I was Playing On-Line Poker, What Did You Expect?

I just heard a pounding noise from the other room. Like a good mother, rather than going to look, I yelled, "What are you doing?"
Keira yelled back, "Nothing."
"It doesn't sound like nothing."
"Well, we aren't doing anything to break the house."
"Okay. Well, don't break each other either."
"Okay. We won't."

Need parenting lessons? I offer them for a small fee...

New Shoes!

They are supposed to be slippers, so they are warm! The hard soles tell me I can wear them wherever I want!



On clearance at Target for $11.88. I love you, Target!

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Weekly Winners, January 3rd-9th, 2010

Thanks for the inspiration, Sarcastic Mom!

Keira made crowns for us. They were the inverse cut-out from her construction paper when she made butterflies for us.

What do the children of a professional educator do during their free time? I would like to note that both of those DSs are were at one time mine, and YES, the boy is playing the pink one...

Atonement: Book vs Movie

I have recently finished reading Atonement by Ian McEwan. Like most books I read, I tried not to find out anything about the plot or characters before reading it, which was great in this case, but it really through me for a loop when I found out the reason for the title. I hadn't expected Briony to be the one atoning. I have been digesting the story for a few days, trying to figure out how to summarize it. The plot is somewhat simple, but it seems complex when I try to put it into words!
After finishing the book, I watched the movie. While the movie follows the book almost exactly, I enjoyed the book much more. The book allows the reader to know the thoughts and feelings of the characters, which is lost in the movie. I LOVED Briony (what a fantastic name!) in the book; I didn't really connect with her on the screen. I didn't really feel a connection with any of the characters in the movie. From reading the novel, I knew the history of Robbie and Cecilia's lives, which made their falling in love more realistic and believable in the movie.

The language Ian McEwan uses in the book is beautiful; he is so descriptive and eloquent. It would take me forever to write such "pretty" sentences! Here's one of my favs:

"Briony resisted because she wanted to chase in solitude the faint thrill of possibility she had felt before, the elusive excitement at a prospect she was coming close to defining, at least emotionally." (chapter 3)

Here is what I would've written: "She didn't do it because she was afraid of the truth."
Talk about eloquence! Maybe Ian writes a blog. We would all be better for reading that one!

So, anyway, I enjoyed the movie, but it was mainly because I had already read the book. I have to wonder if I would have liked the movie better if I hadn't read the book, but I kinda feel like I wouldn't have liked the movie at all...

Update on Dash

Well, I think Skyla is still in heat, but Dash has lost interest in her. Whoo hoo! No more whining and scratching at the door to get to her!

The weird part of this story is that Dash still feels amorous, but now it is directed towards Charlie. Charlie is our old, fat, almost crippled, black lab. He has been neutered.
Whenever Dash gets the chance, he is trying to cuddle and lick Charlie's face and ears! It is as if Dash is trying to woo him!



Even more disturbing, I think Sky is still in heat because she keeps...uh...strutting her stuff in Charlie's face.


Charlie has gone from the lump that occupies space to the mac-daddy of our doggy population! Unfortunately for Charlie, he is not enjoying his new status quo. The annoyed look on his face says he misses his alone-time.



Poor Charlie! Hopefully soon the raging hormones will settle down and he can have some peace!

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Puppy Love

It is currently mating season in our house, and Josh and I are trying desperately to make sure no puppies get made!

Last Christmas, we inherited Skyla from our neighbor. He couldn't take care of her, and we seem to attract dogs, so Skyla joined our family.

Unfortunately, Skyla had not yet been spade when she came over. The main problem with this is that Dash has not yet been neutered either. Normally, it isn't a problem-neither one is too randy; however, this is not currently the case.

Skyla is in heat, and Dash is more desperate than (insert witty metaphor here-I can't think of one).

We have had to keep Dash in his cage all day and all night. When we let him out to drink and go outside, he goes berserk: chasing, humping, licking, chasing. When he is in his cage, he cries, whines, barks, digs. I don't think he sleeps even. If he does, I'm certain he is dreaming of Skyla!

Weekly Winners 12/27-1/2/10

The Gingerbread House THIS week.

We left the dogs alone with it for too long!


Lego Rock Band!

Go check out the other Weekly Winners from Sarcastic Mom.