well, here it is again - almost time for christmas and i have very little time to do much of anything extra (ie: update my blog)! so for now, the christmas letter that i sent out in my christmas cards will have to do. i will write a real update soon...no, really, i will!
We hope that this card will find each of you in good health and happiness. 2010 has been an enjoyable year for our family!
The hubby has been working at the same commercial heating/air conditioning company for almost 5 years. He is doing continuing-education to learn more about working on the really big units on high-rise buildings. When he is not working, he is usually watching football, working on his truck, going to NASCAR races and playing golf (his newest obsession)!
I celebrated my 35th birthday in April with a “like totally awesome” 1980’s themed birthday party! Everyone dressed up as someone from the 80’s and it was so much fun! I continued to volunteer a lot at the girls’ schools this past year (being PTA president, Room Mom and doing some substitute teaching). Of course, my main job is being the “CEO of the Household”! Whatever time I do get by myself, I love to workout. In fact this summer, I led a fitness boot camp for some of the neighborhood women. It was a lot of fun and I think that I might like to look into becoming a personal trainer.
The precocious one (7) is in second grade and has now started at the just-built public school. It has been quite a shock – for her and for me! She was in hip-hop dance class for the first half of this year and now she is back in gymnastics. She is singing in the choir at the Christmas program at church. She has been on the A-honor roll every six weeks and we are so proud of her for that!
The little one (4) has started preschool this year. She goes on Tuesday and Thursday of each week and she LOVES it! She actually gets upset on the days that she doesn’t have school, but I don’t because I miss her when she isn’t around to help me! I don’t know what I will do next year when my “little baby” is going to school 5 days a week! She was in gymnastics for quite a while but now she decided that she wants to take dance so she has been doing ballet and tap. She just danced to Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer at the local Christmas event.
We adopted a dog from a shelter in February – her name is Sadie and she is a BIG German shepherd! She had been abused and has major separation anxiety issues but overall she is a good dog! The girls love her and she is so gentle with them – truly a gentle giant! We decided that she needed a “buddy” so in September we got another dog! She is a beagle puppy (named Sierra) and she is adorable although she chews on everything!
We went to a lot of Texas Country music concerts again this year. The hubby and I saw Charlie Robison at Gruene Hall in September and it was an amazing concert! A few weeks later, Charlie Robison came to the DFW area and we took the girls to see him – they are huge Charlie fans and can sing along to numerous songs! They had a great time.
We were greatly saddened by the passing of my Uncle Robert in August. He had fought a long, hard battle with cancer and he is dearly missed! We had a family reunion in late July and got to catch up with many of my extended family (including a final visit with my uncle). The reunion was in Galveston and then our family went on a week long vacation to Sea World in San Antonio, to Gruene, Texas and tubing the San Marcos River! The hubby's dad moved back here in July and we are enjoying having him nearby to see the girls more and for the hubby to get to “hang out” with his dad quite often. Probably the most exciting thing of this year for us was that my brother and sister-in-law had a baby boy! He was born November 8th and his name is James Hinton and he is so sweet. I got to go up to Chicago the week after he was born to visit with them all.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Friday, December 17, 2010
Monday, November 22, 2010
happy 2 week birthday james!
my nephew was born 2 weeks ago today! his name is james hinton and he is ADORABLE!! i just got back home yesterday from visiting him -- oh, and i did see my brother and sister-in-law too!
i have been around quite a few newborn babies in my life and i have to say that this baby is the most easy-going, happiest baby that i've ever met! i thought my babies were pretty easy - my oldest slept for most of the night by the time she was 10 days old and neither of them had colic or anything like that so they didn't cry excessively but i definitely had quite a few nights of standing up (because somehow they know if you are sitting or standing) and bouncing a crying baby to try to get them to quiet down and go to sleep!
for the five days that i was up there, this little boy ONLY cried when his diaper was being changed and that's mainly just because he was ready to eat! he would wake up, they would change his diaper, she would feed him for 30 minutes, burp him and he was back to sleep for 3-7 hours at a time! the few times that he didn't fall fast asleep he still didn't cry he would just swing in his swing or look around. i am so happy that they got such an adorable, happy baby but they may be in for a big shock if their next baby doesn't behave the same as this little angel!
Wednesday, November 3, 2010
happy housewives' day
today is national housewives' day. oh come on, don't pretend like you didn't know that already! okay maybe it's not a nationally recognized holiday like bosses day or mail-carrier day or nurses day but i think housewives have a pretty damn important job! it just happens to be the most under-appreciated job too! when i was growing up, i always wanted to be a housewife ... of course i anticipated it to be more like it is on tv (kids are rarely seen, moms are doing their own thing and helping out at the kids' school every now and then). i was in for a rude awakening! it is the most monotonous job EVER -- make the same foods, clean the same things, launder and put away the same clothes, wipe the same butts -- EVERYDAY!! but i also know that if i was working at a job outside of the home i would feel that i was missing out on so much of my children's lives! i didn't have kids so someone else could raise them. i want to be there to help with homework, to make their lunches, drive them school, take them to dance and gymnastics, cook dinner, and volunteer at their school. no one may be giving me a raise or a bouquet of flowers and a card on this "housewives' day" but i do feel rewarded everytime my girls give me a big hug and tell me how much they love me! i feel very fortunate that i have been granted the opportunity to do this important job!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
happy halloween
what a busy weekend -- which finished off a busy month (which might explain why i haven't written in so long)! or at least we will use that as the excuse! this month has been filled with gymnastics, playdates, birthday parties, concerts, carnivals, pumpkin patches, school field trips, dress-up days, preschool parties, choir practices, church, our anniversary and of course, halloween! my little one dressed up as a cowgirl (because she LOVES to wear her boots) and my precocious one was a gothic vampire (because she LOVES to make me crazy)! here's a few pics to recap the month of october:
Thursday, September 23, 2010
back to school
school started up one month ago today! a lot has happened in this month (which explains why i haven't written much)!
my little one started preschool and she LOVES it! she only goes 2 days a week and she's sad that she can't go on the other days! she loves getting to take her lunchbox and she has made friends in her class (although she can't remember anybody's names yet)! she even takes naps during naptime!! this is the same child who hasn't taken a nap for me in two years! i guess she's just so worn out from all of the fun she's having!
then there's the drama queen! she has started a new school this year. she was going to a small christian school for kindergarten and first grade but they are no longer going to have any higher grade levels so we had to find a new school for her. our housing development got rezoned for a brand new elementary school that was just built so we figured this would be the perfect time to try out the public school system. everyone coming into this new school would be new - the teachers, the students, everyone! she could transition to a different school and not have to be "the new kid".
the first week she started crying and saying that she didn't want to go to school (which is completely out of character for her). she has always loved school! it is so disheartening for me to hear her say everyday "i hate school"! this school is very strict - which i guess you have to be when you have this many students and some of them have never been disciplined!
here are some examples of the other things that have been a "buzz-kill" to her: on the first morning of school, my "precocious one" was asked to make something out of clay. she just made it into a ball because she was nervous and didn't know what else to make. her teacher asked her what it was and she said "it's a circle". to which her teacher replied, "wrong! it's not a circle, it's a sphere!" keep in mind, this is the first hour of school! one of the other second grade teachers has a couple class pets (turtle, gerbil, fish) and when drama queen's class asked when they would get a class pet her teacher answered "there is no pet in this classroom and there never will be". she keeps complaining that they won't let them have fun and told her that you don't go to school just to have fun, you are supposed to be learning but she doesn't get to visit with her friends in other classes before school, at lunch, or after school. the boy that has been sitting next to her has been taking her things, pinching her and scratching her. other kids have said "shut up", "you're stupid", "i don't like black people", "i don't like white people" and even "i'm gonna kick your ass"! i went to the principal this week to talk about all of this and it seems to have helped. she has been moved away from that boy and she has actually come home a couple of times now and said she had a good day!
i really hope that things will keep getting better because i want her to like school! especially since she's only in second grade -- she's got plenty of time to hate school when she's in middle school and high school!
my little one started preschool and she LOVES it! she only goes 2 days a week and she's sad that she can't go on the other days! she loves getting to take her lunchbox and she has made friends in her class (although she can't remember anybody's names yet)! she even takes naps during naptime!! this is the same child who hasn't taken a nap for me in two years! i guess she's just so worn out from all of the fun she's having!
then there's the drama queen! she has started a new school this year. she was going to a small christian school for kindergarten and first grade but they are no longer going to have any higher grade levels so we had to find a new school for her. our housing development got rezoned for a brand new elementary school that was just built so we figured this would be the perfect time to try out the public school system. everyone coming into this new school would be new - the teachers, the students, everyone! she could transition to a different school and not have to be "the new kid".
the first week she started crying and saying that she didn't want to go to school (which is completely out of character for her). she has always loved school! it is so disheartening for me to hear her say everyday "i hate school"! this school is very strict - which i guess you have to be when you have this many students and some of them have never been disciplined!
here are some examples of the other things that have been a "buzz-kill" to her: on the first morning of school, my "precocious one" was asked to make something out of clay. she just made it into a ball because she was nervous and didn't know what else to make. her teacher asked her what it was and she said "it's a circle". to which her teacher replied, "wrong! it's not a circle, it's a sphere!" keep in mind, this is the first hour of school! one of the other second grade teachers has a couple class pets (turtle, gerbil, fish) and when drama queen's class asked when they would get a class pet her teacher answered "there is no pet in this classroom and there never will be". she keeps complaining that they won't let them have fun and told her that you don't go to school just to have fun, you are supposed to be learning but she doesn't get to visit with her friends in other classes before school, at lunch, or after school. the boy that has been sitting next to her has been taking her things, pinching her and scratching her. other kids have said "shut up", "you're stupid", "i don't like black people", "i don't like white people" and even "i'm gonna kick your ass"! i went to the principal this week to talk about all of this and it seems to have helped. she has been moved away from that boy and she has actually come home a couple of times now and said she had a good day!
i really hope that things will keep getting better because i want her to like school! especially since she's only in second grade -- she's got plenty of time to hate school when she's in middle school and high school!
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
just what i needed...
...a new puppy! i have officially lost my mind! not only do I have more than enough to do taking care of everything to do with this house, tending to my husband and two children and trying to clean up after a gigantic, hairy dog who seems to want to destroy my house but last week I brought home an 8 week old puppy! she is adorable and really sweet and cuddly but she is a puppy which means chewing on anything and everything and peeing in the house! she has narrowed it down to peeing on (mostly) just the tile floor! my girls LOVE her to pieces and even sadie (my huge german shepherd) seems to be enjoying having her around! (which giving sadie a companion was one of the main reasons that we got her.) i guess my kids happiness is more important to me than my sanity!
Monday, August 16, 2010
♥ R.I.P. Uncle Robert ♥
my uncle was diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer two and a half years ago. anaplastic thyroid cancer usually takes its victims within two years and has a less than 10% survival rate. since being diagnosed with this type of cancer he has also been battling cancer in the bones of his legs, cancer in his brain and cancer in his lungs! he has fought all of this harder than i could EVER imagine!
his diagnosis worsened - in fact, he was unable to attend our family reunion in Galveston a few weeks ago because he was in the hospital. the doctors at m.d. anderson in houston told him that they could not do anything more for him so they placed him in hospice care at his home. we were still hoping and praying for a miracle of some kind or at least to have him around for a little longer! unfortunately, he sub came to the cancer yesterday...fortunately he is no longer in pain like he was!
please allow me to reminisce about him for a moment - he was always the "fun uncle" that every kid wants to have (really, he was just a big kid himself)! he was my uncle (and my god father) and every year i went to visit him and my aunt during the summer. he took us to see movies like ghostbusters and howard the duck (which as an adult now i know must have been torture)! actually, i think it just gave him an excuse to see the movies since he didn't have any kids of his own yet! every summer he would teach me how to dive in his pool and by the next summer i would forget and he would teach me again! always patient and always kind!
due to his positive attitude, many prayers and all of the love (that he said he didn't know what he did to deserve) he was able to pull through and "fight the good fight" longer than anyone thought!
AND HE WILL BE GREATLY MISSED!
Monday, July 26, 2010
the return of the flies
i love summer but i cannot stand all of the flies!! i have been killing at least 5 a day - oops, better not tell peta that! president obama killed a fly during an interview last year and peta raised all kinds of hell for "killing a life". give me a freaking break! peta stands for "people for the ethical treatment of animals" and last time i checked flies are insects and not animals! god help us if no one killed flies because we would have even more that we already do and i'm about to go insane with just the ones that we have now!! i would like to know how many people die of insanity in third-world countries - you see all of these poor children in ethiopia with 100 flies buzzing around their face and they just sit there! i would lose my mind!!
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
boot camp
i just recently finished a fitness boot camp - three days a week for five weeks! it was HARD but i did enjoy it! i love to work out but my biggest problem is that i get into a rut and forget about most of the exercises so i learned a lot of "new moves"! i wasn't trying to lose any weight - i just wanted to tone up a little for bathing suit season! we did measurements before we started and after we finished. i lost 1 pound (which isn't really a big deal because i gain at least that each day from when i wake up until when i go to bed)! but i was shocked that i lost 4% of my body fat...i am now at 15.5% body fat! like i said, i love to workout but i am not one of these people that counts calories or weighs my food - in fact to tell the truth, i pretty much eat crap! if i can't have french fries or my glass of wine then there is no point in living!
well, i am now "conducting" a boot camp in the neighborhood for all of my friends. it is good for me to still be able to workout and they are all "into" it too! one of the girls has already lost 7 pounds and 6.5 inches and another one said that she always hated to workout but now she likes the feeling when her muscles are sore and if she misses the bootcamp she works out on her own! it's nice that i'm able to help them and it is great experience for me since i (one day) would like to get certified to be a personal trainer.
well, i am now "conducting" a boot camp in the neighborhood for all of my friends. it is good for me to still be able to workout and they are all "into" it too! one of the girls has already lost 7 pounds and 6.5 inches and another one said that she always hated to workout but now she likes the feeling when her muscles are sore and if she misses the bootcamp she works out on her own! it's nice that i'm able to help them and it is great experience for me since i (one day) would like to get certified to be a personal trainer.
Monday, June 28, 2010
why do you have to get a license to drive a car or go fishing but not to have a kid?
a few weeks ago i was running errands all day. during one of the many stops, i tried to pull into a parking spot but the car next to me was too close to the line so i drove around to find another spot. each time that i tried to pull into a spot the other cars were parked so bad that i couldn't fit (that will be a topic for another blog) so i drove back to that original spot and squeezed my car in. as i was getting out of my car i noticed a child alone in the car next to me (the car that was parked so badly)! i am not the most observant person and i was busy gathering my stuff ...and i almost didn't even notice her, but i thank the Lord that He put me there at that time!
it was over 90 degrees outside and her father had left this 4 year old little girl in the car with the windows up! i went in to the store and immediately told the store clerk and then we went back outside and called 911 and i got the little girl to unlock the door so i could get her out. she also wasn't in a car seat but i guess in this case that was a good thing because she wouldn't have been able to unlock the door if she had been strapped in. she was so hot and was about to throw up! we took her in the store and got her some water while we waited for the police officer.
apparently, the dad of the little girl was going to the DMV and when he parked he realized that his daughter was asleep so he left her in the car with the window (barely) cracked! he had been in there for at least 30 minutes when i saw the little girl. i don't understand how people can be so stupid, ignorant, careless!
it was over 90 degrees outside and her father had left this 4 year old little girl in the car with the windows up! i went in to the store and immediately told the store clerk and then we went back outside and called 911 and i got the little girl to unlock the door so i could get her out. she also wasn't in a car seat but i guess in this case that was a good thing because she wouldn't have been able to unlock the door if she had been strapped in. she was so hot and was about to throw up! we took her in the store and got her some water while we waited for the police officer.
apparently, the dad of the little girl was going to the DMV and when he parked he realized that his daughter was asleep so he left her in the car with the window (barely) cracked! he had been in there for at least 30 minutes when i saw the little girl. i don't understand how people can be so stupid, ignorant, careless!
Monday, June 21, 2010
my sweet 4 year old baby
everyone talks about the terrible twos but i don't agree! i love it all the way up to four and then they seem to get a mind of their own (and it doesn't agree with my mind)! my sweet little one is not nearly as sweet as she was 2 months ago when she was still three years old! how did this happen?!
she doesn't want to learn to spell or to practce her counting. she gets awfully cranky because she hasn't taken naps in about 2 years (although she could probably still use one). she has absolutely no patience (i don't know where she could have gotten that trait?!). she only wants to learn something if it is HER idea! but yet she can be so sweet! she's considerate (always letting her sister have something of hers) and will sit quietly and color or play with her ella (her favorite stuffed animal) while i am in a meeting.
all in all, she may have gotten more difficult but she is still my sweet baby girl and i love her to pieces!!
Thursday, June 10, 2010
okay, i have not written in FOREVER! and if you don't believe me, just ask my mother because she has reminded me of this fact at least twice! i have been crazy busy lately! my first grader (who i guess will now be known as "the little lady") just finished up school. the last week of school was filled with first grade graduations (don't get me started) and parties and watching movies and more parties! it sounds like nothing but i'm the room mom so, of course, i was up there everyday and helping with the parties and activities. the week before that was teacher appreciation week, which as the pta president, i was in charge of organizing. we had a "treat" for each day of the week and then on friday we had a big "escape to the sea" luncheon! it went really well but it was a lot of planning and work! all i can say is ... i'm no longer the pta president!!! YEA!!! we are now in the midst of summer - which means going to the pool almost everyday, eating fresh fruit, going on playdates, and catching up on big jobs around the house (i have cleaned out my closet already)! my only schedule is taking the girls to gymnastics, art camp, music camp, vacation bible school and doctor appointments (which really isn't that bad)...except for the doctor appointment that i have already missed!!
Monday, April 26, 2010
april lights
why on God's green earth would anyone take the time to put up lights on their house for christmas and then be so freaking lazy to not take them down?! don't get me wrong, at our house we are not these crazy people that take down all signs of christmas on december 26th! we leave everything up until at least after the first of the year. usually we wait until january 6th (the epiphany). i can even understand people that may be out of town or have been in the hospital or just really busy from the holidays, but how in the hell can you not have 15 minutes to walk outside and rip the light cord down from your roof! IT'S ALMOST MAY!! i find it very hard to believe that you haven't had even that small amount of time in 4 months!
Monday, April 19, 2010
tattoos
i don't have any tattoos. that isn't to say that i haven't thought about it! i even seriously considered getting one for my 35th birthday! and i very well may still do it! i do think that if you are going to get one, it should mean something to you (i mean, you will have it for the rest of your life)! maybe you got it for a loved one that died. maybe you got it for the birth of your child. that, to me, makes sense!
most people that i know (that have tattoos) have them in discreet places and/or they are small. if you have a butterfly on your ankle or a star on your shoulder blade, it looks cool now and when you are 80, you probably won't be wearing clothes that show it off.
but then there are other people that must not expect to live more than about 5 years! why on God's green earth would you tattoo your neck? or more especially YOUR FACE?!? a face tattoo says "i've gone as far as i want to go in society...in fact, i think i want to take a few steps back"! okay, mike tyson can sort of get away with it because he's rich, famous and weird but the guy that works at my local target, really should have thought a little more before he got his multiple face tattoos!
most people that i know (that have tattoos) have them in discreet places and/or they are small. if you have a butterfly on your ankle or a star on your shoulder blade, it looks cool now and when you are 80, you probably won't be wearing clothes that show it off.
but then there are other people that must not expect to live more than about 5 years! why on God's green earth would you tattoo your neck? or more especially YOUR FACE?!? a face tattoo says "i've gone as far as i want to go in society...in fact, i think i want to take a few steps back"! okay, mike tyson can sort of get away with it because he's rich, famous and weird but the guy that works at my local target, really should have thought a little more before he got his multiple face tattoos!
Saturday, April 10, 2010
i ♥ the 80's
i really do! i loved the music, the movies, the tv shows and especially the clothes! i so wanted to dress like madonna in 1983 (with all of the necklaces and bangles and fluffy,short skirts) but i was 8 and my mom wouldn't let me dress like that. now, a lot of the 80's fashions are coming back in style but i'm too old to dress like that! can you imagine me coming in to the pta meeting at my daughter's christian school and i'm dressed like cyndi lauper!? i think i might get a few weird looks!
i told you all of that to tell you this: today is my 35th birthday and last night we had an 80's themed birthday party! it was like so totally awesome! we had a lot of fun dressing up and having 80's music and 80's movies on tv. we had 80's themed food and drinks - st. elmo's fire roasted salsa, the breakfast club sandwiches, and pretty in pink lemonade (with vodka in it)! i didn't want the night to end - partially just because i wanted to keep wearing my 80's outfit!
tonight we (me, the hubby, and the girls) went over to my parent's house for a fish fry! i made a pig of myself! i'd have to say that this was the best birthday that i've had in a long time! i'm not thrilled with being 35 but this birthday was actually much easier than when i turned 30!
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
interesting things about me
1. i have NO patience (inherited from my dad).
2. i hate to snuggle - if anyone (even my kids) are touching me i cannot sleep!
3. i love rap music and country music - not really a "normal" mix.
4. i watch way too much tv - thank God for tivo! i don't know how people who had kids ever watched television before tivo was invented. my husband is so annoyed by how much stuff I have recorded and never get a chance to watch (kids are always around)!
5. i used to read books but have given that up since having kids (it takes me at least a week to get through a magazine).
6. the only reason that i like to do cardio is so i can read a magazine (see #5) but i love to lift weights.
7. i don't drink soft drinks at all (don't like the carbonation).
8. my whole life i've wanted to be a mom and housewife. i love it, but it is the most challenging job that i have ever had!
9. my hubby and i have been together for more than 17 years. that's over half of my life!
10. i'm a germ-a-phobe!
11. i love food! i actually will think about what my next meal will be before i finish the meal i'm already eating!
12. feet gross me out yet i wear flip-flops (almost) year-round!
13. i've never had short hair. the shortest its ever been was just past my shoulders and the longest was past my waist.
14. i'm a right-wing, conservative republican yet i watch the view every day. (i guess i like to torture myself!)
15. i'm a casual girl (my "uniform" is jeans and a tank top or hoodie). i'd rather be underdressed than overdressed anyday!
16. i sucked my thumb until i was over 10 years old. i didn't do it at school or in front of my friends but as soon as i got home i would have to get my "fix" (like a drug addict)
17. i'm an awesome bargain hunter! i often get food and household items for free (or the store pays me) and i've bought clothes from target and old navy for less than a dollar!
18. i hate to be cold - give me 100 degrees in the shade anyday!
19. i can't stand the sound of apples being chewed - it's like fingernails on a chalkboard to me!!
20. i love the 80's! i wanted to dress like madonna and cyndi lauper (circa 1983) but i was only 8 and my mother would not let me. now the 80's style is coming back and i'm too old to dress like that. can you imagine the looks that i would get dropping my kids off at school dressed like madonna in her like a virgin video!? i am having an 80's theme for my 35th birthday party in a few weeks though!
i think this pretty much sums it up. it all makes perfect sense now doesn’t it?!
weirdos need love too.
2. i hate to snuggle - if anyone (even my kids) are touching me i cannot sleep!
3. i love rap music and country music - not really a "normal" mix.
4. i watch way too much tv - thank God for tivo! i don't know how people who had kids ever watched television before tivo was invented. my husband is so annoyed by how much stuff I have recorded and never get a chance to watch (kids are always around)!
5. i used to read books but have given that up since having kids (it takes me at least a week to get through a magazine).
6. the only reason that i like to do cardio is so i can read a magazine (see #5) but i love to lift weights.
7. i don't drink soft drinks at all (don't like the carbonation).
8. my whole life i've wanted to be a mom and housewife. i love it, but it is the most challenging job that i have ever had!
9. my hubby and i have been together for more than 17 years. that's over half of my life!
10. i'm a germ-a-phobe!
11. i love food! i actually will think about what my next meal will be before i finish the meal i'm already eating!
12. feet gross me out yet i wear flip-flops (almost) year-round!
13. i've never had short hair. the shortest its ever been was just past my shoulders and the longest was past my waist.
14. i'm a right-wing, conservative republican yet i watch the view every day. (i guess i like to torture myself!)
15. i'm a casual girl (my "uniform" is jeans and a tank top or hoodie). i'd rather be underdressed than overdressed anyday!
16. i sucked my thumb until i was over 10 years old. i didn't do it at school or in front of my friends but as soon as i got home i would have to get my "fix" (like a drug addict)
17. i'm an awesome bargain hunter! i often get food and household items for free (or the store pays me) and i've bought clothes from target and old navy for less than a dollar!
18. i hate to be cold - give me 100 degrees in the shade anyday!
19. i can't stand the sound of apples being chewed - it's like fingernails on a chalkboard to me!!
20. i love the 80's! i wanted to dress like madonna and cyndi lauper (circa 1983) but i was only 8 and my mother would not let me. now the 80's style is coming back and i'm too old to dress like that. can you imagine the looks that i would get dropping my kids off at school dressed like madonna in her like a virgin video!? i am having an 80's theme for my 35th birthday party in a few weeks though!
i think this pretty much sums it up. it all makes perfect sense now doesn’t it?!
weirdos need love too.
Friday, March 5, 2010
if you watch only one show...
...make it the soup on e! the great thing about the soup is that they show (and make fun of) all of the crazy things that have happened on reality tv for the week - which is the whole reason i watch reality tv!
i am the queen of reality television (just ask my husband). if i could, i would spend all day watching reality tv but "my reality" does not allow that! i tivo and then eventually watch celebrity fit club, celebrity rehab, toddlers & tiaras, little miss perfect, keeping up with the kardashians (even though i don't like any of them), the hills, the city, kendra, girls next door, my life on the "d" list, 16 and pregnant, teen mom, real world (which was of course the original reality show), brooke knows best, all of the real housewives, and the list goes on! i know that it sounds like a lot but each of those shows have a short season (maybe 2 months) and they are staggered throughout the year. and like i said, it takes me forever to get around to watching them - usually while i'm folding clothes or cleaning.
and when i do miss a show i can see the highlights on the soup!
i am the queen of reality television (just ask my husband). if i could, i would spend all day watching reality tv but "my reality" does not allow that! i tivo and then eventually watch celebrity fit club, celebrity rehab, toddlers & tiaras, little miss perfect, keeping up with the kardashians (even though i don't like any of them), the hills, the city, kendra, girls next door, my life on the "d" list, 16 and pregnant, teen mom, real world (which was of course the original reality show), brooke knows best, all of the real housewives, and the list goes on! i know that it sounds like a lot but each of those shows have a short season (maybe 2 months) and they are staggered throughout the year. and like i said, it takes me forever to get around to watching them - usually while i'm folding clothes or cleaning.
and when i do miss a show i can see the highlights on the soup!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
welcome sadie
well, we finally got a new dog. i wanted a cute little puppy - we got a gigantic german shepherd that's full grown (i hope)! her name is sadie and she is a great dog...when I am home with her! she's sweet, rarely barks, is housebroken and walks well on a leash. she loves the girls and they love her! when the girls go to bed, sadie lays at the foot of my little one's bed. she follows me EVERYWHERE (like i really need someone else to follow me around all day)!
those are her good qualities - now for the bad stuff! she suffers from major separation anxiety! when i leave the house (even for just a short time), she howls, scratches the door, tears stuff up (fence, trampoline, etc) and gets out of the backyard! the first two days we had her, she tore the bottom of the pickets off of the fence to get under it and get out. saturday night we went out to dinner and a movie and put her in the backyard. we put her on a 25 foot leash (so she couldn't get out of the yard) and we left her on the back porch with food, water and rawhides. when we came home she had pulled the table and chairs off of the porch, ripped off and tore the window screen and chewed up the door frame! everytime she comes back in the house (even if she's just been outside for a few minutes) she gets way too excited and jumps up, paws at you and rolls around like crazy (this is also another sign of separation anxiety)! i don't know if she was abused by a man when she was younger but she is terrified of all men that come to our house! it doesn't help her case any that she won't go near my husband! he was the one that wanted her the most and i think he would have more patience and be more willing to work through all of these problems if sadie would at least have something to do with him!
the biggest problem is i know that she is probably this way because she has had so much instability in her short life and i don't want to contribute to that but i also don't know if we can handle it. i have been reading all about separation anxiety and trying to do everything that is recommended but unfortunately there is no "magic switch" to flip and it just takes time to make her feel secure - and i don't know how much more time we can give her!
those are her good qualities - now for the bad stuff! she suffers from major separation anxiety! when i leave the house (even for just a short time), she howls, scratches the door, tears stuff up (fence, trampoline, etc) and gets out of the backyard! the first two days we had her, she tore the bottom of the pickets off of the fence to get under it and get out. saturday night we went out to dinner and a movie and put her in the backyard. we put her on a 25 foot leash (so she couldn't get out of the yard) and we left her on the back porch with food, water and rawhides. when we came home she had pulled the table and chairs off of the porch, ripped off and tore the window screen and chewed up the door frame! everytime she comes back in the house (even if she's just been outside for a few minutes) she gets way too excited and jumps up, paws at you and rolls around like crazy (this is also another sign of separation anxiety)! i don't know if she was abused by a man when she was younger but she is terrified of all men that come to our house! it doesn't help her case any that she won't go near my husband! he was the one that wanted her the most and i think he would have more patience and be more willing to work through all of these problems if sadie would at least have something to do with him!
the biggest problem is i know that she is probably this way because she has had so much instability in her short life and i don't want to contribute to that but i also don't know if we can handle it. i have been reading all about separation anxiety and trying to do everything that is recommended but unfortunately there is no "magic switch" to flip and it just takes time to make her feel secure - and i don't know how much more time we can give her!
Friday, February 5, 2010
bacon etiquette
a friend of mine posted this on facebook a while back and it is oh so true!
"could we establish a standard for bacon..... I am not a crawfish, I am not attracted to raw bacon. I feel that anyone in the food industry who takes on the serious responsibility of pig preparation, should be fully aware that bacon is intended to be crispy...... It's how God intended......that is all."
whenever i order any other meat, it is either cooked completely or they ask me how i want it cooked (example: "how would you like your steak"). no one has ever served me a "flame-kissed" pork chop so why would you serve me barely cooked bacon?!
leave me a comment on how you like your bacon.
"could we establish a standard for bacon..... I am not a crawfish, I am not attracted to raw bacon. I feel that anyone in the food industry who takes on the serious responsibility of pig preparation, should be fully aware that bacon is intended to be crispy...... It's how God intended......that is all."
whenever i order any other meat, it is either cooked completely or they ask me how i want it cooked (example: "how would you like your steak"). no one has ever served me a "flame-kissed" pork chop so why would you serve me barely cooked bacon?!
leave me a comment on how you like your bacon.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
first amendment rights at large
we live in the the land of the free, right? unless you want to say something that comes across as crass and insensitive (even if it does happen to be true)!
the first instance of this that i saw this week was from south carolina's lieutenant governor, andre bauer. he said: "My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed! You're facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don't think too much further than that." bauer said monday that he regrets his choice of words but that government should expect welfare recipients to try to better themselves. he wants to require them to take drug tests and attend parent-teacher conferences if they have children in school. heaven forbid, right?!
the next instance that i heard about today was by paul shirley (former nba player). he wrote this article:
I do not know if what I’m about to write makes me a monster. I do know that it makes me a part of a minuscule minority, if Internet trends and news stories of the past weeks are any guide.
“It”, is this:
I haven’t donated a cent to the Haitian relief effort. And I probably will not.
I haven’t donated to the Haitian relief effort for the same reason that I don’t give money to homeless men on the street. Based on past experiences, I don’t think the guy with the sign that reads “Need You’re Help” is going to do anything constructive with the dollar I might give him. If I use history as my guide, I don’t think the people of Haiti will do much with my money either.
In this belief I am, evidently, alone. It seems that everyone has jumped on the “Save Haiti” bandwagon. To question the impulse to donate, then, will probably be viewed as analogous with rooting for Charles Manson, John Wayne Gacy, or the Spice Girls.
My wariness has much to do with the fact that the sympathy deployed to Haiti has been done so unconditionally. Very few have said, written, or even intimated the slightest admonishment of Haiti, the country, for putting itself into a position where so many would be killed by an earthquake.
I can’t help but wonder why questions have not been raised in the face of this outpouring of support. Questions like this one:
Shouldn’t much of the responsibility for the disaster lie with the victims of that disaster?
Before the reader reaches for his or her blood pressure medication, he should allow me to explain. I don’t mean in any way that the Haitians deserved their collective fate. And I understand that it is difficult to plan for the aftermath of an earthquake. However, it is not outside the realm of imagination to think that the citizens of a country might be able to: A) avoid putting themselves into a situation that might result in such catastrophic loss of life. And B) provide for their own aid, in the event of such a catastrophe.
Imagine that I’m a caveman. Imagine that I’ve chosen to build my house out of balsa wood, and that I’m building it next to a roaring river because I’ve decided it will make harvesting fish that much easier. Then, imagine that my hut is destroyed by a flood.
Imagining what would happen next is easier than imagining me carrying a caveman’s club. If I were lucky enough to survive the roaring waters that took my hut, my tribesmen would say, “Building next to the river was pretty dumb, wasn’t it?.” Or, if I weren’t so lucky, they’d say, “At least we don’t have to worry about that moron anymore.”
Sure, you think, but those are cavemen. We’re more civilized now – we help each other, even when we make mistakes.
True enough. But what about when people repeat their mistakes? And what about when they do things that obviously act against their own self-interests?
In the case of mistakes and warnings as applied to Haiti, I don’t mean to indict those who ignored actual warnings against earthquakes, of which there were many before the recent one. Although it would have been prudent to pay heed to those, I suppose.
Instead, I’m referring to the circumstances in which people lived. While the earthquake was, obviously, unavoidable, the way in which many of the people of Haiti lived was not. Regrettably, some Haitians would have died regardless of the conditions in that country. But the fact that so many people lived in such abject poverty exacerbated the extent of the crisis.
How could humans do this to themselves? And what’s being done to stop it from happening again?
After the tsunami of 2004, the citizens of the world wailed and donated and volunteered for cleanup, rarely asking the important – and, I think, obvious – question: What were all those people doing there in the first place? Just as important: If they move back to a place near the ocean that had just been destroyed by a giant wave, shouldn’t our instinct be to say, “Go ahead if you want, but you’re on your own now.”?
We did the same after Hurricane Katrina. We were quick to vilify humans who were too slow to respond to the needs of victims, forgetting that the victims had built and maintained a major city below sea level in a known target zone for hurricanes. Our response: Make the same mistake again. Rebuild a doomed city, putting aside logic as we did.
And now, faced with a similar situation, it seems likely that we will do the same.
Shouldn’t there be some discourse on how the millions of dollars that are being poured into Haiti will be spent? And at least a slight reprimand for the conditions prior to the earthquake? Some kind of inquisition? Something like this?:
Dear Haitians –
First of all, kudos on developing the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Your commitment to human rights, infrastructure, and birth control should be applauded.
As we prepare to assist you in this difficult time, a polite request: If it’s possible, could you not re-build your island home in the image of its predecessor? Could you not resort to the creation of flimsy shanty- and shack-towns? And could some of you maybe use a condom once in a while?
Sincerely,
The Rest of the World
It shouldn’t be outlandish to hope that we might stop short of the reactionary word that is so often flung about after natural (and unnatural) disasters. That word: Rebuild. Thus, the tired, knee-jerk cycle of aid/assist/rebuild would be replaced by a new one: Aid/assist/let’s-stop-and-think-before-we-screw-this-up-again.
If forced to do so through logic-colored glasses, no one would look at Haiti and think, “You know what? It was a great idea to put 10 million people on half of an island. The place is routinely battered by hurricanes (in 2008, $900 million was lost/spent on recovery from them), it holds the aforementioned title of poorest nation in the Western hemisphere, and it happens to sit on a tectonic fault line.”
If it were apparent that Haiti would likely rebuild in an earthquake-resistant way, and if a cure could be found for hurricane abuse of island nations, then maybe one could imagine putting a sustained effort into rebuilding the place. But that would only be feasible if the country had shown any ability to manage its affairs in the past, which it has not done.
I can tell, based on my own reaction to that last sentence, that it might strike a nerve. The reader might be tempted to think, “We can’t blame the people of Haiti for their problems. Surely it’s someone else’s fault.” A similar sentiment can be found in this quote, from article on the geology behind the quake:
“Unfortunately, [Haiti]’s government was not in a position to really do much to prepare for the inevitable large earthquake, leaving tens of thousands to suffer the consequences.”
The sentiment expressed is one of outrage at the government. But, ultimately, the people in a country have control over their government. One could argue that in totalitarian regimes, they do not have much control, but in the end, it is their government. And therefore, their responsibility. If the government is not doing enough for the people, it is the people’s responsibility to change the government. Not the other way around.
Additionally, some responsibility for the individual lies with that individual.
A Haitian woman, days after the earthquake:
“We need so much. Food, clothes, we need everything. I don’t know whose responsibility it is, but they need to give us something soon,” said Sophia Eltime, a mother of two who has been living under a bed sheet with seven members of her extended family. (From an AP report.)
Obviously, a set of circumstances such as the one in which Ms. Eltime was living is a heart-wrenching one. And for that, anyone would be sympathetic. Until she says, “I don’t know whose responsibility it is.” I don’t know whose responsibility it is, either. What I do know is that it is not the responsibility of the outside world to provide help. It’s nice if we do, but it is not a requirement, especially when people choose to influence their own existences negatively, whether by having too many children when they can’t afford them or by failing to recognize that living in a concrete bunker might not be the best way to protect one’s family, whether an earthquake happens or not.
Ms. Eltime’s reaction helps define what is the crux of my problem with the reaction to this and to other humanitarian crises. I recoil at the notion that I’m SUPPOSED to do something. I would like to help, but only if I feel that my assistance is deserved and justified. If I perceive that I am being told to feel a certain way, and if I can point to a pattern of mistakes made in similar situations, I lose interest.
When I was young, the great humanitarian crisis facing our world – as portrayed by the media, anyway – was the starving masses in Africa. The solution found, of course, was to send bag after bag of food to those people, forgetting the long-understood maxim that giving more food to poor people allows them to create more poor people. (Admittedly, it’s a harsh truth.) At the time, my classmates and I, young and naïve as we were, thought we had come up with a better solution. “They should just go somewhere else,” we said. Our teacher grimaced, saying, “It’s not that simple.”
It still isn’t. And I’m not as naïve as I once was – I don’t think the people of Haiti have the option of moving. But I do think that our assistance should be restricted, like it should be in cases of starvation. It simply does not work to give, unconditionally. What might work is to teach. In the case of famine-stricken segments of Africa, teaching meant making people understand that a population of people needs a certain amount of food, and that the creation of that food has to be self-sustaining for the system to work. In the case of earthquake-stricken Haiti, teaching might mean limited help, but help that is accompanied by criticism of the circumstances that made that help necessary.
In the case of the Haitian earthquake, it’s heartening to see people caring about the fates of their fellow men. What is alarming, I think, is the sometimes illogical frenzy toward casting those affected by the earthquake as helpless, innocent souls who were placed on the island of Hispaniola by an invisible force. In the case of some, this analogy might well be accurate; children cannot very well control their destinies. And as far as sympathy goes, much of it should go to those children.
But children are brought into the world by their parents. Those parents have a responsibility – to themselves and to their kids – to provide. They have a responsibility to look around – before an earthquake happens – and say, “I need to improve this situation, because if a catastrophe were to happen, we’d be in bad shape.”
The people of whom I write are adults. Functional, human adults with functional, human adult brains. It is not too much to ask that they behave as such. That they stand up and say, “Yes, we screwed this up the first time. We are forever indebted to you. Now show us how we can do it right. So that, next time, we won’t need your help.”
mr. shirley was subsequently fired from espn for this article. i have already given money to the haiti relief (because i wanted to) and some of his opinions seem a little harsh to me but i think this is a well-written, thought-provoking article and he shouldn't lose his job for this.
after all, what both of these men are saying is "if you aren't going to help yourself, why should i help you?!" and i totally agree with that!
the first instance of this that i saw this week was from south carolina's lieutenant governor, andre bauer. he said: "My grandmother was not a highly educated woman, but she told me as a small child to quit feeding stray animals. You know why? Because they breed! You're facilitating the problem if you give an animal or a person ample food supply. They will reproduce, especially ones that don't think too much further than that." bauer said monday that he regrets his choice of words but that government should expect welfare recipients to try to better themselves. he wants to require them to take drug tests and attend parent-teacher conferences if they have children in school. heaven forbid, right?!
the next instance that i heard about today was by paul shirley (former nba player). he wrote this article:
I do not know if what I’m about to write makes me a monster. I do know that it makes me a part of a minuscule minority, if Internet trends and news stories of the past weeks are any guide.
“It”, is this:
I haven’t donated a cent to the Haitian relief effort. And I probably will not.
I haven’t donated to the Haitian relief effort for the same reason that I don’t give money to homeless men on the street. Based on past experiences, I don’t think the guy with the sign that reads “Need You’re Help” is going to do anything constructive with the dollar I might give him. If I use history as my guide, I don’t think the people of Haiti will do much with my money either.
In this belief I am, evidently, alone. It seems that everyone has jumped on the “Save Haiti” bandwagon. To question the impulse to donate, then, will probably be viewed as analogous with rooting for Charles Manson, John Wayne Gacy, or the Spice Girls.
My wariness has much to do with the fact that the sympathy deployed to Haiti has been done so unconditionally. Very few have said, written, or even intimated the slightest admonishment of Haiti, the country, for putting itself into a position where so many would be killed by an earthquake.
I can’t help but wonder why questions have not been raised in the face of this outpouring of support. Questions like this one:
Shouldn’t much of the responsibility for the disaster lie with the victims of that disaster?
Before the reader reaches for his or her blood pressure medication, he should allow me to explain. I don’t mean in any way that the Haitians deserved their collective fate. And I understand that it is difficult to plan for the aftermath of an earthquake. However, it is not outside the realm of imagination to think that the citizens of a country might be able to: A) avoid putting themselves into a situation that might result in such catastrophic loss of life. And B) provide for their own aid, in the event of such a catastrophe.
Imagine that I’m a caveman. Imagine that I’ve chosen to build my house out of balsa wood, and that I’m building it next to a roaring river because I’ve decided it will make harvesting fish that much easier. Then, imagine that my hut is destroyed by a flood.
Imagining what would happen next is easier than imagining me carrying a caveman’s club. If I were lucky enough to survive the roaring waters that took my hut, my tribesmen would say, “Building next to the river was pretty dumb, wasn’t it?.” Or, if I weren’t so lucky, they’d say, “At least we don’t have to worry about that moron anymore.”
Sure, you think, but those are cavemen. We’re more civilized now – we help each other, even when we make mistakes.
True enough. But what about when people repeat their mistakes? And what about when they do things that obviously act against their own self-interests?
In the case of mistakes and warnings as applied to Haiti, I don’t mean to indict those who ignored actual warnings against earthquakes, of which there were many before the recent one. Although it would have been prudent to pay heed to those, I suppose.
Instead, I’m referring to the circumstances in which people lived. While the earthquake was, obviously, unavoidable, the way in which many of the people of Haiti lived was not. Regrettably, some Haitians would have died regardless of the conditions in that country. But the fact that so many people lived in such abject poverty exacerbated the extent of the crisis.
How could humans do this to themselves? And what’s being done to stop it from happening again?
After the tsunami of 2004, the citizens of the world wailed and donated and volunteered for cleanup, rarely asking the important – and, I think, obvious – question: What were all those people doing there in the first place? Just as important: If they move back to a place near the ocean that had just been destroyed by a giant wave, shouldn’t our instinct be to say, “Go ahead if you want, but you’re on your own now.”?
We did the same after Hurricane Katrina. We were quick to vilify humans who were too slow to respond to the needs of victims, forgetting that the victims had built and maintained a major city below sea level in a known target zone for hurricanes. Our response: Make the same mistake again. Rebuild a doomed city, putting aside logic as we did.
And now, faced with a similar situation, it seems likely that we will do the same.
Shouldn’t there be some discourse on how the millions of dollars that are being poured into Haiti will be spent? And at least a slight reprimand for the conditions prior to the earthquake? Some kind of inquisition? Something like this?:
Dear Haitians –
First of all, kudos on developing the poorest country in the Western Hemisphere. Your commitment to human rights, infrastructure, and birth control should be applauded.
As we prepare to assist you in this difficult time, a polite request: If it’s possible, could you not re-build your island home in the image of its predecessor? Could you not resort to the creation of flimsy shanty- and shack-towns? And could some of you maybe use a condom once in a while?
Sincerely,
The Rest of the World
It shouldn’t be outlandish to hope that we might stop short of the reactionary word that is so often flung about after natural (and unnatural) disasters. That word: Rebuild. Thus, the tired, knee-jerk cycle of aid/assist/rebuild would be replaced by a new one: Aid/assist/let’s-stop-and-think-before-we-screw-this-up-again.
If forced to do so through logic-colored glasses, no one would look at Haiti and think, “You know what? It was a great idea to put 10 million people on half of an island. The place is routinely battered by hurricanes (in 2008, $900 million was lost/spent on recovery from them), it holds the aforementioned title of poorest nation in the Western hemisphere, and it happens to sit on a tectonic fault line.”
If it were apparent that Haiti would likely rebuild in an earthquake-resistant way, and if a cure could be found for hurricane abuse of island nations, then maybe one could imagine putting a sustained effort into rebuilding the place. But that would only be feasible if the country had shown any ability to manage its affairs in the past, which it has not done.
I can tell, based on my own reaction to that last sentence, that it might strike a nerve. The reader might be tempted to think, “We can’t blame the people of Haiti for their problems. Surely it’s someone else’s fault.” A similar sentiment can be found in this quote, from article on the geology behind the quake:
“Unfortunately, [Haiti]’s government was not in a position to really do much to prepare for the inevitable large earthquake, leaving tens of thousands to suffer the consequences.”
The sentiment expressed is one of outrage at the government. But, ultimately, the people in a country have control over their government. One could argue that in totalitarian regimes, they do not have much control, but in the end, it is their government. And therefore, their responsibility. If the government is not doing enough for the people, it is the people’s responsibility to change the government. Not the other way around.
Additionally, some responsibility for the individual lies with that individual.
A Haitian woman, days after the earthquake:
“We need so much. Food, clothes, we need everything. I don’t know whose responsibility it is, but they need to give us something soon,” said Sophia Eltime, a mother of two who has been living under a bed sheet with seven members of her extended family. (From an AP report.)
Obviously, a set of circumstances such as the one in which Ms. Eltime was living is a heart-wrenching one. And for that, anyone would be sympathetic. Until she says, “I don’t know whose responsibility it is.” I don’t know whose responsibility it is, either. What I do know is that it is not the responsibility of the outside world to provide help. It’s nice if we do, but it is not a requirement, especially when people choose to influence their own existences negatively, whether by having too many children when they can’t afford them or by failing to recognize that living in a concrete bunker might not be the best way to protect one’s family, whether an earthquake happens or not.
Ms. Eltime’s reaction helps define what is the crux of my problem with the reaction to this and to other humanitarian crises. I recoil at the notion that I’m SUPPOSED to do something. I would like to help, but only if I feel that my assistance is deserved and justified. If I perceive that I am being told to feel a certain way, and if I can point to a pattern of mistakes made in similar situations, I lose interest.
When I was young, the great humanitarian crisis facing our world – as portrayed by the media, anyway – was the starving masses in Africa. The solution found, of course, was to send bag after bag of food to those people, forgetting the long-understood maxim that giving more food to poor people allows them to create more poor people. (Admittedly, it’s a harsh truth.) At the time, my classmates and I, young and naïve as we were, thought we had come up with a better solution. “They should just go somewhere else,” we said. Our teacher grimaced, saying, “It’s not that simple.”
It still isn’t. And I’m not as naïve as I once was – I don’t think the people of Haiti have the option of moving. But I do think that our assistance should be restricted, like it should be in cases of starvation. It simply does not work to give, unconditionally. What might work is to teach. In the case of famine-stricken segments of Africa, teaching meant making people understand that a population of people needs a certain amount of food, and that the creation of that food has to be self-sustaining for the system to work. In the case of earthquake-stricken Haiti, teaching might mean limited help, but help that is accompanied by criticism of the circumstances that made that help necessary.
In the case of the Haitian earthquake, it’s heartening to see people caring about the fates of their fellow men. What is alarming, I think, is the sometimes illogical frenzy toward casting those affected by the earthquake as helpless, innocent souls who were placed on the island of Hispaniola by an invisible force. In the case of some, this analogy might well be accurate; children cannot very well control their destinies. And as far as sympathy goes, much of it should go to those children.
But children are brought into the world by their parents. Those parents have a responsibility – to themselves and to their kids – to provide. They have a responsibility to look around – before an earthquake happens – and say, “I need to improve this situation, because if a catastrophe were to happen, we’d be in bad shape.”
The people of whom I write are adults. Functional, human adults with functional, human adult brains. It is not too much to ask that they behave as such. That they stand up and say, “Yes, we screwed this up the first time. We are forever indebted to you. Now show us how we can do it right. So that, next time, we won’t need your help.”
mr. shirley was subsequently fired from espn for this article. i have already given money to the haiti relief (because i wanted to) and some of his opinions seem a little harsh to me but i think this is a well-written, thought-provoking article and he shouldn't lose his job for this.
after all, what both of these men are saying is "if you aren't going to help yourself, why should i help you?!" and i totally agree with that!
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
i've been a bad little blogger
well, i don't know that i would actually call myself a "blogger" - more like "someone who happens to have a blog"! either way, i haven't written in quite a while so i thought i would write about a few of the things that my girls have been up to lately!
my oldest was recently reading the bible to her little sister "in the beginning, God created the earth. and that was even before mommy and daddy were born - so it's a long time ago!" (gee, thanks kid!)
a while back, all four of us laid snuggling in our bed and the first grader said "all of us are together and the tv is all alone"! (wow, maybe we watch too much tv if she considers it a part of our family.)
she lost her third tooth last week but it was the first one on the top so now she has a cute little "jack o'latern" grin!
my little one is 3 1/2 now and she keeps me laughing all of the time. i'm so happy that i get to spend everyday with her right now! here are some of the funny things that she has said lately:
"how come we don't ever see any elephants?" (she asked this while we were driving around doing errands and couldn't understand why we see dogs, cows, horses, goats, etc. but never any elephants!)
"what do you call a pig with no pink on it? a muddy pig!" (that's her attempt at telling a joke)
"this little piggy went to target, this little piggy stayed home..." (maybe we do go shopping at target too often)
"i'm gonna get you bug. and you'll be dead and you'll not be with your family!" stomp, stomp, stomp!
she only wants to wear skirts and play dolls and dress up all the time just like my older one did at this age. i can't believe how much she is growing up already. sometimes i miss the baby stage and think we need to have another baby - and then i put down the wine glass and go to bed!
my oldest was recently reading the bible to her little sister "in the beginning, God created the earth. and that was even before mommy and daddy were born - so it's a long time ago!" (gee, thanks kid!)
a while back, all four of us laid snuggling in our bed and the first grader said "all of us are together and the tv is all alone"! (wow, maybe we watch too much tv if she considers it a part of our family.)
she lost her third tooth last week but it was the first one on the top so now she has a cute little "jack o'latern" grin!
my little one is 3 1/2 now and she keeps me laughing all of the time. i'm so happy that i get to spend everyday with her right now! here are some of the funny things that she has said lately:
"how come we don't ever see any elephants?" (she asked this while we were driving around doing errands and couldn't understand why we see dogs, cows, horses, goats, etc. but never any elephants!)
"what do you call a pig with no pink on it? a muddy pig!" (that's her attempt at telling a joke)
"this little piggy went to target, this little piggy stayed home..." (maybe we do go shopping at target too often)
"i'm gonna get you bug. and you'll be dead and you'll not be with your family!" stomp, stomp, stomp!
she only wants to wear skirts and play dolls and dress up all the time just like my older one did at this age. i can't believe how much she is growing up already. sometimes i miss the baby stage and think we need to have another baby - and then i put down the wine glass and go to bed!
Friday, January 1, 2010
happy new year, happy new hair
in december of 2007, my oldest daughter (who was then 4 years old) cut off 10 inches of her hair and donated it to locks of love. they make wigs for kids with cancer. she had seen someone on tv who did it and asked me why the lady was cutting her hair. i explained it all to her and she decided that she wanted to do that with her hair too. at the time, i didn't really want her to cut her hair but how could i stop her for doing something so admirable. i did postpone it for a few weeks so we could get Christmas pictures taken first and for her to be totally sure that she really wanted to do it. she cut it off right around Christmas of 2007 and it looked really cute.
in these past 2 years, she and my mom have both been growing their hair out and yesterday they both cut off 10 inches of hair to donate.
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