning TV show character from our childhoods, cereal box characters are becoming extinct.

Or they just don't make any sense.

And there is the problem as I see it...

The world doesn't make sense anymore and it's getting worse...

Time to pay a visit to Lucky and Toucan Sam... before they go extinct too!

We Could Write A Bad Romance... or something an awful lot like it!

Dear Mr. Weatherman,

Due to recent events, I feel I must be honest with you.

I admit I was confused after hearing your weather forecast today for yet another winter weather event.

Having provided me with wonderfully bright and sunny weather that has begun to melt the snow these past few days (I could actually see grass today) your obvious disregard for my wants and needs can only lead me to believe that our relationship is not what I once thought it was.

I am removing you from my Favorite Channels selections and will no longer spend my morning coffee time with you to start my day.

I am sure you expected this, but even so, I am sorry if this causes you any professional distress, or loss of ratings.

I look forward to Spring and will do my best to find a new Weatherman, one who will be honest with me at all times, one who will bring me the weather I love and will give me daily guidance I can trust.

I hope that you are able to do the same.

Sincerely,

ME


Don't Forget the Friday Follow...

BLOG HOP #7

One Ringy Dingy, Two Ringy Dingy, Three Ringy Dingy...

Are You a Phone Snob?

Apparently there is an entire generation who judges people based on the phone they use.

Evidently using a flip phone means you are either:
1) poor and have to jump from plan to plan getting the free phone when you sign up or,
2) Technologically backward and inept.

BUT, if you carry a Blackberry or iPhone you are rich, successful, someone people want to know and hang out with.

Then there is ME.

I have an EnV texting phone. I can text, send and receive emails and photos. Oh, yeah, and make phone calls.

Go Figure!

I can afford a new phone, mine is an original EnV, with a full keyboard and really good camera, in a great ORANGE color.


And that is why I still have it. I need a new one. I have been to the phone store several times and checked out the newer EnV versions, the blackberries, the DROID.

I really liked the DROID and was about to get one but...
It doesn't come in Orange!

Actually, NO cell phones currently come in any orange-like hue.

Hey! That makes me a phone snob too!

Guess I'm not as out of the loop as my kids think I am...

or that statement means I really am...

either way I'm not getting a new phone until I can get an Orange one!

This little piggy went to the movies and got scared to death... so THIS little piggy stays home!

Is it me or are the movie remakes all really scary looking?

Alice in Wonderland is coming out.
It's got Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter.
It's creepy, scary looking!

What happened to the nice Alice who fell down the rabbit hole and was met by a silly, be-fuddled mad hatter and a clock-watching white rabbit.
They were amusing without being scary or crazed-looking.
Even the Cheshire Cat was relaxed and comforting, in an odd 'I-don't-have-a-body-and-my-head-is-floating-away' sort of way.

And what about Willie Wonka?
Johnny Depp was in that one too. And he was friggin nightmarish!
Along with Ms.HBC... again, a very scary lady!

Poor old Willie Wonka. He came down with a horrid illness that made him look cadaverous. Even his fluffy blue OompaLoompa's wouldn't know him in the remake.
What was wrong with a slightly awkward pre-teen and his nose-butting-in grandpa licking berry flavored wall paper and selfish girls being turned into blueberries and dropped down egg chutes... all in a funny, you better be good kids or else this could happen to you way.

Now movies are dark, dreary, scary, leaving one feeling more down than up.
Look at the last Batman... it is really dark and scary and just depressing!
And the new movies coming out seem to be about death, dying and the deranged.

Except for "Avatar: The Last Airbender", which is based on a cartoon that I enjoy with TweenBoy. Of course the preview on tv yesterday said it is as yet unrated... anyone willing to take bets it will be a PG-13?
It's about a 9-10 year old kid for crying out loud...

The way movies are stacking up these days Alice, and Ang-the Airbender, aren't even old enough to see their own movies!

As for Johnny Depp and his scary, dark portrayal of well-loved childhood characters...

Mad-hatter can mean silly and frivolous... NOT insane...

AND don't you know who can take a sunrise, sprinkle it with dew, cover it in chocolate and a miracle or two???

The Candy Man Can!

And he's a happy little man, named Willie, who makes the world taste good!

Health and Happiness... It's all in how you play the game... Of Life that is

LUPUS FOUNDATION OF AMERICA
I will preface this post be saying it is not like my usual posts. My only excuse is that today is just 'one of those days'.

Getting out and getting moving.
These sound like very simple things to do.
I assure you, they are not.

Winter is a hard time of year for me because I have Rheumatoid Arthritis(RA),an inflammatory disease that affects the soft tissue at joints, not the joints themselves.

I also have Lupus and Fibromyalgia.
Lupus, like RA, is an autoimmune disease. It causes your body's disease fighting cells to attack it's own perfectly healthy cells.
Sort of like when your kids beat up on each other... just because they are there.
This causes damage to soft tissue and major organs alike.

Some people have kidney and liver damage. Some Lung. Others heart. A very small number, about 15%, have brain, or Central Nervous System (CNS) issues.

I have problems with my heart. Not the actual heart itself, but the soft tissue surrounding it. It's called Idiopathic Pericarditis, which in doctor-speak, means fluid fills the soft tissue around the heart causing swelling that in turn creates pressure. Sort of like someone has their hand wrapped around it and squeezes.

I also have some level of CNS involvement. My fingers and toes have decreased feeling, and my hands have lost most of their strength.

I was an IV nurse. Now I can't even feel the butterfly needle in the fingers, let alone a vein under the skin.

It is frustrating and depressing to look at myself and what I can no longer do.

So, I try NOT to do that. I did say try, because sometimes, it's just too hard not to see the changes in my life these things have caused.

Why is Winter hard for me?

My joints get stiff and often swell.
My feet and fingers are always cold and numb.
My mind plays tricks on me, I think I say things only to find that I thought them but never actually voiced them.
I forget things like appointments, kids activites, what day of the week it is. Little things, most are. Big things, very seldom, but enough to bother me.

There is no cure for either RA or Lupus. There are meds that can help with the symptoms, but they only make it tolerable and reduce flare ups of symptoms.

Nothing can bring back what is lost once it goes.

This is what I live with daily.

Forgetfulness, pain and weakness, chest pain and tightness, sometimes feeling older than I really am.

Often feeling useless or worthless.

Get up and move. Take walks. Eat right. Stop smoking. Decrease stress. Think positively. Be active mentally and physically.

These are the things I am told will help me.
And in the summer I can, and I do, all of these things.

The winter is different. The cold affects me differently and makes getting out of bed and walking to the bathroom a hardship.

But I keep waking up. I keep walking to the bathroom. I keep doing the things I need to do- household chores, going to work, ferrying kids to and fro.

I do this because I will not let an illness make me something I am not. I will not let my family down. I will not succumb to the weariness and pain.

I will continue to be ME as long as I can.

That's the best I can do and that will have to be enough.

Bloggers Make the World Go Round... Really, They Do!

Doing something different today...

(and we'll pretend this is Saturday's post too shall we?)

A Blog Hop List

I have read many of the ones on the list, but as there are so very many, it may take me a while to visit them all!

But I will soldier on, visiting, reading, subscribing to RSS feeds as I travel across the world wide web, from country to country, making new friends as I go...






Oh, and Have a Wonderful Weekend...
I know I will, just as soon as I drop of TeenGirl at a birthday party, catch up on house hold chores, and tackle the BOYS ROOM ,
Oh, and get some sleep... THEN I'll have a great weekend!

Or whatever's left of it anyway.

Sunshine Award Recipient.... ME!

I was given an AWARD!

It came to me from ELLE @ A for Effort

I enjoy her posts immensely, and am thrilled that she likes mine!
Heck, I'm thrilled that anyone, even me, likes mine!

According to the rules I have to pass this LOVELY AWARD - I just love flowers don't you?- on to 12 Bloggers that I have come to know and love...

I will do the best I can, well, cuz that's all I can do!

If you have already received this award... I think it needs repeating:)

1- Nancy @ From Hip To Housewife
A really cool MOM in NYC that thinks a lot like me!

2- The Girl with the Flour in her Hair @ Peeling An Orange with a Screwdriver
Her sense of humor is a little skewed... and I like it!

3- Alissa @ Slightly More Than Dirt
A Mom with Kids taking life one catastrophe at a time!

4- Theresa @ Substitute Teacher's Saga
Life from the view point of a Teacher... enlightening and enjoyable!

5- Allycupe @ My Life As I Know It!
She's NOT afraid to share her life with the rest us... Thank Goodness!

6- Allie @ Hyperbole and a Half
Her Pictorial Views of her world and the one we all live in... WOW!

7- Mr.Lady @ Whiskey In My Sippy Cup
I like what she has to say, and I even learn things... she must be good!

8- EM @ Life,Liberty and the Pursuit
She makes me think and laugh and think again!

And That my Dear Readers is about all I can come up with...
not the full 12, but 2/3 of them...
Math DOES have it's uses in THE REAL WORLD...
Guess my teacher was right after all?

BUT WAIT!
THERE's MORE!


This was sent my way from a Full Time Mummy in MALAYSIA...
She's sweet and funny and getting the hang of this Mum-Gig @ I'm a Full Time Mummy
Check her out AND give her some love...
We Moms need a little support now and again...
without it we just might end up in jail!

I'm a teenager searching for my purpose in life...

This is a quote from the character, Joan, on the SyFy show 'Joan of Arcadia'.
I'm not a teenager any more, but I am still searching...

This show was originally on regular network TV, Friday nights at 8pm.
Before Ghost Whisperer took that slot. Actually, Ghost Whisperer got that spot when Joan was canceled.

I'm not sure canceling GOD was a good move... but Hey! I don't run the network.

I was THRILLED when I found SyFy running marathons of it every few months.

I also discovered the show 'Tru Calling' this way, but I digress...

'Joan of Arcadia' is based on the premise that GOD talks to a teen, much like Joan of Arc, only in a 21st century teen-angst sort of way.
And in the guise of the librarian, the little girl down the street, a Navy officer, a nice old lady at the bus stop, the really cute new kid at school... whomever.

It's set in the make-believe town of Arcadia, Maryland. Which I know is made up because I live in Maryland and there are some quaint towns here, but none called Arcadia.

I almost wish it were a real town cuz I would so move there!

Joan is a typical teen trying to get through high school with her sense of self, and her family, intact. Not an easy feat as her older brother was paralyzed in a car accident and the resulting turmoil has strained the family dynamics to the Nth degree.

And Joan is doing her own thing, or I should say her own thing as God directs her to.
She got a job at God's request and as a result helped a homeless person.
She took AP Chem when he asked her to... she's still not sure why since it is harder than she THINKS she can handle but then... perhaps that's the point?
She built an ARC, although her entire family thinks she's gone crazy, because GOD told her he needed one.

She does not fulfill these requests without question. She asks GOD lots of questions.
Sometimes he gives her the answers and sometimes, she finds the answers herself, because GOD does have a plan.

When she thought a new-found talent was the "wrong one" God told her that sometimes the wrong talent is really the right one... only she could decide which way to use it.

Which leads me to my question...

How do you know which talent you are supposed to cultivate if you have several?

I have a talent for teaching. A desire to help others. An artistic eye. And, I hope, for writing.

How do I make these things into something special that will make me feel like I am fulfilling my purpose?

I wonder if CareerBuilder has any openings for Artistic nurse-teacher-authors listed?

If so, I'm the GIRL for the job.

As long as it's not in Alaska or Upstate New York or ...

My luck it's in Siberia with all that snow and cold and Winter all year.

Yep. That's where the perfect job for me is... where I'm NOT looking.

Figures.

Oh- and one more quote from the show " the problem with Fear is it doesn't leave room for anything else". God said that. Or the little old lady did.

Whichever.

Enough is Enough... there's no where left to put the cr.., er, fluffy white stuff!

The kids have been out of school since the Friday before last... the 5th?

They went to school that day, but got out at noon because the BLIZZARD was rolling in.

Then came the 39 inches of snow.

And 3 days later, 18 more inches fell on the already frozen, and not yet cleared, landscape.

They had no school last week because there were no roads or sidewalks or yards to walk or ride on to get to school. And no where for the buses to park, let alone drop off the kids, at the schools.

Tonight's news cast brought yet more unsettling and disturbing news.

Another storm, albeit smaller and with only an inch or 2 of snow, is hitting over night.

The kids will be home again tomorrow.

The roads are still icy. There are no visible sidewalks and many roads only have 1 lane that is remotely passable in a 4WD vehicle.

Just Great! NOT!

I have been thinking that the Board of Ed should start broadcasting daily assignments on the local TV stations.
The kids are going to be sadly behind, if they ever go back to school, as it is.

First grade could broadcast at 9am, 2nd at 9:30, 3rd at 10...
Middle and High School would have to have an hour each with website links posted for access to reading material and worksheets, etc.

As you can see, I HAVE put a lot of thought into this idea!

Isn't that what PBS is for?

Public Broadcasting Service...

I'm the public and I NEED my kids to have some homework broadcasted immediately!

Otherwise they'll be in school until JULY!

Tomorrow's news broadcast will probably announce there will be no school on Wednesday...

AND that summer vacation is cancelled...

Is it any wonder I HATE the cold and the snow and the WINTER?

Man! Just shoot me now and put me out of my misery!

Is Canada not Canada Anymore? Or has it always been called British Columbia and I just never noticed?

The Olympics have begun.

They started off with a Bang and I hope will end with one too--- minus the fallen competitor and the major torch mal-function, that is.

The following conversation took place during the women's speed skating finals.

We could not figure out who the people skating around the track WHILE the actual Olympic skaters were doing their thing were.

Me: Her coach is on the outside wall giving her instructions.

TweenBoy: What's a Poach?

Me: Coach. It's her coach.

TweenBoy: No, a poach, what is it?

Me: What's a poach? No. I. Said. Coach.
You know what a coach is!

TweenBoy: NO! a poach, he's some church guy in Rome, right?

Me: Oh! You mean POPE? He's like the King of the Catholics.

GirlChild: He's in Vatican City, not Rome... and he is the HEAD of the Catholic CHURCH... NOT the king!

Me: I knew what he was, but I didn't think he (TweenBoy) would understand.

TweenBoy: I understand stuff. I watch TV.

And thus the whole of our children's education summed up with 3 words.
I WATCH TV

Great!
As soon as I get home I'm getting rid of all channels that do not have even a remotely educational value...

Like LMN and Spike and Hallmark and Telemundo, which would be educational IF any of the kids were taking Spanish at the moment, which they are not.

Oh Crap! Now what am I going to watch?

Valentine's Day Question and Answer Session... just don't laugh at my answers, Please

What is the one thing your love does for you that you can't live without?
Just being him... sounds corny I know, but just knowing he is there is enough. If he wasn't there I don't think I could make it.


When did you know your love was "the one"?

I can't say I thought that... it was more that he is my other half...

Does your love have a special ringtone on your cell?

That would be assuming I knew how to do that... if he did it would be an Asia song.


What are you attracted to most in your special someone?

His strength and tolerance...


Did you know when/where he/she was going to pop the big question?

Which time? Seriously, he asked me lots of times but I never took him seriously and there was no special, romantic time... we just agreed to a day to go to the courthouse... I wish we could have had a real wedding and would like to someday.

I would love to have my Dream Wedding someday... wearing my Flapper Style Champagne Pink dream dress in a 1930's style cocktail party-like reception... with everyone wearing 1920-30's vintage style.

If the warnings on a medicine commercial are longer than the commercial... maybe you shouldn't take it

Today I am Writing the 10 Things about me that I think no one else knows...
Except HeMan Hubby. HE knows absolutely EVERYTHING about me:)

Thanks KIM@ Who Needs Sleep? for the idea and the button!

Here we go!

1. I LOVE my kids, I just don't always LIKE them...
Don't hate- they're tweens and teens with attitude!

2. The Kiddie Pageant shows scare me. Alot.
I worry that they are fodder for pedophiles...

3. I am a worrier... There! I admit it. I worry about EVERYTHING!

4. I am a procrastinator. Which only makes the worrying worse. Believe Me.

5. I never expected to get married and have children.
I was going to be a Marine Biologist and live IN the ocean!

6. After I had my first daughter I wanted to go to college to be a doctor...
a pulmonologist or a microbiologist.

7. My dream is to write a book that makes a difference in someone's life...
but I'm afraid to have someone read it... weird, huh?

8. Microbiology was my favorite subject in school... I aced my finals and the class- I was 15. Mitochondria fascinate me!

9. I had postpartum depression... I still get depressed but I don't tell anyone.

10. This is my biggest secret about myself...
I feel like I have not done what I was supposed to in this life... yet.
I'm still trying to find out what that is.

Writing these makes me nervous...
I worry that people will think badly of me...

But then, I worry about what the Mail Lady thinks, and the UPS guy and the people who live on the next court over...

I know, I know...I'm working on it!

Oh No Mr. Bill... Sluggo's at it again!

picture link:www.futurelawyer.typepad.com


Dreams.

There are many kinds of dreams.
The sleeping kind. The future goal kind. The Day kind.

Dreams are fantasies our subconcious engages in.

If our subconcious is nice, it waits until we are sound asleep to go wild. Preferrably, with some wonderfully restful, or enticing dream.

If it's not being cooperative, well Stephen King novels come to mind.
He swears he writes what he dreams. Now that guy has some one seriously F'ed up subconcious!

Anyway...

Everyone dreams, even babies. And here is my question to you.

What is the earliest dream you can remember, that is IF you even remember them.

HeMan Hubby swears he never remembers his dreams. Never has. Never will.

Me, on the other hand, have had dreams that continue from one sleep to the next, like a mini-series or something!

Picks right up where it left off like when I woke up was a commercial break long enough for me to change position and fall asleep again.

Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night and write what I was dreaming, just to get it out of my head, so I can go back to sleep.

My earliest dream memory started before I can actually remember an age.

There is a white room. Just a blinding white with no furniture or windows.

There is a door that swings open into the room. Through that door rolls a large black ball.

It's not really black, so much as a ball of nothingness. Void of color or substance.

In rolls another, and another, and another... until there is only one small white corner of the room left.

Another big black void is pushing it's way into the door. The voids already in are pushing into the white space.

I KNOW that the white space is ME.

Just like I KNOW that if that final ball of nothingness gets into the room I will cease to exist.

I have no idea what this dream means.
I have no idea when it started, or why.
I only know that it has been with me as long as I can remember...

Which according to HeMan Hubby is about 10 minutes...
But that's because that's what I want to him think... I think... ?

Or...it's an old Mr.Bill episode... I wonder?

Sometimes things are exactly as they seem... except at my house

Lessons are often learned the hard way.

Like getting caught cheating on a test or finding out your guy has been using you for status, money, a good time- whatever.

It's awful at the time.
In retrospect you're not happy about the experience, but the experience taught you a lesson.

Cheating is bad...
When your guy says he's working late, needs a loan til payday, wants you to wear THAT dress and your hair THAT way when you go out...

These are lessons learned you take with you into the next phase of your life.

Such a lesson was learned today by TeenBoy.
He's 14, and by definition that means he knows EVERYTHING, or at least he THINKS he does.

Being TeenBoy, he is often oblivious to the messes he creates and that he should actually clean them up.

Toward this end I decided to teach him to clean the kitchen floor.

I use a floor steamer and thought it about time he learned to use the cleaning appliances too.

He filled the water reservoir and turned it on.

I was vacuuming and didn't pay much attention to his method.

When ready, I showed him how the steam would loosen the sticky mess from his cereal milk, while the microfiber pad would grab the dirt from the floor.

It didn't work.

A puddle of water trailed after the steamer instead of a cloud of steam.
Realizing the pad was already soaked, I removed it in order to put the dry one on and, VOILA'!

A stream of scalding hot water shot through the air, across the room toward me. As it hit my wrist I turned my back to the jet stream, causing it to shoot across my shoulder blade and down the back of my arm. I managed to angle it so the water didn't get TeenBoy in the face.

Apparently, TeenBoy had filled the reservoir by placing it under the running water at the kitchen sink.

Thus causing the water to overflow into the steamer head, NOT out of the unit.

When the water heated up the excess water shot out in a highly pressurized. SCALDING stream.

TeenBoy learned two lessons today.

1- the easier, faster, less complicated way, IS NOT necessarily the better way.
2- Sometimes Mom has a very good reason for doing things the way she does, even if it doesn't seem like it at the time.

I learned a lesson today as well...

Behind the beligerence and attitude TeenBoy gives me, he loves me and can't stand to see me hurt.

After spryaing my wrist and back with cold water at the sink I peeled my t-shirt up, the blistered and burned skin peeling away with the shirt.

Seeing the tears in my eyes, TeenBoy stopped, sucked in a deep breath and ordered me to take a cool shower. After which, he gently applied aloe gel to the 2nd and 3rd degree burns for me.

He then finished the floor, using the microfiber mop and water the old fashioned way, without a word about how long it took.

TeenBoy even said he never realized how hard cleaning the floors was, or how long it took, and cleaning the house was harder than he thought.

Although burned and in pain, I am grateful for the time spent with TeenBoy today. And for the lessons learned by each of us...

AND, I figure I can get 2 or 3 days of slave labor out of this... right?

There's always THAT GUY... and one can only hope he isn't theirs

People say and do the strangest things.

There is a BLIZZARD out and people are trying to drive.
Like there is anywhere to go?

It's only a few feet of snow.
What? ONLY a few feet? 4 feet and counting... in a place where 3 inches of snow is considered significant accumulation?

Cold as S*&T... Okay? That stuff is NOT cold.
I saw the steam rising after the dog FINALLY gained access to the spot cleared for him in the 4 feet of snow in the yard... of course that was BEFORE this latest 1 foot and counting addition.

I wish he had opposable thumbs so he could make his own bathroom spot.

Shoveling the snow (again I reiterate there is 4 plus feet of it) while wearing shorts?!!!

Yes, you work up a sweat, but really? Shorts? and a Visor?

That's NOT a hat!
A hat covers THE TOP OF YOUR HEAD to hold the body heat IN so you don't suffer Hypothermia...

THAT GUY is the one digging out, wearing shorts and a visor, so he can drive his 4wd vehicle through the 4 plus feet of snow and 50 mph winds, complaining all the while that 'It's Cold As S*&T Outside".

Well, DUH!

And most likely I know THAT GUY and most likely (except for the shorts) it's my brother...

I hope that side of the gene-pool was closed when they were handing them out to my kids, and his...

or that our children will listen to the voices of sanity-

you know the MOM's

and NOT follow in his footst, er, trench through the waist-high snow, when they grow up.

But, being Male, I some how think that they will.

Nothing is Ever Settled until it's settled right -Rudyard Kipling

In the event that you think I read that, I didn't.

I heard it quoted by Miss Marple on Mystery! on PBS.

I LOVE BBC shows like Miss Marple and Poirot and Inspector Morse.

And, although both Miss Marple and Poirot are Agatha Christie characters, I have never read an Agatha Christie novel.

Maybe I should. I am probably missing out on some really good literature.

If the BBC screenwriters are anything at all like American screenwriters, all the really good details from the books have been left out.

But then, if that is true, I would hate to read the books and see what was left out, thereby ruining my appreciation for the film versions.

These are the things I worry about. Sad, but true.

Probably why I don't read Jane Austen novels either.
Well that, and the language is tedious... and boring.

Sorry Jane, but that's the way I feel.

Looking out the window the scene is like a Currier & Ives postcard... only more wet and cold and REAL!

The SuperBowl is over.
The team I was routing for Won!

It's not MY team, well because, MY TEAM is the Redskins, and frankly, they haven't been winning much lately.

Doesn't make them any less MY TEAM, but it makes Sunday a bit depressing.
It was nice to have the team you are cheering for win for a change, that's for sure.

As for the weather here in the MidAtlantic Tundra Region?
Yep- more snow is predicted to start some time tomorrow afternoon.

GOOD NEWS! We got our driveway cleared with the help of a neighbor, or two, a snowblower, a chainsaw and some really thick rope.

This pic: HeMan Hubby preparing to cut it down. Luckily the fences did not break!

BAD NEWS! We only have one 4-wheel drive vehicle and the roads that we just ventured onto were so bad that ONLY 4-wheel drives could traverse them, and then only VERY carefully.

SCHOOL NEWS UPDATE: No School again tomorrow... no sh*& Sherlock!

And guess what?

There will be no school on Wednesday or Thursday and most likely Friday as well since the roads leading to the schools, let alone the school lots and sidewalks, are still under several feet of snow.

I really don't see them getting that cleared before the next round of
Man VS. Mother Nature commences.

The kids are happy.
Of course they are. They're kids.

I am not.

Of course not, I'm the one cleaning the friggin water-logged clothes off the bathroom floor, after the boys TOLD me they had put them IN the dryer...what? The dryer of On-the-Bathroom-Floor?

I had to vacuum and clean the kitchen, couldn't stand it any longer!
ManChild took over the vacuuming and did the kitchen and the breakfast room. I did the family room, stairs, the upstairs hall, the kids bath, my bathroom and bedroom.

I think the division of labor was a bit off, don't you?

So I enter the next phase of The Winter From Hell with a mostly clean house, enough wood to keep us warm for a day if we lose power again, water and enough candles to keep us from falling down the stairs and breaking something.

Like the hall tree or the leaded glass window on the landing.

We have plenty of milk, bread and toilet paper.
Not sure WHY the news people always remind everyone to get those. Is there an entire sub-culture of people who make a milk, bread and TP paste to live on when they run out of REAL food?

Me?
I think peanut butter, jelly and some cheese are MUST HAVES for storms.
TP is also necessary for those of us who sit EVERY TIME we use the Loo.

Unlike the other half of our family who thought I was nuts for buying the 48 roll pack... not so funny now that Nor-easter #2 is on the way.

Wal-Mart is OUT OF TP!
But we've got plenty... and it's for the girls only!
The boys can fend for themselves...

Never Mind, I do the laundry!

The week is off to a great start.

Now all I have to do is keep the water on for coffee and hot cocoa.
Keep food at the ready.
And keep the phone charged so when HeMan Hubby keels over I can call 9-1-1 ASAP... not that they can get down the street, let alone to our house.
But Hey! At least I can say I tried!

I hope all of you have a better week than I... or at least a less wet, cold and wintery one.

And if at all possible?

Send me some warm thoughts, or some sand, or seashells.... a potted plant? Chocolate?
ANYTHING to put me in a Summer State of Mind would be much appreciated!

Man VS Mother Nature...

I'll let you know who wins this round...

Pretty sure it won't be Man but Hey!

I did say I keep rooting for the Redskins, right!

SPECIAL Blizzard February 2010 Edition ... aka The Day The World Closed

Welcome to my Winter Wonder-Mess!



It's official! The Blizzard Advisory has been lifted.
But NOT the Winter Storm Warning.
Gee, take a look at the pics I took after 24 hours of snowfall... I think our whole state has been closed until further notice.
(oh- and there is a 4ft fence UNDER the bent cypress trees in the pic... you just can't see it... but I SWEAR it's in there!)

I was awakened, suddenly and without apparent reason, around 5am. I think it was the sudden absence of sound after an hour of Thunder Snow- loud crashing booms and bright flashes of light while the snow fell at 4 inches an hour.
As I dozed off and on I realized there was no sound in the house at all.
Not a good sign when you have an electric heat pump heating system during a snow storm!
Upon fumbling my way to the first floor I found the power off and the house warm, but quickly cooling.

Being the NON-Fire-Starter that I am, I awoke ManChild and ordered he get the fire going immediately. Being the wonderful son that he is, and not wanting to freeze to death, he got a roaring fire going in our BEAUTIFUL wood-burning fireplace.
Thank God we had that or ... well the meaning of Family Togetherness would have been put to the test!

ManChild cleared the back deck of the 3 ft of snow, but left the dinosaur eggs that we found had been deposited on the table and chair overnight.






Problem-solver that I am, I found a stainless steel pan, with metal handles AND lid, filled it with water, then placed it on the coals in the fire to heat water for coffee.

Never has a cup of HOT COFFEE been appreciated as the one I made HeMan Hubby to keep him warm while shoveling the front walk to the driveway!

Alas! Our winter weather was not without it's small catastrophies!
Our poor Gazebo collapsed under the weight of the snow, becoming entirely engulfed by the swirling white stuff.

The bikes that were being stored UNDER the gazebo may not be seen until the Spring Thaw...which at this point looks like it might arrive with Easter.
The Weather Man is reporting another storm to hit our fair state sometime on Tuesday... a mere 3 days from now.

The dilemma we face is not what will we do between now and then, but rather, how much do we even attempt?

With a 60 foot pine tree blocking our driveway, we have no way to gain entrance to the rest of humanity.

This pic is looking down my driveway to the tree that fell during the night. It is laying across the drive at the halfway mark- the drive is 350 ft long with a 90 degree turn right where the tree is.
The trail thru the snow is the one we made to check out the tree. We were walking on about 2ft of packed snow and there is about another foot since we made the trek about 6 hours ago.


Maybe we can just cut away the dangling branches to create a tunnel to drive thru...
Sort of like entering Narnia through the Wardrobe...
Only different.

The Saints Go Marching In... to Miami that is!

"I can guarantee it's gonna be bad. And you'll take a lot of flack. And you might not make it back alive."

Okay- this does not sound like a pitch I want to get from my squadron leader BEFORE I take off in a rickety old WWII airplane, that may, or may not, have all it's gadgets working properly.

Of course this was a line from an old movie that I was watching/using as white noise.
And of course the pilot and gunners and all the other 6 guys that were needed to keep the plane in the air were all like "No problem Sir" And "We'll get there and it'll be a blast" or something pretty close to that .

I seriously doubt that is how those guys really talked.
In reality they were more likely saying "WTF! This bucket of rust will be lucky to make it off the airstrip!" and "Those damn japs are friggin crazy! Whose idea was it to go looking for them?"

But I guess those lines wouldn't be very inspiring for the audience and then no one would have run out to buy War Bonds and then the economy would have crashed...

Like now. And that's the problem. Those censorship people fell asleep at the wheel and have been letting movies use too many un-inspiring lines.

So the mess we're in now is all Hollywood's fault.
Well, Hollywood and the Banks... and...yeah, just Hollywood and the Banks.

Shake Your Groove Thang.... unless you have sciatica then maybe you should just tap your toes.

I love music. All kinds, except that Screamo crap that TeenGirl likes to listen to on her iPod at full volume WITH the earphones IN!

Since when is dancing in the kitchen with the radio on while cooking breakfast an age defining event?

Oh yeah, since TeenGirl and her TeenFriend walked in the back door and TeenFriend said, "My Mom dances the same way. She's old too."

Yep, out of the mouths of babes... I can only hope that one day she has children who say the same thing about her.

As for TeenGirl, did she defend her mother? Oh No! She did not. She agreed with TeenFriend that not only am I old, but I embarrass her by listening to "Her Radio Station"...

My job here is done... mission accomplished!

Whew! I can stop dancing around the kitchen to 'Sexy Back' and go make an appointment with the chiropractor to repair the damage of Justin Timberlake!

Scorecard:

TeenGirl= 0
Mom= 1

Half Empty or Half Full ... THAT is the Question

This picture is from the snow last March... the snow is now to the 4th step of the porch and none of the bushes are visible. It's still falling over an inch and hour...great, just great!


Snow is falling. Again.

Don't get me wrong, I love the snow. It's the cold, wet, slushy, brown mess it becomes that I dislike so very much.

And it's the decreased amount of sunshine and warmth. And the sloppy mess left on the floors when kids tromp through the house a hundred times a day to change out of their wet clothes.

But I do like that it has brought out the enterprising spirits, and I'd like to think, Good Samaritanism, in my children.

Instead of sitting in the house bored, staring at the tv, playing video games, they have combed the neighborhood, snow shovels in hand, finding clients in need of snow shovelling services.

They targeted the elderly and those with very young children as potential clients as these are the ones least likely to be able to do it themselves, but most in need of ice-free walkways.

I am proud of them for their entrepreneurial attempts. But even more so because they did not ask for specific amounts of money. They asked for whatever the cleint felt was reasonable.

BoyChild, aged 14, asked for $5 for his efforts, and was rewarded with $20 AND a cup of Hot Chocolate at one house alone.
He also learned about competition. TeenGirl, aged 12, and her friend were working the same area.
They learned that by dividing the streets there was plenty of work for them all.
And that a job well done will give you loyal clients.

Lessons they will call upon many times in the years to come.
This is all great, of course. But the very best part is...

I don't have to entertain them!

The Fall and Rise of the American Family... or the AWESOMENESS of Moms!

Hind-sight is 20/20.

Yep. It's true!

Looking back on any event in our lives we can, without any doubt, see where we went wrong and what we should have done to change the outcome.

Unfortunately, we can only do this after the fact.

This, I think, is totally screwed up.

I mean, if scientists can send a man to the moon, find cures to horrible diseases, why then can't they find a way to help people make better decisions?

I guess the main reason is that it would make things like MOMS and GRANDMOMS obsolete.

Just think about it.

If there were a way to fix your problems before you made them what would the Moms and Grandmoms of the world do with their unsolicited, and yes, albeit rarely, solicited advice?

All the knowledge they have gained in their lifetimes would be for naught.
No one would listen to them (assuming anyone actually does in the first place) and they would lose their place in the hierarchy of the American Family.

What would 'Everybody Loves Raymond' be without Marie?
'The Simpsons' without Marge?
'The Waltons' without Grandma?

The American Family may appear to be breaking down. The nuclear family appears to be failing. But in reality, it is making a come back. More families have mulitple generations living under one roof then I can remember in my lifetime.

Maybe the generations that have gone before are getting their message across?
Maybe Generation X is finding they don't know everything after all?
Maybe the Recession is making it impossible for young families to survive without the help of their elders?

Or maybe, just maybe, the American Family never stopped listening to the Matriarchs after all.

I think that the decline of the American Family Unit was a bad rumor spread to make younger generations THINK they were growing up and living their lives...
a rumor propagated by very wise women.

The Moms and Grandmoms who in their infinite wisdom knew that the only way to teach is to let their young make mistakes. Always secure in the knowledge that these fledglings would come back to the nest when they needed help, whether they realized it or not.

I have been a Mom for 29 years, the words coming from my lips falling on deaf ears.

Or so I thought until recently, when I became a Grandmom and heard my daughter telling her daughter the very same things I said to her as a child.

Then I heard my 20 year old son giving his 14 year old brother advice, the very same advice I have given him over the years.

Which leads me to believe that I am AWESOME!
Or I heard more of what my Mom was saying to me than I realized.

Probably a little of both....

But more that I am AWESOME!
(which I am sure my children will agree with as soon as they are parents themselves)

And that The American Family is not crumbling at all... that was just a rumor spread by those much wiser than the rest of us...

Our Mothers and Grandmothers... and for that I Thank Them.

If Today is Today, where did Yesterday's Tomorrow go? You don't know either, do you?

I was sitting in the garage, smoking a cigarette, wondering why.

I only smoke a handful of cigarettes a day, and I have to go either outside, which is NOT happening in the frigid weather we're having, or sit in the garage where it's a tad warmer. Well, there's no wind blowing in there. Because we don't smoke in the house.

Well, I don't smoke in the house. HeMan Hubby smokes in his office in the basement although I have repeatedly asked him not to.
There's a lot of things I've asked him not to do, or to do for that matter, that he doesn't listen to. Sometimes I wonder why I bother with that too.

Anyway, I was sitting outside smoking and reading one of those mags from the grocery checkout line with tips for Valentine's Day and how to make your relationship better, when I came across the "NEW" rules for relationships.

Here's the gist of it-

Old advice- never go to bed mad
New advice- take the night to cool off

Old advice- do things as a couple -like date night
New advice- double date with another couple with similar lifestyle, kids, jobs etc. This will create a more intimate bond for you as a couple, while building a friendship with the other couple which apparently helps your realtionship.

Old Advice- Schedule "private/intimate" time
New Advice- Be spontaneous and break the rituals of a scheduled life since everything else is so scheduled.

There were some more but these are the ones that stood out to me.

Not because I have been doing them wrong, but more because I haven't been doing them.

Except the don't go to bed mad one. I hate that. So we always talk before we go to bed so we don't sulk or simmer over something that wasn't worth the effort to begin with.

And who has time to double date?
I'm lucky if we can find a time to hit a late showing of a movie once in a blue moon, let alone find a couple that can clear their schedule to fit ours so we can actually go out at a regular date time for dinner and a flick or drinks.

And Private time???
Well, we have never scheduled that. But then there isn't much time for the spontaneous happenings either. It's sort of a hit or miss to see if we are both in our room at the same time while we are both awake. That doesn't happen often, but we do try. Really, with 5 kids still living at home, it's not easy to swing but we do try.

This got me thinking that maybe I ask too much of HeMan Hubby? He works a lot and has a very demanding job. And he is a really great dad and he does little things for me all the time that I don't ask for so...

For Valentine's Day I'm going to show him I love him by not asking or expecting so much from him. And I'll let him know he doesn't have to...

Whoa! My thinking almost got too carried away!
Let's just leave it at I'll try not to ask too much of him and give him more downtime when he's home from work...

And I'll make him a nice Valetine's Day dinner.

Yeah... I can't get too carried away or he'll be suspicious and think I'm having an affair, or hiding some terrible secret, or bought a new living room set.

Can't have him thinking any of that now can we?

I wonder if he can find the time to put in some new carpet this weekend?
BEFORE the Super Bowl, of course!

Sometimes I think I sound like the grownups in Charlie Brown cartoons.... the rest of the time I KNOW I do

I just watched What Not To Wear-episode 250- and was so happy to see they gave me a makeover!

Okay. It wasn't actually me, but it was someone of my age, with my body shape and my sense of fashion.

They even gave her a great RED hair color that I would love to have.

Crizti looked HOT! And if she can look that HOT! I know I can too.

HeMan Hubby even commented on how great her hair looked and said- "Hey Hon, you would look good with that hair and your pale skin in the winter".

Yes, he was paying me a compliment... no, he isn't always good at it.

But, he tries.

Time to re-think my current wardrobe of sweats and t's.
You KNOW I'm not getting rid of them, but I think I need to add a few more comfortable items that I can throw on and dash out the door in without, well looking like I just THREW them on.

Or looking like a reject from the 80's.... or a Bag Lady... or both.