The Cat Saga Continues...

As previously mentioned, we have two beautiful cats that we can no longer have in our house. About 2 weeks ago, after trying (unsuccessfully) to give them away, we decided that they could be outside cats. They are spayed/neutered and still have their claws. We have a nice garage set up for them, and a wonderful yard in which to play. Our neighbor Mary has cats too-what fun for them! They are young and healthy-they'd love being outside, getting to play and whatnot, right?

A few nights ago, Nashville had an unusual cold spell and got down to--I don't know--really cold. Wanda and Orson sat outside our door and cried, so we let the inside for the evening, 2 nights in a row. They had to go out during the day, but they were with us at night.

Wanda was SOOOOOOOOO cuddly when she was inside. Before, she would only cuddle a little bit, but as if trying to win us over, she bombarded us with lovin' during her brief stay in the house.

Well, it has been two nights, and the weather has warmed quite a bit (it is supposed to be in the 70's tomorrow). We are no longer worried about our little babies being too cold, but our little babies want to come in the house anyway. So much in fact, that Wanda has become a stalker. She climbs up the screened door, just to where we can see her, and she cries! If we leave the room, she finds another window that is near us, and she climbs into it and cries. Loudly.

Last night, Wanda sat outside my bedroom window. When I left the room to get some water, she followed me to the nearest window. Then back into the bedroom. Around 3:00 this morning, I had had enough of the meow-ing. I got a water bottle and squirted water at her through the window, thinking it would teach her not to sit in the window, or at the very least get her to shut the hell up. She didn't move. She just looked at me with those sad eyes as if asking me why I was being so cruel.

I guess I'm either going to have to let the cats in and deal with their hair (and Josh's allergy, which is getting worse), or give up sleep. Good-bye sleep. I already gave most of it up for the kids; I might as well quit cold turkey!

Juno

I love love LOVE Juno. I cannot remember the last time I left a movie feeling so... fulfilled. It is humorous and witty, sad, cute, heartfelt, and whatever fun adjectives you can think of.

I seriously am in love with the characters and actors in this film. I usually leave movies "liking" them, but I would have paid for another ticket and turned right around and watched this movie again. That is a compliment. I usually wait for DVD release--on clearance at Blockbuster before I watch a movie; or at the very least-I go to a matinee; but I came right home and purchased the FABULOUS soundtrack on itunes (paying full price is practically unheard of in my house), and would definitely go to see the movie again at the theater.

Go see it. It is wonderful. (think Gilmore Girls)

Dreams

I have not been getting much rest lately. I've been getting plenty of sleep (well, you know, plenty is relative), but I haven't been able to rest because of my dreams.

Two nights ago, I kept dreaming about work. I would dream that I was at work...working, and something bad would happen (too many tables, bad food, mean customer, run out of WATER--see how stressful being a server can be!). I would wake up from my dream, feeling a bit worn out from working so much, only to fall back asleep and have it happen again!

Last night, Josh went out with one of his friends, so when I went to sleep, I was alone in the house with the kids-who were also sleeping. (Well, Night wasn't asleep, but he was in his bed being a good kid). I kept dreaming that I WASN'T sleeping! How bizarre! I would dream that Josh came home, but then I would wake up and he wouldn't be here. I would dream that the dog started barking, but I would wake up with her still under my feet, same spot. I even dreamt that I was lying in bed trying to fall asleep, writing. Then, of course, I would wake up with no paper around me. I never write in bed.

I even spent one dream writing a text message to Josh to stop and buy me an Oreo McFlurry. I woke up in a bit of a panic after this one. I was tired-I didn't want to get out of bed to eat ice cream, but then again, I would NEVER want ice cream to go to waste... Some people drunk-text. Could I have sleep-texted?? Don't worry. I didn't. No ice cream for me...

Needless to say, I'm still tired. Tired from sleeping.

Secret Santa

I think that playing Secret Santa is so much fun! I haven't worked at a place where we have played for years (I guess it would have been a dead give-away if I played Secret Santa when I worked at the doctor's office-there were only two of us in the office-me and the doctor!!)

We have been playing Secret Santa at work for almost two weeks now, with the big reveal coming up on Sunday night. I love it! My Santa didn't give me anything the first week at all, so I was a bit bumbed since I really get in to it. I not only wanted presents (because who doesn't want presents?!!) but I also wanted hints as to who was playing my Santa.

I was super-excited on Monday when I got some BEAUTIFUL earrings on an earring tree. I really love me some cute earrings. The earrings that my Santa got for me were perfect. I would have picked them out myself. At this point, I had no idea who was playing my Santa. Pretty much everyone at work knows that I like earrings because I try to wear different ones all of the time.

Then on Wednesday, I received some yummy smelling O.P.I. lotions. I love love love them, especially the coconut and the almond ones (I think I have an eating problem--I'm in love with food-flavored lotions--especially the ones at Victoria's Secret!!). There is a girl at work who went to school to be a beautistetian girl who puts on make-up. A few weeks ago, she was talking about O.P.I. brand stuff, so my first thought was, "OH!! I know my secret Santa!!!"

But then I got another present today (two actually), and the lady in question wasn't working, so now I think it is another girl. Her sister works with us, and her sister seems to know a lot about my presents, so I have a feeling... But then there is a guy who was near my presents when I first saw them--maybe he put them there... Hmmm.

The suspense is killing me, YET, I love it!!


As for me, I'm a really good Santa. The person that I've been getting stuff for sometimes reads my blog, so I'd better be careful!! I doubt if she'll check it before Sunday. I'm going to take my chances-I won't see her before then anyway! I gave her a much-appreciated STARBUCKS gift card, followed by a yummy flavored-creamer. You see, she is a single mom and can use all the coffee she can get her hands on!! I have also gotten her earrings, diaper coupons, and some candy. I had the PERFECT gift for her, but my husband RUINED it. I won't mention it because he is a bit sore about the subject, but I have spoiled her none-the-less (who wouldn't love a bottle of wine?!). I can't wait to give her the big present on Sunday.

I'll let you know if my guess is correct. The person I've been giving my presents to has asked a couple times if I'm her Santa, but I think she's asked a couple of people, so I think I've been incognito... (I might as well be a ninja!) I'll let you know that after Sunday too!


Have you been having fun for the holidays as well?!!

My New Old Camera

Since my original colorsplash lomography camera broke, Josh decided to replace it (along with FIVE other cameras (Plastic Fantastic Package Supreme)!!) for my birthday! Here are some shots of the Christmas lights around the house. I have some other cool photos, but I don't have any way to put them on-line yet.

Kitty Cat Problems

We love our little (okay BIG) Wanda cat and even bigger Orson cat; however, we are tired of their cat hair being all over the house. I mean ALL OVER THE FREAKIN' HOUSE. With all the animals and the kids, it is impossible to keep our house clean, and that just makes everyone depressed, so something has to be done. After making a very difficult decision to give the cats to someone else, I posted an email on www.freecycle.com. Nobody replied.

*side note* I would like to know why when I post something (which rarely happens) to give away, NOBODY wants my stuff. But when someone else posts something and I try to get it, EVERYBODY AND THEIR BROTHER has already gotten it. NO FAIR! NO FAIR! *end side note*

It was hard enough to decide that we were going to get rid of our babies (just the cats-we'll keep the human ones for a while-but they need to watch out if we decide to become clean freaks-they aren't very clean either...), but then when nobody took them, it was even harder to try to give them away again--it is kind of like the gods were telling us that we should keep them,but I don't really believe in gods, and the hair was sooo overwhelming...

So, I told Josh to try Craigslist instead. BIG MISTAKE. Have any of ya'll looked at the pet section on Craigslist?? There is a safety-type warning at the beginning that talks about selling the animals instead of giving them away because they might be used in fights or to be fed to snakes or all kinds of horrible things. (this gets even worse) THEN, when you look in the classified ads, you see lots of ads for PAWS. These ads have beautiful pictures of dogs who need homes RIGHT AWAY or they will be put to sleep. PUT TO SLEEP.

As Josh is showing me the warning note, I think to myself, "Oh, the cats will be fine. These things don't really happen... but am I really willing to take that chance?" Then he moves on the the posts with the pictures. My next thought is, "CALL PAWS! CALL PAWS! We need to save all of the animals. We need more dogs in our chock-full two bedroom house. What's a little hair?

So anyway, does anyone want some wonderful kitties? We have some here that need to go to someone else. They are beautiful cats, and if our house were bigger, we'd keep them. How about some dogs? You can't have ours, but PAWS has a lot of cute ones!

Oops. Sorry

Sorry to whoever it was that googled "pooping black girls." I'm sure that you were disappointed when you got here!!

A Real Go-Getter

What is it that makes some people go-getters while others are just plain lazy? I wouldn't call myself lazy per se, but I would like to be a little more...productive. It seems like I can get stuf done at work that needs to get done, but when it comes to home, I just don't get to everything I need to get to--even when I have the time.

How do I MAKE myself have a TYPE A personality? I always have such good intentions of getting stuff done around the house: cleaning, organizing, crafting, spending time with kids, exercising, reading, catching up on movies or shows... but hardly any of it seems to get done. What is up with that, and how to I change it...without having to do too much. I'm not good with commitment!

Roller Derby

It's ROLLER DERBY time again!! Tonight was the last bout of the season, and the girls did not disappoint. Since I'm not good with details, I'll just tell ya'll that we kicked ass. Big time ass kicking. I think the final score was 150 something to 50 something.

Since I've been to three bouts, I'm somewhat of an expert now, so I can truly say that this was the best one so far. There weren't any real fights like last time, but there was a whole lotta pushin and shovin goin on! When we waltzed up 5 minutes after the game started (late, again), we were very excited to see the huge crowd. The line to buy tickets was... um, really long. It went out to the parking lot, but since there is not really a frame of reference if you have never been there, I will just say it was really long. The best part of it was that we had bought our tickets directly through a rollergirl, so we didn't have to stand in line. (singing "I've got the golden ticket..." all the way to the door)

The girls played The Bleeding Heartland out of Bloomington, Indiana. As I've previously stated, we won--by far. It looked like the girls were having a blast. I had a blast watching them. The paramedics had to come to the scene quite a few times, though, so I guess the rough-housing got a bit out of hand. The paramedic never had to open his little first aid kit, though (that I saw, anyway), so I guess it wasn't too bad.

Picking two highlights of the night, I'd have to mention the Bloomington girl who bared her butt to the crowd-for more than one loop around the rink because she was pushed over and her little skirt never fell back down. I don't think she was wearing any panties... that had to hurt! I also enjoyed seeing Hildabeast as the girl with the star (told you I'm not good with details-I don't know the technical term!). It was a rare treat to see her zooming around the track rather than being a blocker.

It was a great night. Unfortunately, it was the last of the season, but I hope to be at the next season opener, right here at the Nashville State Fairgrounds on Februrary 16th.

Why Lessons Don't Work

Night poked Josh in the face. Josh told Night not to poke him in the face because it hurt. Night told Josh to poke HIM in the face, so Josh did, but Night said it didn't hurt.

Josh told Night that it didn't hurt because he didn't poke him very hard, even though he should have in order to teach him a lesson.

Night somberly replied that lessons don't work. When Josh asked why, Night said that he had tried to teach me (his mom) a lesson, and it didn't work. Night went on to tell this story:

When I was little and sleeping in Mom's tummy, she used to get mad and yell.
I would hit her to teach her a lesson, but it never worked. She just kept yelling.

It is true-I did yell a lot when I was pregnant with Night, I was teaching 8th grade English. I did yell a lot.

Little Black Babies

My husband and and I are both from RURAL midwestern (read: mostly white) towns. I did not have much exposure to African Americans until moving here to Nashville. One thing that I've always wanted, though, was to have little black babies. Seeing little black girls with braids made my heart melt every time.

When I started dating Josh, I told him that I would never marry him. When he asked why, I simply told him that I wanted black babies, and since he was whiter than a ghost, he just wouldn't be able to fulfill my need. He matter of factly to me that he was indeed black and that he couldn't believe that I doubted him.

Years later, when I was pregnant with Night, I told Josh how excited I was to FINALLY have a little black baby. For some reason, Josh became upset at me and told me that I'd better NOT have a black baby. It made no sense.

I hear that black babies are born white then the pigment darkens. Well, Night (and Keira, for that matter) still haven't grown into their black-ness. I wish it would hurry up, though, because Keira's hair needs braided!!

Too Tired To Title

The problem with NaBloPoMo is that sometimes I drink wine while taking a bath before going to bed. At times like these, I don't really want to write. I just want to sleep.

But, I still feel pressured to write even though I don't feel inspired to write anything in particular.

So, here's my post...

Warning: Poop Post

Night has been potty-trained for well over a year now. He had a hard time adjusting to the big toilet for pooping; he liked the little one better, but he has graduated to only using the big toilet. Just recently (this week, in fact), Night has figured out how to wipe his own butt. Before, he would just yell when he was done, one of us parents would run in, wipe, and it would be over and done with; now he is on his own.

Last night, Night had to poop, so he was in the bathroom...pooping. He then yelled to me that he was done.
I then said, "I thought you learned how to wipe your own butt."
"Oh yeah."
**a few minutes later...
"Um, Mom, I need help. I can't catch any poop."
**I start to go in the bathroom.
"Oh. Never mind. I caught some. I couldn't catch any, so I thought I had forgotten how to wipe my own butt, but now I got some, so I don't need your help."
**(what do you say to that?)
"Okay...Good job."

Cereal Facts

A few days ago, Night and I had a discussion about the Kroger brand cereal that I had bought for the kids (Marshmallow Treasures, to be exact).

There is a picture of an octopus on the front. Night told me that he wanted some of the SQUID cereal (sounds delicious!) that I bought for him. I told him we didn't have SQUID cereal, but that we have OCTOPUS cereal.

We then had a 2 minute argument about the fact that it is in fact an OCTOPUS, not a SQUID. Don't worry-it is not seafood-flavored cereal (I wonder how that would go over), it is in fact generic Lucky Charms, but the fact that my FOUR YEAR OLD son even knows that a squid and an octopus are similar is completely amazing. I'm so proud.

They don't really look that much alike, though! Of course, I had to rub it in that I was right and he was wrong by showing him the pictures. I won't be out-smarted by my 4 year old, not this time at least!

Deal of the Day

Heads-up for those of you in the Nashville area---

The Target in Cool Springs has ONE pink Dyson on clearance. I think it is only 15% off, but that is better than nothing!! I didn't buy it because I already have one. It isn't pink, which I am jealous about, but it doesn't bother me too much since I'm not really the one that uses it the most. (Yes, I AM lucky). I LOVE my Dyson, so I think ya'll should try and get the ONE that is on clearance. It is on one of the end-caps near the towels. Good luck!

Other deal of the day--the Swifty gas station in Franklin on Hillsboro road gives you FIVE CENTS off per gallon if you pay cash. It used to be three cents, but just today I stopped and got it for five cents off per gallon. Unlike the Dyson, this deal is open to everyone!!

Tomorrow

Since I am supposed to be writing every day this month and I've already failed (even though it is only the third day) at THAT, I have decided to write about another failure of mine!

I AM going to eat healthy again, starting tomorrow. I don't know what happened--I was pretty healthy for over a month-eating fairly well and exercising a lot. I lost some weight and felt pretty good.

Then I stopped.
Then, I started; for a day or two. Then I stopped. Then, I started; for a day or two. Then I stopped. Then, I started; for a day or two... you get the picture.

I keep saying that I will start tomorrow, but as the saying goes, tomorrow never comes. Or, it comes and goes, taking my good intentions with it.

Tonight, I 'm planning on making up a menu for this next week. MAYBE that'll make me stick to it better. Josh is really good at sticking to his plan, and he said he is going to start eating better today, so maybe...

I also thought that telling ya'll about my plan to eat better would help, but then I thought about how I told you about Nablpomo and that didn't matter either. I seriously don't know how to motivate myself. Josh has the hardest time trying to motivate me as well.

So anyway, I'm going to eat healthier, starting tomorrow. Or the next day...

I'm Not Done Yet

I'm not done talking about Halloween yet. I still have a few thoughts about it, and since it is the first day of NaBloPoMo, I figured I should probably write something.

I absolutely love the idea of going around the neighborhood and getting candy from people. It made me sad that there were so few lights on last night. Even though Josh was practically begging me to stop, I wanted to hit every glowing porch. I was telling him that I would be upset if we were home and nobody stopped, so I wanted to support trick-or-treating by going to every house, especially the ones that had long drive-ways or were a little out of the way. If we our kids have to suffer from sugar-highs in order to get the point across, so be it.

Then we got to the next to the last house. I remembered her from last year. I remembered that she was very friendly and was happy to see us last year, and I was not disappointed this year. She told us about her kids (teens or in college) and what she was watching on tv. She introduced us to her dog. She also pointed out the cute Halloween decorations that she found at the hardware store. We thanked them (her husband came to the door in the middle of our conversation. He seemed to be trying to hurry her up a bit.

As we were leaving, I pointed out how nice she was, and that I was glad we had stopped. Josh then pointed out that I would be that same lady some day. Apparently, she had been drinking and was a little more boisterous than made Josh comfortable... I hadn't even noticed. I just thought she was happy to see our little Happy Feet. So what-there is nothing wrong with getting drunk and waiting at my door for little kids to come by so I can give them candy. Maybe I WILL be that lady some day, only the decorations I find at the hardware store will be much cooler.

Happy Feet

HPIM1295
Originally uploaded by mari_ickes.

Happy Halloween! 2 solid hours of walking produced 4 1/2 pounds of candy (weighed after we all ate some of course), and who knows how many pounds each of us will gain! At least we got a good walk in, right? Check out this picture too! I love it. (as does Night!)

At the End of the Day

Have you ever noticed that this is one of--if not THE-most over used words in reality tv game shows? It was stated no less than 6 times tonight on THE BIGGEST LOSER, all by different people.

Restaurant Advice

I don't know WHY it is necessary for me to point this out, but apparently I must.

It is rude to talk to your server when your server is talking to another table.

Seriously. This has happened to me quite a few times in the past month or so-I will be taking an order or checking on something at one of my tables and a customer from another table with just walk right up and start talking to me!

No more! No More, I tell you. It is rude and I won't stand for it any more.

Terrible Twos

Please help me.

My


may be turning into


or even (god help me)

but there are so many times that she is





that I know she is just testing out her acting skills. I think we need to watch

and I need to learn more patience!!

NaBloPoMo

So, I've decided to sign up for NaBloPoMo. NAtional BLOg POsting MOnth. I'm going to try to write and post a photo (at Franklin Foto) everyday in November. I had once tried the 365 day challenge and failed at it, so I'm trying to get back into it by starting with just a month.

I've been practicing. Today is the 3rd day. Not bad, huh?!

Why don't you sign up too? It'll be fun.

Overheard from Keira's Bedroom...

around 3:30 this morning...

Josh: Keira, Lay down.

Keira: No.

Josh: Will you lay down if I stay in here?

Keira: Yeah.

Josh: Okay. Lay down.

Keira: No.

Josh: Okay. I'm leaving.

Keira: No. No. NO! NO!NO!NO! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!


So, how'd ya'll sleep??

Fun with Mega Blocks

You have NO idea how proud I am of these two little toys! There are 275 pieces, all put together by yours truly! AND we didn't lose any of the pieces. Well, we lost Spiderman's arm, but that isn't technically part of the set. It was kind of close when I couldn't find the actual propellers, but that problem was solved with a quick look under the coffee table. Until I found them, I was willing to write them off as, "Maybe that is why it was on clearance..."

This little project only took two days. Okay-three days, but it isn't like we spent the whole time putting it together. I spent most of the time "taking a break" from it because it made me so frustrated!

I do have this to say about the whole experience-there is NO FUCKING way a 6 year old could do this by himself! The most frustrating part is when a piece from the middle falls off and you have to back-track to figure out where that one little piece belongs. Oh, and the other most frustrating part is knowing that all the little pieces will be broken off and lost before the end of the week... (Night just nodded at that last part when I read it to him-he even knows it is true.)

Anywhere??

If you could live ANYWHERE in the WORLD? Where would you live?


I've been trying to figure this one out. I want to live near a big city, if not in a city. I want a lot of public transport; little crime; maybe some snow; definitely some nice warm weather; maybe a beach; good schools; lots of culture and lots of stuff to do. Any ideas???

A Cat Called Wanda

My cat Wanda is currently obsessed with giving me a back massage. No kidding.

I'm embarrassed to say that it usually happens when I sit down to pee, but it has happened at other times. She starts purring then she jumps on my back and does that little scratching thing with her paws. It is heaven.

I know you are all jealous, and no. You cannot have her!

Keira's First Boxing Match

Now that Keira has turned the big...2, she is able to play the Wii. She was amazing. Before I had the wii, I never really thought I'd be yelling, "Punch his lights out!" and "Kick her butt!" in order to encourage my children to "hurt" each other. A little aggression is good for the soul, right?

At least I didn't make the comment Josh did, "Hey, this will come in handy with parenting...knowing that she can take a punch."

She does have a little ways to go-she kept yelling "Knock Off" instead of "Knock Out!" Don't worry. She'll get it. Before long, she'll be knocking us all off... (uh oh. maybe what they say about violence in games is true...)

Color Wonder Warning

Here is a warning to all parents who have Color Wonder products at home. Don't get me wrong-they are wonderful, but they are NOT mess-free as the tag-line notes.

If you have a finished masterpiece lying on the counter and a cat who decides to wash her paws before walking across said counter, you will have a mess. At least we did-in the form of little blue paw prints-all over the bar, the counter, the floor, and of course don't forget the little blue marks all over the cat herself...

This Is Me!

not that I would EVER consider giving up caffeine, though. That would be like David Letterman giving up his top ten lists.

Getting Rest = Getting Sick

Josh's parents took the kids last week. A whole week of not having to be responsible!

We had one fun day together.

Then, I got sick.

Then, Josh got sick.

Then (well, actually before this), something chewed through the cable in the basement and our internet and ON-Demand were broken.

The kids came back on Saturday.

I feel better now. Last time the kids were gone, I was sick.

I'm destined to be tired forever because getting the chance to rest apparently makes me ill.

How I Get Up in the Morning

As you know, I've been trying to get up earlier in the mornings to work out before going to work. I am NOT a morning person AND work begins at 6:30 most mornings, so already odds are that I WILL NOT get up at all.

I have, however, been getting up about 3 times a week. I would like to move my average up to 5 rather than 3, so I am obviously still working on it. Here is what has motivated me so far:

Clothes. I pack my WORK clothes into my gym bag the night before, even the shoes and makeup. This way, I know that if I don't get up early, I still have to go to the trouble of unpacking before I can get ready. I also either wear my workout shorts or have them close by (read: can't get out of bed without stumbling on them) so that I put them on as soon as I wake up.

Co-Workers. Since my gym (Maryland Farms YMCA) is about 5 minutes from work (okay-exactly 3 minutes), I am usually still red-faced and sweaty when I get to work in the morning. Even though I've showered and gotten ready, I don't allow my body enough time to completely cool down before I arrive at work. My co-workers have begun noticing when I'm NOT red-faced, so that helps keep my accountable. It also helps keep me accountable because I talk about working out with them.

Joe's Goals. This isn't really too motivating, but a little. I put the widget up on my blog so everyone can see if I've worked out or not. Honestly, this isn't much of a help at 4:00 in the morning. I don't care if ya'll think I'm a failure for not getting up at fucking four o'clock in the fucking morning! Those are my thoughts in the morning. I'm a bit disappointed in the afternoon when I look at it, though...

Metabolism. Whenever the thought crosses my mind that I should keep sleeping and just wait until afternoon to workout, I think about how much better my metabolism will work if I workout in the morning. Honestly, I've done no research on the subject and don't know if it is true, but it helps motivate me, so please don't tell me otherwise.

Morning Self-Talk. When my alarm goes off in the morning, I consider that even if I don't get up right then to go work out, I still only have about an hour (actually closer to an hour and a half, but I've convinced myself otherwise) before I HAVE to get up to get ready for work. I consider this: an hour of sleep won't make much difference; however, an hour at the gym will.

Self-righteousness. There is a bit of pride knowing that I worked off 1,000 calories before most people even rolled out of bed that morning (OK-1,000 is the most, usually it is around 700, but 700 still rocks!) I feel self-righteous when people are all bleary-eyed and grumpy when they walk into work and I'm energetic from working out. I also love it when people ask how many calories I've burned and I don't have to say, "Well, I didn't get up early this morning."


So far, these are the answers to my question from before, "How do I make myself go to the gym in the morning?" I'll let you know if I come up with any more.

Straws

Twice this week when ordering drinks, two different people said that they wanted a straw with their cokes. Why would you find it necessary to ask for a straw before you even get the drink? Are straws in that high of a demand that you are afraid the restaurant will run out? Even if I happen to forget to give you one, there are 12 other servers with no less than 50 straws in their pockets who would be happy to give you one.

Ordering your straw when you order your drink is just weird.

Sonic

Have ya'll seen the Sonic commercial about the new cranberry flavoring for drinks? Here, go watch it:



A few weeks ago after the kids had gone to bed, Josh was telling me about the commercial and how funny it was because he could totally see himself going on and on and on and on with the whole "cran" prefix thing.

A few days later, after I have completely forgotten about the conversation (I have a bad medium-term memory-I'm okay with short term and I think I'm pretty good with long-term, but that medium-term really throws me off), Night talks us into going to Sonic to get an "AFTER DARK SHAKE" because shakes are better at Sonic after dark (YES-my family watches way too much tv). When we are there, I notice that they have cranberry flavoring that they can add to any drink. Wow-what a concept. I decide to get some in my diet coke.

As we are pulling out of Sonic, Night tries desperately to get my attention. "WHAT?!" I finally yell. He says, "Do you know who else would like this?" Still not catching on, I say, "What are you talking about?" He laughs and says, "Your CRANmother!!!"

I looked over at Josh and I could see that he has suddenly become the proudest father in the whole entire world. Night was not around when we talked about the commercial a few nights before-he is just that much like his father.

The rest of the way home, Night proceeded to ask who would like it, followed by various forms of crans. Keira also joined in by saying, "THIS?" and waiting for a response, followed by, "Mudder!!"

It is now an on going joke to anyone who comes near my children!

Here they are in full force:

Text Message

Sent to me from my handsome husband while I was at work:

Your daughter climbed up on the couch next to me and pinched my nipple while giggling and yelling, "Dad's buttons!"

Gay Rights

Last week on the way to work, I got myself all riled up listening to Ralph on talk radio. He is usually a bit too conservative for me, so I don't know why I listen to it--every day, but I do...

He has this lightning round section in which he asks an opinion, giving two or three options as the answer, and asks people to call in and cast their votes.

The lightning round question for Friday was: ""Which do you approve for gay marriage: Gay Marriage, Civil Union, or None?" based on the fact that at a recent political gathering, 2 of the Presidential candidates approved of gay marriage and the other 4 approved of a civil union.

97% of the people who called in (mostly from here in the Nashville area) said that there should be no gay marriage or civil union because God said it was wrong.

Whoa!

Usually, I'm not too opinionated-you live your life and I'll live mine. As long as you don't interfere in mine, I don't really give a shit what you do; however, these people were being ridiculous.

If you are not gay, how are you, personally effected by two people who are gay and love each other getting married? As for all those people who said, "God doesn't approve of gay marriage," what about the whole aspect of separation of church and state? Who are you to quote the Bible and say that we should make our government laws based on what it says? Can I quote the Qur'an and say we must follow those principles? Or heaven forbid-what if I wanted to create a law that followed a Muslim belief?

I got so riled up about the topic that I called in to voice my opinion, which I never ever do. The only time I call radio stations is when they are offering money and I'm desperate to win!! I didn't get to be in the poll because time ran out-I was next in line when Ralph said he had to stop taking calls due to time constraints. (convenient)

Since I did not get to voice my opinion then, here I am voicing my opinion now. Only, I was going to have to be brief for the lightning question on the air. Now I can ramble as much as I'd like. Here is what I was going to say:

I think YES gay people should be allowed to get married-for no other reason than non-gay-people are allowed to get married; however, I think all of the people who used God to back up their opinions need to consider this-one of the seven deadly sins is gluttony. Should people over a certain weight not be allowed to go to restaurants or buy certain foods?* How is it any different?

But now that I have a bit more room to voice my opinion, this is what else I have to say:

I think that people who look down on gays are also sinning by judging them. I am not a Bible-believer. I kind of look at it as just another book. It may have some really good principles to live by, but it isn't infallible and it has been interpreted quite a few different ways, according to what the reader or interpretor wants to get out of it. If you are a Bible-believing Christian, more power to you, but quoting the Book does not really do anything for me.

I will now use some examples to back up my opinion.

Leviticus is the book in the Bible that people use to quote, proving that being gay is wrong.

"You shall not lie with a male as with a woman. It is an abomination." (Leviticus 18:22)

"If a man lies with a male as he lies with a woman, both of them have committed an abomination. They shall surely be put to death. Their blood shall be upon them." (Leviticus 20:13)

Leviticus has a lot of useful advise that applies to our daily living:

"For everyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death. He has cursed his father or his mother. His blood shall be upon him." (Leviticus 20:9)

Since I am going to interpret the Bible in order to get my point across, I read "Anyone who talks back to their parents should be killed."

"If a man lies with a woman during her sickness and uncovers her nakedness, he has discovered her flow, and she has uncovered the flow of her blood. Both of them shall be cut off from her people." (Leviticus 20:18)

If you have sex when you are on your period, you and your husband should be disowned.

"Do not cut the hair at the sides of your head or clip off the edges of your beard." (Leviticus 19:27)

Don't shave your sideburns or trim your beard.


Now, why is it that THESE topics aren't debated in the national election? If we are going to be a Bible-following nation, we need to follow all of the rules.




*Sorry, Kat, I know you don't like when people pick on fat people! I'm just trying to prove my point. I have nothing against eating too much.

Why I Won't Ever Be President

Everyone would know my weight.

Mover or a Stayer??

When I was growing up, we moved a lot. I was born in Arizona. We moved to Texas, back to Arizona, then to Michigan, and then to Ohio, all before I began 5th grade. I have no idea how many houses I have lived in. After getting married, Josh and I have lived in various apartments; we then moved to Colorado (from here in Nashville) just for a change of scene. Then we couldn't hack it (read: we were too poor to be parents) once Night arrived, so we moved to Indiana to be closer to family. We couldn't hack that either (read: I hated being so close to family), so we moved back here to Nashville.

We've lived in a few more apartments since moving back, then we moved here to Franklin. We are renting a wonderful (historic) 2 bedroom, one bathroom, house. We are near downtown, and we love the area. Our house is too small-we need one more bedroom and one more bath.

Guess what-it is time to move. Well, it actually is not time to move because our lease doesn't end until February; however, I'm feeling antsy. I'm definitely a mover. I like to see new things and have changes in scenery.

The big question is this: do we stay in Franklin, which we do like a lot-more than anywhere we've lived thus far. Or do we explore somewhere new? We are looking into Austin, TX or Seattle, WA. Of course, Melbourne would be perfect, but that isn't going to happen any time soon, probably never... Should we put down our roots here and just visit the other places or should we make an ultimate plunge and just move? That is more exciting, but more risky as well...

Are you a mover or a stayer? Did your childhood influence your present?

Yay for Mari!

I did it! I went to the YMCA BEFORE work twice this week! The first day I went was Wednesday. It was wonderful. I felt so energized and my workout was terrific. Then this morning, I got up and went. I wasn't so energized and my workout was okay, but I still worked out, and I felt so proud of myself. Maybe someone who is NOT a morning person CAN work out in the mornings.

The Y in Maryland Farms (a business district here in Nashville) was PACKED. I arrived 10 minutes after after they opened-yep 5 AM, and the place had about 50 people already there working out. That is crazy. I want to be crazy. I'm working on it!!

Thanks for all of the encouragement.

Motivation

Well, I've been trying to go to the gym every day and work out. I've been trying to eat healthier.

I need some motivation, though. It is so weird. I have this goal (lose weight), I know how to achieve it (exercise, smarter eating), and I even enjoy what it takes to reach the goal (going to the gym). Yet, I don't do it. When my alarm goes off, I talk myself out of getting up. Who in their right mind gets up at 4:30 in the freaking morning to go exercise? That is just crazy.

But then I'm disappointed in myself for not getting up. We usually go to the Y in the afternoon with the kids and I can workout then, but I really want to do it in the morning.

What makes some people just do it? Where do I get the motivation to be one of thoese people? I was at Borders last night looking for a book to help motivate me. All I could find was "diet books" or "exercise books." That's not what I want. Someone should write a book. I would love to be the one to do it because I'd love the money, but then that would take motivation!

Experiment

I've decided to try something new. I'm wearing jewelry to work every day this week.

Let me explain the way it usually goes down-I roll out of bed, shower, put gel in my hair and comb it, then maybe look in the mirror, and then leave for work. It is hard to make yourself look pretty when you have to leave by 6:30am. (sometimes 6:00!!) I truly enjoy my sleeping time.

This week, the only thing I have changed is that I've put on a different pair of earrings and necklace for each day. Well, I did get some new polo shirts, but I don't really think that matters too much; a polo shirt is a polo shirt.

So far this week, I've made $72 more than I did last week at this time and $112 more than the week before that! Do you think it is the jewelry? Do people tend to tip their servers better based on appearance, even such a little change in appearance?

Hmm...

Locked Out!

This morning, Night woke up before my alarm went off (6am) and asked if he could watch tv. I told him that when my alarm went off, I would turn on the tv as long as he went back to bed until then.

He then took his pillow and stuffed animals and laid on the couch in the living room while I got ready.

I then said my good-byes and left out the back door through the den, locking the door behind me. Oops. My keys, which are usually in the side pocket of my purse, were actually hanging on the hook on the inside of the door in the den. NICE.

Luckily, Night was awake, so I just knocked softly, sending the dogs into a uproar and waited for Night to come...and waited....and waited. Finally, I ran to the front of the house, and peeked in the living room window and motioned for him to come unlock the den door.

When he unlocked it for me, I explained that I forgot my keys.

He laughed and said, "Ha! You can't drive without your keys! That'll be ten dollars."

"Whoa. Okay," I said with a smile and reached in my pocket for my pretend ten dollar bill.

"No. I need REAL dollars. You can pay me when you get home. I love you!"



Luckily, I've just convinced him that a REAL dime would be a much better payment than a REAL ten dollar bill since it is worth TEN pennies!

Not a Nerd

As I sat by myself in the middle row of the theater reading my new Harry Potter book, waiting for the Harry Potter movie to begin yesterday, I thought to myself, "Boy, I am such a nerd."

Then I realized I wasn't there at midnight on opening night, so I couldn't be a nerd. (Josh's friend was in town and I decided to let them watch it while I stayed home with the kids.)

And I definitely couldn't be a nerd because I wasn't watching it on I-Max. (It was sold out, even though I showed up an hour early.)

So there-not nerdy at all.

I have to go read now...

The Last Straw

More about waitressing...

I absolutely HATE it when people ask me for a straw-when my hands are full of drinks. Be patient. This usually happens when I have a large party and I'm holding a tray with one hand and passing out drinks with the other.

You'll get your damn straw, and if by chance I happen to forget and I start to walk away, THEN it would be okay to ask for a straw. It is impossible to hand out straws when my hands are full.

I know that it is kind of rude, but my usual response is kind of snotty, "It is in my pocket." I just feel like people need to be TAUGHT that I can't put my hands in my pocket at the same time that I am setting drinks on the table. People also ask me for cream when I'm passing out coffee; I can forgive this one a little more since you can't actually see that I've put it in my pocket, but don't worry-it is there.

Even worse than asking me for a straw when my arms are blatantly full, people sometimes grab straws out of my pocket! Whoa. Besides the obvious fact that my pocket is right in front of my hoo-haw, my money is also in my pocket. Not only do I not want you stealing it, neither do I want it to fall out all over the table and floor.

Who would have guessed straws would cause such a hullabaloo in my daily life??

Roller Derby

I went to the ROLLER DERBY this weekend. It was a blast. I loved it!

Girls dressed in short skirts, fishnet stockings, and roller skates pushing each other down! It was amazing. I would love to be a roller girl, but I'm too much of a pussy.

Check out the link, though. It was so much fun.

Like Father Like Son

Riding in the car, Night asks me, "What does 1 and 1 make?"
"It makes 2."

"WRONG. INCORRECT."

"No, honey, it does make 2."

"It makes ELEVEN, MOM."

Should've known! It wasn't a learning experience for him. It was a chance for him to be a smart-ass.

Happy Sushi Day!!

What did we do to celebrate Independence Day?

We took the family out for sushi, of course! Josh is excited that both kids tried squid, and they enjoyed it.


HPIM1139
Originally uploaded by mari_ickes.


HPIM1140
Originally uploaded by mari_ickes.
I actually had a day off from work, so we went to RU SAN's, where they have a fabulous all you can eat sushi buffet for $9.95. It is tradition to go there on any day that I don't have to work, you know like once a month or so...literally.

Then we went to Target, of course. What is a day out without going to Target? We didn't find any exciting clearance items this trip, but maybe next time! I do think I'm going to go back to get the third season of Charmed. It is on sale for $19.99. I have the first two seasons, so it is time for the third. I'm trying to get through the Shannen Doherty years and move on to Rose...

We then went to the Y. We took the kids swimming. We were hoping to get a workout in, but the daycare closed at 1:00, so we had to decide between sleeping in (till 9:30!!) and going out to eat or getting up early and working out then going for sushi then going back to the Y to swim. Sleep won. Notice skipping sushi was NOT an option!

After the swimming, we came home for a short nap then headed down for the Franklin on the Fourth Festival and fireworks. We had pretty good seats for the fireworks-on top of the (only) parking garage in town. I'm sure the fireworks were beautiful, but Night decided he had to pee about 5 minutes after they started. Good thing we spent that 30 minutes holding our prime seats...

I'm saving the story of the walk home for another time. I'll leave you with this little tid-bit, though...lost dogs are very attracted to our family for some reason!!

I Waited on a Celebrity Today

Tyler Hilton was in town for a singing engagement and came in for breakfast today. And before you ask, he didn't pay the bill, so I don't know if he is a good tipper. His manager or whoever it was that was trying to schmooze him paid the bill, but he did leave a little over 20%, so I was happy.
In person, Tyler is super skinny and had really tall hair. He asked me to suggest a muffin for him, and I offered the double chocolate muffin since everyone loves chocolate (I don't like it, but I'm weird). He scoffed at it (politely), but then he did take me up on my second offer-the traditional yet very yummy blueberry muffin.
Malia and Shauna will be excited to know that when they came in, they sat at the same table he did today. Maybe THAT is why the deficient hostess wouldn't let them sit in my section-the celebrity gods had other plans...

Talk about a Power Trip!

I got home from work yesterday, and Night told me that his dad was in the living room playing Father God.

What?

Apparently, Josh had rented "The Godfather" for the Wii from Blockbuster. Night got his words mixed up...

You Guessed It!

Know what it sounds like when Keira says fork?!

Yep. FUCK.

Bed-Time Rituals

Kathy tagged me, so here goes:

6 weird things I do while getting ready for bed or while I'm sleeping-

1. When I'm tired-I sleep. No rituals or preparation. I sleep, and I get very grumpy if anyone tries to keep me awake.
2. I don't brush my teeth. Yes, I used to be a dental assistant, and yes, I know I should brush my teeth before bed, but I don't.
3. I don't wash my face either. I don't usually wear (much, if any) makeup and my face doesn't get too oily.
4. My son usually tucks me into bed at night. He sometimes tells me Thomas the Train stories that he makes up for me.
5. I like to have a glass of wine before bed. (or a beer or a cocktail that josh makes for me!)
6. I talk in my sleep. A lot of times when Josh comes to bed, he talks to me, and I talk back to him, but I don't know that the conversation happened.

I'm not very exciting, but oh well! I'm not technically tagging anyone, but I would really love for ya'll to write about it, so consider yourself tagged.

What The Fuck?

Why do I find myself disappointed by this assessment?

I rated Josh's blog too (he never updates). He has the same evaluation. My rating was based on the word shit being used one time. Josh's had the word crap once. What does that tell you about our lives? (we have kids, right?)

I think I might write the word fuck a few times and try again. I don't want to be g rated...

Scrambled Eggs...

Last night, Josh and I were sitting in the living room, trying to divy up duties-Keira needed her diaper changed, and we wanted some scrambled egg whites with ham. I then said, "Hey, Night, I have an idea-your dad can change Keira's diaper and you can make the eggs. I'll just sit here and watch tv."
Nights says, "OK!!" and disappears into the kitchen.

He then comes out and says, "Is it okay if the eggs and ham are cold? I'm not allowed to use the stove."
Still thinking he'll never be able to get into the eggs, I said, "Sure. Cold eggs and ham will be fine."
He then comes out with an egg (broken, by the way) in his hand and says he can't reach the plates.

"I'll get the diaper!" I say, as Josh runs into the kitchen to help cook!

Sweet Tea

Here in the South, there is no such thing as regular tea. There is sweet tea, which is pre-sweetened with sugar. There is unsweet tea, which is not pre-sweetened. There is fruit tea, which is made differently in all restaurants, but usually consists of orange juice and sweet tea along with other fruit juices. Then there is hot tea of course.

Being from the North, I would assume that when someone orders "regular tea" (or just tea) they would mean hot tea. Unsweet tea would be called "iced tea," and there is no such thing as "sweet tea."

While living here in Nashville, I have come to know that there is no consistency when it comes to ordering tea. Some people mean sweet tea when they say regular; some mean unsweet; and still some mean hot tea. Nobody ever means fruit tea when they say regular tea, but they do sometimes refer to fruit tea as "tea punch" even though the fruit tea at my restaurant is actually made with ginger ale and is called "ginger tea" rather than "fruit tea" anyway.

I'm a very adaptable person. I can call what I have grown up knowing as "pop" a "coke." No problem. I've started saying "ya'll." It is kind of fun, but if ya'll can't get it figured out, how am I supposed to know what you are referring to when you say "regular tea?"

One more question-what's up with ordering half sweet tea and half unsweet? If you don't like it as sweet as we make it, just order unsweet and sweeten it yourself! There is plenty of sugar on the table!

Pathetic, but the Truth

I have been trying to get up before work in the morning and exercise. Just 20 minutes of exercise shouldn't be too difficult, right?! Well, I just don't do it. In fact, I've been sleeping 10 minutes more rather than getting up at the normal time. I know it is all in my head, and every night before I go to sleep, I psych myself up for getting up earlier. Every morning, though, I find an excuse to hit snooze one more time.

The excuse today? Keira was awake, and I wanted her to fall back asleep. Since we only have one bathroom, and it is in between our bedrooms, I didn't want to encourage her to be awake by going to the bathroom. I certainly can't exercise before peeing in the morning. SNOOZE.

Of course, I did find 3 minutes to write this post before work...

On to My Next RESTAURANT Rant...

Today I came home from work a little annoyed.

We have this little rule that if your full party is not at the restaurant when it is time to sit down, you cannot have a table. Yes, I realize this is very inconvenient for those of you who ARE at the restaurant waiting for a table. A very convenient way to get around this little rule is to be willing to order for the missing person. This will make everyone happy. As the person who is normally the last to arrive at little shindigs, I can appreciate the need to order my food ahead of time. I have a phone; I'd be happy to tell you what I want. This rule only applies to tables when we are on a wait. It is just rude to be a place-holder when there are other people who are willing to order food, eat, pay, and get out while you are just sitting there.

Here is a story about some pushy old women who bullied the hostess into letting them sit down at my table without the rest of their party:

I am what is known as the "opener" at my restaurant. I come into the restaurant about 1/2 hour before we open and I get all the stuff ready. I make tea; I cut lemons; I make coffee; I make back up coffee, lemons, and tea; I get silverware ready; I basically do a lot of shit that everyone else assumes just magically appears. I like being an opener because as soon as our waiting list disappears (and there are plenty of tables available to make sure we don't have to go back on a wait), I get to leave.

I, however, did NOT get to leave as soon as our wait was over today, due to these pushy old women-women who knew the rule and thought themselves above the rule, making my life a little bit miserable. The women sat down, with 3 other sets of silverware at the table. Knowing the rule, I kind of assumed the other women were either in the bathroom (we like to go in groups you know) or next door at the little shop. The women then ordered an appetizer to tide them over "until the others arrive". Whoa.

I took the order and got drinks then asked the hostess if she knew where the rest of the group was. She told me that they would be along in about 20 minutes, but one of the women was diabetic and NEEDED to eat. Now, I am NOT diabetic and don't really know too much about it, but I always thought orange juice was a good thing to tide you over-not spinach and artichoke dip. I was a little peeved at this point, but not too peeved. Normally, the main goal during lunch is to feed the customer and get them out in order to get the next customers to the table. I'm not saying that I rush people, but I do need to 'flip' the table in order to make some money. I'm not being greedy. I'm paying rent.

It was, however, close to time for the wait to be over, so I knew this would be the last set of people to sit at this particular table for the day. It is not that big of a deal because I could do my closing duties while the people finished eating, in theory. In reality, I did NOT finish my closing duties while the people finished eating. What did happen was 2 of the 3 people they were waiting for showed up and finished eating while I finished my closing duties. Then, as I am ready to drop off the check and go home, the last person shows up and orders, half an hour after I was FINISHED TAKING CUSTOMERS.

I then had to wait about a 45 minutes while the women chatted, all so I could collect their $4 tip and clean their table. I'm not saying that I don't appreciate the $4, so don't go getting all upset about that. I'm saying that I should not have been the one with this table. They should have waited until that last women arrived. When I again commented on the fact that the women were so late, the hostess just told me that we were almost off the wait by the time they sat down so other people weren't waiting for the table. THAT, was the point, though, wasn't it? We were off the wait so I shouldn't have had the table.

I was at work for over 8 hours today-on my feet running around for most of it. I was tired and just wanted to go home and be with my family. I'm not blaming all of my irritability on the pushy old women, just some of it. The hostess really shouldn't have picked an opener for these particular people, but I think that people who do take a long time at a table should compensate the waiter for their time. My time with my family is worth more than the $4 that the women left.

A few weeks ago, a fellow server had an even worse experience with this than I did today. Two ladies came into our restaurant at 9:30 in the morning. They left the restaurant at 4:00 in the afternoon. They left her $6. Even if you figure that table would have only 'flipped' once an hour and she would have only received $2 per table, she missed out on at least $12. $2 per table per hour is lousy, but that would've been twice as good as those two women!

I don't want ya'll to think that all I think about is money and the only reason I do what I do is for the cash. It isn't. I truly enjoy my job and have CHOSEN to be a server rather than any other profession. It isn't something I do because I'm too dumb to do anything else (I have a bachelors degree) or I can't get any other job. I enjoy working as a server. I would much rather wait on a nice and fun customer who tips normally (normal is at least fifteen percent, people) than a rude uppity customer who tips better.

But if you put it into terms of other occupations, when you go to work, you expect to get paid, right? How many of you would like to go to work one day and earn quite a bit less, just because someone felt like taking longer and not compensating you for it? If you take an abnormally long time at a restaurant, especially during busy times, please tip your server. We don't mind if you sit around and have a good time; we like it-that means you are happy and will return to the restaurant. We do mind, though, if it keeps us from paying bills!

Scratchy Kid

Last night, I was reading a book to the kids before Keira went to bed. It was about a mother zebra who was trying to get her baby zebra to go to sleep. To calm the baby, the mom licked the baby behind the the ears.

When I asked Night if I could lick behind his ears, he told me the I could not. He then said that I needed to find a soft kid to lick behind the ears. I asked him if he was soft, and he told me no-he is a scratchy kid.

Restaurant Etiquette

A while ago, there was a little discussion about being polite to servers. Since I spend A LOT of time in restaurants (okay-just seven days a week), I thought I might be a bit of an expert on the subject.

Being observant as I am (Josh is laughing out loud), I have come to notice that being polite to the server from the eyes of a customer is oh so different than from the eyes of a server. Since I don't think a lot of people are rude on purpose, I just want to let people, in general, know what I think is rude to me, your server.

I don't give a flying leap if you say please and thank you when you ask me for your food etc. I do, however, think it is extremely rude to tell me that you are ready to order then proceed to make me wait until you decide what you want. Here's my suggestion-are you ready to order? Then order. Not ready to order? Tell me that you aren't ready to order. I'll be back; I promise.

I find that a lot of times, the people who waste my time are the same ones that complain about their food taking too long to get to the table. How rude is that? By making me wait at their table while they decided what to order, they have slowed down my service to other customers, and ultimately to themselves.

In that three to five minutes that I stood in front of them I could've been: getting drinks for other people, taking food out of the kitchen, cleaning tables, getting desserts, getting take-out boxes, putting food orders into the computer, or collecting/returning money.

I'm not saying that I don't want to help you decide what to order if you need help; I am quite happy to give advice or explain the menu better. I just think it is stupid for customers to tell me they are ready then read silently in front of me for three minutes-or worse yet-have a conversation with each other while I'm waiting, but that rant is for another time...

If I don't stop now, this post will go on forever. Stay tuned for more helpful hints in making your (and my) dining experience better!

Are they Serious?

I just finished watching part of Wife Swap. Are they serious? They always have such STRONG personalities on that show-the one woman is a slave to her husband; the other man is a slave to his wife. Each person thinks the others' lives are despicable.

I just wonder how much of it is made for tv and how much of it is real.

Have you Seen This?

Wow! I don't have one of those fancy "electric locks" on either of my vehicles (actually, one of them got broken into about 4 years ago and doesn't even HAVE a lock...), so I can't try it out, but it is neat. and kinda scary!!

TV Upgrade How My Stupidity Got us A Big-Ass TV

Remember our wonderful garage sale find-the tv that doubled as a snooze button?!

Well, about a month ago, the tv took over 2 hours to turn on-after Josh spent pretty much the whole 2 hours pushing the on button because it kept turning itself off. After that, we didn't turn it off at all. You would think this would cut into the snooze time, but actually, if we left it on a cartoon channel, Josh could snooze for hours instead of minutes! (I'm always at work, so I don't get to snooze!) Yes, we are good parents like that.

Anyway, Tuesday when I left for work, the tv was on. When I got home, it was OFF. Josh's theory is that one of the cats stepped on the remote and turned it off. My theory is that it is an old tv and was tired of being on all the time. So, every 3-4 minutes or so, Josh would say, "TV" and Night would go and push the power button, to no avail. This, apparently had been going on all day. Neither boy would give up. Feeling sorry for them, I said we could look into getting a new one.

We got on-line to CraigsList and looked for some tvs for sale to decide if it would be better to buy a new one or a used one. First, I saw one for free! Yay! I called, and missed it by about 10 minutes. Someone else had called first, but she would call me back if they didn't show up. I looked at LOTS of different offers. Then, I saw a 27" tv for $50. I called him and asked him about it. He told me it was about 10 years old, but that it worked really well. Thinking I could get a better deal, I asked him if he'd take $20 less for it since it was so old. Sure! Great. Of course, when I was thinking about the tv, I thought it was advertised at $100, not $50, so I talked him UP to $80. Oops. So, I was all cocky when I came in and told Josh to get ready because we were gong to get a tv for $80! This is when he pointed out my stupidity....

Well, neither one of us wanted to call the guy back and tell him we wanted to pay $30 (or even $50), not $80, so we didn't get the tv. I looked on CraigsList a few hours later, and saw a 52" flat screen (theater screen) for TWO HUNDRED BUCKS! The guy was moving and didn't want to take the tv with him. So, there you have it-we got a big-ass tv for $200 bucks instead of a big tv for $50 or $80 or $30. It took some finagling to get it home, but now we have it, and my WII is awesome on it!!

104 Things About Me

Updated in purple 5/30/07

1.I have a son, born 3/12/03. (Connor Night)
2.I have a daughter, born 9/18/05. (Keira Bryce)
3.I married the best man in the world on 7/1/00. (Josh)
4.We got married less than 5 months after meeting.
5.I used to be a school teacher.
6.I am used to be a dental assistant 4 days a week.
7.I am a waitress 2 7 days a week.
8..I absolutely LOVE HATE my ex-boss (Dentist).
9.I have a 2 dogs.
10.I have two cats.
11.I was an exchange student in Australia for 1 year when I was in high school.
12.I've been back twice.
13.I've been to Costa Rica, Guatemala, and India-all on missions trips when I was in school.
14.I haven't been on an airplane since my "honeymoon" in October 2000.
15. I am an ex-Christian, by choice, not because I'm lazy or anything.
16. But I am lazy.
17. I love to play poker online.
18. I have a lomography camera.
19. I don't have any friends in the state I live in, which is currently Tennessee.
20. I've lived in Arizona, Texas (I think, but I was too little to remember), Michigan, Ohio, Tennessee, Colorado, Indiana, and now back in Tennessee.
21.For the first time ever, I kind of feel like staying put for awhile (unless I was offered a permanent stay in Australia).
22.I love like Rachael Ray.
23.I love to read.
24.I keep a book in my purse at all times-you never know when you'll get a couple of minutes of downtime.
25.I love to watch movies, but I don't get to do it very often.
26.My husband (and I, but mostly him) owns more DVDs than I can even guestimate a number. Maybe 1000?
27.He is a stay-at-home-father-soon-to-be-director.
28.He tells me I couldn't be a stay-at-home-mother. I think he is right.
29.My husband tells me he loves me at least five times a day.
30.I love to watch 24.
31.I love to watch Charmed.
32.I love to watch Big Love.
33.and Buffy the Vampire Slayer.
34.and X-Files
35.and CSI.
36.I usually watch them on DVD rather than on tv.
37.I would like to be a scrapbooker.
38.My son makes me laugh everyday. and my daughter does too!
39.He makes me yell everyday too. and my daughter does too!
40.My daughter makes me smile everyday, soon she'll probably make me laugh everyday too.
41.I'm cheap thrifty.
42.I am not really very opinionated.
43.When in Australia, I was given the nickname "?" (with a nametag) because I blend into the crowd so much.
44.I'm very easygoing.
45.I don't get mad very easily, but I do get frustrated and irritable.
46.I take zoloft.
47.I am a very happy person, though.
48.If I could, I would travel ALL the time.
49.We haven't left the state since we moved here 2 1/2 years ago. We went to Texas!
50.We've barely left the Nashville area.
51.I love ice cream.
52.I need to lose weight.
53.I've lost 5lbs recently.
54.I don't want my children to grow up to be fat.
55.We try to go for walks every day.
56.Josh was my only "real" boyfriend.
57.I would be lost without him.
58.I am the youngest of 5 kids, well 7, but I've never met 2 of my half-brothers.
59.I hardly ever see any of my family.
60.Josh is an only child.
61.His parents come down to see us about once a month.
62.We are a one-car family. Update: we now have an Xterra along with jeep!!
63.We moved into a house in February (rental).
64.It is the first house we have lived in together.
65.We live in Franklin, Tennessee, which is very close to Nashville.
66.I love the Dixie Chicks.
67.I don't have a radio in my jeep.
68.My husband and I send text messages to each other all day.
69.I would like to do pilates, but I don't have take the time.
70.I hate sweeping. I don't do it. Josh sweeps almost everyday (refer to #s 9 and 10).
71.I don't like chocolate flavored things.
72.I do like chocolate, though.
73.I hate making small talk. I'm no good at it. (refer to #19)
74.I wish I did have some friends here (other than my husband).
75.I like to play The Sims, although I haven't for awhile.
76.I like to play Nintendo games with Mario as the character. Josh is always Mario. I am usually Toad, or Toadette, or Yoshi. The princess annoys me. I LOVE MY NEW WII!
77.I own one dress. I haven't worn it since I bought it 2 16? months ago. Nope-still haven't worn it!
78.I don't wear makeup very often.
79.I sometimes get in a "girly" mood, though.
80.I dye my hair red.
81.I have a few gray hairs, despite what my husband tells me.
82.My mom has had a full head of gray hair since I was born. She was 32.
83.I don't mind having gray hairs, but I don't want to have brown hair, so I have to dye it.
84.I blog while I'm at work. I can't blog while waiting tables at work!!
85.I feel kind of guilty when I blog at home.
86.I have a daisy chain tatoo on my toe. It looks like a toering.
87.I love daisies, but I don't get them very often.
88.I had a daisy bouquet at my wedding that my mom got for me.
89.Our SIMPLE wedding was planned by Josh's parents. We just showed up for it.
90.I am now embarrassed that I went to Christian high school and college.
91.I feel like I missed out a lot on life.
92.I'm two and a half years older than my husband.
93.I'm almost 30 31. He turns 27 tomorrow 28 soon.
94.I never used to swear-until about a year ago. Now I do sometimes, especially during MarioKart.
95.I'm very competitive-as long as it is something I'm good at.
96.I am addicted to caffeine.
97.I've been skydiving-twice.
98.I am NOT a night person, although I wish I were.
99.I love GREASE.
100.I love The Gilmore Girls.
101.I change into my pajamas almost as soon as I get home.
102.I wear scrubs to work, so I am basically in pajamas anyway, but I still change.
103.I iron my scrubs every morning. I'm SUPPOSED to iron my polo shirts, but I don't.
104.I used to be a wide-load sign driver.

It's Mario Party 8 Day!!

This was my greeting this morning! Night was pretty excited. Mario Party 8 for the Wii just came out today-we had it on reserve, and I picked it up from the mall this afternoon after work. It is amazing-fun! I'd tell you more about it, but I have to go play it now!!

Just Wondering

If you are trying to watch what you eat, and your 19 month old daughter shoves some kind of sugary cereal into your mouth while you are trying to sleep, do the calories count?

Hongo

One of the Spanish speaking workers at my restaurant wanted me to order an omelet for her. Since my Spanish kinda sucks and her English kinda sucks, she wrote it out for me to decipher. The omelet that she wanted had mushrooms in it, but she didn't want the mushrooms; instead she wanted chicken. She wrote, "No hongos, sub pollo." I understood everything but "hongos."

Thinking she would be able to help me with her English, she said that she didn't want fungus. Instead, she wanted chicken. Apparently hongo means both mushrooms and fungus, so when I was picturing mold or foot fungus, she was picturing mushrooms! Don't worry, we'll hold the fungus this time.

From the Wii

I'm currently blogging from my wii-tv internet connection. How cool is that?!

Actually, it is kind of annoying because I don't have a keyboard. I'm using thre remote (wiimote) to aim at the keyboard on the screen. Maybe this will help develop my skillz!

The other problem is the slow internet connection. I don't know if I should blame the wii or comcast. I can forgive the wii because it is neat-o, but if comcast loses my connection before I post this... well I wouldn't surprised!

Exuse me, I've gotta go get knocked out in boxing. My 4 year old is scary-good!

Mine is Up

Raise your hand if Lost made you cry... and left you even more confused than before!

The Nintendo Wii

For Mother's Day, we got the Nintendo Wii. Yes, it was a gift for me, not just for the boys. The Wiis are very difficult to find, so we ended up getting one from someone off of Craig's List. He knows one of the stockers at Walmart, so he got one that way. He earned himself an extra $45 for his contact, but it was worth it! He gave us a receipt, so we are covered if there are any problems.

Oh my god, this game system is so fun!!
First of all, we had to make our little mii. It is kind of like the Sims, where you get to make the individual hair color, facial features, even height. We made one for each of the family members-too bad they don't have mii-pets, though. My little mii has freckles. She is adorable. Having your mii allows you to save all of your game progress individually, so if I am at a different stage of a game than Josh is, I can go straight to my section. Very cool.


We have "Wii Sports" and play boxing, tennis (my current favorite), bowling, golf, and baseball. It turns out I am good at sports! I knocked out Josh in the first round of boxing!! Of course, Night knocked us both out too...

We have "Wi Play" which has table tennis and some crazy games that I can't even describe.

Josh has a game to0, but I don't remember what it is called. It has shooting, clawing, and stabbing!

Our newest game is "WarioWare" and it has lots of crazy mini-games that you play-they are all really stupid but they are really addictive and fun!

I think the best part of the wii is how physical it is-boxing wears me out! I love the exercise, though, and I love that the whole family can get into it.

I just really enjoy my new wii (that sounds dirty!) and think everyone should get one too!! (no, I wasn't paid to say this-I just really like it. I know my review sounds cheesy, but I don't care. Well, I care a little bit... Just get the wii!!)

The One in which I Respond

Kat recently wrote a post about waitresses, and I've been meaning to respond to A. Wilson (read the comments under the post.) I just don't quite know how to put all my thoughts into words, but here goes...

Wtf? You were saying that the mere fact that I am a server shows you that I haven't chosen the right path and I have let opportunities pass me by? You were inferring that my being a server somehow makes me less educated than yourself, and that if you were given my opportunities, you would have a better life? Well, if I were saying that someone wasn't as smart as me, I would certainly make sure I had my grammar correct; yours was atrocious!

Even though I am just a server, I am in fact very well educated; I went to a reputable college and have tried out a few careers. The truth is, I enjoy being a server, and it is actually better for me and my family than being a teacher or dental assistant . It provides adequate income and incredible flexibility. One of the greatest things about being a server is that my occupation doesn't get in the way of my family (and I get to have a nose ring...).

More important than making money is being happy. Don't get me wrong-making lots of money helps in the happiness department, but so many other things influence happiness. The jobs that I work now make me happy, which proves that I have taken opportunities that fulfill me. How sad that people look down on careers that seem "lower-grade" to them because I am actually much happier in this career, perhaps happier than your "upper-grade" occupation makes you.

Lost in Translation?

Just in case you are ever babysitting for my kids, I want to make sure you know that when Keira says "MA-KNEE-MA-KNEE," she wants a banana. Normally, Night would be able to translate for you, but he would tell you that she wants a BYE-ANNA, so I guess that wouldn't be much help!

Potty Training Gone Wrong

So, I was at work (weekday restaurant) this afternoon cleaning up. The restaurant was still open, but I was finished with tables, so I was kind of incognito as I stuffed sugar into the little caddies on the table.

I see a little boy, maybe 3 years old, doing a little "potty dance," and then I hear the mother ask if he needs to go "potty." The boy says no. Then the mother says, (and I kid you not) "Do you need to go out in the grass?" He says yes and she swoops him up and out the front door. Surely I didn't hear her correctly. I look out the window, and sure enough, the little boy is peeing in our grassy area ON THE SIDEWALK IN FRONT OF OUR RESTAURANT! When he finished, she just brought him back in and went back to whatever she was doing.

wtf??

I guess if that is the only way to keep your child from soiling himself, more power to you, but wouldn't it have been better to at least try to get out by the parking lot or something? Very strange.

By the way, the restaurant is in Brentwood, so you would think the patrons would be a little more classy...

Proof that I am OLD

The other day when I came home from work, Josh was sitting at his computer (where else?!), and Night was beside him. Josh had his hands over Night's eyes. He pulled me over to the computer and asked if I heard anything. I said, "No!" He asked Night, who in turn giggled and said, "Yes!" He then clicked the pause button and asked again. Amazingly, Night said, "No," even though his eyes were still covered. We did this for about 3 minutes with Night getting the answers correct every time.

I thought my son was some kind of super-human genius kid or something, until I read this! It is a ringtone that only young people can hear. You can download the ringtone here, but be careful if you have kids or animals around!!

Apparently, kids having been taking their cell phones to school and getting past the teachers with them! So weird and so cool! I just wish that I could hear it. I seriously would've thought it was all a hoax if I didn't have kids around to test it!

No, we didn't entertain ourselves by playing it and watching them run around with their hands over their ears. That would be cruel...

I'm an Adult

Look what we found on sale!! $300 bucks. Not bad at all. I even took a video of our first vacuuming. You have no idea how badly we needed this vacuum!

Isn't it Ironic?

Fed up with our Comcast internet connection (or lack thereof!), we decided to try Bellsouth's new promotion, which offers home phone service, high speed internet, and direct tv. I went on-line to order it, and the order didn't go through because my internet connection got lost. Coincidence or BIG BROTHER?

I'd call and get it set up, but our Cricket phones don't get reception at the house, thus the need for home phone service. What a conundrum...


Wonder if the internet will let me post this...