whistle stop!

Thursday, December 24, 2009

it's a good thing that germs aren't as big as they appear on commercials for products like lysol. personally, if i saw my little monster grab a phone with a thousand huge (yet colorful) squirmy germies crawling all over it, i would freak out. i'm a very careful mom when it comes to germs and cleanliness but enough is enough. monster already comes out of church now and says, "we gotta wash hands cuz i was in the dirty nursery". oops - my fault.

anyhow, none of us would leave our homes or our beds or - geez - none of us would open our eyes if we actually saw germs for what they were. so thank you, lysol, for showing me what microscopic germs look like up close, but i don't really want to keep that image in my mind...and in a minute, it will have flown out of my brain only to be replaced by another thought or worry. unfortunately, the "whistling" jingle that lysol brand plays on its commercials will stay with me. forever. nothing like whistling a light and lively toon while showing people magnified germs that want to make them sick and die. cheers!

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look ma, no hands!

Sunday, December 20, 2009

i shaved my left leg twice today and forgot about my right in the shower today. seriously, what?

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tonight, i was telling my little monster a bedtime story about 'chalk the boat' and 'sammy race car'. at one point, chalk the boat gave sammy race car a high-five. monster stopped me and told me that chalk must have used his mouth since he doesn't have arms or hands. wow. wow! he's a very logical thinker for being 3. he he!!!!!!!!

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a backhanded christmas gift?

Friday, December 18, 2009

i am going to buy our neighbors a muffler for their car and a new screen door for christmas. or any occasion, really. they are great people. salt of the earth people! but they are LOUD. we hear that van start up, warm up, leave and then come back several times a day. it makes me CRAZY! this is not a new issue. they've had that loud van for at least the year and a half we've lived here. are mufflers that hard to come by? (actually, my husband says it the catalytic converter - but whatever.)

the side screen door is the only door they use, and the slam on that door could wake the dead. there's no spring or little part to slow it down - it just shuts full force each time. the kicker is that they always slam that door then start up the van ... faithfully at monster's naptime. whether they're pulling in or just leaving, it always wakes my boy and working from home most days, it really puts me in a bind when he doesn't nap! it really gets 'funny' the times they're finally about to pull out of the driveway when they remember something and have to go back into the house. of course they don't have a second key, so they stop the car, go back in and slam the door again. then slam it on the way out and start up the car again. double the pleasure - double the fun.

so i'm wondering how i can gift them these items without looking to obvious. impossible, you say? i agree but i might try it anyway. oh, thank you for letting me whine!

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busy town & spaghetti squash

i have got to rave to you about a new game my son got for his birthday. richard scarry's busytown "eye found it" is a super buy! from the way that it folds up easily to be stored away...to the object of the game, it comes highly recommended by me. (yes, me. some unknown person who is writing a blog you're not sure how you stumbled onto.)

basically, you unfold 3 boards that fit together like a long (6ft) puzzle piece. taking turns, you spin and move the cute pieces along. sometimes you get to pick a clue card and you have to find as many of the object on the card as possible in a minute. today, i drew an ice cream cone. using mini magnifying glasses, monster and i set a magnifying glass on each one we found - then counted them up and moved forward. both of us! there's obviously more to the game, but the object is actually to work together and beat the piggies before they eat all the picnic food. love it. love the pictures, love the idea, love the teamwork. love it.

where does spaghetti squash fit in? it doesn't. i just have fallen in love with my squash! simply stab the vegetable with a fork or knife several times (particularly good to do when you need to get a little frustration out), toss it into the oven @ 350 or so, and wait an hour. (hey! you could play busy town during that time!) when it's ready, just slice it open, dig out the guts/seeds, and sprinkle on some marinara or butter and parmesan cheese. a brilliant way to eat spaghetti without all the carbs.

oh yeah - my husband and son won't go near it. eh - they don't know what they're missin'!

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gotta love the airbrush

Thursday, December 17, 2009

Ah - the art of airbrushing. If I lived in Hollywood, I wouldn't look half-bad either! I admit, I leaf through OK! magazine and People and all the other gossipy, trashy magazines out there. I don't buy them, but love to read them in line at the grocery store. (That is, when my little monster isn't pulling gum, mints and Combos off the shelf and flinging them into our cart).

Now, we all know about airbrushing and how one mag forgot to airbrush Demi Moore's hip back into the picture after fixing her all up. That sort of thing. But it still gets to some of us women-folk (and guys too, I suppose). I probably do buy into it a bit, because I'd like to love the way I look too. Which makes me wonder if the airbrushee feels weird looking at a more perfect self when they view their very own magazine cover for the first time.

Oh, I'm not saying I wouldn't JUMP at the chance to be made-over and airbrushed into a pin-up girl or the face of an article entitled "Look THIS good!". Ha! Given the chance, I'd probably knock a few people out of the way for that! : ) What I am saying, is that it's about time something like this happened...

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/beauty/twiggys-photoshopped-olay-ads-banned-in-england-554961/

Read the article. Very interesting. An Olay ad is being banned in England for airbrushing to the extent that Twiggy looks about 30, instead of, well, much older than that. I'm sure she still looks good - just not that good. C'mon. Get real!

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Family Jewels

Wednesday, December 16, 2009

I went to get my ring cleaned this morning since my crazy-beautiful engagement ring was losing its sparkle. My little monster came along in his doggie Halloween costume and I was sure to hold him the entire time at the jewelers. The same, friendly man at the back of the store took my ring to clean it. Then TJ and I decided to have a look around. Again, I carried him the whole time so not to make anyone nervous. Including myself.

My reason for going in was two-fold. Other than the cleaning, I wanted to look for my grandma's Christmas present. She wants turquoise earrings. Keep in mind at the time I went into the store, I was the only person there. No one else. Zip. Zero. Zilch.

While we listened to the buzzing of the ring cleaning, I waited for the woman working the store to ask me if I needed help or wanted pricing on anything. She ignored me TOTALLY and I have to think it's because I had my son with me. Or in my sweats, I didn't look like a big buyer. Well, I found some nice earrings and then ran across an incredible necklace that I wanted for myself. While I was looking around, another customer came into the store and the woman made a beeline for that person to see if they needed any help. Nice. I didn't feel like asking the rude woman for pricing...so I didn't. I probably should go back and thank her for her unfriendliness. It saved me quite a bit of money...and the temptation to tell my husband about the incredible necklace. I guess I felt a little bit like Julia Roberts during the shopping scene in pretty woman. That is, except for the whole hooker part. Oh - and I had my kid with me. My doggie kid.

Sorry, jewelry store. You missed out on a possible purchase or two...and I'd like to thank you!

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C'mon, seriously?

I work in higher education at a local private college and I continue to be surprised by the way people think...or don't think. For example, when students apply for admission or inquire about our school, we ask for an email address in addition to other pertinent information. Well, every so often (more often than I'd think!), I come across an applicant's email address that stops me in my tracks. Email addresses that include words like "farthead", "mymommaspimp", "knowuwantme" and other such things that give you a pretty good insight into the minds of our youth. Of course, most of them have numbers following the "fun words or phrases", which leads me to believe that more than 1 kid has decided on that email address. C'mon, seriously?

Perhaps the most disturbing part of all of this is that they actually didn't think hard enough to NOT include that email on their college application. I have an idea! Why don't you create a new email address just for college or job applications ... and save the creepy ones for your oddball friends. That is my tip of the day!

Oh, there are so many students who blow my mind in good ways. The hard-working but fun-loving students who do well in school, volunteer, get involved in athletics or music and spend time with their families from time to time. And no matter the email address, each student has the capacity to literally change the world. I just hope they all take the initiative to change it for the good. Lord knows we need all the help we can get!

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they say

Sunday, December 13, 2009

they say motherhood is a thankless job sometimes. i'm not sure who 'they' are, but i would say for the most part, that's not true. misunderstood? underappreciated? definitely. but not thankless. i hear thank-you's from my guys when i bring dinner out each night. and when i fill up a juice cup...or cup of cocoa. i feel thanked when my son listens the first time or when he tells me i'm beautiful. (he really does! usually just after he's done something wrong, but it makes it even more hilarious). i'm thanked when my husband sends me texts from work, or when he notices i've done my hair. i get thank-you's quite often...and i appreciate each one even more than my husband and little monster even know. they fill me up! but i do get rundown. more than other moms - or less than other moms? i'm not sure. sometimes it shows, sometimes it doesn't. but right now, i think my rundown-ness is showing.

somewhere between emptying garbage cans and cleaning pee off the floor ... between filling up hand soap containers and remembering to bring something downstairs when I'm upstairs or bring something upstairs from downstairs. (which i never do on the first, second or third try.) the constant going and doing...without ever quite getting done - that's where the misunderstood or underappreciated feeling comes in. as a mom, it's hard to pull myself out of the that hole i fall in once into awhile. like last week...my husband was gone on a business trip for 8 days. he works very hard and i don't think i thank him enough for that. but my 24/7 non-stop trip to toddlerville while i had the longest running flu ever...still while trying to actually do my job from home really tipped me over. i'm in the process of trying to figure out how to organize my crazy life and actually relax when i have a few minutes to myself. not that that happens often. and now that naptime is no longer a part of my monster's day...and bedtime is a bear. now that my hours for work at-home increase and the piles of housework and cleanup that loom over my head never quite get done. now that i am forced to do something about how overloaded my brain is, i'll get that answer. and i'll pass it on to you.

i'm sure the library is loaded with books and my friends are loaded with advice. but maybe this time, i'll sit in the quiet of my bedroom, and start with looking into my bible. i'm pretty sure it can't magically organize clutter or clean-up my buzzing thoughts, but i think it can tell me how to do it and give me some pizazz and energy to go for it.

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Oo Oo Ah Ah!

Saturday, December 12, 2009


I got this recipe from Parents magazine, and made the cupcakes for my little monster's birthday. They turned out really well and I admit, I was quite proud of my work...along with my sister's help.

If you feel like adding some monkey fun to someone's day, try these out! I used a box mix of devil's food cake, but the recipe called for banana cake made from scratch. I wasn't that daring.

Let the cupcakes cool completely, then go ahead and decorate:

1/2 cup heavy cream
2 T. light corn syrup
1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
18 gingersnap cookies
18 mini Oreos
1 tube white decorating frosting
36 M&Ms or Reese's pieces

1. Heat cream and corn syrup in a saucepan until mixture begins to boil. Remove from heat; add choc chips. Cover; let stand 5 minutes. Stir until smooth. Glaze cupcakes with choc. Spoon the extra into a plastic bag, then refrigerate. (Don't do this ahead of time. If you leave too long in the fridge, it gets too hard and fudge-like to squeeze from the bag!)

2. Cut or break gingersnaps to make a mouth. For ears, separate Oreo tops and bottoms. Remove filling...and eat the filling : ) Pipe on white frosting for eyes and top with M&Ms or Reese's pieces. Snip corner from bag of choc; pipe on hair and nostrils. (Makes 18 cupcakes)

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drivin' along in my automobile

i was driving down a main road yesterday on the home from my doctor's appointment. for over two miles, i was stuck behind a woman in an Oldsmobile who was straddling the white line on the outside of the road! yes, she nearly struck several mailboxes and a runner along the way. she eventually got into the turning lane and as i passed her, you know i had to take a gander. she hardly looked alive and was crouched down so low that i'm not sure she could see over the speedometer. i think it's about time that we require follow-up driving tests at a certain age. for their protection...and ours! seniors aren't the only ones with driving issues, i realize that. but they're the only ones who consistently frustrate me while i'm drivin' along. i could go on and on, but i'll leave it at that.

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i know mel gibson

Tuesday, December 8, 2009

i'm a big dreamer. and i don't mean that i have great big, crazy dreams for my life and my future. what i mean is, nearly every night i have some insane, off-the-wall dream or nightmare that i can remember vividly. most often, they're bad dreams and sometimes i wake up in a sweat - or yelling. i'm not sure why but someday when i have some free time (ha ha), i'll do a little research.

last night, however, i had a good dream. weird, but good. i was hanging out with mel gibson at his big ol' house for awhile. when i woke up, i had such a weird feeling that has carried through even until this afternoon. i was buying cold medicine at walgreens and saw mel on a magazine cover. i was taken aback for a split second and memories of my dream must have been triggered in my subconscious saying, "oh, mel! there you are! i haven't seen you all day!" i actually feel like i know mel gibson...just because of the time we spent together in my dream last night. oh, it's the craziest feeling. and hard to describe. obviously. but i know i'm not the only one that has this happen to them - my sister has admitted to it too. i think the last time we talked about it, she knew christian bale. ha!

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the little lad

Monday, December 7, 2009

i do some of my work from home, and since my son has recently stopped napping it's become quite a challenge for me. i obviously know how it's affecting me, but i wasn't sure about him.

this afternoon he said to me, "mom, i need you to be quiet so i can make a phone call."
he's 3. just turned. and now i have my answer. i wasn't sure if i should laugh or cry so i did both. just to be safe.

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drum roll, please

Sunday, December 6, 2009

i'm as surprised as you are that you're reading this blog. i'm cracking my knuckles and embarking on a new adventure. for myself. i write another blog and i guess i'm minimally involved with social media. but i'm not anonymous in anything i do right now. so, here i am.

the thrill of this blog for me is that i can say what i want. when i want. and can change my mind on the direction to go - without explaining it to anyone. perfect!

so, a little about me. i've never had a fancy coffee in my life. (which may be why i don't like coffee). i never paint my fingernails, but i must have my toenails painted at all times. i hate wet handtowels and the sound of people swallowing. i hate taking time out of my day to pee, and i think vitamins should taste better.

i love to sweat, love to bake, love to run and love to write. i like words like 'fashionista' even though i'm not the slightest bit sure of what that exactly means. i do like clothes, but only because of the purpose they serve. (ask my husband. i've got no fashion sense.) i love that humans have such a good ability to remember - and to forget. i love my husband for every reason, including the fact that he taught me how to love. raw and to the core. and i love my son, who is an extension of my heart. that kid is amazing.

so there you have it.
and so it begins...

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