January 29, 2009

I am bored

Click for pic. This is me standing in line to sign my son up for
afterschool sports.

January 27, 2009

Dear County Schools...

I GET IT - YOU ARE CLOSED TODAY.  YOU CLOSED BEFORE THE SNOW STARTED FALLING.  THEN YOU CALLED MY HOUSE (AT 6 A.M.!  WHERE THE CHILDREN THAT NO LONGER NEED TO GET UP EARLY TO GOTO SCHOOL ARE SLEEPING).  THEN YOU CALLED MY CELL PHONE (JUST IN CASE ANYONE WAS LEFT SLEEPING).  THEN YOU EMAILED ME.  GOOD GRIEF - I GET IT ALREADY.

January 21, 2009

Rev. Lowry

“….help us work for that day when black will not be asked to give back, when brown can stick around, when yellow will be mellow, when the red man can get ahead, man, and when white will embrace what is right.”

Seriously - in a time where people should be trying to UNITE everyone around a new President that should be bringing HOPE for everyone, he's segregating us all apart into different colors? How about the HUMAN color? And what does "when yellow will be mellow" mean anyway - is he calling us Orientals uptight??

I am excited about the new President and all the hope that he's bringing to everyone, even if he's not my choice, he's my President and I'm giving him a chance. But this Rev. Lowry can kiss my yellow ass.

January 20, 2009

So...what do I tell him?

My son is 7.  I am trying to get him interested in the history going on today - the changing of the Presidents.  Here is my problem.  He doesn't see a difference between people that are brown or white (he doesn't understand why others call them "black" people when they are, in fact, shades of brown.  I say, "yay for your innocence" so we go with brown)...  Other than the fact that Mr. Obama is going to become "President Obama" (which is a big deal for any person to become President regardless of color) - I'm not sure what to tell him.  I am pointing out that Mr. Obama is the FIRST brown person elected.  So he gets that and knows that - but he wonders, why is it a big deal just because he's brown?  Knowing our history, I know it is a big deal that a brown man was able to get elected president - simply because he was brown.  For a long time, I worried that no matter what his character, a brown person wouldn't get elected simply because he's brown.  We have apparently passed that hurdle in our history.  But to explain WHY it is a big deal that a brown person is becoming President means I have to explain what happened to brown people in the past and how white people viewed/treated them.  Which is fine -it is our history and one that MUST be explained if we want to make sure it isn't repeated.  But is 7 too young to be taught that some people think they are better than others simply because their skin is a different color?  He has NO CONCEPT of treating someone differently because of skin color.  None.  I think that is a beautiful innocent thing (and of course, the way it SHOULD BE - we SHOULD NOT treat other people better or worse because of the color of their skin)...do I want to ruin that in him?  Do I want to introduce that concept - that while we do not live that way, that there are others that do?  He has classmates that are African-American, Middle Eastern, white, Asian - everything.  And no idea of the stereotypes that live among the adults of the world.  If we stopped teaching those things to our kids, would they stop being perpetuated?  In their classroom (and that of ToddlerT) the kids are just kids.  Sure they are nicer to the kids they LIKE better, but those likes and dislikes, currently are based on how those kids BEHAVE and not based on the color of their skin.

January 16, 2009

My it is so cold!

It was 7 degrees here today. I know it a lot places, it was way colder than that, but 7 here is a big deal! Our pool is frozen solid (not like we were going to use it this month anyway ;-) - the heat in the house is running constantly - I've actually turned it down to, gasp!, 71 so our electric/gas bills aren't so high this month. That builder grade crappy heat pump upstairs doesn't do squat for heating the house and it runs all the damn time. If only we had the $$ to replace it, that would be high on our list. So far January's HIGH UNEXPECTED expenses:
** new dishwasher. Ours was full of funky gross water.
** fridge repair - $250 for cracked water pump housing
** unexpected dental expense for me - $2,444,333 (or otherwords, a lot of money!)

good freaking grief. It's all because we started to spend just a tiny bit of money trying to get the basement ready to get finished (which we are doing ourselves to save $$)....but man! And Jan is only 1/2 over! Please don't let any of my other appliances die!

Also - our living room couch is 10 years old and seriously needs to be replaced. Anyone got any spare $$ they don't want?!

January 13, 2009

bullet points for you!

** if you feed an infant small enough to still be in an infant carrier seat NERDS CANDY to keep it quiet while you shop, you suck.
** if you have the 3 year old push the infant around FAR AWAY FROM YOU while you shop in peace, you still suck
** if you feed an infant that cannot sit up on it's own some of your coffee drink, you also suck a lot
** I apparently am old - things I thought were SHIRTS at the store are apparently DRESSES. WTH? I did buy them anyway!
** I got an awesome cocktail dress for Vegas at Bebe for 50% off!
** the lady dressed in ALL PURPLE with PURPLE accessories was weird
** I love shopping! Oh how I've missed it so.
** if you walk up to me and start speaking as if I know you (and I do not) I will look at you like you are crazy (especially if you SMELL, Mr. SmellyMan)
** I moved desks at work and now the crazy cube mate w/the adhd daughter and anxiety sit far away. It is quieter in my new spot, except for the young'uns on our team that congregate at the table outside my cube. At least they are funny.
** ketchup squeezed into the interns diet coke BY THE OTHER INTERN is really funny.
** 3 weeks of NO MISSED WORKOUTS! GO ME!

January 07, 2009

Finally full!

Click for pic! 6 dinner plates, 14 plastic plates, 1 soup bowl, 5
plastic bowls, 14 zippy cups, 12 adult cups, 2 lunch bowls , 1 dipping
sauce bowl. The bottom would fit more, but the middle rack is full!

Pic of washer

Here you go! Click for pic! Notice it has an interior light so you
can see!

Another Ode to my dishwasher...

Oh my, how do I love that dishwasher.

It's been 2 days and it is not full yet! So that is breakfast for 3 kids yesterday and today ( 3 plates, 3 cups ), dinner for 5 last night (5 plates, 5 cups), snack plates and cups, breakfast for 3 kids today (3 plates, 3 cups), lunch for 2 kids and me today (2 plates, 1 bowl, 3 cups), snacks today (2 cups, 2 plates). AND STILL NOT FULL ENOUGH TO RUN!

January 05, 2009

Why I love my dishwasher...

My dishes are SPARKLY! They are SO CLEAN! NO FILM what-so-ever.

** it holds A TON of dishes. 14 place settings, officially.
** it has 3 racks - bottom for plates and pans. Middle for glasses and cups.
** top rack for silver to lay flat and sorted so that each piece gets cleaned - instead of shoving all the silver into a basket in the bottom - w/our old one, it was 4 basket slots for ALL the silver. I never really thought each piece could get really clean like that. This one stores it all in the top third rack, laying flat, so each piece gets clean and doesn't touch other pieces. Sippy cup lids also fit nicely in there.
** Seriously, my glassware has never sparkled so like it does now!
** I've started putting dishes in that aren't rinsed clean already and GUESS WHAT?! THEY COME OUT CLEAN!
** It has a built in disposer to get rid of any chunks left on.

I love it and am now an LG brand convert!! And I really recommend getting one w/the third rack for silverware!

January 02, 2009

Happy 2009!

May this year be better than last! I mean, our home value and retirement acct values have no where to go but up, right??!!

It is also nearing the end of winter break, thank goodness! I don't think my kids' brains could handle it if break was any longer. I try to keep them entertained, but with the 3, it is hard. BAKUGAN is helping though! It is an AWESOME game and helps the kids play something not-freaking-electronic. And there's math! And reading! So, score 1 for educational games, right?

Next post - how much I LOVE LOVE LOVE my new dishwasher as well as some descriptions of the inside. I'm doing this not to show off, but because NO ONE DOES IT and when you are shopping for a dishwasher all anyone shows is the picture of the blasted DOOR, which, other than the color, is the least important attribute of the whole darn thing!