Here Kitty Kitty!

We had a visitor this morning.

He's such a sweetie.  I let him in from the rain and fed him a little bit of tuna, it's all I have because I don't have cats.  Then he went in the fireplace, cleaned himself up and after that spent two hours under our tree.  He allowed Zuri to pet him, sat on my lap for a bit and then wanted to go outside for a potty break.

I want to keep him, but I can't.  First, I'm bad with animals.  My kids get fed because they make noise, I've killed about 3 fish because they don't.  This is a pretty vocal cat, but my last one ran away, I think because he was super jealous of the new baby.  Second, I can't afford him.  It's a $300 pet fee, plus he's a stray so who knows how much vet care he's going to need and also, apparently, cats like to eat, so that's another monthly expense that I'm not ready to take on.

So if anyone wants a good sized orange tabby male, about 3-4 years and can get to TX to pick him up, I know a real sweet heart.

WTF

Yeah, we had one of those moments last night.

Nick, the kids and I stayed up late.  I was baking cookies and the kids were wanting a bite.  Aaron ended up passing out on the floor.  I shook him and told him to go upstairs and get in bed.  He wakes up, says, "I have to go pee," and then grabs his toy truck.  He walks into the kitchen (I'm worried that he's going to pee in the dumpster part of the truck) and a few seconds later comes out and lays back on the floor to go back to sleep.  Nick walks in the kitchen and discovers this:

We're still trying to figure out what he thought he was doing.  It had both of us laughing pretty hard and scratching our heads.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!  Things worked out pretty well this year.  Nick's maternal grandmother has been in the hospital for the past few days, but after a few stints being put in and a pacemaker, she's doing pretty good.  The in-laws decided at the last minute, after the doctor told them she was going to be fine, to go up to WI to be with the other half of the family.  So even though the surprise is spoiled, the rest of it isn't.  I had waited until they decided what they were going to do to decide what I was going to do.  If they stayed, the kids and I would go to the in-laws for the holiday.  If they left, I was going to get food and cook here.

Since they left, I went shopping for a mini-meal for the kids and I.  I went to the town 20min away, even though I live about 1/2 a mile from a grocery store because the Wal-Mart over there never has anyone and I figured it'd be less crowded than the HEB behind the house.  And I was right.  It was so uncrowded, I got a spot right up front and managed to buy everything I needed in less than 30 min.  I got a bagged turkey breast (the preseasoned kind that takes only two hours to cook), sweet potatoes, regular potatoes, gravy, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and all the things to make sweet potato casserole.  I could have spent all day shopping, making the meal bigger and bigger, but I decided to make it the things I couldn't live without.

I didn't have to start cooking until 11, my meal only took 2 1/2 hours to cook.  Unfortunately, it was a lot of peeling and prepwork, but the food turned out awesome.  Also, neither of the kids wanted anything.  Zuri has a head cold and wasn't hungry and Aaron's meds are keeping him from wanting to eat.  Oh well.  I stuffed myself silly and then passed out on the couch for 3 hours.  Have to keep up with tradition.

At this moment, we're working on potty training.  Zuri keeps saying she has to go potty, so she goes to the toilet, sits on it for 2-3min, then gets off and claps.  Nothing comes out.  But she's proud of herself anyway.  I figure I'll let her keep doing it and maybe eventually she'll go.  No pressure.

That's all.  Have a Happy Day!

All sorts of screwed up

This summer, while Nick was deployed, Nick's parents let us know they'd be going up to WI to surprise Nick's grandparents for Thanksgiving.  Family was coming in from all over the country and Nick's parents told the grandparents they couldn't show, just to surprise them.  After Nick returned, he and his cousin started talking about how cool it would be if he could come up there.  He asked me if it was okay if he went up and surprised both the grandparents and his parents.  I was okay with this, I was planning on taking the kids to LA to spend time with Andrea.

Well, about a month ago, Andrea lets me know her and her husband are getting a divorce.  No big deal though, they were splitting the time with the house and the kids and I'd still be able to bring the kids.  It would be her week for the house and he wouldn't have a say in what went on while she was there.

Last week, I get an IM from Andrea, telling me the week is off, her husband is being a jerk and has decided that he's not leaving this week and he doesn't want her to have company.  I asked her if she'd come here and she said she'd have to see what was going on.

Saturday, Nick left for his grandparents.  He met his cousin, aunt and uncle at the airport in Chicago and drove to WI from there.  He surprised his grandmother and grandfather, nearly making his grandmother cry.  He managed to trick his grandmother into not calling his parents, to keep him from blowing his cover that he was up there already.  Back here, we've been working under the excuse that Nick has to work for an inspection that's coming up at and has to stay really late.  So my in-laws don't call at all.

Today, I get an IM from Andrea telling me that she's got a job up in TN, where she's moving to, and that she can't come this week.  Which totally blows.  I'm working on plans for the kids and I for thanksgiving because none of our family will be in town.  

And now, Nick's aunt gets a call from his mother.  Nick's other grandmother is in the hospital with chest pains.  Nick's parents blow their surprise to the rest of the family.  Then Nick gets on the phone and blows his part of the surprise to his parents.  

So, all the money that's been spent to get family together that hasn't seen each other in 6 years might go to waste and Nick's grandmother is in the hospital.  Everyone is stressed out and worried and people might not get to spend the holiday together.

I think this is my shitty luck.  Me being in the family has somehow screwed up their luck.  I'm hoping that his grandmother is doing well enough by Wednesday so that the in-laws can go up to WI and they can all get together like they planned.

A-Maize-ing -Picture heavy

Today was an interesting day.  We went to Hondo, TX to go through their Corn Maze (like the title? LOL)  It was really windy and chilly, but walking through all that corn was surprisingly warm.  It only took us about an hour to finish the first half, which is pretty good considering it was the FIL, the MIL, Zuri, Aaron and I.  FIL could actually see over the stalks at some point (he's a giant) so we kept the going in circles to a minimum.  We had kettle corn, fresh from the popper.  It was my first time eating it, so now I'm going to be a snob about it and only eat it fresh, none from a bag!  Aaron got to jump on this giant, moon bounce type thing.  It was way cooler than a moon bounce because it ddn't have sides, it was just a big pillow of air surrounded by dirt.  He also got pulled by a tractor in this barrel train thing.  The kids got to pet goats too.  This weekend was military appreciation, so we all got in for free.  So cool.

After, we came home and the kids painted again.  The in-laws had a new fence put up last weekend and they wanted the kids to leave a mark on it, so we did hand prints with their names and the date under and then let them paint the rest themselves.

The kids waiting to go into the maze

Aaron, after grandpa jumped out, scaring the crap out of him

All the corn!!!

Zuri enjoying her kettle corn

Aaron in mid-jump

Zuri playing on the hay

Aaron riding the 'train'

Aaron leaving his mark

Zuri leaving her mark

Friday we took Aaron to the doctor for his ADHD evaluation.  The doctor had given the teacher and me a form each to fill out.  Lots of checklists and questions.  On my checklist, out of 9, he scored 9 in both hyper activity and attention deficit.  You need a 7 to qualify.  On the teacher's form, he scored a 5 on attention and a 6 on hyper activity.  Our Ped. decided that the scores were qualifying enough.  She asked Nick and me how we wanted to handle it.  We asked her what her recommendations were and she said that in most cases, medication and counseling worked best.  I know most parents won't go to meds except as a last resort, but I trust this Ped.  She's the first doctor to listen me with my concerns over Aaron's weight and not assume I'm the one who was doing something wrong and also was the first Ped to listen and suggest he needed speech therapy.  She's always had his best interest in mind.  So we did the meds.  His first time of taking them was this morning.  The Ped said it could take a few days to start showing improvement, but today has been a very rare day.  Aaron has been calm, he's been able to focus, he hasn't gotten angry, he hasn't thrown a fit.  We were at IHop this morning when it took effect.  One minute he was bouncing around, kicking the seat, fidgeting and just being 'Aaron'.  The next, he was calmly coloring.  He ate most of his breakfast, didn't have a fit over the syrup situation and when his milk ran out, instead of getting upset over getting water, he drank it and thanked the waitress.  It was amazing.

Thursday I got called to Aaron's school for him biting a girl at PE.  He's been in a fight before but that was after another boy pushed him down.  This time it was unprovoked.  He was dismissed from school early.  There was a fall festival that night and I kept him from that.  He was also told he wasn't going trick or treating, but after the diagnosis from the Ped, I felt bad keeping him from going.  

So Friday night, Aaron, Zuri and I went trick or treating for the first time together.  Since we live in apartments, there isn't much going on here.  We went to the next neighborhood over and the kids made out like bandits.  We went down two streets and probably only went to 15 houses and their buckets were full.  We only went for 45 minutes and they got a whole bucket of the good stuff.  Toys, non-generic candy, fun-sized candy bars, halloween themed cups and pencils.  It was awesome.  Aaron loved ringing doorbells and Zuri spent most of the night hiding behind me.  The homeowners were so nice and would tell Aaron and Zuri how cute they were.  I felt weird being in a different neighborhood, but only one person asked where we were from and when I told her about our apartment complex and this being the first year for the kids, she gave two more handfuls.  Also, some college kids outside one of the houses stopped up and asked if they could take a picture of the kids because they were so cute.  It was so much fun for them.

After we took the kids, I went to a party that my gym instructor was having.  I see these people everyday in Zumba, at the kid's club or in another class but this was our first interaction.  Everyone was so nice, the food was awesome and we had a lot of fun.  It was my first Halloween party since I was in middle school.  We were there for over 4 hours and after people started getting ready to go to clubs but I was so tired, I went home instead.  I'm almost wishing we'd stay here until next Halloween so I can go to another party with the gym group, but that's not going to happen.  Nick's able to pick out orders in May of '09 so we could be moving as early as June.

And now, some pictures from my Halloween

Me and the kids

Mischelle and I

Everyone at the party

Wordless Wednesday

Finished project

This is my first  completed knitted project using both purl and knit stitches!

It's a dishcloth with the state of South Carolina at the top and 'S C' at the bottom.  The colors make it hard to see, but I like how the white made an 'X'.

Boo-ya

I figured out my password :)

I did a 'data dump' on my computer a few days ago and I couldn't figure out which password/username I'd used to create my google account, so I couldn't get into my blogger account.

Let's see...

My last update was on the 29th of Sept, which is a long time ago.  Since then, things have been crazy around here.

Aaron is being tested for behavioral issues.  His teacher is amazed about how much he knows, but he can't seem to control himself in class.  He's disruptive and even getting into fights in class.  Some of the fights have been self defense (another kid pushed him down and he came up swinging) but others have not been prompted by anything.  He's learning so fast though, which usually doesn't happen when kids have these behavioral issues, so the doctor is interested in how he's doing at school.  Hopefully by the end of the month, we'll have an answer to what's going on.  He's also finally gaining weight.  This past week, he went over the 30lb mark, which is a huge deal to us.

Zuri is also learning quickly.  She is full of surprises.  At her 18M check-up, her weight had dropped 3lbs from her 1 year, so when we went in for her 2 year and she had gained over 6lbs, the doctor was really happy.  Zuri is the 'good' eater.  She'll eat anything and everything put in front of her.  She's starting to get a 2 year old attitude, but she does it in such a sassy way, it's hard to get mad at her.

I've been doing really good with my new gym buddy.  We've tired a bunch of different classes together and it's been a lot of fun.  Our favorite is Zumba.  I have no co-ordination, so it's surprising that I'm as good at it as I am.  We've also made friends with the other regulars of the class and the instructor.  She's having a Halloween party and we're going in costume.  It's going to be awesome.  I haven't lost any weight in two weeks, but I've been doing a lot of weight lifting in the body pump class, so I'm hoping I've lost fat and gained muscle weight.  I've also been working on learning how to knit.  I can do the knit stitch, but not the purl.  Which means I can make a crap load of scarves and dish clothes, but nothing else.

That's all for now.  I know there's more, but my brain is mush...

two weeks worth...

I think it's been about two weeks since I've been able to update.  I've only been able to spend a few moments at a time online, so writing out all that has happened since my last one has been hard to even think about doing.  Because this is going to be pretty long, I'll leave out the photos.  I'll try and make a photo entry sometime this week and add all the photos, but for now, photo free.

Nick came home on the 16th.  It was really weird compared to his last homecoming, which was 5000 people on a ship with thier families meeting them on the pier.  Here, it was 20 people with their families meeting them at a hanger. Very anti-climatic.  No bands, no screaming throngs of people, no media, nothing.  But it was nice in the fact that it only took one hour to get there, collect Nick and get his bags loaded in the car.  I think for his last homecoming, we were on the pier for hours.  I took Zuri with me to pick him up, but left Aaron at school.  I wanted Nick's coming home to be a surprise to him.  Zuri was a little hesitant and tried to hide from him, she's seen him on webcam and heard his voice, but the connection that 'this is daddy' wasn't being made.  We went and picked Aaron up from school and all he could do was giggle and say 'That's my daddy,' over and over again.  He was super excited to see Nick and wouldn't leave him alone the rest of the night.

Wednesday through Friday was spent at home, hanging out and working on unpacking.  Also, we had to pack for the weekend that Nick and I planned to spend alone without kids.

Friday, we went up to San Antonio after Aaron got out of school.  Nick's parents took us out to dinner for Mexican food and Nick shared stories from the past 6 months.  After dinner, Nick and I went downtown to stay the weekend without the kids.

Saturday Morning, we went to San Marcus to the outlets for shopping.  We bought some things for the kids, some things for me and Nick some sunglasses.  I really love the outlets because I was getting normally expensive things for very cheap.  Nick even bought me a bracelet that was 70% off retail as a gift, it's flowers and pink and I have a thing for pink and flowers.  That night, we went out for sushi at a sushi bar downtown called Sushi Zushi.  They'd won 'best of the best' 6 years in a row, so we were expecting it to be awesome, but it wasn't even good.  We went home pretty disappointed in our food, our service and the atmosphere.  the only thing that the restaurant had going for it was they wore cool shirts with funky sayings on them.

Sunday, we went to Six Flags Fiesta Texas.  I'm terrified of heights, so roller coasters get my blood going.  I actually did really well on the coasters, better than usual (no threatening to vomit or calling for my mommy) but the drop ride (Slingshot) caused me to threaten Nick with bodily harm if we ever did it again.  Not cool.  They had different themed areas through out the park and one was 'The Boardwalk' where they had the older rides like the ferris wheel.  We rode one ride called 'Frisbee' and both of us nearly threw up.  Not good considering we were in a giant circle, spinning around; the vomit would have landed on us, or the poor kids sitting across from us.

After we got back from the park, we went to Mi Tierra, the best Mexican food I've ever had and I've had a LOT of Mexican food.  It's world famous and according to our waiter, Bette Midler, Lyle Lovett, Carlos Santana and George Lopez have all eaten there.  They also have awesome margaritas.  I had a large strawberry, a 'swirl' and a prickly pear, all of which were insanely good.  I think it's hard to decide which was the best part, the atmosphere, the waitstaff, the roaming mariachi bands, the food or the drinks.  It was all great and we plan on going back.

Monday, we went and picked the kids up and came back home.  We spent the rest of the week chilling at home, doing some shopping and just enjoying being a family again.

I also made a new friend this past week.  Aaron's schoolmate's mom and I got to talking outside of the school on Thursday.  I was wearing my gym clothes and said something about going to work out and next thing I knew, we were at the gym together, laughing at each other.  She got a little dizzy and we spent about an hour or so in the bathroom talking about ourselves and our families.  We made plans and got together again on Friday at the gym.  We did my first class together, Body Pump and even though I tipped over and broke a nail, it was still a lot of fun.  We left the class extremely sore but working out plans for the next week on what we'd do together.

Friday night it was back to San Antonio.  We went out to Mexican for dinner again with Nick's parents.  I told you, we eat a lot of Mexican food down here.

Saturday, we went to Sea World.  Nick, his parents, the kids and I.  Aaron was disappointed because he wasn't big enough to ride any rides, but he did have fun at the kids net area and loved sliding down the slides after climbing to the top.  We made sure to see the 'Shamu' show, which didn't go over very well with Zuri because we sat in the splash zone and that water is FREEZING.  I believe she now has an unnatural aversion to killer whale tails.

Sunday we had a BBQ at the in-laws where Nick grilled some of the most perfect ribs ever consumed.  They were just awesome.  Nick's aunts, uncle, cousin, grandparents and some family friends all came out.  Nick's birthday recently passed so his High School best friend brought him a present; a painting of Yankee's Stadium.  It's pretty big so we're still trying to find a place to hang it.

Today, I met up at the gym again with my friend.  We did the body flow class, a combination of Tai Chi, Yoga and Pilates.  Since the body pump on Friday, we have both been so sore walking was an issue, so the body flow really stretched us out and loosened up our muscles.

And to end it all on a high note:

I haven't been to the gym in nearly a month.  With Nick back, we've been eating a lot of junk food and I was really worried about weighing myself because I figured I'd gained all the weight I've lost and then some.  Nope.  I maintained my weight loss. Didn't gain anything in a month.  That has me really encouraged and happy.  Now that I have a gym buddy, I feel like I can lose even more.

Bringing you up to speed

I know it's been a while since I've blogged and also a while since I've read anyone else's blog.  Sorry about that.  We had to evacuate for the hurricane and I've also had a ton of things on my plate since Nick is coming home soon.

Getting ready for a return from deployment is nearly as stressful as getting ready to send them on deployment.  I've had to turn on a cell phone, clean out the cars, clean the whole house, find an outfit to wear and do some 'personal maintenance' that I've been neglecting for the last few months.  I also have a baby blanket needs to be done in the next month and plans for another one plus a matching stuffed animal and a scarf that I'm hoping to be able to give as a Christmas gift.  Good thing I'm learning to type while crocheting so I can still maintain a level of activity on the social site I frequent and on the crochet/knitting forum that I like to use for ideas.

I'm hoping to get updated on reading some other blogs in the near future (maybe after things have settled down) because I really miss hearing about how my friends are doing (ps, if you know my number, just call me, I can talk and clean at the same time, but can't type and clean at the same time.).

And for you random strangers who read this... Sorry I'm not more entertaining.  Next time, I'll juggle flaming bowling balls while covered in honey, standing over an ant hill.  Get your cameras ready :)

Dolphin Pee

I took the kids to the TX State Aquarium today.  They had a lot of fun running around looking at all the fish.  We also watched the dolphin show (again).  We sat in the very front row, in the center.  I've seen this show maybe 10 times and every time they tell you 'If you're in the blue row, you might get wet.'  I've always sat in the blue row, and I've never gotten wet.  Today was different though, we got soaked.  One of the dolphins splashed us three times.  Zuri loved the water and was licking it off her hands.  I made the mistake of saying; 'Yummy, Dolphin Pee' and Aaron freaked out.  I guess Dolphin Pee is nasty.  Hehe.

I didn't bring my camera because they haven't changed the exhibits since the last time we went.  BIG mistake.  On the way down to see the underwater dolphin exhibit, we caught them playing with a large cat.  About the size of a bobcat, but with spots.  When they noticed we were watching, they told us it was an African Serval.  So beautiful.  I can't believe I missed out on getting a picture of one.   

*photo was found on photobucket.

Finished it!

For a month, I've been working on an afghan for Andrea.  It's the largest project I've ever crocheted and I am so happy to say that it is done!  I can't wait to send it to her so she can see it.  I also learned a lot while working on it.  Nick's aunt taught me how to join blocks with a crochet stitch instead of a whip stitch and I also learned a few new stitches.

It's been a really fun project and I'm going to start a new one, a baby blanket, as soon as the yarn comes in that I've ordered.

Here's the finished project:

Saturday, Planes, Trains, Tigers and bears... What?

Saturday, we kept the kids really busy.  First was a trip to downtown San Antonio to visit the Children's Museum.  Right now, they have a big exhibit on trains and Aaron was super excited to go.  He got to 'drive' a train, fly in a plane, see fish and be in a bubble.

Zuri just had fun chasing after him and running up and down the stairs, but she did enjoy being in the conductor's seat of the train.

After the museum, we went to the Rainforest Cafe.  It's a 3 story restaurant with waterfalls, fake flowers and anima-tronic animals.  The one in San Antonio is the only one with the Panda Bears, so it was cool to hear them and see them during dinner.  Also, every 15-20 minutes, there was a 'thunder storm' where the lights would flicker and thunder would sound.  The food was also awesomely good but more than we could eat.  We treated the kids and got each of them a rainbow Icee.  Zuri's was almost as big as she was.

Friday, for the Birds!

We're up in San Antonio this weekend.  The kids love it here.  Mostly because the Grandma caters to their every whim and the Grandpa bakes homemade cookies.

This time, Grandma had a craft project waiting for the kids.  Painting wooden bird houses.  They both did a great job and we're planning on hanging them in the back yard after adding a little seed to them.  This is Zuri's first craft project and she enjoyed it a lot.  Aaron has done a few other things but I think this painting one was his favorite.  

A few pictures for you all to enjoy

Zuri, ready to paint-

Aaron saying 'hi'-

Masterpieces in progress-

The finished project-

Zuri's 

Aaron's

Kindergarden

Monday was Aaron's first day of Kindergarden.  We missed orientation so we had no clue where his class was or who his teacher was (they did registration two weeks prior to the first day and orientation was the friday before, very last minute).  Aaron was less than excited.  I think he thought we were going back to Head Start and wasn't having that.  He and Zuri also refused to sleep the night before so they were both very cranky when I took him to class.  It didn't help that he wouldn't be riding the bus this year, we live too close to the school.  Riding the bus was by far one of the best things for him.  I guess when we move, we'll have to get a place far away from school to make him eligible for the bus.

I did good.  I saw a few mommies crying after dropping of their kids, but I managed to keep it together.  Aaron had an okay first few days, the second was hard on the teacher because she wasn't used to Aaron's 'spirit' and actually brought up putting him into pre-K this year because he's not adjusted.  I shot that down, considering he's either at or above the level of the rest of the kids in his class, pre-K would hold him back and make him hate school even more.  Together we decided we'd get some evaluations done and that we'd wait to do anything considering they're going to start a new Kindergarden class because all the current ones have 24-25 students and there's only one teacher.

The first two days were bad because I had no idea how much lunch was (they didn't send the information home until the first day... something that should have been given out at registration), I had no idea when school started and when it ended, I didn't even know how the drop off stuff works.  But I found out lunch is $1.30 (HOLY CRAP!), school was from 8 to 3 and the drop off is a free for all except for kindergarden and pre-k, we're expected to walk our kids in, they're not allowed to go anywhere without an adult (a plan I like).

So, here are a few pictures of Aaron on his first day.  And yes, they do have 'uniforms', royal blue or hunter green polos, jeans only with a 5 pocket maximum, shirts tucked in, belts, and shoes can't be open toed, without a back or a combination of red and black.  Yeah, it's kinda weird.

Aaron on the couch, trying to hide:

Letting me take a full picture after fighting me:

In the car:

In class. Yes, he sucks his thumb and plays with his hair:

Craft Closet

Today, after the inlaws came and went, I decided to tackle my newest project.  I was going to save it for during the week while Aaron was at school, but I couldn't stop thinking about how cool the results would be, so I jumped on it now.  I also managed to sweat out two gallons of sweat while working on it, so I'm counting today as a gym day! All of the things I needed to do this were downstairs and where I was doing it was upstairs, so about 40+ trips up and down the stairs, I think I have buns of steels and legs of jelly.

So, here it is, my newest 'renovation' in this apartment...

Before:

After:

Later, I plan on buying a 48"X20" table that will fit up against the wall and a folding chair to keep up here.  I'm going to use the landing as a craft area.  I think the total cost of the project was $40, but that was because I needed some of the smaller bins.  I probably could have done without the black and white ones, but they were really pretty and just the right size.  I even found a place for all the uniforms, jackets, prom dresses, christmas decorations, christmas trees and random christmas kitty.

So, this is it, Lisa's Crafting Closet!  All the junk from 3 rubbermaid containers, one storage ottoman and countless boxes all over the house, shoved into a closet and made to look reasonably pretty!

Oh the HORROR!

I like to let Zuri shower with me, it's quick and easy.  Today, I took her up the the shower, let her get in first and worked on my eyebrows while she played in the water.  I get in, wash my hair and happen to look in the corner

HOLY SHIT!

That's a spider, it's a spider, a spider... OMG it's a spider.  I toss Zuri out of the shower, dripping wet.  For some reason, I continue to wash, rather quickly, but keeping my eye on the devil with 8 legs. (My plan is to finish my shower, then seal off the bathroom, never to open it again.  He can have it). I'm just about done and he starts running at me!  I start screaming and crying and jump out.  I run to my closet, grab a shoe, open the shower stall and throw the shoe at him.  It grazes his legs and I throw it again. And again and again, until SUCCESS, he does the 'curl up and die'.  I have soap on my face, so I rinse it off real quick and go to really squish him, so I can flush him, and he jumps up and runs back to the corner.  I'm screaming 'Why won't you die??' and crying again.  Aaron comes in, wants to see what's going on, but I'm convinced it's a baby eating spider and scream for him to get away (Way to go mom, he already has a fear of bugs.).  I run downstairs, grab my weed killer (it's the only thing in the house that says 'killer' on it, so it's my only option) and run back upstairs... Remember, I'm naked.

I then begin to drown him in weed killer.  Not just one or two squirts, but I empty out the whole bottle on him.  He is now legs up, floating in a sea of Round Up.  Not convinced he's dead, I shut the shower door, stuff a towel under it, just in case and shut the bathroom door, stuffing a towel under it.  He's fooled me once, not going to happen again.

After all this, I come down stairs to check and see what kind he is, convinced that because of his size (with leg span, about the size of a silver dollar) he is highly venomous and I just saved us all from a painful death.

He's a grass spider.  According to Wiki 'They are harmless spiders.'

* the photo is not of my spider, it's off the internet.  Hopefully, my spider is dead.

Wordless Wednesday; Bad Hair Day

Another one!

I won another blog giveaway!  Thanks to Who's the Boss? (www.whosthebossblog.com) for my cool box of stuff!

And what a great box of stuff!  Here's what I got:

1 organic Pistachi-Oh Weil bar

2 samples of Taster's choice instant coffee

4 DentaBurst teeth cleaner samples

1 package of Weight Watchers Peanut Butter Cups

1 bag of Soap nuts www.laundrytree.com

1 free pair of underwear from HerRoom www.herroom.com

1 Fresh Wave All Natural Odor Neutralizing Spray

1 Fresh Wave All Natural Odor Neutralizing Crystals

1 Bottle of Emerita Embody Skin Conditioning Massage Oil

1 Sample pack of Orville Redenbacher's Gourmet Popping Corn

1 Box of merci European Chocolate

1 manicure set from cafemom www.cafemom.com

1 internet password organizer from InnoventionLab

Book: Sin in the Second City, Madams, Ministers, Playboys and the Battle for America's Soul    by Karen Abbott

1 Laptop skin

1 DVD with an episode of The Closer and an episode of Saving Grace

1 book: blogher Heros

2 packs of wine charms

And last, a box from Greenopolis www.greenopolis.com for recycling the used Fluorescent blubs.  You can go to www.thinkgreenfromhome.com to get one yourself.

now I just got to try to hold off on devouring the box of chocolates... wish me luck!

Dumpster Diving: The highlight of my day

No, not the highlight because it's the best thing to happen all day, but it sure was the funniest.

I took the trash to the dumpster and also brought my mail to drop off on the way back.  I threw in the bag, threw in a pizza box I had with me then threw in, OH SHIT, the mail!  I stood there and just stared at my nasty mail.  Settling in at the bottom of the dumpster.  I couldn't just leave it there, it would bother me for months, knowing 6 signed checks were just chilling somewhere, waiting to be found.  Two things went my way at least.  I threw it far enough it went nearly to the other side where the other sliding door was and they had just emptied the dumpster this morning, so at least it hadn't landed on a baby diaper or something equally disgusting.  I walked over to the other door, slid it open and reached in and was able to grab all but one letter.  For this one, I had to bend over and reeeeeeach.  Nope, still not good.  I was about 1/2 an inch too far away.  So I leaned my weight on the edge of the door and see-sawed myself in the dumpster.  I'm sure people driving by found it funny to see my giant ass hanging out of the dumpster, feet kicking while I tried to grab that last letter.  I finally managed to grab it without touching massive amounts of my skin to the bottom of the dumpster, just the tips of my fingers.  I mailed off the letters, covered in strange slimy stuff and then went home and took a HOT shower.  Yucky.

The good thing that happened to me today was that my clothes that I ordered a while back came in.  I ordered 2 pairs of pants and 5 shirts from American Eagle because Nick loves them and said they were awesome.  I measured myself before I bought and according to my measurements, I'd fit in the largest sizes they carry (not too bad, considering they only go up to 18).  The whole time I've been waiting, I've been worried they won't fit.  That they'll be too tight and I'll have to send them back.  I got them this morning and with the exception of one of the pants, they fit perfectly.  The pants that didn't fit were able to be buttoned and sat right on my thighs, but the part around my waist was too tight.  I have to lose about 5-10lbs to get them to feel right.  I'm hoping I can do that before Nick gets home, I wanted to pick him up in the pants with one of the shirts.  It's a really cute outfit.

Ho-hum

I haven't done anything in a few days besides surveys, so it's nice to get back to what my blog was made for.

I signed Aaron up for school on the 12th.  It was actually pretty easy and quick because we missed the regular sign up date and went when no one else was there. He's not excited about school.  When I ask him if he wants to go, he yells 'NO' at me.  I think once he gets there, he'll like it as much as he liked Head Start.  Well, I hope so.  Doesn't matter if he likes it or not.  He's going.

Zuri's learning new words every day.  Today, she worked on 'spaghetti' and calling her brother downstairs when I call him.  Spaghetti comes out like 'C-E-e' and Aaron is 'Anan', so she's doing pretty good with it.

I've missed the gym all week.  Normally, I wake up and want to go.  I can't wait to go.  But this week, every day of the week I've decided that going is the last thing I want to do.  I know, I should suck it up and go, but I just can't seem to force myself.  I have managed to get dressed for the gym everyday, but I'll start cleaning the house, consider the gym and decided not to go again.

Some sad news, one of my favorite sites is closing down.  Maya's Mom is shutting it's doors.  Many people are pissed about it.  I'm a little sad, but considering the people I care about I'll never lose touch with, I'll live.

Nick's NALO flight was approved, so as long as they don't break down in Greece, he'll be home planned.  I'm happy.  I can't wait.  I get a foot run when he returns!  Yay!

So, that's my boring week.  Sorry nothing blew up or anything more interesting happened.  maybe next week!  I have been cooking every day lately, so the chances of me catching the kitchen on fire had gone up two times.

Thursday Thirteen

Thirteen Things about Lisa My first Thursday 13 will be my 13 favorite books!  In no particular order: 1)Lord of the Flies by William Golding.  We read this book in 11th grade and I've loved it ever since.  Thank you Mr. Ford for making us read it.  I knew there was a reason I liked you as a teacher (well, besides you being hot) 2)The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King.  This was my first King novel.  I read it in 7th grade.  Probably now, it wouldn't be in a Jr. High school, probably because it says the word 'penis' more than a conservative southern school would like it to, but it's the book that made me love Stephen King as an author. 3)The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.  This is out of the 'norm' from what I read, but I loved it just the same.  It's a sad book that'll make you cry, but also has happy moments that'll make you cry as well.  4)The Stand by Stephen King. Another King book that I absolutely couldn't put down.  It's a monster of a book, but it's so addicting I read it straight through only stopping to eat and sleep.  Then I picked it up a few weeks later and read it again.  If you've seen the movie but didn't like it, still read the book.  It's so much better than the movie. 5)Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Prachett.  This is probably the funniest book I've ever read. I love the humor in it, the use of footnotes and just the overall way the book was written.  Just don't loan it out, you'll never get it back. 6)A Child Called 'it' by Dave Pelzer.  This book will make you cry.  It'll make you question humanity and have you saying 'why' quite often.  It's a really good book if you're able to handle extremely sad things.  I had to read it in spurts, never all at once. 7)Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen  This is an emotional book for me as well.  I love how it bounces back from present to past but manages to do it without losing the reader.  Very well written 8)Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden.  Japanese Culture?  Of course I'd love it.  It's also a beautifully written book, full of emotion. 9)Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl  Okay, what woman WOULDN'T love a book about a chocolate factory?  Actually, my love of this book goes back to watching the movie every year as a family when it came on TV.  It's one of my most favorite movies, so the book is of course up there in the rankings. 10)I am America (And so Can You) by Stephen Colbert.  This book is funny if you're a follower of the show.  And since I refuse to miss an episode, I loved it. 11)Hate Mail From Cheerleaders by Rick Reilly  I first fell in love with this comlumnist while reading the last page of DHs Sports Illustrateds 12)The Host by Stephanie Meyer  I just got this book and already it's a favorite.  I love how it's written and the story line.  Glad it's a hard copy cause I can see myself reading it over and over again. 13)Homecoming by Cynthia Voight  I've had this book since I was about 10.  The same copy.  It's well worn and very much loved.  The spine is falling apart from the 100s of times I've read it.  A 'sad at times book with plenty' of good moments kinda book


Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


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Couples Survey

I stole this Couples Survey from Homeslice:

[1] What are your middle names? Marie and Allen.  I think my first name/middle name combo is the lamest ever.
[2] How long have you been together? Since about May of 2002 
[3] How long did you know each other before you started dating? Only a few weeks.  We worked together and he asked me out after a while. 
[4] Who asked whom out? He asked me out.  Wait, I might have told him he could take me out... I can't remember.
[5] How old are each of you? He's 26 and I'm 26.  
[6] What are your astrological signs? Aries and Virgo (I had to look his up, I don't remember all the signs)
[7] When was your first kiss? I honestly can't remember.  I don't keep track of that sort of thing
[8] Who’s mother do you see the most? Right now, his, but before we moved to TX we were seeing mine at least once a month.  
[9]Who’s father? Always his.  My dad has never come to visit us. 
[10] Do you have any children together? two  
[11] What about pets? No, pets run away. It's because of me.  
[12] Do you have a song? All Along the Watchtower.  It was the first song that played on the radio when we got out of the court house after getting married.
[13] Which bill is the hardest on you as a couple? The electric.  Mostly because we kinda argue over it.  I want to conserve electric by cutting the a/c off more, but he's all about the comfort.
[14] Who pays the bills? I write the checks, it comes out of our bank account, but he's the one with the drive.
[15] Who drives and who sits shotgun? Depends on our mood and where we're going.  If we're in S.A., he drives.  I get lost and freaked out in big cities.  I drive around CC a lot though.
[16] Did you go to the same school? Not the same High School, but we did go to the same 'A' school in the Navy, at the same time but didn't know each other then.  We even had a few mutual friends, just never met each other.
[17] Are you from the same hometown? No, I'm S.C. and he's T.X.
[18] Do you live in the same town now? Right now?  No. He lives in Bahrain and I live in the US, so we're not even in the same country.
[19] Who is the smartest? Depends on what we're talking about.  I think we're about equal though.  Usually we scored the same on tests we took together in the military. 
[20] Who is the most sensitive? I think we're probably equal.  I show it more often, but he's a softy.  He just likes to try and hide it. 
[21] Where do you eat out at most as a couple? As a couple?  No where.  We take the kids to just about everywhere we go.  
[22] Where do you shop the most as a couple? HEB, it's so romantic in the dairy aisle.  
[23] Where is the furthest you have traveled as a couple? Dallas TX from CC Tx.  But, in a work trip while we were dating we both got sent to Key West FLA at the same time.  That was pretty cool...  A paid vacation with a little work during the nights.  
[24] Who has the best group of friends? Hmmm, IDK.  He has more friends than I but I'm closer to my few friends than he is to his  
[25] Who has the craziest exes? Him.  Well, I think anyone who calls a pregnant woman and asks for her man is insane. 
[26] Who has the worst temper? We're equal on that.  
[27] Who does the cooking? I cook and bake, he grills. I probably do the most cooking, but usually when he cooks it's for hours at a time slow grilling something, so it probably evens out in the end.  
[28] Who is more social? Me.  Though, he's better at socializing than I am.  We go some where and he schmoozes better than I do, but I spend more time in the long run talking to the friends I already have.
[29] Who is the neat-freak? I think it depends on what you're talking about us cleaning.  If it's keeping up with the laundry and folding it, he is.  I'm more obsessed with organizing everything.  When we get ready to clean really good, I'm always the one getting told to 'sit down, it's good enough'
[30] Who is the most affectionate? He is  
[31] Who is the most stubborn? He is.
[32] Who hogs the bed? He does... butthead.
[33] Who wakes up earlier? He does, but only be cause he works and I don't  
[34] Where was your first date? Bennigans 
[35] Who said I Love You first? I can't remember.  
[36] Who has the bigger family? I do, but he's closer to his family than I am to mine.  
[37] Do you give/get flowers often? I never give flowers, but he sends them to me sometimes for no reason, but I'll also not get them when I expect them, like for birthdays and anniversaries.  He likes to keep me guessing.  
[38] How do you spend the holidays? Lately with his family because they're so close, but we're supposed to move in the next year, so who knows. 
[39] Do you have cute little names for each other? Yeah, a few.  Well, I have them for him.  I used to call him 'bunny' and 'applejacks'.  Don't ask.  It's stupid.

Twice as Nice

I have gotten two notes from fellow bloggers telling me I 'had to check out their blog'.  Okay, well I did and I'm really happy to see that they've given me this awesome award.

  Aaaaaaaaawe!  Thanks Dawn and MLC's Mom for giving me this award!

According to the rules, this is what I'm supposed to do next:

Choose 5 other bloggers that you feel are “Kick Ass Bloggers”

Let them know that they have received an award
Link back to both the person who awarded you and also http://www.mammadawg.com/
Visit the Kick Ass Blogger Club HQ , to get codes click here and it will take you to KABC HQ, sign Mr. Linky then pass it on!

Now, picking 5 is hard for me to do.  If you look down the side of my blog, I have a few blogs that I really like to regularly read.  I personally think ALL my friends have kick-ass blogs, but I'm very partial to them.  And also, a few of them have already received multiple awards.  So, I'll try and pick 5 that I haven't seen awarded anywhere else and hope for the best.

Linda

Sara

Crystal

NapWarden

Homey

These ladies all jot down some pretty kick ass thought an ideas.

Back!

Wow, we had a busy weekend.  I went to the in-laws with the hopes of cleaning out some of my MIL's stuff.  She's a pack rat.  We cleaned out her china cabinet and threw away a full trash bag of stuff.  I mean, who needs a used spongebob table cloth from my son's 2nd birthday party?

Besides trashing the junk, we went shopping for Aaron's school clothes, went to the movies, played in the sun in the back yard and spent some time with Nick's grandparents, both of which are 85.

The school clothes thing sucked.  Aaron is in Kindergarden and they have 'uniforms'.  Which, I'm okay with.  Except for Aaron, finding these damn polos is next to impossible.  He wears a toddler size, still.  We actually got three at the children's place in a size 24months.  Yeah, he's that small.  I was only able to find 3 in his size and had to get two more from wal-mart in a size 4/5.  They hand all the way down to his knees, but since we have to tuck it in, it shouldn't be an issue.

We saw the movie 'Space Chimps' on Saturday.  Aaron was enthralled with the movie and really enjoyed it.  Zuri on the other hand was only there for the sodas and the candy.  Other than that she tried running down the aisle, which resulted in a lost shoe.  Good thing the theater wasn't crowded.  Glad we went a few weeks after it hit the theater.

Saturday afternoon, my swimsuit that we ordered arrived and I tried it on by going in the back yard with the kids, playing (er, Laying) in the kiddy pool.  We also had a sprinkler going so that we could get wet and the lawn could get watered at the same time.  I decided to skip the sun block on me and have actually acquired a decent tan.  I'm shocked, normally I look like I've spent all day in an oven after an hour of sunlight, but I think waiting until after 3 helped out a lot.

Every Saturday that we're in town, we go out to breakfast with Nick's grandparents.  It's become a tradition and it's a yummy one at that.  We also try and go Bingo every once in a while, so Saturday night my Mother-in-law, Nick's grandmother and I all went out to play.  Unfortunately all I accomplished was crocheting 10 rows in an afghan I'm working on.  Nick's grandmother usually wins something, but if I go, no one wins.  I'm cursed.  I'm giving up Bingo forever.

Saturday was also mine and Nick's Anniversary.  4 years on the 9th.  He ordered me a jewelry box as a gift, which should be here in a few weeks. It's handmade in an Asian style (he actually met the guy who makes them, he sells them in the exchange on the Bahrain base and other military bases) and will have my name engraved in to it.  It's decorated with mother of pearl butterflies and has gilding on it.  It's really pretty ( I got to see a picture of it at least)

Speaking of Nick, he had a good scare on Friday at work.  There is a big-wig going to Bahrain sometime soon and they had to prep the base for him.  That meant moving lots of random things.  One of them was  jet blast shields.  Nick was in the crew that was unloading them from the truck to their new home.  The shields are solid concrete and weigh aprox. 5 tons.  They have to be lifted by crane.  According to Nick, he was directing the shield and one of the rings that hold it to the crane snapped.  The shield tipped, Nick noticed and ran.  The shield landed about a foot or two behind him.  Scared the crap out of him and everyone watching.  Luckily, he's okay, I'll just have to send him new underwear.

Videos.

Nick asked me to take some video of Zuri talking.  When he left, she was only saying 'mommy, daddy' and a few other words.  Now, she's saying 'cookies, butterfly, cheese, drink, Dora,' and a whole bunch of other words.

We're both freaking out over this.  I know, she's on par with all other children her age, but Aaron was our first and he didn't talk until he was three.  Needless to say, we're overly excited and convinced she's a genius. 

So, for your viewing pleasure, the two videos I made for Nick:

(please excuse the bangs, we're working on growing them properly)

Quirky Meme

Homeslice tagged me in her blog to do this 'quirky meme'  I love a good meme, so I'll give it a try!

The Rules 
* Link to the person who tagged you. 
* Mention the rules. 
* Tell six quirky yet boring, unspectacular details about yourself. 
* Tag six other bloggers by linking to them. 
* Go to each person’s blog and leave a comment to let them know that they’ve been tagged.

1) I really hate the shape of my toes.  I've considered getting surgery to correct the look of them.  It's something I kinda obsess over.  Some of them look like ET's head and neck when he extends it.

2) I can't turn down free stuff.  If my mother in law is getting rid of something and offers it to me, I have to take it.  I know I may never use it, but I'll hold onto it for a few months to years then give it to Goodwill.  

3) I sometimes buy the books of 'fill it ins' just to do the number ones.  Usually, they are 6 number puzzles in the whole book and I'll do those then throw the book away.  It's the same for crossword puzzle books, I only do the ones that take up two pages.

4) I like all my nails to be the same length.  If one of them breaks, I'll cut them all down the same size.  It drives me crazy to see someone with one long nail and the rest short.

5) I have a writing implement obsession.  When I go to places like Staples and Office Depot, I actually get a giddy, high feeling over the pens and pencils.  Sometimes, I even giggle with glee because I can't wait to buy something.

6) I feel compelled to buy things in pink.  Just things for myself.  Purses, wallets, pens, hair clips, if it's in pink, I have to get it in pink.  My last three cell phones have been pink and I've actually not bought one that I wanted just because they didn't make it in pink.

And I shall now tag:

Crystal

MLCsMom

Dawn

Linda

Chrissi

Sara

(sorry if any of you have been tagged before, but since you haven't done it yet, I'm tagging you on mine)

Guitar Heroine

Cause becoming a rock and roll legend is hard work.