Top 5 Thanksgiving moments

Here they are....my Top 5 Thanksgiving moments. But I gotta make em quick because I am REALLY sleepy and want to catch a nap while the girl is resting too.

5. The dual meltdown. Our daughter and her cousin, who's 4, had simultaneous meltdowns around 6:30pm. Completely overstimulated and just plain tired of the whole thing.

4. The small quarrel between my husband and his brother, who is staying with us. My husband moved his "stuff" (i.e.everything he brought with him for the trip) to a bedroom rather than the middle of his studio (he's a single guy who lives alone in a tiny NYC apartment. Not used to people moving his things.) This caused a short bickering session that dampened the mood for a few hours. Reminds me of something Gwyneth Paltrow once said on Letterman. He asked her what they were having for thanksgiving. She replied, "Oh, the usual. Some turkey, some stuffing, and a big bowl of bickering." "Bickering?" he asked. She answered him, "Yeah, doesnt every family serve up some bickering during the holidays?"

3. Feeding the ducks with papa. It was my daughter's first time feeding the ducks and she had a ball. We've been back twice since.

2. All the delicious Thanksgiving food! Our fridge has never been so full, and we are loving every minute of it. And very thankful for all that we were able to enjoy.

1. ????? At this point in time I am not able to share my favorite memory! But if all goes well I should be posting it up in a few weeks. Keep a watchful eye and soon you will know my #1 Thanksgiving moment!

Rain

"Rain Rain Go AWAY!" It has been raining now for three days and although we are supposed to get a break Thurs and Fri, it is supposed to be back by the weekend and rain again until next Wed! I am truly thankful for rain and the great way it waters the earth and provides our drinking water and water for our plumbing, but so many days in a row gets a little depressing. I sure miss being able to take our girl to the park, play outside, and just see sunshine!

I love being outside--I live for sunshiny days and blue skies. And I realize that they wouldnt look quite so wonderful without lots of rain to grow the flowers and trees and fill the rivers and streams. So I will wait patiently for the clouds to roll away and bring some sun! Have a great Wed! (and a little shout out to my brother in law, Happy Birthday!)

Storms

We have a huge amount of rain rolling thru this weekend until Wednesday and I find it interesting that these storms coincide with the arrival of guests for Thanksgiving! Tomorrow and Wednesday family will be arriving and then of course Thursday is the big day. I dont know why I always get a little anxious before the holidays...I love my family dearly and it always ends up being tons of fun, but I guess maybe it stems from a) having people come to MY house, and b) feeling a certain responsibility to entertain. Remember my very first blog? The one that was immediately deleted because of a misunderstanding? The one about the tornados rolling thru? I feel those storms abrewin again!

But, this really is my favorite time of year! I love seeing everyone, laughing a whole lot, eating a whole lot, and just having something new going on. I do miss those days of being the kids driving to our parents rather than having the kids and awaiting the parents drive to us. But I love the memories we've made and look forward to the fun times to come. (Im sure I will be sharing some great stories with you over the next few weeks!)

Top 5's

I had the tv tuned to the music stations a few days ago. We were listening to "80's" hits or something like that because it is usually mellow and we can sing along (ok, I can sing along) but for some reason it was not my day. They had a slew of my least favorite songs in a row. (This is actually a good post to follow yesterday's post because it is basically the same format by which I judge the songs.)

Here are my Top 5 Least Favorite Songs to Come Across on the Radio

5. Total Eclipse of the Heart
4. Susudio
3. The other Phil Collins song with the muppets "Land of Confusion"? (which I aptly place a question mark after!)
2. Dancin In the Dark
1. Hey Kids Rock-n-Roll (you know....the Michael Damien song that was a remake?)

Now I realize there are lots of others to choose from, but these are the songs I just DONT want to hear.


Here are my Top 5 Least Favorite early 90's Artists:

5. Roxette (do I have to explain?)
4. New Kids on The Block (although I will admit to seeing them live twice...and I will also admit to having absolutely no taste in music during the early 90's.)
3. Metallica (I certainly think they are amazing artists--but this isnt about ability, this is about my least favorites. And they are on the list for the FREAKY video for "One" which gave me nightmares during high school!)
2. Madonna (yeah yeah, I know some of you are die hard fans...but Im not. I have never been impressed with her musically and although she is a trend setter she is not much of an "artist" to me. The short blonde hair and pokey bras were her worst phase in my opinion. "Open Your Heart" makes me nauseated.)
1. Wilson Phillips. Cant explain why, just never really wanted to listen.

Hello!

Do you ever click thru the tv stations on the weekend and come across all the old movies they show over and over again and get a sort of sick feeling in your stomach? And then somehow for some reason you kinda start watching one of them because there isnt much else on and suddenly you think "It's not so bad." So you keep watching and end up sort of enjoying yourself?

Most Saturdays I come across one of these types of movies: "Father of the Bride," "Breakfast Club," "When Harry Met Sally," or "City Slickers." At first I quickly flip past it because I am disgusted having somehow managed to watch the film at least three or four times in the past 10 years. Then when I realize my choices are either golf, football, fishing, a rerun of "Real World" (which I dont usually watch anyway) or some home improvement show that isnt very well produced, I wind up back at that channel contemplating my options. Sometimes I tune into it for just a moment to see if I can take it. Everything depends on that first look. If I catch the "Breakfast Club-ers" doing that dance to the music they dont stand a chance. But if it's that poignant (yes, Im using the word) moment when Molly Ringwald climbs thru the ducts to Judd Nelson in the isolation room, I will keep it on. Same goes for "City Slickers." If they are doing some corny "we're unable to ride these crazy horses!" moment there's no way Im staying tuned. But if Billy Crystal is delving into one of his humorous dialogues about his life I just might pause and give it a chance.

I wonder if it has to do with believing you already know the story and then when you hit a moment you dont quite remember, or a moment you really loved, you are able to give it a chance. Either way, we are watching "Erin Brockovich" this evening...

more elaborating!

Ok, decided to elaborate on a few more numbers from my list. How about numbers 18. tried chewing tobacco once and 49. think i might have some sort of female moustache!...:[ :O


Let's just clear up 49 first! I dont have a female mustache--it's just a funny little thing that we joke about here at home. My daughter learned about mustaches and associates them with her grandpa. If she sees a mustache she says "Papa!" and points to her top lip. Well we started a little game and we would say "Does Luxie have a mustache? No! ha ha!" Then we would say "Does mommy have a mustache? No! ha ha!" "But Daddy has a mustache!" Well for some reason she started saying "Papa!" and pointing to her lip, then saying "Mama!" and giggling. So it became a running joke that she thinks mommy has a mustache too. I promise Im not lying! I dont have one! Right?! Right??

Regarding the chewing tobacco, I grew up in a hick town. I didnt realize it at the time, but it is definitely a farming community. Population is about 25,000 and there is one main high school that everyone ends up at unless they go to the Catholic high school. Well my group of friends werent all farmers, but we were products of the families that had lived in this small community all of their lives, and most of them chewed. One night three of us girls went out with three of the guys (none of us were dating ...not that it matters to you). We took the trucks up to the mountains to do what teens in small towns do, listen to music, drink, and be teenagers.

The guys got out their chew and we girls started asking them about it and before you know it we each take a little bit and stick it in our lip. The guys kept saying, "Dont swallow it! Make sure you spit!" Well when youre talking and having fun with friends and not at all familiar with spitting every few seconds you forget and swallow! It was all fun and games until we started getting a little buzz and then one by one we were out by the tree throwing up. So the moral of this story is...."Make sure you spit!"

dinner

Do you ever reach that point where you are desperate to get to the grocery store? Tonight for dinner I had a quesadilla and a Hot Pocket. My daughter had a quesadilla and cottage cheese. Lunch for me was Ramen noodles. Got to go tommorrow or Im down to tuna and a baked potato!

Lil' Lu

Thought I ought to update the grandparents and anyone else who is interested on the life of our girl. She is 20m old now and running, clapping, and (almost) jumping, loves going to the park, and hates meat. One of her latest obsessions is "Spot" the cute little dog who is found in "flap" books and on videos with voice over done by a young Jonathan Taylor Thomas (who sounds perfect as the little dog.) We cant get thru a day without watching Spot three times. Thank heaven the tape is only 30 minutes long! I have to bribe her into other activities sometimes because a) I am tired of Spot, b)she should be tired of Spot, c) Im a little freaked out she will become one of those tv obsessed youngsters who never goes outside and has no attention span!

It's so funny how they pick up on things we do..I might say "We are going to eat dinner and then go to the park, OK?" and nod my head while doing it. So now she looks at me with wide eyes and says "Spot!" while nodding her head at me. It's almost as if she is saying "Right mommy? We are watching Spot now, right?" She does this with the park too. "Park!" nodding head..."Paaarrrrk" with the "Right mommy?" intonations.

The sweetest thing she has begun to do is control her tantrums. If she brakes out into a full blown tantrum I have at times had to put her in her crib to settle down. They can go on and on for 30 minutes or more, but I have found if I put her in her crib she calms down quicker because she cant follow us around in hysteria. In other words, there is no audience. I always warn her that it's coming so she has a choice to avoid it. So after the first few times in her crib she began to get the picture. As she would settle down I would come in and say "Are you all done crying now?" And if she screamed "No" I would say "OK" and leave her to continue crying. After a while she would say "Done done done" from her crib and be done! Now when she begins to enter the crazed tantrum stage I say "Would you like to go to your crib or are you all done crying?" and she usually says "Done done done" and pulls it together! Amazing if you ask me!

She has also become VERY particular about her clothes! I cant believe it! She isnt even two yet. In fact, that is what causes most of the tantrums. She is OBSESSED with flowers and will not wear anything that doesnt have a flower on it. Now I dont go crazy with clothing for my daughter, but there are some perfectly good clothes in there that dont have flowers and I am becoming really frustrated that she wont wear them! and the toughest part is bedtime when the pajamas have to take the place of the flower shirts. Some people would say, "Oh let her wear it," but for one, it usually isnt warm enough. And number two, I am not allowed to cover the flower shirt. So putting it under the sleeper isnt an option. I have actually put a longsleeve shirt over the sleeper (it fits VERY snuggly) just to end the ordeal! But then the whole thing begins again the next day when we cant wear the shirt because it is dirty and way too stretched out.

Shoes are also a problem. She always wants to wear the most opposite color shoes for the clothes she has on. Her big red boots with the purple shirt, or the black dress shoes with the pink and red outfit. Needless to say I will never again judge a parent for the clothes their child has on. She went to church last Sunday with a red and pink striped turtle neck, blue jeans, and bright white patten leather dress shoes. And her pink hearts coat.

Understand I dont want to stifle her creativity and I am so glad she seems very aware of shapes and colors and textures. I just wish I could tape a sign to her back that says "Dont blame mommy! I dressed myself today!"

Elaborating

I decided to randomly select a few items from my "100 things about me" and elaborate. So let's see. Numbers 12 & 79. Give me a minute to see just what those are...12. love to read (Agatha Christie is a favorite author) and 79. dont have a dishwasher (argh! shaking fist!) Not the most exciting facts about me but here we go!

Yes I love to read. I have always enjoyed reading since my youth, and I remember exactly where I was when I opened my first Agatha Christie mystery. It was titled "The Mirror Crack'd" and I was in the Garrison Jr. High library during 8th grade English (Ms. Reed was my teacher and for some odd reason she hated me.) (I always found it interesting every day she wore an Indian style belt that had her name "Karen Reed" embroidered in multi colors on it.) I was trying to find a book for our next book report (remember those?) and I had always liked mysteries so I selected the Agatha Christie book along with several others and sat down at my table to begin reading. And thus began my journey into the intriguing world of Hercule Poirot and Miss Marple, Captain Hastings, and the fellows at Scotland Yard. I believe I have read every book of hers at least once. At one point I began collecting them, finding them at the thrift store and receiving them as gifts, but there got to be so many it was hard to cart them around. So I gave them all back to the thrift store to start my journey again (except a few favorites like "Curtain," "The Murder of Roger Ackroyd," "The Big Four," and "Ten Little Indians." Agatha Christie was a genius when it comes to writing mysteries. Very rarely have I solved one of her mysteries, and I am pretty good at solving things if I do say so myself!

In regards to reading in general, I think some of my favorites over the years have been a variety of styles. I loved "Choose Your Own Adventures," "The Blackhand Gang," "Nancy Drew Mysteries," in my younger days, but also enjoyed the Judy Bloom books, Madeline L'Engle's amazing tales of the Connor? family with the "A Wrinkle In Time" series, and even the freaky "Bunnicula" and "Celery Stalks At Midnight" books. I've also loved the Chronicles of Narnia. I went thru a phase of really enjoying romance novels, but not the hokey ones, the classic romances like "The Age of Innocence" (GREAT if you havent read it) and "Til We Have Faces" which I consider romantic (any CS Lewis will do), and finally "Pride and Prejudice."


I also enjoy magazines!

Ok, and about that dishwasher...I would LOVE to have one. I have not had a dishwasher since I stayed with my in-laws-to-be during the summers while I dated my husband in college. It has been more than 8 years that I have been washing dishes by hand, and although I realize there are worse things in life, it sure would make things easier! I think I would be much more inclined to cook if I knew I could throw the dishes, silverware, pots and pans in the dishwasher after a meal! Instead I watch the sink pile grow larger and larger throughout the day and then breakdown and tackle them each evening. But we bought a house that didnt have a dishwasher or even the plumbing for one. So if we do get one it is going to be a big task--which is fine but big tasks usually mean big money. And that being said it will be a while before I get one!

here are a few other blogs to check out:

I decided I would post a few of the other blogs I visit as well as some message boards. My brother in law has a great blog at http://wardomatic.blogspot.com/. He is a Director of Animation and Primal Screen in Atlanta, Ga and has some great blogs for an amateur blogger:)!

I also like to visit http://www.smartbrother.org/. Jon Madison is a friend and fellow DJ to my husband and I always enjoy reading what's been going on in his life. His wife also blogs and her address is on his site.

The third blog I visit most often is http://washingtonunderground.blogspot.com/. I have never met the guy who writes this blog but I appreciate his insight in to the politics of Washington. I actually met him on a message board and saw this site listed in his signature so I checked it out. I dont always agree, but he sure knows his stuff!

The main message boards I visit are http://marsill.com, the website for my husband's hiphop group Mars ILL, and http://www.lost-tv.com/, the best site for the tv show LOST! I would love to find some other great blogs or sites to visit, so please post in the "comments" section if you know of some other fun ones!

Surprise!

Yee-Haw! Is this color bright or what? I wanted to change things up a little around here so I went for a real fun color. What do you think? Not sure how long I will keep it, but it's fun to see something new for a change!

I cant believe Nick and Jessica might break up! What in the world is going on these days. If any couple in Hollywood had a fighting chance it was definitely those two. Hard to believe Carmen and Dave can stick together but Nick and Jessica are hanging on by a thread. Sad days.

And ODB died! (If you dont know who Im talking about go ahead and skip to the next paragraph...that means you mom!) It is always a shock to hear someone famous has passed. Not that they arent human too, but sometimes we think everyone is gonna make it to 100, and then this happens and it either a) wakes you up to realize tomorrow is not promised to any of us, or b) leaves no impression on you and you simply think "too bad for him." Hopefully you are in the "a's".

And is it me or have recent photos of Johnny Depp not been as complimentary as past photos. I am very happily married but can honestly say I found him to be one of the top 5 best looking guys in Hollywood until these recent shots. Maybe it is the hairstyle and lack of scruff. Lenny Kravitz (another in the top 5 for me) fell sharply too when he went with the James Brown/Farrah Fawcett straight/feathered look. He's jumped back up the list now with that new cut. (Like either of them really care about my 2 cents.)

What has happened to Britney??? I am continually fascinated at her bizarre choices in life! I was never a fan (although I will admit to blasting "Hit Me Baby" in the car when it first came out...you know you did too your just too cool to admit it!) But what is going on with the quick marriages, trashy look, and general lack of care about anything? I cant figure out if she is just sick of stardom and rebelling against her image, or if she really thinks the dirty/hard/trashy lifestyle is da bomb. I hope she isnt spiraling out of control..now that she's a stepmom she may want to smoke outside.

My heart was breaking for poor little Ashley Simpson. What a disaster. And that awkward dance recorded forever on VCR's and internet sites around the globe. First off, it has got to be tough growing up with Jessica as a big sister. Everything about her is bigger and better by the world's standards and that has got to be rough. Jessica's beautiful, has a great voice (not my style, but hey, she sings a lot better than me!) Boys were always after her, she unknowingly played hard to get which only created more attention for her. She's ditzy so people were always laughing and having fun around her. Ashley has probably always felt second best. And, unfortunately she has reconfirmed that with this disaster. First, she should have stuck with acting. That was HERS and she was good at it. But someone whispered in her ear that she ought to try singing (someone who wanted to make lots of money be creating a terrible reality show around her not so great recording career.) "Lindsay is doing it!" "Hillary has sold millions!" Why not take a stab at the music industry too? She probably never felt terribly comfortable with the whole thing, then she goes on national LIVE television and the reality of it all comes crashing down. I know many of you were thrilled with a pop persona getting her due, but I see a girl led astray by her management into doing something she never should have done in the first place. And I see her sitting on her bed crying her eyes out the next day. I feel sorry for her.

Dont forget to tune into "LOST" this Wednesday--so glad to have something new to watch! Lots of interesting directions they can go and I love it. Yes it is cheesy at times but what tv show isnt a little far fetched?

Have a great weekend!

Top 5 Confessions

Some of you may be shocked, others of you may say "That's nothing!" Either way, these are my

"Top 5 Confessions of a Stay At Home Mom."

5. I have eaten food that has fallen on the floor because I was too lazy and too tired to go throw it away.
4. I have gone up to 4 days without a shower of any kind. (not recently!)
3. I almost always finish the food left on my daughter's plate.
2. I have taken drinks from her sippy cup when we are out and there is not a way for me to get my own. (recently :0)
1. Sometimes when Im bored I go to the consignment store down the street and pretend to be shopping so she can play with the toys a while.

And just for the fun of it I am going to add these next Top 5's. I had to drive for several hours in traffic today and it set me off!
"Top 5 Unanswered Questions I Have For Other Drivers"

5. "What is the deal with the big space between your car and the car in front of you at the stop light? Do you really need a car lengths worth of space there, or are you purposefully trying to irritate me?"
4. "Is it really so important to be one car ahead of me that you cant let me over?"
3. "Why do you go so slow in the fast lane knowing full well there are several cars behind you willing to go above and beyond the speed limit?"
2. "Is that call your on so important that you are completely unable to focus on any and all traffic laws, other drivers, and are unable to decide just which lane you'd like to drive in?"
1. "Can we all just at least go the speed limit? That's all I ask...that we all just work together!"

So hopefully your blood pressure did not just elevate like mine did recalling these situations on the road! But I do feel better and appreciate you letting me vent!

ok

did anyone else notice my crazy numbering on the "100 things about me" post? Just another example of being distracted by a toddler while trying to blog. But im going to leave it, and you can just know "a few more than 100 things about me!"

Am I On A Roll Or What?

Here I am bloggity bloggin again today! Is there some sort of an award for blogging several days in a row? My title for this blog reminds me of a funny hip-hop punch line I once heard, "You thought your rhymes were butter til you heard me get on a roll." ba-dum-bum-ching!

So here are my latest Top 5's

"Top 5 things I should be doing but instead I am blogging:"

5. scheduling a doctor's appointment
4. cleaning the house (did you read #42 or #60?)
3. planning my afternoon (did you read the blog before last?)
2. getting the mail (see #25 and #36)
1. doing that other thing I can't quite remember I was supposed to do.

Well, Im not sure how I feel about the Hot Pockets any longer. Yesterday I about lost my tongue biting into one HOT pocket! Wow! Im glad they called it a "hot pocket" or Im sure they'd have been sued a few times by now. But there's no way anyone could ever get any money out of them. You can just hear their lawyer, "Your honor, my client wanted to be absolutely sure there would be no question that the pocket would be very warm...even hot...when the consumer cooked it according to directions on the package. Thus they named the product "Hot Pocket" to avoid any confusion over just what this package contains." But oh I wish I hadnt burnt my tongue! Now everything I eat causes those little burnt taste buds to errupt in pain! It's like having a canker (sp?) sore on the top of your tongue. You cant just chew on one side to avoid it because it touches everything! And you really dont realize what an enjoyable experience eating is until you have tongue or mouth problems. You miss that connection, you know? That "it's just me and my Hot Pocket" no other cares in the world connection. Give me a few days and I'll be back! You aren't getting rid of my that easily, Hot Pocket. I know where you are. I know how to find you. And when I do, you'll be all mine.

100 Things About Me

I have been trying to post this in my profile on the right hand column but for some reason it wont let me save it. So until I figure it out I will post it here! It wuz dun kwikly so ther mite be tipos! My list: 100 things you might not know about me....

1. born and raised in Walla Walla WA
2. I have a BA in Theatre/Concentration Dance
3. Love macaroni & cheese
4. Married 7 years
5. Love nachos
6. stopped drinking before I turned 21!
7. tear up daily over commercials, music, life
8. love God tremendously
9. have attended 11 different schools thus far in my lifetime
10. only drink water
11. not too keen on pets
12. love to read (Agatha Christie is a favorite author)
13. love my husband and daughter beyond measure
14. have two friends who work for major celebrities
15. only child in a matter of speaking
16. love Wes Anderson films
17. much older than I look
18. tried chewing tobacco once
19. very passionate person (ok high strung!)
20. love broccoli
21. have funny looking toes
22. got our daughter's name from a film
23. have traveled to South Africa, Amsterdam, Holland, and the UK
24. my husband is a hip-hop DJ/producer
25. I dont like to be cold.
26. my husband has my initials tattooed on his arm (aww!)
27. i get car sick
28. my first real kiss was in 8th grade
29. in third grade i helped in the special ed. class
30. I'm fiercly protective of family
31. Have only had one ticket (for an accident I DIDNT cause I tell you!)
32. Solo VonZebren was the only dog Ive had.
33. I had guppies but they kept jumping out of the bowl.
34. Love sugar cookies with frosting
35. love the beach, not the ocean
36. I ponder too often
37. had pausi-articular rheumatoid jeuvenile arthritis as a child
28. my 6th grade basketball team won the city tournament
29. was a rocker chick in high school
30. not at all adventursome but spontaneous at times
31. tend to be a people pleaser
32. have great in-laws
33. have been on two cruises
34. sometimes hear gunshots at night
35. love finding treasures at the thrift store!
36. middle name is Michelle
37. love massages
38. hopeless romantic but very much a realist (huh?)
39. want to be more than I am
40. get bored easily
41. once almost choked to death on a junior mint!
42. spend more time on the internet than i do cleaning the house!
43. love barbeque Hot Pockets
44. have incredibly noisy neighbors with hot rod cars they start up all hours of the day/night
45. wish Classmates.com hadnt started charging us to read about our classmates
46. havent exercised in 2 1/2 years
47. have a love/hate relationship with tv
48. drive a Scion xB that my husband HAD to have!
49. think i might have some sort of female moustache!...:[ :O
50. if you're reading this i am probably hungry.

and i will stop here until next time....stay tuned!

ok, back to work

51. was a "Super Trooper" in Jr. High (we were the Troopers)
52. went to high school with Drew Bledsoe (NFL quarterback)
53. hit the fly ball that caused my softball team to lose state
55. found a dollar at the park yesterday
56. i am actually quite shy and nervous
57. have noisy neighbors who just started up their car again!
58. have had three last names in my lifetime
59. live in a bit of a fear bubble i am trying to pop
60. love to organize/hate to clean
61. often think i know more than i really do
62. i wonder if anyone reads this blog
63. broke up with my high school boyfriend 7 times in 7 months due to pms
64. along those lines...have a very patient husband
65. got called to the principals office in high school for having a party at my house
66. lived on my own part of my senior year of high school
67. i dont often realize the fun in something until it is over
68. voted "cutest smile" in 9th grade
69. have never broken a bone
70. have a fear of flying (and of sharks, and of dogs)
71. love to be outside (unless it's cold:)
72. cant wait to have another baby
73. hate being alone
74. love my daughter's voice (except the whine:)

well my daughter just woke from her nap so the last few will be completed at another time!

and finally the conclusion of "100 Things About Me"

75. i'm unfortunately a morning person
76. had a dirt bike motorcycle in elementary school
77. have been told i have a "grass is always greener" mentality
78. i rarely clean the shower
79. dont have a dishwasher (argh! shaking fist!)
80. i watch "The Bachelor" (disgusting reality show....)
81. love cottage cheese
82. would love to dance again someday
83. sometimes wish i could re-do high school as the person i am today
84. have been told by my husband that i have "bionic hearing"!
85. held the record for shuttle run and sit ups in 8th grade physical fitness test
86. my records were not broken for several years!
87. i could no longer hold any record in shuttle run or sit ups
88. sometimes feign ignorance on technological issues so my husband will handle them
89. am more task oriented than people oriented
90. in high school once kissed my friend's boyfriend after we dropped her off and he was taking me home
91. dont look back too fondly on most of my high school memories!
92. watched a guy shoplift at the thriftstore today
93. in high school got a "C" in pottery and an "A-" in Advanced English--go figure?!
94. have begun writing at least 5 books/pilots but have never completed any of them
95. i always have a snack before bed
96. my husband has said to me "your passion is what drives you"
97. i get very sleepy around 4 or 5 o'clock each day
98. i have very low blood pressure, usually 100 over 60
99. i'm still not sure what i want to be when i grow up
100. i wish this didnt have to end!

WHEW!

Am I ever glad the whole presidential battle is over! Too much drama for me. And the signs and bumperstickers (again, me with the bumperstickers)! From "President Kerry, Now That's Scary!" which I saw up around Halloween in Orange and Black, to "Bush is a Plant" I find all the shenanagans ridiculous. I actually feel quite sorry for those people who put lots of stickers on their cars, because it isnt like the "student of the month" or "radio station" sticker that you can leave up for years. It is one of those things that kinda gets old a few days after the election has been decided. And I notice lots of people still have signs in their yards. Im one of those people who would take it down immediately. I mean, if I had had a Kerry sign I would feel awkward leaving it up because I'd think "Yep, I was hard core for that guy who didnt win. Originally I thought you all should know, but now that it's over there's no sense in pushing the issue." And if I had had a Bush sign I'd think "I better get this sign out of the yard before the Kerry folks tp my house!" Dont get me wrong, I voted and feel strongly for the candidate I chose....I guess I just dont like announcing my political persuasion to the rest of the world!

And what's with the electoral college? I stayed up until the wee hours of the morning switching from channel to channel trying to figure out how many votes each candidate really had! "Does Bush have Ohio or not?" "Is it 269-242 or 254-252?" Who knows? Each station apparently decides the electoral votes themselves! And then to wake up the next morning and the thing still wasnt over! I finally left the house and found out later via radio who had won the presidency. The whole thing seems quite a mess to me and I'll tell you I am exhausted. Thanks be to God it is over!

On to other things

So now that Ive got the election off my chest I can fill you in on the rest of our lives. Our girl has been growing by leaps and bounds! Not in size, necessarily, but in vocabulary. Im not kidding she says something new everyday. She has also become quite a spitfire/passionate/ ok-lets-face-it-whiny little thing. Now I know this is just a phase and she is mainly whining due to lack of vocabulary but seriously...is there a more terrible sound that has every been created? Maybe fingernails on the chalkboard but both have the same effect on me. I dont think it would be so bad if it werent the EXACT SAME SOUND REPEATED OVER AND OVER AGAIN UNTIL I NOTICE! One time I counted and she did it FIFTY times in a row. FIFTY! If she could change it up a bit, you know, some long whines with some short whines, maybe even some different pitches I think I could take it a bit longer. I must say a thousand times a day "Too much whining!" Which she follows with "pees" (her "please".) I love the "pees" and would be happy to reward it every single time to get rid of the whining but then I'd never be saying no. So we are in a sort of limbo state. The vocabulary is definitely increasing ("pees" "poo-poo" "dudi"-(dirty) "boo-boo" and "apoo"-(apple) are the latest additions) but the whine is still used where words are lacking.

As far as I am concerned I am stuck in the film "Groundhog Day" (props to Catherine for coining that term for a mom's life!) And I cant seem to find my way out. Instead of that eldery woman in the commercial they should make a new one for moms "Help, Ive fallen into a rut, and I cant get out!" OK I digress. But EVERY DAY SEEMS EXACTLY THE SAME! I actually find it quite amazing. I dont write this to complain but just out of sheer amazement at the situation! Here's my day to a T: (times have been adjusted according to the time change (Jon I liked your blog about it-so true.)
730 wake up to alarm (aka daughter)
745 breakfast
800 wonder "what in the world are we going to do today" as if I dont already know!
830 get myself together and ready
900 wonder "it's only 900? what in the world are we going to do today?"
930 clean up breakfast, do a few other chores and make up my mind to leave the house
1000 drive aimlessly around until we end up at a) thrift store b) park c) grocery store
1130 head home for lunch
1200 lunch
1230 nap time !!!!! (mommy begins emailing, blogging, surfing the net, hitting the message boards or sleeping)
230 rustling sound from daughter's room "AAA! hurry and finish up, round two is on!"
300 wonder "what in the world are we going to do today?
330 drive aimlessly around until we end up at a) some errand b)park c) other park
500 head home to make dinner
600 dinner
700 family time
800 bedtime!!!

OK, now I know I have it good. I am VERY thankful for the opportunity to stay home with my girl (and hopefully other children as they come) and I would most certainly choose this over the old 9-6. I am so thankful to have seen her first steps, heard her first words, witness her new discoveries, and spend so much time giving and receiving love. But I do think that mom's often get little respect for their situation because it seems like the lap of luxury to those listening to a boss tell them what to do all day long. I applaud mothers of all ages for the incredible self sacrifice it takes to raise up a child. No, it isnt hard hanging out at home or driving over to the park every afternoon. But what IS hard is dedicating virtually every moment of every day to the wants and needs of another human being you can hardly communicate with and cannot expect a whole lot from. Yes there are definitely moments, hours, afternoons I have to myself, but in the end it all comes back to the girl. This once helpless tiny gift that was given to my husband and I to mold and shape and teach and care for especially love. The most difficult task you could ask of anyone--take responsibility for the life of another. And in some strange, self gratifying way I like it. As much as I cant stand the whines, and feel like I pick up and put away the same toys in the same place and make the same meals sitting in the same chair barking out the same orders day after day I know I have it good. I love my family. Well, perfect timing! Naptime's over...(wonders "what in the world will we do today?")