A Mighty Wind A' Blowin (I Hope it Takes This House)

It was sooooo windy here today that our metal and wood patio table blew over and slid all over the deck. I won't complain because folks north of us are blanketed in the "joy" of an early Spring snow storm. In any case, here I sit mildly depressed and blogging while all the mulch from my landscaping blows away.

You see, I have a syndrome. I think my husband would call it Impossible to Please-itis. My house is perfectly suitable, warm, plumbed, and toileted to be a castle for many less fortunate people. I, however, am displeased. I hate this house. I hate that I'm here all the time. I hate that no matter where I am in the house I can hear kids. I hate that we haven't painted any rooms besides the kids' rooms (which leads me to believe that my priorities are in the wrong place). Although I am happy to have the means to buy our children lots of toys, I hate that we have absolutely no room for any of it. I hate that it's so freakin' hot in here in the summer that we sit and sweat. I hate that my "backyard" is a mud hole in the winter and a weed patch in the summer.

I especially hate that every time we move, our house is worse than the one before. I don't want people to come here, and I don't want to go to other people's houses because they have nicer things. So, I'm left pretty isolated in this house I hate.

I don't want to sound like I hate the life that goes on in this house. However, I often feel like something just isn't right here. I love living in Lincoln, but I only wish we had the means to have a better life here. God, just typing this makes me feel worse. My eyes are filling with tears, wondering why I can't be happy among the many blessings I have. Maybe I'll never be happy.

Parfaits

Evelyn received the lovely storybook Fancy Nancy for Christmas. It is the story of a fancy little girl who has a not-so-fancy family, so she decides to give them fancy lessons.

One of the scenes from the book is a family trip to a restaurant where they order parfaits, which is the fancy word for sundaes. In honor of Nancy, we had parfaits this weekend. As you can see, Evelyn was quite pleased. She ate her own and the rest of Brody's. What can I say, she is her mother's daughter and she loves ice cream.

The girls and I drove Colby to the airport this morning. Sooooo sad. I hate taking him to the airport, but the end of his time away is drawing near. Each trip brings us closer to the time when we can be the normal, loud, busy, obnoxious, crazy, loving family again. Miss you, Hon.

Freezing My Ass Off in the name of Soccer: All Part of the Mom Resume

Brody's first soccer game was this afternoon, despite the fact that it was 40 degrees with 40 mile an hour winds on the soccer fields. He did a really good job considering that he's never played before, but the Ice got beat 5 to 0. Maybe next time, buddy. He was just happy to get a granola bar and juice box. My mom Marta drove down to freeze her butt off, too. Colby, Dade, and the girls played in the van because it was way too windy. Soren was happy as could be to finally get to play in the van. Next week's game is at 7:00 pm, so I imagine we'll be freezing then, too.

Colby is enjoying time with the kids. He builds towers and plays ball with Soren. He plays a hundred games of Uno with Brody and a hundred games on Wii with Dade. He painted the girls' fingernails again. I got a haircut and Moolatte today, so all in all everyone has had a fine day.

I have an additional quote of the week to add today:
Colby to the boys: Stop sword fighting with your celery!

Swimming Practice

In preparation for our May vacation, I wanted to make sure all the kids had bathing suits that fit. The kids were all happy to dig out their bathing suits and try them on. Evelyn wore her suit most of the day despite the fact that it was freezing outside. They were also so excited about swimming that they wanted to "swim" in the bathtub. Since the boys are on Spring Break and don't have much else to do thanks to this "beautiful" weather, I let them play swimming pool in the tub.

Yesterday it was nice enough to play outside, so we went over to the neighbors' house and played on their swingset. Soren played with Taver, our neighbors' grandson, but they kept fighting over toys. Evelyn rode a bike, and the boys chased and tackled each other, as usual.

Soren has spent the last few days being very clingy. She holds onto my pantleg and cries every time I prepare a meal no matter what time of day. I also weaned her this week finally, so I suppose she's pissed about that. She didn't even run around at storytime yesterday.

The kids are eating lunch now, tortilla pizzas. Oddly enough, I just heard this come out of Dade's mouth, "But where are we going to get a pie?" I guess I should monitor their lunch conversations. And now I just heard this from Dade, "Don't say that. That's a homosexual." WTF are they talking about? Pies and gays? Polite lunch conversation at my house.

Sleepover

Dade the weekend in Seward having a sleepover with my brother Adam. As such, the other children were quiet and well-behaved most of the weekend. Seriously. Dade tends to be the noisiest and most troublesome child. I don't know why this is, but I tend to think he acts as an antagonist to the others. His ADHD leaves him with poor impulse control, so he rarely uses an inside voice. He is a bright and happy child with a great sense of humor and sunny disposition. However, he's like a huge Labrador retriever that has no idea of it's size and power and knocks over everything in it's path. So happy yet so dangerous. . .

Anyway, since Brody won't sleep downstairs by himself and Evie was still coughing like crazy, the older two slept in the living room and had a sleepover of their own. In the morning the kids enjoyed bowls of cookie crisp cereal for breakfast. I don't let them eat it on school days because of its sugar content, so when I let them have it on the weekend it's a special treat. Brody will have it for every meal if allowed.

We are still trying to recover form our colds. Soren is at the worst of it, and the rest of us are on the downhill side. The boys don't have school this week, but instead of the weather being warm and sunny it is supposed to be windy and chilly. Thank you Goddess in heaven for your fricken irony. Do you want me to go nuts??

I'm Special

After all the years I spent hammering GW Bush, I never thought I'd be hammering Obama. Well, certainly I thought I'd be picking on Obama for something a little more intellectual if I was going to be picking on him at all. The stupid comment Obama made on Leno comparing his bowling game to the Special Olympics was really insensitive and rude. I think we're all guilty of making bad jokes at the expense of "retards" or "downies" or some other group of people. I have caught myself calling the lady at the McDonald's drive thru window a "downie" and regretted it later. However, I'm not the president. It isn't my job to be a representative for an entire nation. That was what pissed me off so badly about GW: this man who was a total moron went around the world and represented me, average Jane American, and did a horrible job. Embarrassing, really.

So, even though I don't necessarily find a comment like Obama's as being unusual in day to day conversation, I expect more of the man representing me to the rest of the world. The president is always a normal human being who makes mistakes. I'm just tired of those mistakes making us look like idiots.

Germ Warfare

Good god, we're being attacked. . . by germs. I finally went back to Dr. Hottie today, and he gave us some cold medicine with codeine. Maybe I'll actually sleep tonight. As you can tell from the photo, Evelyn slept great after her first dose this morning. Having a cold sucks all humor out of me. I think that's why I've found it hard in recent days to create fun blogs. Plus, the cat litter strewn across my desk is kind of depressing and gross. Damn cat. I swear, every living thing in this house lives to make more work for me. See, so much negativity. . .

Best and Brightest

Okay, so I watch too many liberal political talk shows, I'll admit it. Keith Olberman and Rachael Maddow make regular appearances on my DVR. I tried a few times to watch Glenn Beck - couldn't do it. The guy's a douche. Same with Hannity and O'Reilly.

Anyway, I've been following this whole AIG bonus fiasco with great outrage. Colby and all the other management, including those at the highest level, will not receive bonuses this year at his company. Does that mean that his employer doesn't value him as an employee?? Well, it at least means their bottom line is more important than making sure management gets a bonus (even though in Colby's case, management actually earned and deserves the bonuses). This all makes sense to me: cut expenses to fix your bottom line. I really, really want that bonus money, but I certainly wouldn't want it if I knew taking it would impact negatively on the company. The folks at AIG obviously see it differently. If these folks really are the "best and brightest" wouldn't they refuse to accept these retention bonuses knowing that their company is in dire straits? Isn't preserving the viability of the company more important than your vacation home? Of course, the mess at AIG goes far beyond bonuses, but it just highlights the extent of greed and unregulated capitalism. You don't get bonuses when your actions directly lead to the downturn of a mighty economy. The "best and brightest" at AIG wouldn't even make it to week three of Survivor.

I've found lately that my blogs are getting a lot more political and somewhat negative. I promise to devote more time to my rowdy kids in the coming days.

Pass It On

It all started with Brody: the running nose and the hacking cough. Next, goobers pasting shut the girls' eyes. Then, Nichole gets the scratchy throat and runny nose. Evelyn keeps me up all night last night coughing and wheezing. . . diagnosis: croup. I can only predict that Soren will be the next rail car on our virus train. Dade came home from school and went straight to bed with a puke bucket just in case. The weather is beautiful, but all I feel like doing is curling up on the couch with a cup of tea and a box of tissues. F you germs.

Why, why, why must this happen when I have no one to help? I can handle a lot of things, but I cannot handle puking, especially if I'm the one doing it. I've decided that if I get the pukes I will never forgive my husband.

Wal Mart

I went to Wal-Mart today. I hate Wal-Mart, as most of you know. It just happened to be the nearest place to Home Depot with both milk and shin guards. The reason we were at Home Depot: our dishwasher is broken, so now I have to hand wash everything until at least March 20th. Yuck. So not only did I have to dish out $600 for the dishwasher, I also had to dish out $20 to Wal Mart. I'm not sure which is worse, really.

My brother-in-law commented in an earlier blog that he wants to set up a spanking station at the zoo for parents to spank their kids in private. I suggest also setting up a station that's just me with a big stick hitting the idiots who come in and out of Wal-Mart. I always feel dirty when I leave that place, like some little girl in China has just earned her pennies for the day because I wanted to save a few cents on my laundry soap. I understand that we can't all be rich and have cell phones and cars and Levi's. Is it too much to ask that Americans sacrifice a few hundred dollars a year so that we can tell Wal-Mart that we value our local communities and our global communities more than saving 50 cents on Charmin?? If anything, I hope this recession makes us see the importance of not only saving money but also of saving our friends and neighbors. We may start to value our loved ones more than how much money we can spend on our loved ones.

In the end, we really aren't saving money shopping at Wal-Mart. I won't go into the big discussion why, but feel free to read the numerous books dedicated to the subject. For now, I just want you all to remember the value of your family and friends. . . and your dishwasher.

When I'm Five

Evelyn has already started to make many plans for when she's five years old. Here is just a sample:

"When I'm five. . ."

I'll go to kindergarten.

I'll do soccer.

I'll be a ballerina.

I can swear.

I can play tick tac toe.

Such high hopes for such a little girl.

Grandpa's Here and I Want Donuts!!

Colby's parents are visiting again this weekend. I'm beginning to like being spoiled by all my recent visitors. I think I've gone shopping alone more in the last two weeks than I had in the last two years. Thank you, thank you, thank you for your help!! Soren is finally getting it: Mommy is not the only person in the world I can trust.

The boys got up for school this morning, and Dade right away asked if they could get donuts. Grandpa, not one to deny the boy anything, willingly loaded him up and headed off to IGA to get some sugary goodness. The boys got a grandparently escort to school today, and yesterday they got treated to all of us going to eat with them at school. I especially appreciate my visitors taking the boys to and from school so I don't have to load everyone up.

Grandpa, Grandma, the girls and I all went shopping this morning. Grandma picked out some cute outfits for the girls, and I also went a little crazy at Old Navy. Girl clothes are like crack: once you start buying, you just can't stop. Damn pink. Soren just wanted to run around all over the stores, and she promptly fell asleep as soon as we headed for home. I would have too, but I was driving.

Soren pooped in the bathtub last night, which was the only low point in our otherwise perfect visit with Grandpa and Grandma!

Where There's Smoke There's Junior

The Nebraska Unicameral is considering a bill that would criminalize smoking in a vehicle with a child in the car. As stated on the KOLN tv website, "The bill, introduced by Sen. Gwen Howard of Omaha, would allow law enforcement to ticket someone smoking in a vehicle if a child 16 or younger were inside. The fine would be between $50 and $150, but would not cause points to be added to the person's driving record." Smoking around kids has always been one of my pet peeves. I hate it. It's disgusting. As someone who cannot stand to be around cigarette smoke, I can't imagine smoking anywhere near my child.

We've all seen them, know them, or are them: that person with the window open just a crack, smoking in the car with the kid in the car seat in the back. I know parents who don't object to smoking around their children and often do it themselves. The problem I have with this bill is that I feel it's a little too intrusive. I hate it when Republicans use the "slippery slope" argument against, for example, gay marriage. What's next, legalizing sex with dogs? As if.

But even I am struggling with where this intrusion would end. Ticketing parents rolling through the McDonald's drive thru for filling their kids with fatty McNuggets?? Ticketing parents who let their kids ride a bike without a helmet?? For goodness sake, I can't even spank my kid in Target without worrying if someone will rat me out to authorities. Some things really should be left in the hands of a parent. No matter how detestable it is, smoking around their kids is a choice parents should make, not the legislature. Until I hear a better argument (if you have one please post it) I say this legislation is bunk.

Please, please, please don't smoke around your kids. Be an adult and choose to wait until a better time and place to light up. Freeze your ass off, I don't care. Just leave junior out of it.

Beat It

Recently, singer Chris Brown was arrested and charged for allegedly beating the crap out of his girlfriend, singer Rhianna. Personally, I think the guy's a wife beater. If the arrest affidavit is correct, he not only violently attacked the love of his life, but he also threatened to kill her and "beat the shit out of you when we get home." As if assaulting her in the car wasn't enough. After spending a few years working for a criminal defense attorney, I found that domestic abusers and sex offenders were the worst kind of criminals. They never seemed to think what they did was wrong.

Anyway, all of the above is pretty much just my opinion. Despite the fact that he has not been convicted, radio stations are refusing to play Brown's music. Doublemint gum no longer wants him expressing his love for their gum, which is probably good for the gum because once a beater always a beater. Bad joke, I know. The problem I have with all of this is that the guy may be a piece of garbage, but for now he's still just allegedly a piece of garbage. The idea of innocent until proven guilty is a sham in this country. I watch enough Court TV to know that many defendants walk into their trials already guilty in the minds of the public.

If Brown really did viciously assault Rhianna, which I think he probably did, she needs to use all her resources and take this opportunity to run away as fast and as far as possible. He'll beat her again, and he'll beat the next girl, too. Let's not be so quick, however, to ruin the guy's life and career until he either admits his guilt or is found guilty by a jury of his peers. We at least owe him that much.

Chicken Curry

I love to watch Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals. One of the best things she makes is Curry in a Hurry. I've taken her recipe, twisted it a bit, and it's one of my faves!! Her recipes are always flexible to fit individual taste, so feel free to use a little for mild and a lot for spicy. Also, cooking times and measurements are not exact. As Rachael says, "Eyeball it!" Yummy with jasmine rice and topped with golden raisins or peanuts. Your house will smell so good!!!

Chicken Curry in a Hurry

1 1/2 lbs. chicken breast, diced

a bit of vegetable oil for the pan

2 to 4 cloves of garlic, minced (can use the stuff from the jar)

1 to 2 inches fresh ginger root, Minced or grated (I love the stuff in the jar, at least a Tbls.)

1 large yellow onion, chopped

1 can reduced sodium chicken broth (organic is better but pricey) about 15 oz.

2 Tbls. curry paste, mild or hot

1/2 c. mango chutney (I use sweet, but any will do). note: Rachael uses 1 c. mincemeat

Heat oil in a large, deep, nonstick pan over medium high heat. Add chicken and lightly brown. Add garlic, onion, and ginger, and saute together another 5 minutes or so. (The kitchen will smell like heaven!!) Add chicken broth and bring it to a bubble. Stir in curry paste and chutney (or mincemeat). Add salt to taste. Simmer until thickened to your desired consistency. Leave enough sauce to coat your rice.

That's it. Easy and delicious! Notice the steam rising from the dish in the photo. Mmmmmm.

Grandma's Here!!! We're Going to Popeye's!!

Grandma Connie came for a visit this weekend. We did a little shopping on Friday, and she purchased Evelyn some cute flip flops. Evelyn has since worn them the rest of the day and slept with them in her bed like a favorite stuffed animal. I guess she'll get her $2.50 worth out of them. We also picked up Dade's new glasses. He did not wear them the rest of the day or sleep with them.

Grandma does the stuff mom doesn't do: take them to Popeye's Chicken for supper, play marco polo with them in the living room, buy them Dippin' Dots at the mall, and watch wrestling with them. Needless to say, I'm sure she'll sleep good when she goes home tonight. Soren has even taken a shine to Grandma, finally. It has been so nice to sit in front of my computer uninterrupted to blog and chat on Facebook. Sadly, all good things must come to an end.

My sister-in-law and her boyfriend are coming tomorrow to visit and maybe stay overnight. I don't know what I'll do once all my help is gone. I guess I'll be back to yelling at them and teaching them how to smoke weed to mellow them out. . .

And yes, I see Evie's undies.

Kitten in the Bong

At my brother-in-law's request, I feel I must blog about a recent headline here in Lincoln: Man Arrested for Placing Cat in Bong. It's a headline that makes you go WTF?? and then wonder who would want to put a cat in a bong. . . because it fits??? Like cats need anymore encouragement to just lay around. We all know my feelings about marijuana - smoke if you got it. I've been pregnant or nursing since 2002, so at this point the only thing I do is wish I had a bong to put a cat in. . .

Anyway, stoners are generally not seen as threatening. There aren't many headlines about people robbing grocery stores for money to buy weed. It's reasonably inexpensive and easily accessible. In some towns it's easier for teenagers to get pot than beer. However, this cat in the bong story, as hilarious as it may be on its face, is only one of a trend. I have read recent stories of parents teaching their toddlers to smoke weed in order to keep them mellow while the parents get high. The people I know who smoke weed on a regular basis are good, hard working, decent people. They know when it's appropriate to get stoned, even though they get drunk probably more often than they should. I could make a case for legalizing marijuana, but I think I wear rose colored glasses on the issue. As I said, my experience with pot has been one of recreational use and appropriate use (for the most part). The idiots who try to get their pets and kids high make me take a step back.

The Bold and the Beautiful

Yesterday was storytime. Soren has really come out of her shell lately. I'm beginning to think I liked her better shy and reserved. The problem is that not only is she increasingly bold, but she's also a leader. Example: Soren approaches the table where all the name tags sit waiting for moms to pick up the appropriate ones for their children. Even though she already has her own name tag, she decides that she needs to be Genevieve, Thomas, and Eliam, too. She proudly runs back to my lap with her stolen items. Soon enough, after a brief and totally unintelligible conversation, she's got another toddler at the table with her stealing even more name tags. The other kid went too far though and tried stealing tags directly from other kids (he was a boy). Soren would never do anything so aggressive because she's a girl. Or at least I like to think. . . . .

A couple of months ago she wouldn't even leave my lap. Now she approaches people in the grocery store, follows other kids around the park, etc. It's both good and bad that she has this newly discovered independence. I'm hoping that it develops into confidence. She reminds me so much of Brody, who is both bold and a leader in his kindergarten. His teacher told me at conferences that she wishes all the kids could be like him. I thought for a moment she had the wrong kid in mind. At home he is stubborn, but at school he channels it into positive areas.

It's a beautiful day again, so we took the dogs on a walk. We went to the park yesterday after school, and I suppose we'll go again today. Dade gets his glasses tomorrow afternoon, and Grandma Connie is coming to visit and stay the night.

I Feel Pretty. . . But Only If I Can Reach the Standards Set By Our Culture

So, I'm reading a book written in the late 1990'a called The Body Project: An Intimate History of American Girls. It's a comparison of life as an adolescent girl throughout American History. What I find most interesting as a Feminist is that this book argues that there has been a "shift from the Victorian concern with character to our modern focus on appearance - in particular, the desire to be model-thin and sexy." In Victorian times, it wasn't a girls' physical appearance that made her attractive, but it was how refined, charitable, and selfless she could be. Why is it that despite all the advancements for women's rights, we are a society obsessed with physical beauty rather than character? Women need a new Martin Luther King, Jr. to have a dream that one day women will be judged not by the beauty of their skin but by the content of their character.

So far, this author argues that marketing has played a huge role in girls' perceptions of themselves. Also, mothers have given up the responsibilities of teaching their daughters about puberty, reproduction, and beauty, and have let popular culture, school, and peers take their place. As a mom of two daughters, I am reading this book with particular voracity. I want my daughters to be valued for their good deeds, their character, and their contribution to others. I want them to also be self confident, not constantly worried about their skin, hair, and waistlines. Even as an adult, I am still riddled with feelings of inadequacy, comparing myself to women not only in magazines and t.v., but the women at storytime and Target.

I Feel Pretty

Colby came home late Friday night, so the kids didn't get to see him until Saturday morning. He's been playing endless games of Uno, Sorry, and Lego Batman on Wii. We had an idea to start an annual Uno tournament with each participating household sending its winner to a central location (like our house) for the World Series of Uno Tournament. Any takers??

Anyway, Colby always tries to divide his time with each kid. With Brody he has played Wii, Uno, Candyland, Sorry, and art stuff. They have also wrestled on the living room floor until Brody was beat. Brody loves a good butt-kicking.

Dade and Colby are a little more, um, tricky. They don't always get along because of Dade's spaciness and Colby's impatience. They played Uno and Sorry with Dade only near tears once.

The girls decided that they needed their nails painted, and Colby is always happy to oblige. He finds no shame in doing girly things. I think it's so adorable to watch him with the girls because it brings out his softer voice, gentler hands, and quieter games.

On the way home form Target this evening, Colby sat in the back with Evelyn. She found the receipt from yesterday's trip to the library and wanted him to read it to her. He rattled off the list of books, and when he was done Evie said, "Read it again!" Priceless.