My Hermit Crab Died & My Dog Ran Away....

The title basically sums it up. My hermit crab died and my dog ran away. Luke got hermit crabs for his birthday and our favorite one, Blue died. Who knew I;d be sad over a freaking hermit crab dying. Blue was a pretty blue color and was the most active one of the bunch. Most of the others are nocturnal, so the boys usually get to see them when they're sleeping...if they're not buried.

Last week we rescued a dog from a high kill shelter. She was due to be euthanized the next day. She was a gorgeous Labradoodle. She came from a "breeder." He dumped 9 dogs off at once. All but 3 were adopted when we got there. We decided to name her Princess Bella since she was so pretty. She had never been around people and was terrified the first day. After a couple of days, she started to come around. She was happiest in our back yard. She'd prance around...it was funny to watch. In the house she was a totally different dog. She wouldn't even walk in the house. I let her stay outside while we went to a reunion. When we came come she had knocked down one of the planks on our privacy fence and was gone. :( We have searched for days, combed the shelters, and put up signs. Our Bella is gone. The only thing that gives me a little comfort is that we bought her a little extra time. Hopefully someone has found her and is loving her.

I've realized that hermit crabs can be very fragile. We won't be getting any more. Hopefully the ones we have will outlive us. I've also realized that I miss having a dog in the house. I really miss my old Cocker Spaniel, Smokey. I wish I could have cloned him. He was awesome...half blind, mostly deaf, with arthritis, but he was awesome. Since Thomas' allergies were okay with Bella, we're looking for a Poodle to rescue. After seeing Bella's broken spirit, I won't be buying from a breeder.

I do have one reason to happy dance....Luke is peeing in the potty! Yeeeeehawwww!!!!

Not another acronym

I seriously don't think I can handle another acronym. I haven't been blogging lately because I've been too busy being a parent. Today I spoke with my son's pediatrician about some test results that we received. She, along with a couple of other doctors have suggested some genetic testing to test for a chromosomal disorder. She told me the name of the disorder, but didn't go into any details about it. We decided to hold of until the next visit, which is in 2 weeks. When I came home my OCD got the best of me. Of course I googled it. When I realized what the disorder entailed my heart sank into the bottom of my stomach. I thought I was overwhelmed with the diagnosis of SPD, LPD, and ADHD. Those pale in comparison to this new set of letters. I've decided to keep it a secret until we have the test. My sweet boy has so many people that love him. There's no need for me to put them through undue stress over the possibility of him having yet another disorder. My husband doesn't even know. I've decided that after I write this blog, I won't think about the possibilities for the next 2 weeks, until I speak to the doctor again.

Thomas is amazing. He doesn't let anything keep him from what he loves. He's all that I've ever wanted to be. You know that song, "I Hope You Dance" by Lee Ann Womack? Well, Thomas dances. He loves the world, and he loves life, and oh yeah, he loves Thomas. :) He's so smart. Too smart actually. He had an evaluation with a psychologist and did horrible on his IQ test. He was too busy Sensory Seeking and thinking about Thomas and Percy to sit still long enough to organize the shrinks stupid blocks. He tested highly superior on the Academic Achievement test, 2 years above his actual age. On paper my boy can confuse the hell out of the best of them. :)

Thomas started soccer yesterday. He kicked ass. I was so proud of him. You have to imagine a bunch of 4 year olds with only 1 practice under their belts playing and actual soccer game. Thomas isn't as aggressive as some of the other kids, but he was doing his thing, exercising and having fun. Poor Luke wanted to play so bad. He kept running onto the field into my DH's arms. DH was coaching with Luke on his hip. The game was a total mess, but it was a success. I came home and tried to find some extracurricular activity for Luke to participate in but he's too young for everything. He practices soccer up and down the hallway. By the time he's old enough for Soccer he'll be a pro. :)

The boys go to Pre-School open house tomorrow. It will be old hat for Thomas, but Luke is so excited. He's been ready for school for almost a year now. Last year he'd cry every time we dropped Thomas at school because he wanted to stay. We had a big talk about it tonight. Well, the talk was as big as a talk could be with an almost 3 year old. He went to bed like a big boy, ready to meet his teacher tomorrow. I just can't wait for him to venture off to Preschool.

The Democratic Convention was on tonight. Ted Kennedy amazed me. Growing up in the south, I never thought I'd see a 76 year old white man so passionate about having a black man elected president. Michele Obama speech was awesome. As a biracial woman with black sons, seeing Obama come this far means so much. When I see him, I see my sons. I feel proud.

Joe Cocker at Woodstock

This is seriously the funniest shit I have seen in a long time. I'd like to dedicate this to my Mom, and her love for Joe Cocker's twitchy ass. "Joe Cocker, "With a Little Help From My Friends." Woodstock, 1969. Closed captioned for the clear-headed."

A Significant Disposable

When Luke was born his little arm was broken, snapped like a twig. 2 1/2 years later I'm still mad and could spit fire at the doctor and her over inflated ego. He was jaundiced pretty bad from the bruising and had to spend time in the NICU. When we visited him we had to scrub in, and used these little disposable surgical brushes. That NICU must have gone through a hundred every day. I methodically scrubbed my hands and forearms and threw the brush away. I haven't seen or thought about those little brushes for over 2 years.

Thomas seemed to be regressing with his SPD. His teacher and I both noticed it. I'd seen it over about a 10 day span. Him just progressively getting worse. Smashing and crashing. Growling, stomping, the usual SPD stuff. I wanted OT to work so badly and was worried that it wasn't. I spoke to his OT and she suggested the Wilbarger Technique. I think it's officially called "The Wilbarger Deep Pressure and Proprioceptive Technique" or DPPT, but I call it brushing.

Wilbarger's is based on the theory that the skin is out largest organ, and when it's working well, you interact with your surroundings more efficiently. It kinda improves your Chi. The technique involves a deep pressure "brushing" of the arms, legs, and back; along with light joint compression. The outcome is supposed to be improved attention and focus, improved transition problems, increased nervous systems health, reduced emotional outbursts, improved tolerance levels, and increased self regulation and calming. You do it at 2 hour intervals throughout the day and it takes just a few minutes.

I am hands down, a "glass is have empty" person. Honestly, I see the glass half empty and leaking; so needless to say I wasn't too sure that brushing would work. Being a "Sensory Mom" I'm willing to give anything a try, especially something so easy. Thomas was very receptive to it. It was instantly calming. His behavior improved, along with major sensory improvements. He ate a ham and cheese sandwich (if you have a child with feeding issues, you know this can be huge) AND willingly got a haircut. He didn't squirm or cry. This is the same kid that literally RAN out of the the salon 4 months ago.

Brushing has become part of our daily routine and it's worked so well for us. There has been a significant change in my son's behavior, all due to a disposable scrub brush.

I can't keep up.

Man, have we been a busy family. I swear I can't keep up any more. I have to keep 2 calenders to stay organized, and I can't remember anything.

Thomas has been going to therapy twice a week. OT and Speech Therapy. He's in love with this his Speech Therapist. He did a feeding evaluation last week. I'm interested in what the outcome of that may be. This week I decided to throw a Psychologist into the mix. As if the therapy wasn't enough. Lord, I hope I'm not messing my kid up with all of these professionals. I kinda feel like I'm damned if I do and damned if I don't. It's hard to know what's best for your kids. So far his psychologist seems to think that Thomas may be frustrated because he's a smartie with a learning disability. He goes later this month for some testing/evaluations. I wouldn't put him through it if he didn't love it. The kids loves the intelligence tests. I have a nervous breakdown over any kind of test, but my kid thrives on it...go figure. We've also started brushing therapy. It seems to help with the sensory issues a bit, but those brushes are so freaking hard to keep up with. I've lost it 10 times in 5 days. I think I'll invest in a box of them. eBay, here I come!

Mr. Luke has been a typical 2 year old...getting into everything and anything. He's so fun, when I'm not chasing him. His new thing is being "BIG." He'll climb on something tall and get the funniest look on his face and say, "Mommy, I'm big!" He spreads his little arms and is just so grandiose. He decided to get in on the therapy train. He has to go for a few sessions of PT. Thankfully, it's only temporary. He's got flat little feet and needs to wear inserts in his shoes to correct it.

Daddy had hernia surgery and was home with us for 2 weeks. It was hard, like having a third child. We loved having him home with us. I think he appreciates my job as a Stay Home Mom now. He's seen what my days are like, and respects it a little more. I'm going to miss him when he goes back to work in the morning.

I'm hurting. I don't think I've been getting enough sleep. My fibromyalgia is in full swing. My hands and feet are killing me, especially the feet. At least their cute. I'm thankful that they don't look like sore feet. You know you seen feet and thought, "They have to hurt." ;-)



The picture above is of the boys playing in the bubbles at Artsplosure back in May. We had a blast checking out the crafts, people watching, and jamming with the bands. The boys really liked the music and were out dancing in front of the crowd. I hope they dance like that forever. I never had it in me to dance like that.

Today we went to Hill Ridge Farms. Daddy and I wanted to do something special before he went back to work. It was so nice, all of us had fun. We rode the train, fed the fish and farm animals, and panned for gemstones. Luke was amazed by the animals and Thomas was so excited by the train that he couldn't stop yelling "All Aboard" and "Choo Chooo!" That place was really awesome. We'll definitely be going back. Luke went down the 80 foot slide 3 times. My sweet 33 pounder was definitely too big today. I would post pictures, but my 2 year old was busy being two while we were panning for gemstones. He tried to pan my camera in the water and it died.



Today I'm happy, sore and tired, but happy.

Sensory Overload Simulation

This is what Thomas goes through during a sensory overload. Sometimes he's a sensory seeker; other times he gets overloaded by things that he can't control.

Halfrican

Mulatto Pride!! I am soooo just kidding. That image was just too hilarius for me to pass up.

I was reading an article in our local paper entitled "What Does It Mean To Be Biracial." Being biracial, it certainly caught my eye. The article mentioned how Julie Banderas of Fox News and Rush Limbaugh have referred to Barack Obama as Halfrican. Considering the source, I shouldn't be upset my it.

BUT it takes me back to 1981 as a first grader, swing on the monkey bars at good old Henry Adams Elementary School. This little black boy asked, "What are you?" another kid chimed in..."She's a zebra!" I was pissed then, and I'm pissed now. First, why should my race concern anyone? Do you have to know if I'm black or white to determine if you want to play with me on the monkey bars? Well, back then in the south I guess you did. My black heritage wouldn't have been welcome at every one's dinner table. So here I sit 27 years later, pissed off all over again at that mean little boy only now his skinny little black body has Rush Limbaugh's face on it.

Just for shits and giggles here are a few offensive names I've encountered because of my race: Mulatto, Mulatress (believe it,) Nigress (I swear I'm not lying), Swirl, Zebra, White Girl, Issue Child (as in Is you black or is you white?), and colored. All of these names make my skin crawl. Mixed isn't quite as bad, but I really prefer biracial or multiracial. How funny is it that I've been called a Nigress and a White Girl? I guess I'm too black or too white for some people!

Finding Bless

I'm feeling a little better now. I'm going to find a little bit of Lioness this weekend in Myrtle Beach. I have vowed to have a stress free weekend. I am completely overwhelmed with my life and responsibilities right now; and Lord I am so tired. Having Dory's short term memory loss doesn't help things. I wish I had her optimism and her free spirit. Maybe that's what I lost.

Lost.

I may as well be on the island with the Lost-Aways and the Others. I am Lost. Well, Lioness is Lost. For the most part she's gone. She's been taken over by Mama Lion. Everything I do revolves around my kids. I mean EVERYTHING. I don't have anything in my life that's just me. You might say that's part of being a Mom. It's not. When a woman decides to become a Mother she doesn't sign away her whole life. I have. You can take it as bitching and moaning or not. I am a point where I really don't care how people take me.

Thomas has special needs. I am finally getting him help. I've been screaming for help from his doctors for over 2 years. Unfortunately their egos are a lot bigger than their brains. I met 2 angels last week by the names of Cindy and Judy. They have offered their services to help my son become all that he can be. He's going to go to therapy twice a week. He's gifted, he's a sensory seeker, he has language processing disorder, he's loud, he needs tubes again, he touches everything and everybody, and thank God he has a huge heart....he's sweet.

Luke is 2. He runs, he sings, he crawls under chairs in waiting rooms, he kisses everyone, and wants to count your toes (even if you are a total stranger.) He's a tough little guy, often the victim of his brother's squishes. And oh, yeah....not he's not potty trained yet. Actually, I'm not even trying to potty train him right now. If you have a problem with it, by all means jump into my shoes for a good day. Hell, I'll give you 1/2 of a day.

I'm tired and I hurt. I have fibromyalgia an chronic back pain. My hands are full, along with my pockets and my purse. That cute, confident chic that was Lioness is gone. Hopefully she'll be back soon.

My husband? He's at work. Do you blame him??? Me either.

He's 4.

My baby is 4. We celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese. Thomas didn't have a clue where his party was until he was in the parking lot. It was a total surprise. He realized we were at Chuck E. Cheese the same time he saw Wilma and her crew. He was ecstatic. He loooooooves Chuck E. Cheese. He can run buck wild and scream at the top of his lungs, frantically playing games and then eat pizza. He got tons of great gifts and got to party it up with his buddies. What could be better?? I can't believe Thomas is 4. I say it out loud and it still doesn't hit me.

Yo! Gabba Gabba Party In My Tummy

There's a party in tummy, so yummy, so yummy!

A Milestone Day

I love Wikipedia. They have the best definition of a Milestone:

"A milestone or kilometre sign is one of a series of numbered markers placed along a road at regular intervals, typically at the side of the road or in a median. Milestones are constructed both to reassure the traveller that the proper path is being followed and to indicate distance travelled, or the remaining distance to the desired destination..."

Yesterday was a Milestone day for our family, Thomas in particular. Thomas has sensory issues. Some kids have major issues, some not so much. Thomas is in the middle. He's what they call a "sensory seeker." I hate labels but it really does describe him. Basically he craves sensations. (No wonder he had NO problems hopping on every ride at the State Fair.) He likes to play in water and goo. He'd be perfectly happy bare naked in a pool of Nickelodeon Slime. Thomas' smart. He knows how to get to his Daddy's job across town and his best buddy's house 18 miles away. His mind is always hungry for brain food. He can be hard to keep up with sometimes. He wants to touch everything, be on the floor and feel the carpet or hardwood, slide across it, stomp his bare feet on it. He's very touchy feely with everything and everybody, plus he's as big as an average 6-7 year old and he'll be 4 next month. He needs space, he's going to take it and then a little more. Thankfully he has the best disposition and loves life and people. He's going to be a big teddy bear one day. I guess that makes him a baby big teddy bear.

Another part of his sensory deal regards food. He's had a rough relationship with food. He can't stand certain textures in his mouth. He doesn't like anything with a lot of texture of any kid. Pasta is great because it's smooth...rice, not so great because it's too "bumpy." He couldn't eat a spoon full of peas to save his life. Corn on the cob was out of the question. No grits, or oatmeal. No ground meat. Some chicken is okay. Unfortunately processed meat is fine...it's smooth texture works. His tonsils and adenoids were 4 times "normal" size. With his physical problem and his aversion to certain textures in his mouth he had a superpower that allowed him projectile vomit on a whim. Trust me when I tell you, it happened so much I became almost numb to it, even in public. I'd clean up and our family would go on with our meal. We stopped eating out so much and when we did, we'd only let him have "safe" foods. His tonsils and adenoids have been removed and that helped with a lot of the vomiting, but he still had the texture issue. Over time he stopped eating most veggies. I'd sneak them in juice and sauces, but he wasn't getting enough, plus he's been eating too much processed foods. He does love tomato soup. He calls it "Granny Soup" because he would eat it with my Mom.

We went to the grocery store the other day and I told him to pick out some veggies. (I still try to get him to voluntarily eat them when I can, even though he hasn't touched a real vegetable in over a year.) He chose a can or Corn and a can of Sweet Peas. He was excited about it. I wasn't so sure. Yesterday he had one of those crazy expensive frozen kids meals with chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, corn, and pudding. HE ATE THE CORN!!! ALL OF IT!!! I was so proud of him and he was proud of himself. It was a good feeling. Last night I wanted all of us to sit down to dinner. We haven't sat down for a while because someone has been sick in our house for the past 2 weeks. I made baked chicken nuggets, mac and cheese, and peas. I figured that everyone could find something that they liked. I made the obligatory move of putting peas on the kids plates. Luke is sick and opted to play with his food and eat Saltines. Thomas cleared his plate....PEAS and all. We got up and did the "Party in my Tummy" dance. Another proud moment. :) This morning Thomas wanted Peas for breakfast. Today I'm a happy Mommy.

Circle, Circle, Dot, Dot

Pictured below is a seemingly sweet little monkey.

Many times preschoolers are often compared to monkeys. They are similar in many ways...there have been countless studies regarding those similarities. It's truly amazing. Take a closer look at the monkey. Do you recognize him? He's the happy little Ebola infested "Outbreak Monkey" from that 1990's movie. If you have a preschooler you may know where I'm headed. The picture of my dear son was taken on his first little day of Preschool. See the twinkle in his eye? Sweet huh? Well, my son has now morphed into the freaking outbreak monkey. He has brought home every cootie known to man. I am convinced that the disease that will end mankind is currently incubating in a Preschool.

Wilma warned me. I should have listened...hello...she has a doctorate in pharmacy and her son was in preschool last year. She told me to be prepared to be "sick as hell all winter." Damn germs. Normally I would complain that "they" should be looking for a cure for the common cold and all of these super germs that my son has brought home....Not this week...I watched I Am Legend the other day and would be happy if all scientists took a break from manipulating viruses for the time being.

So there's my preschool rant, and here's my disclaimer...I love our preschool and wouldn't trade Thomas' good times and knowledge that he's gained for all of the snot in the world. Like shit, germs happen.

I hurt

I hurt. That's it. Nothing else. Besides the kick ass shirt that I found. I have to buy one. I wonder what the Moms at the Methodist Preschool would think? Seriously, this past week I think everything that could hurt does. Even my hair hurts, you would agree if you saw it...Totally Stephanie Kimball bangs with 2 braids. Only the bangs are sticking straight up naturally. This week I figured out why Valium are called "Mother's little helpers." If you don't know, take my pain, 2 kids, and dirty house, for a day. I'm seriously not a pill popper. Valium are a dream for my back pain. With them I'm able to walk and take care of my kids. (With the little bonus that them make me care less about my dirty house.)

It's a boy thing

We went to Monster Jam tonight. Parts of it were fun. Occasionally I imagine that my minvan has ginormous wheels and I could crush people. It was nice to see someone actually get that frustration out and crush a couple of cars. I'd love to drive a monster truck for a good 15 minutes. I loved to see the little kids haul ass on their minirature dirt bikes. They were really cute.

For the most part it was 100% pure boy stuff. I could have done without the redneck quad racers scrapping in the dirt over a trophy.

I did enjoy seeing my kids in total awe from seeing their toys more than life size. I know in the morning Luke will have a whole new take on his monster trucks. It was his first time at an arena event with a huge crowd. People were clapping and cheering before the trucks came out and he was down with it. He was yelling and clapping and didn't have a clue what was going on. He just knew there was a good time to be had. He had a complete WTF look on his face when the trucks came out. It was priceless. The boy came out in him and he pumped his little fist and said "Yeah!!" Thomas was all cool, kicked back. He had seen it before so he knew what was going on. He did say that Luke was funny. :) After intermission an old school toyota minivan and a knight rider mini van came out. The boys behind me told me that they were transformers and they were going to battle. I think it was the cheesiest thing I've ever seen but the boys were impressed. I think the husband was into it too.

I think next year I'll pass on the Monster Trucks.

The Embers - Carolina Girls (Live)

Carolina Girls..Sweeter than candy..hotter than heat..."Cats" and "Monster Jam" in the same week!!

Stalked by a Cat

On Tuesday Wilma and I saw the musical Cats. It was something I had always wanted to see. I ordered tickets the second they went on sale. We thought that we had seats in section 'R' which would have been great. We ended up having tickets in the orchestra section, in the pit, front freaking row. We were practically on the stage. It was amazing.

Before I get into all of the juicy details I have to start with the beginning of the "date." I call it a date because it was one of the best dates I've ever been on. (My date didn't try to cop a feel and I didn't I wasn't expected to put out!) Just kidding. :) It was surprisingly easy to walk out of my loud messy house with a kiss for each of my boys. Okay, I was practically running out the door! We went to Tripps for dinner. Wilma was very assertive, (I've always liked the aggressive type *wink* *wink*) and she ordered for me. Wilma was ever so chic and ordered a Cosmopolitan while I sipped on sweet tea. She's so Carrie Bradshaw (in the early days, before SJP got old.) We had a cute little waiter that got a big fat tip....looks go far when you're our waiter, plus I think Wilma scared him to death with her aggressive, um I mean assertiveness. :) Wilma got a salad, of course the 98 pounder always eats a piece of lettuce and 1/2 a crouton and she's full..."I'll have a salad and some water please." and a Quesadilla (and I didn't have to spell check that!) I ordered the Chicken Augusta. OMG it was so good. I haven't had mashed potatoes in forever. For dessert we shared a cheesecake.

We got to Memorial Auditorium just early enough to have a little parking drama and ended up with the best spot in the lot. The little old usher that helped us find our seats told us that we were so close that the cats would be spitting on us. He was right. Drip. The roof was leaking. Memorial Auditorium is a beautiful, OLD building. Out of all of the seats in the damn place the leak had to be right over me. Thankfully it didn't last the entire show and the drip was sporadic, but it was there. It would have been so bad if we weren't in the front with Cats staring at us.

When showtime rolled around the lights went out and cat eyes appeared everywhere, including the audience. I think the girl sitting next to Wilma shit her pants; she didn't come back after intermission. They opened with "Jellical Cats." The song ended with a Cat perched 3 feet in front of us. She was sitting there washing her paws, snarling at me. At first I thought it was cool. My attention turned to some of the other Cats and felt someone staring at me. It was that freaking Cat. Sitting there like cats do, staring me down. When I'd look at her she'd snarl at me. To top it all off, whenever the water would drip in me she make some messed up cat face and lick her paw. I wanted to shake a can of coins at her, or get her with the water hose. I usually like Cats but this one got one my nerves. She was a menace. She did this off and on throughout the entire show. I can't really hate because if I were in her place I'd be doing the same thing. :)

There was a tomcat, Rum Tug Tugger. He looks like a cat Wilma would have hooked up with in high school. LOL. He was really funny and super cocky. All of the girl cats loved him. I guess he was the Danny Hickman of cats. He knew he was fine and all of the girl cats wanted him.

There was one cat that had the hots for Wilma. I guess in the Cat world he was a catch. He was really cute, wearing a collar so he wasn't a stray. He came over and teased her, smiling, very flirty. He offered Wilma his paw and when she tried to touch him he hissed, and scratched at her. He scared the piss out of her. She jumped with a little squeak and everyone around us laughed. I thought it was hilarious because Wilma doesn't like attention. If she had realized that all of the attention was on her she would have been mortified. At the end of the show he made amends. He came over and offered his paw, and made nice. Go figure, I get bullied by a bitch cat and Wilma gets love from a sweet house cat.

The show was truly amazing. It was definitely an experience being that close to such a production.

Jellicle Songs For Jellicle Cats

I think this song will be stuck in my head forever...

"Jellicles do and jellicles can
Jellicles can and jellicles do
Jellicles do and jellicles can
Jellicles can and jellicles do..."

The Next Episode

Well, we didn't make it to the movies yesterday. The boys took a long, well needed nap. I went out for coffee when the husband got home. That was a nice little break.

Today I decided that it's official, Thomas is the brightest child in the world. I knew he was smart, but my boy is a genius. :) Today, on the way home from the allergist he made up a song about how smart I am. "Mommy's smart, Mommy's smart, she's so smart, she's so smart..." to the tune of Dr. Dre's song, "Next Episode." It was hilarious. He and I were dancing our asses off, in the minivan, on the beltline. Luke was knocked out. When we got home he told me I was pretty and kissed me on the cheek.

So today I'm smart and pretty AND I got a kiss from a cute guy. It really doesn't get any better than that. I love being a "Boy Mom."

Luke counted Smarties Candies today (as he was munching on them in the doctor's office.) I'm so proud of him...He counted to 13 and he's 26 months old today!

Cabin Fever

We have got to get out of the house today. Thomas, Luke and I are about to kill each other. I'm afraid the husband will come home to a scene from a horror flick. The boys are going on each other's nerves and in turn, getting on mine. Even the cat looks more pissed off than usual today.

I think we may venture out into the cold and go see Bee Movie. It's playing at the $1.50 theater and the boys have managed to save $2 each.

25 degrees is too cold for North Carolina. We don't like it. The cold temperature may have been a little more tolerable had we gotten the snow that good old Greg promised!

I miss you.

I miss you, your brothers do too even though they don't realize it.

The Magic Box

This little device is my life force...the magic box. Recently our cable went out; taking my TV, phone, and internet. Last week was very interesting. No Noggin', no PCOS Mommies, no eBay, no calling Mom to bitch 3 times a day, and no calls from Wilma to and from work. I had my cell phone but it doesn't get service in my house. I didn't like sitting outside in 33 degree weather to chat. (You know my desperate, crazy ass did sit out there a few times.) Thomas wanted to play his Super Why! game and surf his little 3 year old websites and Luke wanted his Wonder Pets. We made due, and now we appreciate the luxury of the cable modem a little more.

We did get a few channels, including HGTV. I have 6 different decorating plans for each room now. I know all there is to know about rearranging furniture to create a new look for less, thank you Design on a Dime...I've rearranged my living room furniture 3 times in the past week. Every time Thomas wakes up from a nap he says, "Wow Mommy, a new room!"

The husband was off on Sunday so I went to the library to get online and find some books for the boys. When I got online I found that my little online community was falling apart. Apparently some women just can't leave well enough alone. I had some online friends that I've chatted with for years. Some of these women were there when I was trying to get pregnant with Thomas, some there when I lost Luke's twin. All of that has changed, and ugh...I hate change.

I also put the husband to work, fixing out leaky bathroom faucet and toilet. Now the cat's pissed off and biting us because we took away his source of fresh, cold water. ToeBee is a snobby, asshole cat but I love him.

This week I get to work on our taxes. Yippee! Today was loads of fun...calculating receipts while Thomas tells "Are you done yet?!?!" over, and over, and over again.

Picnic at Lake Wheeler

We went to Lake Wheeler today for a picnic. The weather was gorgeous...in the mid 60's. I remember when January was freezing cold and we'd get a foot of snow. Oh Well...I shouldn't have used so much Rave Aerosol hairspray in the 1980's. Lord knows, me and my crew probably contributed more than anyone to the hole in the ozone.

Any way, we had another great family day. The kids loved the playground and were both way too adventurous for the husband's nerves. :) The both went down the big boy slide with no problem. Luke got to see the Geese, which he called Ducks and was amazed. He wanted to touch one but they were bigger than he was, and we decided against it. I've never really met a nice Goose. We walked out on the docks. I held they boys hands so tight, and they wanted to run wild. With the wind and the boats it was pretty rocky. I didn't feel like a rescue swim in the cold water. I've decided rather than sending Thomas to pre-school this summer, we'd put the kids in swimming classes. (Get you bathing suit out Mom!) We had our picnic, then Thomas and I sat in the rocking chairs overlooking the lake while Luke ran around on the deck flapping his little wings and honking like a Goose. Today was a good day.

Tennessee Buckdance

This is Luke in 70 years.

The BeedleBop Buckdance

Ugh. Why?!?! Why?!?! Why?!?! One faithful December day I left my television on Playhouse Disney and my youngest son discovered Dee Dee, Roonie, and Mo. His little size 9's started tapping to the music and soon he was in all out, old school, Southern Buckdance. My son was going crazy, gyrating to the music. You could tell that he was feeling it in the depths of his little 2 year old soul. What you may not know is, I hate the Doodlebops. Now I'm forced to accept them into my home every weekday at 10am. The joy they bring my son is too much for me to take away. Parents, beware. Turn off your televisions. You may be doodlebopped, or as Luke would say Beedlebopped.

You've GOT to click on the video above. It's awesome.

Our Anniversary

Yesterday was our 7 year anniversary. I forgot about it until I was writing the check for Thomas' tuition. I called the husband and he just started laughing. I forget it every year. This past year our marriage was really put to the test. Money and children can really take a toll on a relationship. I finally realized that my life shouldn't center around my children. It does for the most part, but I lost a bit of ME since having kids. I love my babies more than anything, but when I take time for myself I'm a better mother to them, and that includes taking time for my marriage.

The husband and I have decided to take a cruise this year, just the 2 of us, no kids, pagers, bail bonds, or faulty generators or tent heaters. I look forward to relaxing in the middle of the ocean for a good few days. Archie's looking forward to the blackjack table. We plan on having Mom stay with the kids while we're gone. She's in love with them and they with her, so they'll all be fine. Probably better than fine because they'll have a break from us and have some serious Granny time. Thomas will be in WooHoo up to his ears, and I'm sure that Luke will be dancing on the table top!

Our 10 year anniversary is coming up. I think we'll go as a family to Disneyworld. The kids will be at the perfect age to enjoy it and I've been dying to go back. I think I'm more excited than anyone. :)

Handy Manny and the Mama Dinosaur

Thomas never ceases to amaze me. Today while Luke was napping Thomas decided to help me make my bed. We threw the pillows on the floor and his eyes lit up. "Ohhhhhh Mommmmmmmy, a nest."

Then he plops his little behind on my pile of pillows. I laid on the bed and we had a little conversation.

"Awww, are you a Mommy bird?"
"No Mommy, I'm a Dinosaur waiting for my babies to catch."
"Oh, are you catching eggs?"
"Nooooo Mommy, I'm sitting on the eggs so they will catch."
"Okay, let me know when your done so I can make my bed."


A few minutes go by as he's waiting for his eggs to hatch (or catch.) He decides to plunder under my bed and found all kinds of goodies. He totally lost interest in his babies, or so I thought. I decided to get my pillows off of the floor and finish making my bed. Thomas walks back into my room and says..."Mommy, my nest, oh no!" For about 20 seconds he was seriously pissed because I ruined his nest. Then he hears "Let's get going and fix it right, Twist and turn, make it tight... " and runs to the living room. Handy Manny saved my ass from a pissed off Mama Dinosaur.


I make my bed and go get on the computer. For some reason Thomas is jazzed over Manny, he hasn't watched him in months. He dug to the bottom of his toy box and found his tools, and stuck a wrench and hammer in his underwear.

You have to love the 3 year old mind.

Terror of the South

This afternoon we went to the NC Museum of Natural Sciences. The boys had a lot of fun. We normally go with Wilma and Hans, today we went with Daddy. Thomas was happy to be with daddy, but was definitely missing his buddy. We started out in the Living Conservatory. They had butterflies, hummingbirds, spiders, snakes, and a sloth. Luke loved the butterflies, and was yelling "Morpho! Morpho!" He's such a smart cookie. Thomas was freaked out because they were flying too low.

They have lots of small critters throughout the museum; Hissing Cockroaches, Horseshoe Crabs, Millipedes, Snakes, Hercules Beetles, Fish, Turtles, Frogs, and some whales that washed ashore on a NC beach years ago.

There were all kinds of fossils and dinosaurs. My favorite is the Acrocanthosaurus (the Arco,) also called the "Terror of the South." I love that. Who ever thought of that hasn't met my boys! The Arco was really cool and the boys were definitely impressed. I think that's Thomas' favorite exhibit. There were some other cool dinos; a T-Rex head, Willow, the dinosaur with a fossilized heart, and a giant beaver looking creature that was found near Wilmington, NC.

We all had a good time despite the freezing cold air and wind. We had a few flurries today, I wish we'd have a good snow.

Simple

sim·ple
Pronunciation:
\ˈsim-pəl\
Function:
adjective
Inflected Form(s):
sim·pler \-p(ə-)lər\; sim·plest \-p(ə-)ləst\
Etymology:
Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Medieval Latin simplus, alteration of Latin simplic-, simplex single, having one ingredient, plain, from sem-, sim- one + -plic-, -plex -fold — more at same, -fold
Date:
13th century
1: free from guile : innocent2 a: free from vanity : modest b: free from ostentation or display 3: of humble origin or modest position 4 a: lacking in knowledge or expertise b (1): stupid (2): mentally retarded c: not socially or culturally sophisticated : naive; also : credulous

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When I think of the word simple I think of 1 person in particular. Miss A. She is an older lady from the south, very funny and set in her ways. My husband and I were visiting her, having a conversation. She referred to someone as a "simple bitch." We both thought it was hilarious beacuse the person she was talking about was quite simple and was pretty bitchy most of the time. Next, I think about my need to simplify when I became pregnant with my first child. I got rid of so much clutter in my home and my life. I let go of toxic friends and family members. I needed simplicity.

I think there is a point where simple is okay, and a point where some one's simplicity makes them ugly. Unfortunately there isn't a clear line between the two. If there was, maybe people could see the error of their ways and make the world a nicer place. What has happened to simple conversation; one without a covert meaning? Have all of the simple people taken it away?