Who's that girl??

Yes, I know, it has been a while. I haven't blogged in WAY too long. I'm going to go ahead and confess that my Reader is WELL above 1000 unread's as well, so if you've been feeling neglected lately, it's completely my fault.

Well, for my first post in ages, I thought I would get you all up to speed on what's been going on in the Sunshine household, with PICTURES!!!

This could take a while.



The Tiger Cubs toured Mrs. Baird's Bakery in Ft. Worth

We had a funeral. Pop passed away in January. It was a very rough time for Budman and the boys. We're hanging in there, though.

Mater had a stomach bug and fell asleep in his toast. He's feeling MUCH better now.

The Tiger Cubs took a tour of the Fort Worth Star Telegram printing operations.

Monkey, Mater and I took a trip to the Zoo in Waco with Copper's Fox, the Tater tot and our parents.

I have to share this video - it was SO funny.

Monkey entered his first Pinewood Derby for Cub Scouts - Recognize anyone??

My Valentine's Day present!!

I got a new haircut!!

We dog-sat for my MIL. I took this video of her dog, Shadow playing in our backyard.

Monkey went to his first Blue & Gold Banquet for Cub Scouts
And tomorrow is Monkey's 7th Birthday. He is having a party at a local pizza place, and I will share photos soon.

I have a few stories that I'm trying to keep in my head, I've been wanting to blog for a while, but as you can see - things have been pretty busy here.

I also promise, I will be catching up with my reader as soon as I can, hope you are all doing well.

Eternal Sunshine

Whisper what you'll bring to me; tell me if you can

Saturday, I took the boys (the little boys, Possum was invited, but politely declined) to see Santa at Mrs. Baird's Bakery. We've never gone there to see Santa before, but I'll never go anywhere else again. The folks at Mrs. Baird's REALLY know how to do it up right.

First, they have a giant tent set up, and inside, it's completely decorated. Santa's workshop displays line the walls, and smells of Cinnamon Toast filled the air.

Here's a picture of Monkey and Mater enjoying their free Cinnamon Toast. I didn't realize at the time, but in ALL of the Toast-eating photos I took, Mater had his eyes closed. I think he was just enjoying that food a little too much!!

Santa was amazing. Once the kids got up to see him, he spoke with them for a minute, posed for a picture, and gave them a package of powdered donuts from his pack.

More than once, I saw him straighten the skirt of a pretty dress as they placed a little girl in his lap, so that she would look just right in her picture. The lines weren't too long, and once we were done, the boys got their toast, and they had coloring pages and a craft activity for the kids to do. (Unfortunately, there were so many kids at the craft table, and I'm not comfortable posting pictures of other people's children.)

The only glitch in the whole day (other than the wind - Thank Heavens that they had it all set up inside the tent), was when we stopped off at PetSmart on our way home, where SANTA was there for pictures with pets. My smart boys, immediately wanted to know how Santa could be at this store, when we had just left the Bakery, and of course, I reminded them how Santa can't be everywhere at once, so he has helpers that work for him, speaking with kids, and taking pictures with pets, etc...

Later that day, while the boys were telling their Grammy all about Santa, she mentioned that SHE used to go see Santa at the Bakery when she was a little girl, so I guess Mrs. Baird's has been bringing in Santa for quite a few years.

I certainly hope they keep it up, I haven't had this great an experience going to see Santa since I was a little girl!!

Conversations, Part - whatever...

This summary is not available. Please click here to view the post.

Strange things are afoot at the Circle K

Or not.
(I just love throwing movie quotes into my everyday conversations.)

Anyway...

Time for another giveaway post.

This one is a big one, and you will be glad you got in on it!!

Head on over to The Lil' Peanut Patch and enter their 12 Days of Christmas at the Patch. THey are having TWELVE (Yes, 12) days of giveaways, and two lucky people will each get to win half of those prizes. Yes, you heard that right. One person will win 6 prizes, and one will win the other six prizes.

One catch - You have to enter ALL the giveaways to be entered, so be sure to get moving over to the The Lil' Peanut Patch to read the rules, enter and win!!

In other news...

There have been lots of goings-on in the Land of Eternal Sunshine lately. I took off all of last week (and most of the weeks prior -heehee) for the Holiday and to rejuvenate my mind (or something), but I will be getting back on the ball very soon. I have awards to mention (and give away), contests that have been won, a very spectacular Secret Santa shimpent arrived, and more!!

Oh - and my nephew, the Tater-Tot (formerly known as N, or Nigel) informed my Sister that he wanted to make Christmas gifts. She's asked for ideas, and I haven't come up with anything age-appropriate yet. Please head on over to her blog and leave some ideas. They will be most appreciated!

I'll leave you with this - A little late for Thanksgiving, but appropriate for the time of year.

Sunday, we were at the airport to pick up Possum from his vacation to his Mom's house. As Monkey, Mater and I were waiting for Budman to go get him, I pointed out a soldier walking through the terminal. Monkey shouted out "Hi Soldier!!" The man smiled and waved at the boys, and we smiled back. Then Monkey shouted "Thank you for all you do for our country!" I got a little teary-eyed... Sometimes my kids really surprise me.

I don't know if the young man heard Monkey's thank you, but I hope so, and I want to say a special thanks to all of our servicemen and women.

FINALLY - The Weekend Update

Just not the one I promised three or four weekends ago.

First things first: (It seems like I say that a lot...) The work drama. My company informed me Tuesday that my position is being eliminated, and my duties are being transferred to our corporate office several states away (Not just me, they're doing the same with all 3 of the positions in our little corner of the department). I will be staying on until Mid-January to assist with the transition, then will be (hopefully) starting another position. I'm not sure yet whether there will be another job for me with this company, or if I will be working elsewhere. (Actually, there's a lot that I'm not sure of at the moment)

This was somewhat of a shock for us, but I'm really OK with it. I've been feeling overwhelmed and a little burned out in this position, so I think a change will do me some good. I also know that God will take care of me.

On to the weekend. Friday, I took off work to accompany Monkey's class on a field trip to Casa Manana Theatre. It was a lot of fun, and I enjoyed it immensely. When I took off to go on Mater's field trip last month, I didn't know any of the other mothers, and felt a little out of place. Fortunately, Monkey has FOUR other Cub Scouts in his class, and all their mothers came along, so I had a few familiar faces, and people to talk to. Not that you would know it, but I'm a little shy, and it's hard for me to jump in and strike up conversations. It was a fun day, even if we did eat lunch in the freezing cold* at the park. Brrr.

That afternoon, I took Possum to the airport so that he could go see his mother for the holiday.

Saturday was what the boys and I call a pajama day. They stayed in their footie PJs all day, we played and watched TV, played Cranium Cadoo and snuggled under blankets A LOT. Saturday afternoon, they put on clothes and BEGGED to play outside. It had warmed a little, so they got to play until dark. Oh - and I did lots of laundry. You're jealous, aren't you? Of the glamorous life I lead...

Sunday, the boys skipped off to church with Grandma, and Budman and I headed to the grocery store. When we got back to the house, Monkey headed off for his "best friend's" birthday party, and Budman and I made 10 jars of dill pickles in the afternoon, Mater and I played A LOT of board games, and did some puzzles. I also (finally) got to work on Christmas Presents. I'm making a lot of gifts this year, I can't tell you what I made, though, because SOME PEOPLE who read this blog might see it.

So, there it is, my weekend in a nutshell, not terribly interesting, but then that's life!!


*Yes, I know that to you ladies and gentlemen up North, I'm a gigantic wussy, but it was 37 degrees when i left the house that morning, and it did not warm up much all morning, in fact, it never got above 48 all day.

Stop by to visit Copper's Fox, she's got a funny story about my nephew, Tater-tot, and Mater.

Also, don't forget about my friend Holly, Anglophile Football Fanatic. She's donating her November ad revenue to Food for the Poor. Every click counts, so do me a big favor, and help her out!

Day TWO of her giveaway is today, and people, it is awesome. There will a giveaway every day this week.

Please head on over to her place, and enter her contest.

And the winner is...

Sorry it took me so long, I seriously underestimated how long it would take to cut out and fold all those comments. (Then my puter decided I didn't hold my mouth just right the FIRST time I typed this entire post out, and refused to save it - UGH)

Anyway, the comments all went into a bag, and Mater just chose a winner.

Without further ado, the winner of my Blogoversary give away, a $25 Gift card to JC Penney is:

cylis9, who said...

Good luck on the walk and thanks for the great giveaway!

Congratulations, cylis9, please email me your mailing address, so that I can send your prize!! Thanks to everyone who participated in my giveaway.

If the prize is not claimed within 3 days, I will choose another winner.

Also, I promised to donate all October revenue to the Alzheimer's Association. I just checked my report, and I am proud to say that I will be sending them a check for $20! Thank you to everyone who helped out. I appreciate it more than you can know.

Opposites, wondering and musings...

If the opposite of black is white...

What's the opposite of Red?
What's the opposite of Green?
What's the opposite of Purple?
What's the opposite of Brown?

The funny thing is, when I asked these questions to myself, an answer popped in to my head instantly for each of them. I'll let you ponder it yourself, though, without the interference of my opinion.

Last night was Cub Scouts night. I suck, I have so many pictures, and I really want to do a picture post, but I'm not comfortable putting pictures of other peoples' kids on the Internet, so I'll need to figure something out there, before I can post the tale...

Conversations with Mater:

Mater: Mom, it smells like Butt in here!!

Mater: Mom, Monkey's attackling me!"


Conversations with Monkey:

Monkey: "I'm goin' to town here, Mom!" (while drawing the coversheet for his Cub Scout scrapbook)

Monkey: "Mom, I'm keeping my eye on you!"

This weekend will be spent finishing our Halloween costumes, I really hope I can get them done. I'm still debating whether I want to wear my costume to work or not next Friday. We are allowed to, and will have a contest, but it's going to be a pain to work in all day... Hmmm... Will give it more thought.

Since Halloween is not over yet, I am still in denial about the approach of Christmas. Do NOT tell me how you finished your shopping in March, or how you're already starting on shopping for NEXT Christmas, I will hunt you down. I'll get there, the same way I always do... gradually!

First, I have to get into the Thanksgiving spirit, which involves me planning an elaborate menu, and all of us eating until we explode. Then I will be ready to think about Christmas. After I clean my family off the ceiling.

Have a terrific weekend. I'll leave you with this one - What is the opposite of puce?


I am still donating my October revenue to the Alzheimer's Association.

And don't forget to enter the giveaway for my Blogoversary! You have until October 31...

Wekend Update: Random, random, everywhere...

Hello, remember me?? I know I'm a huge slacker. I still can't seem to turn all those "Drafts" into "Posts". I'm working on it.

Coming up later this week, the Cub Scout post I have been promising. I've decided to wait until after his Bobcat ceremony (is that what it's called?) to finish that one up.

Also, I have a circus recap. I took LOTS of photos (& video), and I would have had that one finished already, but life keeps getting in the way of my blogging (RUDE!) Plus, there's that whole camera slacker thing I've got going on...

So, instead I will share a bit O' the random...

Yesterday's Left-handed compliment of the day: "You're VERY intelligent in your own way." I won't share with you the response that came to mind...

I never did make it into work on Saturday. I fully intended to, but Budman had to go to his parents' house to work on their cars, and with Mater having run a fever the day before, we did not want to bring him around Budman's Dad, Pop, for fear that he would get very sick. So, the kids and I stayed home, I did laundry and cleaned house, and felt very productive instead.

Saturday was the Circus, thanks to Possum, who said "I don't have to be there until 7:20, I thought we would leave around 7:00", (Gee, thanks for making our plans for us, we MIGHT have had something else in mind, though - So sorry we didn't consult you first!!) we were very nearly late. My parents DID meet us there, and as I'm getting out of the car, I get my SECOND phone call from my mother (She's not so good with the concept of 'go with the flow'), who says "The man here says the show starts at 7:00. That's in five minutes!" So, we hurried over to meet them at the door, rushed in and found our seats. Possum, turns out, was NOT supposed to be there at 7:20, since the silly thing STARTED at 7:00 and he couldn't find the other boys in the group, because they were already out in the CENTER RING!!! Grr, the boy makes us crazy sometimes! Oh well, he made it to where he was supposed to be, and we had a lovely time. I have lots of pictures, and will share soon.

Sunday, the little boys went to Church with Grandma, and the big one went to the shooting range with Grandpa, SO Budman and I snuck off together!! We went and had breakfast at Whataburger, then swung by the auto parts store to buy a radiator for his mother's car. (Boy, does he know how to show a girl a good time!!) Sigh... Where was I? Ah, we headed to the In-laws, and replaced the radiator - OK, so Budman replaced it, but I totally helped him, AND if I had a Chevy S-10 whatever, I could SO change out the radiator on it. I could SO!! Budman said next time he was letting me doing it all. SO there!

Surprisingly, the radiator only took about an hour and a half, and we headed back home, where I prepared a little Seven Layer dip to snack on while Budman and Possum watched the Football game, which was a tremendous disappointment, and I Plurked.

The kids had Monday off school, so they were tasked with getting the Halloween decorations up outside. They also got to carve Jack-o-Lanterns!! The decorations aren't quite finished yet, but don't worry BurghBaby, I will share the pictures, as promised.

I guess that's it for now. I really have lots more ideas, but somehow, I'm lacking the words to back it all up!

Oh, and remember, my blogaversary is coming up, and I will be having a giveaway!! Stay tuned for more details!!! (Dang, I'm not sure how to spell that!!!)

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Please don't forget that I'm On the MOVE for a cure to Alzheimer's. (Read yesterday's post for more details.) I'm donating all revenue from October to the Alzheimer's Association. Please stay and click a while!!! And if you wish to donate to a terrific cause, I would be honored if you would support me in my Walk on October 18th!!

Click Here to Donate

Something occurred to me...

Lately, I've been so busy trying to have "something to write about", that I've been neglecting my favorite part of my blog. Telling you about my family. Granted, it's not always funny, although we have our moments, but it's real...

We have made it through the first 6 weeks of the new school year. It's been largely uneventful (in our world, uneventful is a good thing).

Possum, has been struggling with organization again this year. He is certainly smart enough to complete his work, but he often forgets to turn it in, or leaves the book he needs at school, etc. This is frustrating, and THANK GOODNESS for the online grade check, because he would NOT tell us any of this on his own. I'm not sure whether this is because of his forgetfulness, or if he's just being sneaky, but I am so glad that I can check all of his assignments online, because that way I can stay on top of things... I'm pretty sure this is all part of the teenage boy's brain. I can only assume that he's so busy thinking about girls, that there's not room in there for "unimportant" stuff like schoolwork! So, I've become a nag, and I hate it.

Monkey is still having trouble staying on task, minding his own business, etc and he's still a terrific liar. (No, I'm not calling my son a liar, I just mean that he's rather good at it...) Currently, he's grounded until further notice. He's not grounded for the minor infractions at school, he's grounded for lying, which in our house, is a MUCH more heinous offense than not following directions or whatever.

He's also still doing his Cub Scouts, although after Wednesday, he almost lost that privilege, too. However, we have decided that instead of taking away Cub Scouts, perhaps we can use it to help remind him that he needs to live up to the Motto of the Cub Scouts - Do your best. Every chance we get, in all the things he is learning, about respect, duty, goodwill etc, we try to turn those things into a life lesson, to show him how he can use those ideals in his daily life at school, to follow his leaders, to do his best, to give goodwill. I really do hope, as I have from the beginning, that those things won't become just words to him, but goals and practices for his daily life. He will receive his Bobcat badge next week, and I'm almost as excited as he is! We've worked really hard.

Mater, bless his heart, hardly ever gets talked about, because he doesn't get into trouble. Monkey was my angel baby, but Mater is my Angel child. Don't get me wrong, he's not perfect, and he does occasionally get into trouble at home, but he does not get into trouble at school. Last year, in Pre-K there was ONE day out of all the (180??) school days, that he did not get a sticker. (Their chosen measurement of conduct). This year, so far, he is doing just as well. He's learning quickly, starting to read, and sounding out words. He gets easily frustrated, but he's doing great. He's in Speech therapy twice a week at school, and already I've noticed a big improvement with his "r" sounds.

Yesterday, after school, he began feel sick, and ran a fever all night. Poor thing - he felt SO hot. By this morning, his temp was down to 101.4, but of course, he still stayed home from school. He was VERY disappointed, he loves school. (Oh, and on a completely unrelated note, if you don't have one of THESE thermometers, get one - it's the ONE thing I don't know how I ever lived without!!!!)

Budman and I are tired. LOL!

Possum, who I've mentioned before is in DeMolay, will be working at the Shrine Circus on Saturday, so we will be taking the little ones to enjoy while Possum is there. We went last year, and really enjoyed it a lot. I'm looking forward to taking them to do something fun. Mandatory fun - we all need to try it (on a completely unrelated note, the link for the Shrine Circushad a Kid fun page, where you can print off coloring pages for the kiddos!!)

I've had several requests from my family for visitswith us and the kids, but they will have to wait a little longer. Budman will be taking the kids to his parents house (yes, I realize they are family as well, but they don't request, they guilt) on Saturday, to work on their cars, while I take my happy butt into work to catch up a little. So, I'm going to have to tell my folks that we are available Saturday night at the Circus, if they would like to join us, otherwise, it will be two more weeks. Ugh.

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Please don't forget that I'm On the MOVE for a cure to Alzheimer's. (Read yesterday's post for more details.) I'm donating all revenue from October to the Alzheimer's Association. Please stay and click a while!!! And if you wish to donate to a terrific cause, I would be honored if you would support me in my Walk on October 18th!!

Click Here to Donate

I got nothin'

I'm sorry - I have no idea what to put in this space!!! I've had a crazy bit of a weekend/start of the work week, and my mind is filled only with compliance and contracts, instead interesting bloggy thoughts.

I have one small - not terribly funny - story from the weekend...

The kids spent all day playing Nerf wars in the back yard Saturday (Yes, I let them play with toy guns, if I didn't they would just make them out of their fingers or breakfast toast or whatever), this involves Monkey and Mater on a team against Possum. They will run around and shoot until one of them gets hit. If they manage to get Possum, the little ones jump up and down and yell, and scream "We won". If one of them is the one who has been shot, the other immediately puts down his weapon, and says, "I give up". Wussies.

They spend lots of time planning, and strategizing, and at one point, they started a new game. Monkey walked slowly straight toward Possum, lowed his gun to the ground and backed away slowly, hands in the air. Possum looked at me, as if to ask "What are they up to?", but I only shook my head, to let him know that I had nothing to do with this plan. Mater then lay down his gun as well, and backed away. I stepped in at that point, telling them that playing that way wasn't much fun for anyone, and if they had 'bullets" left in their guns, they had better be shooting!

Wait, what??

===============

And...

Also, as usual, my children offered up LOTS of cutsie things that were said, but I can only remember one of them now - I always tell myself to write them down, but I never do...

Mater: Mom, Monkey won't play with me...
Me: Well, why not?
Mater: I don't know, because he's a lazy bum!

ok

I'll give my brain time to recharge, and perhaps I'll have more later this week...

Sorry!

The return of the weekend update.

Alternate Title: "Gosh, we sure are boring..."

Ah, the Weekend Update. I'm sure you've been missing it with all your heart.

Considering that I have the most boring life ever, you're probably thinking what's the point?

Anywho...

Friday was fraught with Ike anticipation. It was the only topic of conversation that anyone could manage, and I was starting to get a little annoyed with my co-worker, who gave me up to the minute updates, every.freaking.second. of the day. Flipping out that we might actually get 30 mph winds once Ike made it inland and up to our neck of the woods. Thirty mph?? Oh no! Whatever will we do???!!!

Sarcasm is my weapon of choice.

She was all day sending me pictures of random flooded roads and traffic on the I45. (oh god, I just said THE I45 - I hate when people do that!!!) It's not that I don't care, because I do - friends and family in the area and all that - she is just one of those people that grab onto something and CANNOT let it go. And freaking out is what she does best (i.e. Already this morning, I have been subjected to constant updates on the state of our economy, the stock market and, as usual, gas prices.) Good times...

Friday evening, we watched the news and played with the kids. I woke at 2 AM to discover that ALL FOUR of our local networks had preempted all programming for Hurricane talk. Some of them were even boasting commercial-free coverage. I watched that for a little while, until I could fall back asleep.

Saturday morning, we stayed in (TOLD YOU I have the Most Boring Life Evah!!) the kids played in the rain, we watched The Sword in the Stone, and countless hours of Spongebob, in an effort to keep the children from driving me going insane . The weather never got bad at our place, we had less than an inch of rain, and mildly gusty winds. Ike decided to head east to see the sights. I am rather glad of this, although I was really hoping for a good rainstorm...

Saturday night, as I was putting the boys to bed, I was teasing them about... GIRLS!!! As I climbed to the top bunk to tuck Monkey in, I asked him about his GIRLFRIENDS, and was relentless in insisting that he must have a GIRLFRIEND. (Use your imagination, sing song voice, tickling and general teasing ensued)

His reply?? "Snap out of it!"

I swear, I don't know where they come up with this stuff.

When I got to Mater (who apparently DOES have a girlfriend), I asked her name (He doesn't know), if she was in his class (She's not), what grade she was in (Kindergarten - at least he doesn't have the older women chasing him...), and what her name was (He doesn't know). Awesome! Amid all the giggling and teasing, his response?

"Snap out of it!"

Sunday was spent doing a little grocery shopping. I HATE when we go shopping hungry - We bought mostly food for lunches for Budman and I for this week and next, and I'm embarrassed at how much we spent! ON LUNCHES! Oh well, we likely won't be needing to buy anything for a while...

Other than that short excursion, we spent the weekend at home, on the computer, reading books, watching TV, eating ridiculous amounts of food, and just being the boring folks that we are...

I did laundry, but only because I think my work frowns on nudity...

The boys did get to spend some time outside yesterday, which kept me from going crazy and killing them.

Of course, after a while, I heard screaming, and as I ran to see what was the matter, Mater came towards me claiming he had been stung by a bee. I never saw the bee, but it had gotten in his sock, he said, and whatever it was, it got him right on the ankle bone. I couldn't find a stinger, but he had a small red spot on his ankle, and it began to swell almost immediately. We made a paste to put on it, which he thought was pretty cool, and he snuggled with me for a while, until he wanted to move to a pillow in the floor.

He's fine - apparently, he's not allergic, and I'm not certain that it was a bee, since we never found a stinger. I believe that some wasps don't leave a stinger behind, and we have plenty of those around our place. Budman did a check of the area, and couldn't find a nest there, so I don't really know what happened.

But at least he's got a good story to tell at school today.

Sure beats "We sat around and did nothing the whole time..."

Don'tcha hate my random posts!?!?!

First, It's September 11th. Not to get all preachy on you, but please make some time today to pray for those people, or just take a moment to think of them and their families. Here is a list (just one, so far) of people who have 9/11 posts today.

BurghBaby

A Mom Two Boys

Happy Meals & Happy Hour

A Mama's Blog

Amy in Ohio

Autobiography of My Feet

Twice as Nice

Draco's Rose

Cake Wrecks

Decisionally Challenged

I will update as I find more. I'm still on my first cup of coffee.

Second, Ike is a pain n the @ss. I have one friend who has already evacuated, and another whose family is doing the same. My uncle and his family live in Magnolia, and he has a Veterinary practice in Houston, and I know Know KNOW that they will not evacuate and leave the animals. I don't even have to ask, I KNOW. Please, please keep all of those people in your thoughts, keep your fingers crossed, think good thoughts, pray - whatever you want.

Third, Tonight is the Boy Scout Rally. Monkey has been waiting for six months to be old enough to be a Cub Scout, and tonight is his big night. He's a bit nervous, I could tell, but Budman, who was also a Cub/Boy Scout (he still has all his stuff - AND his dad's - so cool) will be going with him, while I take Possum to DeMolay. Whew, let the fun begin. I think knowing that Daddy will be going with him took a little worry off his mind.

Fourth, I think I may have forgotton in the last 'Hmmhmm' years how busy High schoolers are. Possum is in ROTC, which has after school "practice?" on Tuesdays, and he also wants to be in the... Crud, I forgot what he called it... the rifles and such... not color guard, but dang it... I'll think of it, which practices on Wednesdays, and then DeMolay on Thursdays. He has been warned, if his grades are not to our satisfaction, we will yank him, so here's hoping. So far, he's been very diligent with his school work.

Fifth, Why the HELL did my step-mother feel the need to buy my SIX year old Axe Body Spray? I know she's a Grandma and must spoil him and all but really, WTF?? He's all spraying himself every morning before school, and decided that he would be wearing the spray this evening to the Boy Scouts rally - QUOTE "Even though there won't be any girls there." Huh??

Sixth, Who in the Hell said that my baby was allowed to have a **Gasp** Girlfriend??? He's FIVE, and some hussy* is on the bus blowing him kisses??? Oh Lord, no. I cannot deal with this.

Seventh, I don't really have a seventh, but I'm trying... Oh yeah. I'm really interested in this site. Unfortunately, my work computer hates all things fun, so I will have to see if I can figure it out this weekend. I just wanted to say - if you do this and post your pictures, PLEASE let me know, because I cannot get enough of these photos...

Eighth, I am obsessed with well, actually a LOT of things but this week, it's Chuck Norris Facts. I giggled for hours yesterday, drove both my co-workers and my husband crazy and convinced at least four people that I'm certifiable. Actually, only three - I'm pretty sure Budman already knew that about me.

• My favorite? (today) "Chuck Norris once shot down a German fighter plane with his finger, by yelling, "Bang!"

Lastly, Have a terrific day and since I probably won't finish tomorrow's post until Monday, a great weekend, too.

*If that hussy is your daughter - I'm sorry - I didn't really mean it. Just keep her blown kisses off of my baby, please??

Works in progress

I'm working on several posts, but can't seem to find the time to get them finished!

• I've got one about the kids, and discipline, and such. Hopefully (for you!) it will be entertaining.

• I'm fighting the urge to weigh in on politics. Hopefully (for you!) I will be able to hold off. But, dang, people are pissing me off!!

Instead (since I can't seem to finish anything these days), I will tell you a little about my weekend. My favorite part of this weekend, (besides the fact that it was the weekend, and I did next to nothing... but not totally nothing, because we had lots of company, and I had to clean toilets becuase 14 year old boys don't know that "Clean your bathroom" means to actually scrub toilets and sinks and such. Grrr.) was Sunday, when Budman (for whatever reason) decided that he needed to take me out dancing that night.

Thankfully, I managed to talk him out of it, so he insisted that we spend the evening dancing together on the back patio. We have a CD player out there, so we spent all evening digging through our collection, and dancing. Pretty soon, everyone came out to the back porch and the kids were dancing with my step-mom, but then my dad came along to dance with her, so Budman and I danced with the kids, until they had enough, and we went back to dancing with each other. It was fun, and silly and sweet - and I really loved it.

And although I always feel a little hokey dancing in our yard at first (Yes, we have done this on more than one occasion), I start to think that it's probably a good thing that the kids see Budman and I spending time together doing mushy stuff (Not TOO mushy), and that they grow up knowing how much their parents love each other, because they see it on a regular basis, and being included when we do our silly stuff.

Monday, I stepped outside for a minute, and Mater ran out with me, turned on the music, and asked me to dance with him. I guess we made an impression...

I know this isn't terribly well written, or even concise, but it's been floating about my head for a few days, and at some point, you have to write it all down, ready or not, just to make room in your head for new crap. So here - you get it "as is".

Have a terrific week.

The one with the Birthday...

Today is Mater's birthday. My baby is 5 years old.

Budman and I decided to take him out to the driveway to give him his gift first thing. Budman blindfolded Mater, and told him "I put your present somwhere out here. Go find it." Then he spun him around once or twice, took off the blindfold, and sent him to search for it.

Note the location of Mater's present... (Hint: It's the bicycle)

Mater headed out into the yard, while we shouted "You're getting colder, you're getting warmer...

This was great entertainment - for us. (He even looked back at us a time or two!)

After looking all over the yard, he FINALLY saw it:

Budman told me "I want a picture of his face the second he sees it.

How's that??

He couldn't wait to hop on and take a ride!!!

After lunch, he opened a few more presents...

And of course, Monkey HAD to get in on the pictures, too.

Wordless Wednesday - Peekaboo

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Weekend Update - continued

First, I have to say that my Monkey graduated Kindergarten last night!!

I'll have photos - as soon as Budman sends them to me - So today may be a two-poster!! I know you're SO 'cited.

But, for now - back to the weekend update. It isn't all that interesting, but I'll do my best.

Oh - and Possum's eyes are looking much better. You can see a little bit of purple if you look closely, but he's doing just fine, thanks for thinking of him!

Saturday, was pretty simple. Budman worked on the car, he was feeling a lot of stress about that, and when you're stressed, I'm not really the best person to have around. I can be a bit... clingy, for lack of a better word, and annoyingly accommodating. Finally, I recognized that Budman needed some time to himself (I'm not exactly a quick study). He went out for a while, I cleaned our bedroom, while doing laundry (and actually putting away clothes!) I had the boys clean their room and the loft (which is nothing more than a glorified toy storage area).

For lunch, I chopped up some leftover ham and made an awesome ham salad, the little ones, of course, don't know what's good, and preferred to have Mac 'n Cheese. (Neanderthals)

After lunch, I had the boys take a nap. (The little ones, I don't make Possum nap). We have pretty much done away with napping, since they don't have nap time at school during the week, but Saturday was stressful, and I wanted some time to get the cleaning handled, without having to stop every five minutes to break up fights or whatever.

When Budman returned, he announced that we were taking the boat and heading for the lake - as soon as the little guys woke up. I went upstairs a few minutes later, and they were both awake, so we got ready and headed out. This was the first time that we let them swim in the water while we were out there, and they were both VERY nervous about that - even though they had their life jackets on.

Both Monkey and Mater are a little afraid of the water. It took me forever before I could get Mater to take a bath without screaming - and showers are a nightmare!! We had a little pool last summer, and while Monkey would have lived in it if we would have let him, Mater very rarely felt the need to "swim". So, understandably, they were both freaking out a bit about jumping into the lake from the side of the boat.

But, mean mommy that I am, I made them get into the lake at every opportunity. Budman was in the water with them, and usually, we only let one in at a time, since I discovered that while I can get into the water, our boat doesn't have a ladder yet, so I am incapable of pulling myself back out! I'm so embarrassed to even admit that... No upper body strength, and overweight. YAY! But, that's OK, I'm working on it - and Budman promised to get me a ladder. Anyway, I wish I had taken the camera, because I will not be able to accurately describe some of the funniest moments that happened. I'm totally gonna try, though.

While Mater was in the water, he was screaming so loudly, that I was sure someone would call the police. He just about came unglued! As Budman was handing him up to me so I could lift him back into the boat, he said (still screaming) "I liked it!!!" Sorry Mater, not buying it.

Monkey also fussed a bit, they both like the water fine as long as they can touch the bottom, but that's not so easy in a lake. Later, we found a spot to do some fishing, and Mater decided that he needed to.. go potty. When we told him that he would have to get into the water, he decided all of a sudden, that he no longer had to go. Too bad, we lifted him over the side and down into the water, while he's screaming "no, no, no, I don't want to! no, no, OH MAN!" That was the moment when his feet touched the bottom of the lake. We were in a little "inlet", and it was about 2-3 foot deep. He felt awfully silly about the fuss after that. He took care of business and we teased him for making such a ruckus. He wiped his tears, and began to laugh at the whole thing. He even told the story again several times later that night after we got home.

We stayed out on the lake as late as possible, getting back to the boat ramp just before the sun began to go down. It was so very nice. I think we'll be spending most of our time there.

Sunday, we slept in a little and then decided to head back to the lake. (Aren't' I boring? "car trouble, blah blah, lake, blah blah, laundry, blah blah blah!" Some swimming, some fishing (I won - I caught SEVEN fish!!) Repeat. Repeat again. We headed back home, ate some hamburgers, and put the boys down for a nap. As soon as he asked to be excused from the table, Mater asked if he could go take his nap. Monkey was not far behind. Due to the heat of the day, and the VAST amounts of sun, even Budman and I took naps. After that, Budman spent the evening on the laptop, looking for our new car (Yes, my car is repairable, but it will be time consuming and expensive, and we've been discussing a new car with better gas mileage anyway. Guess now is the time.)

Speaking of sun, the top of my right foot is burned. The left foot is just fine. I have no idea why. Budman, bless his heart, burned his scalp (I knew I should have rubbed sunscreen in his hair...) And I managed to miss a few spots when I applied sunscreen, so I have pink cleavage and the backs of my arms are not feeling so hot. Actually, they are feeling hot - but you know what I mean...

Monkey and Mater, managed to avoid being sunburned, I'm a maniac when it comes to sunscreen for my two fish-belly white boys, though.

Possum got a bit of sunburn on his back, and several people have asked "Didn't you put sunscreen on him?" My answer has been that he's 14, and old enough to put on his own sunscreen. Is this wrong? I did remind him on Sunday, although he forgot to put it on his back, and is now a little sore...

Anyway, so I'm now wondering, Should I have made sure he put sunscreen on? Having your (step)mom put sunscreen on you - isn't that a little creepy? I generally try not to nag Possum about stuff, although he is forgetful, we are trying to teach him responsibility for his own actions, and not to depend on us to think for him. Just wondering - Input appreciated.

Well, there it is - Not nearly as exciting as I built it up to be, but that's our weekend nonetheless.

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Busier than a one-legged man...

In a butt-kicking contest.

Whew! Well, Here's the weekend Friday update.

Friday, Budman and I were headed to Mater's school because he won the "Insert school name and mascot here" Pride Award for the 6th 6 weeks. It's an award that is voted on by teachers (with student input) and it's for students who show good character. Yay Mater! This honor won him a certificate and a donut breakfast with the pricipal in the library Friday morning. We were planning to head into work late - after the presentation was over. Unfortunately, fate, karma or the universe had other plans. On the way to the school, my car died. At 60 mph. On the freeway. Yippee.

THANKFULLY, grandma was also going to the school, so that she could take Mater for the day after the presentation - and we would be able to head on into work. (Mater's in afternoon pre-K, so he wouldn't NEED to be there for another several hours.) So, we all hopped in Grammy's car, headed to the school,

then went back home to call a tow truck. ARGH!!! Budman was not a happy camper.

As it happened, we had left Budman's truck at my work on Thursday, to save gas, and because we were both headed to the house anyway, it seemed nicer to keep each other company. Of course, this meant that we had ONE car at home, and NO alternate way into work.

So, I got an unexpected day off work on Friday, it was spent doing lots of laundry. After a little while, Budman and I arranged to borrow my father's Jeep to go pick up his truck. After a VERY windy, bumpy ride (I have decided that I do NOT want a Jeep!) we got to my work and managed to pick up the truck without being seen by anyone who knows me.

On the way home, Budman got a call from the school nurse. At Possum's school. Apparently, there had been a fight, and Possum did NOT win. She felt that he might need medical attention, and could we please come get him. ARGH!!! So, Budman and I headed toward school to pick him up. Of course, as is our luck, before we could get there, there was a multi-car pile-up on the freeway, about 100 yards in front of us. We got to watch as the rescue vehicles arrived, and proceeded to shut down the freeway for 45 minutes. 45 very long, very sunny, very hot minutes in a Jeep. I actually turned on the A/C, which was less than effective with no top or windows, but I didn't care.

Budman called my dad to go get Possum, and once we were able we headed home.

Turns out, Possum is fine, relatively speaking. His face is a bit cut up, and he has TWO black eyes. I'm not really sure what happened, but apparently he and another kid decided that they were going to box after class. Ugh - Teenage boys...

This was supposed to be the WEEKEND update, but this is getting long, and I still have two days to go. Besides, I never have anything to post on Tuesdays anyway, so I will continue my tale tomorrow.

I'll bet you just CAN'T wait...

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Weekend Update

Here I am, back with another weekend update! Saturday was a busy day - Budman and Possum worked on the boat engine ALL.DAY.LONG. Monkey and Mater went with me to drop the clothes at the cleaners, and then they went to a birthday party at The Little Gym. If you have one of these near you, I highly recommend a birthday party there. The party was 90 minutes long, and it was the most well-organized 90 minutes - with kids - I had ever seen. Every thing went like clockwork. And boy, did the kids have a blast!! I had my camera, but for some reason, it went kaput on me, so I may have to have Budman take a look at it for me (Or else convince him that I REALLY do need a new one- haha)

After the party and picking up the clothes from the cleaners, we went home and the kids played in the driveway, while Budman and Possum finished up working on the boat. I went into town to get some Popeye's chicken for dinner, and then back outside again. My excitement for the evening happened when I ran up to the corner store to get a lottery ticket. I picked up a bottle of Starbucks frappuchino and some candy for the kids, and as I was standing in line, I noticed a man standing by my car. I thought that it was rather strange, so I watched him closely, then realized with a sinking feeling that I hadn't locked my doors, as he reached for the door handle and opened my passenger side door. Without thinking, without even putting down the items that I was carrying in my hands (and hadn't paid for yet), I ran out the door, and YELLED at him "Hey! What do you think you're doing?" Apparently, I scared the crap out of him, because he began stammering and apologizing and saying that he had the wrong car. When I looked down, he had already put his beer in my floorboard. I guess it was an honest mistake after all... I locked my doors, and went back into the store, where the gentleman in front of me apologized for his friend, and the man behind me claimed that I had "scared him". I told him that "I pretty much scared myself". So, I paid for my items, and hoped that no one would notice that my hand was shaking as I passed my money over the counter. When I got home, I told Budman my story, and he was NOT happy. He didn't know what I was thinking, running outside to confront that man. For the record, neither do I.

Sunday, was a little less crazy, Budman and Possum took the boat out to the lake in the morning, I had instructions to meet them there at 9:30 with the little ones. That way they would have time to make any needed adjustments before we got there. Unfortunately, while the motor runs terrific, it has some sort of transmission (is it called a transmission on a boat??) issue, where the boat will not go forward OR backward. So when we got there, Budman and Possum were making their way back to the shore, by paddling with a 2x4. According to Budman, this is a fairly easy problem to fix, but he didn't have the tools he needed there at the lake. All the same, we came there to fish, so he put Mater and Monkey in the boat, strapped them into their life vests, and let them fish in the boat anyway. So what if we were 5 feet offshore, the boys didn't care.

We didn't catch anything, and after a while we headed home for lunch - My aunt, uncle and cousin had come over, and they had brought kids with them. When the neighbor put her kid over the fence so he could play too, that's when Budman and Possum snuck out for a haircut. Grrr.. I managed to keep the kids outside, and when they finally left, I was completely wore out.

The kids didn't watch a minute of TV this weekend - until Sunday evening, when I decided that I had finally had enough outside time (It got up to 92 degrees yesterday - ugh!) I made let them come in and watch America's Funniest Videos. I don't know what it is about that show that they love so much...

Anyway, that's mostly it. It was a pretty good weekend, and I only wish it had been longer...

Lazy Post today