Random Things That Actually Make Sense... Or They Could

There should be a history class curriculum as outlined by Billy Joel ...


and every high school senior should be required to take it.


Is there an actual job that you get when you have a degree in philosophy...
or is it like getting a degree in Egyptology when you live in rural middle America...
it's just an expensive piece of paper?


If there are health conditions, like ADHD, that make you inelligible for military service...
why don't they tell you  BEFORE you sign on the dotted line???


Muscle Cars.... why?.




Did greek yogurt just get discovered? Or has it been out there all along and no one noticed?


Isn't fruit flavored sparkling water the same as drinking a soda?
I mean, really, it's all the same ingredients according to the labels!

If religion and state are separate...
why are politicians even talking about the moral issues ( in relation to religious beliefs) of birth control and planned parenthood?


America is a government of the people, by the people and for the people...
so, which people are they talking about these days, cuz I am pretty sure it's not anyone I know.

Don't get me wrong, I love America.


I love that I have the freedom to be whatever I want...
as long as I work really hard, scrimp and save, and maybe even find a way to put some of my kids, although probably not all of them, through college...


I'm just tired of feeling like a character in a Frank Capra film...
you know, the ones doing all the living and dying and working and saving for the chance to own a few rooms with a roof overhead and a yard for the kids to play in...


Does anyone else think Ron Paul looks a lot like Mr.Potter from It's A Wonderful Life?








So, about that high school history class...
We Didn't Start the Fire... but our kids are gonna get burned if they don't start learning about the events in that song...
HoChi Min...
Sally Ride...
Children of thalidomide...


They have NO IDEA what he's talking about...


Yes, these are the Random things that run through my head...
Usually when I am trying to nap before going to work...
Because I work nights..


And I find I frequently have difficulty turning my brain off at 7pm...
Don't you?

All you can eat buffets... what a way to go

So, since my gall bladder was removed...
In December...

I just can't eat much of anything with any sense of security.

So what do I do?

I go to the All You Can Eat seafood buffet.

Yeah, probably not the best idea I have ever had but...
One can only eat so much Progresso light chicken noodle soup and Chobani yogurt.

One would think that after the attempt to eat out last month...
the one where I did not make it home fast enough...

I would learn my lesson.

And, in a way, I guess I did.

Now I only eat at restaurants within 5 miles of my house.

So... I sit here wishing I could go to bed because I am exhausted...
But my tummy troubles won't let me.

The lesson I should have learned is probably to stick to chicken soup and yogurt and relish the weight loss that has resulted from this very strict diet...

But similar to the pains of childbirth...
the memory of the pain and inconvenience of tonight's dining experience...
and the resulting 5 hours of misery...
will soon fade into the recesses of my aging brain and be forgotten...

and I will once again attempt to eat real food...

Hopefully, it won't be for a very long time...
gotta run!

Common Courtesy... Not So Common

HeMan Hubby and I went to a surprise party last night.
We had a nice time.
We were headed home by 9pm.

Imagine my surprise when we pulled into our drive and saw that the rose bushes I had planted along the property line had been cut down.

Not trimmed or pruned...
Cut to the ground!

By the neighbor who owns the property on the other side of the property line.
The State Police Officer who destroyed my personal property.
The rose bushes that I had gotten from my grandfather's garden before my grandmother died.
The ones that cannot be replaced.

I guess I should be glad that I did not plant the peonies there too or I would have nothing left from my grandparents garden...
The one I spent so much time in...
Watching my grandfather prune and pinch back and weed...

The flowers he took such pride in.

Whatever happened to common courtesy?
To asking if one can cut your grass or your bushes or move your trash cans...

HeMan Hubby does not see the issue...
oh, he feels that it was wrong of them to cut down our bushes without asking...
and he even suggested we extend the fence all the way to the street to make sure they don't do it again...
but to him they are just that, bushes...
while to me...
They are a last little bit of my childhood memories with my grandparents that I could touch and see and smell...

Common courtesy... apparently not so common after all.

The Life and Times of.... BusyMom!

BusyMom here...


Yeah, I know it's always me and I'm always Here.


But sometimes, okay, a lot of times...


I wish I could be somewhere else.


Like...
When I come in from a long night at work to find TeenBoy asleep in the dark on the sofa instead of on the school bus I just passed coming up our street.


When I come down in the morning only to find half-eaten bowls of cereal and cups of hot chocolate on the computer desk and breakfast room table, milk and cereal splashed everywhere, covered in ants who believe they have found The Promised Land and quickly sent out word to family and friends... all one million of them! 


When I get in my van and am hit with the noxious fumes from the dirty cleats and sweaty t-shirts and shorts and Under Armor soccer and football gear someone, Not Me most likely, has shoved under the back seat.


When I walk into the living room only to discover I am standing in yet another puddle left by StupidDog for me to find... usually the day after I steam cleaned the carpet, of course.


When I look at my day planner and calendar and try to sync them only to realize the computer program just won't let me be in 4 places at the same time... Silly computer! Doesn't it understand that I am BusyMom- a Super Hero in my own eyes?


I have been known to think derogatory thoughts about women who walk away from their children, their maternal obligations, to live lives unencumbered.
And yet...
Sometimes...
Just Sometimes....


I think that maybe I can understand the need to just be somewhere else...


And then the kids come home from school...


And SIX gives me a hug and a smile and that daggone dimple in his chin and the twinkle in his baby blues just gets to me...


BratChild hands me an order form for her soccer uniform sweats and I am so proud of her starting position on the High School soccer team I could cry...


ManChild drops by to spend a few hours before going to work... something we don't get to do now that he has moved out and is making his own way in the world like a real ADULT...


When GoodMom calls just to tell me BabyG smiled or FancyPants is finally interested in potty training...


When SmartGirl has a day off and goes to TeenBoy's football game with me and I see her cheering for him and the pride that shines through for her not so little brother... 


The same pride and love that all of my children show for one another... on occasion and not usually in public


I cannot imagine being anywhere else, living any other life, having any other family...


So...
BusyMom here...


And Here is where I'll stay.

The Grand Tour... yeah, it's about culture

There is a reason that in the old days girl children were sent off to finishing schools when they were about 12 and only returned home long enough to try on the trousseau before the wedding took place and she was whisked away to spend the rest of her life nagging some poor unsuspecting guy to death.

If not for this quaint little custom I firmly believe that the human species would have died off long, long ago.
There are 2 reasons for this...

1)     if the girls had remained at home throughout the teen years... and please remember that beating children was still very much legal... well, I doubt many girls would have made it to the age of marrying off. Which is sad as they only had to make it to 14!

2)     by sending girls to live in all-girl boarding schools where they had no contact with guys of any age, but most especially anyone they would actually be interested in hanging out with, made them so starved for attention from any guy that they were much more amenable to an arranged marriage.

Of course, now that teen aged girls are totally horrendous beings, and beating them into submission is not an option, Swiss finishing schools are no longer in fashion. And let's face it, even if they were who on earth could afford to send their whiny, bratty, spoiled little angel to one anyway? Other than the obscenely rich and famous that is?

And then there is the Grand Tour. This is something that those of good breeding and culture did every year or so beginning around the turn of the century and on into the late 1920's...The Great Depression and all that.

Bribery is what the Grand Tour was. Honest to goodness basic bribery. I mean what girl doesn't want to go to Paris and Milan to buy their clothes? Who wouldn't be thrilled with the thought of meeting a rich and handsome guy with an accent who would sweep them off their feet?
Yep, sure wish that kind of thing was still done, or at least affordable enough to come back in style.

But no, instead we get to ground our children. We deprive them of their possessions until they earn them back with good behavior. Like a PlayStation or Xbox 360 or iPod can even come close to the bargaining power of a trip across Europe.

And the sad part is that this generation of bratty, spoiled teens has no idea what they are missing...
guess it's cuz they aint got no breeding or culture.

Mama's Losin It... post prompts to get you in the mood...

For WRITING ...


Each week the masterminds at Mama's Losin It come up with several thought provoking, imaginative, or just plain old silly ideas for blog posts.


This week I am using #5 as my inspiration to get back into the blogging routine...
Enjoy! 

 It's hot, the kids are home and crazy, our pets are panting, the days are long...share your number one Summer Survival Tip.


Okay. 
First, let me start by asking you a question... a serious one, I swear.


What makes anyone think that parents actually survive the summer school vacation with any of their mental faculties intact?
Yes, we are the grown ups.
And yes, we make the rules in our homes.
And again yes, we wanted these precious little miracles of nature ...


But that in no way means that we actually have any survival tips for making it to the end of the summer holidays without going insane from the constant litany of ...
"I'm bored"
"There's nothing to do"
and the ever popular... " it's too hot to go outside"


Here at TheBusyFamily home we have all the amenities of a four star hotel.
We have central air. 
We have a lovely, large outdoor pool.
We have an enormous deck leading to the afore-mentioned pool and...
We have a large, predominantly shady back yard that is just filled with wild honeysuckle and butterfly bush and the butterflies, hummingbirds, songbirds, rabbits and deer to go with it.


And yet, even in this wondrous environment where a child can play soccer or volleyball or shoot some hoops; where breakfast can be eaten poolside at noon before a quick dip in the refreshingly cool water; where a tent can be pitched in a matter of minutes for an impromptu camp out complete with fireside scary stories and s'mores...


Yes, even in this haven of summer school vacation fun and laughter the children of  TheBusyFamily grow bored. 


They complain.
They bicker and argue.
They spend a lot of time in their rooms, staring at the ceiling.


While I, BusyMom of TheBusyFamily, take the opportunity to soak up some sun, take a dip in the pool, read a book or just sit and enjoy the sights and sounds of nature that I am lucky enough to have here at TheBusyFamilyHomestead.


So... for those searching for the secret to surviving the summer months my tip for you is simply this...


Do not seek to just survive...
seek to enjoy every minute you have to the fullest...
let your children see this joy so that they may learn to enjoy and appreciate what they have through your example.


Spend time with them. 
Get to know them.
But most importantly, do not be afraid to make them go out and get hot, get dirty, do chores around the house and yard... 


Be spontaneous. 
Be fun.


Be the kind of parent you want your children to grow up to be...
And you will do more than survive the summer...


You might even find out that you actually LIKE your kids...
but do not expect them to like you in return... 


At least not in public

Calgon... Take Me Away!

Remember that commercial slogan?

Or how about...

The Uncola...was that for 7-Up?

I'm a pepper, he's a pepper, wouldn't you like to be a pepper too?

Hey! It's Burger Chef and Jeff....

and Weeble Wobble but they don't fall down...

And they'll tell 2 friends and they'll tell 2 friends and they'll tell 2 friends... and so on and so on and so on...

Does anyone else in the world remember these catchy advertising slogans other than myself?

Sometimes I feel like there is something seriously wrong with my brain.

I can remember somethis as obscure as the tune to HR PUFFINSTUFF ( you know the one with Jimmie and the magic flute and Witchie Poo?)

or the name of the boy who was the lead kid in Sigmund and the Sea Monster (that would be Johnny Whitaker and he was also the little boy who played Jody in Family Affair with is twin sister Buffy who had a big sister named...wait for it... Sissy! And the Brian Keith was their dad... )

Yeah.

I know.

I can remember the birthday if kid's I haven't seen in nearly 40 years ...

But I can't remember the password for half the places I have to go online.

Like the credit card payment sites.

Or the mortgage payment site.

And the blogging site where you can meet up with other people like yourself, only smarter and more together obviously as they can actually LOG ON!

And then there is the online access to TheBusyFamily medical records...

Yeah.
See what I mean.

There is this thing on my Crackberry...
a password keeper.

It's great!

It's a miracle!

It can't help me one single bit ...

I can't remember the password!