Monday, February 28, 2011

This Promises to Be an Interesting Day

We were just issued a tornado warning for our area until 4 pm today.

Alrighty then.

Tornadoes are rare in our part of the US but we have seen a few in the last 4 decades.  They are usually small and outside of a couple of downed trees, a missing roof or two and sporadic power outages they don't cause loss of life or devastation like they do in the midwest.

It does look like it is going to be a pretty intense storm tho'.

Didn't we just get snow less than a week ago?

See ya' on the flipside Tadpoles.  And I don't mean that literally.

Sunday, February 27, 2011

She's Not Anonymous

SPOT

Yes.  For realz.  Our dog's name is Spot.  

Unlike Pooldad, Skippy, Squirrel, Wallene, Dee, JR and Tee - our dogs are not anonymous.

I am pretty sure you Tadpoles get that.

Sometimes people in our real life don't understand that "Yes, our dachshund is named Spot."  It doesn't bother us, but people simply don't believe us when we tell them.

Sorry for our lack of originality folks, but she is what she is.

Case in point:

Yesterday in the pet store Pooldad was checking out.  He had filled out a store card and had to list the pups' names.  While entering the information into the computer the cashier looked up at Pooldad and asked "You have a dog named Spot?"  When my husband responded that yes, we did - the cashier looked skeptical and said "Really?"  Yes. The dog's name is Spot.

We get this all the time.

My favorite story tho' is the older gentleman we met while camping.  He had dachshunds too and asked what her name was.  When we responded "Spot" he shook his head and then asked which one of the group of us had named the dog.  When I raised my hand he smiled, laughed and said,

"You know ma'am that your family is NEVER going to let you name another family pet, right?"

Pretty much.

The dog is a piebald, dapple. She has spots, hence her name.  She actually has the outline of the state of Alaska on her head.  No kidding.  

I think maybe I should have named her "Juneau".

Although considering her German ancestry and her antics over the years I probably should've considered "Hitler Youth" [or as Pooldad calls her sometimes "Eva Braun".]

How well do you think that would've gone over?


Saturday, February 26, 2011

OK is Not OK With Me

I have nothing against Oklahoma, per se.
I am sure it is a nice state and I understand that the folks there are really friendly.
I have never visited but from what I can see it is a pretty nice place to live/vacation/dodge tornadoes.

The problem I am having with Oklahoma at this juncture in my life is the fact that it is 1,372 miles from our home.

I have a hard enough time with 120 miles [remind me again how many times I have visited our freshman at college] can you imagine how I feel about an additional 1,252 miles? For 8 weeks?

BAH!

Seems "Biology Major Extraordinaire" [aka Squirrel] has applied for a paid internship in OKLAHOMA!

What? They don't DO Biology in Virginia, Maryland or DC?  You know, sweetie, those places close to home where I can see you for longer than 3 hours a few times a semester?

I know, I know...it's what she wants and she is all excited and I should want my child's happiness. I do. I do want her to be happy - and yes, I know - I need to let go.

I am trying.

But is is THIRTEEN HUNDRED freaking MILES from home.  With tornadoes. And strangers. And cows.  Right?  I am sure there are truckloads of cows in Oklahoma.

What to do, what to do?

Donations of frequent flyer miles would be greatly appreciated.*


[*I would sooner ride a cow then get on a plane.]

Friday, February 25, 2011

My Sissy Is Bringing the Sassy Back!

I have an older sister.  I call her LA! in real life and for purposes of this blog I do too.

She's da' awesome.

To go back a few years [okay - walk with me - all the way back to my birth] - When my Mom was pregnant with me my sister prayed every night for a little sister.  She already had a little brother and he was driving her batty - so she really, really wanted a little sister.

She got me.  Much to the poor woman's chagrin she.got.me.

To say we are different would not be stretching the truth.  She's artistic, analytical [those don't usually go together in the sense I mean, but it works out for her, really well] and calm. Composed even.  I am quirky, compassionate and prone to speaking my mind. [Everyone who has ever received an email/comment from me is now nodding their head in agreement.  You can stop that at anytime. Thanks.]

It took us a LONG time to become close.  Like into our 20s until we became close.  Unfortunately this did not sit well with our Mother and she spent many years pitting each of us against eachother.  Our Mom had this weird thing where she didn't want us to be close because then we wouldn't be close to her.  That wasn't true, but she just wouldn't allow it.  It took us years and our Father's death in 2003 to realize what exactly Mom was doing.  Still, even after he died she continued to do it, but we stepped back and wouldn't listen to her anymore regarding eachother. That really made Mom mad.  Then she died and HOO-BOY did we find out some amazing stuff that Mom had been telling each of us about the other.

I won't go into the details because, well...Mom is gone and it is no longer important but, suffice it to say - I have my sister back and it is a gift.

So the sassy part?

Another way my sister and I are different is in our size.  We look [and sound] eerily alike, but we differ in bone structure and weight - I am basically a smaller version of my sister.  She has fought her weight her whole life.  I remember high school when she was teased for being overweight.  It was cruel - and I watched her suffer through diets and fasting and all kinds of stuff trying to be skinny like me and our brother. It wasn't fair. My parents weren't particularly nice about it either.

Oh-yeah, SASSY! [I am getting there....and yes, this whole post is way to much, but I am so happy I am chatty today.]

I had to come on my blog and BRAG about my sister.  When LA! came to visit over Thanksgiving she was lamenting about her weight.  We all thought she looked great, but understood she wanted to lose a few pounds. Although Thanksgiving isn't really the time to start, right?

Thanksgiving Weekend.
Yes, we put our tree up before she left.
 This past weekend:
Flying her kite at Mytrle Beach, SC
That  picture does not do her justice [the woman needs a digital camera] but my sister has lost 20 lbs since Thanksgiving. Since I know her I can instantly see it. Those are some rocking legs! I am SO happy and proud for her.

We were talking today and I asked her how she did it - we are a family that LIKES to eat y'know - and she said she just cut her portion sizes down and started to eat smaller meals more often.  She laughed and said she had no idea how she lost weight over Christmas or into the new year because she wasn't trying.  It just happened when she started to eat healthier.

We are now calling it "The Skippy Thanksgiving Diet" because that is when the weight started to come off.

Just head on over and stuff yourself at my house because evidently you will never want to do it again.

You go my sassy Sissy! Love you!

Thursday, February 24, 2011

This Is a New One

You would think after 33 years in the swimming pool business Pooldad would've heard it all.

Nope! Obviously he has not.

A woman phoned the other day and explained that her and her family had just purchased a new home that had an inground swimming pool.  She went on to tell Pooldad that since they had small children [under the age of 5] she was looking for an estimate to fill the pool in with dirt to keep it from being a safety hazard.

Okay - not so weird - proactive Mom removing the danger from her backyard. Admirable. Pooldad has been asked this question a lot for people who just don't like pools.

Pooldad gives her a price range based on the dimensions of the pool and she seems satisfied.

Then she asked:  "So when the kids are old enough to be around a swimming pool in a few years how much would you charge to come out and dig it back out so we could use it?"

HUH?

Wow.  Didn't see that coming nor has he ever been asked that.

If you want to use the pool in the future there are three options that work wonderfully well and cost less than the price of a several truck loads of dirt.

First up:  A Loop-lock safety cover.
Pooldad can walk across these things.  In fact I have seen a car [accidently] parked on one.  They are that strong and safe.

Second choice:  Safety lock gate.

Not my first choice because kids are crafty little buggers - but they do come with alarms and if used properly with the locks provided it will keep them out.

Third is so simple it astounds me that people just don't understand the basic concept.

Watch your children

Every year, it never fails, we have a story or two, in the spring, of a child drowning and inevitably it comes out that the child was unsupervised or the parent was on the phone/computer.  They are always tragedies that could have been avoided if they had kept an eye on their kid.  It is heartbreaking - but when you have been in the business this long you still don't become immune to it. [Note:  In all his time in the biz' it has only occurred at one of Pooldad's pools and it was the fault of the parents, not the company.  Most of the stories we see are on our local news.]

Anyhoodle - I have no idea what the woman decided after Pooldad suggested numbers 1 and 2 but I know for certain they won't be digging out a pool in a few years.

Have a good Thursday everyone.  Hope you are all well and happy!

Go check out Bizzy's great giveaway celebrating her 1500th post! WOW!

Sunday, February 20, 2011

You Pick the Color

We had a very quiet weekend because my beloved in-laws were wonderful enough to take Wallene for a few days.

When she arrived home she presented me with a sweater.

[Yes, like I need another sweater. Hush up.]

It is lovely, a gift from my MIL - but....

...there is always a but...

Wallene swears this sweater is one color. I say it is another.

YOU decide.  We are taking a poll.


What Color is My Sweater
Red
Burgundy


  
pollcode.com free polls


Thank you for everything.

Oh and yes, I admit,  this is such a girl kind of post - besides Pooldad is color blind so there is no vote breaker here. Help!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Sometimes I Forget

That some of you don't know me very well - so I best explain.

Stress doesn't make me sick because it is just stress. Stress triggers conditions I already have.  And it takes BIG stress to do that.

Those that have read me for a long time know I have CHF, Lupus and Gastritis.

It is that last little jewel that is causing my pain now and if I can't control it it will aggravate the other two.

Oh Joy!

Your thoughts and kind wishes mean a lot, but I don't want anyone to think just because I am ill right now it has anything to do with flu, depression or I am falling apart at the seams.

I am not.

I have a great family [that you know] and I have my friends [and you know that too.]

I am doing the best I can right now.  Just forgive a little less Skippyness right now. Okay?

It Ain't Much...

....but it's all I got.

I work pretty hard at staying stress free.  Okay, that's a fib - I know to keep feeling somewhat decent not to let life's little bumps bother me.

It is when a big something or other comes along that my stress ramps up and I go down.

And it happened two days ago.

::snap:: Just like that.  With one email I knew Pooldad and I were facing yet another big bump on our little road. A "SO did not see THAT coming" type of bump.  As I said we didn't see it coming, there was nothing we could do about it beforehand and it is something that is going to take us some time to recover from.

I don't need this.  Well, no one needs this nor does anyone deserve it but it took me down Tuesday night and I am wrecked.

I have been awake sporadically for two days, unable to sleep longer than an hour or two due to an attack which leads me to periods of throwing up.  The problem with this kind of attack is after the initial onset my stomach is empty and I am unable to hold anything down - not water, not ginger ale and certainly not food. So I end up dry heaving for hours on end.  Which is not only terribly attractive [ask the family] it hurts.  It wracks my whole body which makes me more ill.

So the whole point of this whine fest is I am going to be fine - but just a little more quiet than usual.  No worries if I don't answer your emails or comment or answer the phone.

I'm still here. You can see me over there - I'm the one hunched over the sink. :)

Monday, February 14, 2011

And The Oscar Goes To....

We have winners!

I offered a 25 dollar Best Buy giftcard for a give away last week....

...the winner is:

drumroll......
Yay!
Please excuse the fact that her shirt needs to be ironed.
We were trying out outfits for hippie day.
Oh - and the Rachel Ray commercial in the background.
Teresa from "The Middle Side of Life" has won the $25 giftcard.

In addition - I had Wallene pick two more names and we are giving a giftcard to the store of your choice in the amount of $10 to have fun with. Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, Walmart or whatever....you pick.

Those winners are:

Purple Girl from "Only a Slightly Cranky Waitress" and Jeannie from "Going Incognito".

Much love to you all.  Hope you are having a great Valentines Day.

[Could the winners please contact me with their addresses - and PG and Jeannie please let me know where you want a giftcard to - make sure I can buy it in the US.]

It's The Little Things

Wallene's sandwich today
Try it. They'll like it.

Saturday, February 12, 2011

All This Goodness For Only 500 Calories

Just don't ask me the sodium content. hee

Club sandwich, pickle and fruit salad
This was dinner tonight. Amazing!  

The sandwich consists of 2 oz of ham, 2 oz of turkey, 1 slice of bacon, 1 tablespoon of mayonnaise, 1 slice of tomato, 2 leaves of lettuce and 3 pieces of white bread.

If you make it according to those specs', including the fruit salad and pickle it is only 500 calories. Yummy and filling.

The sodium content is a whopping 1200 mg, but I couldn't eat this whole sandwich anyway - so I ate a half.
If I was to skip the pickle and leave off the ham [sigh] then that drops it to a manageable 625 mg of sodium for a whole sandwich.

You just really need to make this. It will make you smile.

Trust me.

EX Marks the Spot

Or my Friday night. hee

Excited - I was very excited to go out on a date with Pooldad to see "The King's Speech".
Extra - We took an "extra" young lady with us. A really nice friend of Wallene's.  They wanted to see the new Justin Beiber movie. [We were extremely happy we didn't have to attend THAT movie.]
Expensive - 4 tickets, 2 large popcorns, 1 large soda and 2 small sodas with a box of gummy worms = $89.
Excellent - The movie IS excellent.  Worth the price to not have to wait for it on DVD.
Exceptional - Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush are exceptional in their roles as the King and Mr. Logue.

and finally -

Exhausted - I started getting ready at 5 pm.  We left at 6:10 and by then end of the movie I was exhausted from the effort.  We made it home by 10 pm and I fell asleep before midnight.

I hope everyone has a lovely weekend.  I won't be getting out of my chair for the foreseeable future, so if you need me you know where to find me.

Oh one more -

Expect - I expect anyone who hasn't entered the give away to please go do so before Monday. There's no excuse. heehee

Friday, February 11, 2011

When Asked....

....what I wanted for dinner tonight, I answered:

Popcorn and a Pepsi
With:
Chocolate goodness!
I really want to go to the movies tonight and THIS is the best combination EVER of movie theater snacks.

Pooldad got the hint [love you "Strun"] and we are going to see "The King's Speech" this evening.

How exciting is that?

[If you haven't already please enter the give away listed below.]

Thursday, February 10, 2011

It's My Best Buy Give Away

Let's have a little fun.

One comment gets you an entry to win a $25 gift card to Best Buy.  No need to tweet, share on your blog - just let me know you want to win and I will happily pick a winner on February 14th.

Think of it as a little Valentine's gift from me to you.

You can buy a movie, a CD or some iPod time.  Put it towards ink for the printer -heck use it towards a new printer. Whatever you like.

If my Canadian, European and Australian Tadpoles let me know that they don't have Best Buy where they live - or can't order from the store online - I promise to offer something else for them.  Just drop me a comment.

Hugs gang.  Hope everyone is having a great Thursday.

PS - Please don't enter under the name "anonymous" I don't know who  you are.

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Strun Grants and His 50 Year Old Wife

Do not live here.

However, Staples and AARP think they do.

We received two very interesting pieces of mail this evening. hee

First up:  My husband's Staple's Rewards card.  Filled out to "Mr. Strun Grants."

Let me clue you in for those that don't know our real names.  My husband's first and last name include the letter "V".  They do not include the letters "R", "U" nor "N" for his first name and "N" or "T"  for his last name.

I told him I was renaming him "Strun", because it sounds almost p*rno.  Sooo attractive. hee

Then, lucky me!

Seems the "American Association of Retired People" [AARP] thinks I am 50.  Or soon to be 50.

Um, not for another FIVE and a HALF YEARS.  I am 44.  I won't be 45 until September. Or 50 until 2016.

I know it makes my very AARP eligible husband laugh, but c'mon.

At least they got my name right, Strun.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

My Husband is Trying to Get Me into Bed

Not for the reasons you are thinking. [Naughty!]

sigh. [yeah, me too] And you thought this was going to be a fun post. giggle

Here's the scoop:

Last week Pooldad took in another of our luscious leftovers [his manicotti] to work for lunch.  Most of his co-workers order out. He is the only one that brings his lunch.  He has a tendency to "stink up" the office with what he brings when he heats it up.

His boss [the owner] noticed it and said "Pooldad I am feeling fried chicken."

You know what this means, right?

Pooldad looked at his boss, smiled and said "Let me check with Skippy."  Before bossman ever heard the answer to "checking with Skippy" my husband had a giftcard in his hand and a request for fried chicken and all the fixins'.

Which means that I am making a boatload of fried chicken in the morning.  Which also means that I have to be awake, coherent and able at 6 am.

Goody.

So, no late night chats.  No middle of the morning blog rolling.  I need to go to bed.

Isn't there some kind of codicil that states that bringing in fried chicken to work said employee deserves a raise?

ETA: 6:00 AM - I am awake. And knocking out 25 pieces of chicken.  I love my husband. :D

ETA: 10 AM - Ta Da!
Coleslaw, corn muffins, mashed taters with gravy, chicken and key lime pie.  I am done.  See ya' on the flip side Tadpoles. [Breakfast was awesome, btw.]

Monday, February 7, 2011

Okay, Not Happy

This may seem like small stuff to most of you, but my blog and...well..I need to vent.

Wallene came home with a report card on Friday that was littered with A's and B+'s...nothing less.  We were thrilled and she got a Slurpee. [We don't reward grades, but we have a tradition with the Slurpees - long story.]

Last night was the Super Bowl.  Fun time had by all of us! YAY.

Her bed time is 10 pm....but "GLEE" was on after the Super Bowl and we decided that since she had such a spectacular report card and she really wanted to watch the show with us we allowed her stay up. [Okay, we do reward - but after the fact. hee]

Don't judge. It's my kid.

We allowed her to sleep in and not go to school today.

I dutifully called the school and left a message on their recorded line that Wallene would be absent.

Good, right?

Um, no...seems you have to say their name, grade and leave a reason why your child is staying home.  I felt like saying "Wallene Skippy, grade 8 and none of your business."  But, instead,  I said "Wallene Skippy, grade 8 and she will be home with her parents today."

Thought that would take care of it. No, no.......no, no, no.

I just received a phone call, from an ACTUAL person at the school, inquiring as to the reason why my daughter was home today.  I politely told her that she was home with us and that I would send in a written excuse tomorrow and that should be sufficient. [Yes, you have to write a note, in addition to the phone call.]

The woman wasn't having that.  She insisted that I tell her why Wallene was home.

I reiterated that I would explain in a note tomorrow and thanked her for her time.

Then I hung up on her.

Unless I make up an excuse for her they will mark her unexcused.  Now, is it just me, or do I really NEED a reason to keep MY child home from school to take a day off because we had a fun time last night? I understand that I can't write "Super Bowl Party" on her excuse slip, but sometimes the little rewards are better than the big ones.  We checked her schedule and she has band [A+], PE [A], Resource [think study hall - they all have it] and French [B+] today.  I think my daughter can sleep in and spend the day with her Dad and I.

She didn't miss any days this past semester and only a few days the previous semester because of my Mom's funeral - so, really - do I have to explain to ANYONE why I am keeping MY kid home when her grades are sterling?

Tadpoles call me on the carpet if I am wrong - but I just don't understand why I can't say "I am keeping Wallene home today. Thanks." I hate to lie - so I think I am going with "Wallene stayed home on Monday due to a family situation."

Yes, we were tired, overfed and we like eachother's company.
This morning.
He thinks he is a lap dog.
Sounds like a situation to me.

Great Choices!

Garbage Bread
I just love my plate.
Happy!
I have to tell you Tadpoles - this whole "Vote for the Skippy family's dinner" thing these past two Sundays is working out really well. [Expect another one next week. You guys are good at this. hee]

After the voting ending at 11:30 yesterday Pooldad went shopping to purchase the goods to make the winners:  Seven Layer Dip, Fruit Tray and Chocolate Fondue. Thank you!
Look!
Luscious
7 Layer Dip [top]
Veggie Dip [left]
Fruit Dip [right]

Fruit Tray
[I have another one in the 'fridge.]
YAY for me!
Chocolate Fondue
Apples and Bananas

Pound Cake to dip in the fondue.
Seven Layer Dip close up


Bruce I did try to go with your vote of Fruit Tray x 3, but only managed two because Wallene ate all the grapes before dinner. :) Brat.

We threw in the Garbage Bread because Pooldad really wanted to make it.  A friend in his fantasy football league told him about it - so we made it.  And we will be making it again. And again. And again.  So good.  And you get to clean out your fridge in the process.  Hence the name.

Congratulations to the Packers!

Have a lovely Monday Tadpoles. It's going to be a good one. [And in case you need a little pick me up to get your Monday started go look at the previous post - Imagine.]

 ::off to snack on leftovers:: Lucky me. :D




Sunday, February 6, 2011

Imagine

I discovered one of my favorite songs was actually made better.  Check this out:



Can you imagine if John Lennon was alive to see this?

Wow.

Beautiful.

Vote For Our Super Bowl Munchies

Another Sunday poll.  You guys picked last Sunday's dinner - White Chicken Chili won! - and it was so fun for us we decided that we would ask for your votes for our Super Bowl Snacks.

You may pick 3 items.
The 3 with the highest number of votes is what we will eat.
What Will Be Our SuperBowl Munchies?
Hot Crab Dip
Spinach Artichoke Dip
7 Layer Dip
Pigs in a Blanket made with crescent rolls
Veggie Tray
Potato Skins
2 Foot Long Italian Sub cut into bite size pieces
Cheese and Crackers
Wings
Bruschetta
Stuffed Mushrooms
Devilled Eggs
Fruit Plate with Dip
Chocolate Fondue


  
pollcode.com free polls

Thanks Tadpoles. Happy Super Bowl Sunday!

11:20 am - Polling is closed.  The winners are 7 layer dip, Fruit Plate with Dip and Chocolate Fondue.
Thanks for the great voting.  Pics to come later.  Hope you all have a great day! ::off to chop, chop, chop::

Saturday, February 5, 2011

It's Not What You Think

Thisisme tagged me for "5 Things You Couldn't Leave the House Without."  A very nice gesture and it had me thinking.

What exactly do I have to have to leave the house?  Since I can count on one hand how many times I have been out of the house in a month I realized that I don't need much, but what I do take makes up the sum of my infrequent trips.

There are four things that come with me when I step outside my front door:

1.  Pooldad.  He is like my American Express card***. I never leave home without him. I have done it once in two plus years, and I don't want to do it again. It sounds silly, but I don't like leaving without him. I hold on to him and feel like I can do anything.
2.  My cane.  Sometimes I feel kicky and don't need it, but, more often then not, I wear down and it is a comfort to me.  And it is shiny blue. What more can you ask for in an accessory. :)
3.  Hope.  I always hope that I am going to make it through the trip, errand ...whatever it is that we are trying to do that day.  I hope that I don't let my family down and don't fail.
4.  Happiness.  I am so happy when I have the strength and ability to get outside and go somewhere. It can be as simple as the grocery store or even the car wash with my husband.  Then it can be a "big" trip - like to JMU, to see Squirrel - but the fact that I get to see something other than these four walls or this computer screen makes me so happy.

I don't have a fifth because I don't carry cash, I don't need to lock the door or drive and a purse would be in my way. Also, a cellphone is not something I have to have.  It is just a nicety and Pooldad always carries his.

Wallene could be considered my fifth pick, but she isn't a necessity so much as an awesome bonus!

Now to pass this on to five other Tadpoles:

Restaurant Manager - because I know your pockets are filled. :)
Amy at Raising Redheads - a great Mom of two little guys - what's in your purse? I remember those days.
Mynx at Dribble - because the woman is BUSY! Do tell Mynx
Barb at Life in the Mom Lane - because she is Duke Mom #1 and I bet there is some purple and gold in there somewhere ::wink::
Roundabout - the thriftiest and most talented crafter - I bet she has some interesting stuff!

Hope you all are having a fantastic Saturday.  It's going to be a great day. Can't you feel it?  I can.

***reference to an old American Express commercial. I don't carry credit cards. hee

Friday, February 4, 2011

Grimmy

Goodbye Sweet Little Man
You will be truly missed.
Thank you for being my first 4 legged Tadpole.

Love you Marni!

It's All About the Capitol "G"

While watching a police show tonight we heard the following statement:

"If you are going to steal a motorcycle then always wear a helmet while holding the victim at gunpoint."

[The sentence is taken out of context, but you will see where it is going.]

Imagine the word gunpoint is capitalized.  As in "Gunpoint".  That is what Wallene heard.

She turned to me and innocently asked, "Mom, where is Gunpoint? Is that like a city in Maryland. Gunpoint, MD?"

After I finished trying not to laugh, I picked myself off the floor and cheerily explained what "gunpoint" meant.

 Lucky me.

[I guess it is the lack of violent video games in our house or guns, or something. I don't know. I still can't figure out how she didn't know what that word meant. The kid does watch TV, right?]

She was surprised. She had no idea that holding someone hostage at the end of a gun to steal something meant "at gunpoint."  She just thought the guy stole a motorcycle in some town in Gunpoint, MD.

I was still holding my sides laughing when she looked at me, and realized.  With big eyes she said "Oh, no, Mom you are SO blogging this, aren't you Mom? Aren't you?"  She started laughing too, knowing the answer.

A smile in my eyes, I giggled back at her and said, "You betcha' kid. You are too much entertainment."

ETA: In Wallene's defense I found this: Gunpoint.  It is a site about what kids used to believe.

Thursday, February 3, 2011

Bedtime is Bedtime, Except....

I have been having quite a few discussions with parents lately regarding our childrens' bedtimes.  Seems a lot of folks struggle with getting their kids to go to bed when the parents want them to and when they should - the parents aren't sending the kids to bed at some absurd time like 6 pm.  They are normal bedtimes, age appropriate, but the kids are fighting it and making their parents miserable in the process.

I have no advice to share when they ask because I have no idea how we did it but, at one point we had 5 kids, under the age of 9 in the house at the same time and they went to bed. When we told them.  There was no fussiness, no fights.  We gave them the time, we expected them to go and they did.

They always did and Wallene still does.

I asked Squirrel the other day why did they just "go"?  Why didn't we have a fight or a problem with them?  At first she said "Mom it was expected of us, so we just did it."  Okay - that is good.  We never had to threaten them or punish them so I guess they were ready for bed, right?

Nah.

Squirrel let me in on a little secret. Seems since the girls shared a room, and so did the boys, they would stay up later and entertain eachother, quietly, until they were ready for bed.

I swear we never heard them - and they seemed to wake up refreshed and ready for the day, so all was good.  We had no idea.

Found out this method is still in the works at Chez' Skippy.

Last night Wallene came and kissed us goodnight at 10:00 pm.  She went and brushed her teeth, yelled down goodnight one more time and went to bed, closing her door behind her. [I can see her bedroom door from where I sit in the kitchen.]

Pooldad and I were watching TV. When a commercial came on I muted the TV [commercials are LOUD] when I suddenly heard what I thought was talking coming from upstairs.  I asked Pooldad if he heard it too.  He did.  I said to him "I swear if she is Skyping someone or has her TV on at 10:30 at night I am taking both the computer and TV away. She knows better."

He agreed.  He then quietly walked up the stairs, popped his head in her door, stayed a minute and came back down laughing.

Turns out Wallene was wearing her headphones to her Ipod [thanks Josie! really!] and singing to music while trying to fall asleep.  What we heard was the lovely voice of our 13 year old belting out tunes.

She hadn't broken any rules - the kids have always been allowed to listen to music while falling asleep.

It was just funny that it didn't occur to her not to sing while doing it. heehee

Wednesday, February 2, 2011

Are My Clothes Really This Old...

I told y'all about my habit of keeping clothes for a long time.  Decades even.  Most of my pants [blue jeans, dress pants] were bought when Wallene was born or before [1997].

After Wallene was born I was able to purchase size 8 and size 10 pants, skirts, suits - the same sizes I had worn most of my life as being 5'8 [or 5'7 depending on who is measuring me] and mid 130's.  From high school, through college and into the 90's [except when I was pregnant] I fit into either a size 8 or a 10.

Now that I have managed to up my weight from my post hospital size of 118 lbs to a respectable 130.6 lbs my old clothes fit again. Go me. [Told you I would do it!] And my clothes are still 8's and 10's because I am still wearing my old clothes.

So why do I read blogs where people weigh 160 lbs and are buying and wearing size 6's?  Today a friend  showed me a cute dress she had bought that was a size 4 and she weighs 30 lbs more than I do.  She looks adorable in it and I saw the tag, but...

Size tags on my clothing don't matter to me - never have - but has it been so long since I bought clothing that I have to ask if manufacturers are skewing their sizes to make everyone feel better about themselves?  Is this a marketing tool of some sort I don't know about?

Don't get me wrong - I want everyone to have a good self body image and feel good about themselves but when I told my girlfriend I was an 8 she said it wasn't possible since she was a 4.  I had to peel my blue jeans down to show her the tag.  She scoffed and claimed they were mislabeled.  I said no, they were just 13 years old. [Maybe I should've kept my mouth shut?]

I couldn't have worn her dress, it would've been too big. [I didn't say that. It was just obvious]  I don't want to suck the wind out of any one's sails but doesn't this just speak to the obesity in America?  I am not saying 160 lbs is obese, or even fat on my friends [I am taller than both] - but if they are remarking the sizes to make woman feel better about their size, as in "Oh, look I am X size when I am XXX lbs" don't you have to question what the true answer is?

I think I need to go shopping.
I may be a size 2 at this point.

[I am NOT going shopping. I am just kidding.  You know I hate it.]

Can anyone explain this phenomenon?